Zidane explains head butt incident

Associated Press ^ | 7/12/2006 | Associated Press

[winner3000]

It is such a shame that he didn't control his emotions in his last game. Even though I don't like France politically, and was rooting for Italy (even though they didn't deserve the penalty kick they got awarded when they were one man down against Australia), I have always been a fan of Zizou. Watching him play against Brazil was watching greatness. Too bad.

[The_Victor]

Does this make Zidane a "butthead?"

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The "he called me a terrorist" line seems to have disappeared.

[Zenith]

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 !!

[llevrok]

Looking at pictures of him, anything said about mom and sister was bound to be a compliment by comparison.

[dinoparty]

My roommate had an indiscreet head-butt incident in college, but I won't get into details.

[freedomlover]

"Your mother was a hamster and your sister smelt of elderberries!"

[winner3000]

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.

[TChris]

The France captain said he felt no regret for his act, "because that would mean (Materazzi) was right to say all that."

So, not physically attacking someone who says insulting things equals approval of those insults? Mmmmm Kaaaaayyyy...

[Shermy]

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.

[kjam22]

It's difficult to imagine greatness being associated with soccer. But that's just me.

[nikola]

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.

[commish]

THis was a classic lesson in Sports Psychology 101. Get inside your opponents head and make him make mistakes. Zidane failed with flying colors.

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.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Looks near certain he said something about the guy's sister.

Yo' momma!

[Rummyfan]

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."

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!

[Vision]

"I apologize, to all the children"...The France captain said he felt no regret for his act

Ok

[Petronski]

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.

[TexasCajun]

Germany doesn't have "Hate Speech" laws?

The French could have stopped the game and had the Italian player arrested, oui?