Qatar to Put Controversial Zinedine Zidane Marco Materazzi Headbutt Statue on Show for 2022 FIFA World Cup

• The most controversial moment in the history of FIFA World Cup finals history, Zinedine Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 edition, is receiving renewed interest
• A statue immortalising the moment of madness will be displayed prominently during the global showpiece event in Qatar this year
• The monument has been in the country's capital since 2013, and is going to be used to symbolise the impact of high-level sports on mental health

Qatar is aiming to put a controversial statue of Zinedine Zidane's notorious 2006 World Cup final headbutt of Marco Materazzi on display for this year's tournament.

The bronze monument has been part of the country's culture for nearly 10 years, though not without controversy. In 2013 when it first went up on the capital Doha's seafront, the five-metre high sculpture showing the French legend confronting the Italian defender went up for less than four weeks before being taken down as a result of protests that it breached Islamic laws on idolisation.

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Football

According to ENCA, the statue will now be at the centre of an exhibit at Doha's new international sports museum, dedicated to the impact of high-level sport on "mental health and dealing with stress".

The Times of Malta quoted Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the head of Qatar Museums, as saying:

"It was nothing against public art, it was more that it felt that was not the right location and it's going be reinstalled. We're actually planning to reinstall it at the 3-2-1 museum. Zidane is a great friend of Qatar and he's a great role model for the Arab world.

"One of the things we're trying to teach and empower people through art is facts about life. So with the Zinedine Zidane sculpture, we'll be talking a lot about the stress on athletes under big tournaments and the importance of dealing with issues of mental health."

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Athletics

The museum's officials said they hoped to have the statue on display again by the start of the 2022 World Cup on November 21.

The statue, sculpted by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed, offended conservatives in the Muslim emirate, as per Reuters. A social media campaign saw many people condemn it as a "flagrant violation of religious tenets".

In response to possibly inflaming protestors again, Al Thani said:

"At the start they criticise it but then they accept it."

Zidane spotted watching former club Real Madrid takes on Liverpool as sporting stars grace UCL final

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, Brazilian great Ronaldinho and many more sporting stars graced the Stade de France for the final of the UEFA Champions League.

As reported by Sports Brief, Spanish giants Real Madrid faced Liverpool in the final of Europe's elite competition in the French capital.

In photos posted on social media, spotted by Sports Brief, the Stade de France was full of stars, from Zidane to Rafael Nadal, and to Brazil legend Ronaldo.