‘Could this happen in any other country?’ asked one senior journalist as he surveyed the furore surrounding the infamous intervention of Thierry Henry’s hand. He was not talking about the goal itself, even though it has propelled France into the World Cup next year at the expense of unfortunate Ireland. Instead he was referring to the extraordinary deep anguish and soul-searching provoked by the affair in a country where most people reckon themselves to be something of a philosopher. Should the country celebrate success, be angered and shocked by the manner of victory, or a bit of both?

In fact it was a fully paid up philosopher Alain Finkielkraut who set the tone for much of the debate when he gave his views to listeners on Europe 1 radio. Surely it is the case that only in France that a philosopher could happily launch into a discussion not just about a football game but about the role of the so-called video referee? ‘This is proof that using the video is necessary,’ noted the eminent thinker, who added that a referee was now in the unsustainable position of being in a position of ‘inequality’ with the watching world, who were able to witness every incident on the pitch in slow motion within seconds of it happening. ‘This morning, speaking as a football fan, I am rather sad,’ he told listeners. ‘Here I am embarrassed by a deplorable victory, one which was not achieved within the rules,’ Alain Finkielkraut continued. ‘We certainly have nothing to be proud of.’

This ambivalence towards the outcome of this game – one which could have significant benefits for the economy next summer – also spread to the heart of government. Health minister Roselyne Bachelot, who has overall responsibility for sport, said that her feelings were mixed between ‘relief and deep unease’. Employment minister Laurent Wauquiez, too, expressed his misgivings, describing his ‘relief’ over the outcome but adding that he was ‘not proud’ of its manner.

Some politicians, however, went rather further and showed little sign of ambivalence over the incident. Philippe de Villiers, president of the right-wing Mouvement pour la France (MPF) said victory had been ‘stolen’ and that coach Raymond Domenech should ‘publicly express his regrets’. At least three MPs from the ruling UMP also called for the game to be replayed after the ‘shameful’ result. Perhaps inevitably some opposition politicians tried to link the controversy to the fortunes of Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration. ‘It’s a bit like the government,’ said Socialist party (PS) MP François Loncle. ‘We have an ordinary team, despite several quality elements, and a coach, a leader, who is detested by more and more French people.’

An even more discordant note was struck by National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who said: ‘Thierry Henry himself should have himself indicated to the referee that he had committed an infringement. Legally France won, but in sporting terms France lost.’ His intervention in the debate is significant; a number on the far-right have complained in the past that the French football team has too many black players.

However, many politicians chose to adopt more subtle positions on the incident. Former PS leader François Hollande conceded that it was a ‘serious incident involving sporting ethics’ but that it should not become a matter of national debate. ‘Thierry Henry’s hand has nothing to do with politics,’ he said. While a UMP spokesman, Dominique Paillé, took the long view. The refereeing ‘had favoured us on this occasion, but that has not always been the case,’ he said, referring to an infamous match in the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup against Germany where French player Patrick Battiston had been injured by a German player, who escaped punishment. Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit was in a similar mood, noting: ‘The hand of Thierry Henry was the height of luck. Football’s like that.’

The leader of the centrist MoDem party François Bayrou put his finger on what many see as the heart of the matter. ‘I tell myself that in an ideal world you’d have to replay the game,’ he said. ‘But the world is not yet ideal.’

As for PS MP Manuel Valls, he was struck by the very existence of such a debate. ‘We are an odd country where even when we have qualified we debate it and are miserable,’ he said.

But then, in a country of philosophers, some observers would say such a debate is entirely appropriate. After all, on 4 January the country will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the philosopher and writer Albert Camus. He, of course, was himself a decent footballer – he played in goal – and once declared: ‘All I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football.’

This story appears in the December edition of France’s quality English language newspaper theFrenchPaper. For more information and for details on how to subscribe visit: www.thefrenchpaper.com