"Incidentally I think that's one reason (there are others) that Americans just aren't so taken with the sport. The theatrics and spectacle of professional athletes crying out in such fake distress just rubs the American sports psychology the wrong way."

Dear Gotham,
Are you saying that the American team scored poorly in the World Cup because its players and coach are morally superior?
Aren't there any theatrics in American football and hockey?
It sounds a bit like Phoedrus' fable in which the Fox said that it was just as well that he wasn't able to jump high enough to pick the desired grapes, because the grapes were surely unripe.

Anyway, to put my comment in the right context, I must add that I never watch the World Cup. On such occasions we tend to forget our cosmic consciousness :) I'd rather focus on the upcoming Guru Poornima (Guru within).
Love,
Donatella

Hockey Rules!!! There's no crying in Hockey until you win or lose in the Stanly Cup finals!

So much for "worship" Zidane, too many balls to the head!!

Shameful display for a team captain, he basically lost it for France.

So glad Italy won, I think I'll have some pasta!

Steve

Hello Gotham and Everyone,

Just watched the last few minutes of World Cup caught Zidane head butting the Italian to get himself thrown out of the game? Hmmmmm, I wondered, did someone just throw a game?

Don't know nothing bout the game, but I wondered?

True! Zidane shudn't have done that! My Intuition somehow was telling my Italy!

Congratulations, Italy.

For Italian Eyes Only:

Bravi, Azzurri!

I'm not a fan, but I do like the game, and know the basics of the rules, even if I am not up on strategy. I kept up by proxy with the tournament, mostly so I wouldn't look stupid at my job when everyone else is talking about it.

But I watched the second half, the OT and the PK shootout. I was fascinated by it.

I guess you're not still worshipping Zidane, eh, Gotham?

It is interesting to speculate what the Italian might have said to him, probably something like "We gonna kick yo ass so B-a-a-d, you better hope yo' mamma was out making money while you were at the game!"

Whatever it was, Zidane let himself get psyched out at that moment. He should have said "yeah, g'won talk, fool," and then took out his anger by scoring a goal.

And Zidane is supposed to be a top pro. He should know how to handle pressure. He should know you just dissociate from pressure and concentrate on the job at hand. Like a soldier in battle. Defer the psychic impact until later.

Yes, the pressure was high. And whatever that guy said was probably like a targeted nuke right at his heart. But Zidane is supposed to be the guy who has trained all his life to be in that particular game, and to handle exactly that kind of pressure.

As team captain, he should have at least thought of his team before reacting.

Now he IS going to have to deal with the psychic scars of what happened for years to come.

As far as why Americans don't go for futbol, probably the same reason Brazilians don't get pumped about the World Series, or Americans aren't gaga over cricket. It's simply not integrated into the culture the way our national sports are.

That could change. Maybe 50 years from now, America will be freaks over its soccer team. It all just depends on whether we adopt it as a cultural thing.

Congrats to Italy's soccer team!! Awesome!!

I haven't had TV for a week; so caught the news just now, on MSN!! lol

North

At 9 pm I received a text message from a friend of mine: "Are you staying up and watching the game?" because here in Singapore, the game started at 2 am.

My response: "Am I going to wake up in the middle of the night to watch a bunch of French and Italians duel it out to a dramatic draw? Um, no."

Well anyways at about 350 am I woke up in the middle of the night by chance, and figured I owed it to myself to turn the tv on. 1-1 tie.

Fortunately, the ending reminded me of why I never cared for the sport (though I did enjoy the last month of the World Cup finals). They do not decide the NBA Championships after a five minute overtime with free throw shots, they don't decide a baseball game with a home run derby, and they don't decide the Super Bowl with a field goal kicking contest if it's tied when the clock runs out.

Lame ending to determine who is the best team in the world.

But nevertheless congratulations to the Italians for finishing on top.

Bharat

Fantastico!

Auguri Italia!

What a game! I have to agree with you Bharat. I hat the shoot out. I love soccer and I played during my youth and attempted as an adult:-) This is not a fair ending to a long game. But for some reason, they all liked to end it this way... HMMM! 50/50 chance.

