Brad

This is what I love. Guys who have just decided to watch football becoming instant experts all of a sudden. What sport is without its imperfections. Very few. If we started detailing what's wrong with American football (a misnomer, by the way, if I've ever heard one since there's very little action with the foot until a football-styled kicker comes into the game), we'd probably be here for awhile. BTW, hockey draws few crowds and ratings are minimal. Throughout the planet, ratings are huge for football and not just for the World Cup. Teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, etc. have millions of supporters and not just in their own countries but in all parts of the world, with tons of supporter clubs. People will get up at all hours in China and the east to watch their favorite European team play. We're talking about real fans here. I suggest you get hooked up with Fox Soccer Channel and follow the English Premier League not just for a few matches or even for a full month but a whole year. It starts in August so you'll have your chance pretty soon. Then while you're doing that, also follow the Champions League. Starting in the fall, there's a steady diet of matches to decide the best team in European club football. When you've done all that, come back and make observations. Now, if you don't like the sport, that's fine, but don't come on here and blast a sport which you don't know a lot about until you know a lot more.

I agree. Instead of going to penalty kicks they should switch to overtime 'sudden death' like they do in hockey. They had overtime sudden death in the knock-out stages of WC 2002, but it didn't work and they changed it back to the current, "old" system of penalties after overtime. The only thing that would work is probably a replay of the game but in this age of tv, that just won't happen. Sudden death isn't a good option. I don't like it in American football and I like it less here.

I'm not sure I agree with the unlimited subs idea but I know that one of the US commentators mentioned about having an extra sub in overtime. I would probably make that two and perhaps extend the overtime to 45 minutes. There are probably ideas that FIFA could come up with if they have any creativity. Cited as a factor in going to PKs is the ability of the players to keep playing after 120 minutes. In Germany this was a factor because of the heat. This may not be the case in South Africa where I believe it will be early fall.

That's some post. I guess he thinks his you-know-what doesn't stink.

Excellent post. Unfortunately, it's more of an apology to the rest of the world.

As an American, I don't ask you to like football but these kind of stupid comments just show the rest of the world that we are ugly Americans. Americans seem to have a hang up with big scores but a low scoring game, be it football or baseball, creates its own tension. If you don't have anything to contribute, why bother?

Hans, Thanks. Without that site, I'm dead.

I was looking through Jazzmatazz this morning and noticed that there are basically no weekly updates for the rest of the year. Any idea of what's going on?

FIFA have announced that they are opening an investigation (FWIW) into the red card. I presume they're doing this in light of Materazzi's admission that he did insult Zidane.

In today's BBC: Italy defender Marco Materazzi says he did insult France's Zinedine Zidane during the World Cup final, just before Zidane was sent off for a headbutt. But Materazzi denied reports he called Zidane a "terrorist" or used insulting language towards Zidane's mother. "It was the kind of insult you will hear dozens of times and just slips out of the ground," Materazzi is quoted in Italian paper La Gazetta dello Sport. "I didn't call Zidane a terrorist and certainly didn't mention his mother." Zidane looked at me with super arrogance... it's true I shot back with an insult Marco Materazzi Zidane, who was born and grew up in Marseille, is the son of Algerian immigrants and has suffered taunts about his heritage throughout his football career. But Materazzi added: "I am ignorant, I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is; my only terrorist is her," he said pointing to his 10-month-old daughter. "I did not bring up Zidane's mother; for me a mother is sacred." Materazzi and Zidane became involved in a verbal spat with 10 minutes to go in extra-time with France and Italy drawing 1-1 in the World Cup final. After Materazzi's insult Zidane shoved his head into the Italian's chest and was sent off, with Italy going on to win the match 5-3 on penalties. "I held his shirt, for only a few seconds," said Materazzi, who had scored Italy's equaliser after Zidane put France ahead from the penalty spot. "He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down. "He said 'if you really want my shirt, you can have it later.' "It's true, I shot back with an insult." Just what did Materazzi say to provoke this reaction from Zidane? Media organisations across Europe have been trying to decipher what Materazzi said to provoke such an extreme reaction from Zidane. But it remains unclear exactly what was said and the BBC has broadcast two different versions. BBC Radio Five Live asked for help from a deaf lip reader, Jessica Rees, who read the words phonetically to an Italian translator. She deciphered the insult as being "you're the son of a terrorist whore" - a translation also carried by many national newspapers in Britain on Tuesday. The BBC's Ten O'Clock News also called in experts to study the television footage of the incident and determined the following: Materazzi's first word to Zidane was "no" before he then told him to "calm down". He then accused him of being a "liar" and wished "an ugly death to you and your family" on the day the Frenchman's mother had been taken to hospital ill. This was followed by "Go f*** yourself". Zidane's agent, Alain Migliaccio, has hinted that Zidane will soon reveal exactly what was said by Materazzi. Piara Powar, national co-ordinator for the anti-racism group Kick It Out told Five Live, said: "If there was a racial slur then Fifa needs to act." Keith Hackett, head of referees in England, said that if it can be proved that Matterazzi racially abused the Frenchman, then Fifa should take retrospective action for "the good of the game."

