The Official World Cup 2006 Thread

[BakedBeans]

8 July 2006
CARRY ON FIXING

Lift the World Cup and we'll give amnesty to clubs says minister
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer
ITALY were handed an extraordinary boost ahead of the World Cup Final last night when the country's justice minister said there should be an amnesty for the clubs in the corruption scandal.

Seven of Marcello Lippi's starting side in Berlin play for clubs facing relegation from Serie A following the bribery and match-fixing shame that has taken Italian football into the gutter.

Juventus quartet Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro and Mauro Camoranesi face being demoted two divisions to Serie C with the Turin club the most heavily implicated.

AC Milan midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, plus Fiorentina striker Luca Toni, also fear being plunged into Serie B, with another six members of Lippi's squad playing for those three clubs or Lazio who are also implicated.


But with recently-elected Prime Minister Romano Prodi having gone into the Italy dressing room after their semifinal win over Germany to join in the choruses of 'O Sole Mio', new Italian Justice Minister Clemente Mastella hinted at a possible escape clause for all four clubs.

Mastella believes the enjoyment the players have given the nation in the past month should be rewarded. He said: "The government cannot get involved in this issue but I do think the majority of fans want an amnesty.

"As a fan, let me ask this: is it fair that Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero and so many others should play in the third division after everything they have done?"

Lazio lawyer Gian Michele Gentile suggested the amnesty call would not come to anything because it would otherwise "render this whole trial pointless" but the highprofile intervention gave the Italy squad a massive lift.

Lippi's players were concentrating on how they would prevent Zinedine Zidane ending his career with the ultimate high in tomorrow's Berlin showdown.

Gattuso said: "You simply don't stop Zidane. He is one of the strongest players - when he has the ball you have to do the sign of the cross and hope he misses.

"When Zidane is 100 per cent he doesn't let you see the ball. With him, it's just a case of magic, now you see the ball and now you don't. It is worth paying money to watch him play."

While the Berlin Stadium is remembered more for the feats of Jesse Owens, those 1936 Olympics saw Italy taste victory in the football tournament.

Adding more golden medals tomorrow will require a bigger effort but former Everton star Marco Materazzi is backing Gattuso to keep Zidane at bay.

Materazzi said: "There's no need to charge Gattuso up, otherwise he would split the world in two. He can certainly mark Zidane.

"France are used to winning and we will have to work very hard because they have great players. But we are playing the most important game of our lives and we know what we have to do."

And skipper Cannavaro, who will earn his 100th cap tomorrow, is determined to shackle Thierry Henry and take revenge on France for two of the most miserable nights of his career.

Cannavaro said: "Earning my 100th cap in the World Cup Final is like crowning a dream for me."

The 32-year-old added: "I knew this could be my last World Cup so I asked my team-mates to help me go all the way.

"Whenever I think of France it brings back terrible memories of losing to them in the penalty shoot-out in Paris in 1998 and the Euro 2000 Final in Rotterdam.

"We're going to have to sweat, scrap and suffer but we can't contemplate defeat.

"We have already shown in this tournament that we are able to play good football."

this one

 

[Jaffa Cake]

this one

The idea of an amnesty is just an opinion of the Justice Minister it seems, and hopefully it won't happen. As I say though, I wouldn't be surprised at all if there's some way the clubs and players involved end up with lax punishments. A couple of points deducted maybe, a few small fines and the promise never to do it again guv.

 

[WildCowboy]

this one

Is it just me, or is there absolutely no mention in the article (aside from the headline) of amnesty being contingent upon victory for Italy?

(Sorry if I missed it...I had seen that article before and missed in then. I only briefly scanned it this time and still didn't find it.)

 

[adom]

Congrats Italy!

 

[true777]

Supposedly what was said to Zidane was highly racist in nature.

 

[XIII]

Supposedly what was said to Zidane was highly racist in nature.

Where have you got this from?

It would have to have been, for him to react like that. I am sure the Italian player who said that got the response he wanted. Nasty piece of work.

 

[Macky-Mac]

Coin toss?
First team to have a player to drop dead from exhaustion?
Rock, paper, scissors?

have them play until one team wins..........that's the way it is in most sports

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Forza Italia!!! <<-- Not the political party

The Zcandal...

 

[Brize]

shootout?????

they need to find a better way to end a game than that

We already have a better way: winning the game in 120 minutes. Ultimately, if a team isn't good enough to win in normal/extra time, there can be no complaints.

 

[Macky-Mac]

We already have a better way: winning the game in 120 minutes. Ultimately, if a team isn't good enough to win in normal/extra time, there can be no complaints.

a draw would be honorable and give more respect to both teams than that silly shoot out

 

[Mike Teezie]

Man, what a bummer.

