Word of mouth

FIFA will look into what Materazzi told Zidane

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has announced the start of an investigation into the incident that occurred between France and Italy players Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi in the final match of the World Cup. In the 110th minute of the match, the Italian defender said something to the captain of the French team, in response he hit him with his head in the chest and was then sent off from the field.

FIFA representatives did not specify how exactly the investigation into this case will be conducted. Most likely, the participants in the incident will be forced to testify, and then the entire football world will know what exactly Materazzi said to Zidane. There are many versions so far. One of them was voiced rather vaguely by the Italian national team defender himself. “I held him by the T-shirt a little, he turned around, looked down at me, with all possible arrogance in his eyes, and said: “If you really want my T-shirt, I’ll give it to you after the game,” Materazzi said. “I didn’t reach into my pocket for a word and answered sharply.” The Italian did not specify what word he “didn’t reach into his pocket” for.

Meanwhile, some media outlets conducted their own journalistic investigations, inviting specialists who could read lips as experts. According to The Sun, Materazzi called Zidane “the son of a terrorist whore,” which can be translated as the son of a terrorist whore. Considering that Zinedine Zidane is of Algerian descent and his mother was hospitalized on Sunday, the France captain's response is understandable.

However, Materazzi himself denies that he uttered these words. “You can be one hundred percent sure: I never called him a terrorist simply because I don’t know who Islamic terrorists are,” the Italian said. - I also didn’t say anything about Zidane’s mother. For me, any mother is sacred.”

The Guardian newspaper puts forward its own version. According to experts of this publication, Materazzi wished Zidane that he and his family would “die a terrible death” and also advised the Frenchman to “carry out an act of sexual violence on himself.” By the way, earlier The Guardian also insisted on the “terrorist” version. In many of the possibilities that various newspapers put forward one after another, other members of the Zidane family also appear. And the Italian La Stampa, citing some Brazilian studies, puts forward a version that Materazzi showed off not only profanity, but also knowledge of biblical history and told Zidane: “It was not Mary Magdalene who worked on the street, but yours...” Further versions, who namely, mother, sister or wife, they diverge.

Zidane's teammates cannot clarify either. Most likely, the conversation was in Italian (Zizou played for Juventus in Italy for several years), and those French people who were nearby most likely simply did not understand what was being said. In addition, Zidane himself may have mistranslated Materazzi’s statement.

Now all these options will have to be sorted out by FIFA. It is still unclear which federation body will select Zidane’s closest relatives. However, during the investigation, an interesting fact may emerge: none of the judges saw the moment of Zidane’s strike, and the main referee of the match, Argentine Elizondo, made the decision to remove the French captain after explanations from the reserve referee, who watched this moment on the monitor in the replay. If this is indeed the case, then the French federation will have a formal reason to file a protest: the use of video replays when making refereeing decisions during a match is not allowed.

However, in France they have already experienced defeat in the final, and Zidane is not blamed. Jacques Chirac also supported the footballer. “At this moment, which is perhaps the most intense in your career, I want on behalf of the entire nation to show you admiration and respect,” the French President told Zinedine Zidane at the Elysee Palace during a gala dinner dedicated to the country’s silver medal win. World Championship.

Andrey VDOVIN