2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FAI proposals and 33rd team place
The FAI's proposals included: no changes to competition formats mid-tournament (referring to the play off group seeding change), introduce video technology at the highest level, implement additional assistant referees behind the goal line for all international matches, introduce stronger sanctions for players who breach the Laws of the Game in a "match defining way", and issuing a statement that "FIFA does not condone breaches" of those Laws, referring to Sepp Blatter's previous statements of empathy with Henry. The FAI stated they did not ask for any action to be taken against Henry.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FAI proposals and 33rd team place
Delaney reacted angrily to Blatter's public disclosure of what was intended to be a confidential submission to the FIFA executive committee, complaining to the FIFA general secretary and calling it "disrespectful to our country", and stating the 33rd team proposal had been "very much peripheral" to their suggestions, and was only discussed "for a minute or two" in the meeting. The FAI asserted that the 33rd place request had not even been included in any of the written submissions to FIFA.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
Blatter had initially faced criticism for refusing to comment on the incident. His first comments came with a report in L'Équipe, and during his opening address at the Soccerex football conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, both on Sunday 29 November.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
Blatter said that it had not been Henry's responsibility to tell the referee of the misdemeanour, comparing a similar incident in his own playing career, when he did not tell the referee about an advantage gained by shirt-pulling. Blatter said that referee Hansson "should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
On the issue of fair play, Blatter said "There is a lack of discipline and respect in the game by the players because they are cheating" and "How can it happen that all over the world, through TV cameras, we have seen through a cheating handball that a pass was given for a goal? Everyone is asking what is and what isn't fair play. The highest crime in football is touching the ball with the hands". Referring to the possibility of using assistant referees or goal line technology, Blatter stated, "match control is now is on the agenda.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
How shall we avoid such situations as we have seen in this very specific match?" Blatter repeated his stated opposition to video refereeing, saying, "With technology, you have to stop a match. You have a look at cameras... We have to maintain the human face of football and not go into technology."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
On the issue of fair play at the World Cup, Blatter commented after the FIFA executive committee's EGM:


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
I appeal to all the players and coaches to observe this fair play. In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball but has social and cultural value... So we ask the players 'please observe fair play' so they will be an example to the rest of the world


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
Blatter apologised to the FAI on 2 December for the public disclosure of the FAI's submission to FIFA and for the media's perception of his comments at Soccerex, saying, "I have nothing against the Irish, they were very sporting people when they came to FIFA and it is a pity that it has been now communicated in this way."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Sepp Blatter
After the EGM, John Delaney described FIFA as the "biggest losers" in the controversy for having "made one mistake after another", referring to the mid-competition change in seeding rules for the play-off, the negative imagery of football as a whole generated by FIFA's actions and Henry's goal, and Sepp Blatter's subsequent dealings with the FAI.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
On 23 November FIFA announced that the FIFA executive committee would hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on 2 December in Cape Town, where members were already due to meet to discuss the seedings for the World Cup, in order to discuss various recent incidents affecting the world game. According to BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar, the Henry incident would be "high on the agenda".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association and a member of the International Football Association Board, believed that introduction of AARs in time for the World Cup would be pressed for at the EGM by UEFA president Michel Platini, who had been a long-time supporter of the concept; Smith said of the proposal, "I feel that it has its advantages at the highest levels of the games. When there's massive TV coverage the problems are highlighted all over the world so this is something we may have to look at."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
The FAI was to be given the chance to present their views at the EGM, with Delaney hoping it would not be a "token" gesture, criticising the lack of direct contact from FIFA. FIFA President Sepp Blatter confirmed on 30 November that the EGM would consider the use of AARs and goal-line technology in the 2010 World Cup, and changing the two-legged play-off qualification format, possibly in favour of a single game played at a neutral venue.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
The EGM was held on 2 December at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The executive committee at the time consisted of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, eight vice-presidents and 15 members, and the FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke. The membership included representatives of various confederations and associations around the world. In response to Blatter's comments at Soccerex and before the EGM, the FAI formally notified FIFA in writing that they were withdrawing their request to enter the World Cup as a 33rd team, and accordingly this matter was not considered. The FAI's other suggestions were, however, discussed.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
According to FIFA, the EGM discussion resulted in "concrete proposals" to ensure that improvements were made on the issues raised. According to Blatter, the committee recognised the game was at a "crossroads" and that, at the highest levels, where 32 cameras were to be used to film the 2010 World Cup, it was now "impossible" for just the referee and his two assistants to "see everything".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
The EGM announced that FIFA would be setting up an inquiry into future use of extra assistants and technology. The new inquiry would, according to Blatter, "have a look at technology or additional persons". Described as a "full inquiry" or "working party" by media commentators, it was to comprise a new FIFA committee with input drawn in part from the existing FIFA referees', football, technical and medical committees.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
The expected introduction of AARs for the 2010 World Cup was ruled out. The committee "stressed that it would be too soon to implement this new system at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa." Blatter explained that, as AARs had not yet been trialled outside of Europe, the committee was of the opinion that any experiment must be carried out "globally" before it could be used in a World Cup. Blatter confirmed that the experiment with AAR's in the Europa League would continue into the 2010 knock-out stages.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FIFA executive committee
The meeting also ruled out the use of video refereeing systems similar to those seen in rugby, cricket and tennis. Blatter stated that two companies investigating goal-line technology were due to report their results to International Football Association Board (IFAB) in March 2010. FIFA also called on the general secretaries of the Continental Federations to propose improvements to the format of the qualification and play-off phase of the World Cup competition, for submission by March 2010.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
On the issue of possible disciplinary sanctions against Henry individually, a FIFA spokesperson stated "The [independent] disciplinary commission...will decide if the case is of interest [when they meet sometime in the next two weeks]. The possibility exists of sanctioning a player for unsporting behaviour on the basis of video evidence".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
Examples of FIFA disciplinary action taken against players for incidents missed by the referee based on video evidence include banning Mauro Tassotti for eight games for use of an elbow during the 1994 World Cup quarter-final, and banning Marco Materazzi for two games for his verbal provocation of Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final, resulting in the infamous headbutting incident.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
On 2 December after the FIFA EGM it was announced that FIFA's disciplinary committee would open an investigation into Henry's handball. No timetable was given for when the investigation, chaired by Swiss lawyer Marcel Mathier, would rule on the case.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
Blatter said of the decision to single out Henry for investigation of a handball:


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
I have not said that Thierry Henry will be punished, I have said that Thierry Henry will be examined [by the committee]... it's not a question of this player or another – it was blatant unfair play and was seen all around the world...let [the committee] make the decision. Fair play must be maintained in our game


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
According to the Associated Press, the committee had the "authority to impose a one-match suspension on Henry, which would take effect at the start of the World Cup in June". According to the BBC, FIFA said "there was no certainty Henry would be banned if found guilty".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
On 18 January 2010 it was announced that Henry would face no sanctions in relation to the incident, after the committee found it had "no legal foundation" to deal with the case, as the relevant rules only covered sanctions for preventing a goal by illegally handling the ball. FIFA rules reportedly forbade any other action as the referee had not seen the original incident. FIFA released the following statement:


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
the Disciplinary Committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Henry disciplinary investigation
The FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes hoped the announcement would mark the end of the incident, stating of the decision that is "not astonishing, it is logical".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, France national team
FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke later denied that France's absence from the top 8 seeded teams for the 2010 World Cup draw had been a result of the controversy, stating that the change to the seeding system (using the world rankings as they stood at October 2009) was fairer than past systems. The FFF president described the decision as logical, although former French coach Michel Hidalgo disagreed.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, France national team
In a quirk of the resulting draw, the lack of seeding ultimately did not have a detrimental effect on France, as they were drawn into Group A; since the seeding place in Group A had already been allocated to the host nation South Africa, a Group A draw was the only possible outcome where France would not have been placed into a group with one of the top seven seeded teams.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, France national team
South Africa were ranked 86th in the world at the time, making them the lowest-ranked team competing in the tournament; The Irish Times commented that this turn of events in France's favour would cause the Irish to feel particularly aggrieved. At the finals, France ultimately failed to qualify from their group, failing to win a game and managing only a solitary point in their first match against Uruguay; following a major disruption at the team's camp by the French players.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, France national team
France and the Republic of Ireland did not meet in the qualifying matches for the 2012 European Championships. France were drawn in Group D while Ireland were drawn in Group B, although they were drawn together in the practice run for the draw held the day before.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, FAI compensation
After the FIFA EGM, John Delaney said, "In terms of the football side, this is the end of the matter", but that "the incident will linger long in the memory like Diego Maradona's handball." Delaney hoped the promise of an inquiry into refereeing and technology was "not a fudge." The FAI and FIFA were however due to meet again after the EGM according to Blatter, to discuss some form of non-financial compensation for the controversy. On 4 June 2015 it emerged during an RTÉ interview that FIFA had bought the FAI's silence with a €5 million payment which would prevent any legal action against them.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Post-match, Action taken, Match officials
In January 2010, match referee Hansson and his assistant Stefan Wittberg were both selected as one of the thirty officiating teams to be used at the 2010 World Cup; however, Hansson's other assistant on the day of the incident, Fredrik Nilsson who missed the handball, was not selected, being replaced by Henrik Andrén. FIFA had insisted at the time of the incident that, since selection of referees for the World Cup referee was based on long-term assessments, Hansson would probably make it to the finals. UEFA president Michel Platini called it a good decision, defending Hansson as having not been responsible for the incident as he had not seen the handball.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction
The incident has been compared to Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, which led to the incident being labelled as the "Hand of Frog" the "Hand of Gaul" and the "Hand of Henry" affair.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Governments and politicians
Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen called on FIFA for a replay, stating that "fair play is a fundamental part of the game". Cowen raised the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy while both were at the European Union summit in Brussels on 19 November 2009. After the summit, Sarkozy stated, "I told Brian Cowen how sorry I was for them... But don't ask me to substitute myself for the referee, or the French football authorities, or the European football authorities."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Governments and politicians
The incident was criticised in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament. The Irish Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern called on FIFA to act in the interests of fair play. The French Prime Minister François Fillon stated that the 'Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions'. Rama Yade, French Secretary of State for Sports, and FFF vice-president Noël Le Graët both defended Henry from accusations of intentional cheating, pointing to his playing record, and stating that he should be presumed innocent unless he stated he deliberately set out to cheat. The French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot and Christine Lagarde Minister of Economic Affairs were sympathetic to the Irish viewpoint.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Sports administrators
On the eve of Henry's possible punishment being discussed at the FIFA EGM, FFF technical director Gérard Houllier defended Henry, stating the handball was instinctive and that the blame lay with the referee, pointing out that had the goal not been scored, the match would still have gone to penalties. Houllier also called for the introduction of video refereeing.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Sports administrators
According to The Independent, the organiser of the 2010 World Cup Danny Jordaan resisted calls for video refereeing and believed that 'disputed decisions should be considered part of football'. Leslie Irvine, the Northern Irish former referee and FIFA instructor on the referee selection panel for the 2010 World Cup, was of the opinion that referee Hansson was not to blame for the incident, as by simply not seeing the incident he had not committed a 'technical infringement', and said Thierry Henry bore "moral responsibility" for the controversy.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Sports administrators
Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) praised Henry's decision to express his regrets over the affair, but declined to comment further, having not seen the incident. On the eve of the FIFA EGM, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, while lamenting the fact that after 853 matches in the qualifying process, only one was being talked about, he said "It's important to make sure what happened will not happen again".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
While in Dublin on 26 November for a charity event, Pelé said "maybe the linesman could help, but even the linesman doesn't see the game. We say fair play, but you know I don't think it was unfair, something that goes in one second... The result was unfair, but unfortunately you can't change that"


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Football pundits Johnny Giles, Eamon Dunphy and Graeme Souness, analysing the video replays on RTÉ Two, disputed whether Shay Given or anybody else was obscuring the view of the assistant referee from seeing the incident, although they were not certain the assistant could have flagged with certainty for handball even if he had a clear line of sight, due to the speed of the incident and flight of the ball. Former Irish international and football pundit Mark Lawrenson said "The man cheated. He controlled the ball with the second handball. It is a Maradona moment".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Another former Irish international Tony Cascarino wrote in The Times that Henry "speaks so eloquently, but to me now he'll always be insincere, a faker, someone who cares only about himself". Former French international David Ginola said "I'm very embarrassed by the situation...I don’t feel very proud to be French this morning. The Irish played very well and they deserved to go through as much as France, maybe more. I'm very surprised FIFA haven't mentioned anything about it – the whole world saw the handball. This is a pure injustice.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Everyone in France, the press and everyone, says there should be a replay". Former Ireland captain Roy Keane said the attempt by the FAI to get a replay was "rubbish", telling them to "get over it", that France were there for the taking and Ireland should not have allowed Henry to be in such a good position in the first place. Keane later apologised to any Irish fans offended by his "over the top" comments.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Henry's former France teammate Bixente Lizarazu stated "It was not something to be proud of. I'm not going to party."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Henry's former Arsenal and France teammate Emmanuel Petit wrote that "The feeling among the French public on Thursday morning was one of embarrassment – we didn't want to qualify in controversial circumstances, we wanted to beat Ireland by playing within the rules" and "Thierry's handball will not send out a good message", but he was of the opinion that this "very rare indiscretion" would not damage his reputation, explaining that "There is a referee on the pitch and if he didn't see that's not France's problem."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Petit later criticised FIFA and UEFA for their lack of support for Henry, and believed that Henry had saved Raymond Domenech's job. French player Patrice Evra questioned the patriotism of those French people attacking Henry, and was of the opinion that those same people would have criticised Henry had he informed the referee he had committed handball. Former French captain Patrick Vieira blamed the referee for the controversy, and supported the idea of video refereeing or having a fifth referee to assist in games. Former French international Eric Cantona was critical of Domenech, and referring to Henry's immediate post-match act of consoling an Irish player, said "If I'd been Irish, he wouldn't have lasted three seconds."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Another former Arsenal teammate Lee Dixon wrote that Henry had gone down in a lot of Arsenal fans' estimations, and Henry "has been a truly great footballer – one of the best players we've ever seen in the Premier League – but now people will remember him for that goal against Ireland. It's really sad". England footballer David Beckham defended Henry, stating "I honestly didn't think Thierry meant it...I know him as a player and a person. He's a good person and a great player... these things happen in football"


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Henry's former Arsenal manager and Frenchman Arsène Wenger said of the incident that "This isn't the French way and football should learn from this", although he theorised that Henry did not inform the referee due to "the pressure and what's at stake". Wenger later added, "For the sense of justice it is quite embarrassing to see...I think even France is embarrassed...we won the game and won the qualification with a goal that was not a goal".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Wenger believed Henry, who was one of the "fairest [players] I've managed", was being unfairly left to face criticism by France, and that the real issue was the lack of technology being in place. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was of the opinion that "every player and manager in the world" thinks that "technology can play a part" to help referees, but recognised that it was FIFA who had to be convinced.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Henry's club manager of Barcelona, Pep Guardiola said as Henry returned to training in Spain that he "is not proud to have done that, but it wasn't premeditated", and gave guarded support for use of video refereeing. German Robert Huth expressed sympathy with the Irish, but on the merits of a replay, contrasted the lack of a replay after the controversial goal in the 1966 World Cup final. Danish goalkeeper Brian Jensen said "He didn't do it on purpose? Blah blah blah. My 'beep'. I won't say the word cheats – but ... I said it".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Football personalities
Thierry Roland, described by the Times as the "doyen of French TV football commentators", said of the game "It's a scandal, a shame with a capital S."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
According to the BBC, the game "attracted mass news coverage across Europe". Agence France-Presse (AFP) described how the result of the game sparked an "international outcry" and how as a result of the handball, Henry had been "pilloried as a cheat around the globe". Time magazine immediately named Henry as number 1 in a List of Sporting Cheats, ahead of Crashgate (listed as number 2), Black Sox Scandal,Ben Johnson, Tonya Harding, Doping in East Germany, Rivaldo at the 2002 World Cup, Boris Onishchenko, Basketboo, Hansie Cronje and the original Hand of God goal (listed as number 11).


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Sky Sports estimated qualification for the 2010 World Cup was worth £26.7m to Irish football, and was worth a similar amount to the French. FAI chief executive John Delaney denied the issue was about money, rather a matter of "fair play and integrity". The 2010 tournament prize money was later confirmed by FIFA as being $9m for participating, a further $9m for exiting the group stage, with potential prize totals rising to $30m for the eventual winners.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Spanish media, where Henry had played his club football since leaving England in 2007, took great interest in the event. The Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario Marca carried the headline "Football rails against 'cheating' Henry".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
French newspaper L'Équipe greeted the incident with the headline 'Hand of God', while Le Parisien had "Henry Saves France With His Hand. ", and Le Figaro led with "Henry: 'I Am Not the Referee'." L'Equipe also wrote, "France have qualified for the 2010 World Cup, that's for sure, but the result, the most essential thing in sport after all, is not enough to erase the uneasy feeling we had last night". Le Parisien also wrote "The handball of Henry has brought a decisive contribution to the theme 'being French is being ashamed of one's national team'".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Le Monde noted the lack of any calls for a replay following the controversial penalty for handball that went in Ireland's favour, during their previous Group 8 qualifying game against Georgia on 11 February 2009. Australia's Daily Telegraph said Henry would "earn a place in infamy as one of the biggest cheats in world sport".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Swedish newspapers advocated that the Swedish referee used for the match Martin Hansson be removed from further major international assignments. Aftonbladet declared of the officials "that Team Hansson has also forfeited its right to continue to take charge of major international matches. Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation". Mark Ogden of The Telegraph criticised Henry for not informing referee Hansson during the game, and speculated the incident would 'ruin his career', comparing the cases of referees Anders Frisk and Tom Henning Øvrebø.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
In Britain, where Henry had spent much of his club career, The Sun's headline was "Le Hand of God: Cheat Theirry Does A Maradona. ", while The Daily Mirror was "French Nickers. ", with The Independent using "Hand Gaul!". The Los Angeles Times speculated the incident had the potential to ruin his reputation with a moment of "eternal notoriety". The Guardian's chief sportswriter Richard Williams wrote that the incident was worse than Maradona's foul, describing his handball as "a street kid's instinct", while Henry's was "a sophisticated man, and a much-decorated one."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Williams also critiqued Henry's decision not to inform the referee, citing previous club football examples of players not taking advantage of a referee's mistake: Robbie Fowler in 1997 unsuccessfully pleading for the referee not to give a penalty in his favour, Paolo Di Canio in 2000 catching the ball rather than scoring past an incapacitated goalkeeper, and Costin Lazăr in 2009 successfully insisting he would not take the penalty awarded to him for what he saw as a fair challenge.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Henri Astier wrote for BBC News that the reaction in France, a "nation not particularly known for its moral qualms", had ranged from "embarrassment to outrage". Dominic Lawson wrote in The Sunday Times that "[Ireland] has taken on the role of unjustly oppressed victim – something the Irish do well, having had several centuries of practice".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Patrick Barclay, Chief Football Correspondent for The Times, declared that the Henry incident "ended the argument" over the issue of video refereeing. The Times also speculated that the incident might lead to a fast-tracked global deployment of the Additional Assistant Referee (AAR) system already under trial by FIFA, pointing out that under the trial configuration, the extra goal-line assistant would have been standing directly in front of Henry as he touched the ball with his hand. FIFA confirmed the AAR plan was to be discussed at the March 2010 International Football Association Board meeting.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
On the issue of football introducing AAR's, The Wall Street Journal compared and contrasted the demands on referees in the World Cup compared to those in National Football League, National Hockey League and boxing, and relayed the negative experience of U.S. Soccer a decade previously, who took part in an international trial using two referees, one in each half, which 'led to poor game management'.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
The Times also questioned Henry's record on fair play, recalling his comments and actions during controversial incidents in a 2001/2 Champions League game against Panathinaikos, in the 2001 FA Cup Final, in the 2006 World Cup games against Spain and Portugal, in the 2006 Champions League Final and 2006–07 Champions League game against CSKA Moscow.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Tim Rich of The Independent urged for video refereeing, asserting that the Europa League trial of AAR's had "not been an unqualified success", citing a failure of intervention by the goal line official in a game between Fulham, in which the players had to intervene themselves to ensure the main referee, Belgian Paul Allaerts, identified the correct man to send off after a foul on Roma player John Arne Riise, after mistakenly identifying the offender as Brede Hangeland. The player sent off was Stephen Kelly, ironically an unused Irish substitute in the controversial France game.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Jonathan Clegg debated in The Wall Street Journal the effect of the incident on Henry's lucrative sponsorship deals, comparing it to incidents such as ING Group's withdrawal from the Renault F1 after the Crashgate controversy, the retention of sponsors by Harlequin F.C. after their Bloodgate fake injury scandal, and the enhanced fortunes of Zinedine Zidane in spite of his head-butting of Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. Gillette, who Henry represents in advertisements, were threatened with a boycott and an email campaign. A brand spokesman said that it would not affect their relationship with Henry.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Susie Mesure of The Independent later speculated that there was now a 'Curse of Gillette' befalling its three major sporting representatives, with the Henry controversy being followed in quick succession by Tiger Woods' car accident on 27 November, and a rare defeat of Roger Federer by Nikolay Davydenko in the 2009 ATP Tour on 28 November. A Gillette spokesperson had earlier denied allegations made by The Sun that a version of the Gillette Champions poster showing the three men with a tennis racket, golf club and football, had been doctored to remove a ball from Henry's hand in the French version of their website.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
American radio host Jim Rome commented: "I'm glad the guy did it; it led to a goal... How 'bout that guy. The guy was just trying to make a play. I thought it was smart; I liked it. It led to a goal; what's not to like?"


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Speaking on Football Focus on 21 November, Philippe Auclair of France Football magazine said that, unlike Eric Cantona's "moment of madness", he could not see Thierry Henry earning a similar redemption in England for this "calculated moment of cheating".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
On 22 November, the Irish Independent claimed that the FFF had been willing to stage a replay and that FIFA would not have prevented it, but the offer had been blocked by the French manager Raymond Domenech.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
A The Wall Street Journal editorial supported FIFA's decision not to replay the match and distinguished the refereeing error from the one in the replayed Uzbekistan-Bahrain match.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Henry Winter of The Telegraph wrote that FIFA had "gained some credibility" by deciding to investigate Henry after the EGM, whose presence at the World Cup would otherwise overshadow the Fair Play campaign, and that the Henry controversy made the case for having a panel of experts examine every major game after the event for infractions missed by the referee. Winter contrasted any possible punishment of Henry with the two-month ban issued to Diego Maradona for simply 'insulting reporters'.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
Diana Worman on Aljazeera.net criticised FIFA's decision to investigate Henry for an act that happens all the time, and would have only warranted a yellow card, writing "Henry should never have been expected to make a 'sportsmanlike' decision after the goal and it's unfair for Fifa to make an example of him". The Canadian Press criticised FIFA's "cowardly" decision to investigate Henry and do nothing to change the situation for the 2010 World Cup. The Irish Times stated that the FAI's recommendations to FIFA in the wake of the controversy had been "effectively disregarded" at the EGM.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
After the announcement that Henry would face no sanctions, Simon Rice of The Independent declared Henry had "got away with it", and compared his lack of punishment to nine other notable sporting incidents: Michael Schumacher (1994 Australian Grand Prix), Sir Alex Ferguson (against The Football Association generally), Graeme Smith (4th test, South Africa v England, 2010), Eduardo (diving against Celtic, 26 August 2009), Toni Schumacher (1982 World Cup semi-final), Trevor Chappell (the 1981 Underarm bowling incident), Andy Haden (Wales v New Zealand, 1978), Diego Maradona (1986 Hand of God goal) and Fred Lorz (1904 Olympics Men's Marathon). After the announcement, Agence France-Presse speculated that any discipliniary action for Henry would have presented an "unwelcome precedent" for FIFA, and any punishment would have been merely symbolic, given the lack of prior cases of such retrospective player sanctions.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Media
FIFA's subsequent decision to select referee Hansson as one of the 2010 World Cup officials was criticised by the Irish media, as well as UEFA president Michel Platini's comments that it would have been "great" if France and the Republic of Ireland had been drawn together for the 2012 European Championships.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
'A few hundred' Irish fans marched from Lansdowne Road Stadium to the French embassy on Ailesbury Road in Dublin, to demand a replay. An online poll run by French newspaper Le Monde revealed 88% of the 97,000 respondents said "no" to the question "Does France deserve to be in South Africa?". A Facebook petition demanding a replay was signed by over 500,000. The French teachers' union SNEP-FSU condemned Henry's irresponsible example of "indisputable cheating". Henry's official Twitter page was reportedly suspended due to "strange activity". When the World Cup pool games began Pizza Hut Delivery Ireland began a promotion offering a free pizza to every goal scored against France.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
The Irish band, The Mighty Stef, wrote Protest Song with No Name, which ends with the lyrics "you might cheat us, you might beat us, but you'll never lay a hand on our soul". The Corrigan Brothers wrote The Hand of Henry, which includes the line "Sepp Blatter was happy". French company Le Coq Sportif were parodied over the incident, with an agency printing T-shirts with the words Le Coq un-Sportif.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
Irish bookmakers Paddy Power launched a two-week advertising campaign in the baggage claim area of Dublin Airport poking fun at Henry, with posters stating "Paddy Power welcomes you to Ireland... unless you're called Thierry". Cleaners in Ireland also reportedly vandalised the unrelated Henry brand of vacuum cleaner. Irish rockstar Bono called on FIFA to do the noble thing, not act bureaucratically, and grant Ireland's request to be added to the World Cup as a 33rd entrant.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut said on Europe 1 radio that "We are faced with a real matter of conscience... We certainly have nothing to be proud of." British author Roger Scruton said "one of the major justifications of sport in all its forms is that it teaches the virtues of fair play...Victory achieved by cheating leaves a foul taste in the mouth...and makes the whole thing as pointless to [the defeated team and its supporters] as it is to someone like me who has never quite experienced the allure of the game".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
The founder of the British Philosophy of Sport Association called for "restorative justice", and said that players had an obligation to honesty that "over-rides their self-serving commitments". French economist Jacques Attali wrote "Nous sommes tous Irlandais", in reference to the Le Monde headline "Nous sommes tous Americains" (We are all Americans) in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
Bookmakers William Hill stated they would refund any bets placed backing Ireland to qualify, to be "as fair as possible to everyone."


