phucking Europeans. at least in the US we have the decency to keep our racism all bottled up and repressed.
July 11, 2006
Racial Incidents Mar Italy???s World Cup Celebration
By PETER KIEFER
ROME, July 11 ??? Swastikas spray painted in Rome???s ancient Jewish ghetto sullied Italy???s joy after its World Cup victory on Sunday, as did racial comments made by a former government minister about the French team.
Italy???s interior minister, Giuliano Amato, said today that a number of swastikas were daubed on the walls of Rome???s Jewish quarter during the postgame festivities. ???As an Italian I feel ashamed, and as interior minister I am alarmed by such things,??? Mr. Amato reportedly said during a visit to Rome???s main synagogue.
And a number of Italian politicians and the French ambassador to Italy issued a strong rebuke to remarks made by Roberto Calderoli, the former minister of reform and a member of the right-wing National Alliance Party. After the Cup victory he said that the Italians had vanquished a French team that was comprised of ???Negroes, communists and Moslems.??? Italian soccer is no stranger to extremist politics. Italian football matches are often used as a platform for far-right fans to express racist sentiments.
There is no love lost between Italian fans and the French, especially France???s star Zinedine Zidane, who was sent off in the waning minutes of the World Cup final for head-butting the Italian defender, Marco Materazzi, apparently after being taunted. Mr. Zidane and members of his family have emerged as a favorite target of Italian insults. Some of those relatives have reportedly said they believed Mr. Materazzi had called Mr. Zidane a ???terrorist,?????? a charge the Italian player has denied.
As for Mr. Calderoli, this is his latest brush with controversy. During the international crisis over the publishing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, Mr. Calderoli was forced to resign from his ministerial post earlier this year after making statements supporting the use of force against Muslims and wearing a T-shirt on national television with one of the cartoons emblazoned on it.
Mr. Calderoli???s television appearance precipitated attacks on the Italian embassy in Libya in which at least 11 people were killed and dozens injured.
After the climactic game Sunday, there were brief clashes between the police and bottle-throwing rowdies in Rome???s city center. On Monday, hundreds of thousands of fans joyously welcomed the arrival of their world champion team at the Circus Maximus in Rome.
With all the ridiculously racist allegations being throw around here and there, here's the other side of the story... So far... It certainly stands to reason that Zidane may embellish the story as well in order to garner the sympathetic vote...
Materazzi, 32, told Gazetta dello Sport: 'I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering.
'He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said, 'If you really want my shirt I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true.'
Materazzi has not elaborated on what he did say, but one report suggested he responded with: 'I'd rather take the shirt off your wife'.
He has denied, however, some of the more vile insults referring to his wife or sister or calling him a terrorist.
'It was one of those insults you're told dozens of times and that you often let fall on a pitch,' Materazzi said.
dude is a straight up douche of the romo/rodney harrison/bill laimbeer variety over in serie a, and i'm sure zidane and him have history, and personally i feel its a tragedy he survived the headbutt
dude is a straight up douche of the romo/rodney harrison/bill laimbeer variety over in serie a, and i'm sure zidane and him have history, and personally i feel its a tragedy he survived the headbutt
I'm nothing if not biased, but Romo and Harrison/Laimbeer don't belong in the same padded cell or paragraph.
And Odub...you should stop WRITING son...you've been writing all the time man. You need to put down the pen, or in this case, put down the laptop. Im really worrying about your health right here...and maybe your future reviews in magazines. They will be affected sooner or later by all the shit you're reading and hearing and writing here and there. Why the fuck you talk about football and zidane and so on when your experience is SO limited. Bow down and shut up for once...you'll learn more by stepping out the ring sometimes. You'll get wiser actually. Right now you wanna show off too much. Your opinions are not so "good looking" and your knowledges in various fields does not entitled you to speak about any damn thing in this World. With that say, good luck with your writings bro'...
