I have an honest question about the Materazzi / Zidane controversy?

Question

Do any of you realize that it is part of the game to get under the opponents skin so as to neutralize their ability to concentrate and score? Do you realize that had Zidane stayed in the game, his teammate still missed on his PK? Do you realize that his teammate would still have been chosen to take the PK?

If I were playing against someone who had a history of getting back at players, believe me, I would use every insult I could to get him mad at me. It's part of the game. Materazzi isn't the first, nor the last player to do it.

To focus on Materazzi as a cheater doesn't do Zidane any justice. Remember Zizou for his heroics, to say that he was taken down by a "cheater" is to say that anything can take him down.

If I were in Zidane's place, I wouldn't want to be remembered that way.

For those that need assistance, i purposely placed question marks after each of the first three sentences. In my language, doing so makes them a question.

I appreciate all of the mature answers to this hot topic. Believe me, when I play for a team that is contending for a title, I want the other teams best players out there. All of them. Being of Italian ancestry I'm happy that Italy won but not as happy if they had won with Zidane playing to the end. Of course your home countries got to the final, the U.S. team went out like a candle in the wind.

Answer 1

AwesomeBill ...you deserve a gold medal just for understanding how a players mind works on a soccer field....Well Said!!

Answer 2

it is part of the game to get under the opponents' skin..and materazzi did what he had to do to get zidane all fired up..he knew zidane can and will try to score a goal anytime before the match ended..remember the header buffon saved?? materazzi knew what he had to do..and he knew zidane very well how he will react when he gets under pressure..he went up to him and then they started exchanging words..and then it happened..none of us saw it..not even the ref..we will never know also whether buffon and the fourth official really saw what happened..buffon was supposed to keep his eyes on the ball and the fourth official was a bit late to tell the ref what happened..whether he saw it on video replay once it was available or he was just waiting for the right moment to tell him no one knows..materazzi did not cheat but he was just doing what he had to do to get a player like zidane out of the game..and he won..but zidane's red card is still questionable..he deserved it for headbutting materazzi but how the fourth official knew what happened is still questionable..many of us who support france and was waiting for zidane to end his career with the trophy are not happy with what materazzi did to a player whom he said he admired and respected nor are we satisfied with the fourth official who confirmed he didn't saw it on tape..only he knows it for sure..i'm not a sore loser..i can accept italy won the title but the way they won it had a bad taste to it..that's what turned us off..no offence to italians and italy supporters but that's just my honest opinion..i'm sure they are all happy with the winning..as for trezeguet..i'm sure he would still be taking the pk had zidane was still on the field but with his presence trezeguet might be a bit more confident with his shot..and maybe he can get it in..we will never know for sure what will happen if zidane had stayed in the game..but it was mostly bcuz of him n thuram n also makelele that france got into the finals in the first place..by the wayy, i'm sure zidane wouldn't want everyone to remember him that way..

Answer 3

Football (soccer) is supposed to be a fair and beautiful game, not a game where players insult each other. If a player has to insult an opponent to win, that shows that he lacks dignity and skill since he cannot win fair, and that is a shame and a disgrace, and Materazzi is the epitome of a disgrace to the beautiful game. You need to be ashamed of yourself if you honestly believe that trash-talking is a good way to win a game. It is an ugly and disgraceful way to win, and anyone who wins it this way is cheating themselves, they aren't really winning, but losing and they need to be ashamed because they lack dignity and honour! Real champions have dignity and honour!!!!!

And Trezeguet only missed because of very bad luck, he's actually one of the best strikers, bad luck is all it was, Italy kept getting lucky when they needed to, and it's just not fair.

Answer 4

Welcome to the game, AwesomeBill.

Are you also telling us that we are playing football here on Yahoo by getting under each other's skin?

There is a new rule in FIFA's book, any bad mouth will be suspended for 5 match, more severe than the retaliating act.

We are calling Zidane a god, what more do you want?

Answer 5

but, we also don't know if maybe trezeguet would have made his penalty kick if zidane was in the game...what if that whole situation, if zidane stayed in, would've changed trezeguet's whole outlook and even his choice on where he was going to kick the ball? so, we don't know that france would've still lost. they could've won, for all we know, if zidane would've taken a PK. but, since he didn't, we will never know.

Answer 6

"If I were playing against someone who had a history of getting back at players, believe me, I would use every insult I could to get him mad at me. It's part of the game"


THIS SHOULD SUMMARIZE THE ITALIAN'S PHILOSOPHY AND ONLY TACTIC WHEN PLAYING SOCCER.. IT IS THEIR ONLY TALENT. THAT AND PAYING THE REFS..

WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY PLAYING SOCCER ITALY IS NO 1231 IN THE FIFA RANKINGS


THANK YOU FOR POINTING TO ALL OF US THE HIGH MORALS AND SPORT SPIRIT OF THE ITALIANS..

NOW IT MAKES SENSE WHY YOU CAN'T SEE CLEARLY. IF YOU WERE A PLAYER YOU WOULLD BE MATERAZZI JR!!!!!!!

Answer 7

good point!
something just occured to me. why did Zidane headbutted materazzi, when u want 2 hurt someone u shouldnt headbutt him/her u should punch or kick. why the headbutt, even biting him would have been better. but then i guess since he didnt have any hair he could really hurt some1. hahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

good question awesomebill thats what ive been trying say all along.if there best player folds under insults.they didnt deserve to win.of course here comes all the french fans to condemn me since i said that.

Answer 9

I like your comments very much!!

Answer 10

cool comments