Earth to FIFA

Scour the website of the game's world governing body and you'd be hard-pushed to find any mention of the biggest issue in soccer last week. Gotta love them blazers in Zurich, like the three wise monkeys or Arsene 'I deed not see eet' Wenger when the elephant enters the room.

Ah, here we are "FIFA Media Statement: FIFA Opens Investigation" - that's better! Oh...it's about the violence at the Egypt v Algeria playoff...France v Eire was buried at the bottom of the European round-ups, with only a passing mention of the big issue du jour: "...after being set up by Thierry Henry, who later admitted that he had handled in the build-up."

Yes, yes, crisis meeting, fast-tracked extra officials and/or TV replays, but why no mention on the football website of what everyone has been talking about, even if it was just a dusty brush-off quoting the relevant rules and regulations? As a layman wanting to know what the management thought, was I supposed to telephone Switzerland to ask?

Thierrygate seems to have blown over for now, though the FFR's refusal to commit to a replay ensures, fairly or not, a cheat's tag on the team and on Henry, one of the finest footballers I have seen live and the only one I have sold a book to. Quel dommage (what a shame)...

Slovenia denying Guus Hiddink another crack at the big one deserved more press, but the Henry Handball assumed such epic proportions it eclipsed the Miracle of Maribor. Everyone's had their two centimes to say, but most calls for video replays missed the point it is already there, just used surreptitiously: Zinedine Zidane's World Cup head butt was spotted by a technology-wielding touchline official, a salient point first raised by Ruggiero Palombo in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

As a half-Irishman, all I can say is the Boys in Green were cheated by bad luck more than anyone's ill-will, and we shouldn't squeal too loudly given our woeful showing against France at Croke Park and a questionable PK against Georgia. Never mind lads, we tried.

*We'll be hearing a lot of South Africa's beautiful national anthem next summer. Let's hope they provide a better singer than this guy, whose hoarse rendition of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika at this month's France v S.A. rugby international had some of the players cracking up.

-Sean O'Conor, London