Zidane Pledges to Ride Out Juventus Storm
Tuesday 14th November 2000
Zinedine Zidane claimed on Tuesday it was "out of the question" that he would shortly leave Juventus, as the French press speculated that a �40 million transfer to Barcelona - via six months at Marseille - was in the offing.
The 1998 World Player of the Year has suffered a miserable start to the season, receiving red cards in consecutive Champions' League matches against Deportivo and Hamburg, and being booed by the Stadio delle Alpi crowd against Lazio on Sunday.
He was also jostled last week by supporters at Turin airport after being blamed for the club's elimination from European competition this season.
Zidane admitted it was a relief to escape the heavy atmosphere at Juve for the relative solitude of Turkey - where he is preparing for Wednesday's friendly international - but added: "The only bad part of my season so far is the sending off against Hamburg (for head-butting defender Jochen Kientz).
"I appreciate that the supporters are disappointed. But that has nothing to do with my performances on the pitch and everything to do with my suspension against Panathinaikos."
Zidane missed his side's 3-1 defeat in Greece, which knocked them out of the Champions' League - and he is suspended for four more European matches. But he denied that Juve are in crisis.
"We have 11 points in the Italian league, are in fourth position, and I'm quite happy with that. It is out of question for me to leave Juventus now.
"I've just signed a new contract (until 2005) and I won't change my mind three months later because everything has not gone perfectly. I still want to win with this club," he concluded.
Zidane's name was linked on Monday with Marseille, his home-town club, where the rumour is that he will sign during the winter transfer period before moving on to Barcelona six months later.
Marseille supremo Robert Louis-Dreyfus, also the president of Adidas, is reported to be setting up the deal through his sportswear firm.
Earlier, Zidane's own website polled supporters on whether he should stay or go. The Italian-language version made it clear that the former Cannes and Bordeaux star was still welcome in Serie A with 79 per cent begging him to stay.
The English service also supported the status quo, with 60 per cent saying the player should remain in Turin.
But the French-language service - supplying the biggest sample of voters - said the player should move on, with 39 per cent favouring a move in January and 27 per cent saying he should leave at the end of the season.
Zidane distanced himself from the vote on Monday, declaring: "The question was clumsily put and didn't come from me."
