Zidane and Materazzi Banned and Fined

By: BootsnAll | July 21st, 2006

After hearing both sides of the story, FIFA have banned and fined both Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi. Zidane gets a three match ban from international football, Materazzi a two match ban. Are FIFA the only ones who didn’t hear about Zidane’s retirement? Fair play to Zizou though, he’s offered to do three days of community service. Look for him picking up trash in a street near you.

Though it’s difficult to condone Materazzi’s beahviour, a two match ban seems excessive for his part in the headbutt (receiving it?). Significantly, the two match ban ensures Materazzi will miss Italy’s Euro 2008 qualifier against France in Paris. Co-incidence? Maybe Sepp Blatter is smarter than we give him credit for.
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Both men have also been fined a few thousand Swiss Francs each (Zidane 7,500, Materazzi 5,000). Neither will go hungry.

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Category: World Football

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enzo

Agree with you, Bootsnall, with your comment re Materazzi: "a two match ban seems excessive for his part in the headbutt (receiving it?)". As FIFA accepted Zidane's offer to do 3 days community service because he has retired from international football, it would have fair if FIFA also offered Materazzi the opportunity to exchange his two-match suspension with two days of community service.
colman

That pic is of Zidane the day his team landed in Paris after the World Cup and was welcomed by fans, the media and Chirac.

I have no sympathy for Materazzi, given his serial thuggish record (which I do not equate with Zidane's several red cards). FIFA said he used "defamatory" language on the pitch. It must've been something particularly strong for Zizou to do what he did. He's been playing for over 18 years, including 5 years in Italy's Juventus where strong taunting by players is common. I'm sure he's heard everything and has done a lot of taunting himself. For him to react that way during the final of a World Cup, his last game, must've struck him as something especially abusive, beyond the norm. I just wish he hadn't fallen for the Italian's dirty trap. Zidane was properly red carded and wasn't there to make a penalty kick when his team needed it. He was punished for his action.

As for Materazzi, it was his choice to hurl obscene personal abuse at the captain of the opposing team during the final of a World Cup. Precedents be damned, the man shouldn't even be in football.
oxala75

So, Materazzi is being fined for basically getting hit? Or, possibly, getting caught trash talking? Weird.
Trancefixed

Zidane looks more concerned about the sunlight than the verdict in that pic.