It was a moment that probably cost France what would have been their second World Cup win in just 8 years.
The 2006 World Cup final was underway in Berlin and had headed into the second half of extra time when a shocking, terrifying incident came to pass. France great Zinedine Zidane headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest out of nowhere and was shown a red card.
Zidane had opened the scoring in that contest in the seventh minute via a penalty. 12 minutes later, Italy equalised through Materazzi. Right there, the stage was set for a massive confrontation that would unfold in extra time.
Zidane’s red card did affect the French team a great deal. In the penalty shootout after the score remained 1-1 after extra time, Zidane wasn’t there to guide his team, and to take his own shot at goal. Italy won it 5-3 to lift their fourth World Cup. Zidane was damned from all sides. French fans blamed him for the defeat, and they were right in many ways.
Zidane’s mother and sister abused?
What could have led Zidane to commit such a heinous act? Later, it turned out that Materazzi had abused Zidane’s mother and sister. Some lip-reading experts decoded that the Italian had called Zidane a terrorist.
You see, Zidane’s parents came from Algeria and were Muslims. All through his career, he had been a victim of islamophobia. He just couldn’t control his rage when his mother and sister were abused. Materazzi later denied abusing his mother.
Anyway, the incident hogged the press coverage for many months after the final. Days later, Zidane was fined £3,260 and banned for three games for his role in the incident. Materazzi, on the other hand, copped a fine of £2,170 besides a two-game suspension.
The Frenchman, considered one of the greatest of all time, never played for France again. Although he apologised for what happened on such a grand stage, he never regretted attacking Materazzi. “It was inexcusable. I apologise. But I can’t regret what I did because it would mean that he was right to say all that. It was seen by two or three billion people on television and millions and millions of children were watching. It was an inexcusable gesture, and to them, and the people in education whose job it is to show children what they should and shouldn’t do, I want to apologise.
“You hear them once, and you try to move away. But then you hear them twice, and then a third time. I am a man, and some words are harder to hear than actions. I would rather have taken a blow to the face than hear that.”
Despite the infamous incident, Zidane went on to win the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player. Even though, it happened 20 years ago, it continues to be a debating thing among football fans all over the world.
