Last night, the French watched their venerable Zizou blow his top and get kicked out of the game and then saw the World Cup slip through their fingers into the hands of the Italian team. No parade, no riots in the street. Last night, people went home from the stadium by my apartment quietly, although I heard some people shooting off their fireworks anyway.
The principal topic of conversation this morning is about the Zidane-Materazzi incident. This Marco Materazzi character, who is nicknamed "Matrix," has quite a record of incredibly violent plays. Perhaps Zidane was just getting back at him for all of the nasty moves he's pulled on the field. Materazzi is also known for statements making fun of Marc Zoro, a player born in the Ivory Coast, who left the field at a game in Italy after fans chanted racial slurs and ape noises at him. Many people are guessing that it was a racial slur against Zidane, whose parents are Algerian immigrants, that finally caused him to lose his temper. He cheered up for lunch with Chirac, fortunately. No one seems to be talking about Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo winning Wimbledon!
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