Zidane was wrong?

Question

Some people think that Zidane was justified in attacking the italian player for returning an insult to him. I noticed that people are bashing Italians alot here and on the web. By this logic, it would be ok for an Italian to physically harm you for all the italo-bashing going on.

Answer 1

Yesss, let's headbutt them all ;-)

Seriously though, I still think all the fuss is due to the fact that Zidane, a football legend, was involved. Had he been an anonymous player, nobody would be talking about it anymore. Plus, it was the World Cup final...

P.S. -- To Juventina:

I totally agree about Totti. I even gave the same example in a couple of my answers today.

Totti spit and he was a jerk. Why? Because actions speak louder than words. Nobody was wondering why he did that, or cared if he had been provoked.

So, that reinforces my point: Totti isn't a football legend like Zidane. All this fuss is partly due to Zidane being who he is. Neutral people are taking his side just because he is Zinedine Zidane, an idol like Pele and Maradona, and it doesn't matter if he had done that before. But it also has to do with Italy winning the WC, or rather, France losing to Italy. If we had lost, we would have sucked it up and moved on. French supporters just can't do so and they are indulging in self-delusion.

Answer 2

Hi Sobek - I know what you're saying. Yes, Zidane was wrong; he let his passion overcome his reason and, instead of being remembered for being the brilliant player he is, he will go down as a poor sport and a head butter. History was repeating itself when Zidane took on a Saudi player in the 1998 Cup, but we don't want to get graphic here; he was thrown out of the game then, too. Then again, it wasn't professional for the Italian to be cursing him and insulting Zidane (according to the lip readers), but unfortunately we have heard about similar behavior from other players in the Olympic Games and other competitive sports. Materazzi managed to get Zidane thrown out of the game; it could have had a totally different ending had Zidane kept his cool... Example of Boys Behaving Badly, n'est-ce pas?

Answer 3

From now on, people will only remember Zidane for bashing that ignorant italian...rather than his incredible skill with the football, and his amazing career. In a way, he was wrong...but after hearing what that crazy italian "player" said, I can understand why he was crossed. And because of that, and that only, I'm bloody enthused that Zidane head-butted him. I'm actually surprised that he didn't do more than that. The Italian will never be known as a hero.. let's be honest, how many of you have seen that guys picture on the nightly news? EXACTLY. He'll only be known as that guy who called one of the greatest football players alive a "son of a terrorist whore", and then denied it by saying he doesn't know what a bloody terrorist is. He's smart.

Answer 4

No right or wrong. It is a very grey issue.

I think it is not about Italian and French.. Just Zidane and Materazzi. But as they are in the national team, they represents their country's honour.

How can we comment on the politician in Italy that condemn other races? To me that seems much worse, becos politicians are spokesperson of their countries direction.

Whatever it is, there are so much talk about discrimination in the world. So if I'm Italian or French, I will just let go. How to judge? I'm an Asian judged as 'yellow skin' in Australia? So am I less human, deserve less respect? I'm judged the same in many Euro countries, but it does not make me hate the country.

Most country are beautiful places, it is just the people that makes it all so unpleasant.

Answer 5

Mike S ; Thank you for your excellent answer. Actually I heard it on TV the same example that Mike S gave and the Italians take responsibilities for their actions unlike Zidane did in this case and many other cases!
Isn't this comment that the papers making pathetic??

'What did 'the animal' say to make 'God' angry?'

thecatphotographer; sorry I don't mean to be rude or anything but what was Totti when it happened to him?? A piece of Italian meat!! Come on!!

Answer 6

it may well be a blend of interactions between Materazzi and Zidane and the emotional nature of the challenge. even as there's a significant prize in touch, some human beings have a tendency to overreact and let their thoughts take over. i believe both between the gamers overreacted of their procedures. both gamers were intending to be lighthearted, yet Materazzi ended up putting forward some thing that insulted Zidane. it is likely why Zidane responded in that fashion in route of Materazzi...

Answer 7

Zidane was wrong, bottom line. The Italians blasted Totti in Euro 2004 for spitting at a danish player. Did the Italians cry? Did they go after the provoker? NO. we blamed Totti for jeoperdizing our chances of winning.

Answer 8

I totally agree with you and you make a great point. C'mon people athletes insult each other on the playing field all the time. Zidane had been known for these kind of antics in the past. Get over it. Let Materazzi enjoy his cup for heaven's sake!

Answer 9

There is no black and white, this issue is lost in gray. There is a certain line that you don't cross, and it seems Materazzi crossed it. Every man has his limits. Both Zidane and Materazzi are men, they make mistakes. They are allowed to do something wrong once in a while. Will the perfect one among you please stand up?

It is wrong to insults someone's mother in a disgusting way when the persons mother is sick in the hospital or in any circumstance for that matter.

It is wrong to headbutt people.

In conclusion, let sleeping dogs lie and leave these two men alone.
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As I mentioned in my answer to another question, calling someone a cockroach or a frog and inciting hatred over a game that is supposed to bring the world together is shameful. Racism has no place in civilized conversation.

Answer 10

MILAN, Italy -- Marco Materazzi acknowledged he insulted Zinedine Zidane before the French captain head-butted him in the World Cup final, but repeated his denial that he called Zidane a "terrorist."

"I did insult him, it's true," Materazzi said in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I categorically did not call him a terrorist. I'm not cultured and I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is."

A Paris-based anti-racism group issued a statement Monday saying Materazzi had called Zidane, whose parents emigrated to France from Algeria, a "dirty terrorist."

Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words in extra-time of Sunday's final in Berlin. Seconds later, Zidane lowered his head and rammed Materazzi in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Zidane was ejected from the match.

"I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned round and spoke to me, sneering," the Italian defender told the newspaper. "He looked me up and down, arrogantly and said: 'If you really want my shirt, I'll give it to you afterwards."'

The 32-year-old Inter Milan player did not elaborate on exactly what he said to Zidane.

"It was one of those insults you're told tens of times and that always fly around the pitch," he said.

Also Tuesday, Algeria's president defended Zidane and said soccer fans shouldn't condemn the French star.

"We are just human beings, our duty is not to judge, our duty is to understand," Abdelaziz Bouteflika said in London after meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

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