Its Maradona all over again.

Anyone who watched last night's match between the French and Ireland could not help but feel the pain for the Irish. A handball robbed them of at least the chance of getting to the dreaded penalty shoot-out, which in so many ways would have been better than feeling you have been cheated.

People can coat it over how they like but the plain fact is in this day and age football should have some kind of technology to clear up these issues. With so much riding on the match not just in terms of football but a country's economy. Its a well known fact that a team reaching a major final brings the feel good factor to a nations spirits not just in terms of money spent at the pubs but in merchandising and advertising. Jobs created it all adds up.

Can Henry deny the fact he handled the ball just like Maradona did in 1986 who then later proclaimed it was the infamous Hand of God. I would expect him to come out and say anyone would have done the same in the same situation. We wait for that magical moment of a player in a major game admitting he handled the ball or the ball did not cross the line and the referee rules the goal out. I am not sure that will ever happen, you would need to ask yourself would you do it, would you own up to millions of people around the world and stop your country from going to a major final.

I remember Henry the player who graced a wonderful Arsenal side who played free flowing attacking football and in my time of watching the premiership will go down as one of the best sides I have seen. Henry the player was a joy to watch, played with a pace and precision and had that swagger what all top class players have. He is without doubt one of the finest players to play in the Premiership.

Now most will remember him for that split second where he handled the ball not once but twice before crossing it for Gallas to put into an empty net. People may well see him in the same way l now see Maradona (regarded by many as the greatest player to grace a football pitch) a cheat, obviously Henry is not as bad as yet he has not been caught doing drugs, cheating on his wife with hookers, shooting at photographers or even taking steroids in another attempt at cheating at a world cup but maybe that is all to come for Tierry who still has time on his side.

In a sport l grew up to love and play the game, it has has changed so much over the years, yes we have always had people who cheat and try to win games, but now with what seems so much more at stake the game is changing so fast that if its not careful will lose the appeal of what made it so great in the first place.

The sad fact is Fifa have their wish the big sides have got to the world cup, which is what they wanted in the first place, more revenue will be created by having France and Portugal there instead of Bosnia and Ireland. Platini will just cover over the cracks and try to forget about it. The Irish appeals for the game to be replayed will fall on deaf ears, Henry may well escape a ban in a sport that the football governing bodies say they are trying to clean up.

Maybe some will say this is what makes it great, we will be talking about this for years, just like the Scots and Welsh talk about Joe Jordan and the English talk about Maradona, but should it really come down to that.

We can unlike years ago make the change. We should do it.