FIFA has dished out suspensions to both Zidane and Materazzi . At the risk of reopening the can of worms I am astounded that Materazzi received one game less than Zidane. In fact, I'm shocked that Materazzi was suspended at all.
As FIFA stated in the FSC story "both players stressed that Materazzi's comments had been defamatory but not of a racist nature."
It seems that FIFA has now set a very dangerous precedent in the case of the Italian. What's to stop a player who has been sent off for violent behaviour claiming he did it because he had been insulted and how will the disciplinary bodies now deal with these accusations?
We are regressing to the school playground. Forget an additional referee, perhaps FIFA should opt for monitors who can tell the referee if any of the players say bad words!
What's the line between defamatory comments and gamesmanship?
Or take Roy Keane infamous "tackle" on Alfe Inge Haarland. Keane claimed it was pay back for an earlier game when Haarland berated Keane for faking an injury when Keane went down with damage to an ACL.
I am not defending Keane's action it just seems that FIFA have gone where there was no need to go.
There were no racists comments from Materazzi but he gets two games for defamatory comments and being on the receiving end of an assault. Interesting logic from FIFA for sure.
It seems like a inane political move to placate ZZ and perhaps Platini and the French Fed. Nobody needs to defend the indefensible and that includes MM, a well documented extremely dirty player. But a 2 match ban when the butter gets 3? For saying your momma wears combat boots in the ER?
Sounds like FIFA is taking PR leads from the White House.
I agree as well,
If players fake dives and exaggerate fouls to get calls, whats to stop a player from saying another player insulted him on the pitch to try to get that player thrown out or carded or suspended for a few games. FIFA is going down a dangerous path.
I agree... this may shock you but knowing that MM didnt make it racial does lend me towards ZZ being the guilty party and thus should take the brunt of the punishment.
Gamesmenship should be in the game to a point but there has to be some sort of line ... how you protect this line i dont know but clearly by actions in todays games in general were getting very close to it.
I'm glad to see ZZ is working with the kids but his fine should have been a lot harsher to deter players from doing this... this is basically a slap on the hand and nothing more for an act that was disgusting.
Not to say he was at fault as i dont want to go there either but MM should be forced to some degree to clean up his act
I think the suspension given to Matarazzi was a result of the occasion (W.C. Final) and because he provoked a player of Zidane's stature into such an act.
I doubt this sort of thing will be replicated at a lower level i.e. the ban for using gamesmanship.
I believe that the Zidane headbutt was the perfect culmination of his career, and frankly, the quintessential embodiment of the flair, pride, and standoffishness of the French people in general.
That entire WC run was for Zidane, by Zidane, and ultimately, brought crashing down by Zidane. The people of France had been given France '98 and Euro 2000 via his mastery; his resurgence to form in '06 was the final piece of the puzzle to his greatness.
I truly believe that the people of France completely and utterly forgive Zidane. I think it should be acknowledged that had he not been sent off, Italy would have lost in PKs. Sure, it's speculation, but it seems very logical that when Zizou was sent off, the game ended, and Italys PK curse dissipated as well.
In addition to forgiving him, I think the French know they had a better team, more panache, if you will, and played the game more beautiful. I think a culture that celebrates "elan" and are known for their, er, "pride,"(which many see as smugness of course) simply thinks "We would have won anyway - as we did in 2000 and 98." Finally, I think they are glad that he didn't take #### from Matterazzi, who also, unfortunately (as I am Italian-American) embodies the oft described stereotypical image of the dirty over-machismo addled Italian, whistling at every poor woman who walks by, insulting and insinuating.
Not that any of it is right, but it was a perfect culmination of his career of not taking #### from anyone, and being a proud ambassador for his proud country of France.
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They let that repeat headbuttin clown near kids? OMG!
Perhaps they should outfit those found guilty of verbal taunnting in blach burcha head dresses, and those found guilty of diving and embelleshment offenses in pink burkhas.
I wonder what the match ban breakdown would be if someone like Keano, Rooney, or Alan Smith did the headbutt, or better yet if Zidane was the one doing the insulting.
This decision is gravely shameful. Zizou's headbutt was easily one of the top 5 most vicious acts I've seen in a soccer match (though you guys have probably seen more), and he gets a 3 game ban (however meaningless). The fact that Materazzi gets even one game is just dumbfounding. When FIFA starts making decisions based on reputation, all just reasoning goes straight to hell. This honestly makes me sick. I'm gonna stand over a toilet for a while just to be safe.
