The flaw in your argument is that Italy wanted Penalties.

They are dreadful at them. Only second time in their history they have won on penalties.

omrow was there :roll:

Do you seriously think they had a chance against France?

"Omrow" wrote:

Do you seriously think they had a chance against France?

Look at the result.

Did you think France had a chance against Brazil?

Did you think Italy had a chance against Germany?

Did you think Argentina whould be knocked out so early?

Yup

france were frustrated....i bet zidane wouldnt have done that if they were winning

Best player in the tournament was Cannavaro, others inclue Pirlo and Gatuuso and Zambrotta....of course they could beat the old age pensioners

"Omrow" wrote:

Salam

Every person watching that game knew that France will win the against Italy.

Zidane is regarded as the greatest football player in the world.

In the World Cup Final on Sunday in Germany, he attacked an Italian player on the field.

Earlier during the match when score was still 1-1, the Italian players had got together and plotted to beat France by any means necessary. The team agreed to try to get the match to drag on until the the penalties. Italians desperately wanted to win the trophy at a time when Italy was facing football corruption and match fixing.

Therefore, they make a plan to get France's best player off the field. Zidane had to be provoked into an act that would ensure a severe punishment. Italian team was well aware Zidane's temper problem.

France would have won this match.

About 10 minutes before the end of the match, the Italian
player Marco Materazzi softly held Zidane from behind and whispered in his ear:

"I slept with your mother last night."

Zidance tried to ignore him. Then Marco said:

"She is an Algerian whore."

At that point Zidane lost it completely.

Marco Materazzi was struck with a fierce blow to the chest.

The Referee ordered the greatest player to be ejected from the tournament.

France went on to lose the world cup.

And Italy won by cheating.

This was all live from Berlin on the BBC. Sunday 9:41 pm BST 9 July 2006.

Omrow

Yes thats true thats more like the Italians they won by cheating and resorting to foul play and name calling. They degraded the name of football to their level, a level of curroption and deceit, shame on them.
If they want the world cup that badly that they will resort to anything then they can shove it up their backside.
Pardon my French.

I was very happy for the [color=blue][i]Azzurri[/i].[/color]

Over the whole tourament they were the best team.

I loved it when they knocked out the Germans.

France was only in the final cos of Zidane.

The rest of their team were average.

It's also funny to hear the French, of all people, complaining about racism and cheating.

What about the dive for their penalty?

Bad losers.

[color=blue][i]Forza Italia! [/i][/color]

France needs more Algerians in there team.

What France have achieved in football in the last 10 years is truly amazing, they will be back to contend again.

As for the Italians, I hope this corruption scandal ruins seria A.

"latifah" wrote:

I was very happy for the [color=blue][i]Azzurri[/i].[/color]

Over the whole tourament they were the best team.

I loved it when they knocked out the Germans.

France was only in the final cos of Zidane.

The rest of their team were average.

It's also funny to hear the French, of all people, complaining about racism and cheating.

What about the dive for their penalty?

Bad losers.

[color=blue][i]Forza Italia! [/i][/color]

so true, so true

shazan and kas are full of sour grapes lol

face it, france LOST and italy didnt cheat..........provocations happen from sunday league to premiership, from england ecuador....all over the world

lol 'resorted to name calling' - zidane is a man, not a child!

kas ur being excessivly harsh on the italians coz of ur bad experience with them, try to remain objective please

plus i've read expert analysis' from skysports to bbc sport, and not one of em said italy didnt desrve to win

france lost becuase trezeguet missed a penalty, barthez didnt save a penalty, italy scored all penalties, and henry cant play as he does for arsenal......nothing more to it.

you sound like english fans when rooney got sent off, blame ronaldo lol

Quote:

Zinedine Zidane has apologised for the headbutt on Italy's Marco Materazzi which earned him a red card in Sunday's World Cup final penalty shoot-out loss.
The France legend did not reveal what Materazzi said, but claimed it was "very personal" and concerned his mother and his sister.

"I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched," Zidane said.

Materazzi responded to the French TV interview with a statement again denying insulting Zidane's mother.

Zidane was sent off for headbutting Materazzi in the chest in the second period of extra-time in Sunday's final in Berlin.

Italian defender Materazzi, who scored the equaliser on Sunday, said: "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."

Zidane appeared on French TV station Canal Plus to explain his actions.

