Word is that Materazzi called Zidane's father as "harki," "the Arabic term for Algerians who fought for France against Algeria during the occupation. It's beyond all insults, the ultimate traitor." Hence the headbutt. Zidane, remember, is of Algerian ancestry, though he grew up in France.
The explanation, however, does little to lift the weirdness of the attack. As ultimate as the insult may have been, it's hard to understand why it triggered such an eruption. Zidane, after all, didn't simply explode and lash out with a roundhouse. He exchanged some words, spent a couple seconds jogging out in front, turned, calmly stepped forward, then drove his skull in Materazzi's solar plexus. So far as assaults go, this was plenty premeditated. I don't know the racial politics of France all that well, but it seems a slur against a guy who's both an Algerian and a French hero should be pretty simple to shrug off. Odd -- and sad-- way to go out, though not one that stopped Zidane from receiving the award for the tournament's best player. On the other hand, maybe it's better to go out a story than a hero. Zidane can go give some tearful interviews, paint himself as a fierce defender of familiar and national pride, and become a hero for more than his footballing. Maybe.
