I can understand that you shouldn't lose your cool, and his reaction certainly wasn't professional, but neither is taunting and insulting someone like that repeatedly. Who holds Materazzi responsible for his actions? His comments were made with purpose, with the intention of provoking Zidane. Believe it or not, it's rare in professional sports for someone to just t-off on someone else for absolutely no reason. Tempers flare, but not without reason. To punish Zidane only, sends the message that the antagonist is guilt free. Driving his forehead into Dingleberry's chest warrented a red card, there's no arguing that. But it's shameful to the game of soccer that they allowed the guilty party to continue playing. Zidane did nothing to provoke Materazzi's comments, but Materazzi did much to provoke Zidane's actions. Zidane's reaction shouldn't overshadow the rediculous behavior of Materazzi. I like what the French team's ex-coach had to say, that above all Zidane is human and a human is fragile and breakable. Theoretically, yes, he should have just ignored the bastard, but there's a reason that some athletes resort to provocation. Because it works.
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