IS ZIDANE a ROLE MODEL FOR OUR KIDS?

Question

Zidane's red card was anything but unusual. He was sent off 14 times in his career at the club and international level.

At the 1998 World Cup, he stomped on a Saudi Arabian opponent. Sitting out a two-match ban, he came back to score two goals against Brazil in the final.

Five years ago with Juventus, he head-butted an opponent in a Champions League match against Hamburger SV after being tackled from behind.

The reaction to Sunday's outburst was mixed in France. President Jacques Chirac called Zidane "a genius of world football," and former Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet said Zidane's aggressive act was unforgivable for its effect on children watching the game.

"This morning, Zinedine, what do we tell our children, and all those for whom you were the living role model for all times?" French sports daily L'Equipe wrote.

Zidane, whose parents emigrated to France from Algeria, became a proud symbol of a multicultural France and is adored in Algeria.

In the mountains where Zidane's parents grew up, Atmanne Chelouah carried off a life-size cardboard cutout of the player at "Cafe Zizou" after the red card.

"We are very disappointed," Chelouah said. "He should have kept his cool."

But lashing out is nothing new to Zidane, who grew up playing on concrete in an impoverished immigrant neighbourhood of Marseille, where fouls and insults are met with instant retribution.

Perhaps he could never shake off that you-or-me mentality.

"You can take the man out of the rough neighbourhood, but you can't take the rough neighbourhood out of the man," striker Thierry Henry said Sunday.

At this year's World Cup, where Zidane sat out one match for getting two yellow cards in the first round, he sent a message to his teammates. In a rare television interview, he said, "We die together."

Source; www.sports.sympatico.msn.ca

antwan_anabell you're another great example to our kids...with your filthy mouth!!

Southpaw; violence is cool?? It must take one to know one!!

Moina ; it's called respect for yourself ,your team and the whole world!! Which is something you probably know nothing about!!

Answer 1

It seems it will be a good model for those kids who grow up eating Mc Donand's burgers, by parents who need shrinks so they can keep a job, as we see from some of these answers you got.

And if we are lucky, some of these kids will emulate the master head butter and perhaps even surpass him and possibly shoot up a school when they are big enough.

Shame on Fifa for even giving him the Golden Ball, we'll pay the price in 20 years no doubt.

I am glad I don't live in the USA btw, it seems that it is true after all: "You are what you eat"

Answer 2

He doesn't have to be a role model but yes, kids can/and should look at everything he has done for soccer. He has been the best soccer player of the past decade whether you like it or not. Zidane has never been known to be a frustrated person he's always been calm and always seemed very relaxed!
Yes there have been times where he ''overreacted'' but we're all human aren't we?
So what if he was/wasn't called a dirty terrorist by Materazzi, bottom line, he was insulted very badly. He shouldn't have reacted with a headbutt but if someone insulted me,my family, my honour, a part of who I was I could have done the same thing pretty easily, it's very understandable!!!! In a way he did let his team down/all of his fans/his reputation... but don't worry we will find out what was said to him, and I think that Materazzi will be the most disappointing of the two because he had no right in saying what he said and we all know that it was very bad. He is who he is, he will have to live with what he did, but we should all feel very lucky to have seen him become who he has become! Zidane the great magician... yep, he was one!

Answer 3

Juventina

Nobody tells you to make Zidane the role model of your children. Let Materazzi be the role model of your children. To unnerve Zidane and to put him in such a situation was part of Italy's (I mean Italian Football team) strategy. Shame on you, you wrote so many lines to show Zidane is a subhuman. Surprisingly not a single word for Materazzi I!

Answer 4

I am not a parent just a teen, but i do think Zidane is a proper role model. All people make mistakes. Its just when you are a popular athlete and you do make one, everyones in your face. People blow it out of proportions. Most likely, if you carefully watched the replay of the headbutt, he was provoked. The Italian player might have said something very wrong and unneccesary in his ear. Im sure if somebody provoked you you would probably do some type of act like that too. We all make mistakes.

