Guardian and Observer Editorial

The Guardian | Monday July 10 2006 3 Sending-off is put down to video use Sean Ingle Berlin Italy’s coach Marcello Lippi last night insisted Marco Materazzi said nothing to provoke Zinédine Zidane into the extra- ordinary head-butt that led to the France captain’s late dismissal. Lippi claimed the referee Horacio Elizondo had received help from an official on the sidelines for “a flagrant breach of Fifa’s rules” before sending Zidane off. “You will realise it was not Materazzi who got the attention of the referee,” said Lippi. “It was the fourth and fifth officials looking at the video at the edge of the pitch. We did not do anything. They saw it and they called the attention of the referee.” Lippi refused to elaborate on what — if anything — Materazzi had muttered under his breath but he did add crypti- cally: “Tomorrow the French people will know the truth about Zidane. Materazzi was not acting. He took a blow and he was hurt.” The Fifa official Alain Leiblang refused to confirm or deny Lippi’s claims about official interference. “I haven’t yet spoken to the referee, so I don’t know,” he said. “But anything is possible.” There was little illumination either from Materazzi, who hot-footed past jour- nalists desperate to speak to him, his mobile telephone booming like a ghetto blaster. Zidane, meanwhile, declined to show at all. But those France players who did speak seemed to be operating under a code of omerta. No one — absolutely no one — knew why Zidane had pummelled his head into Materazzi’s chest with the wild anger of a bull attacking his tormentor. “To be honest, I didn’t see what happened with the Zidane sending-off,” said Thierry Henry. “No one in the France dressing room seems to know if anything was said, so it’s wrong of me to speculate.” That response was typical. But amid the ‘The referee was not on our side. Materazzi was the man of the match — he got Zidane sent off’ whirlpool of rumour and counter-rumour surrounding the incident there was no suggestion it was due to a racist comment. For all his tattoos and hardman image on the pitch, Materazzi is regarded as tolerant and easy-going off it. His best friend at Internazionale is the Nigeria international Obafemi Martins. But while his players were content to move on, the France coach Raymond Domenech hammered home his con- tention that Materazzi had robbed his side of World Cup glory. “The sending off of Zidane changed the match; that was the key moment of the game,” he insisted. “We had been playing better than Italy in extra-time and you could see they were just waiting for penalties. “It was a pity that we were without Zidane for the last 10 minutes, it affected our balance and perhaps it should not have happened.” “The referee was not on our side,” he added, his tone growing increasingly bitter by the word. “I don’t know what Materazzi told Zidane . All I know was the man of the match was not Andrea Pirlo but Materazzi; he scored the equaliser and he had Zidane sent off. “It’s sad, it’s a pity. Materazzi really put on a great show when he fell down — we know how these things work.” Lippi and his players, meanwhile, were content to revel in glorious delirium. As Gennaro Gattuso walked past his coach, an almighty grin on his face, he summed up the mood of his team-mates. “This is the best feeling in the world,” he said. “I Zinédine Zidane, the France captain, holds his head in his hands after being shown the red card for butting Marco Materazzi Thomas Kienzle/AP feel like I’m incredibly drunk.” 19mins 25mins 28mins 36mins 36mins 46mins 50mins Camoranesi earns a A slick French move A carbon-copy Grosso runs into Pirlo sends in an Henry runs down Henry flies down corner which has Henry running Italian corner from the right side of the identical corner the left and works the right before Andrea Pirlo takes. at pace towards the the right is taken by area and forces the again but, instead his way through ghosting past The midfielder’s Italian defence Pirlo and finds ball through to an of Materazzi, Toni five Italian three players but deep kick finds before sliding a Materazzi climbing onrushing Luca rises well and defenders before his cross is Materazzi at the perfect pass for above his marker. Toni. The striker meets the cross getting a shot off cleared. Zidane’s back post and Ribéry on the Once again he gets pulls his foot back with a powerful which the Italy corner finds his header slips right wing. His an effort off but a to strike and Lilian header that strikes keeper Gianluigi Ribéry whose between Barthez disappointing cross foul is given against Thuram flies in and Barthez’s bar and Buffon collects shot is way and Ribéry. is easily cleared. Grosso. blocks for a corner. flies over. comfortably. too high. ≥.

Load more