Zidane sent off in extra time of World Cup final for headbutt

Yahoo News ^ | 9 July 06 | JEROME PUGMIRE

[SkyPilot]

BERLIN (AP) -- Zinedine Zidane cut short his dazzling World Cup and closed his career with an ugly head butt -- and a loss.

The France captain was given a red card for slamming the crown of his bald head into the center of Italy defender Marco Materazzi's chest after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time.

The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was sent off, head bowed, in the 110th minute Sunday. Without their sharpshooting captain, France couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.

Zidane's strike was clearly intentional, and referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina briefly consulted with his assistant referees before showing the 28th red card of the tournament. The previous World Cup record of 22 red cards, set in 1998, was broken before the quarterfinals round began.

Zidane, whose sparkling play carried France much deeper into this tournament than anyone expected, previously said he would quit soccer when it was over. He passed coach Raymond Domenech as he walked off but did not look at him -- then continued past the golden World Cup trophy and disappeared into the tunnel, his head still down.

Earlier in Sunday's match, he had given France the lead with a seventh-minute penalty -- his 31st goal for France and third in a World Cup final. Zidane was treated for what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the 80th minute; trainers took him off but he returned, holding his right arm awkwardly and wincing in pain.

Minutes before Zidane was sent off, France striker Thierry Henry was substituted for in favor of Sylvain Wiltord. In the first half, Henry bumped his head in a collision and crumpled to the ground, then went briefly to the sideline and returned.

Eight years ago, Zidane was red-carded for stomping on an opponent while playing Saudi Arabia. At this World Cup he collected two yellow cards and was suspended for France's third group match against Togo.

Five years ago, Zidane was also red-carded for butting Jochen Kientz in a Champions League match for Juventus against Hamburger SV. A year later, his volley gave Real Madrid its ninth European title.

Zidane headed in two goals when Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 for the World Cup title in 1998.

[Always Right]

It's in the Top Ten but probably not the worst:

The guy that picked up Bret Farve and dump him on his head long after Farve threw the ball has to make the top 10.

[Always Right]

Sure it's a foul and yes it should've been a red card, but he acted like he got hit with a damn TOW missle.

Practice. Everytime two soccer players touch each other, they flop to the ground and pretend to be injured.

[Always Right]

Pete Rose's cheap shot in the All Star game

I don't know, if it was the World Series, it would be considered a great play. It was extremely poor judgement to do it in an exhibition game like the All Star game, but that is the way Pete played ball.

[MinorityRepublican]

A good Muslim is an apostate Muslim.

No such thing as "moderate" Muslim in the "Religion of Peace".

[76239]

Not to take anything away from Italy's World Cup victory, but they only beat the sniveling French. I'm sure their win would have been sweeter had it not come at the expense of a nation of quislings that drink too much wine & profess their love for cheese that smells like Warren Sapp's jock strap after a September day game in Miami. Were the French facing Germany in the final, Les Bleus would have milled aimlessly around the pitch or stood on the sidelines, while a small number of their mates surreptitiously tried to pass the ball to the Germans in order to curry favor with the undoubted victors. In regard to Zidane's Marty McSorley moment, the world will no doubt be astonished that a Muslim would lose his temper & commit an internationally publicized act of violence against an infidel. Perhaps Materazzi suggested to him that Mohammed wore a burka. No worries, Zidane can redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow believers & right this injustice doing by something truly heroic, like strapping on 3 pounds of Semtex & blowing up school bus full of grammar school kids.

[time4good]

Actually Folks - hold on there. I was just poking around at the video that was in #15 and then I started reading the blog of watchers below and they pointed out the scum materazzi pinched so hard Zidane's nipple - Zidane had it and headbutt him. Watch the first video carefully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBV52GPhNjw

Now watch this video - turn down the volume because the song is not nice but Materazzi purposefully kicks guys in the face, testicles, on their backs, on their legs.

He is a scumbag. Zidane didn't take it - Zidane should have ignored it but he let Materazzi ruin his final game and the French's chances. Materazzi got what he wanted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpG4AHlZrL4&search=Materazzi

[Jameison]

" they pointed out the scum materazzi pinched so hard Zidane's nipple - Zidane had it and headbutt him."

