9/11 changed everything.

[lollardfish]

So Zindane, the great French player, son of Algerian immigrants, a man who has stood up against racism and generally been a positive force both on the pitch and off, headbutted an Italian player in the waning minutes of the world cup final. As a result, he was sent off and was unable to take penalty kick's at the end. No one can say whether it would have made a difference, but ZZ certainly was a great PK taker. Moreover, it no doubt affected morale.

So what could the Italian player have said that goaded ZZ into such an outrageous and uncharacteristic act?

Perhaps he was called ... a terrorist. But the Italian player has denied it. It will be interesting to hear what comes of the investigation.