FanHouse Diego Maradona

France advanced to the 2010 World Cup thanks to a no-call on a Thierry Henry hand ball that set up the William Gallas' overtime goal. Not surprisingly, the Irish side was incensed, and Henry bluntly stated after the match that, "I will be honest, it was a hand ball. But I'm not the ref ... I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him", probably didn't help.

Hand balls are a part of soccer and they go uncalled all the time. The difference in Henry's case is that it couldn't have been more obvious if he caught the ball and threw it in the goal.

Upshot: the hand ball no-call has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal against England during the 1986 World Cup.

Both videos after the jump.

For one day, at least, Diego Maradona can silence his critics and get the last laugh.

Lampooned, mocked and second-guessed throughout Argentina's nearly disastrous 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, Maradona can let out a massive sigh of relief after Wednesday's 1-0 win against Uruguay in Montevideo, Uruguay. Argentina gains the fourth and final automatic CONMEBOL qualifying spot, while Uruguay moves into the playoff against either Costa Rica or Honduras.

In perhaps the year's least surprising world soccer news -- Brazil has qualified for the 2010 World Cup. The five-time World Cup champs punched their ticket thanks to a 3-1 victory at Argentina late Saturday night featuring brace by Luis Fabiano.

Slightly more surprising, Brazil's all-time rival Argentina finds itself dangling ever-so-close to the precipice after that defeat in Rosario. The look coach Diego Maradona's face in the video posted above pretty much says it all for the Albicelestes these days.

Last June a friend and I decided to break our self-imposed ban on attending soccer matches at Giants Stadium. The reason? The U.S. National Team was hosting two-time world champion Argentina in a friendly in the New Jersey swampland.

We weren't alone, as close to 77,000 hot and sweaty bodies packed into the venerable stadium, leaving us peering down from the final row of the upper deck and racing for my car as the skies opened up in the final 10 minutes causing a torrential downpour.

A little more than a year later, there's a scenario however unlikely, which the U.S. and Argentina could face each other with a 2010 World Cup berth on the line.

Diego Maradona is in the hospital as we speak, against his will. His hospitalization was, according to his doctor, "a product of an incoherent regimen of excessive eating, drinking and smoking."

News reports about it are dominating Argentine television, and fans are camped outside of the hospital, holding a vigil. I didn't know people would hold a vigil for you if you just eat, drink, and smoke like a champion. I'm gonna go order a couple of pizzas, burn a stogies, and funnel some gin, and let's see who shows up. Pick me up a pack of filterless Camels and a box of Twinkies on the way, will you?

From the AP article, it's hard to tell exactly what's wrong with him. He's got a history of drug use and recently had gastric bypass surgery. The surgery did trim him down, but now he's 8.8 pounds over his normal weight, whatever that is. But the doc says there's nothing wrong with his blood circulation or heart, and since he's there against his will, I'm assuming he wasn't feeling ill.

You can never be too careful when dealing with a national hero, though. We wish Maradona and his fans all the best. No drinking at the vigil, guys.