All you non-football fans lack perspective because frankly, you have not seen Zidane's entire career play out. Dude worked his ass off to get to where he is today. He was never heralded as the second coming, he grinded his way to the top.
A lot of folks are calling for his head based on this one blemish. All I'm saying is folks need to ease back like ultra and see it for what it is, a momentary lapse in judgement.
Race relations have always been patchy in Italian football, serie a lacks control of their fans/players. Look at Di Canio, that dude is a total loose cannon. Plus the match fixing scandal is about to come down, overall Italian football is in a troubled state.
Imagine the Yankees being guilty of match fixing, and as a result have to be demoted to AA ball as punishment. That is the suggested punishment facing Juventus right now, the champs of serie a for the past two seasons.
A lot of folks are calling for his head based on this one blemish. All I'm saying is folks need to ease back like ultra and see it for what it is, a momentary lapse in judgement.
Damn, I just used that Ultra "Ease Back" reference five pages ago -- glad to see I'm not the only one reaching back to the Golden Age for a simile (extra points if you would've thrown "Momentary Lapse of Reason" in there by Von Love, but I digress)...
Lets be honest here -- it's hardly just ONE blemish... He's had three or four in other big competitions (Champion's League, WC, etc.)... Despite his talent, he's a hot-head and I, for one, commend Materazzi for getting in his dome (not to mention catching it in his chest)... That's what sports is about... If a guy can't handle a bit of trash talking, that's his problem... Materazzi should not be blamed for anything in this... He did what thousands of players do every Saturday/Sunday on the pitch...
Zizou was exposed for the herb he is... Brilliant player who can't control himself...
Race relations have always been patchy in Italian football, serie a lacks control of their fans/players. Look at Di Canio, that dude is a total loose cannon.
Spain is 100x worse than Italy if you want to start speaking of race relations in football... As a matter of fact, no European country is without their issues... A shame that such a small group of fans make such an impact...
Odd how a wackjob like Di Canio won the FIFA Fair Play award in 2001... He's a lunatic, but I don't think it's fair you point him out as if he's a manifestation of race relations in Italian football... Every league has one...
I did find it humorous when:
"The previous December, in a match against Everton, in a noteworthy display of sportsmanship, Di Canio shunned a goal scoring opportunity and caught the ball while the Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured on the ground. FIFA described the act as 'a special act of good sportsmanship.'"
One moment, he's doing something incredibly upstanding as that, the next he's making a facist symbol on his way off the field...
Plus the match fixing scandal is about to come down, overall Italian football is in a troubled state.
I'd hardly classify "Italian Football" as 4 teams (3 of which will be back in Serie A next year and full of cash to spend, 4 if Juve only get dropped to B instead of C)... Sure, Juve and Milan were involved, but Lazio and Fiorentina aren't perennial powerhouses... Decent enough teams with pedigree, but to intimate "overall Italian football" is in a "troubled state" overdramatizes it a bit...
Imagine the Yankees being guilty of match fixing, and as a result have to be demoted to AA ball as punishment. That is the suggested punishment facing Juventus right now, the champs of serie a for the past two seasons.
The analogy is on-point, but the reality isn't... The Yankees would probably catch fines and some sort of salary cap restrictions, but not demotion...
Zizou was exposed for the herb he is... Brilliant player who can't control himself...
That's the point, he is still a brilliant player. People are discrediting his brilliance in light of his temper. There have been legions of hot heads in soccer, and there will continue to be. That is what makes them entertaining and dominating. Take the fire out of Keane and Cantona, and you would not have the same player. Not everybody can be a perfect gentlemen like Pele, there are various models of greatness to subscribe to. That is my point.
Spain is 100x worse than Italy if you want to start speaking of race relations in football... As a matter of fact, no European country is without their issues... A shame that such a small group of fans make such an impact...
Odd how a wackjob like Di Canio won the FIFA Fair Play award in 2001... He's a lunatic, but I don't think it's fair you point him out as if he's a manifestation of race relations in Italian football... Every league has one...