My heart goes out to the keeper, what a difficult position to be in. Gives an whole new meaning to mono y mono.

A presto!

Ciao e pace,

Suzanne

Zidane flattered to decieve. The media went on and on about how well he played despite his age. One newspaper even suggested that he would become the greatest frenchman of all time if France win. Considering all that, what happened towards the end was too petty for a man of his stature.
You have spoken of American attittude towards football. One wonders about India. Somebody jocularly remarked on the blogging circuit that India should aspire to win the world cup(football) by 3060AD. It is the biggest sporting event after the Olympics as far as I know and there are many parts of India which are passionate about football. Yet some countries which are less than the size of Indian states play and we are not even able to qualify.

A nation of over a billion people not having any participation of note in either of the two events is really strange. It only goes to show that it is quality that counts. Some say that we lake Killer instinct. Putting it differently, one could say that there is a lack of different kind of "spirit" too then the one Dr Chopra has spoken off in his other blog.

I've said this many times but has Fifa ever changed the rules, nooooooooooo, of course not, that would be sensible

Reduce from 11 a side to either 10 a side or 9 a side

Have video refs.

Penalise theatrics via the video ref

Loosen up the offside rule

Then game will be perfect

Italy deserved it. They played with a lot of flair and rhythm. For me, the best team won.

Zidane was a digrace. All the top-notch players have to put up with such provocations (absolutely unjustified, though) and as a senior player he should have known beter. His ruffian-like behaviour was uncalled for. For all his over-rated skills, he can go to hell.

Bharat,
Football is an immensely physical game ...it takes it toll on players..\

when you campare it with teh "American Games" Don't u think u are comparing apples & oranges....

Soccer -
90 (+) minutes of constant physical activity
No time outs
Only 3 subs

If it goes to over time 30 more minutes of same 22 player runing around
NO extra subs...

The game needs to be decided...there has to be a result ....cant have a tie for 4 years i.e how aften teh world cup takes place unlike teh world series/s which happen every year between club teams.

Compare it to basketball/ American Futball

60 minutes game time
official tiem outs
unlimited subs / Different teams for different plays

Baseball

max a team is out is for 3 outs.... time wise ~30 minutes.

If you are goingto try and belittle a game atleast compare it to something that is similar ...like say Rugby...

Dear Mallika,

This is what was supposedly said to Zidane by Materazzi-

PARIS, July 10 (Reuters) - France captain Zinedine Zidane was apparently called a "dirty terrorist" by Marco Materazzi before he head-butted the Italy defender in Sunday's World Cup final, the anti-racism group SOS Racism said on Monday.

"According to several very well informed sources from the world of football, it would seem that the Italian player Marco Materazzi called Zinedine Zidane a 'dirty terrorist'," SOS Racism said in a statement.

Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, was shown a red card after the incident and Italy went on to win on penalties after the match was tied 1-1 following extra time.

The Paris-based group called for an inquiry and said world soccer's governing body FIFA had recently toughened sanctions against racism.

"It's for this reason that SOS Racism asks in a determined fashion for FIFA to shed light on this altercation and that sanctions laid out in the official rules be applied should this be the case," SOS Racism said.

Zizou is a great player-and unfortunately lost his cool-and sadly went out in his final WC game with a red card. It was obvious that the Italian said something that pushed him over the edge. Footie is renowned for personal abuse on the field as well as off (from the crowd).

I was watching the game in the US, and have to say missed out alot on the understanding of the US commentators. I really missed the European commentary-the US ones, dont see to really get football. I don't mean this in a patronsing way-but you really feel the difference. Anyway, bring on the next WC! I think the beauty of it is always that it really is a world event.

Oh, I don't know anything about the New York Giants-but we bumped into some guy who plays for them called Michael Start-something, who apparently is in the news at the moment for his divorce, where his wife is accusing him of being gay? Anyway, I was talking to one of his friends (who asked me for a smoke)and said that he thought people would know who he was-but we didn't! Who is he?

