Soccer slurs and colonial claims

What exactly had Marco Materazzi muttered to Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 World Cup final?

- R. PRASANNAN

The soccer world spent a lot of off-time speculating. Some said, it was about Zidane's sister; others said it was about mother. A few nice and genteel people, a dying species, said, "Don't you know? He was talking about terrorism."

That was like Lord Linlithgow. The story goes that an aide uttered a four-letter word when he saw the tent collapsing over a tea party that the viceroy was hosting. Before the ladies blushed and damsels swooned, the good lord turned to the offender and said aloud: "Quite right to tell people to duck."

But Zidane was no English gentleman. He is French, he didn't like a word of what the other fellow said, and he didn't duck. He took the uncouth Italian head on. He headbutted Materazzi right in his chest.

Players curse, swear, damn, and blaspheme in the heat of the game. Most of those are forgiven after a few red cards and fines, and forgotten in the cooling aftermath. The gentlemen who manage sports call it sportive spirit. Good sport!