EVRA SAYS CHEAT HENRY DESERVES A STATUE

Owning up would've made him a traitor

EVRA: No remorse over Henry handball

By David Barnes, 21/11/2009

PATRICE EVRA believes there should be a statue erected to handball cheat Thierry Henry.

The Manchester United defender leapt to the defence of his team-mate and claimed Henry would have been a 'traitor' if he'd confessed to the referee he'd cheated Ireland out of a World Cup place.

Evra said: "Frankly, if he had done that, I would have told him: 'Titi, you have betrayed us'.

"It's madness. We are arguing about Henry when we should be erecting a statue to him."

There are rumours in the French media that Henry is so distressed by becoming the target of global abuse he is considering quitting international football.

But Evra responded: "That's nonsense. Titi is ready now for South Africa. The lad feels bad because his own people are attacking him, but he is solid.

"People will have gone on to something else in a few days. That's why I thought: 'Pat, keep your mouth shut or else you will get called arrogant again'.

"But I just don't accept that people should attack our captain that way.

"For the world's press to destroy him, no problem. But for we, in France, to join in, it's not on. It has to stop.

"If Titi had got that goal ruled out by going to see the ref and we had lost, the same people would have talked about his ego.

"They would have said: 'He is only thinking about himself, his image'.

Hypocrites

"That handball was an instinctive gesture. What sportsman could look at himelf in the mirror and say it couldn't happen to him.

"Who would have gone to the ref to tell him? These people are hypocrites. We are going to South Africa and that's all.

"When I think there are politicians who enjoy attacking us...they don't even know whether the ball is round or oval. They'll be the first to come and drink champagne in South Africa.

"I returned to Manchester with Irish players and they told me, themselves, that I should have had a penalty in the first game. People have forgotten that".

Embarrassed

"Of course, I'm angry. Titi doesn't deserve this. Who committed the error? The refereee, full stop. I spoke to Titi on Thursday. He is disappointed. It is hard that people should attack him in France.

"I was embarrassed at the end of the game, but just by our own performance. We were not good. We came very close to disaster.

"But we showed our guts. I'm not ashamed of anything. I am not going to sing, but I am not ashamed. There is injustice in football all the time.

"I'll do a replay whenever you want. As long as it's on PlayStation."

Your comments

This article has 28 comments

Evra is right, ireland are a poor team with poor players and need to get over it. deal with it, evra is right. Ireland are one team i would not watch as they are league one standard!

By jonny.. Posted February 17 2010 at 7:36 PM.

Does anyone remember how negative Ireland have played at world cups in the past? They have played about 12 games and scored about 8 goals. Remember Norway v Ireland from USA 94? Dismal... I don't condone cheating but the best team won. Let's move on and enjoy the world cup. It will be better with France being there and Ireland's long ball Championship-level team not.

By nigel.. Posted November 23 2009 at 11:30 AM.

I once played in an office game and kicked the ball out of the keeper's hands and scored. But as the ref was going to blow for goal, I quickly ran up to him to own up. The ref was stunned but praised my honesty. I told him I never cheated in football and I did that just for fun. I didn't watch the France-Ireland match but I have lost respect for Henry as a footballer and I hope that France get knocked out in the finals the same way. I have also lost respect for Steven Gerrard for diving to get a penalty. I am a Chelsea fan but I would never condone or forgive a Chelsea player for cheating.

By hussinrahman.. Posted November 23 2009 at 6:37 AM.

Yes you Irish fans lets have the re-play on my play station and I will be Henry hahahahah !!!

By jones.. Posted November 22 2009 at 9:47 PM.

I can,t stant seeing football anymore. It's full of corruption and cheating. the game is getting very dirty. It's all about money.

By mario zammit... Posted November 22 2009 at 7:35 PM.

Get over it people and leave henry alone coz he is cheat and evra is right

By Fowsiyo.. Posted November 22 2009 at 6:30 PM.

Hurray for Evra. I totally agree with him. Get over it people, the game is over, France is in, Ireland out. Bad decisions are made in footnball all the time. Look at how many divers there are in British football, all trying to influence the referee's decision. Same difference.

By Brian Jones.. Posted November 22 2009 at 2:48 PM.

Arrogant, snidy, wallowing in other's misfortunes, being as ungracious in victory as in defeat. It is clearly apparent that Patrice Evra possess' all the attributes to play for manchester united for many years to come. They are ideally suited .

By Jim hughes.. Posted November 22 2009 at 1:26 PM.

I think whats halarious was the IFA saying they should be at the World Cup...''it should be us there not france''. Well why should it be them? For starters they never scored the second goal they needed to go through. And who says they would have won in penalties if the game stayed 1-1 on aggr. ???

I think more technology needs to be used. goal line technology is a must for starters, an absolute no brainer.

By freddy.. Posted November 22 2009 at 12:52 PM.

Evra..pure and simple--keep it shut!!!!you and your french cheating scumbags!!!!!!!

By sean.. Posted November 22 2009 at 11:52 AM.

Ngog last week massive dive against Birmingham !!!!

Henri massive handball !!!!!!

Both French lol say no more

By Paul Griffiths.. Posted November 22 2009 at 11:41 AM.

its funny what sum people say on here if that was ireland that did that the other night and ireland got a winning with a handball i bet you that frog platini wud have demand a reply .

