Jul
9th
2006
Zidane Headbutt Video
I was actually kind of hoping that France won so that Zidane could finish his career on a good note. Heh. Not anymore.
UPDATE: Here is another angle of the Zidane headbutt in the World Cup final:
UPDATE: Thanks for visiting our blog! We try to stay above the internet filters and frankly I am getting weary of editing down the cursing in the comments. So…
NOTICE: If you use a “bad word” in the future, don’t expect your comment to appear for very long.
Thanks for your cooperation. 
THIS BLOG IS F***** S*** YOU REPUBLICAN SCUM C*** F*** YOUR M******* B** YOU F***** SOCCER LOVING FOOL. DIE OF AIDS now
[this gem of a comment comes to us all the way from IP 203.208.88.138 in milton, australia. note the clear-headed and methodical refutation of everything with which its author disagrees - admin.]
Unfortunately professional athletics practically encourages such machismo. It’s sad how many people around the world waste their time and energy and money following (or blogging about) professional sports. Few things speak more directly to the ugly baseness within us all.
doug, for consistency’s sake, i’d like to see you publicly agonizing about how the entire sport of soccer - everyone from the fifa president down to the 4-year old suburban soccer kids, is “out of control.” it’s only fair.
maggie, i find it odd that you’ve chosen this particular moment to make that particular comment. i mean, first of all, this event is like the olympics. whether or not these athletes get paid for representing their countries in the world cup, they would (probably every last one of them) do it for free. do you get the same feeling of unhealthy testosterone and male aggression from the olympics? from curling and long jump? because the olympics is the venue with which i think the world cup has the most similarities. i dispute your implicit claim that the world cup is a typical “professional” sporting event. its hardly professional (though most countries give players bonuses based on how many games they win).
do you think sports are corrupted because of the money involved at the professional level? is that where they get their unhealthy machismo? if not, then do you actually dislike all sports? my point here is, there isn’t much of a difference between, for example, professional basketball or football and amateur basketball or football (at the higher levels of the amateur game).
do you dislike just male sports? or do you also dislike games or events in which females are participating? is title IX the bane of your existence? or do you accept its evils because women get scholarships, so they can get an education and escape the evil male-dominated society that has enslaved them to the kitchen and the laundry for so many dark years?
do you dislike males? did you have a bad experience with a male of our species? have you ever experienced love (or is there too much machismo in dating? do you dislike the “high-five”? would a more refined expression of “cherio ‘ol chap” do the trick for you? do you have to go to the bathroom and vomit after watching a beer commercial on TV?
did you notice the first comment referenced (rather machismoically - if you equate vulgarity with machismo) that we are republicans? do you equally dislike politics because of the sad waste of time, energy, and money made by people following politics?
i really do not get you.
there is a beauty to sports that you cannot understand if you have never played a sport and called it your own. there are countless kids that grow up to be somebody because they spent time playing sports. but amateur sports would not be what they are without professional sports.
even with that said, i might have agreed with you to some extent had you gotten up on your anti-machismo soapbox to discuss the energy-wasting fans in the middle of a long professional season of, say, the NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB. i think there may be something to find fault with in people who spend all their free time following a team during the season, know every meaningless statistic, etc. but the world cup?
IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS!
it is truly a classic occasion and a beautiful month of competition that does not deserve your harsh treatment.
you hardly know how stupid you sound, especially considering if we are sad for blogging about professional sports, you must be even worse for merely commenting on our blog in response to our post about professional* sports. i mean, the next thing you know, you’ll be scrawling your hateful messages on overpasses by stadiums in which professional sports are played. you’re not that far off. get a life.
bravo trav. ditto.
What a way to end one of the most epic careers in football. zindane will always be number one.
If I were a scout trying to take the best France has off the field I’d get a defender to insult this stupid man until he red cards himself out of the game. That’s what happened. You have a guy who has a history of going crazy over insults. I say - let him go crazy. apparently - so did the Italians. He deserves to go and They deserved to win.