The tempremental fit thrown by Zidane on field was totally uncalled for and disgraceful. Lucky him, he was on his way out of his career. Whatever one says you cannot turn a footbal field into a bullfight arena, that is exactly what zidane has done. I am shocked and surprised some people are defending him.

It is like Lara headbutting the entire australian team for sledging on ground.

On the contrary Rooney was sent off for nothing. And the worst part is the referee saying that he was red carded for stepping on the genetials of the other player. As if he had received special training to crush the genetials of the opposition.

Amit

I don't know Amt, if someone called my sister a prostitute and my mother a whore-I think I would have decked them even harder than Zizou. Plus using the word terrorist wasn't necessary.

The fact of the matter is, that he was so obviously provoked by the Italian, not once but three times, that with all the pent up frustration and tension, he lost it. Not saying that his reaction was warranted-but he was pushed over the edge.

Anyway, I thought the French played better than the Italians, and going out on penalties is always a bummer. As for Rooney, yep, perhaps it was unfair to red card him-but he was also stupid and lost his cool. There was so much hype around him and his metatarsal-he nevr really delivered this time-but there's always the next one!

Materazzi said: "I held his shirt, for only a few seconds. He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down."

"He said 'if you really want my shirt, you can have it later'. It's true, I shot back with an insult."

"I didn't mention anything about religion, politics or racism,"

"I didn't insult his mother. I lost my mother when I was 15 years old and still get emotional when I talk about it.

"Naturally, I didn't know that his mother was in hospital but I wish her all the best.

"Zidane is my hero and I have always admired him a lot."

"I didn't call Zidane a terrorist and certainly didn't mention his mother. I did not bring up Zidane's mother; for me a mother is sacred."

Zidane is known to be modest, quiet and admittedly shy. However, Zidane has occasionally shown a quick temper on the pitch.

One such display occurred in a 2000/2001 Champions League match between Juventus Turin and Hamburger SV, in which Zidane headbutted Jochen Kientz; he received a red card for this action.

He also received a red card and a two-game suspension for stamping on Saudi Arabia's team captain Fuad Amin in the 1998 World Cup, allegedly in response to an insult.

In extra time of the 2006 World Cup final, he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi.

Overall, he was sent off 14 times in his career.

-Guardian Unlimited, ESPNsoccernet.

"The fact of the matter is, that he was so obviously provoked by the Italian, not once but three times, that with all the pent up frustration and tension, he lost it. Not saying that his reaction was warranted-but he was pushed over the edge."~Kamini

Zidane is a disgrace to soccer. He is a fraud. Whatever he says has no value now. He is trying to justify his actions. He is an Arab and a short-tempered person who has a history of voilent behaviour on the field.

If at all, show some sympathy to the Italian defender who was a victim of Zidane's madness.

WHAT WAS SAID?

BBC Radio Five Live asked a deaf lip reader to read Materazzi's words phonetically to an Italian translator:
She deciphered the insult as being "you're the son of a terrorist whore"

The BBC's Ten O'Clock News called in experts to study the television footage who said:
Materazzi told Zidane to "calm down" before accusing him of being a "liar" and wished "an ugly death to you and your family". This was followed by "Go f*** yourself

from bbc.co.uk

PARIS: French football icon Zinedine 'Zizou' Zidane yesterday said he was sorry for headbutting an Italian opponent during the World Cup final against Italy.

But he said in a French television interview that defender Marco Materazzi had deserved it for insulting him with some "very hard words" aimed at sullying his mother and sister. "I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched that. There was no excuse for it," he said.

"I want to be open and honest about it because it was seen by two or three billion people watching on television and millions and millions of children were watching."

Asked what exactly Materazzi had said, Zidane would only offer that it was "very personal and concerned his mother and his sister."

"You hear those things once and you try to walk away. That's what I wanted to do because I am retiring. You hear it a second time and then a third time ..." Zidane denied Materazzi called him an Islamic "terrorist", as was reported by a Paris-based anti-racism group.

