More Bleus News: A Zidane Lawsuit? A Barthez Recall?

Zidane is in the news again. According to Football.fr, (which seems to include a large collection of French footballing blogs, so take this with however many grains of salt you feel are warranted,) this time it’s a lawsuit, and no, it’s not a Materazzi thing. He apparently sued Voici magazine for 50,000 Euros for printing pictures of him with the singer Nadiya without permission. You remember Nadiya. The one he so totally did NOT have an affair with. And who doesn’t look ANYTHING like his sister.

He’s not saying anything about the actual rumors of alleged improprieties, at least that I can tell. He just sued because they used the photos without permission.

Uh…Zizou? Those rumors I may have posted last month? And those Impulse Control jokes? And this photo here? Well, I am completely kidding. You know that, right?

UPDATE: I finally stumbled across more details on this one. It seems that a judge awarded Zidane 50,000 Euros from Voici because the magazine caused “unquestionable prejudice” to him and “violated his private life” by publishing the photos. Voici also has to print a retraction in a future issue.

This ruling (and the rather repressive laws on which it is based) is why I like it when my French guys play in England. None of that boring “private life” stuff there!!

Also, my guy Barthez is back in the news, too, also in Football.fr, but I have to say that, as much as I love Fabien, this one scares me a little. Les Bleus’ coach Raymond Domenech is thrilled that Barthez is back on the pitch for Nantes, which is peachy. But he doesn’t stop there. Raymond continues: “Coupet is [the goalkeeper] today. [But] who knows what life will be like in two or three months? … I don’t know what the composition of Les Bleus will be in several weeks. Who will be in form, who will be injured?” And Fabien is SO down with this opening of the door, saying that he has never, ever, not at all, renounced Les Bleus.

That earthquake-sounding thing you just heard? Me. Shuddering.

Fabien, sweetie, you know I love you. But I have to say, I’m not sure my heart could take your return to Les Bleus. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m going to have to go for the solid guy. The stable guy. The guy with the opposable thumbs. Adrenaline can take a relationship only so far. Coupet is my man now. I’m sorry, Fabien. Try to understand.

But remember. We’ll always have this: