"ALAIN GIRESSE AND DOMINIQUE ROCHETEAU RESUME TRAINING" (sport.fr) After they allowed themselves a brief reflexion time, the two former members of team France decided to resume training, and told national coach they would soon be ready for competition. "It was a somewhat difficult decision to make, said GIRESSE, but, after my failed attempts at coaching, I wanted a new challenge and I was starving for the pressure of high-level competition. The first days at training were hard [laughes], but I've kept myself in good shape thanks to regular exercice. Soon, i'll be able to run 15 mins in a row again. I won't be ready for a full game yet, but I can give a boost if the team needs me versus Ireland or the Swiss". "Raymond Domenech was very open-minded about our decision, said Dominique ROCHETEAU. He said he would need any help he could find, and that anyway we could not be worse than the bunch of broken-legs losers he must deal with right now. I feel really confident with the team since it decided to take benefit of its most experienced players. I even talked to Raymond KOPA recently, and he said it's a shame that the FIFA doesn't allow the use of a walking cane on the pitch. It will probably be an opportunity for the Federation to take senior citizens into consideration."
it just gets weirder and weirder. for the best i hope Football: Zinedine Zidane dit avoir obéi à une voix lun 08 aou, 21h16 Zinedine Zidane Dit Avoir ObÉI À Une Voix agrandir la photo PARIS (Reuters) - Zinedine Zidane assure avoir obéi à une voix qui l'a poussé à revenir en équipe de France. Dans une interview à paraître mardi dans France Football, le milieu de terrain du Real Madrid revient en termes mystérieux sur sa décision de rejoindre les Bleus. "Je ne voudrais pas qu'on en fasse des tonnes là-dessus et qu'on interprète mal ce que j'ai à avouer, mais ce qui m'arrive, en réalité, est assez mystique et m'échappe un peu", déclare Zidane. "C'est même irrationnel et c'est pour cette raison qu'il n'y a que moi qui puisse le ressentir véritablement. "Une nuit, à 3 heures du matin, je me suis soudain réveillé et là, j'ai parlé avec quelqu'un. Mais ça, personne ne le sait. Ni na femme, ni personne. "Jusqu'à mon dernier souffle je ne dirai pas (qui était cette personne). C'est une énigme, oui, mais ne cherchez pas, vous ne trouverez pas. C'est quelqu'un que vous ne rencontrerez probablement jamais. Moi-même, je ne m'explique pas cette rencontre. "Cette personne existe mais ça vient de tellement loin. Et là, durant les heures qui ont suivi, j'étais tout seul avec elle et, chez moi, j'ai pris la vraie décision de revenir. "C'est à cette heure qu'elle est née ! Je n'avais jamais connu ça. J'étais comme interdit devant cette force qui guidait ma conduite et j'ai eu comme une révélation : j'ai eu soudain envie de revenir aux sources, à celles de mes débuts dans le foot professionnel, quand je n'étais personne, qu'on ne me connaissait pas et que j'étais tranquille à apprendre mon métier, à grandir. "J'ai eu envie de retrouver tout ça et c'est une force irrépressible qui s'est emparée de moi à ce moment-là. Je devais obéir à cette voix qui me conseillait."
Glad to hear Zidane is back in the French NT. After all, in a bad day he's still better than the vast majority in a really good day...
In English: Zidane: 'inner voice' called him to return PARIS (AP) - French soccer star Zinedine Zidane says he decided to come out of international retirement after hearing a mysterious voice in the dead of night. "One night at three in the morning, I suddenly woke up and spoke to someone," Zidane said in an interview with France Football magazine published Tuesday. "I had to obey this voice that advised me." The 33-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, who retired from international soccer last summer, announced last week that he would rejoin the national team to help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup. "I don't want people to make too much out of this, or for what I've confessed to be misinterpreted, but what's happened to me is quite mystical and even escapes me a bit," Zidane said. "I didn't tell anyone about this - not my wife, not anyone." Asked about the identity of his mysterious interlocutor, Zidane vowed to remain silent. "Until my last breath, I won't say," he said. "It's too intense." Zidane - FIFA's world player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2003 - will start his comeback in an Aug. 17 friendly against Ivory Coast and is available for crucial 2006 World Cup qualifiers beginning in September. "If we qualify for the World Cup in Germany, I will participate in the my third World Cup," he said. "In reality, when I stop playing for the French national team, I will stop everything - my career - quite simply." http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2005/08/09/1165436-ap.html I thought this was a joke. Anybody know if Zidane has any close dead relatives? I wonder if he saw a ghost. In the French version he kept saying "elle" meaning it was a female. Jeanne D'Arc maybe?
