[Mobius]

The likes of Del Piero, Cannavaro, Buffon etc will almost certainly have release or cut-price transfer clauses in their contracts, so if Juve go down, they go elsewhere.  I could see Barca swooping for Buffon, in particular.

That's not so easy.A contract ends when it is supposed to do.If a footballer has a contract with a team until 2008,for example,he has no choice but to remain in that team.In fact,all these players were pretty  sad during the World Cup.

[aldo_14]

The likes of Del Piero, Cannavaro, Buffon etc will almost certainly have release or cut-price transfer clauses in their contracts, so if Juve go down, they go elsewhere.  I could see Barca swooping for Buffon, in particular.

That's not so easy.A contract ends when it is supposed to do.If a footballer has a contract with a team until 2008,for example,he has no choice but to remain in that team.In fact,all these players were pretty  sad during the World Cup.

Nope.  Players often negotiate release clauses into their contract, such as for a set minimum fee (either in general - the Golden Handcuffs - or for specific events like relegation), or even a free transfer upon relegation.  Additionally, under UEFAs' guidelines, a player can hand in their notice at a club and leave (only for a club in another country, and with a compensation tribunal); see Andy Webster for example.

[TopAce]

...players like Buffon(clown)...

I didn't know his name meant clown.

General comment about this World Cup:

My brother's best friend once sent an SMS that said: "This World Cup is a hat of crap" (strict translation). That sums it up that gameplay was killed, especially after the group matches. We had some good matches, granted, but not all were notable for the game itself, but its referees. Somebody being sent off only after three yellow cards is unheard of, a thing people will make fun of, or sending off four players and setting out a dozen yellow cards in the same match is not a good way of advertising (popularizing) soccer. The Hungarian commentary noted sometime in the middle of the group matches that soccer started to become more popular in the US, a country that normally prefers its own sports like baseball. I started thinking about how actual it is now, after the end of the World Cup. I am interested in this, because I learn American Studies at University and would like to keep my eyes on events in the US.

The World Cup somehow lost interest for me after Brazil was eliminated. I didn't have a problem with France until they beat Brazil in 1998. I somehow knew that there can hardly be any other outcome for Brazil. I dare say Brazil is basically a superior team to France, but I must admit that they deserved those two victories. Same thing with Germany, they were underestimated but got better and won the third place, which is not a bad result, despite it is Germany that hosted the games.

Finally, I was insatisfied with the final because it had to be concluded in a penalty shootout. I just had to put up with it. I cheered for Italy, just because it is France that eliminated Brazil and I was glad that Italy won, overall.

[IPAndrews]

I find the fact that this world cup was decided by a penalty shootout an appropriately ****ty end to a monumentally ****ty tournament.

[TopAce]

Well said, but admit that the match itself was not bad.

[Rictor]

A little late cause I just got home. I watched the game on a theatre-size screen at my friend's university, and this final will be one I remember for a llong time.

1. One of the most exciting game's I've seen, both in the context of the WC finals and on its own merits. I thought it would be boring, but after both teams scored within 20 minutes, every subsequent minute was pure heaven.

2. Italy are ****ing dangerous on set plays. After the first half, I didn't know how France could possibly keep it together for the duration, given that every Italian corner kick was pretty much a 50/50.

3. But Les Blues came back and dominated the second half and extra time. I don't know if Domenec gave them PCP at halftime, but they were flying. Ribery especially put his mutant powers to full use, he seemed to be everywhere on the field at once, so props to him.

4. But alas, Zidane's red card ruined the whole game for me, and Italies subsequent victory. Yes, everyone can clearly see that it's his fault, and he should know better, and an example must be set bla bla, but we're talking about Zizou here. He ranks with Pele and Maradona in legendary staus. What the **** kind of **** is this, giving the greatest player of a generation a red card in the last 15 minutes of the last game of his career?! Aside from the fact that Mattarazzi obviously said something to make Zidane snap, which deflects some of the blame, if ever there was a situation warranting bending the rules, this is it. Yes, fine, give him a red card. But for ****s sake, not allowing him on the field to claim his medal is just absurd. If the Italians had an honorable bone in their body, they would have invited Zidane back on, to celebrate the end of an infamous carreer as he deserved. And the French should have refused to take their medals without their Captain, had they had a ****ing backbone. You play brilliantly for nearly two decades and **** up once, and suddenly all that past never existed? Give me a break. The correct thing to do would have been for Italy to share their victory with a legend playing his last match, and playing it damn well might I add. This is, after all, a game about people, wonderful and flawed as they are, and respecting a rigid set of rules over the players themselves, being anal to the point of stupidity, is not  OK in my books.

