Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed Thierry Henry should have owned up to his handball cheat shame - but admits the the pressure of getting France to the World Cup was the reason his former captain did not own up.

Go on - go and say sorry: Arsene Wenger wants Thierry Henry to do the decent thing

Wenger, who went to the dressing room to urge his prot? toapologise, said: 'One should (own up), but one doesn't, we know, withthe pressure and what's at stake.

'We qualified by the back doorlike Portugal. Our qualification resembled that of Portugal. A badstart, a lack of confidence and we got through with a very uncomfortable feeling.

'The goal we scored was hard to swallow if you were in the oppositecamp. We would have preferred to qualify in a different manner. All the stadium has seen the handball, but thereferee hasn't.

'This isn't the French way and footballshould learn from this. I have spoken to Titi after the game and he knows it was not correct but it is up to the referee also to stop the play.

'Inthe end we qualified because of a referee's mistake, the strength of awrist and also the clumsiness of the Irish in front of their goal.'

Here's what others have said about Henrygate

'There was nothing glorious about this qualification. The Irish were brilliant. Over the two matches, they deserved to go to the World Cup.'

Emmanuel Petit



'Thierry Henry. more Hans than a German phonebook

Irish comic Patrick Kielty Tweets through the pain

[The deafening sound of silence - with a tumbleweed blowing in the background]

The response of Michel Platini (the outspoken Frenchman who's in charge of European football)



'We condemn and challenge statements by coach Raymond Domenech andsome of his players saying the main thing in sport is to win.'

France's teachers union is not impressed with their students' so-called role models

'We're going to go the World Cup, but we go to the locker-room with our heads bowed. It was not something to be proud of. I'm not going to party.'

Bixente Lizarazu is not a happy chappy

 Play it again! As the football world turns on cheat Thierry Henry, furious Irish demand World Cup rematchHow idol Thierry Henry became a pariah: From pin-up to a figure of ridicule across the worldMARTIN SAMUEL: It's so simple, let's force some honesty back into the gameThierry Henry is no longer a national hero in France - the cheat should hang his head

 Explore more:People:Thierry Henry, Raymond Domenech, Arsene WengerPlaces:France, Portugal

Source: Daily_Mail

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