Behind the head-butt in the World Cup

The World Cup of soccer is over. Italy beat France in the final round, in a hotly contested game that was won after France lost its captain when he was ejected for a penalty in an overtime period. Zinedine Zidane, the 34-year-old captain who was competing in his last professional match, is the son of Algerian immigrants. He is known as an anti-racist and is one of the great players of the sport.

Zidane, known as Zissou, had head-butted Marco Materazzi of Italy’s national team, knocking him on his seat.

The next morning, the more sensational capitalist press gave Zidane the nickname “Butt-head.” Zidane was lambasted by much of the media all over the world, even when the nickname was not used. He was portrayed as a “sore loser,” and of tarnishing the image of the sport with his act.

An Associated Press article suggested that the image of Zidane had lost its shine, writing, “The fallen ‘Zizou’ [sic] has been resurrected into a more unlikely kind of hero—flawed yet unrepentant, with an old-fashioned macho morality that has both captivated and appalled.”

“An old-fashioned macho morality” insinuates that dignity and righteous anti-racist anger and action are no longer tolerated. Since the big business media are merely organs of the capitalist ruling class, in their eyes challenging racism and sexism has never been acceptable.

Again, someone from an oppressed group has been and is being reduced to the base level of a quick-tempered, unrefined beast, all while the real beasts drop bombs over Iraq, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, just to name a few wars being waged by U.S. imperialism and its Zionist junior partner in the Middle East.

What led Zidane to flatten Materazzi were the Italian player’s racist and sexist comments. According to a FIFA employee who transcribed what was said during the match, Materazzi called Zidane an “Algerian shit.” According to a Brazilian television station that hired a lip-reader, Materazzi called Zidane’s sister a “whore.” Materazzi is also said to have called Zidane “a dirty terrorist.”

While Zidane apologized to French children for an action that many, especially in oppressed nations, will see as justified, Materazzi has not apologized for his words. He has admitted only to making a reference to Zindane’s wife, but has not even apologized for that.

This was not the first racist incident in soccer. Black players from Africa and the U.S. have long complained of racism from European players and fans, as have Asian players and those of North African and Middle Eastern descent. Right-wing fans of the Italian league team Lazio, of which there are many, once displayed a 50-foot banner that said another team was “a team of n—rs.”

Fans in Italy and France especially are known to taunt Black players with monkey chants, and even throw bananas on the field. In an incident that displays at the very least Materazzi’s insensitivity, Marc Zoro, an African player, picked up the ball in a match between Inter and Messina and walked off the field. Zoro walked off because of racist chants from Inter’s sup port ers, who also threw bananas on the field. Inter’s players supported Zoro, but Mate razzi exclaimed, “Stop that, Zoro, you’re just trying to make a name for yourself.”

Zidane has his contradictions. That is to be expected; however, it is not his act in this case that highlights his flaws or any contradictions. Nor was his action of an old-fashioned macho sort, to use the AP writer’s racist construction. Zidane’s strike was for all the oppressed in France, the ones that rebelled a short time ago, and for players of color that are threatened and harassed by right wing players and fans.

The morality displayed by Zidane is the morality of workers and the oppressed. In the eyes of many Zidane was justified and history shall attest to that.