World Cup 2006 - Page 24

BigBlue2 · #**576** 07-11-2006, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Materazzi could have called Zidane's mother a camel-fucking whore and it still wouldn't have been reason for Zidane to react as he did. He should have kept his head, period.

Instead ZZ blew his top.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cappuccino

The foreign commentors are starting to really irritate me. It's as if they just can't recognize that the Italians actually won the World Cup on their merits. Where's the recognition? I guess they're shitting their pants cuz well Italians aren't supposed to win!

As hard as it is for me to admit, I'll have to agree with you. Nobody flukes a World Cup win - teams win the World Cup because they deserve to, and Italy did deserve it. They got a lucky penalty against Australia (and they still might have won in extra time or on penalties without it), but apart from that (and the game against the USA, which they should have won) I don't really have a problem with the Italian performances. If you go through a tournament like the World Cup and only concede an own goal and a penalty then you'll go far. They beat Ghana and the Czech Republic (either of which is no mean feat), crushed the Ukraine and knocked out the hosts in the best game of the tournament. In the Final, Italy came from a goal down to equalise, provoked France's best player into getting himself sent off and never looked like losing the penalty shootout, when their record in previous shootouts had been less than stellar.

Enough recognition for you?

TomJoe · #**577** 07-11-2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBlue2

Nobody flukes a World Cup win - teams win the World Cup because they deserve to, and Italy did deserve it. They got a lucky penalty against Australia (and they still might have won in extra time or on penalties without it), but apart from that (and the game against the USA, which they should have won) I don't really have a problem with the Italian performances.

Exactly. If you look at any champion, there is always something (a game or even a particular moment) where it appears they "got lucky". But luck favors the prepared IMO, and luck will only carry you for a moment, not an entire tournament, not even an entire game.

Stormlight · #**578** 07-11-2006, 04:29 PM

According to the German news-magazine Der Spiegel, Materazzi's insults could possibly lead to Italy being disqualified ... in line with the new Fifa regulations against racism.

Der Spiegel (in German)

BDS · #**579** 07-11-2006, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBlue2

In the Final, Italy came from a goal down to equalise, provoked France's best player into getting himself sent off and never looked like losing the penalty shootout, when their record in previous shootouts had been less than stellar.

Enough recognition for you?

I agree that Italy were a worthy (if overly defensive) winner. However, listing "provoked France's best player into getting himself sent off" as one of the positive qualities of the team (similar to "came from a goal down") is ridiculous. Zidane has himself to blame for getting sent off; Materazzi has himself to blame for being despised by football fans around the world.

The latest rumor is that Materazzi was holding Zidane's jersey away from the play. Zidane said, "Quit holding. If you want my shirt, I'll give it to you after the match."

Materazzi said something like, "I don't want your shirt. I'll take off your wife's shirt, instead." It's funny that hot-headed Zidane could get so angry at something as banal as that (if that's actually what was said). But it's hardly a feather in Italy's cap that Materazzi would say it, or would be holding Zidane's jersey away from the play in the first place.

fragment · #**580** 07-11-2006, 04:55 PM

Well, controversies aside, congratulations to Italy. It was fun to be here when they were partying up the other night - imagine hundreds of scooters, cars, motorbikes, scooters, light trucks loaded with excited people, even a tractor, and did I mention scooters? - all doing victory laps of the town square and surrounding streets, blaring their horns in joyful cacophony, waving or draped in enough Italian flags to wallpaper the Vatican, people bringing down drums and dancing and singing, letting off fireworks and flares. 'Twas a good night to be Italian, that's for sure.

TomJoe · #**581** 07-11-2006, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormlight

According to the German news-magazine Der Spiegel, Materazzi's insults could possibly lead to Italy being disqualified ... in line with the new Fifa regulations against racism.

Der Spiegel (in German)

Whatever. They're not going to reverse the World Cup results for trash talking.

livius drusus · #**582** 07-11-2006, 05:52 PM

Every tabloid in the UK has hired lip readers to try to figure out what Materazzi said, and there's a different story from every one. The latest one I heard is that Zidane told him to stop yanking on his shirt, that if he wanted his shirt he'd give it to him at the end of the game, and Materazzi replied that he didn't want Zidane's shirt but would wear Zidane's sister's shirt instead.

Which, if true, would be pretty much the stupidest flame ever.

BDS · #**583** 07-11-2006, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Which, if true, would be pretty much the stupidest flame ever.

Materazzi said, "I did not call him a terrorist. I am not a cultured person and I don't even know what an Islamist terrorist is."

(acc. this article: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...373706&cc=5739)

So we can't expect a prodigy or a genius, can we?

BDS · #**584** 07-11-2006, 10:21 PM

World Cup stars on the move?

Real Madrid has been the rumored destination for Juve stars Cannavoro and Emerson (Juve may be relegated if the game-fixing trial goes badly for them). In addition, Real may sign Ruud Van Nistelroy, Arjen Robben, Kaka (Milan is also in trouble for game-fixing), Cristiano Ronaldo, and Cesc Fabergas, according to the rumor mills.

If they get only half of the above players, Barcelona beware!

BDS · #**585** 07-13-2006, 10:42 PM

The latest updates (not completely reliable, but reasonably entertaining) on exactly what Materazzi said:

http://www.worldcup365.com/story/0,1...326210,00.html

California Tanker · #**586** 09-06-2006, 04:49 AM

We have a statement from Materazzi...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ls/5315618.stm

But Materazzi told Gazzetta dello Sport that Zidane's sister was the subject.

He said: "I was tugging his shirt, he said to me 'if you want my shirt so much I'll give it to you afterwards,' I answered that I'd prefer his sister."

Materazzi added: "It's not a particularly nice thing to say, I recognise that. But loads of players say worse things.

"I didn't even know he had a sister before all this happened."

NTM

Stormlight · #**587** 09-06-2006, 07:03 AM

If that's all Materazzi said, then Zidane is an even greater idiot than I thought. I mean, really.