As we continue to ponder why the classiest footballer in World Cup 2006 executed a most un-classy act, it would be good to muse at a couple of fundamental parallels between sports and politics:

Both involve players who care little of what their fans/followers want.

The bigger the player, the more likely is he to do what he wants.

One rumbling that must be going on since Sunday is how could a soccer great like Zenadine Zidane, who carried the hopes of 60 million French people and millions more elsewhere, commit an act that virtually deprived his country of the glory of a second World Cup victory in eight years?

Those thinking along those lines, however, should realise that Zidane never became a star because of France. He became a great footballer because he wanted to become a great footballer. No sportsman starts out thinking that he wants to become great in a game in order to do his country proud. The thinking is always: 'I want to be good at this because I want to do good for myself'. It's only when he becomes a star, thrust into national or international limelight, that the player suddenly realises he has a responsibility to both game and country.

In Zidane's case, scoring head-on with his Italian tormentor on Sunday somehow mattered more than trying to put the ball in the net a second time to send France ahead. That was probably the result of thinking, 'I'm Zenadine Zidane. I'll do what I want'.

Closer to home, there s been a political act going on for some time now that could draw parallels to the game of Zidane and that is the game of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Like Zidane, Dr M bedazzled us as he dribbled his way through both domestic and international politics. He survived the first split of Umno, the 97/ 98 Asian financial crisis, the sacking of Anwar and a bigger split in Umno after that. Outside of Malaysia, he repeatedly rapped the US and the Jews and got the Islamic brotherhood roaring for him.

But throughout his 22 years in power, Dr M cared little for what ordinary Malaysians thought or felt. It was only what he thought and felt that mattered. But many Malaysians cheered him on because the game was entertaining and Malaysia was winning.

And because he is Dr M, he believes that what he thinks and feels still matters even in his twilight, retiring years.

Like Zidane, he's pushed his luck as far as he can and now gives Pak Lah a head-butt. Malaysians are still cheering him because they find the game entertaining. The trouble is like Zidane, Dr M could get a red card too, a card that could take him out of Umno and into the courts.

Pak Lah may not look belligerent. But he has advisers on the sidelines, not unlike Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo who listened to assistant officials at Sunday's match to incriminate Zidane.

Like Fifa's assortment of penalties for match violations, Malaysia also has various punishments like the ISA and OSA which can be used justly or unjustly depending on the circumstances of the foul. After 22 years of playing the game, Dr M should know that only too well, like Zidane.