Swedish referee Martin
Hansson, who missed
France's controversial
handball during the qualifying
play-off against the Republic
of Ireland, has been selected
in the group of 30 elite
referees who will be
officiating at the World Cup in
South Africa. Martin Hansson: Missed
Thierry Henry's
infamous handball.
Hansson missed Thierry
Henry's double handball in
the build-up to France's
equalising goal against the
Irish which allowed France to
qualify for South Africa 2-1
on aggregate.
The Swede was widely
condemned for his failure to
spot the infringement and the
38-year-old subsequently
admitted his error and
apologised for it.
However, Fredrik Nilsson,
Hansson's assistant who
missed both the handball and
the offside that preceded it,
will not be going to the finals.
According to the Irish Times,
FIFA had decided on the 30-
man shortlist based on the
referees' long-term results
and performances rather
than on one-off games. But
the same paper had
suggested that Hansson had
made a series of errors as
well.
The 30 referees are made
up of 10 from Europe, six
from South America, four
from the Asian, African and
Concacaf confederations and
two from New Zealand. Each
official has his team of two
assistants who have worked
with him consistently over
the last two years.
October 08, 2009, 09:36:54 AM