Zidane is more popular in France *after* his head-butt than is Chirac after the waves of car fire-bombings.
It's just a fact.
Posted on 07/12/2006 12:07:19 PM PDT by winner3000
PARIS - French soccer star Zinedine Zidane apologized for head-butting an Italian opponent during the World Cup final, saying Wednesday that he was provoked by insults about his mother and sister.
"I apologize, to all the children" who watched the match Sunday, Zidane said in his first, highly-awaited comments about the act of violence that marked the end of his career.
Zidane did not specify exactly what Italian defender Marco Materazzi said that enraged him, but that it was insulting to his sister and mother.
"I would rather have taken a punch in the jaw than have heard that," Zidane said, stressing that Materazzi's language was "very harsh."
Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words after Italy broke up a French attack in extra-time. Seconds later, Zidane lowered his head and rammed Materazzi in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Zidane was sent off, reducing France to 10 men. Italy went on to win in a penalty shootout.
The France captain said he felt no regret for his act, "because that would mean (Materazzi) was right to say all that."
At nearly the same moment Zidane was appearing on French TV, excerpts from an interview that Materazzi gave to Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport were posted on the newspaper's Web site.
"I didn't say anything to him about racism, religion or politics," Materazzi told the Gazzetta. "I didn't talk about his mother either. I lost my mother when I was 15 and even now I still get emotional talking about her. Naturally, I didn't know his (mother) was in the hospital, I give her my best wishes."
"He's always been my hero, I admire him a lot."
For days, sports fans around the world have been riveted by the question: What could Materazzi have said to set Zidane off? Media from Brazil to Britain hired lip readers to try to figure it out, then came up with different answers.
Materazzi has acknowledged he insulted Zidane, without giving specifics.
Materazzi spoke to Zidane in Italian. Zidane, who played for several years at Turin club Turin, speaks Italian.
Despite the head-butt, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball award for best player at the World Cup — though FIFA president Sepp Blatter has suggested Zidane could be stripped of the honor.
"The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA, but by an international commission of journalists," Blatter said in Italian newspaper La Repubblica. "That said, FIFA's executive committee has the right, and the duty, to intervene when faced with behavior contrary to the ethics of the sport."
In France, many have already pardoned Zidane, even without his explanation. A poll published Tuesday in Le Parisien newspaper showed that 61 percent of the 802 people questioned forgave Zidane.
Zidane is a real looser ! In the past he received many warnings about his TEMPER !
Chirac and Zidane are the same liars about how they live therir lives.
They both STINK !!
Looking at pictures of him, anything said about mom and sister was bound to be a compliment by comparison.
My roommate had an indiscreet head-butt incident in college, but I won't get into details.
"Your mother was a hamster and your sister smelt of elderberries!"
I don't know why he bothered with the press conference. He first apologizes, then he says he didn't have any regrets about his action. He sounds like John Kerry about it.
So, not physically attacking someone who says insulting things equals approval of those insults? Mmmmm Kaaaaayyyy...
He never claimed the Italian guy said terrorist. That was a British "lip reader" claiming she could lip read spoken Italian off profile angle video. IOW, BS.
Looks near certain he said something about the guy's sister.
It's difficult to imagine greatness being associated with soccer. But that's just me.
He's human. Everyone has a limit of how much crap they can take. After playing for 110 minutes and listening to that idiot all the time and after suffering constant "nipple tweaks", I guess his fuse was out. I completely understand him but wish he didn't do it... oh well, he's human.
"He was making fun of Jerry Lewis..."
Every sport on earth has trash talk, it is up to the competitors to tune it out and play the game. That is what champions are made of.
Yo' momma!
This is the problem with soccer: the governing body seeks to take away an award which it does not bestow. World soccer is more byzantine and maybe more corrupt than the UN!
"The Italian man said my mother makes flat croissants..."
He should have expected dirty tricks from the Italian side, and been smart enough not to fall for them. It should have been obvious to him as the match went on that the Italian side would feel themselves incapable of defeating France even up, and would resort to whatever was necessary to place themselves at a comparative advantage.
Materazzi did what had to be done for Italy to win, and Zidane was stupid enough to fall for it.
The French could have stopped the game and had the Italian player arrested, oui?
"Are there times when OTHER Arabs you know have done this..? What can we ask Arabs to do differently, so this doesn't recurr?"
Zidane is more popular in France *after* his head-butt than is Chirac after the waves of car fire-bombings.
It's just a fact.
It's difficult to imagine an intelligent statement being associated with kjam22, but that's just me.
