Sorry doesn't always work

Sorry doesn't always work. It's a phrase my daughter tells me, every so often. She learnt it at nursery (my daughter is only 4) When the kids say sorry, they are told "Sorry doesn't always work" to emphasise it is not enough to just say sorry, you need to be sorry for it to have any meaning.

Zinedine Zidane this evening in an interview on French TV gave his side of the story, around the incident that ended with his being sent from the field in the World Cup final, his last competitive game of football, for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi.

Zidane apologised for his actions. But he doesn't regret them. For me, his apology has no meaning. An empty phrase. I'm sorry for what I done, but I do not regret doing it. If you don't regret it, then why apologise? Surely if you have no regrets then you have nothing to apologise for?

Zidane at least put some unfounded rumours to rest, by clarifying that Materazzi had NOT racially abused him. The insults Materazzi threw at Zidane, he claims, concerned his mother and sister.

Materazzi has made a statement this evening too. He has already admitted throwing insults at Zidane. He always denied calling Zidane an Islamic terrorist, or saying that Zidane was the son of a terrorist whore. Materazzi claims ignorance on such matters. He also denies insulting Zidane's mother. Materazzi lost his mother when he was young, and says for him the Mother is sacred.

Materazzi goes on to say that he held Zidanes shirt, and Zidane looked at him with an arrogant attitude, and said if he was so desperate for his shirt he could have it at the end of the game. It was then that Materazzi shot back with the insults, which lead to Zidane losing his cool and landing the headbutt on Materazzi. You can see this in the film clip in the post below.

I've had enough of this story now. Zidane behaved like a thug in his actions, and committed a common assault on Materazzi. He apologises, but doesn't regret his actions. His apology means nothing. Whatever the verbal provocation, the actions cannot be justified.

Sorry doesn't always work.