Let's Talk Footie - Football World Championship 2006

[truehobbit]

I'm not sure if I'd like the first one who scores, wins. I'd want the other team to have an equal chance of trying to score...

Yes, that's exactly the reason I was really glad they ditched the Golden Goal rule.

Besides, penalties are thrilling!

Hobbituk put it very nicely in a similar discussion on TORC: it's like saying, ok, we've tested your playing as a team and you are obviously equally good, so let's test the mettle of your individual players...

During the game, a player can get away with all kinds of mistakes, but penalties is one chance, pass or fail. I find it's the utmost suspense to watch (and I'm sure to play, too).

Very glad all the sports (World Cup and Wimbledon) are over though!

What about the Tour de France?

[Lidless]

I'd want the other team to have an equal chance of trying to score

But that is never the case. One team will always have an advantage depending on its players. It is never 50:50 in "real life". And as to Alatar's point, if a team has more 'depth' than the other, then maybe that should be part of the equation in terms of a tie-breaker when all other methods have failed. It doesn't mean they are guaranteed to win, just like a David-Goliath in 90 minutes - one side is favored, but not guaranteed, to win.

[superwizard]

Here's a nice little game where you play as Zidane
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/ ... frame=true

[Erunáme]

What about the Tour de France?

It's not being televised on TV all day long, so I have no problem with it.

Whilst in England, my relatives were constantly watching Wimbledon and of course Iavas had to watch every World Cup match. Quite boring for me as I can only take so much of it.

[Lidless]

Blatter says Zidane could lose MVP award, according to AP.

MILAN, Italy - FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Zinedine Zidane could be stripped of his Golden Ball award for the best player at the World Cup due to violent conduct.

"The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA, but by an international commission of journalists," Blatter said in Wednesday's La Repubblica. "That said, FIFA's executive committee has the right, and the duty, to intervene when faced with behavior contrary to the ethic of the sport."

Zidane head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after the two exchanged words on the field in extra time of Sunday's World Cup final. He was sent off and Italy won its fourth title on penalties.

FIFA's disciplinary committee opened an inquiry Tuesday into Zidane’s behavior. Such inquiries are routine when a player receives a red card in an international match. World soccer’s governing body has declined to say whether Materazzi’s conduct also is being investigated.

Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball on Monday, ahead of Italy's Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo. The ballot box was open until after the end of the final, making it unclear how many votes were cast before or after the incident.

Blatter said he was "very hurt" by Zidane's violent reaction and that "to see him act like that made me feel bad, for him and for fair play."

[axordil]

(pokes around in head for a bit)

OK, now I really have exhausted my interest in the subject.

[superwizard]

NOOO I wanted Zidane to get the golden ball!! Sure the guy may have a bit of a temper but I am sure he was provoked and in a really serious way too, you don't just hit people in the world cup final for nothing. That was his final match and I blame Materazzi for runing it for him. Let the man leave with a bit of dignity intact!!!

[vison]

NOOO I wanted Zidane to get the golden ball!! Sure the guy may have a bit of a temper but I am sure he was provoked and in a really serious way too, you don't just hit people in the world cup final for nothing. That was his final match and I blame Materazzi for runing it for him. Let the man leave with a bit of dignity intact!!!

Hold on just a goldurned minute.

M. Zidane is a very experienced football player. He has played at a world level for many years. He has behaved in this fashion before yet has never learned to control his temper. He's a GROWN MAN, not a child. And if he was a child I would say this: you have to take the entire blame for what you did , it's no one's fault but yours, no matter what provocation was offered. He CHOSE to get angry and headbutt the guy, his choice and no one else's.

As for Materazzi, he wants a lesson, too. He got what he wanted, don't we all know that?

[superwizard]

Well I have to admit you have a very valid point its just that Zidane is one of my favorite players and it annoyes me when people on the news call him a 'but head'. I guess it is his fault but I just think it has been blown out of proportion...

[truehobbit]

I'm not a football player - or player of any team sports - but several commentators here begin their comments by saying that insults are quite normal in the heat of the game, no matter if it's first or fifth league. So, apparently, everybody else who plays knows how to deal with them.

It's ridiculous to rise to a bait that way. Yes, it's also immature and morally wrong and whatnot to physically attack someone for an insult. But most of all the mistake is that in doing so you're making a fool out of yourself.

[Erunáme]

From what I've read, insults are common...but not ones of such a personal nature as the Italian player was doing. The Italian player was definately crossing the line. Lip readers believe they saw Zidane being called son of a terrorist, nasty things being said about his sister, and then something being said about his mother whilst the Italian player pinched his nipple and asked him if he liked it like that. I read a really good article quoting former football players about trash talk and they said personal insults like that go too far. It's a shame that I can't remember where I read that article.

Both players should be punished.

[samaranth]

You may (or may not, ax) be interested in Zidane's expression of regret (and not-regret) for his actions, covered here by the BBC.

I'd tend to agree that after years as a professional footballer, and at such a crucial time in such a match, you would learn to tune out taunts and insults...until you could deal with them at some other time, if you had to. Which is why I'm still quite by this whole thing.

[Erunáme]

I feel the same way, sam. I don't get why he'd give in. I think in an interview he asked what else he was supposed to do? Uh, walk away or go complain to the ref about the personal nature of the attacks. Maybe if it were an important match, you could throw away the game, but not the World Cup Final and your last match ever. It's really puzzling.

[truehobbit]

I think if Materazzi had said everything the lip-readers say he said, he'd have been delivering quite a speech.

Thanks for the link, sam.
I think Zidane's arguments here are exactly the problem.
Like Eru says, it doesn't make sense to us when he claims there wasn't anything else to do, but I think there's a whole trend nowadays that has very strange ideas about "honour" - hmmh, I see a TE-topic coming up here.

[superwizard]

Really I heard that Zidane had just heard that his mother was really sick just before the match started. I guess if Materazzi had said anything really bad about his mother than that would explain Zidane's snap