Controversy. That's one of the only things that could ever make me actually write a column that has to do with soccer. Although, I must admit, this isn't completely going to be about short shorts and kneesocks — at least not entirely.

So, by now, most of us have all heard about the bizarre and horrible way that Ireland got bounced from qualifying for the finals of the World Cup. But, in case you prefer your football to have nothing to do with your feet, I'll explain it to you quickly: France and Ireland played a qualifying match earlier this week that would ultimately decide, between the two teams, who earned an automatic trip to South Africa next summer. The Irish controlled much of the game, leading 1-0 late in the contest. Then, French superstar Thierry Henry's blatant (and really, this play defines the word blatant) handball resulted in the tying goal in extra time. The officials somehow missed the call, and France earned a tie. More importantly, though, that final goal gave France the tiebreaker over the Irish because of a 2-1 total goal advantage in the teams' matches.

In the wake of the non-call, Ireland has been clamoring for a replay of the match, although FIFA has denied the request (and obviously the French aren't exactly campaigning for a redo).

In my opinion, the game shouldn't be replayed. For one, it sets a terrible standard for bad calls in the future. Secondly, if that goal had been scored in the first five minutes rather than the last, I'm not sure there would have been such a big deal made of it.

Anyway, that's not why I bring this up. You see, to me, this whole incident sheds light on an issue that has been discussed in every sport recently: What is the place of human error or human judgment for officials in sports?

Some people scream for more replays in games, whether it's football, baseball, basketball or hockey. (Don't laugh, some people actually do discuss hockey — like me, for instance.) Because, wouldn't we want to see every call made correctly, wouldn't it be great to have the players actually decide the outcome of games?

Some people don't exactly think so, because on the other side of the fence, people say that the “judgment” of a referee is what makes games flow and work. For instance, disheveled MLB commissioner Bud Selig avoids video replay with as much fervor as he would avoid rubbing “flaxseed oil” on Barry Bonds's biceps. It goes with that old-school belief that each umpire in baseball should have his own strike zone and that referees in other sports can let certain things slide if it helps the game to keep its pace and entertainment value.

Both of these sides have pretty good platforms but are ultimately flawed.

It would be nice to make sure that every call in a game is made correctly, but that's simply unrealistic. Even when close plays are reviewed, the “correct” outcome isn't always reached because of misplaced cameras and bad angles at the play. For instance, if the Patriots' fourth-and-2 play from last Sunday had been reviewed, it's unlikely there was a conclusive replay that would have showed where the ball should have been spotted one way or the other. I've seen the play about 100 times on TV this past week, and I honestly have no clue if Kevin Faulk got the first down or not.

That's not to say that replay doesn't benefit the games we watch, because in some cases it does.

The way replays are done on football and basketball, right now, are about as far as we can go. In both sports, there aren't many more cut-and-dry calls in a game that could be reviewed. Baseball, though, should look at reviewing foul balls. (Think of Joe Mauer's would-be double against the Yankees in the ALDS that was called foul.)

I'm not sure where this puts soccer. I obviously don't pretend to be an expert on the sport, but it seems fairly obvious that a handball could be reviewed.

Although the match should certainly stand, maybe FIFA should look into video replay for calls like this.

I don't know, though, because one of the great things about sports is the same reason this column has any interest: controversy.

Bryce Evans really has no problem with soccer — it's just a joke. He can be reached at bevans@summitdaily.com.