Republic of Ireland captain, Robbie Keane, says that his country can take many positives out of the defeat they suffered at the hands of Brazil.

Ireland lost the game 2-0 and although Brazil did not play particularly well, it was clear that there is still a huge gulf in difference between Ireland and some of the world’s best teams.

The pace and movement of the Brazilians was just too great for Ireland to cope with and it would have taken a brave man to bet against the multiple World Champions before the game kicked off.

Keane said: “We dominated the game in the first half, when we knocked the ball around really well. We can take a lot of positives from that, but afterwards we perhaps showed them too much respect and let them have the ball.”

“We can learn from that, and it is up to us to work hard. The younger lads coming into the squad can take this experience into the next games now. You should go into every game thinking you can win, now matter who you are playing against. We stood up against France and Italy, and have done that in the first half against Brazil.”

“It does not matter if you are playing the world champions or anyone else, it is about getting confidence and winning games. We are close, but not close enough because we have not achieved what we wanted to in getting to the World Cup. It has all been ‘what ifs’ but when you look at the games, we have stood up against some of the best teams in the world.”

Ireland are a team that produce far too many inconsistent results. When things are in their favour and the crowd are on their side, they jump into games full of passion and venom.

This makes them a tricky lower ranked team to play against but it is clear they still have work to do. They would have still been hurting from the defeat against France, which cost them a World Cup spot.

Midfield player, Glenn Whelan, added: “It is a big thing now about moving on and we are trying to put the France situation behind us. We do not want to get in the play-offs again, we want to qualify straight away.”

The defeat against France was one, which hurt the side badly. It was also covered in controversy after Thierry Henry deliberately handled the ball in the build up to the goal, which knocked Ireland out.

However, they will have some revenge further down the line and France will get a lot of criticism even while they’re at the World Cup.

Striker, Kevin Doyle, also said: “We are very organised, it is a simple thing really because everyone knows their job. The manager has had a settled team and he has given us confidence because he has won so many things. When he tells you something, you listen.”

France manager Raymond Domenech insists he will not walk away from his job amid his growing unpopularity.

Despite leading the nation to the World Cup final in 2006, Domenech has often been a figure of ridicule in his homeland for below performances.

His reputation was not helped by a mediocre World Cup qualifying campaign which ended in controversy after the Thierry Henry handball affair.

Calls from France fans for Domenech to step down ahead of the finals in South Africa have been rebuffed by the manager himself, who insists he revels under pressure.

“I have never resigned, and I will never resign,” Domenech told French media outlet l’express. “The harder the pressure, the more I become motivated.

“I thrive on adversity. When everything’s calm, I get bored, I start worrying. To leave now makes no sense.

“Let me reverse the logic. Wouldn’t they think in that case ‘what a coward’, he’s cut and run. Resigning would suggest that I’ve completed my job and that I don’t give a damn about the consequences – that would give ammunition to my critics.

“People have to stop dreaming. I’m not someone who walks away. With my players we want to achieve something momentous in South Africa.

“We’ll let a little time go by, see what this and that person is saying, and then kick on again.”

After a disappointing showing at Euro 2008, in which France failed to progress from the group stages, Domenech looks to have survived another brush with the sack.

However, he was forced to reiterate his stance that he did not receive around €750,000 (£675,000) as a bonus for World Cup qualification, as reported in the French media.

He insisted: “If it really was that, I would be as happy as anything.

“But it is way over the mark. I won’t even try and contradict the information because it is their usual editorial line. It is a lie. Money is not my motivation.”

Domenech also slammed the critics of Henry after he admittedly handled the ball in the build up to William Gallas’ extra-time goal which sent France through to the world cup at the expense of the Republic of Ireland.

The manner in which they qualified for the tournament also drew heavy criticism of the national side in French media last week.

With Henry and Domenech the key figures of ridicule, Domenech has previously voiced his plans to remain in charge and has now leapt to the defence of his captain Henry.