Sure, Spain might be equally guilty or worst, but that doesn't hide the fact there is a dark racial undertone in Italian soccer/politics. I am just using Di Canio as an example, he does represent a portion of right wing Italian fans. There are obviously worst examples in all of sports, but that will lead to another meandering debate, totally sidetracking the conversation. The point is not to one up the other person w/ a more flagrant example so to speak. Heck we can talk about Ty Cobb, best hitter in the game, hall of famer, and known racist. There are examples of that in every sport, no need to drag it on.
I'd hardly classify "Italian Football" as 4 teams (3 of which will be back in Serie A next year and full of cash to spend, 4 if Juve only get dropped to B instead of C)... Sure, Juve and Milan were involved
count the # of players on the world cup squad culled from Juventus & AC Milan. I think that says it all.
The analogy is on-point, but the reality isn't... The Yankees would probably catch fines and some sort of salary cap restrictions, but not demotion...
it wasn't supposed to be the perfect analogy, football administration is unlike anything in the N. American sporting model. It's just to give a parallel comparison that non-soccer fans (mostly n. american) can relate to.
With all the ridiculously racist allegations being throw around here and there, here's the other side of the story... So far... It certainly stands to reason that Zidane may embellish the story as well in order to garner the sympathetic vote...
Materazzi, 32, told Gazetta dello Sport: 'I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering.
'He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said, 'If you really want my shirt I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true.'
Materazzi has not elaborated on what he did say, but one report suggested he responded with: 'I'd rather take the shirt off your wife'.
He has denied, however, some of the more vile insults referring to his wife or sister or calling him a terrorist.
'It was one of those insults you're told dozens of times and that you often let fall on a pitch,' Materazzi said.
just to be clear: to suggest that Materazzi said some racist shit to Zidane is not in itself a "racist allegation" but an "allegation of racism."
a lot of those excellent headbutting Zidane animated GIFs (including my favorite... the sniper kitty) are dead links now... anyone know where those were originally posted from or where i can find more?? shit is hilarious!! internet folklore blows me away... the fact that there were this many of these graphics before a full 24 hours had passed since it had actually happened... blows my mind!
Points well taken, however, I'm going to need further explanation on this one (either I'm missing the point or it's late and I'm just not seeing it):
count the # of players on the world cup squad culled from Juventus & AC Milan. I think that says it all.
What does it say other than half the squad came from these two teams??? Are you suggesting Italian football is in trouble because a good chunk of these players will sign outrageous contracts to play overseas for a few years (only to return to Italy once the penalties are overcome)???
It doesn't change the level of talent on the national team... There is nothing that would suggest future talent would be adversely affected (hell, look at Italy's continual success in U21 tournaments)... The four teams will be back in a year (two at most)... And the foreign players that leave will most come back in one form or another for the money that Juve and Milan have to throw around...
A year or two from now and it will be all forgotten...
Now, if you're suggesting Italian football is in trouble because it's a black eye on the league -- most specifically Juve -- I'm with you... League officials will have to do some damage control, but Italians are used to it... This obviously isn't the first and won't be the last time something like this happens... It's cultural...
Materazzi is denying that he said anything remotely racist. He admits that he called him out of his name but that he said something that is heard on the pitch often during matches. I think he called Zidane a silly bitch. My guess is that Zizou would have come forward with it by now if were a racial slur. Here's to looking forward to one uncomfortable press conference in Gaul by week's end.
I'm concerned w/ the long term reprecussions, some of these teams might not have the financial prowess to bounce back. Namely Lazio, who has faced financial hardship for the past several years. In fact, numerous teams owe the Italian government hundreds of millions in back taxes.
