From Reuters (thanks to Jay Strell for the head-butt’s up) :
Italy defender Marco Materazzi on Monday denied a report that he had called Zinedine Zidane a “dirty terrorist” seconds before the French 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.
“The whole world saw what happened on live TV,” he added.
The Paris-based anti-racism group SOS Racism had earlier quoted well informed sources as saying Materazzi had apparently used the phrase.
“According to several very well informed sources from the world of football, it would seem that the Italian player Marco Materazzi called Zinedine Zidane a ‘dirty terrorist’,” SOS Racism said in a statement.
There’s no way to confirm the Italian side psyched out Fabien Barthez before last night’s fateful penalty shootout by calling him a Jay Glazer-lookalike.
Zizou’s agent is quoted in today’s Guardian as claiming Materazzi “said something very grave to him.” Making excuses after such a shameful epsiode seems rather out of character for Zidane, but the Fiver’s Barry Glenndenning and Paul Doyle point out that ” it was the 14th red card of his career, so he’s probably used to showering alone,” along with speculating about what, precisely, Materazzi said to provoke such a thumping.
Some have suggested that the Italian insulted Zidane’s mother. The Fiver wonders if Materrazi actually claimed to be Zizou’s mother, which would explain why the midfielder sought satisfaction in his bosom. But no one really knows. “I imagine that before you committed this irreparable, almost unforgivable act, Materazzi must have said the most terrible things to you, but it was a stupid end to your fabulous career,” sermonised L’Equipe editor Claude Droussent in a melodramatic front-page open letter to Zidane. Droussent went on to crucify the fallen idol for sulkily remaining in the dressing room during the penalty shoot-out, and then, as per all sanctimonious sensationalists, wondered if the footballer hadn’t dealt a fatal blow to civilisation as we know it: “What legacy have you left our children?” he scolded inevitably. “You must be very unhappy.”
Lou Diamond Phillips did a pretty good job for italy in net, but i thought it was Terry Francona in goal for France.
If the New Republic is to be believed, it was “dirty terrorist,” kinda, except one word and harder to spell. Seems like Reuters is being a bit euphemistic:
“Rumor has it that Materazzi called Zidane’s father a ‘harki’ – the Arabic term for Algerians who fought for France against Algeria during the occupation. It’s beyond all insults, the ultimate traitor. If this is true it means that they did their research – Le Pen suggested the same thing 9 years ago and in the next game Zidane stomped on a Saudi player who repeated it.”
(Also one of the commenters says a Brazilian lip-reader caught Materazzi calling Ziadane’s sister a whore, twice.)
http://www.tnr.com/blog/world-cup?pid=24107
Sounds like Materazzi did what he had to do to get into ZZ’s head. Which condones nothing, by the way. Hard to imagine an uglier conclusion to what had been a great tournament until this point. The consequences of Zidane’s sending off, the result of the match, etc., it all seems very, very trivial now.
Should a veteran like Zidane have allowed himself to be goaded into such a blatant, obvious foul? Probably not. But if there’s any truth to the rumor repeated by TNR’s Brown, Italy’s victory is stained.
Perhaps this sort of trash talk is more prevalent than we’re aware.
Ooh, heavens to Betsy! I cannot believe that nice soccer players would ever say such vile things! They should have their mouths washed out with soap.
Get real, GC. If ZZ is so stupid to lose his mind and head-butt someone for calling his sister a terrorist whore Harki, it reflects only on him and doesn’t ‘stain’ any team but his own. All’s fair in love and football….what do you propose, a red card for every cuss word?
“what do you propose, a red card for every cuss word?”
Nope. What I’m proposing is that a player who has to resort to race baiting in order to gain a competitive advantage, while technically within the rules of the game, really oughta just fuck off and die. Along with anyone who figures “all’s fair in love and football.”
What you might excuse as mere gamesmanship, not so coincidently took place in the same venue where Hitler scratched his one nut watching the 1936 Olympics. The Italians had one heck of a tournament. Could they have won without using Zidane’s heritage as a means to wind him up? Sadly, we might never know. In my book, that’s a tainted victory.
