WORLD CUP 2006 / GERMANY

[Clunky]

Zidane remains the best, certainly the best player on the pitch yesterday.

[Brad]

I read where there was a fifth official in the booth looking at a monitor. However, he has no power to make any decision. I'm surmising that he looked at his monitor, saw the foul, called down to the fourth official, who then told the referee's assistant, who then told the refereee. If FIFA does not use video evidence, why is there a fifth official even looking at a monitor. To say he doesn't have any power to make a decision is not logical because he's relaying information down to the sidelines. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable with the FIFA rules can set this straight.

[Dmitry]

I am VERY curious to know what prompted Zidane's head-butt? Any ideas on the matter?

I am positive that he had said something very deragatory to Zidane prior to that.

[ejp626]

You'll simply never convince me that a sport that allows its most serious games to be decided by PKs is a sport worth following. Not that anyone cares...

[scottb]

I am VERY curious to know what prompted Zidane's head-butt? Any ideas on the matter?

I am positive that he had said something very deragatory to Zidane prior to that.

I saw some speculation about Zidane being called a "terrorist" and another report speculated that the comment related to him being from Algeria, something like "You should go play for your own country"

Strictly rumor at this point. Zidane's manager said Zidane told he said something very serious that provoked him but wouldn't say what it was. I imagine we'll get the details soon enough.

[Noj]

Materazzi's highlight reel

[Man with the Golden Arm]

he's always welcome to come and play real football.

[Brad]

Materazzi's highlight reel

Those clips say it all. I saw something where his son gets abuse at school for the hits his father perpetrates.

[J.A.W.]

he's always welcome to come and play real football.

Well, European-style football (soccer) already existed long before American "football" was invented, so I think the term "real football" is not quite correct...

[Man with the Golden Arm]

hence the

[Indestructible!]

I am VERY curious to know what prompted Zidane's head-butt? Any ideas on the matter?

I am positive that he had said something very deragatory to Zidane prior to that.

I saw some speculation about Zidane being called a "terrorist" and another report speculated that the comment related to him being from Algeria, something like "You should go play for your own country"

Strictly rumor at this point. Zidane's manager said Zidane told he said something very serious that provoked him but wouldn't say what it was. I imagine we'll get the details soon enough.

You know, it really shouldn't matter what Materrazi said to Zidane at that moment. Zidane HAS to retain his composure and keep himself in the game. I'm sure he's been called everything under the sun over the years (by fans and opponents alike), but as a professional he needs to block out those distractions and keep his head in the game. What an unbelievable disgrace to his team to let his emotions get the best of him at that critical moment.

IMHO, that was the second most boring World Cup Final game I've ever seen (the Brazil-Italy snoozefest was slightly worse). Italy literally did NOTHING from the 65th minute on. I can't remember the last time I saw such little offensive creativity from team. Hell, they WALKED most of the last 60 minutes of the game. France were definitely the more energetic side, but that Italian defense was SOLID!

One last observation... everyone was harping about Barthez being the weak link going into the PK's, and that Italy was at a decided advantage with Buffon in net. But, if you looked at the PK's, Buffon moved the wrong way on EVERY French kick, whereas Barthez anticipated correctly at least twice! No way can anyone blame Barthez for what happened in the PK's.

Cheers,

Shane

[couw]

I am VERY curious to know what prompted Zidane's head-butt? Any ideas on the matter?

I am positive that he had said something very deragatory to Zidane prior to that.

I saw some speculation about Zidane being called a "terrorist" and another report speculated that the comment related to him being from Algeria, something like "You should go play for your own country"

Strictly rumor at this point. Zidane's manager said Zidane told he said something very serious that provoked him but wouldn't say what it was. I imagine we'll get the details soon enough.

well, here's what he denies saying:

ROME (Reuters) - Italy defender Marco Materazzi denied on Monday reports that he had called Zinedine Zidane a "dirty terrorist" seconds before the France captain head-butted him in Sunday's World Cup final.

"It is absolutely not true, I did not call him a terrorist. I'm ignorant. I don't even know what the word means," the Italian news agency Ansa quoted Materazzi as saying after the Italian team returned to Rome.

right smarty, Zidane got the Golden Ball, you get the Golden Brain award.

