Soccer

David Beckham, once considered one of the best soccer (football) players in the world was told yesterday by his club, Real Madrid, that his contract would not be renewed. The news had been expected for weeks. Beckham has lost something in his step. He's not as fast as he used to be, and there has been much criticism that Becks doesn't seem to take the game as seriously as he once did.

So, what was the solution?

Go to Los Angeles.

The 31-year-old former England captain will sign a five-year contract worth as much as $250 million, according to Sky Sports. He'll join the Major League Soccer team in August, Beckham said in a statement today.

Beckham, acquired from Manchester United partly to help increase Madrid's merchandise sales, will play out the end of his career in the U.S. Since he and his England team exited in the quarterfinals of last year's World Cup, Beckham lost his place in the national team and has failed to secure a regular first-team berth at Madrid following Fabio Capello's appointment as coach.

If you have never seen David Beckham take a free kick, you have missed a thing of beauty. You've missed a thing of beautiful physics as he is renowned for being able to "bend" the ball so that it bypasses the defensive wall and swirl into the goal.

BBC Radio 5 consulted a lip reading expert. The expert claims she could decipher Materazzi telling Zidane he was the son of a terrorist whore.

It came down to this : The best soccer player in the world looses his head over not just any ethnic slur, but one of the most hideously political ethnic slurs anybody could use against a man of Middle Eastern ascendancy : son of a terrorist whore.

During his Canal+ interview Zidane did not repeat the words uttered by the italian player. He did apologize, epecially to the children, for his unforgivable reaction. Yet he did not express any regret : To do so would be to say he had every reason to say what he said.

Do you think that I would do something like that, during the last 10 minutes of my career ... that I would do something like that just because I felt like it? ... What I did was inexcusable ... but the one who provokes ought to be taken to task.

You can watch the Canal+ interview here and continue on to YouTube.com for part two.

Ok, so we are obsessed with le headbutt.

My son has not stopped talking about it. His father is a man with no interest in sports. So my poor son has been stopping men, asking them if they saw the final game, if they saw Zidane and ask them why the hell did he do that.

It's like he's trolling for sports talk.

He's upset. He can't believe the captain, Le Capitain!, threw the World Cup away with a headbutt. He doesn't understand that maybe France was going to lose anyway but seeing France lose like that has him reeeeaaallly upset. This from the child who cried when both Brazil and Portugal lost to the frenchies.

So, after hearing him go to sleep asking yet again, "WHY DID ZIDANE DO THAT!" and with his baby brother yapping in the background, "Because he's a freaking idiot", I decided to get a clip of the cabezazo.

What I have found is a mini-treasure trove of linguistic soccer clusterfucking that proves that fútbol is not only biggest sport in the world, it is the only real world sport.

You are forewarned : The full post is BANDWIDTH SUCKING HEAVY.

Zinédine Zidane was "super-arrogant" and "I insulted him", admitted Marco Materazzi to La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday,, 11 July. The italian soccer player provoked the frenchman who gave a headbutt that cost him an expulsion from the World Cup final game.

"I grabbed his t-shirt for only a few seconds, he turns to me, talks to be curtly, gives me the eye super-arrogantly from top to bottom : 'If you really want my jersey, I'll give it to you afterwards. I responded to him with an insult, it's true", Matterazzi told the sports newspaper/

However, when asked if the insult was meant for his sister, as it was confirmed to the media, Marco Materazzi said pointedly : "It was one of those insults you hear say dozens of time thrown at each other on the field.

"What is cecrtain is that I never called him a terrorist : I am not that educated and I have no idea what would an islamic terrorist be and my only terrorost is her ...", said Materazzi to the journalists as he pointed to his 10 month-old daughter who was sleeping next to her in the plane that was taking the italian team back home.

MOTHERS ARE SACRED

"I did not mess around with Zidane's mother either because for me the mother is sacred", had insisted the InterMilan player. Corriere della Sera had reported in an article focused on the exchange that Marco Materazzi had lost his mother when he was 14 years-old; so it was inconceivable for him to insult Zidane's mother.

The mystery hangs over what did Materazzi did say to Zidane to provoke such rage. Among the lip-reading specialists consulted on Monday by the Brazilian TV network, Globo, Materazzi may had called Zidane's sister a prostitute; whereas british journalists who also consulted lip-reading experts claim the italian called the frenchman "son of a terroriste whore".

Zidane has decided to wait a few days before he talks about the incident; his agent has said. The italian press says that Maco Materazzi is wanton to provocations and altercations.

French text under the jump.

