Word: fifa
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Friday, Nov. 20, soccer's international governing body, FIFA, rejected Ireland's demands that its controversial World Cup qualifying playoff match against France Wednesday night be replayed in light of the clearly illegal play by French striker Thierry Henry that set up the goal securing France's ticket to South Africa next June. The reasoning went along with FIFA's established habit of focusing on the letter rather than spirit of its rules: if referee Martin Hansson failed to spot Henry's use of his left hand to rein in the ball - and let the ensuing goal by teammate William...
...FIFA states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed," the organization's communiqué said Friday. "As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final...
...admitted that her "feelings are split between what you might call cowardly relief and great consternation." Her Cabinet colleague Economy Minister Christine Lagarde went further, telling RTL radio Friday that she found it "sad to qualify by cheating" and saying the situation merited a rematch. In apparent anticipation of FIFA's ruling against that possibility, Lagarde then said that when "rules are bad, you have to call them into question...
...increasing number of fans say yes. But both FIFA and its European pillar, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), have repeatedly rejected using video. Both bodies have threatened European pro leagues with dire consequences if they even test the use of replay. FIFA officials and the UEFA president, former French soccer great Michel Platini, advance a slim list of unconvincing reasons for slapping video down. The cost of such technology, they argue, would mean leagues in poorer countries wouldn't be able to use video, dividing soccer into haves and have-nots. They also claim that the time taken...
...happens to infuriate French fans, to boot. Toward the end of the 2006 World Cup final, the assistant referee peeked at a television monitor to witness a replay of French star Zinedine Zidane head-butting Italian rival Marco Materazzi to the ground. Shocked at the violence - and ignoring FIFA rules forbidding use of replays - the assistant referee signaled the offense to his unsuspecting central official, who promptly slapped Zidane with a red card. Few have faulted that sanctioning of an outrageous foul that the official never actually saw. Let's go to the videotape...