Monty Python insults, and Camoranesi's haircut!

[curiouswombat]

Well that was a very good game - which finals sometimes aren't. What on Earth was Zidane doing? Surely with all his experience he should have kept his cool no matter what - and Materazzi didn't appear facially to have been that vicious in his comment - Daughter-dear reckoned the worse possible insult must have been 'Your mother is a hamster, and your father smells of elderflowers, you cheese-eating surrender monkey.' And even that Python/Bush insult should not have been enough for a reaction like that.

(For USA friends; Zidane is the French captain, playing his last international game, and he inexplicably turned on an Italian player and head-butted him in the middle of his chest. He was sent off.)

But did anyone apart from D-d and I notice what happened to Camoranesi's hair? The commentators were too busy talking about what had happened in the match to see what was happening on camera as the celebrations started. The Italians took a chair out into the middle of the pitch within a minute of the final whistle, sat Camoranesi on it, took a pair of scissors, and cut off his top-knot, with much laughter and cheering. He was carrying the hair around with him, and eventually seemed to have put it into one of the goal-keeper's gloves. When they were all gathered around the trophy he took his cut-off hair and put it on the trophy like a little wig for a minute, before putting it back into the glove again!

We thought it was really great - he must have vowed to have it cut off if they won - and we were fascinated by where Camoranesi's hair was all through the celebrations!

(If you don't know what Camoranesi usually looks like, and you are interested - there is a picture here

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for explaining what happened to get Zidane sent off. I was outside watering the flowers; my husband went into the kitchen for something, and when he returned, Zidane was being ejected. Our commentator (U.S.) made a comment about it being an unsportsmanlike act -- intimating it was the worst thing he'd ever seen. As if! Surely that can't be the worst atrocity ever committed on a soccer field. We wondered what on earth it could be. Many thanks for clearing this up. Like you and D-d, we've had a blast thinking up comments made by the Italian player. Years ago, Saturday Night Live did a spoof on "The Exorcist", with the possessed girl hissing at the priest, "Your mother sews socks that smell!" Maybe that was it.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It really was one of the worst attacks I've ever seen on a football pitch - there have been people punched etc. of course, but usually during an argument - this came out of the blue. He was walking alongside Matarrazi, then got about four steps ahead, as if he was heading up the pitch towards the action, then suddenly Zidane turned on his heel, took a couple of strides back and head-butted the Italian mid-chest. The Italian obviously didn't realise what was happening, as he didn't put his arms up or step back or anything - just dropped.

[maddeinin.livejournal.com]

It was an excellent game until The Thing happened, after that I was just numb.

It wasn't the first time Zidane totally lost his cool, but with ten minutes playing time left of his entire career you'd think--- SIGH.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

As my daughter said, he so totally chose to go that way - he didn't look particularly distraught, he looked quite calm as he went back to Materazzi and head-butted him - it wasn't as if there was a fight or anything - and he knew he only had ten minutes to go - and yet he chose to turn around, walk back and head-but the guy! As if he didn't want to be the person wholifted that cup if they won! Weird.

[maddeinin.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not sure I can buy that it was calm and deliberate - they'd been scuffling for a while, and Materazzi was saying something as Zidane was walking away, and the way it makes sense for me is that it was something vile that took a while to sink in, and then BAM. Not that that excuses it, etc.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It is absolutely no excuse - they taunt each other all the time - and if it took a while to sink in, he should have taken another while to think about it, and then ignored it - but then he has done the same thing before, so they know that they might be able to make him react.

But on occasions where players have lost their tempers because of what has been said to them on other occasions, the replay doesn't usually show them smiling at each other about 5 seconds before - and usually shows the taunter really looking as if they are snarling out an insult not just saying something in a normal tone of voice - which is why it was so weird.

It was as if he thought 'What the hell, might as well leave now as wait for another ten minutes.' Rather than 'No matter what he says to me, there is only ten minutes to go, and then I will never have to listen to any insults again.'

And of course we only have his word for it that Materazzi said something vile - and we don't know what sort of things he may have said to Materazzi all through the match.

The whole thing was just so sad - I will now remember him as 'the most vicious player I ever saw in a World Cup Final' - whereas previously I thought of him as 'the big balding French guy' - and I bet I'm not the only one.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Oblivious American here; I didn't actually know who won until I read this! Thanks for the information. Kind of interesting!