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
Thierry Henry was "booed relentlessly" by fans of Athletic Bilbao in his first competitive match after playing Ireland.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
On 4 December 2009, Charlize Theron co-presented the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, accompanied by several other celebrities of South African origin. During rehearsals she drew an Ireland ball instead of France as a joke at the expense of FIFA, referring to the Thierry Henry handball controversy and France's controversial qualification. The stunt alarmed FIFA enough for it to fear she might do it again in front of a live global audience.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
Irish fans donned sombreros and cheered as Mexico beat France 2–0 in their second group stage match on 17 June 2010. France was subsequently eliminated from the World Cup following a 2–1 loss to host nation South Africa in their final group stage match, and finished at the bottom of Group A.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
During the World Cup, English comedian James Corden refused to acknowledge France on his "human wallchart" during his post-World Cup match TV show James Corden's World Cup Live, replacing France with Ireland, and when chatting with the Irish member of the wallchart, referred to players such as "Terry Henry" and "Paddy Evra", Irish variants of the names of France players Theirry Henry and Patrice Evra.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Other
The Irish playwright and novelist Dermot Bolger's stage play, The Parting Glass, is based around this game in Paris, with most of the second half of the play occurring during the actual match in the Stade de France, as an Irish father and son watch their final Ireland game together before the son emigrates to find work in Canada.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Comparison to other events
The 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final between Louth and Meath held at Croke Park on 11 July 2010 drew comparisons with Thierry Henry's cheating due to its controversial ending in which Louth were wrongfully defeated by a last minute Meath goal which was thrown into the net and therefore should not have stood. Louth were in the lead at the time and would have won their first Leinster Senior Football Championship in 53 years if Meath had not been given the goal.


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Comparison to other events
Louth fans burst onto the pitch as the final whistle blew, chasing and physically assaulting the referee around the field, while a steward was knocked unconscious with a bottle during ugly scenes played out on live television. The referee was struck on at least three different points as he scrambled away from the baying mob. Meath chairman Barney Allen compared calls for the game to be replayed with Henry's moment of shame, saying "Ireland didn't get a replay when France got a lucky goal". As the controversy continued to erupt, RTÉ analyst Pat Spillane called it a "disgrace". Setanta Sports said the "goal" would "now go down in infamy as the GAA's Thierry Henry incident".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, Comparison to other events
During the 2010 World Cup, in extra time of a quarter-final match against Ghana, Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez handled the ball in the penalty area to prevent a last-minute game-winning Ghana goal. The act drew comparaisons with Thierry Henry's handball


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, TV
In 2011, "L'Affair Henry the, ahem, touchiest sporting controversy in living memory" received its own episode of Scannal, the TV series dedicated to scandalous events. The Evening Herald reviewer called it an "entertaining, tightly-packaged edition" of the show but also opined, "Where Scannal stumbled, however, was in its failure to go in with both feet on the cringe-inducing elephant in the room: John Delaney's embarrassing plea to Fifa boss, the odious Sepp Blatter, to let Ireland be "the 33rd team" at the World Cup".


2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches, Reaction, TV
Early June 2010, Swedish film director Mattias Löw released the documentary film The Referee, produced for SVT - Sveriges Television, where he follows the referee, Martin Hansson, of the infamous playoff match in Paris, for a year leading up to FIFA World Cup 2010. The film portrays the Thierry Henry handball incident in Paris in detail from the referee's point of view.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the elections were marred by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition candidates chose to boycott the elections.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Background
In April 2009, a forum called Republican Dialogue was held to prepare for the election. A coalition of about 20 opposition parties called the United Front of Opposition Parties (FUPO) decided to boycott the forum. Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala, the Secretary-General of UPADS and spokesman for FUPO, condemned the preparations for the election, saying that "conditions such as transparency, the revision of lists, and respect for the opposition are not created for this election; it will be neither free nor transparent, and we will contest that."


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Background
Sassou Nguesso signed a decree on 8 May 2009 (which was announced on 11 May) setting the election date as 12 July 2009. The National Elections Organisation Committee (CONEL) oversaw the election; the opposition criticized it for allegedly favoring the government.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
Ange Edouard Poungui, who was Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, was chosen as the candidate of the largest opposition party, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), while Mathias Dzon, who was Minister of Finance from 1997 to 2002, was chosen as the candidate of the Alliance for the Republic and Democracy (ARD), a coalition of opposition parties. The incumbent President, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congolese Party of Labour (PCT), was widely expected to run; he eventually announced his candidacy at a rally in Brazzaville on 6 June 2009.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
On 23 February 2009, the formation of an alliance between the PCT and the opposition Rally for Democracy and Development (RDD) was announced. The parties agreed to present a single candidate in the 2009 presidential election, and the RDD agreed to join the government if their joint candidate (presumed to be Denis Sassou Nguesso) won the election.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
Ange Edouard Poungui was chosen as the UPADS candidate by the party's National Council in a primary election on 30 November 2008. His sole rival for the nomination, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou (who was the UPADS candidate in the 2002 presidential election), withdrew from the vote, complaining of "lack of transparency in the process", and Poungui, as the only candidate, received about 85% of the vote.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
A total of 17 candidates submitted applications to run, and the Constitutional Court approved 13 of them on 18 June. Four candidacies were rejected: those of Poungui, Marcel Guitoukoulou, Rigobert Ngouolali, on the grounds that they had failed to establish their continuous residency in Congo-Brazzaville for at least two years, and that of UPADS dissident Christophe Moukoueke, on the grounds that he exceeded the 70-year age limit for candidates.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
UPADS spokesman Jean-Claude Ivouloungou denounced the exclusion of Poungui's candidacy and claimed that it was politically motivated, arguing that "over the last two years, all the candidates moved around, to visit family abroad, to fine-tune their plans". By rejecting Poungui's candidacy, the Constitutional Court's decision removed a key opposition candidate from the election and left Matthias Dzon as the main opposition candidate.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct
On 10 July, six candidates—Dzon, Guy Romain Kinfoussia, Clement Mierassa, Bonaventure Mizidy Bavoueza, Jean-Francois Tchibinda Kouangou, and Marion Matzimba Ehouango—called for the election to be delayed, claiming that the electoral lists were deeply flawed and included people who were not eligible to vote, as well as people who did not exist at all. At an opposition rally later on the same day, Dzon, Kinfoussia, Mierassa, and Bavoueza called for the people to boycott the election. Tchibinda Kouangou and Ehouango were not present at the rally, but Kinfoussia said that they also backed the call for a boycott. Dzon declared on the occasion that "for us, the election is not taking place on July 12 ... It will take place on the day the Congolese people are given a real choice."


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct
Roger Bouka Owoko, the head of the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH), criticized the electoral lists as "grotesque" on 11 July, saying that it was impossible that there could be so many people who were entitled to vote. Congo's population was estimated at about 3.6 million, and 2.2 million people were officially registered to vote; however, Bouka Owoko said that an extrapolation of statistics from other countries would predict only about 1.6 million registered voters in a population of 3.6 million.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct
Sassou Nguesso, who was expected to win the election easily in the absence of any serious competitors, cast his vote early in the day in northern Brazzaville. CONEL President Henri Bouka claimed a "massive vote in the interior" and said that, contrary to the opposition's claims, the electoral lists were "mostly honest".


