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'The game was never going to be replayed' - Kilbane on festering fallout from Paris 2009

Last night on Off The Ball, former Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews told us of his "disbelief and...



'The game was never going...
Soccer

'The game was never going to be replayed' - Kilbane on festering fallout from Paris 2009

Last night on Off The Ball, former Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews told us of his "disbelief and disgust" at the news that the FAI received a €5M loan after the Thierry Henry handball controversy against France in 2009.

Today, his former team-mate Kevin Kilbane joined Ger, Nathan and Adrian in studio to preview tomorrow's Ireland v England friendly. But he also gave his reacted to the week that's been. 

"The game [against France] was never going to be replayed. It's a game of football, isn't it? When the final whistle goes, the game is gone," he said. "It's football. That's the way it is. That's what we all signed up for".

Addressing his former manager Giovanni Trapattoni's comments about that night, Kilbane also recalled the referee Martin Hansson's words to him during the game: "He said 'it was 100 per cent not handball'. I said 'no mate, wait till you see it after the game. You've made a huge blunder here.' You could see he knew himself but he was digging himself further into a hole. He didn't know what had happened."

But Kilbane also spoke about the potential consequences of what has transpired this week.

France's Nicolas Anelka celebrates a goal as Ireland's Sean St Ledger and Kevin Kilbane appeal for handball ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

"Is this going to open a can of worms further down the line for other teams that have been wrongly beaten? There's going to be massive ramifications further on from this. It's going to roll and roll for a long time."  

Kilbane also shared an anecdote about bumping into a "sheepish" Henry at a hotel in London when the handball controversy was the unspoken "elephant in the room".

Turning his attention to tomorrow's match against England at the Aviva Stadium, he said: "This would have been the ultimate friendly to have ever played in" before going through the potential tactics and changes.

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