FIFA World Cup: Zinedine Zidane’s last World Cup Final in 2006 saw him miss out on the opportunity to participate in the penalty kick-off with Italy, as he was red carded for head butting Marco Matterazzi. The events leading up to Zidane’s head butting of Materazzi have been the cause of much controversy, with popular opinion that heated words were exchanged just prior. Then French President Jacques Chirac hailed Zidane a National hero, and a ‘man of conviction. Matterazzi never publicly apologized to Zidane, and Zidane only apologized to children who had watched the game, not Matterazzi.
Roberto Baggio: In the 1994 World Cup between Brazil and Italy, striker Baggio who had been playing injured stepped up to take the deciding penalty. He missed, and became the number one scapegoat for Italy’s loss. His move to Inter Milan could have been a fresh start, however his new coach often left him benched – a trend that followed Baggio throughout the rest of his professional career. Despite his natural talent and consistent contribution to the game, many will remember Baggio for that one devastating missed penalty in 1994.
Munich Air Disaster: Not all of Footballs biggest headlines occur on the field, and one of the biggest and most shocking of all was the Munich Air Disaster. On February 6th 1958, Manchester United’s plane was returning from the European Cup and had a scheduled stop in Munich to refuel. After two failed attempts to take off, the 3rd attempt in slush saw the plane plough into a house. Of the 44 passengers on board, 21 miraculously survived – Bobby Charlton being one of them.
Diego Maradona: Named FIFA Player of the Century (jointly with Pele), Maradona’s legacy is such that millions of Argentinean’s literally worship at his church. More influential than Politicians in his home country, Maradona has been dogged by numerous drug controversies throughout his career. Officially retiring in 1997 aged 37 saw him still grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons. His addiction to cocaine and his propensity for living the party lifestyle caused him major health scares that saw him hospitalized. Declaring himself clean of drugs, Maradona became obese – causing further health complications.
George Best: Boasting incredible talent, Best was as well known for his disputes with the law, alcoholism and party lifestyle as he was for his prowess on-field. Named 16th on the FIFA Player of the Century list, Best suffered health complications due to drinking to excess (he was the recipient of a liver transplant) and died in 2005 aged 59.
Drugs: Many high profile and talented football players have fallen prey to the trappings of the glamorous and seductive party lifestyle. Drug test failures have claimed the scalps of many established and up-and-coming players, resulting in suspensions and loss of often lucrative sporting and endorsement contracts.
Match Fixing: In September 2005, two Brazilian referees were exposed for match fixing. After being offered substantial amounts of money by a consortium, both referees were investigated and it was discovered that 11 matches had been tampered with. The results of these games were annulled and the two referees faced a variety of criminal charges.
Italy was embroiled in controversy shortly after when Italian Police uncovered a match fixing consortium that involved team managers from multiple clubs and referee organizations. Magistrates in Naples investigated 41 people and 19 matches from the 2004/05 season and a further 14 matches from the 2005/06 season.
Good Headlines: Not all of footballs headlines are scandalous, with a number of players generating press coverage due to a positive accomplishment. Jean-Marc Bosman won a 5 year court battle in 1995 that enabled players to move freely from Club to Club at the expiration of their existing contract. Sir Stanley Matthews single-handedly assisted Blackpool to what seemed like an impossible victory over Bolton in the 1953 FA World Cup Final. England’s one and only FIFA World Cup victory against Germany in 1966.
Sex Scandals: Brazil International’s Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham have all found themselves at the centre of sleazy sex scandals. Beckham’s move to the USA has also created huge buzz.
