Poetic justice just won’t leave Thierry Henry alone.
Last year, the French striker’s uncalled handball helped propel his national team into the 2010 World Cup at the expense of Ireland. The soccer gods responded by sending France into a downward spiral of players paying for prostitutes, refusals to play and ultimately the most disgraceful exit of any team in South Africa.
Henry, after having to explain the team’s behavior to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, headed across the Atlantic Ocean. He has made a huge splash in Major League Soccer with the New York Red Bulls, adding celebrity status off the field and serious quality on it to a perennially beleaguered franchise.
But following a goal last week by teammate Mehdi Ballouchy, Henry made the mistake of seizing on a celebratory kick of the ball. Unfortunately, just at the moment he made contact, Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was also stepping into the ball’s path. The kick tweaked Hartman’s knee, sidelining him for 2-3 weeks.
On Monday, Henry was fined $2,000 for the incident but not suspended, a conspicuous decision given the looming highest-ever profile showdown between MLS-leading Los Angeles and the finally relevant Red Bulls. The game will be nationally televised Friday on ESPN2 and couldn’t be salivated over enough by MLS executives.
But little did they know, karma wasn’t through with Henry. As it turns out, the 33-year-old will have to miss the match anyway with a sprained right medial collateral ligament — the same injury he inflicted upon Hartman.
Apparently, the higher power keeping Henry in line speaks both French and English.
