18 November 2009; Republic of Ireland players Shay Given and Keith Andrews remonstrate with referee Martin Hansson after William Gallas, France, scored his side's goal. FIFA 2010 World Cup Qualifying Play-off 2nd Leg, Republic of Ireland v France, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE

Swedish referee Martin Hansson has admitted he would not speak to Thierry Henry if he ever met the Frenchman again.

Hansson was the man in the middle on that fateful night in Paris - 10 years ago on Monday - when Henry handled the ball twice before setting up William Gallas to score as Ireland's 2010 World Cup dream collapsed in a hail of controversy.

While Henry was the main focus of Ireland fans' outrage, Hansson and his officiating team were also widely criticised for their failure to spot the blatant double handball in extra time at Stade de France.

In an in-dept interview with the Athletic's Daniel Taylor, Hansson admits it was the worst performance of his career, calls for wider conversations about players who cheat and reveals how he felt bad for Ireland and the "fantastic" people in the country.

And what if he ever met Henry again?

"I won't speak with him," said Hansson from his farmhouse in the Swedish town of Holmsjo.

In a special Independent.ie podcast remembering Paris 10 years on, Richard Dunne spoke about the mood in the dressing room after the final whistle as manager Giovanni Trapattoni stormed about cursing and looking for answers.

In the official's dressing room, Hansson and his team hugged and high-fived on what they believed was a job well done.

"It was something we did before, and after, every game," Hansson told The Athletic.

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"When I went into that room I really thought it was one of the best games of my career. It's not so often, as a referee, you look forward to extra-time but, for this game, that was how I felt. I was in a good point of my career. I had refereed the Confederations Cup final earlier in the year. I really thought I had had a good game."

It was only when a FIFA official entered the room that Hansson realised the magnitude of what had just unfolded.

Hansson - who now works as FIFA referee observer - was "inconsolable" when an official from the Football Association of Ireland knocked on his door.

"We knew by that stage, of course. We knew what it meant for Ireland and we also knew that, for us (his refereeing team), the World Cup in South Africa didn't exist any more.

"He wanted to shake our hands. 'Gentlemen,' he said, 'of course it is a mistake but we blame the player, we don't blame you. It's big, big cheating from the player'. That was unbelievably good of him."

Hansson added: "It was the worst performance of my career.

"I'm just grateful that I had very good friends during that time. I had a lot of support. Referees from all over Europe were texting me. Many more than I would ever have thought.

"It was a catastrophe for Ireland. They were so close to the World Cup, and it's such a big thing. Fantastic people, too."

Online Editors