French soccer great Zidane knocks player to pitch, sent out of final game

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/Sports Illustrated: Out with a bang
Zidane sent off for head butt in his career, and World Cup, farewell match
Posted: Sunday July 9, 2006


Zinédine Zidane (left) sends Italy's Marco Materazzi sprawling with a head butt that led to his ejection during extra time.

BERLIN (AP) -- To the very end of his career, Zinédine Zidane could dictate the flow of play with rare skill and elegant control of the ball.

In the World Cup final, Zidane lost control of his temper.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his bald head and launching his bald crown into the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi's chest after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time Sunday.

The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was given a red card in the 110th minute. Without their sharpshooting captain, the French couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.

"Zidane being sent off changed everything," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "Even in extra time the Italian team was waiting for only one thing, and that was penalties."...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/specials/world_cup/2006/07/09/zidane.finale.ap/index.html

[Gold Metal Flake]

1. YTMND is all over it.

http://zidane06.ytmnd.com/

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Wow!

[Ekirh]

4. I think that's

my favorite Zidane YTMND so far!

[sg_]

3. Id like to know what Materazzi said to him!

nft

[liberalpragmatist]

5. One news report said he responded to a racial slur

Unfortunately I can't find the report now, and it could have just been speculation.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Interesting. That's the first we've heard about what might have been said.

n/t

[Telly Savalas]

9. It was probably pure speculation.

Otherwise all news sources covering the game would be reporting it.

[northzax]

13. it was my immediate thought

Serie A is known for racism.

[radwriter0555]

7. What a nasty, un-gentlemanly, un-sportsman bit of violence to mar

what would have otherwise been a brilliant match.

He spoiled the entire game with his rude, unbecoming, un-sportsman-like conduct.

No matter what that guy said to him, he had no right to physically assault him. His actions caused the french to lose that match. After that incident the entire demeanor of the game changed completely for the worse.

Shame on him.

[Karenina]

11. I don't know what got into Zidane

I find it sad but cannot judge him too harshly. He earned the red card he received. WHY he went there will be the topic of discussion for the next week.

[northzax]

14. week?

for the next 50 years in cafes in paris...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

8. Our power went off right after the head butt

It didn't come on until late in the overtime period, then went off again during penalty kicks. Fortunately we did get to see the conclusion.

[idgiehkt]

10. thanks for posting the pic.

costly.

[Nailzberg]

12. A couple minutes left in my career, I'd take a shot at Materazzi too.

Marco Materazzi has been a cheap shot artist his entire career. Not that his reputation alone is worth a headbutting during the match. It will be interesting to find out what he said.

For the record, I never headbutted opponents during a match, but I did wipe boogers on their jerseys.

[gardenista]

16. Thanks for making me laugh!

Materazzi deserved at least a booger on his jersey, that's for sure.

[HuckleB]

15. Alas, not the first brush with such an incident for Zidane.

As another DUer pointed out...

Angel and demon -- http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4029440

"...

He's an elegant player, possessing incomparable touch, capable of the most alarmingly beautiful play - yet capable of lashing out with minimal provocation.

He famously stamped on Saudi Arabia's Faoud Amin at the 1998 World Cup, picking up a two-game suspension - the Berber community applauded his "revenge" on the evil Arab "extemists." And he head-butted Hamburger SV's Jochen Kientz in a UEFA Champions League game when he played for Juventus, drawing a five-game ban.

"Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or a demon," French rock singer Jean-Louis Murat, a Zidane fan, once said. "He smiles like St. Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer."

..."

[gardenista]

17. Here is a link

wow, ok, I'm not kidding here...

It looks like Materazzi grabbed Zidane's nipple and twisted it. Hard.

Take a good look.

If that is what happened, I have no idea what to think.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NBV52GPhNjw&feature=Views&page=1&t=t&f=b

[Nailzberg]

18. You may be right. Looks like he Purple Nurple'd him.

So I think a booger on the jersey would be highly appropriate in retaliation.

[radwriter0555]

19. Nah I don't think he got nip grabbed. Zidane didn't react at ALL to the

touching, but reacted to what must have been said just out of frame...

[blondeatlast]

24. That's how I saw it, both live and on the youtube.

Trash-talking ought to be against the rules as well, but that's in a perfect world... :shrug:

[HuckleB]

26. Exactly.

The nipple grab theory is quite imaginative though.

[Spider Jerusalem]

20. I know what to think...Materazzi is scum

(or course, I already thought this anyway)...he has a record of consistently playing dirty, hacking, and trying to provoke opposing players into acts they'll get carded for...he deserved worse than what Zidane did to him, but Zidane still shouldn't have let himself get suckered.

[DelawareValleyDem]

22. I don't think it was the shirt grab

Zidane didn't react immediately to it. If he was actually provoked, it's more like it was something that was said.

[DelawareValleyDem]

21. Zidane's got quite a head snap

If he headed a few corners like he did opponents, France would have won four to nil.

[Robb]

23. The move made me think of hockey

Taunting, trying to rile up an especially talented player in moments like this is part of the game of hockey. Getting him to deliver a cheap shot, getting himself booted, all part of the program.

Pros don't respond. It's like swinging at an obvious knuckleball (to once again switch sports).

I wasn't impressed. Maybe the guy actually had it coming, but that hardly matters in overtime in the finals. :eyes:

[blondeatlast]

25. "Pros don't respond." Exactly, and if everyone tried to stop responding

I'd enjoy watching my favorite sports so much more (for the record: b-ball, soccer, baseball).

Your last point is right on--all France could manage was a piker goalie in the OT. With Zidane in, they would have had a fighting chance, and an even more exciting finish to what really was a rather glorious WC.