Well, now we know that according to FIFA:
a) Headbutting and spitting are the same (3 games suspension).
b) Elbowing another player during play is worse (4 games suspension) then reacting to insults with a headbutt.
c) Insulting another player's mother and/or sister is worse than punching another player at the end of te game.
d) Being a French world class midfielder is way much cooler then being a dirty Italian defender, and that status should be taken into account when you have to punish them.
I don't know why FIFA even bothers. The decision will not discourace future problems, and only seems an attempt to mollify everyone in the name of 'fairness'. There is no teeth in anything that FIFA does, which is why there are so many problems.
See my blog for more on my views regarding this....
http://blogs.foxsports.com/silv er2000/2006/07/19/Zidane_Ban_the_Fr ench_From_the_Next_World_Cup
Last edited by silver2000 on July 20th at 10:18 AM.
Zidane physically attacks Marco and lies about what was said to him, only receiving a 3 match suspension !?! While Marco receives a 2 match ban for words !?!
Zidane should increase the community work he does with children. And Marco should be allowed to do community work rather than the ban.
Zidane is still a punk in my mind until he steps up and take responsibility regardless of his football skills/play !
Couldn't agree more Bobby. FIFA has set a very dangerous precedent here for two reasons.
1) If every player who said anything as bad as Materazzi allegedly said during a football match, is going to receive 2 match bans, they're going to have to allow teams to expand their rosters to 40 or 50 players.
2) If Materazzi is being punished based on Zidane's reaction, then again every player who is the victim of assault or a red-card-tackle is in danger of being suspended. You cannot penalize a player purely based on his opponents reaction, and we all agree that if there was no headbutt there is no punishment. I'm sure Blatter thinks that crime victims should be charged with provocation and thrown in the same cell as their attacker.
You've got to wonder, if Materazzi had just kept his mouth shut and not spoken to the press and then let his management speak for him to FIFA (or taken the 5th so to speak), would he have gotten any discipline?
Now, all that has been done is tell the players to deny, deny, deny.
Can a poor player now attack a star physically and claim that the star provoked him verbally? So say some journeyman defender punches Ronaldo in the mouth. If Ronaldo is said to have insulted the other player, does it make it worth it to get Ronaldo suspended? Could this play a part in league championships?
FIFA has opened a can of worms. Hopefully, the appeal will straighten this out.
Regardless of the punishment, what abuot the crimes. Do we WANT players to talk badly about someone'e family? A sick mother, no less? Are there no gentelmen left in sport? Can one not simply win on skill alone, without all the trash talking, diving, fouling and gamesmanship in general?
What about sportsmanship?
Headbutting a player is not acceptable here, but it is when Figo headbutts Van Bommel in their match? There should be consistency if the game is to truly benefit.
To a certain extent I must agree with you Bobby. But it just goes to show that no matter what FIFA does, they won't be able to please everyone; and I guess they accept that.
Just supposing ZZ didn't get fined, or MM got off the hook, the other half of the world would have been 'crying foul' because, guess what, not everyone thinks the same and we all share our own opinion. FIFA thought their decision was best for the situation; that's why they are the pros and we are at home commenting. Bringing in a 2nd referee will make people happy, others irate. Using replays to decide matches world come like a saviour to some, 'hell' to others. At the end of the day what FIFA does is for the best of football.
Of course the infamous headbutt was wrong, and of course MM should not have said anything. But two wrongs don't make a right. We STILL do not know what was said by MM, even up to this moment FIFA decided to keep it to themselves. And that played a
MAJOR part in their decision. While i will not defend ZZ for his actions, MM was also wrong.
Football should not reach to the point where we insult each other (although it can and does happen); let your feet do the talking on the pitch! ZZ retaliated, FIFA understood his side and gave the necessary punishments. All we can do is question, but we DON'T know all the details.
Whether MM appeals and causes the decision to be turned over is another story. But it just goes to show that FIFA does not want to condone WORDS or ACTIONS that may hamper a player, or the outcome o####ame.
Fans be warned of the New FIFA rule. Run your mouth and get fined. Rite Bobby? What a load of garbage. FIFA got this one totally wrong. U get beat up and yet u get banned and fined? I beta shut up too!
It would appear that FIFA are starting down the road of vidieo replays.
With the large increase in the gamemanship, for example diving this is a debate that needs to happen at all levels.
It maybe that large penalties or fines after the fact could be the way to clean up this aspect of the game
I agree with and this is a slippery slope, and I do not like the direction that FIFA have started on. How do we though get through and stop this gamesmanship from escalating and deciding games by cheating
I completely agree with you Bobby. It simply comes down to status. If you are a favored player you can brutalize other players and lie about it without ever facing any real consequences for your actions. Had Marco instead butted Zidane, there would be absolutely no question as to Materazzi's culpability and the beloved Zidane's innocence. Furthermore, not including the gross foul, Zidane should be punished for exploiting racism to gain support for himself and hatred against Materazzi. Zidane disgusts me and now FIFA disgusts me. I hope Materazzi appeals and is actually judged fairly.
