Another red card for Zidane! Statue of headbutt pulled down in Qatar after furious reaction from locals

Doh! The Doha-based statue had only stood for three weeks before its removal

A statue immortalising Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt in the World Cup final has been shown the red card by locals in Qatar.

The bronze artwork – capturing the moment the France star was sent off for his assault on Italy’s Marco Materazzi - was only unveiled in the host country of the 2022 tournament earlier this month.

But now it has been removed having triggered an angry reaction on social media.

Red card: The statue was only unveiled in October but now it has been removed

Backdrop: Doha Corniche, overlooking the Gulf, housed the statue for a month

According to reports, statues of human beings are prohibited under Islamic law to avoid the possibility of idolisation.

AFP reported some of the reaction on Twitter.

‘It is sad that our youth see in this art and modernity. Our children do not differentiate between the right and the wrong, or the haram (prohibited) and the halal (permissible),’ wrote one user.

Not fussed: A pair of joggers didn't seem too fazed by the presence of the new piece of art

Seeing red: Zidane plants his brow into Materazzi's chest

Paris: The statue was initially unveiled in the French capital

But another said: ‘Seriously they moved the headbutt statue from the corniche? that's stupid.’

Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed recreated Zidane’s  moment of madness in a 16-foot bronze statue, initially unveiled outside the famous Pompidou art museum in Paris before its move to Doha.

The former Real Madrid legend was given his marching orders in the 2006 final in Berlin, which his side went on to lose in a penalty shootout. It is thought the statue will now be housed in the Arab Museum of Modern Art.