He refused to say sorry to Materazzi and said he did not regret what he did after being provoked by the insults.

"You hear those things once and you try to walk away," said Zidane, who retired from football after the final in Berlin.

"That's what I wanted to do because I am retiring. You hear it a second time and then a third time.

"This was not something to do. I want to make it clear because it was watched by two billion people and by millions of kids.

"I want to apologise to them but I can't regret what I did because it would mean that he (Materazzi) was right to say what he said."

still doesnt justify the headbutt, and we'll never know i guess

sepp blatter wants to strip his award, i hope he does.....only coz i dont think he was best player....i admire him, but he was only the old zidane for one and half match

The waward is not for best player, but for the one who scored the most goals.

Can't take that away.

"Sirus" wrote:

"latifah" wrote:

I was very happy for the [color=blue][i]Azzurri[/i].[/color]

Over the whole tourament they were the best team.

I loved it when they knocked out the Germans.

France was only in the final cos of Zidane.

The rest of their team were average.

It's also funny to hear the French, of all people, complaining about racism and cheating.

What about the dive for their penalty?

Bad losers.

[color=blue][i]Forza Italia! [/i][/color]

so true, so true

shazan and kas are full of sour grapes lol

face it, france LOST and italy didnt cheat..........provocations happen from sunday league to premiership, from england ecuador....all over the world

lol 'resorted to name calling' - zidane is a man, not a child!

kas ur being excessivly harsh on the italians coz of ur bad experience with them, try to remain objective please

plus i've read expert analysis' from skysports to bbc sport, and not one of em said italy didnt desrve to win

france lost becuase trezeguet missed a penalty, barthez didnt save a penalty, italy scored all penalties, and henry cant play as he does for arsenal......nothing more to it.

you sound like english fans when rooney got sent off, blame ronaldo lol

Lol its all good bro, i don't even like football, im only into the world cup coz its the world cup.

Italy is a good team they have won the world cup 4 times now i think.
Its just that i wanted France to win coz theres a few Muslim footaballers in the team and alot of the French popultaion is Muslims. So France winning the world cup will help relations between the Muslims and Non Muslims in France.
Goray love their football they worship the game and France is no exception so if they can see Muslims helping them to win the world cup, maybe then that will be a barrier to help relations.

I'm only look at the wider picture personally i dont like football lol.

lol for a guy who dont like foooty, u got worked up a lot!

i could tell you dont knw much

and admin, he got golden ball....not shoe. Klose won the Shoe for the most goals, zidane jus got for best player

"Sirus" wrote:

and admin, he got golden ball....not shoe. Klose won the Shoe for the most goals, zidane jus got for best player

[color=magenta]lolz "just" got best player i felt quite sorry for him in his statement , when is footie gna start im getting bored[/color]

"Exquisite" wrote:

"Sirus" wrote:

and admin, he got golden ball....not shoe. Klose won the Shoe for the most goals, zidane jus got for best player

[color=magenta]lolz "just" got best player i felt quite sorry for him in his statement , when is footie gna start im getting bored[/color]

oh theres about a month left till the premiership, its gona be fun watching who comes in and out..........btw, ronaldo should be staying now jus hope ruud stays too :? ...add in michael carrick, diarra/duscher/or any1 else we've been linked with.......and were all good to go next season

exquisite, shazan and st george.......watch out, United are back on a mission

my mate has got 3 season tickets next season after 12 years of waiting, so i shud be able to a few matches relatively cheap

BUUUUUT

watch the cricket, starting today..........comon pakistan!!!

[color=magenta]watch out for liverpool if we continue the way we are doing under rafa then surely the premiership is ours, rafa is doing wicked for us, totally wicked geezer, love that song "rafa rafael, rafa rafael rafael benitez" i will be singing that once we clinch the the premiership this season

n sirus man utd not that great remember rooney n ronaldo n rudd all got issues to resolve wow alliteration[/color]

Analogy of Zidane and the Muslim Ummah

Quote:

I am not a soccer fan, but I was drawn to watch the last half of the World Cup match between Italy and France on Sunday, July 9. Part of the magnetic pull was ZinedineZidane, a player whom I had read about briefly and whose profile seemed so unique that I sat down to watch him play his last game, a great soccer player who exemplified the best in sportsmanship, civility and citizenship. In my quest to understand the head-butt incident I ended up making an analogy between him and billion or so Muslims who subscribe to the same faith that he does.