“It made me furious that Thierry can be treated this way,” the France boss added on l’express.fr.

“I have not slept for two days and I am just starting to get over it.

“When France were given an unjustified red card against the Serbs, Serbia did not launch a campaign to denigrate our team.”

The Football Association of Ireland requested a replay of the game, which was immediately rebuffed by world governing body FIFA.

Henry has admitted he considered retiring from international football following the uproar, but Domenech does not believe he was ever likely do so.

“No, I do not think so,” he said. “But when I called, he was like all of us – surprised, stunned. I have tremendous respect for him as a man and a footballer.

“Titi (Henry) is one of the most talented players in the history of French football.

“For months now, despite his injury, he participated in all our matches at the risk of being yelled at by his club, Barcelona.

“‘Les Bleus’ is his reason for living as a footballer.”

The goal sparked mass debate over whether the game should be replayed and whether video technology could be used to determine difficult decisions.

However, Domenech admits such measures were never likely and insists the problem does not lie with the honesty of players, but with the quality of refereeing.

He added: “No, it would have been impossible (a replay). Or it should be done after every incident that goes unpunished.

“Let’s solve the problem of refereeing – that is the real debate.”

French football legends Eric Cantona and Bixente Lizarazu are the latest high-profile pair to point the finger at Domenech, but the 57-year-old remains unfazed by their criticism.

He said: “I put Cantona in the same batch as the others. He is coach of a beach soccer team and failed to qualify his team for the World Cup. He should show decency.”

A World Cup winner with the French in 1998, Lizarazu traded heated words with Domenech on live radio in their homeland, and the latter refuses to accept criticism from the inexperienced Lizarazu.

“It’s nice, the lessons of Bixente Lizarazu. It is fun, he won something and I’m happy for him, but he must not forget that he too has experienced difficult times – in 2002, for example.

“Lizarazu also claims that I refuse to talk football, tactically and technically. He is wrong. I speak, but with my players, not with him.

“Anyway, he does not ask questions, he merely gives advice.”

“Former players who act as coaches and have never coached a team leave me indifferent.”

Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra has defended France teammate Thierry Henry amid his handball controversy.

Henry admittedly handled the ball in the build up to William Gallas’ equalising goal which sent France through in their World Cup playoff with the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday night.

The goal has been the talk of European football this week, with suggestions of a replay being rebuffed by both Fifa and the French Football Federation.

Despite qualification, the French side have been heavily criticised in their national press for the manner of their progression, with Henry at the forefront of the accusations.

Left-back Evra feels the criticism of Henry is harsh, and insists the Barcelona striker should be praised for helping his team reaching South Africa.

“That is madness,” Evra told French sports newspaper L’Equipe.

“I have one question to the people doing the talking – are you really proud to be French? We started controversy over Henry, but we should raise him a statue.

“I have no problem with the foreign press destroying Henry, but doing it in France, that is impossible.

“If Titi (Henry) would have asked to cancel the goal admitting his handball to the referee and we went on to lose, the same people would have talked about his ego, they would say ‘he only thought of himself and his image’.

He added: “Frankly, if he had done that I would have told him ‘you betrayed us’.

“I came back to Manchester and the Irish players themselves told me during the first leg the referee should have given us a penalty, due to a fault on me.

“But people forget about that. In football, there are always injustices.”

Former Arsenal and France teammate Patrick Vieira has also leapt to the defence of Henry, citing the referee as the villain for not spotting the incident.

“Frankly, to put Thierry under trial is scandalous. The referee didn’t see the handball, that’s all,” Vieira said in L’Equipe.

“We can understand the Irishmen are disgusted, but it is not the first or the last time we can see refereeing mistakes in football.

He added: “Video assistance or fifth referee could be solutions.”

Amid the hype surrounding the controversy, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger preferred to highlight the performances of his former player Nicolas Anelka over the two legs.

