Fair Play

Head butting in the middle of the World Cup is not nice. Everyone who saw what Zidane did yesterday during the World Cup final, the last game of his career, must have felt many different thoughts. People are talking about it and nobody knows what happened. What did Materazzi say to Zidane? Was a red card legitimate since neither of the refrees actually witnessed the incident? Unfortunately, these questions don't matter. But the bigger question is, "what's fairness?"

Technically, players don't get a penalty for any, literally any, comments made to each other during play. There is no rule for FIFA to give a penalty for what players say, simply because it cannot be recorded and played to the audience. But it was a replay which gave Zidane a red card. So players can use verbal epithets to provoke opponents. Think of the worst thing people from other country could say to your country. It's a war. Not a game. It's a crime. Not a joke. And these people who say these things can get away with it? FIFA has something to think about. Lucky it wasn't a game between Al-Qaeda and American army or between Japan and China. A red card wouldn't have solved the problem.

I won't say what Zidane did was forgivable. But at the same time, I hope Materazzi will be punished and receive equally negative responses from the media as well as people who watched the game. Zidane was arguably the best player of the last decade. Even some Italian players admit that. Not only was he a great player, he was a heroic icon to many Arabic French. He knew what he meant to the people and kids who admired him. He knew that was his last game. And he didn't want to leave the field in such a way. I'm sure that he's shut his mouth or held his head to many bad words so far in his long career. It's sad that some player pushed him to the edge, to ruin his career and achievement, simply by saying brutal words to him. Materazzi, if he wasn't a complete asshole, must be realizing what a terrible thing he did, and I hope he is.

Zidane's still keeping his mouth shut and doesn't intend to reveal what Materazzi said to him. That's another sign that it was something quite provocative. Social rather personal. If Zidane revealed the exchange, there could be a war, or at least a huge conflict between Italy and Algeria, or many other Arabic communities. I am sure Zidane can take responsibility for what he did. Can Materazzi do the same?