RTÉ BROADCASTER Marian Finucane has revealed that she had written to footballer Thierry Henry in connection with France knocking Ireland out of the World Cup.
The player was involved in a controversial handball incident that led to France’s crucial goal against Ireland in November.
Ms Finucane said Friends in Ireland, a charity she set up with her husband John Clarke, would have benefited greatly had Ireland qualified for the World Cup.
The charity, which works with children affected by HIV/Aids in South Africa, had been selected as a partner by the FAI in the event that Ireland reached the World Cup finals. This would have raised a “vast sum of money” for the charity, Ms Finucane said.
She had been told by the FAI that Friends in Ireland could have raised “a seven-figure sum” from the partnership.
It would have significantly raised the profile of the charity, which was established eight years ago. She had also hoped that Irish football supporters would visit some of the charity’s projects during their stay in South Africa.
“So when that ‘handball’ happened, it was a double whammy for some of us,” she said.
“I wrote to him [Henry] and told him our ‘scéal’ and invited him to look at our website,” she said. In her letter, Ms Finucane pointed out that it wasn’t just the Irish people who were affected by the handball incident. Orphans, schools and community groups in South Africa were also affected.
After the handball incident, Henry issued a statement saying: “Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa. There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish.”
Ms Finucane said she acknowledged his regret at the incident and said he could make a positive gesture by helping the charity in South Africa.
“I haven’t heard back from him yet,” she said, but added that she would write again if she got no response in the coming weeks. “It’s worth a try, isn’t it?”
Friends in Ireland was founded by Ms Finucane and Mr Clarke in June 2002, following a visit to South Africa where they saw orphaned and vulnerable children who had been infected and affected by HIV/Aids.
The charity now works with communities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
In December, Mr Clarke was named International Philanthropist of the Year for his work with Friends in Ireland.
Ms Finucane said the charity had benefited greatly from very generous donations from builders and developers in the past, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to raise funds.
Donations had “fallen off a cliff” since the recession, she added.