Sure, short term, the current crop of Italian players are set. However, w/ the fire sale of players resulting from the fallout, many will be leaving serie a. Real Madrid has been linked w/ any and everybody the past few weeks, and will look to gobble up the big names. The success of Italy resulted from the development of their domestic league. With much of the team comprised of domestic teammates, cohesiveness was one of their strenghts. Having that many of their starting 11 play abroad will disrupt the flow of the team in the long term. Trust me, they'll leave, no other team save Inter will have the $ to spend on these players.
Will these teams be able to bounce back from relegation once their first choices are poached by everybody? They will lose millions from lack of serie a and champions league tv revenue alone. Then you add up the corporate advertising, plus the downturn in attendance. They're certainly not guaraneteed a return to top flight football after on year.
Finally, we're not just talking about one team, this is Juventus here, one of the crown jewels of calcio. I think the ramifications will reach much further than either you or I could imagine. The suicide attempt by Gianluca Pessotto tells me things are indeed bugaboo.
I'm concerned w/ the long term reprecussions, some of these teams might not have the financial prowess to bounce back.
money is NO issue for those teams. it's not the first time that the big italian clubs are doing crazy things and i'm glad the league finally decided to do sth about it.
sorry dude you're wrong, read up on your read ups.
A financial scandal involving Cragnotti and his food products multinational Cirio forced him to leave the club in 2002, and Lazio was controlled until 2004 by caretaker financial managers and a bank pool. It was subsequently sold to enterpreneur Claudio Lotito, who is the current majority share owner. That summer, 36-year old former Lazio star Paolo Di Canio accepted to join the club he supported as a youth, taking a 75% paycut. The 2005-2006 season saw Lazio lose veterans such as Fernando Couto, Paolo Negro and Giuliano Giannichedda who were let go by the club, among other things, to lower its salary expenditure
sorry dude you're wrong, read up on your read ups.
A financial scandal involving Cragnotti and his food products multinational Cirio forced him to leave the club in 2002, and Lazio was controlled until 2004 by caretaker financial managers and a bank pool. It was subsequently sold to enterpreneur Claudio Lotito, who is the current majority share owner. That summer, 36-year old former Lazio star Paolo Di Canio accepted to join the club he supported as a youth, taking a 75% paycut. The 2005-2006 season saw Lazio lose veterans such as Fernando Couto, Paolo Negro and Giuliano Giannichedda who were let go by the club, among other things, to lower its salary expenditure
real madrid has like ??? 500 million debts. same goes for most serie a clubs. they have private sponsors to keep things running. those clubs are crazy when it comes to finances. none of those clubs would ever be punished for having huge debts. money doesn't play a role in the serie a. lazio might have lost a sponsor. but they still have enough money to bribe the referees. and at the end of the season, they still have enough money to buy new players. financial issues are very temporary for those clubs. it shows how badly those clubs are being managed. all of the sudden, the club notices that it has to step short on thier finances and the very next moment, it is able to pay some big money for new players. i've been following those issues for a long time. it always bugged me to see real madrid speding billions, raising their debts like madmen and NEVER getting punished for that. what a foul game...
so i'd be glad to see teams that cheated being relegated. even the italian fans demand for a hard punishment. i guess they are fed up with all the cheating and the intransparent financial business going on in the serie a. a fine would be inappropriate. in that case, berlusconi (ac milan) would step in. or some other guy for those other clubs.
a very bad look for the players, but hey, i bet they knew what was going on.
ZIDANE WILL SPEAK ON FRENCH TV (CANAL +) THIS EVENING AT 8 PM (FRENCH TIME). I GUESS IT WON'T BRING ANYTHING REALLY NEW (WE ALL UNDERSTOOD WHAT HAPPENED AND ALREADY DISCUSSED TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT) BUT AT LEAST I HOPE HE WILL BE ABLE TO SEND A POSITIVE MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH, LITTLE FRENCH DUDES OF 7 YEARS OLD ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT THAT EVERY DAY ALL DAY... JUST LIKE WE DO!
