Cool Head Warm Heart

Italians won the football World Cup 2006 by provoking their opponents and getting them to react and be sent off. At the final minutes against France, these Italian mobs managed to provoke Zidane to response and head butt the untalented Mr Marco Materazzi. Zidane was sent off and the Italians continued to win the match in penalty shoot out 5:3.

It was a sad end for the football icon of our generation, Zinedine Zidane. That was his last macth of his career…actually the last ten minutes of his outstanding career. A friend of mine asked me whether I think Zidane had done the right thing. He emphasized, “Is head butting your opponent right or wrong?”

I hesitate and do not want to say it is a wrong act simply because for most people wrong means unacceptable. But for me, yes it is wrong for Zidane to head butt Marco, BUT it is completely acceptable at that situation with how the events was unfolded as back drop.

I just wonder why Zidane use head. It hurts so little. He should use his fist on Marco’s face or foot smack right to Marco’s…

Dave Zirin wrote it well, check the real issue here.

By the way, who is this Marco Matarazzi:

Dave Zirin: Right now, we do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt what was said but all the circumstantial evidence points at least toward a variant of SOS Racisme’s claim.

Zissou is the son of Algerian immigrants who has sparred verbally with Europe’s far-right political machine for more than a decade. He is an outspoken anti-racist on a team that has defined itself by its multiculturalism and stubborn insistence to stand up against bigotry both inside and outside the sport.

Materazzi on the other hand, will be playing this year for the Italian team Lazio, where his father was the former coach. Lazio’s fan club, The Ultras, are notorious for their Fascist-friendly politics. Lazio’s hardcore Ultras, known as the “Irriducibili,” have members in Italy’s extra-parliamentary far right and try to use the club to recruit. The group has frequently uses racist and anti-Semitic banners, one time hanging a 50-foot banner that said their opponents were a “team of niggers.”

It’s wrong to taint Materazzi for the actions of Lazio’s fans, but there is more. Earlier this season in a match that pitted Messina against Inter in Sicily, Messina’s star African player Marc Zoro famously picked up the ball and walked off the pitch in protest of the monkey chants rained upon him by Inter supporters.

In a stirring act of solidarity, many of the Inter players immediately showed support for Zoro’s actions. But one opponent yelled, “Stop that, Zoro, you’re just trying to make a name for yourself.” That opponent’s name was Marco Materazzi.

So we know we should never spend a penny on the club that Marco Materazzi joins. We will not watch Lazio matches. And Lazio sponsers will never get a penny from selling things to me.

And off course, for the tactics they deployed, Italians won the World Cup 2006 in disgrace. Though with different reason, I agree to what Dave’s asked the Italians to do, “Give the cup back to FIFA.”

Dave Zirin: Racism will be the death of soccer if things don’t change. Italy can set the sport back on course, with one simple, stunning gesture.

Give the damn thing back.

Let us listen to Zidane on what happened on the field. May be after we hear the incident from him all we want to do is to punch Marco Materazzi’s face.

The world cup games are full of untalented players trying to provoke telented players to react, fight and be sent off. Just like when you play chess, you would trade your pawn for a queen.

I will not be surprise if getting Rooney and Zidane to be sent off is part of their game plan. I am just too familiar with football matches to believe that this Italian mob, Marco, is innocent.

What ever happen, Zinedine Zidane is still the finest and greatest player of our generation. Nobody can take away that (even if they provoke him to punch them).

Two struggling teams during the group stage became the finalists of the World Cup Final. France and Italy, which team do you support?

In 1998, I wished Italy to win very badly. I wished Roberto Baggio have a chance to redeem his missed panalty in the final of 1994 World Cup. It didn’t happen. France became the Champion.

Today I wish France to win as a parting gift to Zinedine Zidane. This finest football player of our generation will retire after this World Cup. I wish him to retire gloriously.

Thank you Zidane, regardless of the outcome of today final.

A better World Cup Final would be…Napoleon vs Julius Caesar.

Hey French, runs those Portuguese down once more.

I was wrong about Zinedine Zidane just like many others. I wrote him off too early. I know he is one of the best players of our generation, but I thought he has lost his magic touch. I am happy to see him sending the Spaniards (who wanted to send him to retirement) packing.

It is a World Cup of many heart breaking moments. It broke my heart to see Australia and Germany to lost at the very last moment of the matches. It broke my heart to see South Korea lost.

And now I have to endure the moment hoping France will knock Portugal down. Today I just reminded a friend of mine who support Portugal that it was the Portuguese that destroyed our Empire of Melacca in 16th century.

There are 13 states in West Malaysia with 11 Sultans. The two states without a Sultan are Penang and Melacca. Penang was a deserted island of Kedah state when the British came. So it never had a Sultan. However, Melacca was the main state of the peninsular (like Roman Empire to Europe) then when the Portuguese came. The Portuguese attacked the Empire, chased the Sultan away to Johor and occupied the land. Portuguese was chased away by the Dutch. Later, the English came.

It is a long story why Malaysians should not support Portugal based on our history. But more importantly, I was angry with Christiano Ronaldo who caused Rooney to be sent off. I believe getting Rooney to be sent off was one of Scolari’s game plan. It is annoying to see injustice done. I will not be surprise if one of Scolari’s game plan against France is to injure Zinedine Zidane, or get him to be sent off just like what they did to Rooney.

I truly hope the French would humiliate the pests…I mean the Portuguese, with 8 - nil.