INSIDE RIGHT hates having to cover old ground with the Thierry Henry handball debate but an email that found it's way to the desk of yours truly has reignited the issue in the mind. A reader of this column took umbrage at suggestions by this writer that we should move on from what happened in Paris and instead look within for reasons why we didn't qualify for the World Cup.

We're in no way trying to defend the indefensible here. What Thierry Henry did was wrong - no question, it's just the reaction to it that's way over the top and whether we care to admit it or not cheating is an inherent part of the game of football.

In the immediate aftermath of the match in Paris many of the Irish players condemned the officials rather than Henry, and even went as far as saying they may have done the same themselves if the roles were reversed.

Fast forward seven months later and Henry controlled the ball with his arm in France's final World Cup game against South Africa and the sports bulletins were claiming he was up to his old tricks again - yet only two days earlier Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano handled the ball twice on his way to scoring against the Ivory Coast and it hardly even got a mention. Double standards maybe?

Mothers the world over will tell their offspring that cheating doesn't pay. However, in the lucrative world of professional football it clearly does - just ask Uruguay's striker turned goalkeeper Luis Suarez.

Cheating is part of every aspect of the game. If the ball goes out for a throw-in or corner kick two players put their arms in the air appealing for the decision - one of them has to be lying.

Most footballing fans take the easy way out and blame the 'bloody foreigners' for cheating and play acting.

We've all seen plenty of incidents of diving in the Premier League and as much as we might like to believe otherwise even some our own beloved Irish players are guilty of simulation.

Obviously diving is a scourge of the game but it's not the only thing. There's deliberate fouling, dragging out of players and holding them down when a corner or free-kick is being taken and at every throw-in or free a player will do his best to steal a few yards. Minor transgressions maybe, but cheating nonetheless.

Then you'll get players that are willing to take things a whole lot further - holding their faces and writhing in agony when they've taken a knock to the shin.

It's a constant battle of wits between players and officials - they'll try to hoodwink the referee using every trick in the book like Keith Barry duping the audience at one of his glitzy shows.

Of course dishonesty and underhandedness rears its ugly head in plenty of other sports - if there's an advantage to be gained in a competitive sphere unfortunately human nature dictates that there will always be certain players that will choose that path.

However, the fact that it goes on in other codes doesn't make soccer any less culpable.

Returning to Monsieur Henry for one last time - yes he cheated but ultimately he has lost a hell of a lot more than he gained, while others in the game will continue to go unpunished.

The French had a World Cup to forget and Henry's reputation is now in tatters - all because his dishonesty was more high profile than most.

We should try to eradicate the cheating that is at the heart of football from the game instead of always looking for someone to blame.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Any takers?