French captain Thierry Henry was exempted from punishment for his handball in the 2010 World Cup finals play-off against Ireland, FIFA announced on Monday.

FIFA's disciplinary committee said that they were not entitled to punish Henry, the 1998 World Cup winning striker, because their rules did not allow them to do so if the original mishandling had not been seen by the match officials.

Barcelona's Zlatan Ibrahimovic (L) and Thierry Henry react during a news conference at Movenpick hotel in Kuwait City December 20, 2009. [Xinhua Photo]

"On Dec. 2, 2009, the FIFA executive committee asked the FIFA disciplinary committee to analyze the handling offense committed by Thierry Henry during the France vs. Republic of Ireland match on Nov. 18, 2009, and to consider the possible disciplinary consequences," read the statement from the committee.

"At its meeting on Jan. 18, 2010, 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 77 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."

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