despite the world's tremendous interest in what the conversation would be, my guess is ZZ will take the "high road" and not elaborate too much on exactly what Materazzi said to him. My rationale for this is:

1. if the comments made of Materazzi is really personal (relating his mom, sister, religion, etc...) ZZ knows that if he repeated those on public, yes he could set Materazzi on fire but it would only raise more public conversation around those words. Given his reaction towards one single players' words, I bet that he is not too keen on further transforming those comments into public jokes about him.

2. I don't think he's that type of player who is brutal enough to "bring down" another player after his head has cooled down. Yes he lost control on the field but I doubt his status is way above materazzi to do what materazzi did (ie. denying what he said, pointing finger back to ZZ w/o remorse)

3. not that he particularly cares about the golden ball award, but he probably knows that if he let this thing cool down, it will probably keep Blatter shut up too. After all, when you are that famous, you know that a lot of things in the football world is political. I am sure Blatter is watching this too and is hoping that ZZ does not put more gasoline to the fire. If ZZ doesn't reveal much, I don't think Blatter will remove his golden ball, in hope that ZZ won't bring it up again.

4. I think he will just officially mentioned Materazzi's comments are very serious and very personal and that's it.

Of course I could be all wrong. BTW, I couldn't see the TV broadcast so if any of you is able to see it, please post it ASAP. Thanks.

I think Zid has got a very, very clever manager who has so far really earned his wages!

He stopped him from talking about the event afterwards, so public speculation and gossip and rumour have been wild - but not kept it too long so that people start to get bored with it.

What will he say? I, too, am wondering. Politically he will play clever, I am sure.

1. If it was a very ordinary bit of mouthing-off and he went mental because he couldn't handle the pressure in that moment, then he probably won't want to say, as the public will just say, 'is that ALL?' and he'll be an even bigger laughting-stock in the NON-football world than he is already. I can't be the only one that's seen e-mails, cartoons, jokes etc doing the rounds.

2. If they play the race card they have to be very careful:
(a) If it sparked any more race riots, anywhere, then he would indirectly been seen to be the cause!
(b) If he forces an inquiry about racial remarks, it might not end there. Because if FIFA investigate one thoroughly, they have to investiagte all. How many players will 'remember' the racial/ethnic insults that Zid threw at them over the years? There could be suddenly a whole load of stuff blow riiiight back at them.

3. If they play the mother/sister/wife angle it's probably the safest but still, it's going to sound very thin provocation to a heck of a lot of the world. (Remember, not everyone follows football, or cares about Zid, they just see "some footballer bloke go mental and head-butt some other bloke.")

4. If he keeps vague about it then he can indeed claim the moral high ground, plus those that want to believe the worst will be able to carry on believeing the worst, and it's very hard to prove something that HASN'T been said.

5. Besides, he can always save the "truth" for when he writes is autobiography, and make extra millions!!!!!

So let's see! There might be something completely different that no-one has even thought of yet!!!

PARIS (Reuters) - Zinedine Zidane said on Wednesday that Italian defender Marco Materazzi insulted his mother and his sister during the World Cup final against Italy.

In an interview with French television channel Canal Plus Zidane also said he apologised to children and fans but did not regret the head-butt that led to his sending off.

The French captain reacted to the insult by head-butting Materazzi's chest in the second period of extra time of the match.


"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 said in a live interview.



Playing the last game of his career, Zinedine was shown a red card, leaving his team mates finish the match without him. France lost on penalties.

Zidane denied Materazzi called him an Islamic "terrorist", as was reported by a Paris-based anti-racism group.

Zidane is of Algerian origin, his parents being born in the village of Aguemone in the Kabylie region.

FIFA decided on Tuesday to open a disciplinary investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident and Sepp Blatter, the chairman of the soccer's ruling body, hinted that Zidane could be stripped of the tournament's best player award.

Zidane had talked about italian newspapers who had very hard words too against France team.

The toughest comment I could ever read so far about this EDF before the final was "a group of old glories" ( basically on Italian national broadcasting co. ) ; after the final the most non respectful comment I could read on the right-winged "Il Giornale" : «Una testata alla Grandeur» ( a headbutt against Grandeur ). If you find tougher comments post or link them

you don't like our team because there are good players in it, so you always says bad things on it and find excuses like it's a black team, it's an african team. You even don't know that wiltord, Henry, Thuram and some others players don't came from Africa but from guadeloupe martinique in central America, which belong to France. It's France too.

Have you ever read italian newpapers? .

