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Materazzi Sheds Light on Head-Butting Incident

The reason for the head-butting incident at the World Cup 2006 final between France`s Zinedine Zidane and Italy`s Marco Materazzi was a mystery for the entire soccer world, and Zidane was unwilling to explain or apologize for the way he acted. The French player head-butted the Italian player during the final of Germany 2006 and was given a red card that led to his dismissal and some would say even to France`s loss.

Now, Materazzi is finally putting an end to speculation and sheds light on the reason for the incident. It was already known that Materazzi provoked Zidane verbally, but the content of his provocation was not clear. Materazzi clarified that a saying involving Zidane`s sister was the reason for the violent outbreak. Materazzi also remarked that he was not the one starting the incident, but merely answering to Zidane`s provocation.

"I did not provoke him, I responded verbally to a provocation," Materazzi told the daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday. "We both spoke and I wasn`t the first. I held his shirt but don`t you think it is a provocation to say that `if you want my shirt I will give it you afterwards? I replied to Zidane that I would prefer his sister, that is true. I brought up his sister and that wasn`t a nice thing, that is true,` said Materazzi.