General Football/Soccer Talk

Decided to make one of these to throw general football news in which isnt transfer related, thinking more down the lines of league results, disputes and such when the season starts. If it seems redundant a mad can remove it if need be.


Heres my first contribution.

Materazzi: Gives his side of story



Marco Materazzi has admitted insulting Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final but denies referring to terrorism or the France captain's mother.



Italy defender Materazzi was the victim of a vicious Zidane headbutt that led to the French talisman being sent off during extra-time in Sunday night's showpiece in Berlin.

There have been several theories as to what Materazzi actually said to bring about Zidane's amazing reaction.

But the former Everton man told Gazzetta Dello Sport he definitely did not call the French skipper a terrorist, and claims he did not insult the midfielder's mother either.

Materazzi said: "I held Zidane's shirt for a few seconds. He turned to me, looked at me from top to bottom with utmost arrogance and said: 'If you really want my shirt, I'll give it to you afterwards'. I answered him with an insult.

"It was the type of insult that we've heard before so many times on the pitch, and sometimes we don't even notice it.

"What's sure is that I never called him a terrorist: I am not cultured and I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is. My sole terrorist is her...," added the 32-year-old, pointing at his sleeping 10-month-old daughter.

"I certainly did not talk about Zidane's mother. For me, mothers are sacred," he added.

At least we hear it from one guys mouth, would love to hear it coming from Zidane's and not his agent's.

Juve appoint Deschamps



Juventus have named Didier Deschamps as their new coach.

Deschamps replaces Fabio Capello at Stadio Delle Alpi after he stepped down to take over at Real Madrid last week.

The World Cup winner is highly-regarded at Juve after a successful playing career in Turin.

The former Monaco boss has signed a two-year deal with the Bianconeri.

Deschamps revealed last month that he was willing to join Juventus even if they are relegated as punishment for their part in an investigation into match-fixing.

Deschamps has been out of work since September 2005 after leaving Monaco and he will be given the task of leading Juve back to Serie A if, as expected, they are demoted.

Last edited by dada on Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:12 am, edited 11 times in total.

Materazzi's an asshole! I don't believe any word he says. When he broke the nose/lip of that Atalanta/Siena/Messina (uhm...yeah, I don't which team it is) he said he didn't do it too, so I don't think anyone has to believe his words.
Anyways...Didier Deschamps to Juve?? Fuck Yeahhh!!!!

My sole terrorist is her...," added the 32-year-old, pointing at his sleeping 10-month-old daughter.

What? He called his daughter a terrorist

Yes... Indeed, he isn't just ignorant...he's stupid.

Fifa says Zidane could be stripped of award



MILAN, Italy (AP) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Zinedine Zidane could be stripped of his Golden Ball award for the best player at the World Cup due to violent conduct.

"The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA, but by an international commission of journalists," Blatter said in Wednesday's La Repubblica. "That said, FIFA's executive committee has the right, and the duty, to intervene when faced with behavior contrary to the ethic of the sport."

Zidane head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after the two exchanged words on the field in extra time of Sunday's World Cup final. He was sent off and Italy won its fourth title on penalties.

FIFA's disciplinary committee opened an inquiry Tuesday into Zidane's behavior. World soccer's governing body has declined to say whether Materazzi's conduct is also being investigated.

Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball on Monday -- ahead of Italy's Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo -- but the ballot box was open until after the end of the final, making it unclear how many votes were cast before or after the incident.

Blatter said he was "very hurt" by Zidane's violent reaction and that "to see him act like that made me feel bad, for him and for fair play."

"I was told that at the end of the game the French federation executives asked Zidane to go and receive his medal, and he replied that he didn't deserve any medal," Blatter added.

Zidane, who won the World Cup in 1998, had said he would retire after the tournament.

Materazzi has admitted he insulted Zidane, but denies calling him 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.

"I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned round and spoke to me, sneering," the Italy defender said. "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 exactly on 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.

Media reports, based on interpretations by lip-readers, have suggested that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist or insulted his mother or sister. Materazzi denies these claims, too.

"For me, the mother is sacred, you know that," Materazzi told the newspaper.

"I was told that at the end of the game the French federation executives asked Zidane to go and receive his medal, and he replied that he didn't deserve any medal," Blatter added.

If that's true, he obviously regrets what he did. Give him the fucking award!


