Sports/Olympics / Soccer
Zidane: insults provoked head-butt attack
(AP)
Updated: 2006-07-13 14:49
The Zinedine Zidane mystery is not quite solved yet. In his first, highly
awaited comments since the World Cup final, the French soccer star only
partly explained what caused him to react in fury and head-butt an
Italian opponent: repeated harsh insults about his mother and sister.
France's soccer team captain Zinedine Zidane (R) takes part in a
television interview with journalist Michel Denisot (L) in Paris, July
12, 2006, in which he explained his head-butt on Italy defender Marco
Materazzi during the July 9, 2006 final of the soccer World Cup. FIFA
will open a disciplinary investigation into the circumstances of the
incident. [Reuters]
But Zidane didn't go into specifics about what Marco Materazzi said.
Materazzi swears he never insulted Zidane's mother. And FIFA is still
investigating.
Relaxed and soft-spoken, Zidane repeatedly apologized to fans ��
especially to children �� in several interviews late Wednesday.
"Above all, I'm human," he said.
The 34-year-old midfielder said he didn't regret the abrupt, violent
outburst Sunday that marked the end of his 18-year professional career.
"I tell myself that if things happened this way, it's because somewhere
up there it was decided that way," he told TF1 television. "And I don't
regret anything that happened, I accept it."
Zidane sidestepped questions about exactly what Materazzi said.
"I would rather have taken a punch in the jaw than have heard that," he
told the Canal Plus channel, stressing that Materazzi's language was
"very harsh," and that he repeated the insults several times.
Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words after Italy broke up a French attack
in extra time. Seconds later, Zidane lowered his head and rammed
Materazzi in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Zidane was sent off, reducing France to 10 men. Italy went on to win in a
penalty shootout with Zidane �� an excellent penalty-taker �� in the
locker room.
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