Who's the Boss, Zinedine?
Published: April 20, 1999
Juventus owner Giovanni Agnelli has delivered an astounding insult to Zinedine Zidane, his team's best player, on the eve of their delicately-balanced Champions League semi-final against Manchester United.
The Fiat magnate has goaded FIFA's World Player of the Year by accusing him of being hen-pecked by his wife Veronique and allowing her to bully him into leaving Juventus.
Zidane's �15million signature is being sought by Manchester United, Marseille and Real Madrid after the midfielder admitted last week that his wife wanted to quit Turin.
Agnelli said yesterday: 'Zidane is not suffering from homesickness, he is suffering from being under the thumb of his wife. After what he said last week, I went up to him and demanded to know who wore the trousers in his house.
'He could only say to me that because they now have two sons it is his wife who is the boss. Of course Juventus would like to keep Zidane at this club but it is now clear that his wife is a real problem. Also, I have no authority over her.'
Agnelli's broadside was the second personal attack on Zidane in two days. Juve director Luciano Moggi delivered the first, saying: 'Luckily, we didn't sign a contract with Zidane's wife. We signed it with him.'
But Agnelli's very public slap in the face for Zidane in such a traditional and macho Latin society as this will send shock waves through the Juventus squad.
Zidane, who was United's tormentor in the first leg and can turn a game single-handedly, is a quiet, modest man whose family happiness is of vital importance, particularly as his wife gave up a successful career as a classical dancer to raise their children.
United's chance of signing him seems slight as Veronique wishes to move to either Spain or the south of France but they, along with his other suitors, are bound to be amazed that such a prized commodity should be treated with such disdain.
Whether or not Agnelli's words prove to be a banana skin by adversely affecting Juventus's performance tomorrow night remains to be seen.
At least it affords United manager Alex Ferguson and his players the chance to stay out of the limelight when they arrive here - and it gives the impression of turmoil within the Juventus camp.
But Agnelli did not stop there. Asked if Zidane would be in Turin next season, he added: 'I did not say that.'
And when questioned about stories in the Agnelli-owned La Stampa newspaper that he wanted to swap his brilliant young striker Alessandro Del Piero for Ronaldo, the magnate dealt Juve another potential blow. He said: 'I can only dream of those two players playing together.'
While he may have intended to convey the possibility of Ronaldo moving to Juventus and Del Piero remaining, most fans and commentators will interpret his remarks differently.
Del Piero has stubbornly resisted extending his contract, which ends in June 2000, for two years now and is expected to delay until he can move under freedom of contract.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has just been made Inter Milan club captain and has a deal tying him to the San Siro until 2003 with a further five-year option agreed with the club.
Agnelli did move to more conventional territory by admitting: 'The first half of the game in Manchester was the most beautiful Juventus I have seen. Our bad luck was that Zidane tired, Paolo Montero went off and the game was just one minute too long.'
Meanwhile, Juve's Holland midfielder Edgar Davids has launched a stinging attack on the Manchester United middle men which is certain to wind up Ferguson's side.
Davids said: 'United were supposed to have the best midfield in the world but we got the better of them at Old Trafford. In fact, we overran them like a steam train.
'When Ryan Giggs equalised for them, I was sick to my stomach because the longer I was out there on the pitch against opponents described as such big stars, the more I realised what was there for us.'
And his team-mate Didier Deschamps added: 'If we made a mistake in not killing Manchester United off when we had the chance, then it is one I expect to correct tomorrow.'
Sir Bobby Charlton last night urged the whole country to get behind United.
He said: 'English football has been in the wilderness. We were out of Europe for a long time and it had a big effect on us. We can put a lot of that right if we can do well in Turin.'
Sir Bobby would not be drawn on United's chances of doing the Treble. But he added: 'If we win in Turin, people can start getting excited.'
