FIFA World Cup 2006

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]I was [spoiler]gutted when Italy scored against the Germans, as I've been supporting them since the very beginning,[/spoiler] well them and the Aussies, but the Aussies were more so out of gratitude for a good holiday than for their chance to win.

I can only hope [spoiler]that France put Italy down bad in their match tomorrow, and that the Germans beat the Portuguese into the ground to regain some bit of glory. That and the fact I'd love to see Zidane take home another World Cup trophy.[/spoiler][/SIZE]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Well, Italy won it a few moments ago on penalties. I'm glad that the match dragged on, only because it would've been way too boring for a final if it was concluded on the penalty that France were awarded five minutes into the game. Overall, the match wasn't that exciting, or at least no where near as intense as yesterday's match between Germany and Portugal.

Oh, and what do people thing about Zidane's little head butt? Regardless of the circumstances, he shouldn't have done that, especially since it was his last game before retiring. It'll always be remembered, but it would be a shame if he is condemned for it years down the line, given his amazing performance over the years.[/color]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Bombu][color=darkred']Oh, and what do people thing about Zidane's little head butt? Regardless of the circumstances, he shouldn't have done that, especially since it was his last game before retiring. It'll always be remembered, but it would be a shame if he is condemned for it years down the line, given his amazing performance over the years.[/color][/quote]

[quote=Wikipedia][FONT=Trebuchet MS][B]World Cup Final[/B]

On July 9, 2006, Zidane became one of only four footballers to achieve the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches (he scored twice in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final), sharing the honour with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá. He scored in the seventh minute from the penalty spot. He nearly headed in the ball during the first period of extra time but it was saved by Gianluigi Buffon. His career ended suddenly when he was sent off for violent conduct after headbutting Italy's goalscorer, Marco Materazzi, in the chest in the 110th minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and Italy won the championship after a penalty kick shootout. His agent, Alain Migliaccio has claimed that a "very serious" comment by Matterazzi provoked the attack.[7] A lip reader is of the opinion that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist; however, this has been denied by Materazzi himself, who said: "I don't even know what the word means." [8] [9] The French organization SOS Racisme also alleged that the insult was "dirty terrorist" in a press release, citing "several very-well informed sources". Materazzi and the Italian team have denied these claims. The BBC reported that an Italian-language lipreader they employed reported that Materazzi wished "an ugly death to you and your family" ? on the day Zidane had discovered his mother was seriously ill ? and finally "go **** yourself".[citations needed] The Brazillian television station "Globo" claimed that via a lip-reader they had discovered that Materazzi had called Zidane's sister a prostitute, [1]. He was the fourth person to have been sent off in a World Cup final and the first to be sent off during extra time.

On July 10, 2006, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player in the 2006 World Cup. The winner was selected by a poll of journalists covering the tournament; Zidane polled 2012 points, ahead of Fabio Cannavaro, who polled 1977 points. Most votes were cast during half-time of the final match; voting closed that night at midnight.

Quote taken from Wikipedia article on Zidane[/FONT][/quote]

[SIZE=1]If that's true, then I think Zidane was completely justified, if someone called me a terrorist and called my sister a prostitute, or wished myself and my family an ugly death then they'd better run like the wind or else. Until FIFA can either prove or disprove what's said there, I'm going to continue believing that one of the few gentlemen of football had to have had something terribly insulting said to him in order to react that way.[/SIZE]

[Prons]

It's a shame France lost, I'd hate to be the guy who missed the penalty kick.