Henry close to quitting

France skipper admits he weighed up his future

Last updated: 23rd November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Henry close to quitting

Henry: Thought about quitting

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Thierry Henry considered drawing a close to his international career after being overwhelmed by the furore over his now infamous handball.

The Frenchman occupied both the front and back pages last week after his handball ended Republic of Ireland's World Cup dream in Paris.

Henry twice handled the ball before laying on for William Gallas to equalise on the night, a result which saw France progress to South Africa 2-1 on aggregate.

The FAI called on Fifa to replay the game and Henry, albeit after football's governing body ruled out such a scenario, echoed Irish sentiments.

Having had his previous unblemished reputation tarnished by the incident, Henry admits he considered quitting in the wake of intense criticism.

Widespread criticism

"Oh yes," he French sports daily L'Equipe when quizzed on whether retiring from international football had crossed his mind.

"Friday, when it all went too far, I was very worked up.

"It's not the first time (that I thought about retiring). After the 2006 World Cup, I thought about it, but it was too early. After Euro 2008, too, but it wasn't the right moment. There was a generation that needed me.

"Despite everything that has just happened and the fact that I felt let down, I will not let my country down.

Let down

Although he has subsequently admitted his misdemeanour, Henry has received widespread criticism for the manner in which he celebrated Gallas' winner with such gusto.

The former Arsenal favourite said he regretted the way he had celebrated the decisive goal, but that it was just an outpouring of emotion.

"I shouldn't have done that but, frankly, it was uncontrollable, after all we had been through," he said.

"Indeed, I regret that. That is why after the game I went to shake hands with each Irish player. Then, we didn't celebrate, even in the changing-room. People can't say anything.

"After the game, I went to the press conference to say I did a handball. I could have missed it and not say a word. But I didn't escape my responsibilities."

Henry admits to feeling let down by the French Football Federation having been contacted by them only after he issued a statement to the press.

"The day after the match, and the day after that, I felt alone, really alone," he added.

"It was only after I issued my statement that the people from the French Federation got in touch.

"We worked on my statement with my lawyer without knowing Fifa would make one the same day. I didn't know it."

Dunne acceptance

At the end of the game Henry was seen consoling Richard Dunne, a player he knows from his time in the Premier League with Arsenal.

"After playing more than six years against Richard Dunne in England, I thought it was logical to go and say to him I was sorry.

"I lost a cup final in the same circumstances (against Liverpool), so I knew what he felt. That day, a Liverpool player (Stephane Henchoz) did a handball on the goal line but the referee didn't see it.

"A lot of our players were disappointed about it, but no one did anything against the player. The least I could do was apologize. He accepted it."

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