Zidane confirmed he said something about his mom and sister... Materazzi said he didn't say anything about his mom, but didn't rule out the sister... Zidane said he was sorry it went down, but isn't sorry for what he did... Materazzi said Zidane is his hero and he admired him alot...
Zidane confirmed he said something about his mom and sister... Materazzi said he didn't say anything about his mom, but didn't rule out the sister... Zidane said he was sorry it went down, but isn't sorry for what he did... Materazzi said Zidane is his hero and he admired him alot...
It's done...
ITALIA CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!
Michel Denisot lui a demand?? si la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? les tablo??ds anglais qui, s'appuyant sur des sp??cialistes de la lecture labiale, ont accus?? l'Italien d'avoir dit : "On sait tous que tu es le fils d'une pute terroriste."[/b] Zidane a juste r??pondu : "Ben oui"[/b].
Zidane confirmed he said something about his mom and sister... Materazzi said he didn't say anything about his mom, but didn't rule out the sister... Zidane said he was sorry it went down, but isn't sorry for what he did... Materazzi said Zidane is his hero and he admired him alot...
It's done...
ITALIA CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!
Michel Denisot lui a demand?? si la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? les tablo??ds anglais qui, s'appuyant sur des sp??cialistes de la lecture labiale, ont accus?? l'Italien d'avoir dit : "On sait tous que tu es le fils d'une pute terroriste."[/b] Zidane a juste r??pondu : "Ben oui"[/b].
i]Michel Denisot lui a demand?? si la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? les tablo??ds anglais qui, s'appuyant sur des sp??cialistes de la lecture labiale, ont accus?? l'Italien d'avoir dit : "On sait tous que tu es le fils d'une pute terroriste."[/b] Zidane a juste r??pondu : "Ben oui"[/b].[/i]
ca veut dire quoi exactement "la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? "?
A simplist translation:
Michel Denisot (the interviewer) asked him if realness was suiting to what was said by english newspapers who hired "people who can read on lips": "We all know you're the son of a terrorist bitch". Zidane just answered "Yes".
As sheduled, Zidane made strong apologies to the youth and to all the persons who are supporting him, said he acted badly but also said he just can't regret this act , having regrets would mean that Materazzi was right to be so arrogant and insulting.
Michel Denisot (the interviewer) asked him if realness was suiting to what was said by english newspapers who hired "people who can read on lips": "We all know you're the son of a terrorist bitch". Zidane just answered "Yes".
As sheduled, Zidane made strong apologies to the youth and to all the persons who are supporting him, said he acted badly but also said he just can't regret this act , having regrets would mean that Materazzi was right to be so arrogant and insulting.
And Materazzi said he didn't...
According to "Gazzetta Dello Sport" he replied with the following,
"Non gli ho detto nulla che riguardasse razzismo, religione e politica. Non ho parlato neppure della madre. Ho perso la mamma a 15 anni e ancora adesso mi commuovo a parlarne. Naturalmente non sapevo che la sua fosse in ospedale, le faccio i miei migliori auguri". E su Zidane ha aggiunto: "E' da sempre il mio mito, lo ammiro molto".
A simplist translation:
I said nothing regarding race, religion, or politics. I didn't say anything about his mother either. I lost my mom when I was 15 and it still hurts to speak about it. Naturally I didn't know she was in the hospital - I give her my best wishes. And about Zidane he continued, "He is a hero of mine and I admire him a lot".
Michel Denisot (the interviewer) asked him if realness was suiting to what was said by english newspapers who hired "people who can read on lips": "We all know you're the son of a terrorist bitch". Zidane just answered "Yes".
As sheduled, Zidane made strong apologies to the youth and to all the persons who are supporting him, said he acted badly but also said he just can't regret this act , having regrets would mean that Materazzi was right to be so arrogant and insulting.
And Materazzi said he didn't...
Zidane jusn't wouldn't have fucked up the last 10 minutes of his career for peanuts. Materazzi's profile tells me he's a liar plus beeing arrogant and insulting. End of the story.