The striker is enjoying the best spell of his career for both club and country and can expect to feature in his first World Cup finals next summer, and Wenger is not surprised by his resurgence.

Wenger told L’Equipe: “Talent always survives. Nico is now popular. What has changed the most is the fact that people look at him in a new light. He has also made concessions.

“He seems to feel good about himself. He has reached maturity, the age when players are happy.”

Wengers views were echoed by Anelka’s former Arsenal teammate Emmanuel Petit: “His antisocial image could have been heavy on him, but Nicolas has that amazing ability to never doubt.

“Manchester City, Turkey, Bolton – it was like he needed to spend time in the wilderness before joining Chelsea, a club that matches his dimension.

“That will allow him to finish bursting in his career as he makes up for lost time.”

I know what you’re thinking, ‘not another blog on Thierry Henry’s handball,’ but the reality is, even as club football returns this weekend, it’s the biggest topic in football at the minute.

I’m a traditionalist as far as football goes. I accept that players get sent off when they shouldn’t. That they get flagged offside when they shouldn’t. That goals stand when the definitely shouldn’t. I’ve never been advocate of technology to be introduced to the game and I found the recent experiment of extra officials arbitrating the penalty area absurd. Until now of course.

William Gallas’ controversial goal in extra time of the Republic of Ireland’s 1-1 draw with France, assisted by left hand of Henry, proved the difference between the sides over two legs as probably the most undeserved team to book their place in the world cup hijacked Ireland’s plane to South Africa.

Swedish referee Martin Hansson and his assistants should not have needed extra help to spot two blatant handballs in quick succession, not to mention the fact that Henry began the move in an offside position – something which has been overlooked such was the transparency of the more significant foul, but the Irish could really have used an extra pair of eyes in Paris on Wednesday night.

And so the debate reopens. Do we need technology or extra officials in football? Well, if we are ever to have an entirely just sport, then yes is the answer. But the prospect of technology brings with it a host of complications which could change the entire format of the beautiful game.

For instance, if video replays for referees were to be introduced, the clock system may have to change with it. Should a referee face a high number of big decisions in a single game, with stoppages being added at the end of the ninety, action-packed games could end up running up to 99 minutes long, and somewhere closer to 110 in Old Trafford.

That could prompt an American style stop-start system in which the clock would stop every time the ball goes out of play, and restart along with play, with games ending at 90 minutes on the dot. It is a format which would see an end to the nail-biting entertainment that is stoppage time, and let’s be honest, no-one wants to more like the Yanks.

Having already been experimented with in the Europa League this season, the prospect of using extra officials for goalmouth scraps at the highest level is much more feasible. The trial involves a team of six officials, the standard four plus an extra body behind each set of goals for clarification of those vital decisions which the referee is so often obstructed for.

The trial has brought mixed reaction from club managers after a lack of success in its early stages, but given time it may save the game from becoming riddled with corruption and going against everything the word “sport” stands for.

I’m not about to preach and say had extra officials been used in the playoffs Ireland would be going to the world cup, because that is not for definite. They surely would have spotted Henry’s Maradona-esque act and disallowed the goal, but the game may not even have reached that point as Patrice Evra’s legitimate penalty appeals in Croke Park may have been given the go-ahead.

However, nothing could have been as blatant as Henry’s double handball which has seen a very poor French side, second best for the large part of both legs, head for South Africa while the Republic must spend at least another four years in the World Cup wilderness.

Henry he had the chance to live up to his gentleman and role modal reputation by coming clean immediately after Gallas had prodded the ball into Shay Given’s net.

Instead, he smugly admitted to it at full time, in stereotypically French fashion – with an air of arrogance as though he was admirable for his admission – 20 minutes too late. Not the actions of a role model and this modern great will no doubt have gone down in many a football fan’s estimations.

Arsenal can now move forward after their star striker, Robin Van Persie, signed a new contract with the club. There had been rumours that Van Persie was on his way out of Arsenal after he was said to be frustrated by the reluctance of Arsene Wenger to play him on a more regular basis.