None of these "betises" are reported on italian newspapers. Maybe you refer to Calderoli, but it doesn't matter. It's a sort of italian LePen.

so why your supporters, your players tell the same too ?

So there you have it. Zidane stated that Materazzi did not use racial slurs against him, but he did say that Materazzi insulted his mother/sister, which Materazzi denied. If what Zidane said is true, and as much as I despise Materazzi's character and have been bashing him in posts, I do not think FIFA has much grounds to punish him since his remarks is not relevant to the "official" clampdown on racism. However, given that more people could relate to "family" insults than "racial" or "religious" insults, the silver lining is that more people will despise what Materazzi did.

Now the interesting thing is: what's Blatter gonna do w/ ZZ's golden ball? If they take it away, and Materazzi walks, such gesture will surely receive a lot of negative sentiments around the globe despite FIFA following all its rules. ZZ becomes the contemporary "Robin Hood." Unlike medals taken away because of drug abuse, this scenario is all about subjective judgements. Those who voted for ZZ might or might not vote for him regardless of the incident. If FIFA takes away the award, what it is saying is: we have the rights to replace all your subjective thinking.

Plus, if FIFA takes away the GG, it will award it to Cannavaro (whom I believe should receive the award in the first place, regardless of the incident) , conspiracy theorists will have a field day against an "alliance" between FIFA and Italy. Italy got their world cup already, FIFA knows that there is almost no positive things coming out of awarding this extra trophy to Cannavaro and it will only generate more negative sentiments.

my conclusion is: ZZ will get to keep his GG, the investigation committee will likely issue some statement regarding that ZZ did a very bad thing but there is not enough justification to take away the trophy from him.

Next up: will Materazzi respond to the contradictory statements (ie. mother insult vs no mother insult). I bet not, he's not that dumb not to know that 90% of the world hold a much higher esteem for ZZ and more people believe in what ZZ says vs his words. Given that he's presumably a big weasel, he does not have that kind of ZZ character that will come out and strongly defend his own actions and accept the consequence.

Who, what, where?

I haven't read anything about the French team not being "French" in Italian newspapers. If you're considering Calderoli's words, then it's like taking the Bild seriously - he doesn't represent Italy in any way - he's just right-wing.

I think most Italians couldn't care less where the players were born, or whatever. Yes, martiniqeu is France too, and so Thuram or whoever is French - just like Camoranesi is only partially Italian. So what? Does it make any difference?

There were no "very" harsh words said against Zidane by Italian newspapers - no more than "He shouldn't have done that" and similars. Of course his (re)action was condemned, but not only by Italian newspaper.

The real problem now is that many people aren't condemning that act of pure violence any more.

At least we won't have to put up with any more 'racist' accusations against the person concerned for this incident.

And yes, he's played very clever in leaving more questions than answers.

But I still don't think he's said enough to set the example right that violence isn't the answer. He seems to have implied that it's the answer sometimes... well, when the first little child comes home from school with a broken nose because someone in the playground thought it was 'okay coz Zizou did it' or the first young man ends up in hospital with broken ribs because some thug thought it was the 'cool' way to take revenge.. I wonder if will all seem quite so noble then

There was an artcile somewhere that I read which matched my thoughts on the matter, I'll paraphrase here the main points:

All the excuses reveal less about why Zidane did what he did and much more about why so many want to find a way to explain away his act.

So many people were set on the idea of Zidane riding off into the sunset that the reality of his disgraceful act is one they continue to deny.

Zidane lost his temper and in an incredibly self-centered act of petulance, did what he did.

He doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, though, because he will have to live with the consequences of his act and the inevitable regrets. Apologies are due only to his teammates, perhaps.

Zidane remains an incredible player.

He may not be, however, that nice of a guy.

That so many needed him to be speaks to the machine of myth-building that sets up only saints as worthy of admiration. Zidane’s soccer talent was divine; his temperament, all too human.

It insults, though, every player who was able to make it through this World Cup competition and through all its attendant highs and lows, without resorting to similar acts of retaliation (and not all made it) to act as if Zidane was a victim or unable to make a better choice in that situation.

It also makes a mockery of the entire concept of sportsmanship to label his action as heroic.

Finally, it’s not a 'tragedy' that Zidane marred his exit from an amazing career the way he did.
Earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes are tragedies. It's just a damn shame - in every sense of the word.

And in a few weeks, I guess we'll all be talking about something else now!!!

i think Zidane had not to talk about racism because Chirac tells him to in order to have good international relationship with italy. But the men who read on the lips said there are racists words.

