You get my head-butt! Toshiyuki Okamori October 1, 2006 (1st edition)

October 4, 2006 (2nd edition)

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup final in Germany on July 9, 2006, the incident happened when five minutes had passed from the start of the latter part of the extra periods. The France midfielder and captain Zidane head-butted the Italy defender Materazzi in his chest. Materazzi fell down on the spot. Zidane, who was a national hero as a football player in France and had expressed his retirement beforehand to set a limit to the game, was sent off by the referee showing the red card. Even if you were not football fans, most you might know it.

Just before the incident, it was the fact that the two men had a talk in dispute. Once people talks with an opponent player while playing a game, he might get emotional over the words even if they were trivial.

Regarding the reason why he head-butted the opponent, a few days later, Zidane explained that Materazzi had seriously and repeatedly insulted his mother and his sister. And he apologized to the football fans. However, he did not clarify what Materazzi really said, due to trivial matters.

Materazzi did not state details in public and did not excuse himself for the incident. His keeping silent might mean that he was afraid that the words would put him at a great disadvantage. People had considered that he might use so abusive language that Zidane could not control himself although he was usually gentle and did not play roughly much. According to his home country’s French media and so on, they reported speculations that Zidane might be hurt his feeling on the social background of racism because Zidane was a son (the youngest in five children) of an Algerian immigrant. The FIFA imposed a penalty on Materazzi for provoking Zidane with the insulting words. His penalty was as much as Zidane although it was rare cases that assaulted player was punished.

On September 5, about two month later, Materazzi clarified the words while replying to an interview. I will play back the situation according to the article of the newspaper. I was trying to imagine it extensively.

--- When Materazzi approached to Zidane, Materazzi touched Sedan’s shirt with his hand and pulled it. Zidane being chased by Materazzi for a long time became more irritated by being pulled with his shirt.

“If you want my shirt, I will give you afterward,” Zidane said with irony.

“I prefer your sister,” Materazzi retorted soon.

If they had fellow feelings each other, they might pass it as a joke. Zidane, however, could not overlook it as a joke. It was seemed that he did not have enough strength in his physicality and also maybe his mentality which were nearly limited in the offensive and defensive game that did not come to an end, even while entering the extra period. In the keen competition, he got a point by himself in the first period but soon the score was tied by Materazzi.

Zidane became more excited as he was answered back. And it was enough insulting for Zidane that Materazzi treated his sister “a thing” such as the shirt getting dirty and being stained with sweat.

He said in his mind, “you bastard! You looked down on my adorable sister like a shirt. You get my head-butt!”

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