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct
The six boycotting candidates released a statement on election day asserting that over 90% of eligible voters had not participated in the election. According to the statement, "by this strong rate of abstention, the Congolese who love justice and peace have expressed their rejection of this totalitarian, arrogant and corrupt regime." The statement also urged "national and international opinion to acknowledge the illegitimacy of Denis Sassou Nguesso", and it called for the organization of a new election "with the agreement of all political forces in the country". Meanwhile, the news agency Agence France-Presse reported comments from heads of polling stations in which they described turnout as very low, and it quoted an election observer as stating that "there are more observers than voters."


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct
Late on election day, Alain Akouala Atipault, the Minister of Communication, dismissed the opposition claims as "incorrect" and said that the presence of 170 international observers disproved the accusations of fraud. He dismissed the opposition's claim that turnout was less than 10% as "ludicrous", asserting that turnout was strong outside of Brazzaville. The African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States, both of which had observer teams present, endorsed the election as "regular, free and transparent" in a joint statement, and they praised the "calm and serene atmosphere" in which the campaign took place.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
Provisional results were initially planned for release on 14 July, but Minister of Territorial Administration Raymond Mboulou announced that they would be delayed to 15 July because full results from some polling stations had not yet been received.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
Mboulou announced the provisional results on 15 July. These results showed Denis Sassou Nguesso winning the election with 78.61% of the vote, while Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou (who had unsuccessfully sought the UPADS nomination and then ran as an independent) placed second with 7.46% and Liberal Republican Party candidate Nicephore Fylla de Saint-Eudes placed third with 6.98%. Having called on his supporters to boycott, Dzon received 2.30% of the vote. Mboulou said that voter turnout was 66.42%.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
Sassou Nguesso gave a victory speech at his campaign headquarters, declaring that "in peace, freedom and transparency, in the presence of international observers, you have with the 12 July vote renewed your confidence in me". He also said that the country was "not celebrating the victory of one faction over another, of one Congo over another Congo", but rather "the victory of democracy in peace and harmony".


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou accepted the results; although he said there might have been shortcomings, he also noted the peaceful atmosphere that was maintained during the election. With regard to turnout, he said that the boycott might have affected it, as well as voter apathy. Kinfoussia, however, described the official turnout rate as "totally false". Ehouango also rejected the results and said that the opposition could potentially take the matter to the Constitutional Court, although he said that the Court was controlled by Sassou Nguesso. The OCDH claimed that turnout was no higher than 20%, and OCDH head Bouka Owoko argued that the low turnout called Sassou Nguesso's legitimacy into question.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
At a news conference on 17 July, Dzon and four other candidates alleged that the official results were a fraudulent invention; on the same day, Herve Ambroise Malonga, acting as a lawyer for Dzon, filed an appeal at the Constitutional Court seeking the cancellation of the election on the grounds of alleged electoral fraud.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou met with Sassou Nguesso on 17 July; afterwards he said that they discussed how to move forward, improve government, and satisfy the wishes of the people, and he said that the people had expressed confidence in Sassou Nguesso through the election. Two minor independent candidates, Bertin Pandi Ngouari and Anguios Nganguia Engambé, recognized Sassou Nguesso's victory and congratulated him.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
In a statement on 18 July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that several international journalists had been mistreated by the police during an opposition protest on 15 July. Speaking for the government, Akouala Atipault denied this, saying that the international press was welcome; he observed that the journalists were present "at the heart of a demonstration where some material damage was caused. One might think that some unidentified individuals were behind these acts." He was also critical of the French-language media's coverage of the election, saying that it "seemed disappointed by the fact that this election took place in calm and serenity."


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Reports published in the independent Congolese press after the election alleged that young men were observed in Brazzaville prior to election day with multiple voter cards, claiming that they intended to cast several votes each.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
The Constitutional Court confirmed the results on 25 July, ruling that Sassou Nguesso had won the election with 78.61% of the vote (1,055,117 votes). Akouala Atipault said that Sassou Nguesso would be sworn in for his new term on 14 August 2009.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Sassou Nguesso was sworn in at a ceremony in Brazzaville on 14 August; various African leaders were present for the occasion. He said that his re-election meant continued "peace, stability and security", and he called for an end to "thinking like ... freeloaders" in reference to international aid received by the country.


2009 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Sassou Nguesso also made an important announcement at his inauguration, saying that he would set in motion an amnesty bill to pardon Pascal Lissouba, who was President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1992 until being ousted by Sassou Nguesso in 1997; after Lissouba was ousted, he went into exile and was convicted of crimes in absentia. Sassou Nguesso said that he wanted the amnesty bill to be presented to Parliament by the end of 2009.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election
The 2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election started out as a six-way race, and ended on the sixth ballot with Michael Steele becoming the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee. The Washington Times called it the "'Dirtiest ever' race for RNC chairman."


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Pre-campaign
On November 11, 2008, Jeff Burton launched a political draft website to encourage Steele to run for Republican National Committee Chairman. The website allowed visitors to sign a draft petition, and received over 6,000 signatures.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign
Katon Dawson announced his official bid on November 24, 2008. Dawson was one of two candidates to earn votes on each of the six votes taken; he lost the final ballot to winner Michael Steele, 91–77.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign
On November 24, 2008 Steele launched his own campaign website, and confirmed his intention to run on Hannity and Colmes. Steele, seen as an early frontrunner, rejected the idea that the color of his skin had anything to do with his chances at becoming RNC chair, saying, "I am a Republican who happens to be African-American."


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign
Chip Saltsman was the first candidate to release a specific plan regarding the future of the party, which can be viewed at Our Plan for Republican Victory. In his bid for the RNC Chairmanship, Saltsman had been endorsed by: former Republican presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee, former United States Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, and Tennessee House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign
USA Today reported that, "half of the candidates to lead the Republican National Committee (RNC) are Southerners: current Chairman Mike Duncan of Kentucky, South Carolina Chairman Katon Dawson and former Tennessee chairman Chip Saltsman. Former Ohio secretary of State Ken Blackwell and former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele are black. Saul Anuzis, the Michigan GOP chairman, is a Harley-Davidson rider, an ex-union member and the son of an autoworker.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, "Barack the Magic Negro" controversy
For Christmas 2008, Chip Saltsman sent members of the Republican National Committee a music CD of 41 songs that included one entitled "Barack the Magic Negro" set to the tune of "Puff, the Magic Dragon".


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, "Barack the Magic Negro" controversy
The origin of the song was the title a Los Angeles Times column, written by David Ehrenstein in March 2007 that criticized the reception that Obama, a long shot candidate at the time, was getting in white America; Ehrenstein described the image of Obama in white America as that of a Magical Negro, a stereotypical gentle black man who helps white people, often used in movies created by white people.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, "Barack the Magic Negro" controversy
Rush Limbaugh commented on the column the day it published, and interpreted it as criticizing Obama himself, called the column an example of "the racism of the left," and sang the words, "Barack the Magic Negro", to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon." Shortly after that Paul Shanklin recorded a song about Barack the Magic Negro set to that same tune, which Limbaugh played numerous times throughout the 2008 presidential election season. This is the song that Saltsman included on his CD. Saltsman's campaign imploded as a result of the controversy caused by the CD, and he withdrew from the race.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, Voting
The election was decided in late January after six rounds of voting, with Steele elected chairman by a majority vote of the 168 committee members.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, Voting
After the third round of balloting Duncan dropped out of contention without endorsing a candidate. Ken Blackwell, the only other African-American candidate, dropped out after the fourth ballot and endorsed Steele, though Blackwell had been the most socially conservative of the candidates and Steele had been accused of not being "sufficiently conservative." Steele picked up Blackwell's votes. After the fifth round, Steele held a ten-vote lead over Katon Dawson, with 79 votes, and Saul Anuzis dropped out.


2009 Republican National Committee chairmanship election, Campaign, The sixth round
The final push that led to Steele's win was from the eight voters from the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands, who switched to Steele after Anuzis dropped out. Steele won the chairmanship of the RNC in the sixth round, with 91 votes to Dawson's 77.