With that said, damn that looked painful. This was no wimpy Figo headbut, this was "****, who hit my chest with a sledgehammer?" headbut. I hope it hurt like hell.

5. Who the hell takes off Henry and puts on Trezeguet. If Henry held on for the entire match, he could have waited ten more minutes. Knowing that it was likely to go into a penalty shootout, taking out a strong kicker in favour of a man who was destined to **** up at the crucial moment...well, what can I say.

[CmdKewin]

4. But alas, Zidane's red card ruined the whole game for me, and Italies subsequent victory. Yes, everyone can clearly see that it's his fault, and he should know better, and an example must be set bla bla, but we're talking about Zizou here. He ranks with Pele and Maradona in legendary staus. What the **** kind of **** is this, giving the greatest player of a generation a red card in the last 15 minutes of the last game of his career?! Aside from the fact that Mattarazzi obviously said something to make Zidane snap, which deflects some of the blame, if ever there was a situation warranting bending the rules, this is it. Yes, fine, give him a red card. But for ****s sake, not allowing him on the field to claim his medal is just absurd. If the Italians had an honorable bone in their body, they would have invited Zidane back on, to celebrate the end of an infamous carreer as he deserved. And the French should have refused to take their medals without their Captain, had they had a ****ing backbone. You play brilliantly for nearly two decades and **** up once, and suddenly all that past never existed? Give me a break. The correct thing to do would have been for Italy to share their victory with a legend playing his last match, and playing it damn well might I add. This is, after all, a game about people, wonderful and flawed as they are, and respecting a rigid set of rules over the players themselves, being anal to the point of stupidity, is not  OK in my books.

No wait.... if the same thing had happened to an Italian player, nobody would have given a s**t about it. And you know it.
If I insult you, it's not your RIGHT to punch me. You can do it, of course, but you have to accept the consequences.
Besides, it's not like the first time Zidane behaves like that. Technical wise, he is wonderfull. But he always had a temper problem. Not like THE real french GOD of football. Platini. Which, go figure, did nothing else than bashing Italy from day one. So much for that.

[aldo_14]

Clearly, legendary players should be exempted from the laws of the game because, er, it sets such a good example to others.

[CmdKewin]

Clearly, legendary players should be exempted from the laws of the game because, er, it sets such a good example to others.

I couldn't have said it better.

[Kazan]

rictor a red card is a red card - means GTFO the pitch

he deserved that red card, a lot

not just some little tossing of an elbow that can happen unintentionally, but tht is like 5-10 game suspension material red card there

[karajorma]

Lets face it. Off the football pitch that little incident could have resulted in a court case for assault.

Zidane should consider himself lucky to get away with not being able to collect a medal as a punishment. Especially when you consider that he's retiring and FIFA can't give him the suspension his actions deserved.

[ToecrusherHammerjaw]

PS. Don't say "FORZA ITALIA" with political intent.I don't know what do you think out there,but Berlusconi "Made Italy free from Liberty" for over 5 years. We all hate him,except the Padanian League loyalists,the same who want to divide Italy in North,Central and South like before the unification in 1861.

That had crossed my mind.  I gathered from when I was over there that Berlusconi was something of a jackass (Honestly, though, could he really be as much of an idiot as Dubya is now?).  What I had thought, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that Forza Italia was originally a football cheer, and that political party just took it and made it it's name.

BTW, thanks for the advice.  I'll be sure to remember that if I ever visit again.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm with karajorma on what to think about Zidane's incident.

