Thierry Henry in the clear as Fifa has no power to punish him

THIERRY Henry has escaped punishment for his handball against the Republic of Ireland after Fifa's disciplinary committee ruled it had no power to sanction the France striker.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter had referred Henry's case to the disciplinary committee last month, saying it was "blatant unfair play". But the committee met yesterday and decided there was "no legal foundation" for it to deal with the case.

Under Fifa's current rules, 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 Barcelona player will not face a ban for any of France's matches in the World Cup finals this summer.

Fifa said in a statement: "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."

Henry's handball in the run-up to William Gallas' decisive goal in the World Cup play-off qualifier ended the Republic of Ireland's dreams of qualifying for the finals in South Africa. The Football Association of Ireland was infuriated by the goal and demanded a replay, then even suggested they should be allowed to go to the World Cup as a 33rd team.

Fifa dismissed their demands but did agree to have another look at the possibility of using video evidence in the future, and referred Henry's handball case to their disciplinary body.

The striker's defence yesterday argued successfully that Fifa's disciplinary code does not give the committee the power to punish such incidents.