ZINEDINE ZIDANE HEADBUTT STATUE TO BE RE-INSTALLED IN QATAR AHEAD OF 2022 WORLD CUP
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The head of Qatar’s Museums announced on Monday that a statue immortalising Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt during the 2006 World Cup final will be re-installed after it was removed in 2013 due to domestic criticism.
The 5-meter bronze piece “Coup de tete” was taken down just days after it was unveiled, when some conservative Muslims in the country accused it of promoting idolatry and encouraging violence.
“Evolution happens in societies. It takes time and people may criticize something to begin with, but then understand it and get used to it,” said Qatar Museums Chairperson Sheikha al-Mayassa al-Thani, who is the sister of Qatar’s ruling emir.
She stated that the statue’s initial public placement was “not right,” and that it would be reinstalled at a new sports museum in Doha, which will host the World Cup later this year.
Some conservative Muslims believe artistic depictions of human forms should be forbidden to avoid idolatry. Although many Muslim countries have public sculptures, they are less frequent in the Arab Gulf.
The sculpture, created by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed, depicts Zidane head-butting Italy’s Marco Materazzi during extra time in the 2006 World Cup final. In his final encounter as a professional footballer, Zidane was sent off, and Italy went on to win on penalties.
Al-Mayassa told reporters the aim of displaying the work was to promote conversations about “stress on athletes…and the importance of dealing with issues of mental health.”
“Zidane is a great friend of Qatar. And he’s a great role model for the Arab world,” she said. “Art, like anything else, is a matter of taste. Our goal is to empower people.”
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