The "artist" is once again truly inspired... <<Même s'il y a eu beaucoup de demandes et de pression, le fait déterminant est que j'ai cette motivation, que j'avais peut-être perdu, celle que j'avais lorsque j'étais à mon meilleur niveau, une motivation de fou. Je veux la retrouver. (Pour être au top), il faut être au taquet tout le temps, sans arrêt sous pression. C'est ce que j'ai envie de faire. Je veux retrouver mes sensations sur le terrain, je les avais perdues l'année dernière. J'ai envie de me remotiver pour tout gagner.»
It makes perfect sense : a die-hard astrologer will coach an enlightened mystical knight. Nothing weird here, just logical and clear-minded sport behaviour. No reason for our rivals to make fun of us, none at all. Here is the last press release given by the federation : Is France ridiculous ? Tell me, is France ridiculous ? PS: (I should not say this, and probably will regret saying this but I can't resist) Since Zidane is muslim, i just hope he didn't hear the voice of the "djihad" .
You know, I have to say it. I was never impressed w/ Makelele in the French NT. Actually, what I do remember clearly is him messing up the simplest passES under pressure. It seemed he could even do nothing well just because of the pressure involved. He was nervous and it showed. I remember needing to get the ball forward and he would pass it to the bench! More than once! Or take, I mean, WASTE a shot when he should have passed it. Even Vieira strikes it better than him and he's crap shooting outside of the box! I recall in the Euros, I believe the Greece match even. It left a bad taste in my mouth. But when I want to counter it and say "oh, he had a bad match" or whatever reasoning, nothing springs to mind of him standing out. I know his role doesn't get much attention, but it doesn't seem about that... Is/Was there some sort of over-sight in my eyes? It seems no one's said anything to this affect about him in Les Bleus..
C'est vraiment étonnant de lire que Zizou a parlé avec quelqu'un avant de décider de faire son retour dans l'équipe de France. De qui s'agit-t-il ce mysterieux personage? Je crains un petit peu que Zizou commence à avoir quelques choses en commun avec John Nash (au film A Beautiful Mind). Quelquefois trop de génie peut s'avérer difficile à gérer... Quoi qu'il en soit, il reste mon idole, Vive Zizou!!!
Voilà le France Football avec l'interview de Zizou http://amnima.free.fr/PSG/FranceFootball-09-08-2005.pdf
Its possible that its a French government conspiracy because Chirac cant stand anymore humiliation. A government operative kidnapped Zizou. They installed a microchip in his brain and erased his memory of the incident. Now he's being controlled from an abandoned warehouse in madrid. Honestly though. Who cares why he decided to come back? The important thing is HE DID!
Do you guys really think he heard the voice of god or something supernatural or whatever. Nonsense. There's a better chance he's a psyco. Although the team can use a psyco with zindanes talents right about now. The question is...... what do you kids predict for frances remaining games? france v faroes ireland v france swiss v france france v cyprus
the elle would accord with the word personne or voix. this is something if french that is misleading at first, but you get used to it. i think it was vercengetorix!
like a dog after its master...... that's my favorite marabout claim. i love these little flyers, i keep them all to write notes on. PS: (I should not say this, and probably will regret saying this but I can't resist) Since Zidane is muslim, i just hope he didn't hear the voice of the "djihad" .[/QUOTE]i also tried to think of a figure in algerian or berber history that might have spoken to him, but i'm not sure they would be inspiration to do good things for france...
And the mysterious voice is.....His Brother! http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/3875446 What's his brother's name, I would like to send him a thank you card!
I am just like anyone else : super happy about Zizou's decision. But I don't have short memory. I was in Portugal last summer for Euro 04 and Makelele was awful. As for Zizou he was as bad as all other French players for the game against Greece. Of course before that he gave me (and a few other thousands French in Lisbon) one of my life's happiest moments when he scored twice against England in a (very) hostile stadium. So I really hope we will see the best of him, which I do believe given his obvious motivation. But he won't be Zorro as he says himself. We can only beat Ireland in Dublin if the whole team fights for it like in the good (not so) old days of Deschamps, Desailly, Blanc & Co. Whatever happens thank you to Zizou (and Thuram and Make) for making this month of August better. I can't help dreaming of Captain Zizou lifting the world cup next year. Sweet dream.