Finally the curtains were drawn over the biggest sporting extravaganza, the FIFA world cup 2006, with a majestic & spellbinding closing ceremony on 9th july. And as one looks back in retrospect over the whole plethora of events that occurred over the last month, a feeling of déjà vu engulfs me all over because this tournament has turned out to be a mixture of all spices: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.

From the great hospitality, friendship & “welcome all” attitude shown by the host nation to an ignominious & dastardly act from one of the greatest player of our generation(you all know whom I am referring to), this grand festival like everyone else for that matter, had its ups & downs. But of course we all have been fascinated by “The Good” of fifa world cup even overwhelmed at times. And since its inception this footballing “mahakumbh”, has always done a balancing act with its share of brutal tackles, yellow & red cards on the field as well as sometimes minor & sometimes major cases of hooliganism from few over enthusiastic fans off the field. “The Bad” has always formed an integral part of this battle royale. So “The Good” & “The Bad” have been the basic ingredients of every fifa world cup to date.

But what is troubling me the most is, infact the third one: “The Ugly”. And the reason that you all see this undesirable third term are events that not only tarnish the image of this game but also are against the motto of this WC which says- “Its time to make friends!”. And if this uglier face of world cup took its shape during the unforgettable pre-quarterfinal match between Portugal & Holland, which broke all previous records for the most no. of bookings in a single match with both teams left with just 9 players a side in the end. Then this face evolved into a whole body, in what was undoubtedly the ugliest moment of the entire cup during the last minutes of extra time of the grand finale itself between italy & france…

For what the soccer great zinedine zidane or as he is more famously known zizou did during that moment of madness will go down in sporting folklore as one of the most shameful acts of disgrace that sport has ever seen. And the greatest irony being the fact that this was supposed to be a fitting farewell match for the star player. But as Harsha Bhogle anchoring for ESPN rightly quoted after the match: “The most ordinary players are remembered by their best moments & the greatest players are always remembered by their worst moments”.

For how can one explain it: A virtuoso player who single handedly had taken france from utter darkness & danger of another early exit to extreme pride & self-belief in themselves & on the doorsteps of being hailed as world cup champions. From his electrifying display against Spain to a mesmerizing performance against Brazil to another charismatic show vs Portugal in semis. The stage was all set for zizou, the magician, playing his last international match, in the grand finale at Olympystadion stadium in Berlin, with the whole france & die hard fans behind him, to weave another spell of magic & give another sublime display of soul stirring artistry.

But but but… in an anti climax not exactly a Kodak moment, what he does is something that nobody who loves this game can ever imagine even in their wildest of dreams. He hits the Italian defender Materazzi in his chest with such ferocity like a crazy bull left loose. What happens afterwards is not that difficult to contemplate, for the referee shows zidane the much dreaded red card. Zizou is out, his fare(not so)well over & with it all French dreams vanish too. For the team reduced to ten, play the rest of the match like zombies, not quite able to comprehend what had hit them. The match goes to penalties. And when Grosso hits the fifth penalty yet again past the miserable barthez, wild celebrations overwhelm whole of italy. They become world cup champions for the fourth time & they all deserve it for their tenacity & never say die spirit!

But after some time when all the hype surrounding the world cup has died down, one question will forever continue to haunt me. A question for which maybe the exact answer, the gospel truth may never come out in public. And the question is:

WHY ZIDANE WHY???