Comments
July 11, 2006
Racial Incidents Mar Italy???s World Cup Celebration
By PETER KIEFER
ROME, July 11 ??? Swastikas spray painted in Rome???s ancient Jewish ghetto sullied Italy???s joy after its World Cup victory on Sunday, as did racial comments made by a former government minister about the French team.
Italy???s interior minister, Giuliano Amato, said today that a number of swastikas were daubed on the walls of Rome???s Jewish quarter during the postgame festivities. ???As an Italian I feel ashamed, and as interior minister I am alarmed by such things,??? Mr. Amato reportedly said during a visit to Rome???s main synagogue.
And a number of Italian politicians and the French ambassador to Italy issued a strong rebuke to remarks made by Roberto Calderoli, the former minister of reform and a member of the right-wing National Alliance Party. After the Cup victory he said that the Italians had vanquished a French team that was comprised of ???Negroes, communists and Moslems.??? Italian soccer is no stranger to extremist politics. Italian football matches are often used as a platform for far-right fans to express racist sentiments.
There is no love lost between Italian fans and the French, especially France???s star Zinedine Zidane, who was sent off in the waning minutes of the World Cup final for head-butting the Italian defender, Marco Materazzi, apparently after being taunted. Mr. Zidane and members of his family have emerged as a favorite target of Italian insults. Some of those relatives have reportedly said they believed Mr. Materazzi had called Mr. Zidane a ???terrorist,?????? a charge the Italian player has denied.
As for Mr. Calderoli, this is his latest brush with controversy. During the international crisis over the publishing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, Mr. Calderoli was forced to resign from his ministerial post earlier this year after making statements supporting the use of force against Muslims and wearing a T-shirt on national television with one of the cartoons emblazoned on it.
Mr. Calderoli???s television appearance precipitated attacks on the Italian embassy in Libya in which at least 11 people were killed and dozens injured.
After the climactic game Sunday, there were brief clashes between the police and bottle-throwing rowdies in Rome???s city center. On Monday, hundreds of thousands of fans joyously welcomed the arrival of their world champion team at the Circus Maximus in Rome.
if matefozzi said something racist
well well i ll go get a pizza now
and check the news again later
Materazzi, 32, told Gazetta dello Sport: 'I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering.
'He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said, 'If you really want my shirt I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true.'
Materazzi has not elaborated on what he did say, but one report suggested he responded with: 'I'd rather take the shirt off your wife'.
He has denied, however, some of the more vile insults referring to his wife or sister or calling him a terrorist.
'It was one of those insults you're told dozens of times and that you often let fall on a pitch,' Materazzi said.
I'm nothing if not biased, but Romo and Harrison/Laimbeer don't belong in the same padded cell or paragraph.
Wow.
You have problems, dude.
A lot of folks are calling for his head based on this one blemish. All I'm saying is folks need to ease back like ultra and see it for what it is, a momentary lapse in judgement.
Race relations have always been patchy in Italian football, serie a lacks control of their fans/players. Look at Di Canio, that dude is a total loose cannon. Plus the match fixing scandal is about to come down, overall Italian football is in a troubled state.
Imagine the Yankees being guilty of match fixing, and as a result have to be demoted to AA ball as punishment. That is the suggested punishment facing Juventus right now, the champs of serie a for the past two seasons.
Damn, I just used that Ultra "Ease Back" reference five pages ago -- glad to see I'm not the only one reaching back to the Golden Age for a simile (extra points if you would've thrown "Momentary Lapse of Reason" in there by Von Love, but I digress)...
Lets be honest here -- it's hardly just ONE blemish... He's had three or four in other big competitions (Champion's League, WC, etc.)... Despite his talent, he's a hot-head and I, for one, commend Materazzi for getting in his dome (not to mention catching it in his chest)... That's what sports is about... If a guy can't handle a bit of trash talking, that's his problem... Materazzi should not be blamed for anything in this... He did what thousands of players do every Saturday/Sunday on the pitch...