In related news, Zidane is expected to tell his side of the story on a French show today.

good. we need to hear zidane's side... btw nmaterazzi is a lying bastard, however zidane hasnt always been clean either...

Ah, sweet. A Football thread.

If you havn't heard, Predrag Mijatovic is the new Real Madrid Sporting Director.

Man when they told him to go get his medal he should have. If he would have went out there and like shook Matterazzi's hand or something then gotten the medal, imagine the ovation from that. Besides, it would have made the whole situation less disgraceful.

Ah, sweet. A Football thread.

If you havn't heard, Predrag Mijatovic is the new Real Madrid Sporting Director.

Yeah I have known for a while. He's always mentioned when they talk about proposed transfers. He's supposedly working on the Cesc thing but waiiting on Liverpool to come around.

Zidane Breaks Silence



Zinedine Zidane has elaborated on the chain of events which led to his attack on Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final.

The midfield genius brought the curtain down on one of the world's great careers when seeing red for a headbutt on Materazzi.

Numerous reports have commented on what led Zidane to launch his attack on the Italian defender and the France star has claimed Materazzi insulted both his mother and his sister.

"He (Materazzi) pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them," Zidane told in a live interview on French television channel Canal Plus.


Zidane had kept his own counsel on Sunday's events prior to his interview on French television and he has apologised for his actions - but still feels Materazzi was the guilty party.

"I apologise to all the children who watched the match on Sunday," he stated.

More to follow

I'll post more as it comes out.

Glad to see him finally talk, and be a class act. Materazzi is such a liar.

For those who havent heard:

Italy coach Lippi resigns

By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer
July 12, 2006

AP - Jul 12, 8:11 am EDT
More Photos



ROME (AP) -- Italy coach Marcello Lippi resigned Wednesday, three days after guiding the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup title.

Despite widespread calls for him to stay, Lippi suggested weeks ago that he would resign. He feels he and his son, Davide, were attacked personally in the corruption scandal that has tainted Italian soccer.

"At the end of an extraordinary professional and human experience, experienced as the head of an exceptional group of players ... I believe my role is over as the guide of the Italian national team," Lippi said in a statement.

While he is not under investigation, Lippi was questioned by prosecutors before the World Cup about alleged pressure he received to select certain players for Italy's national team. Davide Lippi is under investigation for his work at player agency GEA World.

"I will continue to coach," Lippi said without elaborating.

Klinsmann steps down as Germany coach

By NESHA STARCEVIC, AP Sports Writer
July 12, 2006

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Juergen Klinsmann, who coached Germany to a third-place finish at the World Cup, stepped down Wednesday and was replaced by his assistant, Joachim Loew.

Klinsmann told reporters he was leaving to spend more time with his California-based family.

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"I feel burned out," said a tearful Klinsmann, adding that he would take a six-month vacation. "I have a great wish to be back with my family and my children."

I've just heard about Lippi on TV. He re-signed just because they won the World Cup.
I think that he would have left his spot of Head Coach if Italy wouldn't have won the World Cup. (Please correct my grammar )

He achieved what he came to do so he steps down being a hero I suppose. Time for the next coach to leave his mark.

Not many coaches these days coach the same team in consecutive World Cup's though.

Media reports, based on interpretations by lip-readers, have suggested that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist or insulted his mother or sister. Materazzi denies these claims, too.

"For me, the mother is sacred, you know that," Materazzi told the newspaper.

"He (Materazzi) pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them," Zidane told in a live interview on French television channel Canal Plus.

Materazzi's such a bastard

I'm kinda dissapointed that Klinsmann resigned. People in Germany were kinda happy with him as coach. I've read that the USA is looking to get him.

Heres a nice little read on what Zidane said.

Simply complex
Zidane's legacy is his elegant game, not a vicious exit


The French singer Jean-Louis Murat summed up Zinédine Zidane like this: "Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or a demon ... He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer."

Murat is a huge Zizou fan and there is a fair dose of truth in those words. His genius has always had a dark side, as evidenced by the 14 red cards he collected in his career. The last month showed him at his best -- when, as one paper put it, he was the only "Brazilian" on the pitch when France played Brazil -- and at his worst, when he head-butted Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final.

His final public appearance, Wednesday night, could have offered some degree of redemption, but, instead, it was more darkness than light.

