Forza Italia

[Mario Pende]

Seems that British press have consult with professional lip readers, who usualy work with police, justice department and they are all unanimous abouth Materazzis words to Zidane : "We all know you are a son of an teroristic whore".

Zidanes mother was also hospitalized early that day before the match.

 

This is a translatation from Croatian internet portal news.

[rivoli]

Seems that British press have consult with professional lip readers, who usualy work with police, justice department and they are all unanimous abouth Materazzis words to Zidane : "We all know you are a son of an teroristic whore".

Zidanes mother was also hospitalized early that day before the match.

This is a translatation from Croatian internet portal news.

 

this is about the biggest pile of bull**** I've heard in a very long time. you really should avoid posting this kind of stuff, people might even believe what you write down.

[Mario Pende]

I think London TIMES has also published this article.

But you never know...

[Sawyer]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,28749-2263995,00.html

[rivoli]

[...]After an exhaustive study of the match video, and with the help of an Italian translator[...] come on.. I really wonder what kind of "exhaustive study" it may have been.

 

and btw, it didn't take very much to make him snap like that before, I really doubt it took anything special this time.

[bricklyne]

[...]After an exhaustive study of the match video, and with the help of an Italian translator[...] come on.. I really wonder what kind of "exhaustive study" it may have been.

and btw, it didn't take very much to make him snap like that before, I really doubt it took anything special this time.

 

 

 

.......do you mean special like calling someone's mother a 'terrorist whore'?

[rivoli]

I mean we don't know what he said, and until zizou tells us his side of the story we can make up whatever we like. what I just meant is I really don't know what went on there, do you?

[AJLynn]

It's a good point. On the one hand, there are some rumors and a lip reader who does not speak Italian. On the other, there's the guy who says "no, I didn't say that." (Paraphrased.) Without anything from the other guy who actually knows something, we don't actually know anything. Also, nobody has said anything about what anybody said before the specific incident.

[Sawyer]

Come on! Zidane is know for snapping and the Italians decided to work on him. They said the thing that got him. Same thing happens in any sport anywhere. When you see (american) football players patting eachothers asses they aren't saying "great play man!" This is a part of all mind games in any form of professional competition.

[bricklyne]

Come on! Zidane is know for snapping and the Italians decided to work on him. They said the thing that got him. Same thing happens in any sport anywhere. When you see (american) football players patting eachothers asses they aren't saying "great play man!" This is a part of all mind games in any form of professional competition.

 

Yeah, but there's a huge difference between basic playground mind games, and essentially resorting to the lowest common denominator and making what amounts to a racist taunt (which is essentially what the equivalent of using a "terrorist" related taunt is to an Arabic person). I'm sure even in American football, you'll hardly find any of those players that you say pat each other on the butt, using the N-word (particularly white-to-black players), and the like ( although monkey chants and Nazi salutes are failry common in European football though). Most professional players in most sports know where to draw the line.

 

I'm not saying he did or didn't do it (even though he has now admitted that he insulted Zidane), but the point being made that Zidane is known to snap when insulted doesn't necessarily absolve the aggressor from making allegedly racist taunts and the like neither, as some are trying to imply here. Especially considering how racism is such a big problem in soccer for FIFA right now, especially in countries like Spain and Italy, where you have to have really really thick skin to play there if you're a player of african, arabic or minority or ethinic descent; and especially when you consider some of the taunts that come from the fans in particular.

 

Besides which, what you're basically saying is that the Italians by that point had conceded that France was a far superior team and that unless they resorted to something like that to gain an advantage, then they were likely to lose.

 

I had asked a related question in another forum; would people be so quick to admonish and judge if the player in question was Theirry Henry or a Patrick Viera, and it turned out that the reason for the outburst was that an N-word or that a monkey/monkey chant insult was used to taunt him? Perhaps it's easier to do so in this case because of all the stigma attached to terrorists; but that still doesn't make it right ( if it happens to be the case that Materazzi made comments like that; don't forget that Zidane understand Italian pretty well, from his playing days at Juventus.)

 

 

In any case I do hope that Zidane himself clears the air about the whole issue soon. He owes his legacy that much. (Although, if it turns out as the reports say, then it will boil down to a his-word-against-Materazzi's-word type case ans scenario).

[Sawyer]

I am not trying to justify the Italians or Zidane. I do however imagine that the object was to get Zidane out of the game. In my mind it was planned out and I only think that because in my experiance not only do players think that way but coaches do to. I have had (american) football coaches "coach" to what the refs won't see. Things to say, places to hit, ways to grab that will hurt and wont be seen. Not saying the Italians did this but this is the kind of stuff that I have seen happen and I am not talking at high stakes level this was in junior high. But I guess its tainted my view because when things like this come to light I think its pretty clear that people will play dirty when the stakes are high enough or they think they will get away with it.

 

I think it's really sad. I was really getting into this World Cup (it was my first). I got my 5 year old into it and while she didn't see the hit I had to explain to her what happened. I wanted to like Zidane I was hoping the French would take it until 111' then I changed sides. I would rather see good sportmanship than not.

[rivoli]

but the point being made that Zidane is known to snap when insulted doesn't necessarily absolve the aggressor from making allegedly racist taunts and the like neither, as some are trying to imply here.

 

I guess you totally missed my point. I'm not implying anything even close to what you said above, by no means.

we're talking about this as if a player like zizou (who is one amazing one, headbuttings or not), couldn't possibly react like that unless he was provoked with something as ugly as a racist insult. what I merely pointed out is that he actually snapped like that before, and that back then it didn't take that much. this is just to say that the only fact that he snapped doesn't automatically imply that materazzi called him a terrorist.

funny thing is: I'm not trying to absolve anyone from anything I don't even know he actually said.

[JamesTaylor]

i don't think that we can say either of the two have done themselves proud, although we accept that mind games are part of all sports there is definately a line that shouldn't be crossed, sportsmanship on the field is all well and good but come the final whistle every player should be able to come off the field with their head held high, win lose or draw.......in this case i don't think either can

 

its easy to be a good winner but its most difficult, and the sign of a true sportsperson / person to be a good loser.

[pirallah]

Yep. Zidane knew the Italians would caome upt to him with everything they have, he should have been ready, he should have known they were going to do something like this, and he should have walked away. But then, if anyone said anything like that about my mom...Ill RIP HIM TO PIECES! Though that's just me, and Im not much into sports anyway. Nuff Said.