Zizou was exposed for the herb he is... Brilliant player who can't control himself...
Spain is 100x worse than Italy if you want to start speaking of race relations in football... As a matter of fact, no European country is without their issues... A shame that such a small group of fans make such an impact...
Odd how a wackjob like Di Canio won the FIFA Fair Play award in 2001... He's a lunatic, but I don't think it's fair you point him out as if he's a manifestation of race relations in Italian football... Every league has one...
I did find it humorous when:
"The previous December, in a match against Everton, in a noteworthy display of sportsmanship, Di Canio shunned a goal scoring opportunity and caught the ball while the Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured on the ground. FIFA described the act as 'a special act of good sportsmanship.'"
One moment, he's doing something incredibly upstanding as that, the next he's making a facist symbol on his way off the field...
I'd hardly classify "Italian Football" as 4 teams (3 of which will be back in Serie A next year and full of cash to spend, 4 if Juve only get dropped to B instead of C)... Sure, Juve and Milan were involved, but Lazio and Fiorentina aren't perennial powerhouses... Decent enough teams with pedigree, but to intimate "overall Italian football" is in a "troubled state" overdramatizes it a bit...
The analogy is on-point, but the reality isn't... The Yankees would probably catch fines and some sort of salary cap restrictions, but not demotion...
I saw holding...
That's the point, he is still a brilliant player. People are discrediting his brilliance in light of his temper. There have been legions of hot heads in soccer, and there will continue to be. That is what makes them entertaining and dominating. Take the fire out of Keane and Cantona, and you would not have the same player. Not everybody can be a perfect gentlemen like Pele, there are various models of greatness to subscribe to. That is my point.
Sure, Spain might be equally guilty or worst, but that doesn't hide the fact there is a dark racial undertone in Italian soccer/politics. I am just using Di Canio as an example, he does represent a portion of right wing Italian fans. There are obviously worst examples in all of sports, but that will lead to another meandering debate, totally sidetracking the conversation. The point is not to one up the other person w/ a more flagrant example so to speak. Heck we can talk about Ty Cobb, best hitter in the game, hall of famer, and known racist. There are examples of that in every sport, no need to drag it on.
count the # of players on the world cup squad culled from Juventus & AC Milan. I think that says it all.
it wasn't supposed to be the perfect analogy, football administration is unlike anything in the N. American sporting model. It's just to give a parallel comparison that non-soccer fans (mostly n. american) can relate to.
just to be clear: to suggest that Materazzi said some racist shit to Zidane is not in itself a "racist allegation" but an "allegation of racism."
i'll shut up now...
What does it say other than half the squad came from these two teams??? Are you suggesting Italian football is in trouble because a good chunk of these players will sign outrageous contracts to play overseas for a few years (only to return to Italy once the penalties are overcome)???
It doesn't change the level of talent on the national team... There is nothing that would suggest future talent would be adversely affected (hell, look at Italy's continual success in U21 tournaments)... The four teams will be back in a year (two at most)... And the foreign players that leave will most come back in one form or another for the money that Juve and Milan have to throw around...
A year or two from now and it will be all forgotten...
Now, if you're suggesting Italian football is in trouble because it's a black eye on the league -- most specifically Juve -- I'm with you... League officials will have to do some damage control, but Italians are used to it... This obviously isn't the first and won't be the last time something like this happens... It's cultural...
Sure, short term, the current crop of Italian players are set. However, w/ the fire sale of players resulting from the fallout, many will be leaving serie a. Real Madrid has been linked w/ any and everybody the past few weeks, and will look to gobble up the big names. The success of Italy resulted from the development of their domestic league. With much of the team comprised of domestic teammates, cohesiveness was one of their strenghts. Having that many of their starting 11 play abroad will disrupt the flow of the team in the long term. Trust me, they'll leave, no other team save Inter will have the $ to spend on these players.