[Dmitry]

Materazzi's highlight reel

What a dick-head!

[scottb]

After watching those "highlights" I guess it's safe to say he doesn't like Shevchenko. He was victimized several times.

Those clips disgust me. His intentional use of the studs repeatedly is a disgrace to football. FIFA should be ashamed to allow this guy to continue to play professionally. I would think that is enough video evidence in that reel to get him banned from organized football for life!

[Claude]

Strangely, the "terrorist theory" comes from Zidane's cousin in Algeria, who has watched the match on TV and hasn't talked to Zinedine after the match.

[Dmitry]

My wife just got off the phone with her friend in Paris. Her explanation of the head-butt is that Materazzi said something very offensive about either Zidane's mother or sister moments prior to the incident. Anyway, that's one Parisian's take on this...

[couw]

My wife just got off the phone with her friend in Paris. Her explanation of the head-butt is that Materazzi said something very offensive about either Zidane's mother or sister moments prior to the incident. Anyway, that's one Parisian's take on this...

some Brazilian tv station has done some lipreading ( ) and came up with the same theory.

[mike casinghino]

why don't you show a highlight clip of all zidane's head butts, which was shown on espn today, that was very entertaining. talk about a disgrace.

[mike casinghino]

and who cares what was supposedly said to zidane, that head butt deserved a red card, to me it did not matter who saw it,as long as they removed that idiot from the playing field.

[Brad]

and who cares what was supposedly said to zidane, that head butt deserved a red card, to me it did not matter who saw it,as long as they removed that idiot from the playing field.

Thank you for your great objectivity and contribution to this debate.

[couw]

No one is really questioning whether he should or should not have seen red. He should and he did. Just that the procedure opens a real big can of worms.

It DOES matter who saw it, because if it turns out to the fifth man watching his monitor, this is a precedent FIFA is not ready to handle. They are nowhere near ready to allow video footage in refereeing as they do not have any idea how, when, what, and inhowfar. So probably they will keep telling the story of the fourth guy seeing it, although some footage on German tv showed that the fifth guy was probably involved.

and I for one care what shitforbrains Materazzi said to Zidane as it shows that the verbal shite thrown around on the field DOES pose a problem. Moreso if it is combined with the shitty tactics of continuous near-fouls. Not to excuse the inexcuseable, but I don't think I saw Zidane without an Italian hanging on his shirt or dealing out little kicks and pushes. Similar shite went down in the Portugal vs. Netherlands game: little crap that piles up and then hits the fan in a major way. And everyone is wondering what the hell is going on. Bad referees is what's going on.

[birdanddizzy]

Zizou has been elected best player of this World Cup by the FIFA this morning.

I think it is not a shame.

In december (?), France-Italy will be a qualification-match for Euro 2008... Our revenge...

Materazzi, will you still be there ?

[Brad]

BBC Phil McNulty on our Marco

[birdanddizzy]

[Brad]

No one is really questioning whether he should or should not have seen red. He should and he did. Just that the procedure opens a real big can of worms.

It DOES matter who saw it, because if it turns out to the fifth man watching his monitor, this is a precedent FIFA is not ready to handle. They are nowhere near ready to allow video footage in refereeing as they do not have any idea how, when, what, and inhowfar. So probably they will keep telling the story of the fourth guy seeing it, although some footage on German tv showed that the fifth guy was probably involved.

and I for one care what shitforbrains Materazzi said to Zidane as it shows that the verbal shite thrown around on the field DOES pose a problem. Moreso if it is combined with the shitty tactics of continuous near-fouls. Not to excuse the inexcuseable, but I don't think I saw Zidane without an Italian hanging on his shirt or dealing out little kicks and pushes. Similar shite went down in the Portugal vs. Netherlands game: little crap that piles up and then hits the fan in a major way. And everyone is wondering what the hell is going on. Bad referees is what's going on.

I think this accurately summarizes the issues. Zidane had complained all night about these tactics. At one point he had to be helped off the field because it appeared he couldn't move his elbow. Gee, I wonder how that happened.

Allegedly, Italian football had changed. I can't say I saw that as this side was involved with two of the more notorious incidents of this Cup: the McBride incident and now this.