Now Zidane finally revealed what happened before the famous "headbutting" incident:

 

Zinedine Zidane: "Marco insulted my family"

 

 

ZINEDINE ZIDANE has admitted he headbutted Marco Materazzi after the Italian insulted his family.

 

The France midfield legend revealed on French TV that Materazzi made "serious and personal" comments about his mother and sister during the World Cup final.

 

Zidane, who was sent off for the clash, said: "It started when we pulled each other's shirt. I said to him to stop, stop pulling my shirt - if you want I'll change it at the end of the match. He said words that were very difficult to accept which he repeated many times - they were more difficult to accept that just gestures. It was difficult to turn away as they happened so quickly. They are very serious and personal. He mentioned my mother and my sister. He mentioned them once and I feel bad but you hear them a third time... these words, I would rather have taken a punch in the jaw than have heard that. I reacted - it certainly wasn't a gesture to make. It's true that two or three billion people saw that ... and children, and I apologise to them. I do apologise but I don’t regret my behaviour because regretting it would mean he was right to say what he said."

 

Zidane retired from football following France's penalty shootout defeat to the Italians. Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hinted Zidane could be stripped of the Golden Ball award because of his actions. nternational football’s governing body have opened an inquiry into the incident. Zidane pipped Italy duo Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo to the prize for the best player at the finals in Germany.

 

But Blatter has insisted: “I have ordered our disciplinary committee to open an inquiry regarding that episode. We will await the result before taking action. The presumption of innocence until proven otherwise is and remains a sacred principle. The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA but by an international commission of journalists. Having said that, FIFA’s executive committee has the right and the duty to intervene when faced with behaviours that are against the ethic of sport.”

 

It seems like it did NOT was a racist comment like most expected.. The rumour about an insult concerning his mother and sister was true though.

he probably DID make a racist comment about his mother and sister.

Oh well, Materazzi's an idiot. I hope they don't take the award from Zizou

he probably DID make a racist comment about his mother and sister.

Oh well, Materazzi's an idiot. I hope they don't take the award from Zizou

 

 

 

agreed

i dont think they should take it away from him. he was such a leader.

Besides he got his reasons to do it.

I think Zidane should be allowed to keep the award because this is based on his whole performance in the WC, not just one incident in one game. Headbutting may not have been the proper solution to those remarks Materazzi made, but they may have meant a great deal to him at the time. At least FIFA should take that into consideration.

ahh i see. and he kept repeating them. see i knew zizou had a reason for headbutting him. he wouldn't let something like that get to him the first time it was said... but 3 times and more, that's ridiculous. this just confirms that materazzi = prick.

 

fifa are screwed over. :dozey: if they take the award from zizou... gosh i don't know... they are going to lose alot of respect.

basically taking the award away from zizou is saying that it was okay for materazzi to make such insults. what kind of attitude is that?

But isn't this just part and parcel of competitive sports? every team is going to try and get a psychological edge over the other - don't tell me rugby players in scrums exchange pleasantries. and actually it goes to show that materazzi was able to get into zidane's psyche - just what he needed to do for the team's well being (Italy may never win another WC, but this time they succeeded because of this).

 

i know for a fact that players like beckham had heard alot worse - comments like his children should die of cancer etc... but it is part of any game (and has been for a long time). Remember Vinnie Jones grabbing Gazza's balls - that famous photo - that must have been provoked. Reaction was wrong, but Gazza must have said something. Being the grand old leader of football, Zidane should know better. That's the bottom line. And he acted terribly - what kind of example does that teach children? For that, I feel his award should be taken away. Ok, it was a moment of madness during an otherwise great tournament, but that is enough. He deserved to get sent off and should not be "awarded" for his ANTI fair play. It is so the opposite of fair play that it is ridiculous (esp with the whole FIFA fair play mindset that has to be on top).

okay what this proves is that it's okay to continue making verbal assaults to other players - materazzi has not been reprimanded in ANY way for his behaviour. the only one who has recieved public criticism is zidane.

 

so materazzi is showing little kids around the world that it's okay to insult someone's mother and sister in a dirty way, that it's okay to persist with these insults to get a psychological edge on someone else, that it's okay to insult someone till they fight back, and that you won't be blamed for it at all, or held responsible. yeah kids, keep going, insult someone however you please, call them whores, call them bitches, insult their race, insult their religion, you know... it's okay at the end of the day, because the one who fights back is the one in the wrong, they are the one who should be held responsible, and should be criticised for their actions.

 

yeah that's right. keep on going fifa, you're doing a fantastic job. :dozey:

completely unrelated, but -

 

how gorgeous did he sound when he was speaking french on the interview.

 

:o

 

my lord...

