Uneasy Rhetoric

I expected the French press to be all over Zidane’s unfortunate action which caused him to be red carded late in yesterday’s World Cup final. I expected to see stories gleefully kicking a fallen hero when he’s down and blaming the loss on him and him alone. After all, don’t we need a scapegoat?

Instead, the French are still welcoming home their players, including Zidane, with open arms (also Le Figaro). Chirac called Zidane a man of “heart” and “conviction.” He also said that Zidane “demonstrated to France that it is strong in its diversity and when it has confidence in itself.”

Thousands gathered to pay their respects. Among the signs in the crowd there was “not a single word…about the unfortunate action that caused Zidane to be excluded from the field during the final.”

Maybe the national team manager, Raymond Domenech, said it best: “It is very French to be content to have lost, to be content to not be the victor. As for me, I cannot be happy.”

Maybe a little later the French will do some navel gazing and not be content with Zindane’s actions. Or maybe they’ll put it behind them. After all, we Americans get some joy out of watching our sports heroes lose their cool, but we don’t dwell on it (too much). For now though, the French seem pretty happy with second place.

Update (July 12, 2006): YouTube has a funny video inspired by the head butt. (Thanks Matt!)