Italian trash. zidane’s mother was taken to the hospital before the final game very ill, and that dirty grease ball said something that apparently was so bad that zidane has yet to repeat it. personally I wish he would have hit him in the face and then stompped on him a bit. By FIFA rule, Italy should be
stripped of the cup at the least. As far as whats being said of one the greatest players of all time
going out in a shameful manner, I think for him to do such a thing had to be warranted, he played for almost 20 years as one of the least dirty players around. If you only watch every for years just because its on tv, you really have no idea what you are talking about and probably dont like or know anything abou the game anyway so why not keep your armchair coach philosophy to yourself? futhermore, Italy made it to and won the cup on fluke and were for sure outplayed the entire final match. what is baseness? is that a word?
rick you’re probably a dirty greaseball mafioso wop yourself.
go choke on some tortolini
Rick, you obviously have not followed Zidane throughout his career. He was one of the most docile players that I have ever seen and it’s a shame that you cannot acknowledge his brilliance on the pitch and would rather see him red carded out of games. As far as the Italians go: yes, they mave have deserved this win. But I would rather see Zidane play instead of Totti, Pirlo, Toni or Del Piero any day of the week. It’s a shame that we will not have that priviledge anymore.
Wow! You guys like to throw the insults. Let’s really put all this into perspective. I am female and love all kinds of sports, including soccer. So please don’t insult me as you did the last female opinion. In any professional sport there is trash talk. It is part of the game. Anything the Italian guy may have said does not give Zidane the right to react the way he did. I’m not saying he is not a great player, but he deserved the red card and the black mark on his great career. I wanted the Italians to win, but I would say the same even if one of them acted so recklessly. I also feel that you do not award a man with the Golden Ball after such an event. Sets a real great example for the millions of kids watching the game. I think Cannavaro deserved it much more and always played with class, but no one mentions him.
Hey Jane…ditto! Am I the only person who read that Zidane arrogantly said to Materazzi “If you want my shirt, I will take it off and give it to you after the game.” Materazzi relied, “I’ll take your wife’s shirt off after the game.” That is what was written on ESPN website. I feel as though sports players banter back and forth, it’s all part of the game. Materazzi put out the bait and Zidane bit. I also thought I read that Zidane has a history of headbutting. Is that not true? And Adam, please keep your ethnic slurs to yourself. I feel as though teams are evenly matched when it is a low scoring game that ends in PKs.
Kyle, I just read on Fox news website that Zidane has a history of “erupting” in games. Stomping on a Saudi player, headbutting others, and numerous yellow cards. Isn’t this characteristic of his behavior? I never heard of Zidane until the world cup, he was amazing to watch. I wanted Italy to win but I was very disappointed to see Zidane leave on such a bad note. As captain, with 10 minutes left to play, he should have known better.
Rochelle,
I agree with you when telling Adam to keep his racial slurs to himself. That is the attitude of someone who would be supportive of such a stupid act. I also am Italian, but wouldn’t take the time to answer someone with such limited intelligence. I happen to play, coach, and watch soccer all the time, so he cannot possibly debate the sport with me. The Italians made it and won because they played consistently and as a team. He obviously missed the first round of playing if he thinks France didn’t make it on a fluke. I respect both teams, as I would any team if they made it. I don’t respect racists like Adam.
Jane, Rochelle and whomever else,
True, I do believe that Zidane deserved a red card for his grievous mistake in judgement. And as for the Italian team and Cannavaro playing cleanly, you I would suggest going to replays of each game they played. The Italian team is one of the dirtiest–in terms of fouls and taunting–I could say this having played in minor league in Italy and Spain. Plus, Materazzi is guilty of similar jeerings in the past.
H*** s*** that was crazy!!!!! what a f****** spaz
Gino,
I never claimed that any team played cleanly all the time. If you focus on any professional player and view videos of them, you can find several examples of dirty play - Materazzi and Zidane both included in this. I disagree that the Italians are dirtier than any other as I saw examples from just about every nation in this world cup and others from the past. I also disagree with putting Zidane on a pedestal after such behavior. Regardless of what kind of man or play Materazzi is, the act was foolish and violent. It’s just not good for the sport and again, he deserved what he got.