2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy
The 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy was the eleventh round of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, and was held on July 26, 2009 at the 1.973-mile (3.175 km) Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.


2009 Rhode Island Rams football team
The 2009 Rhode Island Rams football team represented the University of Rhode Island in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Rams were led by first year head coach Joe Trainer and played their home games at Meade Stadium. They finished the season with one win and ten losses (1–10, 0–8 in CAA play) and finished in last place in the conference.


2009 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships
The 25th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships was opened on May 15, 2009 in Baku, Azerbaijan in the Heydar Aliyev Sports-Concert Complex and ended on May 17. 186 gymnasts from 32 countries were scheduled to participate.


2009 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships
Gazelle has chosen to be the official symbol of this tournament. The Head of the European Union of Gymnastics Dimitrios Dimitropulos said an official opening ceremony that "the championship has been organized in line with high standards".


2009 Rice Owls football team
The 2009 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Owls, led by 3rd year head coach David Bailiff, played their home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. Rice finished the season 2–10 and 2–6 in CUSA play.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape
On Saturday, October 24, 2009, in Richmond, a city on the northeast side of the San Francisco Bay in California, U.S., a female student of Richmond High School was gang raped repeatedly by a group of young males in a courtyard on the school campus while a homecoming dance was being held in the gymnasium. Seven men faced charges related to the rape, and one was released after a preliminary hearing. Of the six remaining defendants, four eventually pleaded guilty and two were convicted at trial.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape
The incident received national attention. As many as 20 witnesses are believed to have been aware of the attack, but for more than two hours no one notified the police.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape
Six men were imprisoned for the attack. Four pleaded guilty: Manuel Ortega was sentenced to 32 years in prison; Ari Morales was sentenced to 27 years in prison; Elvis Torrentes and John Crane were sentenced to six and three years in prison, after pleading guilty to lesser charges. Jose Montano and Marcelles Peter went to trial in 2013 and were convicted of forcible rape acting in concert, a forcible act of sexual penetration while acting in concert, and forcible oral copulation in concert. Montano and Peter were respectively sentenced to 33 years to life and 29 years to life, and their convictions and sentences were upheld in 2019.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Details
On October 24, 2009 at about 9:30 p.m. (UTC-7), at the conclusion of the homecoming dance, a classmate invited the victim to join a group of males ranging in ages from 15 to late 40s, who were drinking alcohol in a dark courtyard on campus. The female victim drank an undetermined amount of brandy by choice, and was propositioned for sex by the alleged attackers. When the victim refused, she was placed on a nearby concrete bench and continuously beaten and raped for 2½ hours, at times with a 'foreign object'. They also poured alcohol down her throat.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Details
Test results showed she had an almost fatal blood alcohol level. A local resident heard of the attack from her boyfriend and immediately contacted the police. The victim was found unconscious under a picnic table and was air-lifted to a hospital in critical condition. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, October 28.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Details
They were kicking her in her head and they were beating her up, robbing her and ripping her clothes off; it's something you can't get out your mind. I saw people, like, dehumanizing her; I saw some pretty crazy stuff. She was pretty quiet; I thought she was like dead for a minute but then I saw her moving around. I feel like I could have done something but I don't feel like I have any responsibility for anything that happened.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Details
Witnesses are believed to have recorded video footage of the attack using camera-equipped mobile phones, but local police have not been able to obtain the recordings. At least two dozen bystanders watched the assault without calling 911 to report it.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Arrests
Seven male suspects had been arrested in connection with the case. One of the initial suspects was subsequently released without charge due to lack of evidence. This initial suspect has since claimed that he was merely a witness present at the scene, and that his intent was to help the victim including offering her his shirt. However, he said that he did not contact authorities because he lacked a cell phone and was afraid of retaliation for "snitching". The remaining suspects range in age from 15 to 21. Police stated that they were looking for additional people in relation to the crime. A 43-year-old male was later arrested in relation to the events.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Arrests
Four of the suspects were arraigned on October 29 in the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. One entered a plea of not guilty to the two charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force, while the others chose not to enter a plea at the time. Authorities have indicated that they expect all three juvenile defendants to be charged as adults. All six suspects entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday, December 1, 2009.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
The attack shocked the community and the nation. Local media said that the act "crossed the boundary of civilized behavior".


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
Any group of young men who could carry out such an attack on a defenseless, intoxicated student are nothing more than a roving pack of vicious animals, and in a civilized society, vicious animals are put down. Humans who act in such a manner are put away for the rest of their lives.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
The attack became the most popular blog topic of the week of October 26–30, as bloggers expressed their outrage over the rape. During that week, more than a quarter (26%) of the links from blogs to news sites were to articles about the attack. A website was created in order to support the victim and discuss ways to prevent sexual assault on women.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
After the attack, some talked of vigilante justice against the attackers and onlookers.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
The victim's parents made their first public statement on November 1:


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
Please do not respond to this tragic event by promoting hatred or by causing more pain. We have had enough violence already in this place. If you need to express your outrage, please channel your anger into positive action. Volunteer at a school. Go help a neighbor. Be courageous in speaking the truth and in holding people accountable. Work toward changing the atmosphere in our schools and in this community so that this kind of thing never happens again.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
Over 500 students, parents, and area residents held a candle-lit vigil on November 3. At the vigil, the victim's church pastor read a statement from the victim, stating, "We realize people are angry about this," but that "violence is always the wrong choice." 200 people marched from Richmond High School to a nearby park and held a rally on November 7 to show support for the victim.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
In response to the events, California State Senator Leland Yee suggested legislation to broaden the criteria when failure to report a crime constitutes a criminal offense. Under Yee's proposal, bystanders to crimes against minors could be charged with a misdemeanor criminal offense for failure to immediately report the incident to the police.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
The 18-year-old woman who was the only person to call 911 and make police aware of the assault in progress, was honored by the Richmond City Council on November 17.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Response
Security around the school was increased following the attack: high-definition surveillance cameras were installed, along with increased lighting and new fencing.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Preliminary hearing
On November 15, 2010, a preliminary hearing began in Contra Costa County, during which twenty witnesses appeared before the court. Of the seven defendants, six faced charges that could lead to life imprisonment, while the seventh faced a maximum term of 26 years in jail. All of the defendants pleaded not guilty to the crime. Evidence presented during the hearing connected four of the suspects to DNA found at the scene, although there was no DNA evidence connecting the remaining three defendants to the crime.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Preliminary hearing
As a result of the hearing, one of the defendants was released. Of the remaining six, two had their charges reduced, with five facing life imprisonment and one facing an eight-year sentence.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Trial
Jury selection for trials of the defendants began September 4, 2012.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Trial
Manuel Ortega, who was an adult at the time of the crime and the most heavily charged of the six defendants, pleaded guilty to all charges against him on September 6 and was sentenced on October 19, accepting a 32-year sentence and avoiding possible life in prison. He was convicted of rape in concert, rape by a foreign object in concert, forced oral copulation in concert resulting in great bodily injury, and robbery. Ortega was described by authorities as an initiator in the rape, with witnesses alleging he ripped off the girl's clothes, punched and kicked her in the head, sexually assaulted her and encouraged others to do the same.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Trial
On January 11, 2013, Ari Morales was sentenced to 27 years in prison.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Trial
In June 2013, in the trials of Jose Montano, 22 and Marcelles Peter, 20, the victim testified in court for the first time. She stated she had never consumed alcohol previously, and that she did not drink from a bottle of brandy the men had with them. Salvardor Rodriguez, previously sentenced, testified "Before she even said hello, she grabbed a bottle (of brandy) and started chugging it."


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Trial
The prosecutor said in his opening statement that head trauma and her 0.35 percent blood alcohol level interfered with her memory of the events, saying, "They were pouring booze in her and on her, and that's after she was drinking it on her own." Charges were dismissed against the then-15-year-old classmate who invited her to the courtyard. Two more men were scheduled to be tried in August 2013.


2009 Richmond High School gang rape, Monetary settlement
In January 2011 the victim received a monetary settlement from the school district of $4 $2.5 million, with the remaining $1.5 million to be paid over the next 40 years.


2009 Richmond Kickers season
The 2009 Richmond Kickers season was their seventeenth season overall and their fourth season in the USL Second Division.


2009 Richmond Kickers season, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Richmond Spiders football team
The 2009 Richmond Spiders football team represented the University of Richmond during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Richmond competed as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) under second-year head football coach Mike London and played its home games at University of Richmond Stadium. The 2009 campaign came on the heels of an NCAA Division I FCS national championship in 2008. With the win over William & Mary on November 21, the Spiders recorded their first ten-win regular season in school history.


