By Paul Kennedy
Managing Editor
Soccer America

Just what did Marco
Materazzi say or do, if anything, to provide France
captain Zinedine Zidane
to viciously head-butt the Italy defender and get sent off in Sunday’s
World Cup final?
“According to several very well informed sources from the world of
football,” the anti-racism group SOS Racism said in a statement, “it
would seem that the Italian […]

By Mike Woitalla
in Berlin
The fans who watched the World Cup final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium
probably enjoyed the final more than the estimated 1 billion who
watched on TV.
The festive atmosphere began an hour before kickoff. Fans belted out
competing chants. They danced and sang along to the piped-in tunes,
from “I Will Survive” to the “Triumph March” from […]

By Ridge Mahoney
In Berlin

On a night of finely balanced tensions, set under darkening skies and
poised between two teams replete with heroic storylines and marvelous
players, a great career ended in disgrace and a grand tradition
prevailed once again.
Italy, purveyor of defensive efficiency, rode out numerous French
attacks to end regular play tied at 1-1, then ruthlessly dispatched
five penalty […]

By Paul Kennedy
Managing Editor
Soccer America

Juergen Klinsmann
wants more time to decide whether he will remain as Germany coach.
Klinsmann is considered the leading candidate to replace Bruce Arena as U.S.
national team coach if Arena’s contract is not renewed, but he’s under
heavy pressure to remain as Germany coach, despite objections to his
living in and working out of California.
The […]

By Paul Kennedy
Managing Editor
Soccer America

Retiring Zinedine Zidane
is letting his feet doing the talking.
In what would be unheard upon in American sports, Zidane has refused to
speak to the press since before France’s opening game of the 2006 World
Cup. Even before the final game of his career, he didn’t talk to press.
Nor did any of his teammates.
Raymond […]

Seven Italians and four Frenchmen head the 23-man MasterCard All-Star
Team, as selected by FIFA’s Technical Study Group.
World Cup semifinalists Germany and Portugal also had four players
apiece on the all-star game. Argentina had two, and Brazil and England
one apiece.
The MasterCard All-Star Team:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi
Buffon (Italy), Jens Lehmann (Germany), Ricardo (Portugal).
Defenders: Roberto
Ayala (Argentina), John Terry (England), Lilian Thuram […]

By Mike Woitalla
in Munich
Even the Germans who would never admit to reading the Bild newspaper
can’t escape its giant headlines. They jump out from the newsstands and
can be easily spotted if someone’s reading the tabloid at the far end
of a subway  car.
When German Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger was anointed head of the Catholic Church
last year, Bild’s
famous headline was, […]

Retiring France star Zinedine
Zidane heads the list of players on the short list for the
2006 World Cup MVP award — the adidas Golden Ball.
Zidane is one of seven players in Sunday’s final who were nominated for
the award. Three Frenchmen — Thierry
Henry, Patrick
Vieira and Zidane — and four Italians — goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon,
central defender Fabio
Cannavaro, midfielder Andrea
Pirlo […]

By Mike Woitalla
in Munich
Theo Zwanziger,
the president of the German soccer federation (DFB), says he believes
Juergen Klinsmann will remain coach of the German national team.
Klinsmann says he’ll decide after discussions with his family,
following the World Cup.
U.S. Soccer President Sunil
Gulati won’t say who the candidates for the U.S. job are
if Bruce Arena
doesn’t remain at the helm. But […]

By Ridge Mahoney
in Munich
To stop a most remarkable streak required a gritty team on a great run
of its own led by a flickering star not yet willing to be dimmed.
France, mired in self-doubts in the run-up to the World Cup and a
surprise runner-up finisher in group play behind Switzerland, knocked
off Portugal, 1-0, to reach the […]