It just seems so surreal - ZZ being sent off. What could possibly be said to make Zidane completely lose his temper like that? I mean, exhaustion, frustration, yada yada yada - it's the finals of the World Cup, you're in overtime, you are the Captain, it's the last game of your national career - and you allow yourself to be played like that by some goon. Unbelievable!

Congrats Italy.

At least it wasn't Portugal that lifted the cup.

 

[Brize]

a draw would be honorable and give more respect to both teams than that silly shoot out

Brilliant! Should we cut the cup in half vertically or horizontally?

 

[Macky-Mac]

Brilliant! Should we cut the cup in half vertically or horizontally?

why pretend that one team "won" when they really played to a draw.....it's silly

 

[gekko513]

I think shoot-out is an excellent way to end a draw. It's exciting and it requires skills used in a regular match, so it's still football.

 

[gauchogolfer]

gauchogolfer, I'm borrowing your 'tar for the occasion.

Hey XIII, just to let you know I'm giving you permission to use the same avatar as me, since we're both Arsenal fans...

Things are gloomy here in France

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Various other ways have been tried and tested – silver goals and golden goals for example. I'm not keen on penalty shootouts – they're not a fair way to decide a game, the burden of failure often ends up on one player, and of course England are rubbish at them . One suggestion I have heard that might be worth trying is that the game goes on in ten minute segments until the first goal is scored, and each team loses a player each segment. So we start extra time 10-a-side, 10 minutes later we go to 9-a-side, and so forth. Not the most elegant way to find a winner but then again neither is a shootout.

Of course, we could always try a keepy-uppy contest.

 

[WildCowboy]

One suggestion I have heard that might be worth trying is that the game goes on in ten minute segments until the first goal is scored, and each team loses a player each segment. So we start extra time 10-a-side, 10 minutes later we go to 9-a-side, and so forth. Not the most elegant way to find a winner but then again neither is a shootout.

That's a very interesting idea...could be fun to watch.

As a typical American, I usually find soccer somewhat boring. (I understand the national pride and getting into the players and teams and can appreciate some of the great plays, but overall it's not that exciting to me.) I've long thought that the game would be much more interesting if two balls were used simultaneously. It would add a whole other dimension to the game...deciding how many of your men to put on each ball at any given time, etc. It would wreak havoc on the broadcasting end of things, but I'd definitely pay to see it.

 

[ham_man]

Hey XIII, just to let you know I'm giving you permission to use the same avatar as me, since we're both Arsenal fans...

Things are gloomy here in France

Then why isn't Henry in an Arsenal jersey...?

 

[Loge]

Penalties usually works very well at deciding a game - it's usually the better team who wins or the team that keeps its nerve better.

 

[XIII]

Hey XIII, just to let you know I'm giving you permission to use the same avatar as me, since we're both Arsenal fans...

Things are gloomy here in France

Thanks. I'll keep it for a day or so while I reflect over the WC loss. Then I need to find a more Arsenal related Thierry tar.

 

[ScubaDuc]

Well.. I am Brasilian (Brazilian to you Americans) and when France got Brasil i despised them so going for italy was the only way to go!!!!! So i am soo glad Italy won plus i just love the italian too (but brasil is still the best)

And after The winning of Italy the are the 2nd best in the worl behind Brasil beacuse Italy Has now won 4 World cups and Brasil has won 5!!!!!!!!! they are my 2 favorite teams but i cant let italy beat Brasil next world cup...



GO BRASIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohe galera! Thank you! Grazias! All my friends from the batucada class were supporting Italy! ...DALE BRAZIL ...except against Italy, com certeza,

 

[yg17]

YAY!!!! IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!!


Now the BBC can get back to Top Gear

 

[ScubaDuc]

As a typical American, I usually find soccer somewhat boring. .

Man, and what about baseball? The "sissy" game par excellence where the idea of the game is to go "home" ...One sits around forever eating hot dogs waiting for someone to hit the ball...and when finally someone hits it, it is over in 30 sec.

Wouldn't be as bad if the beer wasn't watered down...

 

[WildCowboy]

Man, and what about baseball? The "sissy" game par excellence where the idea of the game is to go "home" ...One sits around forever eating hot dogs waiting for someone to hit the ball...and when finally someone hits it, it is over in 30 sec.

Wouldn't be as bad if the beer wasn't watered down...

I actually agree with you. I'll put it on the TV as background if there's nothing else and I want to read the paper or surf the Internet or something like that. As with just about any sporting event, seeing them live is exciting merely due to the atmosphere, but baseball is pretty dull IMO.

 

[Felldownthewell]

Here in Portland they showed the game on a huge screen in Pioneer Courthouse Square (big brick square in the middle of the city) and I watched it with 5000 other people. All my friends were for France but I was decked out in all my Juve finest (don't care if they are relegated) and going insane. Great game... one of the happiest days of my life!