Handball Could Cost Henry World Cup Time

Thierry Henry, the French national guilty of the infamous hand ball in a decisive World Cup qualifier vs. Ireland, will get up in front of a Fifa disciplinary hearing today to talk about what happened.

The worst-case scenario is not a good one for Henry or France.

The veteran striker could be hit with a suspension, and could miss a match of two at South Africa 2010.

More likely, is ... nothing. Which will annoy the Irish and much of the world soccer community -- or at least that part of it convinced France might getting ready for the 2014 World Cup if not for the Henry handball -- which set up the winning goal by William Gallas.

Henry will argue that soccer's laws on handball punishment pertain only to infractions that prevent a goal from being scored.

Henry's handling only kept the ball in play, from where he passed it to Gallas. No rule seems to apply to him.

But Fifa hasn't always been consistent when it comes to its judgments, and perhaps throwing Henry under the bus, as the cliche goes, might make it seem as the organization realizes the magnitude of the error.

Still, the smart money is ... nothing happening at all.