Zidane is a real looser - no he is not; he is/was one of the greatest soccer players ever. It is interesting that everyone is so anxious to cast stones; maybe if you had 2 billion people watching you work you would not act as everyone of them would think you should.
video clip of the incident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1i_l0OeeMc
France Fighter II Turbo: http://francefighter.ytmnd.com/
Zidane saves Mazzerati's life (featuring viking sniper kitten): http://zidanesavesmaterazzi.ytmnd.com/
Zidane vs. Deathstar: http://zidanedeathstar.ytmnd.com/
What a bunch of drama queens...these futbol players!
Nothing is more humiliating to a Muslim man than (fill in the blank).
Man responsible for Castro's death outed
http://www.babalublog.com/archives/headbutt.gif
Zidane redeems himself! Vive la france!
Whoops! Now the links work!
_____________________________
Zidane owns Fidel Castro: http://zidaneownsfidelcastro.ytmnd.com/
France Fighter II Turbo: http://francefighter.ytmnd.com/
Zidane saves Mazzerati's life (featuring viking sniper kitten): http://zidanesavesmaterazzi.ytmnd.com/
Zidane vs. Deathstar: http://zidanedeathstar.ytmnd.com/
He is not an Arab.
Funny thing is, in two World Cups, he's been tossed out of or missed entirely due to suspension a total of 6 matches. He was tossed in '98 for stomping on the back of a Saudi player, then suspended for the next two matches. Earlier this year, he was tossed after receiving two yellows, and was suspended the following game. Then the incident in the final. He also had an earlier head-butt incident this year in non-WC play. This guy has ALWAYS had a temper, and the coddling media was afraid to call him out on it. Instead, they made him sound like the ambassador to world for Soccer and role model to be revered.
How many of us who have played sports, even at a high school level, have heard all sorts of trash talk? You don't even have to play, just watch a football or basketball game on TV, or sit near the field/court and you'd hear some things that would likely have driven Zidane to pull out a gun. There is no excuse for what Zidane did. It was just stupid.
:) I guess you took my soccer statement kinda personal? I hope your soccer ability isn't your measuring stick for a successful life. :)
"The France captain said he felt no regret for his act"
Oh, well in that case, apology accepted.
I don't know about that. The ref gave France a goal with the bogus penalty call, and disallowed another Italian goal on a very debatable off-sides call.
Careful, you might a urine bomb thrown your way!!
And I really hope your IQ isn't yours!!!
Another angle in this incident is Zidane's miss of a sure header in the first OT. Nine times out of 10 that's a goal. And if you saw his reaction after Buffon's great save, you saw pure rage. And who did score for Italy, on a header? Materazzi.
Whenever his team played Robbins' team, this guy's job was to chase Robbins all over the ice and make rude comments about Susan Sarandon until Robbins lost his cool and ended up in the penalty box. Listening to him describe the chain of events was one of the funniest experiences of my hockey career . . .
"Hey, Timmy . . . When you see Susan tonight tell her I had a great time."
(no response)
"Hey, Timmy . . . You better quit now and get home to Susan as fast as you can tonight, or I'm gonna get there first."
(no response)
"Hey, Timmy . . . If I go over your house one more time and there ain't enough bags to cover that ugly b!tch's head while I'm #%&#ing here, I'm gonna beat the sh!t outta you!"
(Robbins turns around and slashes him with his stick, then gets sent to the penalty box for a five-minute major penalty. My friend's team scores the winning goal with Robbins in the penalty box.)
You can't make this up. LOL!
hey no problem.... I'm not the one that associates "greatness" with running around kicking a ball. :)
Somehow I very much doubt that the French players were perfect gentlemen with no trash talk coming from them.
Materazzi said that Zidane's sister had hairy armpits. This, of course, implied that Zidane's sister was French -- the ultimate insult which he could not ignore.
He's the goat.
Though Dodge may want to hire him to do their Ram Charger commercials.
Talk about an ironic post....
I'm afraid I couldn't disagree more. Italy had the stronger offense the entire match and France was all too mindful of Italy's 2 late-game goals to cinch the win and prevent a Sudden Death kick-off. And Zidane and his team needed to preserve a regulation time tie, they had the advantage in the event of a kick off. If anything, Zidane could feel the pressure mounting as Italy pressed and succombed to the trash talk. Usually a hothead or rookie mistake. Not usually the mistake of a champion.
and would resort to whatever was necessary to place themselves at a comparative advantage.
Again - trash talk. Both sides do it, use it to try to psych out the other guy. Zidane, a seasoned veteran and star, was stupid to fall for it. He should have recognized he was being baited.
You really should look at the facts of what happened before spouting off.
1) He is not arab
2) He never claimed the whole terrorist thing- a lip reader payed by a newspaper did.
Pretty much your entire post is wrong.
I already said he was stupid to fall for it.
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