Selon le Sun et le Daily Mail, les propos tenus par Materazzi à Zidane lors de la finale du Mondial sont clairs. Alors que Zidane s’éloignait, le joueur italien lui aurait dit: “On sait tous que tu es le fils d’une pute terroriste”.
According to the Sun and Daily Mail, They were able to decrypt what Materazzi said, “We know you’re a son of a terrorist whore.”
http://coupe-du-monde-2006.france2.fr/actualite/22844034-fr.php
where can i learn to headbutt like that??
Ok Adam Smith, follow up and don’t go off rumors. nobody has been able to prove anything about what was said to Zidane. I have heard all kinds of stuff from “dirty Terrorist”, to “a spanish moor” to sister insults and mother insults that people THINK he said to Zidane, but i do not believe any of it, because nobody knows for sure yet except for Zidane and Materazzi. …. Materazzi publicly stated that…”I certainly did not call him a terrorist: I’m ignorant, I don’t even know exactly what an Islamic terrorist is … I also certainly didn’t say anything about Zidane’s mother: for me, a mother is sacrosanct. So stop believing what your friends tell you and do what the rest of us our doing, wait for FIFA to finish their investigation, then come out and say whatever you have to say.
secondly…. as Jane said, Trash-talking is a part of the game (ask Alexi Lalas about that). Zidane being the captain and a veteran of soccer should know that he needs to keep his head in the game. I don’t care how tired you are, how long you have been running, if the other 21 men out there can keep their heads in the game…. SO CAN HE! ESPECIALLY in his last game, now all these non biased fans that watch the world cup are going to remember zidane as that a******* that randomly head-butted that Italian guy.
Now don’t get me wrong, Zidane was one of my FAVORITE players, through thick and thin… and i still have loads of respect for him on the athletic level. But right when i saw that clip, he lost a lot of respect. i thought he was smarter than that :-/
oh and adam smith, zidane has had 3 other occasions like this one, DIRTy… dirty occarions… with other headbutts and stomping on people…. so… do some homework maybe.
and ya know… if they’re good enough to beat france (the team that knocked out the great Brazil… they most have something going for them). PLus the only goal that france scored in regulation was off a s*** PK call… lets not forget about that.
rochelle… umm… how have you never heard of zidane ever until wc? yes he DID come out of retirement.. but that’s like saying ronaldinho? who’s ronaldinho? or who’s thierry henry? Mayeb you dont follow soccer that well… but if you do, shame.
and you look at any footballers in the world… i doubt under zidane’s situation, nobody would have kept their cool. You’re tired, you’re trying to win, you’re old as hell
and i mean you’d have to say… that was a pretty hot headbutt.
Penalty Kicks in general suck. They’re a great way to decide on a winner, but not a true sign of a better team, just individual kicker’s skill. It shows that neither team was better than their opponent, rather equal.
and Rochelle, i have been searching and searching for this “I’ll take your wife’s shirt off after the game.”
reply,
i dont think its there…. if you have the link i’d like to see it.
Elare yiorgo, here’s what you’re looking for regarding the wife comment
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19757414-23215,00.html
I don’t believe Italy “defeated” France. They won the game by penalty kicks. I think most footy fans would agree?
thanx
materazzi is obvioulsy ignorant, im sure you’ve all heard about the racial slurs and comments about Zidanes wife/sister. I think Zidane had every right to headbutt that ignorant grease ball, I would of done the same. Even though materazzi denies all of this i really dont beleive him, im sure he said something to provoke the most brilliant soccer player of all…who cares, zidane ended of with the golden ball and a bad*** rep…I love Zidane for puttin that guy in his place.
p.s. materazzi is a f**
Players all harass each other on the field, it’s just part of the game–unfortunately. They all taunt and tug when the refs aren’t looking, but once in a while they get caught. Materazzi is guilty of this as well, his record proves it. He was suspended for some time for a similar incident. As was Zidane.