I find it no more bizarre than the De Rossi/McBride incident where De Rossi gets one more game than Mastroeni. I strongly disagree with those that believe if the violent act is "during play" it is somehow not as bad. I do think Fifa wants to set a precedent regarding taunting. How about we draw this line? Don't do it at all. If a referee or assistant overhears it, you could get booked. When they act like 5-year olds you can give them 5-year old rules.
There are those that believe the physical assault no matter what is worse than any words the guy could have said. "ZZ should know better." Maybe, maybe not. I do not think a player should have to be subject to constant baiting and taunting from the opposition or the fans. It seems that many think they should be. One could argue that if that is the case than the ocassional retaliation let's the guy know just how far he can go.
In the end, talk all we want, boys will be boys and I have seen much, much worse in Sunday leagues. In fact, I have seen a fight at a softball game if you can believe that.
Also, in reference to an earlier post, it was said that had Zidane not acted like an #### (I'm not directly quoting) and gotten himself kicked out of the game, Italy would have lost. I can honestly say that that is highly unlikely, whether you choose to believe it or not. Here's why:
Even had Zidane chosen to act like a reasonable, mature, responsible sportman, Trezeguet probably would have still been used for a penalty and he still would have missed it and France still would have lost. That is all there is to it.
Either way, by playing up his strengths as an athlete, you cannot absolve him of his shortcomings as a human being. No one denies Zidane is a tremendous player, that just isn't motivation enough for most people to ignore his temper and hubris. He is a #### and is clearly used to getting away with more than should ever be allowed.
Sadly, I am not surprised. Fifa just can't get anything right. (shaking my head)...
Bobby,
Keano's "tackle" was a very memorable wasn't it. As a ManU fan, I will take the liberty of defending Keane's actions. Harland got what was coming to him. You just don't do that to a guy like Keane. It's not safe. Roy Keane is the kind of guy you want on your team, and the kind of guy you DON'T want on the other team. Harland did it to himself. hehe
It seems that Fifa is ruled by both France and Germany. Looking at the calls throughout all the matches these two teams received great treatment. The Anericas,Portugal and Italy suffered horrible calls. The final was a frace...it was so obvious how Toni was allowed to be dragged down many times without a call. The PK gaol by Zindane...it seems that many do not want to talk about the French dive. Theey play a better game? Ridiculous. The first half the Itals showed them how tp play. Zindane loss the ball many times. It looked as if Italy was and could rout them.Then the calls. The invisble offside,negating Italies obvious goal.
Hello!! Lippi made changes in the second half after his staff observed the films. He new he was about to get ripped off. So go to defense. The French did nothing at all to attck. A winger attacking by himself is useless. The French were scared to attack for fear. A lot of French fear. Zindane was so frustrated. His horrible header shot and lack od abilty to attck. France took 5 shots on goal..and only one was OK. Buffons stop of the header.(It was right at him!...wel he had to jump 5 inches)
The French were allowed to play with themslves at midfield and that is what they did. The Ital team was obviously superior and was getting ripped off. If the Itals opened up there would have been many more free PK`s and the French being allowed to Dreag Toni down. Toni should have head buuted.
Thrash talk effected the great Zindane, do not think so. He is a porr sport in the highest magnitude. Fifa should be dismantled.
well personally i was cheering for italy during the world cup...i thought zidane's carreer would end good if he had'nt headbutted matersazi in the las mins of extra time....he should hav waited till after the match
I believe the Italian player should receive some kind of sanction also. You could get a yellow card for "abusive language" towards the lowly Ref. What difference does it make if the insult is racist in nature or defamatory to one's mother, sister, or wife?(Other than politically incorrect). In many cultures you are looking for a fignt if you insult people's mother or father.He cannot go free from what he said .Apparently there was no dispute about his provacations.Just because players are abusive to each other that is not gamemanship,that stuff should be wipe out from the game just like the Abusive Language against the Ref. ekp06
Sounds like Italy just wants to enjoy the trophy !
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have confirmed that they will not be taking action against Fifa regarding their decision.
"The Fifa disciplinary commission's definitive verdict will be respected by us," said commissioner Guido Rossi, "but the episode remains given to TV images and to the public's opinions and judgements across the world."
