Thierry Henry’s multi-skilling pleases FIFA

 
Pippinu Roar Guru

By Pippinu, 22 Nov 2009 Pippinu is a Roar Guru

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In recent months, Craig Foster has written a series of scathing articles aimed at denigrating the football codes that use an oval ball, the AFL in particular.

His thesis was that anyone who can walk on two legs can put their hand up to be a professional AFL player, the indigenous game being so utterly devoid of skill, while professional soccer players need to be blessed with almost superhuman, extra-terrestrial powers to make a go of it.

Until recently, I had had my doubts about what Fos was saying, but having watched Thierry Henry handball France into the 2010 World Cup, I am starting to understand where he is coming from.

Watch Thierry Henry carefully on this clip.

Note the expert manner with which he controls the ball with his left hand then guides it back down onto the boot, retaining perfect balance, wheeling round with the archetypal 70 degree angle, reminiscent of Captain Blood’s legendary pose.

Of course, the one give away that Thierry is not playing Australian football is that he does a quick two shoe shuffle to get the ball back onto his favoured right, rather than hit it immediately with his left.

If would appear that the God like skill demanded of the world game does not extend to any great proficiency with the non-preferred foot.

Nevertheless, one can’t argue with the end result – except for the Irish that is.

Ironically, they too tend to prefer a form of football that involves the use of hands, and as it happens, a round ball.

Henry could do no worse a form of penance than offer to replace Tadgh Kennelly at Kerry County, the reigning All-Ireland champ’s.

As for what it means for the world game, well, to be honest, it means absolutely nothing.

We all understand that the World Cup needs the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany and France (winners of the last 10 World Cups).

FIFA knows that all this will blow over in a few days, and they are left with their preferred attendee: France.

In the modern age, any nod towards retaining a semblance of romanticism in the game must be fleeting at best.

History tells us that the world’s population has always been able to gloss over the one great flaw in the world game: that one moment of insanity; one freak accident; one imbecilic referee’s decision; one inexplicable oversight; one moment of utter discrimination, is sufficient to produce that single game determining goal, often with very little association with what has occurred in the other 90 minutes.

That’s why talk of video refs and the like are all quite misguided. It’s as if there is some inherent logic as to who should win or lose a game, who is meant to proceed or drop out of tournaments.

Let us all be reminded that the two of the last four World Cups have been determined by means of a penalty shoot-out.

What happens during the actual 90 minutes is of secondary importance.

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