17. Sheez. I'm closer to 71 than to 17. Oh, god don't remind me. Anyway, happy birthday, kitty

This is something we can all enjoy. I just heard that Portugal was voted the most entertaining team of this World Cup Aye, that they were.

When they write the history of football and look at the pantheon of heroes, Zidane's will rank up with the great names (although slightly tarnished by this incident) whereas Matarazzi will only be remembered for his one goal and his attempts to bring Zidane down. I would agree EXCEPT that this isn't the first time Zidane has done something like this. Admittedly, I'm not the world's biggest football fan, but isn't this the same player that stomped on another player in '98? This is obviously someone who has issues, not someone who accidently lost it one time... Yes, he did that and under circumstances he won't discuss. However, that didn't diminish his stature. Saying he has issues is a little strong. Contrary to what most Americans think, this is a tough game and things happen out there, as we've seen from this match and others. I will never forget some of the things he did out there such as beat Brasil in 98 and the rocket he fired past Bayer Leverkusen to win the Champions League for Real Madrid. Outside of the World Cup and the European Championship, that is the most prestigious title there is and in the world of club football (as opposed to national teams), that is THE title.

When they write the history of football and look at the pantheon of heroes, Zidane's will rank up with the great names (although slightly tarnished by this incident) whereas Matarazzi will only be remembered for his one goal and his attempts to bring Zidane down.

Nobody is denying that the trophy is in Italy! I am afraid ' winning at all cost' is not my motto. If winning is everything to you and if you are happy with this scenario, whatever Materazzi said, I don't envy your life and your world cup! I am sure I won't be the only board member to feel like this. Anyway, we are going to know much more about the virtues of Italian football in the coming weeks and a lot of the guys who won last night are very likely to be implicated in this scandal. But who cares? The trophy is in Italy!! A tainted trophy in my view.

I think this accurately summarizes the issues. Zidane had complained all night about these tactics. At one point he had to be helped off the field because it appeared he couldn't move his elbow. Gee, I wonder how that happened. Allegedly, Italian football had changed. I can't say I saw that as this side was involved with two of the more notorious incidents of this Cup: the McBride incident and now this.

BBC Phil McNulty on our Marco

Thank you for your great objectivity and contribution to this debate.

Those clips say it all. I saw something where his son gets abuse at school for the hits his father perpetrates.

I read where there was a fifth official in the booth looking at a monitor. However, he has no power to make any decision. I'm surmising that he looked at his monitor, saw the foul, called down to the fourth official, who then told the referee's assistant, who then told the refereee. If FIFA does not use video evidence, why is there a fifth official even looking at a monitor. To say he doesn't have any power to make a decision is not logical because he's relaying information down to the sidelines. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable with the FIFA rules can set this straight.

According to FIFA, they were sorting things out, that's why it took so long to eject Zidane. What a lot of crap. This is deplorable. Even Lippi said they were using video evidence. How can you change the rules in mid stream. There are a lot of things that go on in matches that refs don't see. This was obviously one. It shouldn't have been called. And this doesn't even get into the question of how the defense was manhandling him, nearly breaking his arm on one play. Matarazzo needs to be called to account by FIFA for what he said. This is a tainted championship.

I wonder if his father was a (first) bass (man)

These are all top notch. I would buy them all if I didn't already have them in some format.

I guess when you get down to it, Jim, the result of it all is very unsatisying, sort of like this whole Cup.