For all you Zidane supporters.....do you know his history of violence?

Question

Zidane was discovered in the Marseille housing project La Castellane by a scout for AS Cannes, and shortly after arriving at the club on the French Riviera he punched a player who allegedly made a derogatory remark.
In 1998, Zidane stomped on a prone Saudi Arabian player in a World Cup group match in full view of the referee. He was red-carded and served a two-match suspension, returning in the quarterfinals to help lead France to the championship.
Zidane spent five seasons at Juventus of Turin, and in the fall of 2000 he was red-carded in consecutive UEFA Champions League matches. He was ejected for a malicious studs-up challenge against Spain's Deportivo La Coruna, served a one-match suspension, then returned against Germany's Hamburg SV and head butted Jochen Kientz in the 27th minute of what would be a 3-1 loss. Kientz suffered a concussion and a fractured cheekbone, and Zidane was handed a five-match ban.
In this tournament he recieved 3 yellow cards and escaped a 4th.

For Shivers answer:....let's clear up a couple of things for the record.....one......Materazzi did not hit or strike Zidane....and second......Materazzi is not the one who broke McBrides nose.....De Rossi was the culprit in that incident and served a 4 game suspension.....I've stated facts........Materazzi is no saint and well known in italy for his rough play....to add to the 5 game suspension fact.....there is this:In an appeal to have the ban reduced, Zidane said he was frustrated after being “played out of the match” by unsportsmanlike actions that he did not disclose..........sound familiar?....and this:
He was also condemed in italy for his savage act while with Juventus which ultimately led to his transfer to Real Madrid!!
My sources.........being a big soccer fan and Mark Zeigler
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER.......website for all the info can be verified here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/soccer/20060710-9999-1s10cupside.html

Answer 1

What really sucks about the Zidane incident is that it has taken the spotlight away from what should be a glorious and celebratory time for Italy. Yes, I knew about Zidane's history of violence. Unfortunately, he must have been under a tremendous amount of stress (with obvious reason) and, once again, could not control himself. Sure there are many great players out there who have tempers but there are also many wonderful, professional players who do not. I think Zidane is a fantastic player but I also agree he deserved the red card. Come on, think about it, if it was anyone else other than Zidane "the great" would there be as much fuss? I don't think so.
As for the remark about not knowing what it is like to be hated for your origin... do you really think that Italians are exempt from this? The sad thing is that nobody is and incidents like this just add fuel to an already burning fire. Shameful.

Answer 2

You are forgetting that both players involved in the incident come from difficult neighborhoods, just like a large majority of football players. The way one is brought up invariably affects one's reactions to insults all throughout life. That being said, from the looks of the AC Milan videos showing Materazzi kicking his opponents with the intention of hurting them, I am not surprised at all by Zidane's reaction. Heck, in that video, you could see Inzaghi wanted to smack Materazzi over the head after the punk rammed his knee and much of his foot into Inzaghi's ribs. And how about him kicking Shevchenko in the groin or breaking McBride's nose in the USA-Italy match in the world cup. A jerk like that got what was coming to him (too bad Zidane didn't knock him unconscious) and in my opinion has absolutely no place on a football field.


"He was also condemed in italy for his savage act while with Juventus which ultimately led to his transfer to Real Madrid!!
My sources.........being a big soccer fan and Mark Zeigler
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER.......website for all the info can be verified here:"

Actually, I was regularly following football when I was living in Europe and saying that Zidane was transferred to Real Madrid because of his behavior is preposterous and a bunch of baloney, so get your facts straight...Second, I never said Materazzi physically attacked Zidane, but I did see him act like a kickboxer in the Inter Milan - AC Milan game(s). You are right, though, that De Rossi actually elbowed McBride and not Materazzi; my bad. I guess I would like to see some elegant, attack-driven, spectacular football; the type we use to see in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Now everything is defensive and boring (to date I actually fell asleep during the AC-Milan / Juventus Champions League Final a couple of years back); no wonder football hasn't yet picked up in the US.

Answer 3

I wonder where you got all this information. I only knew about the Saudi Arabian player and the germasn player - as if that's not enough. But those are the only two that were mentioned by the press here, I wonder why some other attacks of him were left out? Until the incidence at the Worldcup, I didn't even know he had a history of violence, as I can imagine a lot of people didn't. I wonder if the other guys he hurt were not in major soccer leagues and didn't get as much coverage? Thanks for the info, it sounds like the golden shoe award may need to be reconsidered?

Answer 4

Do you know he has been voted as the Greatest player of the last 50 years , ahead of pele, maradona , cyruff and even beckenbauer.

lippi called him the best in the last 20 years.....all the top coaches love him

we all have a dark side.....so does he....

look at the good he has done for the game.........

zidane wudnt be what he is if he didnt have the aggression.....

wayne rooney is violent, so was maradona.....the germans were ruthless....steven gerrard of liverpool regularly did 2 footed studs-up slides.....roy keane was super violent...all the greats have a bad side....we shud look at the good and appreciate the fact that in yer life on this earth you are getting to see some of the most brilliant football ever played.....thanks to all of them

Answer 5

Yes...I have quoted it many times since Sunday trying to demonstrate that he is known for losing his temper.

See below:

Playing for Juventus five years ago, Zidane butted Jochen Kientz of Hamburger SV in a Champions League match, also earning himself a red card.

Eight years ago, Zidane was red-carded for stomping on an opponent while playing Saudi Arabia. At this World Cup he collected two yellow cards and was suspended for France's third group match against Togo.

http://soccer.sportsnet.tsn.ca/news_stor...

And again:

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhgxSWYGhw0glrliFztkKtzAFQx.?qid=20060710035552AAaCdwT

And again:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai02oIrcmksd1EkhHJCo4UbAFQx.?qid=20060710044856AAyuEZd

Answer 6

Very true M Materazzi is no saint check this video out http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-wcup-zidane&prov=ap&type=lgns

Zidane & Mateiazzi are not the only people in soccer to have performed bad sportsmanship and that is putting it mildly....You can discover information and more information on peoples back grounds how poor they were etc etc...

Answer 7

yes...of course, everyone in the world know his bad temper and acts of violence. But does it matter? He deserves the Golden Ball for god sakes...if you watch the game through this World Cup, he OUTSHINED everyone else. He lifted the whole France nation and the team up, nobody has ever done that before. Look on the bright side, not the bad side.

Answer 8

Nico , thank u for the question n' ur complete answer !! rank urself 10 , u deserve it!!

i knew about what u said , i've read it in a newspaper yesterday , n' now we all know about his violence history , if we judge by justice we'll understand Zizou is the guilty.... we dont live in 14 century ...not violance not butting !!

Answer 9

yes i know his history.

hitler wasn't a drinker nor smoker and had 1 wife, but what did he do?
kennedy had morethan 2 lovers and was a chain smoker and cheap drank, but was he as bad as hitler?

yeah i know, i'm going out of the topic, i'm just giving an example that you can not judge anybody for what he had done before.

zidane didn't have a good record because of his temper, but he could be consider as one of the best player in the history of soccer. although he shouldn't have done that to defend his family, he could have beaten him after the game. hehe

Answer 10

Yes I admit he does have a temper problem...but the remarks made can strike a nerve and he goes ballistic.