With Ireland reeling from “Le Hand of God” bookmaker PaddyPower have issued a whole host of special bets on the man who will forever be known as “cheating Thierry.” Unfortunately for Irish fans and Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, the likelihood of justice prevailing look slim with odds of 33/1 the match gets replayed. The man who sent his country to the 2010 World Cup with an outrageous handball in Paris last night is 125/1 to score with his hand in South Africa, 200/1 to take his new found ability to use both hands and feet and sign for a Gaelic football team in Ireland, and 2000/1 Henry links up with Diego Maradona to form a professional handball team!
Other Henry bets on offer include 8/11 the striker comes clean with an admission of guilt in a future autobiography, 7/2 Henry personally apologises to the people of Ireland and 100/1 that Henry’s next commercial endorsement is for Nivea hand cream.
Having qualified in the worst way possible will it be a case of what goes around comes around for Henry and the French? It’s 100/1 that Henry suffers a case of Schadenfreude and misses the World Cup due to a broken hand, 80/1 he is sent off for deliberate handball in the tournament and 250/1 that France themselves are knocked out of the 2010 World Cup by a handball.
A spokesman from the online bookmaker said: “The handball that broke the hearts of our nation has united football – even French people think we were robbed! What’s the French for ‘ch-ch-cheat’ Thierry? “The odds of 33/1 for a replay should probably have a zero on the end but Irish punters are seriously backing it as possibly their last hope for justice.”
PaddyPower also offered a small crumb of comfort to its thousands of patriotic punters last night by refunding over £110,000 to those who backed Ireland to qualify for next years Finals. The bookmaker also refunding a further £115,000 as part of their Money-Back Special offer on the game which promised to refund bets placed on the match if Ireland won the game.
8/11 To admit in his autobiography that the handball was intentional 8/11
80/1 Henry to be sent off for deliberate handball at the World Cup
125/1 Henry to score with his hand at the World Cup
500/1 Henry to score direct with his hand against England in the World Cup
100/1 Henry to miss the World Cup with a broken hand
7/2 Henry to say sorry to the Irish people
40/1 Henry to personally apologies to Taoiseach in Dublin
300/1 Henry to buy an NBA franchise
200/1 Henry signs for a Gaelic football team
2000/1 Henry to be GAA Gaelic football player of the year
2000/1 Henry to be GAA handball player of the year
2000/1 Thierry & Diego to form a professional handball team
100/1 Henry to sign as a hand model for Nivea hand cream
250/1 French to be knocked out by a hand ball at the World Cup
5/1 TV referee to be implemented for World Cup Finals
33/1 Match to be replayed
28/1 Michel Platini to publicly praise Henry
100/1 French world cup song to be “Hands up, Baby Hands Up”
80/1 McDonalds to rename French Fries as Freedom Fries in Ireland
25/1 Irish to boycott Gillette
7/4 Ireland to beat France in the Six Nations rugby
2/9 Yes
3/1 No |
