Sport | Football
'A great man and a great footballer'
The World Cup final had Dubai on the edge of their seats, supporting the French and Italian community as their national teams went head to head on the football pitch for the cup's thrilling final.
- By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 10, 2006
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The World Cup final had Dubai on the edge of their seats, supporting the French and Italian community as their national teams went head to head on the football pitch for the cup's thrilling final.
Despite France's defeat at the hands of the Italians and the French captain, Zinedine Zidane's outburst in the final minutes of the game which got him sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi, the French community in Dubai still placed their beloved captain on a pedestal.
French national Linda Chikhi, 23, a public relations and marketing coordinator in Dubai, said Zidane's flare-up will probably tarnish his reputation to foreigners, but to the French who have followed his career over the years, it is due to him that 'Les Bleus' got so far.
"He is under so much pressure you can't blame him for what he did or put France's loss down to him.
"Perhaps he should have been substituted 10 minutes beforehand, he was injured and tired by that point.
"I still believe that he is a great man and a great footballer" she said.
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Another French national Augustin Bonbonneau, 23, who works for L'Oreal, said, "It is a sad way for
Zidane to finish his career. I don't understand his behaviour and we won't know what pushed him over the edge."
Bernard Alliott, a French dentist in Dubai, was more disappointed about Zidane getting a red card than France losing the match.
"He's a guy who has had an extraordinary career and it is a shame he got sent off. It was a sad way out and it will be a lasting memory of the World Cup," he added.
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