Since the introduction of yellow and red cards at the World Cup in 1970, only two players have “red” twice – Cameroonian Rigoberd Song and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane.
The Cameroonian played in four World Cups, but his first appearance at the 1994 World Cup ended early when, then 17, he was shown a straight red card after a tackle on Brazil’s Bebet in the second round encounter.
Cameroon was last in the group with one point after two defeats. He drew with Sweden and lost to Brazil and Russia.
Four years later, Song was sent off against Chile after picking up two yellow cards, the first in the 8th minute and the second in the 51st minute. Cameroon was again last in the group with two draws (Austria, Chile) and a defeat (Italy).
Five days earlier in the same tournament, Zinedine Zidane received a straight red card for kicking Saudi Fuad Amin. It was a duel in the second round of the group, and the Tricolori eventually won the world crown.
But the most famous sending-off in World Cup history happened eight years later in the 2006 World Cup final, when Zidane was sent off in the 110th minute for a header from Marco Materazzi. Italy eventually won on penalties.
The moment became so iconic that in 2012 a five-metre tall statue was made of Zidane head-butting Materazzi.
The five-meter high bronze statue, the work of Algerian conceptual artist Adel Abdessemed, was placed in front of the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris. The statue was then placed in Doha on the Corniche and after criticism was moved to the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha.
(vijesti.ba)
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