You've won again ! but God have seen you.

Canal + and TF1 : he also said that these insults represent something that the whole world wants to fight. i guess racism is present here.

He apologised to children and fans. Now i think we could let the guy retire in peace.

I could only read paraphrase of the transcript by English publications so if any of you French speaker did see the interview pls translate and post anything that's missing in the English summary.

For exemple Equipe's balanced judgement.

I could only read paraphrase of the transcript by English publications so if any of you French speaker did see the interview pls translate and post anything that's missing in the English summary.

I don't think interwiew will be retransmitted entirely twice.

we condemn what he did and we apologise to italian fans. But we like the guy because he's really a nice person. Everybody makes mistakes in life.

But don't tell me about example for young generation. See all around you : movies, mangas, news and hobbies like " happy slapping are bad examples for them.

I can't agree with the last part of your post. Youngsters KNOW the difference between real life and a movie. The problem here is that we have an "idol", who people really look up to.

Everybody makes mistakes in life. Apologies accepted.

I'm just finding it hard to understand RC Lens at this point. He still wants Italy to have the CUp taken away from and disqualified from all future competitions, just because he doesn't like their football. He even doesn't consider Italy the "winners for the rest of the world".

It seemed a wonderful story, a wonderful movie : a guy born in a miserable borough but terribly gifted and venerated by his supporters , his team mates, his sponsors, his nation, led his team to wc glory once; he was about to play his last match in career and it was the final of a wc again! He rebelled with his team against a selfish coach who didn't understand him and his mates, turned the team into a self managed squad and went in for the victory, he was right indeed.
The last match was the perfect curtain to a wonderful career: a team of superstars against average , greasy, diving, cheating bullyboys who gained the final only because of a thorough corruptional action which wasn't to be supposed different than it was because in their country it surely went like this!
The guy and his team smiled at the bluey assholes, they can't compete, and the first penalty was totally deserved; the guy scored a fantastic goal and the path of victory was painted by golden petals. Unfortunately the assholes scored 16 minutes after it because they surely corrupted the goalbar which moved away from Barthez...it was a tall mister nobody.
The guy and his companions fought eroically but slightly underperformed until half time , maybe because the assholes corrupted the grass on the pitch, but he and the team overkilled it and made the second half a perpetual shoot against the assholes' goal.
The guy tried and tried both in regular and extra time, he smashed a delicious headkick that was disgracefully and with big time luck saved by the assholes' goalkeeper, maybe his right hand glow corrupted the ball and therefore nobody of the guy's mates was able to score again .
110' : that tall mister nobody mister nobody attached to the guy, twisted his nipples, maybe he tried to kiss him too. Who is he? Materazzi. "Mate...who?" the guy wonders while sayin the [beep!] he would have gifted him with his shirt in a few minutes,he just had to leave him alone for a few minutes, to be able to gain this cup again....the guy didn't even finish to tell these words that his heart is split in two by the tough words of the tall mister nobody...his sister , why he touched her? The guy didn't ever heard this words in his whole life, neither in Spanish nor Italian championship, he never heard those words even in the miserable borough where you could be shot for nothing..... the tall mister nobody needs a lesson.....

A win: the guy , the team, the sponsors, the nation was waiting for it , it was all ready, it was deserved , it was needed , it was due!

Final: the bad guys win eventually and they almost self award , the honorable guy and his mates stand seraphically against the [beep!].

One of the guy's mates says he would like to hug the tall mister nobody, Materazzi or whatever he's called but the bad guys are sure he told he wants to assault him, they're really badasses.

END TITLES: the guy retires, his mother claims the tall mister nobody's balls in order to be shown every 9th of July as a warn to everbody and to be sent on procession each 14th of July.
After retiring the guy apologises in front of children but never regrets although the tall mister Matekazzi did.

He's ready now, for a long career into politics .



THE END

Yet, some people is waiting before the box office, yet some people ask for tickets' money back, they didn't had what they've expected, they want their money badly!


Some others were in for the underdog.......

I guess? Zidane said not racism

you guess, but you're nothing



this is the end of your little story of humiliating yourself



(zidane era mejo che sse stava zitto, che ha fatto 'na figura de mme***a!!!!)

very funny from a guy who propably did not see the entire interview. And before judging someone, just read all the posts he send, i congratulated Italia many times for victory.

Also the President of French Soccer, Frederic Thiriez, hopes in a disqualification of Materazzi for his bad words related to the Zidane's sister.

It's becoming ridicolus...

seriously.
Go iout and find yourself a girlfriend.
you need it