[Carte Blanche]

Ermm.. Ejaj, this is not like Cricket where you are allowed to confer technological gadgets. This is actually something the ESPN commentators were harshly criticizing. The 4th and 5th referees saw the replay on the big screen and informed the referee about it. Neither the referee nor the linesmen knew about it. This is outside interference and not allowed. According to the laws of football, the ground referee can consult the linesmen (and reserve referees), but it has to be based on what they saw first hand and realtime. Replays or hearsays are NOT legal influences.

Look, I am not an apologist for Zidane. I agree that in a way justice has been done. Zizou's action deserved a red card. But this doesn't take away the fact that football is still scarred by racial abuses, incompetent officiating, and unsportsmanlike conducts (in this case the good ole' dirty Italian antics). It's kind of ironic considering FIFA's slogan for this event was to eliminate racism from the sport. Who remembers the Spanish coach caught on tape saying they must stop that black bastard Henry? Racism is very much prevalent in this sport, much worse than Cricket or other brands of North American fan favourites. It is a bitter shame that Zidane had to leave this way. But he will have many fans' empathy specially considering that his mother has been ill for quite a long time and was hospitalized in the very morning of WC final. Once again, I don't approve of what Zizou did. It's not like he is alien to trash talks or banters on the field. But he is a human after all and this was all a touchy subject for him.