Thierry Henry will not face FIFA action for handball against Ireland

Published on Monday 18 January 2010 17:09

Thierry Henry will not face any official sanction from FIFA over his handball during France's crucial World Cup qualification play-off against Ireland.

• Thierry Henry's infamous handball against Ireland

Football's governing body FIFA said in a statement today that it could not take any action against the 32-year-old as there was "no legal foundation" for them to deal with the case.

The decision means Henry will not face a ban for any matches of this summer's World Cup finals.

FIFA's statement read: "The disciplinary committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a) of the FIFA disciplinary code.

"There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials."

Footage from the match showed Thierry Henry guide the ball with his left hand before passing to team-mate William Gallas who went on to score.

The game ended 1 - 1 after extra time with France winning 2 - 1 on aggregate, ending Ireland's bid to qualify for the South Africa World Cup.

Following a national outcry, FIFA ordered an investigation to be carried out into the incident.