I looked at the picture of Camoranesi; if he had a bet on the game it looks like it's a good thing Italy won! Seriously goofy hair. I 've known navajo guys who wear it that way, but I wouldn't expect to find them on an italian sports team!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Actually I chose that picture because it showed the hair well - rather than one of him face on, but funnily enough D-d and I have commented before that he doesn't look totally European - facially he looks like a native American as well.

I wonder what his family background is?

[caegey.livejournal.com]

Not only that but Gatusso was walking around in his underwear for a little while and again no comment. I'm saddened by the Zidane incident as he is such a great player but I have a new hero in Cannavaro. What a great World Cup! And just so you know all Americans weren't ignoring it, this was the scene in front of City Hall in Boston during the final. http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20060709/i/2127107507.jpg

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

D-d noticed Gatusso as well - we really enjoyed watching them celebrate, they did it with such gusto!

Cannavaro was excellent - and I'm not always a big fan of the azzuri - but they had some really good players in that squad.

I'm surprised the Bostonians weren't waving Italian tricolours!

[gamiila.livejournal.com]

Materazzi didn't appear facially to have been that vicious in his comment

According to several French papers today, Materazzi had been taunting Zidane for some time during the match, finally calling him an Algerian terrorist and his sister a whore. That's when he lost it, apparently.

Such a sad end to his international career.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The BBC said that he has not said anything publically about what Materazzi is meant to have said, but his agent said 'It was a serious thing.'

But usually if someone is being particularly nasty they look as if they are, and Materazzi just didn't - Zidane had been smiling at him only 5 seconds before.

When it happened my daughter said 'Oh well, he can't say it was racist,' as it hadn't occured to her that he wasn't totally European, the same as Materazzi. When I pointed out that his parents were Algerian she said 'In that case he'll say it was racist, and expect that everyone willl feel sorry for him.'

If Materazzi did say that then I am surprised that Zidane reacted at all - it must be the totally stock insult other players use to him all the time - you would have expected an unimaginative remark like that to be like water off a duck's back.

And for a moment of madness he will be remembered (at least by me!)as 'that vicious French guy, rather than 'that ugly bald French guy' which was how I thought of him before!!

Although I suppose that it will now go down in history as the ZZ final - so maybe that was his attention!

[gamiila.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't think we'll ever really know what happened, only that Zizou lost his cool in the final 10 minutes of his career -- such a shame.

And I suppose FIFA had already made up their minds and printed up the banner to proclaim him Player of the Tournament, because I can't see that he deserves the title after that little shenanigan.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't neccesarily have made him my man of the tournament, but it would have been a reasonable choice - until that point. It must be embarrassing for FIFA with all the emphasis on fair play, to have the award for top player co-inciding with what should be the recipient of the longest ban of the tournament.

Only of course banning him will be an empty gesture!

What an end to the tournament.

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Algerian terrorist. Whore sister. You know, none of that should matter. This wasn't some 20 year-old child basketball star who hasn't gotten over his "mean-streets" upbringing. This was a 34-year-old veteran who has, no doubt, heard it all. Including slurs about being Algerian (so you add terrorist, and that makes unprofessionalism justified) and all kinds of things about his mother and sisters. Sadly, that's how the games are played. He's played the game long enough to know that and to know how to deal with it. I agree with you...I'm no soccer groupie, but I knew he was a major player and now I'll always think of him as an overgrown child with no anger impulse control. Poor France. They could have been the champions.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'll always think of him as an overgrown child with no anger impulse control.

Perfectly put.

Actually, the BBC, God bless them, brought in a multi-lingual lip-reader to try and work out what had gone on!

He couldn't tell what Zidane said, as his head was turned away from camera - but he said that the conversation went something like this -
Zidane xxx
Materazzi 'No!'
Zidane xxx
Materazzi 'You liar!'
Zidane xxx
Materazzi 'May your family die a horrible death.'
Zidane xxx
Materazzi 'Well F... You!'
Zidane BANG

I gather it was a fairly standard Italian insult - although you PM would be able to confirm this!

Ther doesn't seem to have been anything about terorism and whores at all.

[jerusha]

I saw the replay of the head butt on the news tonight, and... I feel bad for him. Not because he didn't deserve to get sent off, but because he ruined for himself what might have been one last, shining moment. Although, I think he's an idiot for doing it.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

So stupid - I mean they trade insults all the time, no-one is surprised - so to react in such a childish, but dangerous, way was very silly.

Materazzi said that of course he had insulted Zidane - he had put up with Zidane's arrogant remarks throughout the whole match. Which sounds pretty much as you would expect.