Huh?
Zidane was walking AWAY from Materazzi, with his back to Materazzi, when Zidane turned round and head butted Materazzi.

How on earth could Materazzi have "pinched Zidane's nipple", with Zidanes back turned to him, just before Zidane head butted him, for crying out loud?

[Blue Jays]

Hi Trajan88-

If he wanted to exit the game he simply would have called for a substitute. There is no "tactical" reason for a player to get himself red-carded out of a match and leave his team playing a man short.

~ Blue Jays ~

[time4good]

" they pointed out the scum materazzi pinched so hard Zidane's nipple - Zidane had it and headbutt him."

Huh? Zidane was walking AWAY from Materazzi, with his back to Materazzi, when Zidane turned round and head butted Materazzi.

How on earth could Materazzi have "pinched Zidane's nipple", with Zidanes back turned to him, just before Zidane head butted him, for crying out loud?

You must have not paid attention to the very beginning of the video - Materazzi cops a feel/pinches Zidane's nip - ticks the guy off enough for Zidane to come back for a whack.

[Paddlefish]

Well, I would certainly put the Minn.-OSU Luke Witte basketball incident in the top 10.

[jveritas]

What ever you are drinking just drop it and go to bed.

[Jameison]

",You must have not paid attention to the very beginning of the video "

I saw the beginning of the video alright.
So why not head butt Materazzi at once in reaction to this alleged "nipple pinching"?
Why did Zidane wait till he was already jogging away, like 30 seconds after this alleged incident, before turning round and head butting Materazzi?
You either react in anger, in the heat of the moment, or you don't.

[Bogeygolfer]

Mike,
I follow your posts and generally appreciate your point of view so take the following with a grain of salt.. You are so full so shit on this one. You don't like soccer and yet you feel the need to post on all the soccer related threads. Methinks you are just having some fun and making a point. I've watched the same video you have and your leg comment is wrong. Furthermore watch the guy head the ball into the net as he did with his first goal. While you may not respect soccer try to remember these are the best of the world and that man is trainted to snap his neck with tremendous force...same physics as with a sumo wrester or a defensive end with their hands. The force is considerabe and the man was walking into it. He could have been seriously hurt and your points are beyond baseless. Remember that grain of salt because I do like your posts.

[time4good]

Why did Zidane wait till he was already jogging away, like 30 seconds after this alleged incident, before turning round and head butting Materazzi?

Ok - why?

Use common sense - either somethign Materazzi said or, something he did - do you really think Zidane - captain of the team, in the final moments of the world championship, had nothing provoke him?

[romanesq]

more lies on the imagined titty twister
the head butt was due to words
and there's no excuse for it

only 10 minutes were left anyway
in the end, the same result

except headbutter Zidane stays on the field to see Italy hit 5 straight penalty kicks.

[Jameison]

"do you really think Zidane - captain of the team, in the final moments of the world championship, had nothing provoke him"

No.
That's not what I am thinking at all, as stated in my post on another thread, same topic here :

"Only thing I can think of is Materazzi said something bad to Zidane.
But hey, in the NBA, players have been trash talking each other for as long as I can remember.
If people kept head butting each other for trash talking, we wouldn't "

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1662947/posts?page=19#19

[time4good]

more lies on the imagined titty twister

Huh - lies? ok, don't get stupid here - nobody's 'lying' - this is all speculation as to how much was done/said on all our accounts. We ALL only saw the head butt and won't probably ever know what was said.

I still stand by the mix of the two - action leading to words that pushed the guy to do something stupid.

[jveritas]

I was quickly reading Le Monde the French newspaper, they said that this was the 12th Red Card in Zidan career and his last since he retiring. 12 Red Card is a story of a violent a**hole who has no sportmanship whatsover. Very few players get 12 Red card during their career.

Anyway great for Italy to win their fourth World Cup and of course it is greater that the frogs lost, that nation should not win anything.

[TommyUdo]

Since were talking football here, my personal favorite is Eric the King Cantona (another Frenchy and my all time favorite player) v. a Crystal Palace hooligan. When asked about it at a press conference he responded slowly, in between drinks of water...

"When the seagulls...follow the trawler...it's because they think sardines...will be thrown in to the sea."

He would later add... "My best moment? I have alot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan."