SNIP
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>>Zidane apparently has a record of such behaviour, so it seems probable to me that he was being goaded and finally snapped.
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>If you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.

He was already out of the kitchen, dragged back (along with 2 others as i heard it) for one last go. And though I don't see a lot of soccer (football) I'd bet that there are others in the sport who are less than 'gentlemanly'.

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>>We (Canada) had a hockey series against the USSR in 1972 where we squeaked a win in the last seconds of an 8 game series. Years later I heard one of the players relate how the coach had told him to get a player out of the series, so he went out and slashed the guy and broke his ankle.
>>The "win" became a sad event for me rather than a great memory.
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>Was that the infamopus really dirty game, or is that another I'm thinking of (maybe USA vs USSR)(?

I dunno about a "dirty" game.
Ironically, a few years later in Montreal the Canadiens and the USSR put on the very best exhibition of hockey that I have witnessed in my lifetime. It was simply beautiful and ended, in a tie.