French captain Thierry Henry escaped being punished for his infamous handball in the 2010 World Cup Finals play-off against Ireland, FIFA announced Monday. France was losing 1-0 to Ireland at the Stade de France on Nov. 18, having won the first leg 1-0, when Henry teed up William Gallas in extra-time for what proved to be the decisive goal after illegally controlling the ball with his hand. FIFA's disciplinary committee said, however, that they were powerless to punish the 1998 World Cup-winning striker because their rules forbade them to do so if the original misdemeanor had not been seen by the match officials. "On Dec. 2, 2009, the FIFA executive committee asked the FIFA disciplinary committee to analyze the handling offense committed by Thierry Henry during the France vs. Republic of Ireland match on Nov. 18, 2009, and to consider the possible disciplinary consequences," read the statement from the committee. "At its meeting on Jan. 18, 2010, 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." Bernard Escalettes, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), said he hoped this finally drew a line under the episode. "Thierry Henry not being punished is not astonishing, it is logical," Escalettes said. "There is nothing in the FIFA rules permitting a punishment, and FIFA are bound by its rules. "I hope that this is the end of the story, I hope so with all my heart." The meeting of the 21-man disciplinary panel, an independent body chaired by the Swiss Marcel Mathier, was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Cape Town on Dec. 2 following an extraordinary executive committee meeting.WC ticketing simplified World Cup organizers are changing their ticketing procedures to attract more South African fans after serious concern about the lack of domestic enthusiasm for the soccer spectacular. Up to now, tickets could only be bought on the internet – unavailable to most poor black soccer fans – or by filling in forms at selected banks, provoking criticism that it was too complicated to attract the main body of South African football supporters, many of whom do not have bank accounts. Local fans are also unaccustomed to booking tickets in advance, usually buying unnumbered seats at the match. Chief organizer Danny Jordaan last week complained about apathy over Africa's biggest ever sporting event, saying it would be the first time in the history of the tournament that the host nation's team would not top the demand for tickets. Ticket sales were also sluggish among fans from the five other African teams in the finals, Jordaan said, adding that more South Africans had bought seats to watch England than their weak national team.