Answer 5

Are any of the soccer players? They get touched, they fall down and cry like little pansies, so that they can get recognition from the refs. Including Materazzi, who should've gotten up and beat the crap out of Zidane for headbutting him. At least Zidane did something that was actually somewhat cool in soccer. +2 points for Zidane

EDIT: I don't get what you meant by it takes one to know one. I am a very peaceful person if that's what you mean, except for when it comes to sports. Sports let you show something called "passion" for the game. You get hurt. You get emotional. Sometimes you get angry. That's what is lack from soccer players. You see it in the fans, they truly care about their club, but you don't see it in the players. The French lost and I only saw one of them crying. You just lost something you have been striving to get to for 4 years. I'd be crying. I would say that the French team was very manly, but they're French so that's out of the question. They didn't show passion for the game. At least I didn't see it. As for Zidane I didn't say that violence was cool. I liked that he stood up for himself, in a game where people just lie on the ground and play hurt. In fact, on another note, that kinda teaches our kids to lie and cheat in order to get their way hmm? He's only getting so much fuss about it is because he did it bluntly out in the open. If he had waited and done just a tackle from behind and tried to take out Materazzi while he had the ball, there wouldn't be a huge fuss about it, because it was part of the game. If he had waited until he could make it look "unintentional" no one would even care, yellow card at the most. Besides, if I was a big fan of violence, I'd just cheer for Wayne Rooney all the time.

Answer 6

He should not be a role modelto our kids, not becuase of any of his actions in horrible behavior, or excellent sports play. he shouldn't be a role model because our kids kids do not know him. Kids need role models they can relate to and get to know as people. Using a famous person as a role model invariably means the gaps in the child's knowledge will be filled in by pop culture and references from friends. In that case, the role model is really a product of expediency.

Answer 7

He sure will be a Role Model for my kids..
He uphold his value. Stand up for his family..
Maybe timing isn't that right..
But well done Zizou !!!!!

Oh Figo did "headbutt" during the WC too.
I think its against the Polland. But of cos, the "impact" was not as strong as Zidane.. "strong head he has".. + points for good role model..

Answer 8

Common sense should tell anyone that if someone cannot find it within themselves to apologize for their inappropriate behavior then that someone cannot be labeled as being a good role model, and this matter involving Gates, as well as Obama's woefully inept intrusion in into it, casts both of them in a very poor light. For many years now it has become a very popular practice for minorities to play the 'race card'. This ploy has proved to be so successful that we now see, as demonstrated in the Gates debacle, that they'll play it without even a shred of evidence to support their claims of racism. For these minorities, the 'race card' can now be played for ANY claims of racism, whether they be real or imagined. That President Obama himself has unwisely played the 'race card' here is a sad testament to just how far this 'race card' practice has been accepted as 'normal'. Until we are ALL willing to 'call a bluff' when a 'race card' is played, - its use will just get more out of hand. We all know that it's not the 'best' card for them to play, - Hell, even THEY know it. But, thanks to a couple of decades of our society-degrading approach to 'political correctness' it remains, quite simply,... ...the 'easiest' card for them to play. It's time to put down the dogma of political-correctness, once and for all, before it's too late... -

Answer 9

Zidane is man of honor and pride. He is well known for his soccer brilliance but when his honor was challenged by the racist Italian Marco Materazzi, he chose to defend his family honor instead of fame/glory. Zidane has three sons of his own. I am pretty sure he did not wish for any of them to see him reacted in that manner especially infront of the whole country/world. I think it will do all of us good to stop being so self-righteous and reserve our judgement. How about Materazzi himself. FIFA should live to its name and the motto of this year World Cup by punishing him. It is shameful that while we are trying to promote anti-racism, that the act itself was being displayed in the Final World Cup match by Materazzi in front of the entire World. If indeed Materazi had insulted Zidane and making racial slur at one of the most beloved soccer player in the world, the crime is far worse than what Zidane did!!!

Answer 10

Yes. Zizou is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. I mean Pele refers to the guy as the maestro. He has a bit of a temper, so what. Nobody's perfect. If your kid wants to play soccer, then yes he's going to see the headbutt. That's inevitable. Its been shown fifty thousand times. But when the truth comes out, we will all know what happened. And if Materazzi really did insult his race or his family or call him a terrorist or w/e then I think that would make Zizou even more of a rolemodel, because at least in my mind he would be justified in headbutting the guy. If it was a racial slur, he would also be showing our children that racisim is not acceptable and if you are racist or make racist remarks, you will be punished. The punishment in Materazzi's case was headbutt.

Answer 11

Uh This must be an article which I read somewhere.
Well to ur qst -- Sure he is a great role model to young people.
Everyone does mistakes -- human nature.
But the greatness and quality never shadows.