According to Marco Materazzi, the player that Zidane head-butted, what started the fight was that Zidane was "super arrogant" and Materazzi was insulted when Zidane essentially strutted like a French coq during a confrontation.

There has been tons of speculation that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist, or else said that he was the son of a terrorist whore.

Materazzi denies it, although he does not deny calling Zidane's sister a prostitute. Maybe he said that, he says, but that's the type of insult that flies around a soccer field all the time. But mothers, well, mothers are sacred, and there's no way he would have said something about Zidane's mother. Materazzi's mother died when he was 14, so he's sensitive on that subject.

What was the insult that started all of this?
Well, Materazzi admits that he held on to Zidane's jersey for a few seconds (this is SOP in soccer). Zidane he said, very arrogantly turned to him and said in a very condescending voice, "If you want my jersey, I'll give it to you after the match." That pissed Materazzi off and he said something.

Zidane, for the moment, is silent.

What the hell was Zidane thinking!

[via Zidane Sent Off in Extra Time for Headbutt]:

BERLIN -- To the very end of his career, Zinedine Zidane could dictate the flow of play with rare skill and elegant control of the ball. In the World Cup final, Zidane lost control of his temper.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his head and launching his bald crown into the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time Sunday.

The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was given a red card in the 110th minute. Without their sharpshooting captain, the French couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.

"Zidane being sent off changed everything," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "Even in extra time the Italian team was waiting for only one thing, and that was penalties."

Domenech said he did not know what Materazzi said to Zidane.

"It's regrettable," Domenech said. "We regret it, he regrets it."

The strike to the center of Materazzi's chest was clearly intentional, and referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina briefly consulted with his assistants before showing Zidane the 28th red card of the tournament, a World Cup record. The previous record of 22 red cards, set in 1998, was broken before the quarterfinals round began.

"I have not seen the replays, but if it's voluntary then there's nothing you can say," Domenech said. "But it's a shame. It's sad."

Head bowed, Zidane walked past Domenech but did not look at him. As he exited into the tunnel, his head still bent to the ground, he strode past the golden World Cup trophy and disappeared.

I am complete flabbergasted with Zidane's behaviour. Mind you, I am still pissed at France for eliminating both Brasil and Portugal, but grock flugging damnit, if a team like that can kick Brasil's ass, especially with a goalie like Barthez (the bastard stopped each penatly kick during the semi-finals), I would have thought they would be able to kick Italy's ass.

Mais nooooon.

¡Qué juego!

Argentina eliminates Mexico in overtime 2-1.

What a game!

I'd be happy as pie if either Argentina or Brazil make it to the final. I'd be completely blown away if they were to contest the final match.

Can you imagine a Mundial with Argentina and Brazil?!?!

Money can't buy you a FIFA Cup.

[via Celebrations in Accra after Ghana beats USA - Google Video]:

Ghana is one of the poorest countries in the world. Here's some stats from Wikipedia's entry on Ghana

Population
- 2005 est. 22,113,0001 (49th)
- Density 88.2/km² (83th)
228.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
- Total $51.8 billion (77th)
- Per capita $2,500 (169th)

Here are the same stats for the United States:

Population
- 2006 est. 298,217,215 (3rd)
- 2000
- Density 30/km² (143rd)
83/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total $13.05 trillion (1st)
- Per capita $43,555 (3rd)

Just so you understand the enormity of these numbers, Bill Gates' net worth is US$50 billion; down from an all time high of US$100 billion.

Americans sometimes can't help but be the dumb, uneducated stereotype people have pinned on them all over the world:

[via No more Spanish inquisitions for U.S. - Yahoo! News]:

HAMBURG (Reuters) - Landon Donovan was listening to a Spanish question at a U.S. news conference on Monday and ready to deliver his answer in the language he speaks fluently before being stopped by a spokesman who told everyone to use English.

Midfielder Donovan has delighted Spanish-speaking media with his polished delivery in the last three weeks, as have other team mates who speak the language like goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Donovan seemed as unhappy as the journalist by the sudden introduction of the English-only requirement.

"That's demanding," said Donovan, who then praised the journalist as he struggled to ask his question in English.

"Good English," said the midfielder.

Jim Moorhouse, director of communications for the U.S. team, said the decision not to take questions in Spanish, or German, during the conference was made to improve the efficiency of the briefings.

"We made the choice because time is of the essence," Moorhouse said.

"It was becoming too convoluted with Spanish and German. We wanted to make sure we got through all the English questions."

The U.S., who have one point from two matches, complete their Group E campaign by taking on Ghana in Nuremberg on Thursday.