Zidane - Materazzi

Bateman

Zinedine Zidane has been banned for three games and fined £3,260 for
head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final.
Materazzi was banned for two matches and fined £2,170 for his part in
the incident which occurred in extra-time before Italy's penalty
victory.

Zinedine Zidane has been banned for three games and fined £3,260 for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final.
Materazzi was banned for two matches and fined £2,170 for his part in the incident which occurred in extra-time before Italy's penalty victory.

France's Zidane said he head-butted the defender because he insulted his family, an allegation Materazzi denies.

Zidane's ban is meaningless as he retired from football after the finals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/5198796.stm

Ponster

Which means that Materazzi misses the France-Italy match next September !

el rabitos

and means zidane misses every game for the rest of his life! harsh

Running Bing

Does that seem crazy to anyone else? For a vicious and violent assualt that could have caused serious harm zidane gets a £3260 fine while for alledgedly making remarks about someones family (even zidane said it wasnt racist) materazzi gets £2170 and a two match ban. The golden ball should at least be taken away from zidane.

Jivin Turkey

This sets a very bad precedent for the rest of football.

Everyone is going to say everyone provoked them from now on.

Ponster

Babybing wrote:

Does that seem crazy to anyone else?

It does, but for different reasons. Materazzi should have received a longer ban but I'll be happy with 2 matches.

Chucky the tree

Yet again FIFA come and show that they are a bunch of retards.

Bateman

Ponster wrote:

It does, but for different reasons. Materazzi should have received a longer ban but I'll be happy with 2 matches.

Only 2 people know first-hand what was said, and you aren't one of them. It was Zidane's word against Materazzi's and FIFA have quite obviously believed Zidane. On what basis or principle of any kind could this be considered acceptable?

Running Bing

Bateman wrote:

Only 2 people know first-hand what was said, and you aren't one of them. It was Zidane's word against Materazzi's and FIFA have quite obviously believed Zidane. On what basis or principle of any kind could this be considered acceptable?

If Zidane doesnt react and makes a complaint after the match along the lines of "he called my mother a whore" does materazzi still get the punishment he got? I dont think so. Im sure peoples mothers are frequently called worse things during a match. But as Bateman pointed out nobody knows what was said so how can you say materazzi deserved more punishment.

Q_Ball

a lot of people giving out that zidane received a ban since he's retired. This is in case he ever decided to come back to the game. lot of people dont see that. Personnally i'd have swung the punishments the other way, given zz a one match ban and a huge fine and matzerati a one/two match ban and lesser fine.

thats just me tho and i'm not the brightest

TheMonster

why would Zidane pay the fine - can't exactly impose sanctions on him?

Mr. Presentable

Trouble is, as has been pointed out previously, you'll now have every thug who doles out his own punishment on the field saying he was provoked. This is a dangerous precedent. I get me sent off for elbowing you, and you suspended when I claim you called my sister "gay"!

Ponster

Err, I see it in a whole different light. Materazzi told FIFA what he said and they felt that it deserved a 2 match ban.

>But as Bateman pointed out nobody knows what was said...

Wrong. The people who judged Materazzi know what was said.

Attractive Nun

Utterly ridiculous decision. If Zidane had done the right thing, and ignored whatever was said, then Materazzi would not have been punished. No one would even have noticed. The fact that he got violently chestbutted (or whatever) was the only reason he ended up being punished. Effectively, he's being banned for getting fouled.

Not to mention the stupidity of the precedent this sets...

dmck2886

Zidane has to do 3 days comunnity service in which to will be playing football with kids! So how is that a 3 day BAN!

godtabh

Absolute stupid decision.

Dont agree with it at all. FIFA are a bunch of retards. I it hadnt of happened to Zidane I think this wouldnt have happened. This was all done to try and save his rep,

Rikand

kearnsr wrote:

I it hadnt of happened to Zidane I think this wouldnt have happened. This was all done to try and save his rep,

Aye, for sure, though it looks like they took materazzi's side a little. Would zidane have gotten any imposedban if they didnt believe materazzi's comments. I think materazzi would have been up for some much stiffer punishment if they had gone with what zidane had said totally

Fanny Cradock

Babybing wrote:

If Zidane doesnt react and makes a complaint after the match along the lines of "he called my mother a whore" does materazzi still get the punishment he got? I dont think so. Im sure peoples mothers are frequently called worse things during a match. But as Bateman pointed out nobody knows what was said so how can you say materazzi deserved more punishment.

We don't know what was said, but we DO know what zidane did.

THAT is what should be punished.

The cantona incident aside, I struggle to think of another occasion were a player has been assaulted (without physical provocation) and THEY get a punishment (more or less) EQUAL to the assailant. Actually, even with that, cantona got a huge ban.

For this to happen in a game that is the show piece and, therefore, pinnacle of football, is a bit of a blow (no pun intended) to the games reputation; for the headbutt to be punished in such a disproportionate, lenient and ultimately pointless manner (banning a guy who is retired and fining him a pittance) is baffling.

More community service, a HUGE fine and some sort of statement (for the kidz) saying that violence on the pitch is not kool, stay off the smack and stay in school would have been better.

The_B_Man

i wonder will he come out of retirement for the next 3 games?

Thanx 4 The Fish

Fanny Cradock wrote:

We don't know what was said, but we DO know what zidane did.

THAT is what should be punished.

The cantona incident aside, I struggle to think of another occasion were a player has been assaulted (without physical provocation) and THEY get a punishment (more or less) EQUAL to the assailant. Actually, even with that, cantona got a huge ban.

Oh what short memories people have. Rooney pushed that Haim chap in the face and haim got done for falling over too easily.

Materazzi told fifa what he said and they thought it warranted a ban, they saw what Zidane did and they gave him a ban. That is all.

Fanny Cradock

You seem to miss the term “disproportionate” inb my last post.

So now a verbal attack (which occurs everyday on the pitch) is considered (more or less) equal to a head butt? Again, the retaliation was grossly disproportionate to anything that could have said.

What I think happened was that FIFA buckled under the weight of Zidane’s popularity and celebrity (especially in France). There is no point in campaigning about stamping out racism in the game when you then let a violent act away with so lenient and futile a punishment. It sends out mixed signals. If that type of thing happened on the street the assailant would most likely have cooled off in a cell for a few hours and maybe face assault charges. I’m not saying Zidane should do some “time” or anything of the matter, but the fact that it happened in font of BILLIONS of people (many new to the game) you would expect FIFA to act a little more appropriately for a single act of violence which now lives on beyond the match itself.

Mr. Presentable

How is it worth a shorter punishment than that handed down to De Rossi?

Both were ugly violent acts. Craddock is right, Zidane has been favoured here.

Fanny Cradock

maybe if he drew blood?

therecklessone

Fanny Cradock wrote:

maybe if he drew blood?

FIFA's disciplinary code differentiates between violent conduct causing bodily harm and simple violent conduct, believe it or not. The former gets a minimum 4 match ban and a fine, the latter a minimum 2 match ban and fine.

Funnily enough, the same article of the code details a minimum 6 match ban for spitting!

Rikand

therecklessone wrote:

FIFA's disciplinary code differentiates between violent conduct causing bodily harm and simple violent conduct, believe it or not. The former gets a minimum 4 match ban and a fine, the latter a minimum 2 match ban and fine.

Funnily enough, the same article of the code details a minimum 6 match ban for spitting!

Well! with a well placed spit you could blind someone!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: