Dear Sir / Madam

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Dear England,

please stop organising top class international matches when you hardly have any of your actual players available for these games. I get all excited to hear about upcoming fixtures and the prospect of a well fought game at an intergalactic standard only to find out at the last minute that the stars I see in the Premiership week in week out are all apparently unavailable and that we are reduced to playing Wes "sorry I fucked it up again" Brown in defence. I mean, what is the fucking point?

Yours sincerely, Doughnut Pig Flu Andy

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Chère France,

Merci pour cette superbe performance contre l'Irlande hier. Malgré les critiques que play-off parties attirent, il est bon de voir que le talent transparaît à la fin. J'ai particulièrement aimé regarder que Terry Henry. Sa croix de l'égaliseur était superbe.

Merci,

Doughnut "va jamais d'entendre main de Dieu à partir des blagues un Irlandais à nouveau" Boy Andy

[Norbert]

Henry cheated the equalizer. He played the ball with the left hand like Maradona once did. France over all played bad through almost the entire 90 minutes. In the extra time they were better, I admit. Something similar happened to the Irish some time ago against Italy I think. They have bad luck with their referees - especially in very decisive situations.

I guess you must hate the Irish pretty much to write such lines...

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

I guess you must hate the Irish pretty much to write such lines...

What a ludicrous and spiteful accusation. I ask you to take that back.

Or should I now accuse you of approving of the disgusting racial abuse that is being hurled at Henry in forums and social networking sites? Of course not, though with your serious reference to Maradonna (I only mention him as a joke) you certainly contribute to the barrage of unfair criticism aimed at him.

If Ireland had won, I would have laughed at France. As an England fan, it would be rude of me not to see the schadenfreude. Diego shirts were very popular in Ireland in the day and I might get myself a Henry one with Christmas coming up.

This thread of mine is not meant to be so serious but a bit satirical. Perhaps the subject deserves its own thread. But if there is a story here then it is surely the racial hatred directed at Henry, the insanity of the Irish ministers demanding a rematch, the madness of Keane speaking openly of conspiracy theories and the German "Volking" of the Irish.

Stuff like this happens all the time in football.... it is part of the game. Usually though nobody gives a shit. If this had happened to Poland or Holland, i doubt you would care in the slightest. You certainly would not accuse me of hating them and get on your high horse about it.

From Zeit:

Die Partie in Frankreich wird bleiben: in Diskussionen, in den Köpfen Irlands, in Anekdoten und Vergleichen. Dieser entscheidende Treffer in diesem wichtigen Spiel wird bei den Iren Beständigkeit erlangen, wie das Wembley-Tor 1966 für Deutschland – unbegreiflich und viel zitiert. Irland ist in die Rolle des tragischen Verlierers gerutscht. Geliebt, aber ohne WM-Teilnahme 2010.

http://www.zeit.de/sport/fussball/2009- ... d-2?page=2

For what other team would such an event even be mentioned in Germany?

[Holgi]

Zeit:

Die Partie in Frankreich wird bleiben: in Diskussionen, in den Köpfen Irlands, in Anekdoten und Vergleichen. Dieser entscheidende Treffer in diesem wichtigen Spiel wird bei den Iren Beständigkeit erlangen, wie das Wembley-Tor 1966 für Deutschland – unbegreiflich und viel zitiert. Irland ist in die Rolle des tragischen Verlierers gerutscht. Geliebt, aber ohne WM-Teilnahme 2010.

http://www.zeit.de/sport/fussball/2009- ... d-2?page=2

For what other team would such an event even be mentioned in Germany?

That also sounds a little bit like a conspiracy theory in my ears!
But I agree with you that this racist bullshit against Henry should stop (& of course should be mentioned). He's a great footballer, now even a handballer with a bigger brain than Diego M. I suppose!

[Denis]

All Fans of 80s Homecomputer games know it and I think this is a good moment to publish a new version of Peter Shiltons Handball Maradonna Game.

[Norbert]

@DBA: sorry for the last line of my post! It wasn´t meant to be an accusation. I was just trying to provoke some reaction of you in the sort of "this isn´t meant to be serious". It wasn´t that clear for me, that this thread is like a satirical thread.

Since the match I didn´t find the time to read much press or to look into forums or social networks or such things. The only reaction I read so far is about the minister. I think this a stupid reaction. This is football. Such things happen. It´s a "Tatsachenentscheidung".

Of course I am not approving any racial hate towards Henry! Like any dive or any hand-to-ball in any football match I call the one who made this, a cheater. Nothing more but nothing less either. Even to my own team.

I was angry at Henry in the first moment and felt sorry for the Irish. If this had happened to Poland or Netherlands (to grab your examples), I wouldn´t have felt less sorry for them. So I don´t know what you mean with the german "Volking" of the Irish?

I hope this post made it clear for you...

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Indeed... and it was a lovely chat despite the disappointing result.