Zidane, the son of Muslim Algerian immigrants to France, rose to prominence in the soccer world despite the many obstacles in his way. He came to be loved by the French, in fact, to be considered quintessentially French. He proudly bore the hopes and dreams of his nation on his shoulders, delivered well when he won the World Cup for France in 1998. He is often spoken of in terms of endearment, lovingly called Zissou by his French countrymen, respected by colleagues and opponents alike for his civility and restraint.

In this World Cup he brilliantly carried France all the way to the finals against Italy. This was to be his last match before retirement, and France was proudly holding its breath for a sendoff that would have honored his distinguished career as a soccer great. Instead, the world was shocked when towards the end of the game, Zidane, apparently after trading some words with another Italian player, turned, took two steps forward and head-butted him in the chest, sending him falling backwards to the ground.

I was shocked and alarmed. Shocked at his conduct in such a public space and alarmed at what the implications would be. I felt betrayed by this great man, who I never knew, yet whom I felt drawn to after reading about him. I immediately thought that he must have been provoked. Materazzi must have said something disgusting to make Zidane react in such a manner. At the same time, I felt that out of respect to his own self and his legacy, and to the millions of people who regard him in high esteem, he should have shown restraint, no matter how ugly the remarks were.

It was then that it occurred to me that what I had just witnessed was a microcosm of the Muslim Ummah, played out in a soccer field before the eyes of the whole world. For me Zidane was the Muslim Ummah, with past glory and achievement crowning his forehead, leading his people to victory, achievement and a respectable place among nations. His opponents were bent on striking him down, and one in particular, Materrazi was an embodiment of the monstrous powers who are bent on occupying, provoking and stereotyping the Muslim Ummah.

And like the Ummah today, the provocation was too much for him. He snapped and did something uncharacteristic because he felt victimized. Perhaps he was called a "dirty terrorist" as some report, or his sister or mother were called by some degrading name as others report. Whatever it was, he lost all sense of where he was, his legacy, his future and the difference he could have made to the game, and fell victim to the deliberate provocative assaults on his person.

I see his reaction as analogous to the protests, flag burnings and other emotional outbursts committed by Muslims against others who may have deliberately provoked them.

Like Zidane, we shock the world when we do things uncharacteristic of our faith, and we betray those who see in us a ray of hope for civilization.

Like Zidane, the Muslim Ummah has suffered provocations and deliberate attempts to tarnish its image, despite great civilizational achievements for a millennium. And like Zidane, we snap when we cannot take it any more.

Like Zidane's suffering of an alleged abuse, we also suffer the abuse of the desecration of our holy symbols, occupation of our lands, colonization, genocide and murder of innocent civilians. And like him, the temptation is to turn our back on history, our legacy of patience and restraint and to lash out without considering whether our actions are ethical or strategic. Kidnappings, bombing of innocent civilians, destruction of property after the cartoon episode are all images that have come to characterize the Ummah.

As Zidane walked away from the field, past the trophy that could have been his, I thought: like him, will the Ummah get red-carded into oblivion, leaving behind a great legacy and squandering our opportunities to make a difference for humanity's future?

Farhad Khadim lives in Toronto, Canada and often gives lectures on topics related to Islam.

Supporting Zidane for me was more than just football.

It was supporting a muslim person who in the west is seen as a hero.

We dont have many but the ones we do have we keep dearly close to our hearts.

"kas" wrote:

Supporting Zidane for me was more than just football.

It was supporting a muslim person who in the west is seen as a hero.

We dont have many but the ones we do have we keep dearly close to our hearts.

its true, but when i support football teams, its for sporting reasons only...based on pure football.

i admire zidane and anelka loads now, and frank ribery for the following:

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-06/17/03.shtml

"Exquisite" wrote:

[color=magenta]watch out for liverpool if we continue the way we are doing under rafa then surely the premiership is ours, rafa is doing wicked for us, totally wicked geezer, love that song "rafa rafael, rafa rafael rafael benitez" i will be singing that once we clinch the the premiership this season

n sirus man utd not that great remember rooney n ronaldo n rudd all got issues to resolve wow alliteration[/color]

continue which way? gettin beat in the league and winning cups? lol

by the way, finally ONE good striker liverpool have....criag bellamy, he's wicked

rooney, ronaldo, ruud - nothing fergie cant sort out

"Sirus" wrote:

"Exquisite" wrote:

[color=magenta]watch out for liverpool if we continue the way we are doing under rafa then surely the premiership is ours, rafa is doing wicked for us, totally wicked geezer, love that song "rafa rafael, rafa rafael rafael benitez" i will be singing that once we clinch the the premiership this season

n sirus man utd not that great remember rooney n ronaldo n rudd all got issues to resolve wow alliteration[/color]

continue which way? gettin beat in the league and winning cups? lol

by the way, finally ONE good striker liverpool have....criag bellamy, he's wicked

rooney, ronaldo, ruud - nothing fergie cant sort out

[color=magenta]glad you acknowledge the fact we got a great striker, we are gna continue improving in the league n win it, after a long wait, ronaldo is gna go real, but rooney he ius ur main man you need him[/color]

"Sirus" wrote:

"kas" wrote:

Supporting Zidane for me was more than just football.

It was supporting a muslim person who in the west is seen as a hero.

We dont have many but the ones we do have we keep dearly close to our hearts.

its true, but when i support football teams, its for sporting reasons only...based on pure football.

i admire zidane and anelka loads now, and frank ribery for the following:

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-06/17/03.shtml

Mashallah, my cousin pointed out to me once in a world cup match that he is a Muslim. He's a good football player too should be a good role model for the yougsters. They need good positive role models such as Ribery to help them through their youth.

Unfortunately i see too many who try to immitate people like 50 cent and Tony Montana, this troubles me.

True, definitely true

just hope ribery finds his way to the old trafford corridors now, and doesnt end up at the emirates stadium....advertinsg and promoting the israeli state

Its a beautiful day in Football today.

(and if you have not guessed I like anarchy. I find it soothing. :twisted: )

Quote:

[size=18]Italian trio relegated to Serie B[/size]

Serie A sides Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina have been demoted to the second division for their involvement in Italy's match-fixing scandal.

AC Milan will stay in Serie A but will lose 15 points and will be kicked out of the Champions League.

Juventus were also stripped of their last two titles and had 30 points deducted, meaning that they are almost certain to stay down for two seasons.

Lazio were penalised seven points while Fiorentina suffered a 12-point penalty.

The decision also means Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina are out of the Champions League and Lazio the Uefa Cup.

The clubs have three days to appeal to the Federal Court.

But they may find they will run out of time to rescue their European places regardless of the outcome of any appeal because the deadline for entry is only 11 days away.

The FIGC (Italian football's governing body) must hand its European counterpart Uefa the lists of teams that will be involved in its competitions by 25 July.

Inter, Roma, Chievo and Palermo, who finished third, fifth and seventh and eighth are in line to take the places of the penalised clubs in next season's Champions League.

Lecce, Messina, and Treviso will avoid relegation to Serie B and keep their places in the top flight as a result of the verdict.

Those directly involved with the scandal were also penalised, with former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi suspended from all football for five years and Adriano Galliani, who was AC Milan vice-president, suspended for one year.

The tribunal in Rome investigated charges that the clubs, their management, football officials and referees tried to influence the outcome of matches by interfering with the appointment of officials.

In May, transcripts were published of telephone conversations between Moggi and Italian Football Association officials, discussing refereeing appointments in the 2004-05 season.

FIGC prosecutor Stefano Palazzi also charged 26 individuals for sporting fraud and violating fairness and probity.

All four clubs implicated denied the accusations.

Thirteen of Italy's World Cup-winning squad play for the clubs involved, with five at Juventus, who also number Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram, David Trezeguet, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks.

Many of them are expected to seek transfers to other leading clubs in Italy or Europe to limit the damage to their careers.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/5164194.stm]BBC News[/url]

"Admin" wrote:

Its a beautiful day in Football today.

(and if you have not guessed I like anarchy. I find it soothing. :twisted: )

Quote:

[size=18]Italian trio relegated to Serie B[/size]

Shame on them all.

Glad the corrupt lot are relegated.

Shows that football in Italia has some decency to add to the triumph of the mighty [color=blue]Azzurri[/color]

It also means that if Chelsea win the Champions League this year then I have the excuse of saying that it was a devalued tournament.

No Juve, no Milano.

They are giants of football.

Any Chelsea victory is not worth a thing.

Of course this is not the case if gallant, glorious [color=red]Barcelona[/color] wins the CL.

[i]Visca Barça, Visca Catalunya!!! [/i]