2009 Riga riot
2009 Riga riot was a civil unrest in Riga, Latvia on January 13, 2009.


2009 Riga riot
The opposition and trade unions organized a rally requesting dissolution of the parliament. The rally gathered some 10–20 thousand people. The rally was because of the recent economic crisis that struck Latvia in 2009 and made more than almost 70% of the Latvian population either poor or unemployed. Once one of the growing economies in Europe, Latvia was struck in 2009 by the crisis. In the evening the peaceful rally turned into a riot. Fifty people were injured and 100 arrested for overturning police cars and looting stores. The crowd moved to the building of the parliament and attempted to force into it, but was repelled.


2009 Riga riot
On February 20, the cabinet of Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis was dissolved and Godmanis resigned his position as head of the government.


2009 Rijeka Open
The 2009 Rijeka Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 3rd edition of the tournament which was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Rijeka, Croatia between 29 June and 5 July 2009.


2009 Rijeka Open
That was the last tournament for Mathieu Montcourt who died on 6 July, 2009 in Boulogne-Billancourt. He played very well in Rijeka, reaching the semifinals where he lost to Blaž Kavčič). A police source said on 9 July 2009 after a preliminary autopsy that Mathieu suffered a cardiac arrest.


2009 Rijeka Open, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 Rijeka Open, Champions, Doubles
Sebastián Decoud /  Miguel Ángel López Jaén def. Ivan Dodig /  Antonio Veić, 7–6(7), 3–6, [10–8]


2009 Rijeka Open – Doubles
Dušan Karol and Jaroslav Pospíšil were the defending champions, but Pospíšil didn't start this year. Karol partnered up with Olivier Charroin, but they lost in the semifinal with Decoud and López Jaén. Sebastián Decoud and Miguel Ángel López Jaén defeated Ivan Dodig and Antonio Veić in the final 6–4, 6–4.


2009 Rijeka Open – Singles
Nicolás Massú was the defending champion. Paolo Lorenzi won in the final 6–3, 7–6(2), against Blaž Kavčič.


2009 Rink Hockey World Championship
The 2009 Rink Hockey World Championship was the 39th edition of the Rink Hockey World Championship, held between 5 and 11 July 2009, in Vigo, Spain. It was disputed by 16 countries.


2009 Rink Hockey World Championship, Format
The competition is disputed by 16 countries, divided in four groups of 4 teams each one.


2009 Rink Hockey World Championship, Format
Every game lasted 40 minutes, divided in 2 parts of 20 minutes.


2009 Ritro Slovak Open – Doubles
František Čermák and Łukasz Kubot chose to not defend their title. Philipp Marx and Igor Zelenay defeated Leoš Friedl and David Škoch 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2009 Ritro Slovak Open – Singles
Jan Hernych, who was the defending champion, chose to not compete this year. Michael Berrer won in the final 6–7(6), 6–4, 7–6(3), against Dominik Hrbatý.


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger
The 2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Rimini, Italy between 13 and 19 July 2009.


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received special exempt into the singles main draw:


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger, Champions, Doubles
Matthias Bachinger /  Dieter Kindlmann def. Leonardo Azzaro /  Marco Crugnola, 6–4, 6–2


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger – Doubles
Matthias Bachinger and Dieter Kindlmann won the final 6–4, 6–2, against Azzaro and Crugnola (who were the defending champions).


2009 Riviera di Rimini Challenger – Singles
Diego Junqueira was the winner in 2008, but he chose to not defend his title. Thomaz Bellucci won in the final 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, against Juan Pablo Brzezicki.


2009 Road Race Showcase
The 2009 Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase was the seventh round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on August 16, 2009. David Brabham and Scott Sharp won for Patrón Highcroft Racing, while fellow Acura team Lowe's Fernández Racing won the LMP2 category. BMW Rahal Letterman Racing won their first race of the season in the GT2 category, while Snow Racing led the ALMS Challenge class.


2009 Road Race Showcase, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 Road Race Showcase, Report, Race, Race result
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300
The  2009 RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 was the third round of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, held on April 26, 2009 at the 1.520-mile (2.446 km) Kansas Speedway. The race was won by Scott Dixon, who led 134 of the 200 laps to move up into fourth place in the championship standings. Championship leader Dario Franchitti made contact with the wall, and was classified eighteenth, which dropped him to third overall. Tony Kanaan's third place was enough to give him the championship lead, by a point from Ryan Briscoe, who finished fourth.


2009 Robert Morris Colonials football team
The 2009 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Colonials were led by 16th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Joe Walton Stadium. They were a member of the Northeast Conference.


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season
The Rochester Knighthawks were a lacrosse team based in Rochester, New York, United States, that played in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2009 season was the 15th in franchise history.


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season
In September 2008, Knighthawks superstar John Grant, Jr. underwent emergency surgery on his left knee to remove an infection from his ACL. The surgery meant that Grant would miss the entire 2009 season. To make up for the loss of their most potent scoring threat, the Knighthawks pulled an unexpected move: they traded forward Andrew Potter and two first round draft picks to the Colorado Mammoth for the rights to lacrosse legend Gary Gait, and convinced Gait to return to playing after a three-year retirement.


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2009 Rochester Knighthawks season, Transactions, Entry draft
The 2008 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 7, 2008. The Knighthawks selected the following players:


2009 Rochester mayoral election
The Rochester Mayoral Election of 2009 took place on November 3, 2009 in the City of Rochester, New York, United States. Democratic Mayor Robert Duffy, first elected in 2005, ran unopposed and was re-elected Mayor, with a low 19.5% turnout. Duffy announced his re-election bid March 22, 2009. No Republican showed serious interest in challenging Duffy.


2009 Rochester mayoral election
In November 2010, Duffy was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York.


2009 Rochester, Minn. airport tarmac stranding incident
The 2009 Rochester, Minnesota airport tarmac stranding incident involved the stranding of 47 passengers on board Continental Express flight 2816 for nearly six hours at the Rochester International Airport in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 8, 2009. Flight 2816, operated by ExpressJet, departed from Houston and was bound for Minneapolis–St. Paul when it was diverted to Rochester due to bad weather in Minneapolis. When the flight landed, the airport was closed. Mesaba Airlines employees, who were the only employees present in the airport at the time, refused to allow the passengers to deplane and enter the airport. The incident received widespread media coverage and resulted in civil penalties assessed against Continental Airlines, ExpressJet airlines, and Mesaba Airlines. It was the first time the U.S. government had fined an airline for actions involved in a ground delay.


2009 Rochester, Minn. airport tarmac stranding incident
The aircraft reached Rochester at 12:38 a.m. and the passengers were stranded aboard the aircraft until around 6:15 a.m., when they were finally allowed into the terminal.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season
Roger Federer won two Majors in 2009, the French Open, defeating Robin Söderling in the final, and Wimbledon, defeating Andy Roddick in the final. In addition, Federer made the two other Grand Slam finals, Australian Open losing to Rafael Nadal, and the US Open, losing to Juan Martín del Potro. Federer went on to win two Master Series 1000 tournaments: in Madrid over Rafael Nadal, and in Cincinnati over Novak Djokovic. He lost in one 500 level event final in Basel to Djokovic. During the year, Federer completed the Career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open title, and won a record fifteenth Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Pete Sampras's mark of fourteen.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Early hard-court season
In preparation for the Australian Open, Federer played two exhibition tournaments and one official tournament. He lost to Murray in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. He then lost in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour 250 series tournament in Doha, Qatar to Murray. Federer won the AAMI Classic exhibition in Melbourne, when he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in the final.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Early hard-court season
Federer defeated each of his first three opponents in straight sets at the Australian Open. In the fourth round, Federer rallied from two sets down to defeat Tomáš Berdych. Federer reached his record 19th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal by defeating eighth-seeded Juan Martín del Potro in the quarterfinals in only 80 minutes. In his 18th Grand Slam final, Federer was defeated by long-time rival Nadal in their first meeting on a hard court in a Grand Slam tournament. The match lasted over four hours, with Nadal victorious in five sets. Federer broke down in tears during the trophy presentation and struggled to make his runner-up speech. Federer blamed the defeat on a lack of rhythm in his first serve.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Early hard-court season
Federer withdrew from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships and from Switzerland's Davis Cup tie against the U.S. because of a back injury he sustained in late 2008. He stated it was "a precautionary measure" to make sure his back is "fully rehabilitated ... for the rest of the 2009 season". On 4 March, Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, announced that the Australian tennis coach Darren Cahill was working with Federer on a trial basis at Federer's training base in Dubai. One week later, Cahill opted out of the coaching position, citing the travel commitment needed.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Early hard-court season
Federer played both of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the United States. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Federer lost to Murray in the semifinals. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Federer defeated his first three opponents in straight sets, after receiving a first round bye. In the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, Federer lost a match that included Federer's smashing his racket in frustration after missing a forehand approach shot by hitting it into the net, which is the same shot that cost him the 2008 Wimbledon final.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
After initially deciding not to participate, Federer accepted a last-minute wildcard entry at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, his first clay-court event of the year. He lost to Stanislas Wawrinka for the first time in the third round.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
In the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay, Federer lost to Djokovic for the first time on clay.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
Federer received a first-round bye in the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, the last ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series event on clay for the year. He defeated Nadal in the final. This ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay, and for the second time Federer prevented Nadal from becoming the first man to win all three Masters Series on clay in the same year.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
In the 2009 French Open, in a fourth-round encounter, Federer had to come back from two sets to love down to defeat Tommy Haas. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the quarterfinals to reach his 20th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. He reached his fourth straight final in Paris by outlasting del Potro after coming back from 2–1 down. He won the French Open for the first time by beating Robin Söderling in the final.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
With this win, Federer equaled Pete Sampras's men's record of 14 Grand Slam titles and Ivan Lendl's record of 19 Grand Slam finals, and also became the sixth man in history to complete a Career Grand Slam. The call by Eurosport on match point was thus: "Federer wins the French Open for the first time in his career; and in addition must surely be regarded now as the greatest male player of all-time."


