Zinedine Zidane's assault on Marco Materazzi in the Soccer World Cup final was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender, according to the French playmaker's agent.
And a lipreader employed by Brazilian television channel Globo says the former Real Madrid star's moment of madness may have been provoked by Materazzi calling his sister a prostitute, according to a report on Globo.
Zidane, 34, who was on Monday named winner of the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player, floored Materazzi with a butt to the chest in the second half of extra time in Sunday's final. He was sent off, missing a penalty shootout in which he would have been expected to take one of France's spot-kicks.
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Although neither player has yet revealed the nature of their disagreement, Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister.
| 'I don't even know what the word means' |
The programme claimed Materazzi made the same comment twice before then using a "coarse word" aimed at the French player.
There have also been reports Materazzi had called him a "terrorist" or suggested he did not have the right to play for France - both insults based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage.
Materazzi on Monday denied calling Zidane a "dirty terrorist" seconds before the French captain head-butted him. "It is absolutely not true, I did not call him a terrorist. I'm ignorant. I don't even know what the word means," the Italian news agency Ansa quoted Materazzi as saying after the Italian team returned to Rome.
Zidane's agent Alain Migliaccio confirmed to the BBC on Monday that it had been verbal rather than physical abuse from the Italian defender which had triggered his violent reaction. "He told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what," Migliaccio said.
"Zinedine didn't want to talk about it but he will talk about it in the next couple of days.
| 'He will talk about it in the next couple of days' |
"He is a man who normally lets things wash over him but on Sunday night something exploded inside him. He was very disappointed and sad. He didn't want it to end this way."
As France greeted its beaten World Cup team with tears and cheers on Monday, President Jacques Chirac paid handsome tribute to the disgraced French football captain, and several thousand French fans gathered in central Paris to welcome home the weary World Cup finalists.
A sheepish-looking Zidane bowed before the flag-waving crowds as one-by-one the French players stepped forward on the balcony of a luxury hotel to greet their die-hard supporters.
"Zizou for president" fans chanted, referring to Zidane's nickname, calling him back for a second curtain call that suggested they had forgiven his red mist.
Striker David Trezeguet, whose penalty shootout miss cost France the chance to win their second World Cup, wept uncontrollably and had to be comforted by his team-mates. Despite the controversy, Chirac had only praise for an "exceptional captain", the team and much-criticised coach Raymond Domenech as he greeted the team at his Elysee Palace.
"Dear Zinedine Zidane, what I want to express to you at this perhaps most intense and difficult time in your career, is the admiration and the affection of the whole nation - its respect too," Chirac said. "You are a virtuoso, a genius of the world football. You are also a man of the heart, of commitment, of conviction, and that's why France admires and loves you."
Zidane's team-mates refused to publicly criticise the player or divulge his locker room explanation.
"Obviously he was very disappointed to end (his career) with a defeat, above all, and to have left his team-mates. But he remains a great man," said France defender Jean-Alain Boumsong.
France striker Thierry Henry said: "All I want to say to 'Zizou', and I think France should say it and the world of football is 'thank you', and 'thank you'." - Sapa-AFP-AP
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on July 11, 2006
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