Materazzi is no stranger to controversy. He was suspended for two months for punching Siena defender Bruno Cirillo after a Serie A game in February 2004, and earned condemnation following a brutal tackle on Sweden and Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in October 2005.
Materazzi was also sent off three times while playing for Everton in the 1998-99 season.
One Italian senator even suggested that Materazzi — also sent off three times while playing for Everton in the 1998-99 season — didn’t merit selection for the Italian team because of his physical style.
Zidane also is known for having a temper. He was sent off for stomping on a Saudi Arabian opponent at the 1998 World Cup, while at Germany 2006 he was banned for France’s group match against Togo.
Five years ago with Juventus, Zidane head-butted an opponent in a Champions League match against Hamburger SV after being tackled from behind.
Meanwhile, Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni accused FIFA of double standards, noting that soccer’s governing body named Zidane as the tournament’s best player after his head-butt, while Italy forward Francesco Totti was kicked out of the 2004 European Championship for spitting in an opponent’s face.
Jane,
I’m not saying that Italy is the only dirty team. But, from playing there compared to playing in Northern Europe, there was a tremendous difference, and I’m Italiano by the way. I have to admit, I lost respect for my own team when they played the usa so dirty. Poor McBride.
I don’t know, he couldn’t have said anything THAT bad if the guy headbutted him in the chest instead of punching him in the face or something more violent and less hilarious.
I’ve heard on Japanese news that a Brazilian news crew hired a lip reader to analyze what the Italian was saying and twice they say the Italian insulted Zidane’s sister/nationality.
If you look carefully at the footage, it appears to validate a theory that the Italian gave Zidane a “purple nurple” (hope this is the correct term for a painful nipple twist). If you also look carefully at the bottom footage and compare it to the top, the Italian player is also doing something physical with Zidane’s back, too.
If Zidane headbutted the Italian for racist harassment, I’m glad he did. Why should the minorities always have to “eat” the racist comments without comment/retaliation. Zidane simply expressed the pent-up rage that racism burns into the flesh and mind of the victim. The true victims are the people who are constantly harassed/stressed out/depressed/beat down by this daily racism, NOT THE WIMPY RACIST WHO GOT WHAT HE DESERVED.
Jane,
talking about Cannavaro, what do you think about his shoulder action against Henry in the first minute of the final ? Please do not tell me that he could not avoid Henry or at least put his shoulder back…
And what about Zambrotta a few minutes later against Vieira ?
Just to say that Zidane’s headbutt was a stupid but unfortunately human reaction in a rather dirty game.
By the way I am french and I consider that Italy deserved their victory as they perfectly applied the required tactics to do so. And we have been lucky enough against them in 1998 and 2000…
some of u nobheds r sayin ooo what zidane did was disgraceful f*** dat matarrazttzi called zidanes mum a terrorist if i was zidane i wuldnt av stopped headbuttin im nd punchin im til e was out called u cnt say things lyk that and expect 2 get away with it ervy1 says down with racism that is racism and matarrazzti shuld in my opinon recieve a lengthy ban nd zidane shuld get fined or smetin
I think that materazzi deserved more than a headbutt. i mean if someone insulted me like that i would have broken their nose! good on ya zidane! go out with a bang, i would.
By the way Zidane will talk on french TV tonight. Just hope he will feel sorry for what he did, refuse the world cup best player title, congratule Italy (including Materazzi)for their victory and keep Materazzi’s words for himself. Then he will leave as the great player he has always been.
Italia campione del mondo..
you just got served, rest of the world..
Jules and others,
Again, if you read what I said, if you analyze tape of ANY player, you will find instances of dirty play. It is a rough sport. I could go back through the tape also and find instances of rough French play - but that is a waste of time. My only point in all of this is that Zidane should be a leader and he lost his head. I agree he is a great player and it is a shame that he ended it that way. But he did end it that way and got what he deserved. Oh, and of course he never trash talks on the field, right? You see him talking to opposing players the entire game. What you people are forgetting is that it does not matter what Materazzi said or what kind of player he is. In this case, Zidane was at fault. Stop making excuses for him.
