King Kaufman's Sports Daily

French captain Zidane apologizes for his head butt but says it's the provoker who should be punished. He's wrong.

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July 13, 2006 | French national team captain Zinedine Zidane did a TV interview Wednesday and apologized for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, an act that drew a red card during extra time and left France without one of the world's great shooters during a penalty-kick shootout.

But Zidane also said he doesn't regret his actions because Materazzi insulted him, and he thinks Materazzi should be punished. "He had no reason to say what he said," news reports quoted Zidane saying. "It's always the reaction that is sanctioned and not the provoker."

He has a point about the reaction being sanctioned and not the one who provoked that reaction. Everybody who has ever been sent to his or her room for finally reacting to a sibling's pestering knows about that little law enforcement problem.

But it's right to punish the reaction rather than the provocation, or at least to punish it more harshly. It doesn't seem fair, especially if you're a person who has ever been provoked. But it's the only approach that makes sense.

Punishing the reaction more harshly than the provocation inevitably leads to more provocation. That's bad. But it's better than the alternative, punishing the provocation more harshly than the reaction, which would lead to more reaction.

It's generally agreed that Materazzi said something really terrible to Zidane, but there's been no end to speculation and debate over what he actually said. Various theories have Materazzi using anti-Muslim slurs or calling him an Arab terrorist. Zidane is the son of Algerian immigrants.

Materazzi, who said, "Zidane has always been my biggest idol," denied all of the above, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

"I did not say anything to him concerning racism, religion or politics," Materazzi said. "I didn't say anything about his mother either. I lost my mother when I was 15 years old and still now nothing moves me more than talking about her. Naturally, I did not know that his [mother] was in hospital and I want to send her my best wishes."

Sounds like he said something about Zidane's mother, doesn't it?

My theory has been that he said, "Now go home and get your fuckin' shine box." Because once I saw someone say that to a guy and the guy went nuts.

FIFA, the sport's international governing body, has announced an investigation into the matter that could result in Zidane being stripped of the Golden Ball award, given to the World Cup's best player, and also to sanctions against Materazzi.

Next page: Punishing provokers would invite more provocation, not less