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Clay season and French Open titles
Owing to the overwhelming emotions and fatigue brought by the tournament, Federer withdrew from the Gerry Weber Open, his usual pre-Wimbledon tournament.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Grass season: Channel Slam, and smashing the all-time record
Federer became the highest seed for Wimbledon, after defending champion Nadal withdrew from the tournament due to tendinitis. Federer defeated Lu Yen-hsun in the first round. He moved safely into the third round with a win over Guillermo García-López. In the third round, Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer then booked a place in the quarterfinals by defeating Söderling. In the quarterfinals, Federer cruised past Ivo Karlović, to extend his all-time record of consecutive Grand Slam semifinals to 21. In the semifinals, Federer defeated Tommy Haas to reach his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, an all-time record.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Grass season: Channel Slam, and smashing the all-time record
With this win, he also reached his 20th Grand Slam final, surpassing the previous record of 19 set by Lendl. In a match that took 4 hours and 17 minutes to complete, he beat Roddick in the final in the latest chapter of their long, though lopsided rivalry, regaining the world no. 1 spot from Rafael Nadal. The 30 total games in the fifth set was a new Grand Slam record.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Grass season: Channel Slam, and smashing the all-time record
The match was also the longest men's singles final (in terms of games played) in Grand Slam history, with 77 games played, and the fifth set alone lasted 95 minutes. The match has been called an "instant classic" by ESPN, and received the highest TV ratings in the UK for any Wimbledon final since 2001. With the win, he also became the fourth man in the open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year (the "Channel Slam"), following Nadal in 2008, Borg in 1978–1980, and Laver in 1969. He also joined Nadal as the only players to simultaneously hold Grand Slams on clay, grass, and hard court (2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon).


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Summer hard-court season
Federer won his first match after a five-week break at the second round of the 2009 Rogers Cup against Frédéric Niemeyer following a first-round bye. He then defeated countryman Stanislas Wawrinka after coming back from three games down in the second set; in doing so, he made more history by contributing to the first occasion where the top 8 ranked men had all made the quarterfinals of a single tournament, joining the other seven players: Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Roddick, del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Davydenko. However, in the quarterfinals, he lost to Tsonga despite leading by four games in the final set.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Summer hard-court season
Despite the relatively early exit in Montreal, Federer started off well at the 2009 Cincinnati Open, beating José Acasuso in the second round (after having another bye in the first round like the other top seeds) and David Ferrer in the third round. He then beat Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals, followed by Murray in the semifinals to reach the final, where he defeated Novak Djokovic.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Summer hard-court season
Federer began his US Open campaign well with a victory over unseeded Devin Britton. He advanced to the third round with a second-round win over Simon Greul. His third-round match was against Hewitt, against whom he lost his first set of the tournament, but eventually rallied to win the match. After this match, Federer held a 16–7 lead over Hewitt, continuing a fourteen match winning streak against him.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Summer hard-court season
Federer next defeated Tommy Robredo to book a quarterfinal berth against Robin Söderling for the third Grand Slam in a row, which he won in four sets after saving a set point in the fourth set. Federer reached his 21st Grand Slam final by defeating fourth seed Novak Djokovic for the third straight year. He triumphed and, in doing so, reached match point by performing a between-the-legs passing shot, which he later described as "...the greatest shot I ever hit in my life." He lost to del Potro in the final in five sets. The loss broke Federer's streak of forty consecutive wins at the US Open. It also marked the first time Federer had lost in a Grand Slam final to an opponent other than Rafael Nadal.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Fall indoor season
Federer went on to play in the Davis Cup tie with Italy, and in his first match on the red clay courts at Valletta Cambiaso Club, in Genoa, won in a match against Simone Bolelli. He sealed Switzerland's qualification for the World Group with a victory over Potito Starace. Following the match, Federer was quoted as saying "I was able to play very well. I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm – everything is hurting. And I've got to do some baby-sitting." He later withdrew from the 2009 Japan Open and the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Fall indoor season
At the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, Federer defeated Olivier Rochus, Andreas Seppi, Evgeny Korolev, and his childhood friend Marco Chiudinelli in straight sets, before losing in the finals to Novak Djokovic.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Fall indoor season
Federer's next tournament was the Paris Masters, where his six previous appearances had never extended past the quarterfinals. After a first-round bye, Federer continued his Paris Open struggles with an early exit to second-round opponent Julien Benneteau.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Fall indoor season
Federer's final tournament of the year was the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals. He beat Fernando Verdasco in the first of his round-robin matches, followed by a victory over Andy Murray, which secured him the year-end no. 1 ranking for the fifth year. However, he lost to del Potro once more, but he won enough games to qualify for the semifinals. In the semifinals, he met Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Federer for the first time in their 13 encounters. This loss ended Roger Federer's 2009 tennis season.


2009 Roger Federer tennis season, Year summary, Fall indoor season
The year saw Federer accomplishing three major goals: winning his first French Open title, breaking Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam wins, and regaining the no. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.


2009 Rogers Cup
The 2009 Canadian Open (also known as the 2009 Rogers Masters presented by National Bank and 2009 Rogers Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 120th edition of the Canada Masters for the men (the 108th edition for the women), and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier 5 of the 2009 WTA Tour.


2009 Rogers Cup
The men's event was held at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from August 8 through August 16, 2009, and the women's event was held at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from August 15 through August 23, 2009. It was the fourth event for both the men and women on the 2009 US Open Series.


2009 Rogers Cup, ATP entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw


2009 Rogers Cup, WTA entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw


2009 Rogers Cup, Finals, Men's singles
Andy Murray defeated  Juan Martín del Potro, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–1.


2009 Rogers Cup, Finals, Men's singles
For the first time in the ATP history, all top 8 seeded and top 8 ranked players reached the quarterfinals.


2009 Rogers Cup, Finals, Men's doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi /  Mark Knowles defeated Max Mirnyi /  Andy Ram, 6–4, 6–3.


2009 Rogers Cup, Finals, Women's doubles
Nuria Llagostera Vives /  María José Martínez Sánchez defeated  Samantha Stosur /  Rennae Stubbs, 2–6, 7–5, [11–9].


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles
Cara Black and Liezel Huber were the defending champions, but lost in the semifinals against Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles
Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez won in the final 2–6, 7–5, [11–9] against Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Doubles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
Dinara Safina was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Aravane Rezaï.


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles
Elena Dementieva won in the final, 6–4, 6–3, against Maria Sharapova.


2009 Rogers Cup – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2009 Rogers Masters – Men's Doubles
Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, but lost in the semifinals to Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles.


2009 Rogers Masters – Men's Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles won in the final 6–4, 6–3 against Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram.


2009 Rogers Masters – Singles
Andy Murray defeated Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–1, to win the Singles title at the 2009 Canadian Open.


2009 Rogers Masters – Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to del Potro.