BARRY HORNE: Deafening silence from Blat-man and Robin of world football

IN the wake of the Thierry Henry handball incident, isn't it amazing how many people get on their high horses and write opionionated nonsense - all produced in the cold light of day with as much time as they want to reflect.That's in stark contrast to Thierry Henry's instantaneous and largely instinctive reaction.There have been calls - in serious newspapers - for Henry to be banned from playing at the World Cup finals.What a nonsense. Where's the precedent?Is there anything in the rules to even say that this can be done?That would be just a random act inflicted on one of the greatest sportsmen of his generation. Another writer, again from a 'serious' paper actually cited the example of the 2005 match between Bahrain and Uzb-ekistan, siggest-ing that offered a preced-ent for action to be taken. In that game the referee disallowed a penalty for encroach- ment but wrongly awarded an indirect free-kick instead of having the penalty retaken.That is completely different.That is a matter of fact. The referee did not know the rules.Quite rightly an appeal was granted.It wasn't a matter of judgement as we have here.Let's just look at the facts. I'm willing to believe that the first touch was not deliber- ate, but the second touch clearly was.As any sportsman will know, however, especially at the higher levels, the vast majority of things that you do are instinctive.Such is the case here, as Henry quite rightly pointed out.

Source: Liverpool_Echo