The Beautiful Game

Phil will be away for the week, so I have stepped into his Blog-shoes for the next few days to ensure that no one has to be bored during their lunch hour. And after Phil's last post, how could I not bring you a quality movie like this!

Yes that's right, the World Cup is finally over and we now have new reigning champions: Italy! Yes that's right, they should have jobs as actors, they perform on stage better than they ever will on the pitch and they dive more than the average professional swimmer, but somehow the Italian team have pulled off a stunning and unexpected victory over the French to win the World Cup 2006! Not that beating the French is that hard :P

With the bookies placing Italy 5th and France 6th most likely to win, you can be sure that there are some very happy people making a good bit of cash on an outcome like that, but you have to wonder what Italian defender Marco Materazzi said to French striker Zinédine Zidane to outrage the player enough to headbutt his opponent in the chest after the two exchanged words in the 109th minute. Probably something along the lines of "Your dad surrendered before mine"...

My boss was watching BBC and heard one of the commentators (David O'Neill) say that insults, no matter how personal, are just part and parcel of a football match and that Zidane should be professional enough to "just take it in the chin".

I would rather look at it from the point of view that there shouldn't be a need to insult people to that level, if at all, and that such poor sportsmanship shouldn't be endemic in the game. In fact I believe that if you really insult people on a very personal level, the only thing you should have to take on the chin should be a headbutt!

Congratulations to Italy on what was for the most part a well-deserved, if what somewhat unexpected, World Cop victory.

And here's the beautiful game in all it's glory!