The Not-So-Beautiful Game

Zinedine Zidane, one of the world's best players, ends his career in disgrace during the final minutes of the 2nd overtime in the World Cup Final. In so doing, France loses one of its most reliable PK strikers during the final shootout. Zidane's brutality was worthy of an English player and will forever taint his career. Kids, this is not the way to win the Cup.

According to the NYT live blog of the game, Zidane may have had his nipple tweaked by his Italian opponent, Materazzi:

Materazzi reached around and twisted Zidane’s nipple! That’s what got Zidane so steamed! Materazzi tricked Zidane! Or so it seems from the replay. Can’t be totally sure though.

If so, this marks another brilliant perversion of the game by Italy, a team that, it must be said, took full advantage of every opportunity it got in this Cup. Even if those opportunities were sometimes on the shady side of fair play. But, to my mind, that kind of opportunism is part of the Game, and my hat is off to Italia for knowing the game so well.

Zidane's maneuver is a sad capstone to a brilliant player's career and an entertaining and surprising tournament. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the days to come.

In the meantime, I'm taking a break from TV for a while. My eyes have seen the glory of the 2006 World Cup, and now they are burning.

Viva Italia!