[Rictor]

Looks like it's finally out what Matterazzi said. First he called Zidane whatever the French equivallent for nigger is, and then called him a "son of a terrorist whore". By the way, his mother was taken ill to the hospital earlier on Sunday. Tell me that that's appropriate behaviour. Tell me that it's an acceptable strategy to sling insults at the other team and hope they will act out. I'm pretty sure FIFA has some sort of rule against racial slurs.

I'm not saying Zidane shouldn't have gotten the red card, he definitely should have. But it would have been harmless to send him off properly, instead of having him end his career in a locker room somwhere. To my mind, you can't just view this game as any other. Were it any other match, I wouldn't care. But the game must also be seen as the culmination of a long career, the final hurrah, and as such it merits special importance and I see no harm in bending a rule which is idiotic and pointless in the first place. Essentially, the specifities of one match should not be allowed to invalidate the past fifteen or twenty years, which is symbolically what happened.

If FIFA were to stick to strictly enforcing the technicalities, players also aren't allowed to take off their jersey, and I'm pretty sure I saw a lot of Italians (or indeed any WC winner) with their shirts, and also pants, off. But that rule is not enforced due to the importance of the occasion, which is what should have happened with Zidane.

[aldo_14]

And anyone not retiring immediately after would be looking at a multi-match ban.

[neoterran]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5168890.stm

 

[aldo_14]

He probably watched Ukraine - Switzerland.

[karajorma]

Looks like it's finally out what Matterazzi said. First he called Zidane whatever the French equivallent for nigger is, and then called him a "son of a terrorist whore". By the way, his mother was taken ill to the hospital earlier on Sunday. Tell me that that's appropriate behaviour. Tell me that it's an acceptable strategy to sling insults at the other team and hope they will act out. I'm pretty sure FIFA has some sort of rule against racial slurs.

So Zidane should have just shouted back at him until the ref came over to see what was going on. Had that happened it would probably have been Matterazzi who got sent off instead of Zidane. Not to mention the fact that the Spanish learned the hard way that making racist taunts at the French team only fired them up. That would have been a much better response that what is basically a criminal offense regardless of the provocation.

Fact is I don't give a **** who Zidane is. Any other player would have gotten the same treatment for that. I see no good reason why he should get treated any differently just cause he was retiring. If he was so worried about his legacy maybe he shouldn't have thought about not headbutting an opposing player in his final match.

Besides where did you hear that this was what was said anyway?

[Skippy]

Looks like it's finally out what Matterazzi said. First he called Zidane whatever the French equivallent for nigger is, and then called him a "son of a terrorist whore". By the way, his mother was taken ill to the hospital earlier on Sunday. Tell me that that's appropriate behaviour. Tell me that it's an acceptable strategy to sling insults at the other team and hope they will act out. I'm pretty sure FIFA has some sort of rule against racial slurs.

He (Zidane) should explain today at 8pm (GMT+1)

So Zidane should have just shouted back at him until the ref came over to see what was going on. Had that happened it would probably have been Matterazzi who got sent off instead of Zidane. Not to mention the fact that the Spanish learned the hard way that making racist taunts at the French team only fired them up. That would have been a much better response that what is basically a criminal offense regardless of the provocation.

Fact is I don't give a **** who Zidane is. Any other player would have gotten the same treatment for that. I see no good reason why he should get treated any differently just cause he was retiring. If he was so worried about his legacy maybe he shouldn't have thought about not headbutting an opposing player in his final match.

Besides where did you hear that this was what was said anyway?

[aldo_14]

Various lipreaders have come up with various interpretations; one is calling his mother a terrorist whore, another is wishing his (Zidanes) whole family a horrible death (Zidanes mother was in hospital at the time, although who knows if Materazzi knew); both from the BBC (radio 5 and the bbc news respectively, I think). 

But let's be just a wee bit careful here; almost every media examination of Zidanes actions has seemingly sought to exonerate him of responsibility based on what Materazzi might have said.  But ultimately words are one thing, actions are another; there will not be a professional player in the world who has not gone through a match without opponents constantly trying to wind them up into doing something stupid.

[karajorma]

He (Zidane) should explain today at 8pm (GMT+1)

Hardly an unbiased source.

Besides my point is that while he can explain why he did it, he can't excuse it.