Gino,
What Northern Europe team are you talking about? England? They are in the same category for physical play. All the world powerhouse teams have moments of dirty play. Watch tapes of them all (France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, England, and so on). You have to compare apples to apples.
Jane,
No excuse indeed, he lost control, was logically sent off and penalized his teammates.
But all the mess around this is a bit too much. He just proved that he is only human, with the dark part that it can involve.
Once again, Cannavaro did something wrong as well (less spectacular) and he would have been sin binned in a rugby game. He is nevertheless a extraordinary player, he was finally the one to lift the cup and this is well deserved after years of bad luck for Italy.
Jules,
I agree that all the mess around this is too much. It is taking away from who won the game fairly. I’m not saying Zidane is a bad man, but he messed up and got the red card he deserved. Excellent player - don’t know the guy personally so I won’t judge his character. That should be the end of story. Cannavaro had an excellent cup and was consistently tough in every game. He may have fouled someone, too, but we can look at every player on the field and say that. He deserved to hold up the trophy for his team.
According to Materazzi, after he tugged Zidane’s shirt Zidane said: “If you really want my shirt you can have it after the game.” What a witty response! This shows me that Zidane is not only good with his feet, he is articulate as well!! Also in saying this he was showing considerable restraint! To me this lends credance to the theory that Materazzi said something further to provoke him, which certainly seems to be the case when you watch the video of the incident taken from the front! Also Materazzi’s comment “I don’t even know what an Islamic terrorist is” does NOT have a ring of truth to it. What planet does this clown live on, anyway??!!! I think both players were in the wrong. Zidane has been punished. Materazzi has yet to be. . .
Anyone who thought France was lucky to get the penalty goal, let’s not forget a penalty NOT given to France in the second half… and how Italian got the penalty in the round of 16 game with socceroo in order to advance - (I can accept the referee’s decision under the circumstance, though it is still hard to swallow for us Aussie.)
I agree with the sent off - no excuse, but Zidane is still one of the best ever. I think “If you want my shirt, I will take it off and give it to you after the game.” was very witty. If what has been conjectured of Materazzi’s reply may have said is true, I am sorry but to admit that I am very proud of Zidane’s perfect headbutt. Anyone who said otherwise, I wish you the situation and insults as Zidane has confronted.
Haha!!
Vashti, that is exactly what I thought.
Who knows what really happened…but I would think that if Materazzi didn’t say it he would defend himself by explaining, “There is no way I would ever accuse someone of being a terrorist,” rather than claiming he didn’t know what one was.
I suppose we will hear Zidane’s side of the story this evening…
Guys,
Again, what seems to be happening here is Zidane is falling into the “no fault” category because he is a good soccer player. To turn this around and talk about how rotten Maseratti is just twists the situation and takes blame away from him. I’m not claiming Maseratti is an angel, but Zidane is at greater fault. Yes, he was probably provoked, but still not a good enough excuse for such physical violence. It’s a shame that people keep making excuses for him. I respect him as a great soccer player, but it was a nasty act and not his first.
Why I keep writing Maseratti instead of Maserazzi is beyond me!!
i still dont knw what the hell matterazzi said to him!!!!! he must have said something to upset one of the worlds best footballers and you can even see his lips moving before zidane butted him.
Look you stupid retards, Zidane and his family including his mum maybe are terrorists and i think i was called for, plus who is better then the italian NESSUNO Vafanulo pezzo di m****
One more thing RETARDS, FIFA wont take the cup from Italy, here is why, WE WON THE CUP without DEBATE! and number 2, I guess they would have to take Argentina’s cup away since VIDEO clearly shows MARADONA used his famous HAND OF GOD to put in the WORLD CUP winning GOAL. You guys gotta figure out ITALIA is #1 and you losers can stick it up your trailer trash white a**. Plus we are top of the food chain for the last 2000 yrs, half of Washington DC resembles ROMA, along with your laws and stupid government
Agreed.
I was dissapointed that Zidane decided to headbutt Materazzi. Zidane was the captain and an experienced player. As I said in the post, I wanted France to win for Zidane’s sake. Yet, it seems that Zidane didn’t put winning above settling scores.