To the guy who said Italy got ripped reffing wise: Did you watch the United States and Australia games? Italy are good solid team, but they are not known as saints.
Bobby..... Just been going through something and would like your comments on this....
How many English players can an EPL team have and hope to win the Tittle
Chelski has 5
Man U has 11
Liverpool has 19 ... lots of Juniors
Arsenal has 5 but only Cole gets regular first team play
Tottenham has 18 about 1/3rd are juniors
These are players that are listed on the first team play sheet at each site and most probably only get a run in the reserves side or warm the bench in chelsea and arsenal and Man U
Bobby,
Thanks for all the good work. I appreciate your knowledge and humor. My question is simple. Why did Sepp Blatter not participate in the Final Ceremony? I also wonder why the way Italy was treated in the 2002 WC was never even a debate. I try to be objective, albeit I am a fan of the Azzuri. Does Fifa have a beef with Italy?
Number of foreigners
At the inception of the Premier League in 1992-93, just 11 players named in the starting line-ups for the first round of matches were 'foreign' (players hailing from outside of the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland).[1] By 2000-01, the number of foreign players participating in the Premiership was 36%. In the 2004-5 season the figure had increased to 45%.
On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first Premier League side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up, while on 14 February 2005 Arsenal were the first to name a completely foreign 16-man squad for a match. Arsenal's 85% foreign player figure (rising from 64% in 2000–01) is the highest of any club over the period. Chelsea have since been overtaken in terms of the number of foreign-born players by Liverpool (72%).
No English manager has ever actually won the Premier League. Only four different managers have won the title as of 2006: two Scots (Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United and Kenny Dalglish, Blackburn Rovers), a Frenchman (Arsène Wenger, Arsenal) and a Portuguese (José Mourinho, Chelsea).
Man U Aston Villa 92/93
Man U Blackburn 93/94
Blackburn Man U 94/95
Man U Newcastle 95/96
Man U Newcastle 96/97
Arsenal Man U 97/98
Man U Arsenal 98/99
Man U Arsenal 99/00
Man U Arsenal 00/01
Arsenal Liverpool 01/02
Man U Arsenal 02/03
Arsenal Chelsea 03/04
Chelsea Arsenal 04/05
Chelsea Man U 05/06
I understand as a spurm fan you have nothing but time on your hands, you oughtta check and see of there is an inverse correlation between UK regulars in your starting XI and position in the epl table. bet youll find interesting stuff
Given that, should we now look at everytime england gets out of group play in a WC that theyve in fact over achieved?
Last edited by riocharlie on July 21st at 8:32 AM.
Rio....
Arsenal couldnt win a title without there foreigners but having said that i dont think it is a bad thing as it is raising the standard of english football albeit slowly
oh and the time on my hands isnt due to being a spurs fan it is due to fusion of #### in back and being forced to stay at home.... believe me if i could work i would
Rio i fully agree that the more English players on the books at any one club the less likely it is that you are going to be winning a title....
dont you just love the way Mourinho is saying that he is culling the squad to bring better harmony to the team..... I bet there has been quite a few rumblings within chelski these past few days
Im not sure if its till posted, but on cnnsi.com there is a writer who endeavored to find an epl team to really support, being bored to tears with us sports, and he did a great article about his research and analysis on the 20 epl teams, his top 5 and his final selection. It is a great read and youll be happy at the end. It was posted a couple days ago but if you look around for it im sure youll see it
thats ok Rio... he has a temper that will surely show itself at some point during the year... I hope we dont take Nedveds retirement fund on either .... he's a great player but surely on his way out.. its enough with Davids .. would do a lot better to retain Carrick with that money
i'll have to check it out... Arsenal will Struggle this year without bringing some name players to help the youngsters... there rebuilding i know but how long are the press and fans gonna allow wenger to run again without some sort of trophy... has Henry made up his mind yet???
i was watching the copa do brasil the other night and thought it would be interesting if national teams could actually field 2 teams. One of completely foreign based players not playing in their doemstic leagues, and a seconf team composed of their domestic league's best. Im sure it wont happen but it would be interesting to see the 2 teams and how they would compete and fare against others in that set up.
oh how i would love to see that.... did you happen to catch any of the Sheffield/ USL ALLSTARS match.... shows just how far US Soccer is lagging behind... I dont mean that to be negative its just an observation
Just reading an english blog thats calling for their players to go to france or elsewhere in the world to garner more experience... isn't that funny when most people here are calling for the US players to go to England to ply there trade lol... Ironic to say the least
Sorry you couldnt find it cause it was espn.com not cnnsi.com sorry heres the link, i thought it was a great article and really enjoyed his assessments:
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