The French skipper was sent-off for the head-butt to Materazzi's chest in the second period of extra-time in Sunday's final in Berlin. Italy went on to win on penalties.

Zidane had been silent over what had made him lose his cool until yesterday's delayed broadcast interview with popular Canal + television sports presenter Michel Denisot.

He said that while he was sorry for all that had happened, he had no regrets about retaliating against Materazzi. "I can't say I have any regrets about what I did because that would be like admitting that he had every reason to say what he said," said Zidane.

"I can't, repeat can't say that. He had no reason to say what he said. It's always the reaction that is sanctioned and not the provoker."

Dramatic

Zidane said that the final had been without any major incidents between the two teams up until his dramatic clash with Materazzi when the Italian had tugged at his shirt. "I told him to stop pulling my shirt and that he could have it if he wanted at the end of the match," he said.

"That was when words were said, very hard words and he said them several times.

"Words can sometimes be harder than actions. They were words that hurt me deep down.

"The real culprit should be sanctioned and the real culprit is him. He provoked it all."

Fifa has launched an investigation into what happened and its chief Sepp Blatter said yesterday that Zidane could lose his award as best player of the tournament.

First of all, what do you mean he is an Arab? And secondly, its football not soccer. Soccer is only used in the States-everywhere else in the world its football.

Dear Kamini,

First of all, what do you mean he is an Arab? ~Kamini
I was only quoting facts Kamini. If you adore him, you should have at least made an attempt to know more about him, rather than asking me to clarify it.
Just wondering, If I say “Guyanese cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan a Hindu is a short tempered person because …..”Do you have a problem?

Some info about ZZ’s Personal life:
Zidane self-identifies as "Kabyle Berber first" and then Algerian and then French [2]. He has two firstnames : Yazid (a Berber first name [3]) and Zinedine (an ARAB name).
He describes himself as a "non-practicing Muslim".
from wiki:
Kabyles, the second Berber group per order of importance after the Chleuhs in Morocco. Their name means "tribe" (from the Arabic "qabîlah" قبيلة). They speak the Kabyle variety of Berber.

Also,
Read the article in 2004 about his rage in The Observer. Follow the link. (People who follow football know all about his short temper on the field and his latest actions are not at all surprising to them. Just before the game began, two of my friends who are passionate about the game were actually discussing about the exact same thing. One of my friends commented that ZZ is going to do something stupid towards the end of the game which he is so prone to do in the club games!)

Article:
ZZ top

World exclusive: Zinedine Zidane's journey from the rough back streets of Marseille to Madrid has been marked by racism, political controversy and superlative football. The world's best player tells Andrew Hussey of his pride in his Algerian heritage, his rage to be the best - and reveals why his talent can still be engulfed by flashes of violence. (Kamini Note, it is a well known fact to him and others. He is inexcusable in this aspect for letting down his country in the greatest game whatever be the reason.)

Sunday April 4, 2004
Link:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1182707,00.html

------

“And secondly, its football not soccer. Soccer is only used in the States-everywhere else in the world its football.” ~Kamini
I said: Zidane is a disgrace to soccer(Post#26)
What exactly is your problem if I choose to use that word? I don’t understand.
I am totally disappointed with your statement. I respect your views and comments in other issues.
It only shows your ignorance. I hope it is not your arrogance. Please, tell me so.
Even so, if I am in America and chose to use the word “Soccer” as you said, what is your problem?
In Any case, “Soccer” is more unambiguous than “Football” and is a word used as a world standard when referring to “Association football”
The English language word football is also applied to
1. Rugby football (Rugby union and Rugby league),(played in many countries)
2. North American football (American and Canadian), (played in America and Canada)
3. Australian rules football(played in Austarlia)
4. and Gaelic football ( played in Ireland)
Please read this article, Why soccer?
Link: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~pstone/why.html

