Madam, – Can we please have a bit of perspective on this whole issue? It was a game of football and the referee made a simple human error.
The mistakes made by players are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as this referee’s mistake, which is probably just as well.
And as for the calls for a replay? What nonsense! Are the proponents of this argument suggesting that every time a referee makes a mistake, the match is replayed?
Ireland lost, France won; so let’s get over ourselves. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I have just returned from Paris, where, on and off the pitch, our players and fans demonstrated attributes reflecting what is best about our nation: commitment, energy, unity, passion and pride.
Thierry Henry, the exponent of va-va-voom and wearing gloves, is the season’s pantomime villain.
However, if said glove was on the other hand, I have no doubt that any Irishman who so cheated would be a national hero, celebrated for his cunning “stroke”. We are, after all, the nation who loves the cute hoor.
Constituent attitudes to certain politicians, past and present, are a reflection of this particular national “value”. The accomplishments of our tax evaders and welfare cheats are often celebrated among their peers.
We now know that “Fair Play” is a Fifa marketing term and not really a core Fifa value. In the same way, we often celebrate the cute hoor’s results with an ironic chorus of “Fair play to ye”.
I suggest that we should temper our outrage lest anyone think that we are morally superior to Fifa and Monsieur Henry. – Yours, etc,