Insult to His Sister Caused Zinedine Zidane’s Cranial Combat Move

By Mark Hoerrner

It’s was all about a Zidane’s sister, Materazzi says, ending two months of speculation on what he could have said to push Zenedine Zidane to turn his forehead into a weapon.

In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday, Materazzi disclosed that after he held his opponent's shirt, Zidane said: "If you want, I'll give you the jersey later."

"I responded that I preferred his sister, it's true," Materazzi told Gazetta. "It wasn't something nice, true. But luckily there have been dozens of players who have confirmed that a lot worse things are said on the field."

Zidane’s actions at the World Cup earned him a red-card ticket to the showers and eventually, a three-game FIFA suspension. However, Zidane ignored the suspension as he retired from soccer after the World Cup.

Materazzi, still a key player for Italy, will miss a re-creation of the World Cup final match as Italy faces off against France in a qualifying bout for the 2008 European Championship. Materazzi, though still upset over Zidane’s actions, was told not to contest the issue as the Italian soccer federation is in the middle of a match-fixing scandal.

"If accepting without raising my voice was the price to pay for having brought home the World Cup, I'm pretty happy to have paid it," Materazzi said.

Materazzi said he’d be happy to resolve the incident like civilized men if the chance arose.

You sign a peace (agreement) after terrible wars, so why can't Zidane and I make peace?" he asked. "A peace among men, without a lot of publicity. The door to my house will always be open for that. And if Zidane wants, he knows where to find my address."

Materazzi said he would have preferred anything to being suspended.

"I would take three days, three months or three years of public service," he said. "I count less than Zidane."

Zidane has a history of game-related violence. He was dismissed in the 1998 World Cup for stamping on Saudi Arabia player Fuad Amin. At Juventus in 2000, he was banned for five games for butting Hamburg's Jochen Kientz in a Champions League match.

Materazzi, who scored Italy's goal in the final, also gave away the penalty kick from which Zidane gave France the lead. Tomorrow's game at the Stade de France in Paris has been sold out for more than a month.