With all due respect to your politically correct ways, you’ve got your head up your ass if you think athletes are going to stop trying to get any advantage they can through trash-talking. Bemoan the win-at-all-costs athletic culture all you want, but Zidane, by reacting in such an incredibly stupid manner, did more to reinforce such tactics than he possibly could have.
I think you’re missing the point. If Materazzi said even the most vile words imaginable to Zidane, it’s obvious to everyone with half a brain cell that he’s saying it from a place of gamesmanship and not hate. To react in such a brutal, violent fashion takes a true idiot.
do I think athletes are doing to stop trying to get any advantage they want through trash-talking? Probably not. But, in the event we’re made aware that another player is being abused based on his ethnic background, this isn’t a matter of being “politically correct” nor one of an issue of taste. It’s a sickening, ignorant tactic on the biggest stage of all.
But I do appreciate the constructive criticism, as I’m sure will Zizou and any number of other persons so thin-skinned as to be troubled by banana being tossed, monkey-noises coming from the stands, Lazio fans waving swastikas, etc. I mean, it’s all fair in love and football, right numbnuts?
In terms of what it cost his side and the damage done to his own reputation, Zidane’s actions are tough to condone. But if there’s any credibility to the claims of what Materazzi said, that takes the gloss off the last month’s worth of football. If that’s what is required to win a match — even the biggest match on earth — I think the price is far too high.
The funny thing is, had Materazzi done something we’ve seen from others far too often — if not in this tournament, than in domestic play or other competitions — and dove, feigned being struck by Zidane, oversold an injury to have his opponent sent off, the outcry around the globe would’ve been incalculable. Materazzi would’ve been served up as an example of everything that is wrong with football.
Merely abusing a competitor based on his rival’s heritage, however, that’s just business-as-usual — with a World Cup winner’s medal as reward.
Considering your use of “numbnuts,” this discussion has probably run its course. Just want to clarify a few points, though:
a) If Materazzi called Zidane a racist slur — and the jury is still out on that, by the way — it’s shameful.
b) Even if he did, I don’t think it’s nearly as severe of a transgression as you obviously do because his intent was obviously just gamesmanship.
c) Such behavior can’t be stopped and will probably be encouraged by Zidane’s idiocy.
d) Zidane resorting to brutal violence is a lot worse than any words Materazzi could have said.
e) Fans waving swastikas, throwing bananas, etc is nauseating and shouldn’t be permitted. It doesn’t have anything to do with the discussion we were having, though.
Anyway, I enjoy the blog. Even more so when you’re not a self-righteous blowhard.
“a) If Materazzi called Zidane a racist slur — and the jury is still out on that, by the way — it’s shameful.”
thanks for making that bold statement. Only took you a couple of tries.
“c) Such behavior can’t be stopped”
Maybe not. But turning a blind eye to it and/or calling it mere gamesmanship makes sure of that. It would be nice to think that by say, the year 2006 such actions would result in the kind of public outcry that would send a strong message about what is or isn’t acceptable. But, nah, all’s fair in love and football.
“e) Fans waving swastikas, throwing bananas, etc is nauseating and shouldn’t be permitted. It doesn’t have anything to do with the discussion we were having, though.”
I disagree. It’s part and parcel of the playing environment in continental football, particularly in Italy. And the “it’s just part of the game” excuse has been used in those instances, too.
Has any of you selfrighteous blowhards ever heard the expression ” sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me ” Put it another way. Materazzi smart. Zidane stupid.
Zidane has intentionally tried to hurt other players on two other occasions. This guy has a problem, and all of you candy ass liberals can’t see through it. He is a time bomb. Good that he is retiring. As for Italy wining the cup, well diserved.
At the risk of being called a self-righteous blowhard (or worse, a candyass liberal), let me just say I think it’s fucking awesome that we now have a profound way for victims of racial or ethnic abuse to cope. “Sticks and stones.” Catchy stuff. Did you come up with it yourself?
Or let me put it another way, Materazzi = shithead. Canadians who can’t spell “deserving”, always welcome at CSTB!
wut he called zidane a terrorist that going to far he quoted ( i had called Zinedine Zidane a “dirty terrorist†) now thats messed up the french are not terrorists but italy is always talking shit if the italian coach want to talk to me than fine but italy are the real terrorists in the world cup 2006 portugal sould of been in the finals with italy