The sort of shit that Materazzi threw at Zidane is completely unacceptable. Racism is a cancer that has long been all too endemic in football. 

Here in Scotland the Old Firm of Glasgow - Protestant Rangers and Catholic Celtic have for over a hundred years fought out the troubles of Northern Ireland on the foortball field to the back ground of sectarian crap of being "up to our  need in fenian blood" and chants glorifying the IRA. When they play each other, the casualty wards throughout Scotland are busier than at any other time of the year.     Admittedly thr clubs have tried to counter the bigotry following murders of rival supporters, but still each side of this divide has a long way to go.  In 1988 when "The huns" of Ibrox signed their first "Taig" the tension throughout the country was palpable, supporters buses were cancelled and season tickets burned by furious Rangers supporters who woould never cheer a Catholic in their own ranks. I witnessed a stabbing in a bar in Perthshire (hardly a hotbed of Orangismor Fenianism). Jock Stein, Celtics greatest ever manager was given a raw deal by the club because he was a proddy.The war cries continue but a least the clubs through initiatives such as "nil by mouth" have tried to counter this. This being the 12th of July it is worth remembering the bellicose hatred that still exists and is institutionally enshrined in our national game.

In the case of Zidane/Materazzi, while not excusing Zizou's behaviour, FIFA should ban the racist twat for his comments, that shit has no place in international football