Van Persie has reportedly signed a deal that could keep him at Arsenal until he is well into his 30s and he is now set to get a pay rise to the level of somewhere around £80,000 a week. This is good and positive news for Arsenal because it means they are keeping one of the club’s best players.

A lot has been said since the close of last season that Arsenal needed to make good a massive gulf in class between themselves and the best clubs in Europe. The only way they were going to do this is by firstly trying to get their best players to sign on at the club and commit their future to the cause.

Arsenal fans will be hoping that other players will follow suit but it is unlikely that Emanuel Adebayor will be sticking around for much longer if a bid from AC Milan does actually make the table. He has made no secret of his desire to stay at the North London club, unlike Van Persie, and will be hoping that a repeat of last year does not happen where he was forced to stay at Arsenal as a deal could not be concluded in time.

Van Persie said: “I have been at the club for five years now and there is a really great feeling at Arsenal. We have a top class manager, a squad full of superb young players and brilliant supporters.”

Van Persie joins Arsenal’s captain, Cesc Fabregas, in stating his intent on remaining at the club and trying to help them get back to an era when they were by far and away the best football side in Europe. Many Arsenal fans will still look back on the era when they were possibly the most feared side in the world and the news of Van Persie’s commitment means that are one step closer to re-achieving this.

What Arsenal now need to do is not conform to what they always do each season in the transfer window, sit on their heels. They have some very good players in the squad and the addition of Andrey Arshavin last January was a superb and clever signing. Arsenal need some big and high calibre players to come into the team.

It has been all too obvious in recent matches that they are missing players that can boss and dominate the midfield, allowing the more creative influences to bomb forward and wreak havoc in the opposition defence. No doubt Wenger probably has a long list of player targets that he is working on but he has to realise that his philosophy of blooding youth in the Premier League needs to be tampered with and helped along because at the moment it is not working.

The other danger for Arsenal is that if they do not act and act quickly then they stand to lose ground to a lot of other sides in the league next season. Manchester City are making huge strides under the leadership of Mark Hughes as they continue to assemble a hugely impressive squad, which on paper looks like it could push for a Champions League spot. This is all not to mention the number of talented managers there are in the Premier League, all trying to break into the top six. For example David Moyes at Everton and Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa will be doing every thing they can to try and take ground away from Arsenal.

So the question is, how long will it be until Wenger gets going and starts bringing in some players that the club has needed for a long time? The answer is unknown but it is something that he is going to have to do soon or Arsenal risk having their worst season in the Premier League since it began, next year.

Arsenal have a lot of young and hungry players that are all very grateful to be at the club they are. However, the point is that this will only take the club forwards to a set point and sooner or later they will be found out on a weekly basis. The news of Van Persie’s commitment should be a sign to the manager and the entire club that Arsenal need to act and show that they mean business.

On their day they are still the best football side to watch in Europe as the passing and play links up perfectly, but the point is that these days are not consistent enough to have any impact on a big competition. Until the right players are brought in, Arsenal will have no chance of making a good go of success. There are too many clubs at the moment better positioned than they are and if they have not realised this yet then there are some very naïve people running the football club.

There has never been a better time for Arsenal to lay out one or two markers of intent and they need to stop trying to buy players when they are in their teens and turning them into the next Thierry Henry, it is not going to happen. The time has come for Arsenal to get out the chequebook and sign three or four high calibre and experienced players.

If they do this then they stand a chance of actually hanging onto their top four place next season but if they do not and Wenger continues with his current vision, which clearly is not working, then Arsenal will slowly slip down the Premier League table and eradicate any immediate chance of knowing what it tastes like to lift a trophy again. It is a sad scenario but it is one that will happen.

Manchester United fans are bringing their team’s Gladiator spirit to Rome but will they return victorious or defeated?

That’s the question on everyone’s lips as the Red Devils prepare for their historic showdown against Barcelona in the Stadio Olimpico.