By all means, punish Materazzi as well... but tell him what? You can't swear on the pitch? You can only say a, b and c, but not d, e or f. Impossible to ever enforce this. All players have sworn at each other for years. Zidane just lost control that's it - but FIFA have to set that example. Kids in France and elsewhere will feel justified beating the hell out of kids who say anything against them (not even sisters/mothers/whoever). They will feel that they should deserve awards even doing this. Violence, in whatever form is wrong. And Fifa can't send the wrong message. I am not saying that Materazzi was right to do what he did, just that it is impossible to stop. What Zidane did is easy to stop.

you've got a point there, i agree with that too.

 

but in regards to verbal insults, there is a fine line between just swearing (because we know every player swears in anger), and serious verbal abuse that can cause harm, and is intended to cause psychological trauma... it's just that the way fifa is acting, is that it is completely zidane's fault. i have not heard anything to do with materazzi doing anything wrong.

 

all they're saying is "we're disgusted at zidane's behaviour"

 

that's why i'm saying fifa is giving the impression that what materazzi did was acceptable, and that unacceptable behaviour like that remains unpunished...

I think Zidane should be allowed to keep the award because this is based on his whole performance in the WC' date=' not just one incident in one game. Headbutting may not have been the proper solution to those remarks Materazzi made, but they may have meant a great deal to him at the time. At least FIFA should take that into consideration.[/quote']

 

 

Yeah, I agree with you there. He's only human after all, and we all have weakness and a tolerance level and when enough is enough, we do something about it. Yes, where and when he did it was wrong, and what he did was wrong, but you can't exactly blame him can you? Materrazi going on more than once, he's asking for it really. Why some say it was a moment of madness is strange, it's not like he was going "Right, I'm in the mood for some action, who shall I headbutt tonight?"

 

 

Agree with all the posts in this thread though.

completely unrelated, but -

 

how gorgeous did he sound when he was speaking french on the interview.

 

:o

 

my lord...

 

 

Lol, I thought the same thing when I watched it last night too. I like French, it comes across as sweet.

Materrazi going on more than once' date=' he's asking for it really. [/quote']

 

EXACTLY!

thank you.

Materazzi has now admittet that he insulted Zidane's sister.. It's coming out one after one :P He says though that he didn't insult his mother because he says that his own mother died when he was 15 and he's sacred to her.. Good lord, just because MY mum is sacred to me, it doesn't mean I couldn't insult any others, right? Poor excuse!

silly boy. :dozey: the admissions are coming out one after the other.

he can't hide for long :curtain:

Oh lord, look at that:

 

"Zidane has been invited to provide a written statement by July 18. Materazzi will get a chance to respond before the players are called to a face-to-face hearing in Zurich on July 20."

 

They're blowing it all up, right?

are you serious??? :o

this is being blown wayyyy out of proportion

at least if zidane gets it all cleared... then that's okay i guess... but still!

Ask yourself how you would feel if someone out of the blue called your Mother a Fat C**t. I know that's not what Materazzi said...I'm pulling an example from my own life here. The only time I ever raised a hand to another human being was when a total stranger on a city bus said that of my Mother. I was a 15-year-old girl...and a WIMP,lol...at the tme. The anger and hate with which the person said it put me over the edge...my Mother has a serious weight problem...not her foult. I have always belived that there is a non-violent solution to all problems, but it hurt, and I reacted. It's not that you shouldn't say it on the pitch, it's that you shouldn't say it ANYWHERE!!! Zidane admitted his guilt...Materazzi, now it's your turn to come clean with all of it...

real life example. thank you! :)

 

i'm glad zidane said he was sorry, but that he wasn't going to take back what he did... because then that would mean that what materazzi said was acceptable. and it wasn't.

I'm only repeating other ppl here, but family honour demanded his actions...and as it's already been said, it took 3 prods for him to react. Family honour also demands he not step back from his actions. The FIFA rules, however, do. I hope it doesn't cost him The Golden Ball, but if it does, I'm sure he'll be willing to live with that, knowing he defended his principals.

so true. i just hope... they don't take it away from him... he truly deserves it.

 

if they take it away... then cannavaro gets it.

 

and then... materazzi has accomplished all he could have with his dirty tactics.

-getting zidane sent off

-winning the wc through that

-and then taking the golden ball of him, which would then be given to a fellow italian team member.

 

france would really be truly robbed then.

Well, it's good that the whole thing is getting investigated this seriously now.. A written statement by each of them, and then a hearing in front of the responsibles.. Can't wait to find out how it all ends up!

wow... i just hope it doesn't swing against zidane...

maybe this will stop all the horrible verbal taunts that happen on the pitch. it detracts from such a beautiful game...