ZURICH - France striker Thierry Henry will not face punishment over the handball that led to his team's equaliser in the 1-1 World Cup qualifying playoff against Ireland in November, Fifa said yesterday.

ZURICH - France striker Thierry Henry will not face punishment over the handball that led to his team's equaliser in the 1-1 World Cup qualifying playoff against Ireland in November, Fifa said yesterday.

A Fifa disciplinary committee decided there was no mechanism for punishing Henry over the handball in the build-up to the extra-time goal that secured the French a place in this year's finals. France won the two-legged playoff 2-1 on aggregate.

Fifa said: "The committee concluded that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement . of the Disciplinary Code.

"There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials." - Reuters