Henry handball referee leads FIFA's top 30 heading off to World Cup finals

Moment of truth when Thierry Henry applied his sleight of hand / lake images

KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications

LONDON/ZURICH: Martin Hansson, the Swedish referee who missed Thierry Henry’s infamous Main de Dieu has been selected by FIFA, after all, to referee at the World Cup finals in South Africa.

France captain Henry sparked one of the most contentious World Cup storms for years when he handled in laying on a decisive goal in Les Bleus’ qualifying showdown against the Irish Republic.

Michel Platini, French president of UEFA and a FIFA vice-president, backed Hansson’s selection. Platini said: “FIFA made the correct decision to put him forward because he was not the person responsible for what happened.

"He didn't see Henry's handball when it happened but, although everyone saw it on the television afterwards, I'm not sure we could identify this as a referee's error. He has officiated other games which were very difficult for referees and he did excellently."

Platini also supported the world governing body's inclusion of two referees from New Zealand in the list for the World Cup - more than major soccer nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, France and Italy.

He said: “They can be just as good as French and Italian referees, I don't see any reason why they can't go to the World Cup just because they're from New Zealand and Oceania. Football is not just about western Europe, it's big all over the world."

Decisive meeting

The 30 referees – with assistants from their own countries – were chosen at a meeting in Zurich under the presidency of Spanish federation leader Angel Maria Villar, a former international midfielder.

One of the youngest officials among the 10 Europeans is Villar’s 36-year-old fellow countryman Alberto Undiano Mallenco. The lone Englishman is Howard Webb while also included is Massimo Bussacca, the referee who was once suspended for making a gesture to an abusive fan at the Swiss cup final.

The officials have been drawn in the main from the pool identified after FIFA set up its Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP) three years ago. One of the key objectives was to prepare this group of prospective referees for 2010. The officiating trios will undergo a training seminar next month with a final assessment following in May on acting and support referees.

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Keywords · 2010 World Cup · referees · FIFA · Villar · Platini · Mallenco · Hansson · Webb

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