Zidane says Materazzi insulted his mother and sister

PARIS, July 12: Zinedine Zidane today said Italian defender Marco Materazzi insulted his mother and his sister during the World Cup final against Italy.

The French captain reacted to the insult by head-butting Materazzi's chest in the second period of extra time of the match. He was sent off.

''He (Materazzi) pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them,'' Zidane told in a live interview on French television channel Canal Plus.

Playing the last game of his career, Zinedine was shown a red card, leaving his team mates finish the match without him.

France lost on penalties.

REUTERS

Related Stories:
Blatter hints Zidane could lose best player award
FIFA to investigate Zidane head-butting
'My son was the real victim', says Materazzi's father
Materazzi denies calling Zidane dirty terrorist