Zidane Can’t Have it Both Ways
In his first interview with the media since the World Cup final, French soccer hero Zinedine Zidane told Canal Plus that he wanted to apologize to children and those who teach them because “il y a des choses il faut pas faire” (there are things that shouldn’t be done). Presumably his apology was because he didn’t want children to think they should do as he did and physically attack a player who had verbally assaulted him. But when pressed on the question of his own personal regret, he said he did not regret it because “that would mean he (Matarazzi) had the right to say what he said”. Of course, Matarazzi did have the right to say what he said, although maybe it would have been a foul if an official had heard it. Furthermore, not head-butting someone who says something offensive does not mean endorsement of the offensive words. If Zizou really wants children to not do things “il faut pas faire” then he should admit that he shouldn’t have done it. Period. Sadly, it seems that the French media does not want him to regret what he did, because that would place all the responsibility on their national hero and remove it from the Italian trash-talker. The French interviewer portrayed it as a pre-meditated act to restore his family’s honor. To me it looked like someone successfully goaded into losing his temper.