Say it ain't so, Zizou.

A nation asks 'Why?' after Zidane's violent exit

For many French citizens, the hardest part of France's World Cup final loss to Italy wasn't the defeat itself but the moment when national hero Zinedine Zidane _ nicknamed Zizou _ ended his career with a brutal act of fury.

With France and Italy 1-1 in extra time Sunday, Zidane head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest and got a red card. France went on to lose the game on penalties. Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said he didn't know what Materazzi said to Zidane, but "we can imagine that there was a provocation." He added that Zidane's act was "unpardonable." "It's a strange exit for someone who remains an exceptional champion," Lamour told LCI television.

French soccer federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said he shook Zidane's hand in the locker room afterward to thank him for his career. The two men didn't speak.

"He is unhappy," Escalettes told Le Parisien. "We have to leave him alone. I have nothing to ask him."

The surreal moment left the entire country wondering what made Zidane lose his cool in the final moments of his last-ever match for Les Bleus.

Former Sports Minister Marie-George Buffet said Zidane's act was unforgivable for its effect on children watching the game. "We can't excuse this gesture," she told RTL radio, adding that she wanted to know the full story.

The French sports daily L'Equipe wrote: "This morning, Zinedine, what do we tell our children, and all those for whom you were the living role model for all times?" Its front-page headline: "Eternal Regrets."

L'Equipe addressed it editorial directly to Zidane, comparing his best World Cup moments to boxer Muhammad Ali's heroics in the ring. "But neither Ali, nor Pele, nor (Jesse) Owens, nor any other great hero of their standing _ the standing that you were on the verge of joining _ ever broke the most elementary rules of sport like you did," the paper wrote.

"It was your last image as a soccer player, Zidane. How could that happen to a man like you?"

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/8011_1740323,00160126.htm

35 YRS LATER, WINDIES ARE WON

KINGSTON, JULY 3:It was a day when Anil Kumble, his fists clenched, jumped up and down like a schoolboy, when Rahul Dravid hugged Harbhajan to his chest like a brother found, when coach Greg Chappell, lifted by Mohammed Kaif, rose in the air only to laugh out loud.

When Brian Lara, eyes clouded, an unusual stubble on his chin, stung by the 49-run defeat, turned on his own selectors for not giving him the fast bowlers he had wanted and announced that he would “revisit” his decision to captain the West Indies.

It was that kind of a day.

The clock had barely touched 5.30 pm, and world cricket had stopped at the Sabina Park to watch India dump 35 years of shame in the dustbin, win a series in the West Indies for the first time after Ajit Wadekar’s XI in 1971.

“C’mon boys,” shouted Dravid in the dressing room, having logged the biggest moment in his eight months as captain. There was his wife Vijeta looking on, proud, face glowing, eight-month-old Samit soaking it all in, not quite sure what the noise was all about.

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http://www.indianexpress.com/story/7847.html

What he has Done Is Correct ? David Beckham

David Beckham quit as England captain yesterday, the morning after his team went out in the World Cup quarter-finals on penalties to Portugal. A tearful Beckham read a statement to a crowded news conference at England's training camp at Buehlertal.

"I have lived the dream," he said. "I am extremely proud to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that, I will always be grateful.'' CANADIAN IN SEMIS: Winnipeg's Hector Vergara has been selected to work the touchline in tomorrow's semifinal match in Dortmund between Germany and Italy. Mexico's Benito Archundia will be the referee while countryman Jose Ramirez will work the other touchline. Vergara earlier worked two first-round games.

TWENTY-ONE INJURED: A German motorist injured 21 people yesterday when he drove a Volkswagen Polo through a concrete barrier that protects Berlin's main World Cup public viewing area, police said. Ten of those injured were taken to area hospitals, while 11 others were treated at the scene, police spokesman Eharhart Koerting said.


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