Monthly Archives: July 2006

How do kids respond to Zinedine Zidane’s World Cup final head-butt against Marco Materazzi? One 14 year told the Associated Press the act was “stupid,” saying “It doesn’t matter if somebody says something to you, you should walk away, show them by scoring a goal and doing your best. … tell the referee if something […]

Italy has won the World Cup, but Brazil is still the best team in the world, according to FIFA’s newly redesigned world soccer rankings. The new system changes the criteria for rating the world’s top teams, benefiting Argentina, France, and England, which moved to 3, 4, and 5, respectively, after Brazil and Italy. Italy moved […]

It will likely become the most famous head-butt in sports history, carried out by one of soccer’s most famous players of all-time. The maneuver sent shockwaves throughout the world’s press corps., leaving millions to wonder what led France’s Zinedine Zidane, one of the sports great ambassadors, to retaliate in such a way. For a sponsor, […]

Two of the most successful coaches at this year’s World Cup have quit. Germany’s Juergen Klinsmann and Marcelo Lippi of Italy both announced today that they would be stepping down as coach of their respective national teams. Both were encouraged to stay on the job; Italy, of course, finished world champions, while Germany managed a […]

If Juventus et al are in fact relegated for next season, the result would be a free agency bonanza for other European clubs, writes the Daily Telegraph. Serie A champion Juventus, already close to offloading captain Fabio Cannavaro to Real Madrid, has confirmed it would sell seven of its players who featured in Sunday’s World […]

Nearly 12 million Americans watched on ABC as France beat Italy in the World Cup final on Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research, making the 2006 final the third most-watched final in U.S. soccer-viewing history. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision and its sister network Telefutura also received “monster ratings” for this year’s final, said the Hollywood Reporter. […]

“That’s going to be something that you’re going to see more in MLS, is some people bringing in some outside, international players…And I don’t think it’s just because they’re international, it’s because they’re bringing some unique skill.” So said David Alioto, the new executive vice president of what will be the second incarnation of the […]

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says there was something thoroughly American about Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt against Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon. “With poetic timing, Zidane summoned his inner Mike Tyson, providing us all with a brutally and beautifully American moment at the climax of the galaxy’s most-watched […]

The Circus Maximus, ancient Rome’s vast stadium for chariot races, was the scene where hundreds of thousands of Italians gathered to greet an open-topped bus carrying their World Cup heroes. The mayor’s office estimated the crowd topped 600,000, with another hundred thousand or so accompanying the bus on its slow march from prime minister Romano […]

Marco Materazzi has admitted to insulting Zinedine Zidane prior to the head-butt that led to his sending off in Sunday’s World Cup final. Media speculation about what Materazzi said have ranged from steroid allegations to racism, but until now neither one of the pair has spoken publicly about the matter. Materazzi told Gazetto dello Sport, […]