Will these teams be able to bounce back from relegation once their first choices are poached by everybody? They will lose millions from lack of serie a and champions league tv revenue alone. Then you add up the corporate advertising, plus the downturn in attendance. They're certainly not guaraneteed a return to top flight football after on year.
Finally, we're not just talking about one team, this is Juventus here, one of the crown jewels of calcio. I think the ramifications will reach much further than either you or I could imagine. The suicide attempt by Gianluca Pessotto tells me things are indeed bugaboo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/5150260.stm
ps: I would love to see Gattuso in a man u kit. Ideal replacement for Keane.
money is NO issue for those teams.
it's not the first time that the big italian clubs are doing crazy things and i'm glad the league finally decided to do sth about it.
real madrid has like ??? 500 million debts. same goes for most serie a clubs. they have private sponsors to keep things running. those clubs are crazy when it comes to finances. none of those clubs would ever be punished for having huge debts. money doesn't play a role in the serie a. lazio might have lost a sponsor. but they still have enough money to bribe the referees. and at the end of the season, they still have enough money to buy new players. financial issues are very temporary for those clubs. it shows how badly those clubs are being managed. all of the sudden, the club notices that it has to step short on thier finances and the very next moment, it is able to pay some big money for new players.
i've been following those issues for a long time. it always bugged me to see real madrid speding billions, raising their debts like madmen and NEVER getting punished for that. what a foul game...
so i'd be glad to see teams that cheated being relegated. even the italian fans demand for a hard punishment. i guess they are fed up with all the cheating and the intransparent financial business going on in the serie a.
a fine would be inappropriate. in that case, berlusconi (ac milan) would step in. or some other guy for those other clubs.
a very bad look for the players, but hey, i bet they knew what was going on.
Zidane confirmed he said something about his mom and sister... Materazzi said he didn't say anything about his mom, but didn't rule out the sister... Zidane said he was sorry it went down, but isn't sorry for what he did... Materazzi said Zidane is his hero and he admired him alot...
It's done...
ITALIA CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!
Michel Denisot lui a demand?? si la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? les tablo??ds anglais qui, s'appuyant sur des sp??cialistes de la lecture labiale, ont accus?? l'Italien d'avoir dit : "On sait tous que tu es le fils d'une pute terroriste."[/b] Zidane a juste r??pondu : "Ben oui"[/b].
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3242,36-794882@51-734920,0.html
ca veut dire quoi exactement "la r??alit?? "recoupait" ce qu'avaient rapport?? "?
= Materazzi deserved it.
Did you forget the sarcasm graemlin?
A simplist translation:
Michel Denisot (the interviewer) asked him if realness was suiting to what was said by english newspapers who hired "people who can read on lips": "We all know you're the son of a terrorist bitch". Zidane just answered "Yes".
As sheduled, Zidane made strong apologies to the youth and to all the persons who are supporting him, said he acted badly but also said he just can't regret this act , having regrets would mean that Materazzi was right to be so arrogant and insulting.
And Materazzi said he didn't...
According to "Gazzetta Dello Sport" he replied with the following,
"Non gli ho detto nulla che riguardasse razzismo, religione e politica. Non ho parlato neppure della madre. Ho perso la mamma a 15 anni e ancora adesso mi commuovo a parlarne. Naturalmente non sapevo che la sua fosse in ospedale, le faccio i miei migliori auguri". E su Zidane ha aggiunto: "E' da sempre il mio mito, lo ammiro molto".
A simplist translation:
I said nothing regarding race, religion, or politics. I didn't say anything about his mother either. I lost my mom when I was 15 and it still hurts to speak about it. Naturally I didn't know she was in the hospital - I give her my best wishes. And about Zidane he continued, "He is a hero of mine and I admire him a lot".
Zidane jusn't wouldn't have fucked up the last 10 minutes of his career for peanuts. Materazzi's profile tells me he's a liar plus beeing arrogant and insulting. End of the story.