Zidane said Materazzi provoked him by insulting his mother and sister. And he said that while he apologized to the "children" who had witnessed the incident (but, bizarrely, nobody else who might not have enjoyed seeing a grown man assault another adult) he had no regrets and would do it all over again.

"I tell myself that if things happened this way, it's because somewhere up there it was decided that way," he added.

That last part was perhaps the most absurd. Blaming God -- or whatever deity you believe in -- for your actions borders on the demented. Whatever your religion, one thing they all share is that there is a degree of free will, that God gives you the power to make your own decisions. The "God wanted it that way" defense (and it's not-so-distant cousin the "God made me do it" defense) is particularly hard to swallow.

Beyond that, discovering that Materazzi had "only" insulted Zidane's mother and sister was a bit of a letdown. Anybody who has played any kind of competitive team sport at any level (with the possible exception of volleyball and polo) will have heard a fair amount of trash talking.

It's ugly, sure. It's childish, absolutely. But most people do not snap and head-butt opponents when their mother is insulted, particularly when that insult occurs in the private sphere of two men at close quarters on a soccer pitch.

The fact that Zidane did not elaborate on the nature of the insult only adds to the confusion. What horrible thing could Materazzi have said that would prompt such a reaction in a normal person?

The answer is ... nothing. Insults of that nature hurt the most when they come from someone who actually knows you (or your mother). Materazzi has never met Zidane's mother or his sister. He only knows Zidane as an opponent. And, if he did insult either one, most would have taken it and responded in kind.

Of course, the whole matter of whether Materazzi even insulted Mrs. Zidane is open to debate. The Inter defender denies it in the strongest terms: though he admits to insulting the French captain, albeit in a way which is common in sporting arenas everywhere. Who you believe on this point is a matter of personal choice. I've known Materazzi for eight years, I know that his mother died when he was 15, there is no doubt in my mind that, when it comes to mothers, he treads very carefully. But then, maybe I'm biased, because I know and like Materazzi.

Materazzi pleas his innocence

Marco Materazzi has issued his own statement about the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt.

The Italy defender was the victim of Zidane's violent attack in the dying stages of the World Cup final and he has not emerged unblemished, with speculation rife about what he must have said to provoke such an extreme response.

Numerous different versions have been reported in the media, while the Frenchman has finally broken his silence about the night's events.

Zidane has claimed that Materazzi "pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister" but the Internazionale defender has again pleaded his innocence.

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

"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."

Fifa have launched an official investigation into the dramatic episode.

i dunno really what to think watching espn's broadcast of what he said, he really didnt say too much and they didnt look too much into it, he basically said that materazzi dissed his mom, children... however. i totally agree with what it was said that its just a really quick, uncontrollable reaction that came over zidane. Ive encountered this many times where i've just attacked right at an insult... still goddamn. what was "truely" said must have been really extreme

What a bastard, "Zidane is my hero and I have always admired him a lot". And he's still denying that he insulted his mother and sister. My B.S. meter is going off.

errr i found a transcript of zidane's interview today
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/footbal ... 174758.stm

Nice read.

Materazzi is the biggest bullshitter in football, I hope FIFA fine him.

Last edited by Srbija on Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Materazzi is like one of those illiterate euro's who insult patchmakers that don't release the Euroleague patch straight away.

So Materazzi is a liar because Zidane says he did it? Its really funny how Zidane still has everyone wrapped around his fingers. I cant just sit and say Materazzi is a lying bastard because Zidane may be also. For sure somebody is lying but its just one guy's word to the other. Materazzi has always pleaded the same story and there has been alot of fabrication on the other side. What ever happened to the "terrorist', where did that come from? Whatever the source, just because you hate Italy doesnt make the guy guilty. Zidane is just doing what he has to do to get everyone on his side again.

That headbutt by Zidane was awesome. What pissed me off the most was that the head official missed it, and wasn't going to card him at first. but then replays were shown at the stadium and the assistants felt pressured to say that they caught it as well.

dadamafia, Why else would Zidane headbutt him ? Zidane has never done anything of this sort in his entire professional career and in the last.. what, 10 minutes of his career? He does this.
Materazzi definately said something very nasty, because Zidane has copped shit on the field, but for him to headbutt Materazzi it must've been very bad (I'm thinking it was about his mother & sister)