One way or the other, history will be made.Barcelona have already won the Primera Liga title and the Copa del Rey trophy this season and are looking to do the treble. If they succeed, they will lift the cup for the third time in the new history of the Champions League tournament, first scooping the title in 1992.

If Manchester United win, they will become the first team in modern history to retain the trophy two years in a row. No other side has done this since the Champions League was rebranded 17 years ago and it would be another major milestone for Sir Alex Ferguson.

With the police taking a tough stance against any possible crowd trouble and the Mayor banning the sale of alcohol for two days, both sides are showing plenty of respect for each other. And why not indeed. Barcelona have had a fantastic season and have incredible players. Manchester United are on the top of their game and can match the Barcelona squad player for player.




All eyes will be on the key men. Ronaldo and Rooney for Manchester United are more than capable of putting goals away if allowed to break free and fans are predicting a score line of 2-1 or 3-2. Football pundits are not so sure. They believe Manchester United might just have the edge over Barcelona and could nick the title by a single goal, whether in normal time or after an extra 60 minutes.

Messi, Eto, Iniesta and Thierry Henry for Barcelona are a class act and will not be under-estimated by Fergie who is, after all, a master technician. Will they sit back and soak up the pressure or go for it from the start?

Ronaldo at least will have the stage he has been longing for and has the chance to show what a world-class player he is. He appears to have survived a last-minute injury scare after hurting his ankle during training the night before the match but is tipped to make the line-up. Ferdinand, O’Shea and Ji-Sung are also fit again.

Barcelona are indeed a great team and have everything to play for but Manchester United are in such form and have such fighting spirit that they might just win the clash.Barcelona players have been urged to “dare to dream” by their coach but it’s on the pitch that they will need to turn on the style.

On paper, this match has the makings of a great classic and let’s hope it lives up to its billing.

Alcohol is not going to be top of the agenda when Manchester United meet Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome.

How refreshing. Perhaps football will take centre-stage rather than how many pints fans can get down their neck before kick-off.

Most people like a drink or two as part of their entertainment but alcohol has played too great a part in crowd trouble over the years and it would be a shame to spoil a potentially fantastic match.

Full marks therefore to the Mayor of Rome who has slapped a ban on the sale of alcohol from 11am on May 26 to 6am on May 28.

No doubt there will be some bottles getting through but Manchester United fans won’t want to tangle with the Spanish police whose numbers have been substantially swelled for the occasion.

More than 67,000 fans are expected in Rome to watch a match being billed as the decider between the best two teams in the world. Barcelona have already done the double this season and Manchester United are riding high after clinching their 11th Premiership title.



Fans are convinced the Red Devils can retain the Champions League cup won in Moscow last year. They believe the team is better than last year and are relying on either Rooney or Ronaldo to slot home a goal or two.

There’s certainly been cheering news on the fitness front. After facing what he described as the toughest fitness battle of his career, it looks as though Rio Ferdinand has recovered from a calf injury. It has ruled him out for the last three weeks, including the final match against Hull, but he has been out training with the squad and Sir Alex Ferguson is confident he will play.

Likewise, Wes Brown and Rafael, both of whom picked up an injury during the end of season match, have recovered and will be available for selection. For Barcelona, Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta also appear to have conquered their fitness problems.

On paper, it should be a great match. Whatever the line-up, there will be 22 fantastic players on the pitch, both advocating attacking play. Will Barcelona’s defence prove the weak point? It remains to be seen but extra time and a penalty decider might well be the only way to split the sides.

The atmosphere in the stadium promises to be electric so Swiss referee Massimo Busacca will need to make his mark early on. He was the man in charge when Barcelona met Manchester United at the Nou Camp in the semi-final last season and also officiated at the 2007 UEFA Cup final.

Hopefully, there will be as much order on the pitch as off it and whatever the result, fans on both sides will remember a great day and a great battle for all the right reasons.