Some excerpts from the article by Garry Archer:
“I am an Englishman that has taken on himself a personal crusade to respond to comments regarding the use of the "American" word for football.”
“To love the game of football is to love it's rich history also. It particularly disturbs me when modern fans of the game less conversed in this history do not fully understand that the word "soccer" is an English, _not_ American word derived from the second syllable of the word "association".”
Kamini, I don’t know if you are passionate about the game or just love the person called Zizou. I do hope you love the game in the future if not now.
“"Soccer" was originally called "association football" during the formation of the Football Association in England in the 1860s.”
“English public schoolboys love to nickname things, then as much as now. The tendency is to add "er" to the end of many words. Rugby [Union] Football became "rugby", and then "rugger". Association Football was better know as "assoccer" and naturally evolved into "soccer" which is much easier for a schoolboy to say...”
“Therefore, the word "soccer" has been used in the mother country of all football-type games since at least the mid-19th century. The word "football", however, was more descriptive of the game (i.e. kicking a ball with the feet!) and was the term more frequently used. The British exported the game, so naturally the word "football" was the name mostly used all over the world. “
“In recent decades it has been noted that the word "soccer" is apparently increasing in usage. The word "football" still appears in formal designations, however, in for example, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The word "soccer" is more commonly used in several countries around the world that play other forms of football.”
“"Football" is the world standard name for "soccer". I always used the word "football" (and still do, wherever I can). The word "soccer", however, is engrained into the origins of the modern game of association football as much as any other aspect of The Game much of the world enjoys today.”

-Reddy

Kamini...and if you are wondering why I have mentioned the fact that he is an Arab, simple answer is he is prone to many choice of insults based on race, religion and personal life on the field. Insults are common in a game like football. (Used to be common in Cricket in the guise of “sledging”, but never saw any cricketer hitting another cricketer when passions run high.)

Dear InnocentVictim,

Of course I'm not arrogant-you should know me better than that through my comments. Far from it. I respect your opinion just as much I hope that you would respect mine. I just question and voice my opinions.

I was just wondering why you emphasised the fact that ZZ is an Arab. Secondly, I love footie, have always partaken in the WC-as a fan and viewer-and my fav team when a youngun was Spurs, now I'm more of a gunners fan.

I was trying to make the point that what he did was not acceptable behaviour-but the fact that he may have been provoked, and already in a highly stressed mental state he snapped.

You are a football fan, so you know how games are. There is always abuse on the field and off it-rascism-dissing their families, wives, etc is constantly hurled at players by fans and players of opposing teams etc. You must know that previously when the black players were on the field, some fans would throw bananas etc etc.

I don't love ZZ, I admire his skill and career, as I do for many footballers. I just tend to look at why someone reacts the way that they do-sometimes they are provoked and sometimes not-but I think from him to carry out such an extreme reaction-something obviously wriled him. You're right, he let his country down and his team mates-and possibly cost them the cup. It was a ridiculous thing to do-and he's paying the price.

As for the word soccer, I grew up in the UK where we always use the word football. No its not a problem for me-its just a word which I don't really relate to.

P.s. Is your name reddy? :-)

Dear Kamini, good to know your footy fan too.
Even if France eventually went to win the WC or france was leading 5-1 at that point, Zidane's voilent reaction in that game is inexcusable. He cannot justify it in any manner. His moment of madness is everything to do with his nature. No point blaming the person who insulted him. This is also the popular opinion of sports media and soccer fans all over the world.

Kamini...yes, my middle name is Reddy.

Hi Innocentvictim,

From now I will call you Reddy.....:-)

i think you are the most handsome man on this planet,never mind the things you write about. i only log on to intent blog to see your photograph :-)

Kamini,

A lot of sledging or exchanging of foul language sometimes happens on field in most of the games. But you don't see a game turning into a boxing/wrestling ring everytime.

Don't tell me if someone says something bad on the roadside about your mother you will start headbutting him straight away.

We all understand Zidane is a handsome man but that does not allow him to headbutt his way in and out of situations.

How can you even think of justifying his action. Looks like people like you want to turn football into HEADBUTTAL.

regards

Amit