单项选择题

Soccer: Zidane Is not the Only One Who Has Some Regrets On French television three days after he head-butted (用头冲撞) Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final game, Zinedine Zidane admitted his act was unpardonable. He said that he had no regrets. But he asked FIFA (国际足球联盟), the international governing body, to punish Materazzi for insults he claimed provoked his violence. By Thursday, FIFA began disciplinary proceedings against both players, and summoned them to a disciplinary hearing on July 20. The World Cup is over, the acrimony (刻毒) lingers on, the sport is in the dock. FIFA has next to no power over Zidane because he retired Sunday. It can ban him for a handful of games he has no intention of playing, and it can tickle the multimillionaire’’s wrist with a fine of a few thousand euros. As to Materazzi, he denies using racist or abusive terms about Zidane’’s mother and sister. The only men within earshot (听力所及之范围) of the exchange were the protagonists (主角) , and their versions of what led up to the violent butt into Materazzi’’s chest are incompatible (矛盾的). The world has already heard Zidane’’s defense. "My act was unforgivable," he broadcast, "but they must also punish the true guilty party, and the guilty party is the one who provokes." Unlike Zidane, unlike the French president, Jacques Chirac, who fetes him unreservedly, some of us do have regrets. We regret that Zidane’’s extraordinary career, of beauty and grace on the ball periodically let down by violent ill temper, should end this way. We regret his kindergarten defense, which amounts to "he called me names, so I hit him." We regret that FIFA chose, the morning after the unpardonable act, to announce him as player of the tournament. FIFA had time but failed to think of its own slogan and act "For the Good of the Game." No Regrets about What He Did Zidane says that he will go to the court in Zurich on July 20 and tell them everything he said on French TV. "I want to be open and honest because it was seen by two or three billion people, and millions and millions of children," he said. "I want to ask forgiveness from all the children who watched." "There was no excuse for that. I have children and I know what it is like. I always tell them not to take advantage of, and to avoid, this type of situation." But Zizou (Zidane) would not say that he had regrets about what he did "because that would be like admitting that he had every reason to say what he did," referring to Materazzi. Which is what "I can’’t repeat it," Zidane insisted. "I can’’t say it. But words can sometimes be harder than actions. I would rather have taken a punch on the jaw than have heard it. The real wrongdoer is him." There is probably not a professional player from Australia to America who has not had to put up with taunts (辱骂，嘲弄) from opponents. Most just deal with it. Some even get the better of their antagonist (对手). A classic encounter had a cricket player answering a taunt with why he was so fat, with the answer, "Because every time I slap your sister, she gives me a biscuit." Zidane never mastered the biting tongues. He, in effect, pleads crime of passion, provoked by "very hard words repeated several times." The world’’s media employed lip readers (读唇语的人) to figure out what was said. Few noted mat Zidane was first to say something after Materazzi held the France player’’s shirt. The experts came up with a dozen interpretations, ranging from implications of Islamic terrorism to abuse of Zidane’’s mother. One Man’’s Word Against the Other’’s The Italian made a fresh confession to the FIFA. Materazzi’’s hard-man reputation is inadmissible evidence. Web sites hum with video of brutality by him in Italian domestic soccer. But that is not what is on trial here. Materazzi may be a brute, but he is not mute and Wednesday he told an Italian sports newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, "I didn’’t say anything to Zidane about religion, politics or racism. I didn’’t insult his mother. I lost my mother when I was 15 and still get emotional when I talk about it." He added mat Zidane was his hero, he admired him a lot. A Real Man, not a God: Media Debate The debate in France polarizes those who praise Zidane for showing he is a man and not a god. But Jean-Marie Petitclerc, a priest who works among disadvantaged neighborhoods like the one where Zidane grew up in Marseille, asked in Thursday’’s Le Figaro, "How could he ruin his exit and offer such a bad example to all the kids who themselves have such problems controlling their anger" La Repubblica in Italy commented, "Zidane might be a champion, but there’’s nothing dumber than using one’’s mother, sister or wife to justify one’’s brutishness." In England, still torn over Wayne Rooney’’s red card for stomping on an opponent, the BBC solicited (恳求) public opinions. From the rural country, came shock horror at Zidane’’s street fighting instinct, from the inner cities voices in favor of the player doing what a real man has to do. Yet Zidane long ago won admirers, this writer included, for the way he bears fame. His humility contrasts markedly with the David Beckham cult (礼拜，信徒) imagery. If FIFA were a real court, it would dismiss hearsay (谣言) and adulation (阿谀奉承). The only irrefutable (不能反驳的) evidence is the head butt. In the final reckoning, Zidane’’s "previous" might be taken into account. He has been sent off 14 times, including a stamp on a Saudi who apparently insulted his Algerian origins during the 1998 World Cup, and a head butt on a Hamburg player. Retrospect moves us to regard Zidane’’s genius as flawed by a hot temper. Some of us suspect that his final foul deed came from frustration from a man struggling to command his former greatness in his final performance. Mixed Reaction to Zidane For most of his countrymen, Zinédine Zidane’’s apology for the attack that marked the end of his career — even if he didn’’t explain what prompted it. But not everyone in Europe was so impressed. Italy said that Zidane would have done better to stay silent and Spain complained he was more defiant (对抗的) than repentant (悔改的). "We still don’’t understand it but it’’s not because of this act that we are going to love him less," a French fan, Nelson Laforet, said Thursday, a day after he watched Zidane interviewed on French television. "We are not going to forget all the past." The Thursday editions of many French papers described Zidane’’s words as a belated farewell to fans after a career that included titles at the 1998 World Cup triumph and 2000 European Championship. His apology "achieved the pardon that many had already accorded him," sports daily L’’Equipe wrote Thursday, although it criticized him for not acknowledging the consequences of his act on the final and on his teammates. "It would have been better if he had kept his mouth shut," a Rome daily newspaper, La Repubblica, wrote. "Zidane might be a champion, but there’’s nothing dumber than using one’’s mother, sister or wife to justify one’’s brutishness. So Zidane last night became the caricature (讽刺漫画) of the crime of honor." In Spain, a national daily, La Vanguardia, urged FIFA to cancel Zidane’’s Golden Ball award as the Cup’’s best player. "It took Zizou three days to apologize and he did it defiantly and without showing any sign of repentance. FIFA can go on preaching against violence and in favor of fair play, but if it does not strip him of the award, then it should not complain afterward if fans behave similarly in the stands." Zidane admitted his act was unpardonable the day after the World Cup final game.