By eddie.. Posted November 22 2009 at 11:33 AM.

evra in my mind is stupid, probably was never at school. if you can write something like that your not educated.
it goes back to the old arguement, referees are making blatant mistakes, and nothing happens. we are not talking about games in the 3rd division, we are talking about whether you go to the world cup or not. can ireland not take this to court, they have been cheated. by the way what,s a guy from switzerland doing in charge of football. blatter

By graham mackenzie.. Posted November 22 2009 at 11:27 AM.

Evra is the most loud mouthed pathetic individual in the game today!
A mediocre half wit who's only wish is to keep himself in the public eye!

By Norwegian Gooner.. Posted November 22 2009 at 11:08 AM.

I'm not a fan of Roy Keane and think his recent comments on this issue were borne out of a bitter and twisted mind, but I agree entirely with his advise to the Irish and all other critics - Cheating happens in every football game. Get over it! Did

anyone hear Robert Huth on Sky Sports News on Friday? He echoed those sentiments exactly by saying every single player cheats one way or the other during a game.

Hopefully, FIFA will come out with some measures to clamp down on cheating, although you'll have to be absolutely deluded to believe football will ever be rid of it completely.

By Hitman.. Posted November 22 2009 at 10:25 AM.

As for those coming out with all that nonsense suggesting Henry should have owned up to the referee! Honestly, those people do not only need a reality check, but their heads as well. They must be living on cloud cuckoo land. This is football, not a game of tiddlywinks in a monastery. No wonder Henry responded with a look that said "Are you mad or stupid?", when a British journalist put that suggestion to him in the post-match interview shown on Sky.

In the entire history of football, which player has done such a thing as own up to a wrong-doing, having benefitted from an unfair advantage? As usual, people are going to come up with.......oh, let let me guess, Robbie Fowler! Absolute Garbage!

I've heard that incident referred to a million times it's even become boring. So Robbie Fowler was a footballing saint who upheld all the values of honesty eh? For your information, Robbie Fowler during that game at Highbury, did not jump up to
plead on behalf of David Seaman. He waved that finger of denial to suggest he had not dived, in case the referee tried to book him.

By Hitman.. Posted November 22 2009 at 10:27 AM.

Evra is a legend - replay on playstation - comedy genius!!!
Ireland get over it Henry isn't the reason your not goin to world cup its because your not very good, 4 wins in a relativley easy group, you dont deserve to be there!!!
Anyway, I think anyone of your players would have done exactly the same - refs/linesmans fault for not spottin it...
Stop lookin for a scapegoat, you can always cheer England on next year haha...

By holty, manchester.. Posted November 22 2009 at 10:11 AM.

Handle the ball once, forgiveable. Handle it twice, its deliberate.

The whole world sees what the only two men who count didn't!

Video replay: Will never happen, if it did how are the powers that be going to fiddle the results?

By eddieb.. Posted November 22 2009 at 9:52 AM.

Evra has this uncanny knack of talking completely out of his backside on most issues. Henry cheated but wasn't caught out. Its time for the footballing authorities to sort this out once and for all. Most sports have video evidence and if the game can stop for injuries then it can stop for a video ref to pass judgement. If anything good comes out of this issue then the use of TV replays will be it.

By Deano.. Posted November 22 2009 at 9:28 AM.

"I'll do a replay whenever you want. As long as it's on PlayStation" lol pure genius!!

By Glenn.. Posted November 22 2009 at 8:58 AM.

Hi I'm French and believe that's a shame Titi missed once again the occasion to show some respect to the game, to behave like a role model.

Hope the match would be replayed but that's never going to happen.

By Denis.. Posted November 22 2009 at 8:09 AM.

that boy is idiot, shame unto france, i think the people we should talk and call their names are michel platini ans blatter, where are they now, they have kept quite on this issue, if it was an english player they would have come out by now, if it was even a foriener who is playing in england they would have come out by now, they had the gut to punish eduado, why can't they band henry from the world cup of admitted cheating

By richie.. Posted November 22 2009 at 7:20 AM.

I am not French, but Henry did not cheat, Get over it and stop giving Henry so much abuse. He handled the ball at pace "that is not cheating". If the referee gave the goal that is the end of the mater!! As for people calling for a re-play, you must be joking, let’s re-play every game with a referee decision that we disagree with. You win games by scoring goals not by complaining about referee. Good luck to France in SA and for Ireland now focus on your next game!! Evra is right !!

By Jones Imbanga.. Posted November 22 2009 at 2:51 AM.

robbie fowler got a pen against arsenal then tell the refs it werent a foul the ref still gives it hows can the players win,if henry,s cross had gone out of play would we be even having this argument

By mark82.. Posted November 22 2009 at 2:06 AM.

Not a massive football fan,but i think Henri again should be excluded from the world cup line up.So many Irish players may never get the chance again to play in the competition again,so why should he be privilrdged for cheating?

By emck31.. Posted November 22 2009 at 1:23 AM.

evra is right there should be a statue of king henry in france just as there is one of bobby moore at wembley especially when you consider all thet carry on we had in the 1970 world cup with that gold bracelet that went missing lol

By tony,kent.. Posted November 22 2009 at 12:37 AM.

Evra is a COWARD, who hasn't got the guts to face the irish again. France are through...but only by cheating!!

By jim.. Posted November 21 2009 at 11:45 PM.

This Evra guy really talks pure refined crap. He is so rude. I can't stop laughing.

By Kofinho.. Posted November 21 2009 at 11:34 PM.

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