Well there is only one hot topic in Thursday morning's newspapers. 'Hand Gaul!', 'The Hand of Frog', 'Le Hand of God' and other such puns scream out from the back pages after Thierry Henry used his hand to set up the goal that sent France to the World Cup finals at Ireland's expense.

In a country where Diego Maradona's similar antics in the 1986 World Cup has left a deep mental scar, the English media have shown no mercy to "cheating" Les Bleus hero Henry. Writing in The Telegraph Henry Winter does a great job of demolishing the former Arsenal star's reputation.

"Jour de gloire? Day of infamy more like. France cheated their way on to the last flight to South Africa. Thierry Henry handled not once, but twice in setting up William Gallas's goal that broke Irish hearts and all rules of sporting justice at the Stade de Fraud on Wednesday night.

Henry is one of the game's most graceful performers and characters, an elegant attacker who has enchanted audiences across Europe but his name will now be associated with conning opponents and officials.

This was Diego Maradona territory, subterfuge writ large, a defence beaten by the dark arts. Unlike England's Argentine nemesis in 1986, Henry has a conscience. How easily he will sleep after this remains to be seen."

Meanwhile, former Premier League and international referee Graham Poll uses his 'Official Line' column in the Daily Mail to absolve the match referee from any blame in the handball debacle.

"I felt for the Irish, who gave their all, and I also felt for Swedish referee Martin Hansson.

So often the 'big' team seem to get decisions but up until the French goal Hansson had been superb. When Anelka went down late in the game a penalty looked possible but Hansson was not fooled by the Chelsea striker's dive.

No blame could be apportioned to the referee, who had no chance of seeing Thierry Henry's disgraceful handball which set up his former team-mate William Gallas for the goal which takes France to the World Cup finals.

Ironically, UEFA president Michel Platini's brainchild of two extra assistants would surely have detected the handball and may have prevented the French progressing - but they, along with video technology, were missing."