Overall, a sad situation for everyone involved.
I think what Zidane is was great–the Italian deserved it–World Cup football match or not. And to the contrary of what people say about him “Going out in shame”, I think he went out in a blaze of glory.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/specials/world_cup/2006/07/12/bc.eu.spt.soc.france.zidane.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
Jane,
you said “I could go back through the tape also and find instances of rough French play”. Well I didn’t notice that many fouls or dirty play by the french team in this game?
Yes it’s true Italy played well in the 1st half (a great corner and a great goal, could have been two!) but they were totally outplayed by the french in the second and in extra time..The italians were not in great physical shape I thought and after that..well, penalties..it’s just russian lottery.
Italy won but I can’t say that I was ever impressed by this italian team during the cup..apart maybe the game against ukraine but then ukraine were not good this year. Cannavaro is ok but is no Zidane as far as football is concerned, I don’t think anyone would disagree here..
The headbutt? well it’s a totally stupid but normal reaction! Anyone would react like this if one’s family and race was insulted in such a way. Disgusting really if what was read-lipped from Materazi is really what he said! shame on him!
But its true that Zidane’s act ’s a really bad example to give to anyone if you just look at the video..
Italy won the cup but I don’t think it was a glorious victory, not a great game and not a great tornament for them.
I feel sorry for the state of italian football at the moment. I suppose the world cup euphory will help forget what’s happening in the italian championship..
Thank you Zizou for everything!!
It amazes me how some people are so one-sided. Italy won the cup and whether Arni is impressed or not means zilch. You don’t need to be impressed. Bottom line is they beat the French - end of debate on who played better. It sounds like a tad of jealousy. And if the French were so superior, they would have won the game. And I will tell you, you can insult me all you want, I won’t headbutt you and I won’t come back to answer you either. If someone insults me, I would look upon them as ignorant and I still have the upper hand. Zidane no longer does.
Jane,
That’s a totally fair comment, and I agree with you about zidane’s reaction..read again what I wrote..I think it’s a stupid one! But it’s also a normal reaction of someone who hear insults and racial hatred of such a low level.
I just hope Materazi wasn’t thinking what he said and that it was again just provocation which so often takes place when the italian team is involved. Sorry just check out the usa game for instance..
Anyway, I just wish Zidane had kept his cool just 15 more minutes! He could have then have had a proper word with the italian thug in the changing rooms..
And yes, I or any fan of football do need to be impressed by the world cup display because they were definitely some great matches this year and some great teams..so you expect some great entertainment from the winners. Not the case from Italy this year.
Travis,
I’m stupid to make a post, and yet I’m also stupid because my post is not long enough to answer all your inane questions. Your main argument seems to be that it is not proper for me to criticize this behavior and/or sport and/or tournament, because there’s even worse behavior to be found elsewhere. The rest of your post was simply childish.
I won’t engage in a back in forth with someone who makes such illogical and immature arguments. Enjoy your game.
HEY ITALIANO, ok, heres a little history lesson for you you pompous a**, Rome completely based its government, its laws, and even its religious beliefs off of another country…. GREECE…. [admin: last phrase deleted]
Arni,
I understand what you say about great entertainment, but sometimes slow and steady wins the race. I mean if the greatest team always were to win, there would be no excitement or entertainment in that and Brazil would have another cup. But that is the excitement of the tournament. It’s anyones title in single game elimination. Think of games like NCAA basketball and how exciting it is. The best, most talented team rarely wins. And I hate to see an entire team of Italians being called racist names because of the comment of one of it’s members. (Not from you, but others on this chat.) I say congratulations for the victory!
I agree with you Jane. Also, the Italians have made it far in the World Cup consistently. That can’t all be luck. They’re talented. Also, the Italians played as a team so it doesn’t matter that there are no stunning “stars” of the game, although some would argue that. A team should be more than the sum of it’s parts. I felt on the French side a few of the players tried to steal the show and that may be the reason they didn’t score after the 7th minute.