Pourquoi Zizou?
July 10th, 2006 -- Posted in ?:] | 4 Comments »I must admit that during the earlier stages of the World Cup I was a fan of several teams. This includes England which looked good on the field even though they seemed unable to score with their endless shots on goal. This also includes Ghana, especially in their match up against Brazil. It’s good to see nations from other continents advancing in the World Cup and it also makes things more interesting. But one team I was NOT cheering for was France.
But the more I watched them, the more I found myself inspired. Zizou looked crisp and masterful in his touches and Ribery (aka Scarface) sprinted throughout the field with fervor and passion. I also liked their style of play. Too much of soccer is marred with diving and operatics. This is the reason why I detest teams like Italy and Portugal. I didn’t watch Brazil this year, but I recall in a previous world cup where they resorted to the same behavior and it’s also why I’ve never been a fan of them.
But France did not resort to this (granted there will be players that will do this but, as a team, it did not seem like it was their policy). There was no dirty, subtle play like that of Gattosso on Ballack or like Ronaldo. But, of course, what about Zizou headbutting Materazzi?
Italy should be celebrating on their win but I feel that France was the better team. Their play was more inspiring at the endless shots during the 2nd half were just begging for a goal. I have to credit Italy on their beautiful goal in the first half while France has only scored in that past two games with penalty shots.
Anyway, I, like many others, find myself wondering what Materazzi said to Zizou to elicit such a reaction. I find myself torn between the thoughts of ‘Nothing he said could excuse such a reaction’ to ‘He must’ve said somethig that deserved a response’ to ‘How could he be so stupid to fall for such tricks!’ Irregardless, it was sad to see his international career end like this. I’m glad to see that he still won the Golden Ball which he very much deserves.
Well, I can’t wait until 2010 in South Africa where the next World Cup will be held!