Erin go whaa?

That's soccer.

Whenever a bad call is made by the ref or their assistants - this is the mantra that is spit out in the name of moving on.

The goal was clearly offside, yet was allowed to count. That's soccer.

Or:

We were denied a clear penalty, but that's soccer.

I suspect the line is an easy refuge for those who are prevented from expressing their true opinion. It lets them assume the mantle of sportsmanship - of stepping back to see the bigger picture. And in some cases, this can be more than just posturing - it can be an asset to the game.

But then there's sh!t like this:

That, is most definitely not soccer. That is cheating. That it is being done by the greatest player of the '86 World Cup (who suggested his goal was due to the "Hand of God") makes no difference. The world saw him cheat - then watched as FIFA did nothing about it.

That's soccer is not going to make something like that go away.

Neither is it going to do anything for the Irish - who are the latest victims of the policy that the on field ref is the sole arbiter of the game.

Ireland was tied at 1-1 on aggregate with France, which pushed them into extra time at the Stade de France. On a free kick into the Irish box - the ball went to France's Thierry Henry - who then palmed the ball to keep it from going out of bounds, directed the ball towards his foot, and then flicked the ball to Gallas - who nodded in the easy header.

It's on video and it's big as life. Henry even admits the ball hit his hand - although he hasn't admitted that it hit his hand because he grabbed the ball.

So the French go to the World Cup finals and the Irish go home.

Ireland is demanding a re-match - and FIFA is trying to stick to their guns. I understand the principle: once you open these things to any kind of after the fact arbitration, you turn soccer into politics and open the door for (yet more) corruption.

But fans will never forgive the injustice.

FIFA and the French are trying the "that's soccer" route - and it's ringing more hollow than ever. The French coach utterly disgraced himself by suggesting that we should all move on. "It's in the past, let's enjoy the moment..." to which the Irish manager (with admirable restraint) simply asked him if he'd seen the same match everybody else had.

In the past, bad calls were seen by a relatively small percentage of fans. But the speed of modern media makes it possible for a majority of fans to scream in unison and in real time.

FIFA simply cannot continue to sit on the sidelines.