A horrific call by an official who has made several in his career. Swedish newspapers (the officiating crew were Swedes) ran stories apologising to the Irish and denouncing the call and the referee. ("There are millions of Irishmen around the world hanging their heads today, but we hope that there are three Swedes who feel even more distraught")
What may be missed in North America is that Ireland is a minor player in world soccer, whereas France is a perpetual power. To have France advance to the World Cup on the basis of such a monumental screw up is significant, and several spokesmen for French soccer have expressed disappointment and a certain degree of shame, although not to the extent of being willing to replay the match of course. The notable exception to that lack of willingness to replay has been Henry, who not only admitted the foul at the time of the match, but has expressed dismay (while saying it was unintentional) and suggested a replay.
The spooky music running underneath all of this is FIFA's long standing tradition of playing fast and loose with integrity. They don't want to lose the money that France will bring to the World Cup tournament, and Ireland has no significant clout at that level. FIFA's decision not to replay a crucial match under such circumstances, and to resolutely oppose any kind of video review, make a total mockery of their "fair play" campaign.
