FIFA has announced that no action will be taken against Thierry Henry over the handball that helped secure victory for France in the World Cup qualification play-off against Republic of Ireland.
It had been suggested that Henry could be suspended, fined or given a warning for the offence, which caused an outcry within footballing circles.
However, FIFA has said that there is no legal basis by which they could punish the player and, as such, he will be free to play in France’s opening match against Uruguay on June 11.
A FIFA statement read: “On 2 December 2009, the FIFA Executive Committee asked the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to analyse the handling offence committed by Thierry Henry during the France v. Republic of Ireland match on 18 November 2009, and to consider the possible disciplinary consequences.
“At its meeting on 18 January 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.”
