Henry handles the ball before setting up France's equaliser

Striker Thierry Henry will not be punished by Fifa for his handball in France's World Cup finals play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland. The world governing body's disciplinary committee concluded there was "no legal foundation" to deal with the case. The Barcelona striker handled the ball twice in the build-up to the decisive extra-time goal from William Gallas. Only the illegal use of a hand to prevent a goal being scored is covered in relation to possible sanctions. The decision means the 32-year-old former Arsenal player will not face a ban for any of France's matches in the World Cup finals this summer. "Handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in the Fifa disciplinary code," said a Fifa statement. "There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials." Henry's handball caused an international furore, with the Republic claiming they had been "cheated" out of a place in the World Cup. The extra-time goal meant the match in Paris ended 1-1, with France going through 2-1 on aggregate. Later Fifa rejected a request from the Football Association of Ireland to have the match replayed. Republic of Ireland defender Sean St Ledger told BBC Radio 5 live on Monday: "I'm shocked but not surprised really. "Obviously I don't want to see players getting banned but at the same time it promotes, 'if you can get away with it, then do it'. "I saw it [the handball] again today and I still believe the second time he intentionally handballed it. Across the board we are all hurt from it." The Republic were angered even before the match by Fifa's decision to seed the play-offs, which allowed big sides like Portugal and France to avoid each other. "I think it's appalling that Fifa said they've got no legal foundation but they still have the power to change the rules and introduce the seedings," St Ledger added. "If they've got the power to change that rule I don't understand why they haven't got the power to change the rule here. So, confusing but not surprising. "It won't surprise me if France go on and win the World Cup." Previously, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said Henry was guilty of "blatant unfair playing" but stopped short of calling for him to be punished. 606: DEBATE Seems that Fifa don't have a 'bringing the game into disrepute' charge then?

Gerrardswhiskers Henry apologised over the incident and later admitted it left him contemplating whether to quit international football. On the back of the controversy surrounding the incident, Fifa met at Cape Town to consider goal-line technology and extra referees at the World Cup. However, the sport's governing body decided against using additional referees in South Africa and have instead opted to set up an inquiry into the benefits of video technology and extra officials. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement



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