As Italy wins, Zidane bows out in disgrace

The beautiful game turned vicious, even venomous on Sunday. It was all still beautiful to Italy. And very ugly for France, which lost captain Zinedine Zidane with a red card after his nasty head butt in extra time, and then went down 5-3 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Explanations were nonexistent for Zidane's action in the 110th minute of his farewell game although it is said there may have been some sort of verbal provocation by the Italian defender Metarrazi.

This world cup campaign holds a record for the number of red cards dished out.

Italy can certainly be proud of this victory, for their national team on the international stage when their domestic league is bogged with a huge match fixing scandal.

Verdicts in the match-fixing trial that could relegate four teams -- and 13 of Italy's 23 players -- to lower divisions are expected next week.

Until now, no team since the last Azzurri champions in 1982 had to endure the stress and anguish of a soccer scandal.

Congratulations to Italy for winning this world cup. They hold the European record of winning the FIFA championship four times, while Brazil is the only team that has won five times.

For Zinedine Zidane, what can you say. He is the most gifted player of his generation, playing his final match on the world stage, will be remembered now for something else - petulance, selfishness, looniness, take your pick.

All because of one moment of unbridled fury, a moment of madness which is seen even from other players in this game of high passion.

In the 110th minute of Sunday's World Cup final, Zidane lost his cool and all those sparks of magic that flew off his feet game after game, year after year- all of a sudden, it's almost like they never happened.

Zidane was a member of the French football team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring two headed goals in the final against Brazil, which ended in a 3-0 victory. This earned France its first World Cup championship and it was also the first time in 20 years that a host had won the tournament. There many more trophies Zidane has hoisted in his illustreous footballing career and it is such a shame that it had the curtains came down for the final time in this manner.