Zidane's infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup
final taken down.
The five-meter tall bronze figure stands outside the Pompidou Arts
Centre in Paris and is known to have angered French football
bureaucrats who feel that it sends out an unprofessional image of
their legendary former captain.
In an open letter to Zidane, administrators wrote: "By choosing this
provocative image, the artist has deliberately opted to ignore all
your talents and all the positive emotions that you were able to share
with the people of our country."
It stands "in contrary to sporting ethics and values carried and
transmitted by the hundreds of thousands of educators who invest all
over our country for young practitioner."
Instead, they believe a sculpture representing Zidane's two headed
goals against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup triumph would be more
appropriate.
Whether Zizou himself will support the removal. of the efigy remains
to be seen, but president of the Pompidou Arts Centre, Alain Seban, is
"shocked" by the appeals.
"This is more or less a call for censorship," he said.
Zidane claimed to have been racially provoked by the Italian defender
in the build-up up to his headbutt though was duly fined and made to
do community service for FIFA.
Source : goal.com