Gimme a fookin' break.  Give the cup back??  Get the fuck outta here.   All heated pro sports have this kind of tension and the players are always baiting each other.  You mean Zidane is not tough enough to shrug off this kind of bullshit?  Ridiculous.  Happens all the time, in baseball, hockey, football, even tennis (remember John MacEnroe??)   Can't believe that he would let taunts get the better of him in a tight match like that, even if the slur was malicious.  I mean the world cup is on the line...wait till later, and then bitch slap the guy..not on the pitch for God's sake.

Why Zissou headbutted Matenazi...? Simple, he felt like it.  He probably knew (at least for a microsecond) what it might cost him, but he did it anyways, and it probably felt good.  They still woulda lost.  The Italian penalty kicks were 5 for 5.  In no way am I suggesting Italy are a better team than France, they seemed to be outplayed by the French whenever I caught a glimpse of the thing (on the airport lounge TV), but they were beaten fairly within the confines of the rules of the game.  That there was unsportsmanlike conduct (on each side) is irrelevant.  Such conduct occurs in just about every athletic match I have ever watched, to some degree.   For that, Italy is supposed to give the cup (which they earned), back?   Ridiculous.  That writer was just a hot-in-the pants France fan, and he's all sore his guys lost.