Zidane to display skills in Sydney
ZINEDINE Zidane, World Cup winner and three-time FIFA World
Player of the Year, will play a match in Australia in June.
Zidane, who won the World Cup with France in 1998 and was
sensationally sent off in the 2006 World Cup final after
headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi, will make a whirlwind 72-hour
trip to Sydney that will include an exhibition match, a coaching
clinic, and appearances at several corporate events.
The 35-year-old will fly into Sydney on May 31 from Noumea,
after appearing in a charity match.
Both Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners have been approached
to take part in the game, scheduled for June 1 at the Sydney
Football Stadium, with suggestions Zidane could play 45 minutes for
both teams.
But efforts to have Football Federation Australia sanction the
match have been frustrated by internal regulations banning
exhibition games taking place within 14 days of an international
featuring the Australian national team. Australia is scheduled to
play Ghana in Sydney on May 23 and Iraq in Brisbane on June 1.
Filling out the calendar further, Sydney is also hosting FIFA’s
annual congress on May 29 and May 30.
Other options for the match include Zidane leading his France
‘98 teammates who had taken part in the match in New Caledonia,
including goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, striker Youri Djorkaeff,
Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc, against a team representing the
Professional Footballers’ Association.
“The idea came from my eight-year-old son Brooklyn,” organiser
Alain Barataud said. “He said ‘why don’t we bring Zizou to
Sydney’?”
Although FFA will not be officially involved in Zidane’s visit,
the trip could benefit Australia’s 2018 World Cup bid.
Posted
on
Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 5:16 pm under