In case you were wondering, I haven’t stopped blogging or been eaten by angry rabid squirrels. I was in fact on holiday for the past two weeks. Not that I didn’t have a TV – I was able to see all that remained of the World Cup including Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi. Now, it’s unclear what was actually said (Zidane claims that it concerned his sister and his mother, Materazzi claims that he would never insult a sister or a mother. I have no evidence to tell me who to believe) but no matter what he said, it is not an excuse for a headbutt. Although this is hardly the first time Zidane has done this (I had actually forgotten that he had been sent off for headbutting and stamping before), many people (myself included) had allowed themselves to forget this due to his undeniable skill . This time, since he retired immediately after the match, he will (rightly IMHO) perhaps inevitably be remembered for the vicious act which cost France the World Cup.
Ah well, after Henry’s antics I wanted Italy to win anyway.