France coach not angry at Zidane but still bitter

PARIS, Nov 9 (Reuters) France coach Raymond Domenech said he was not angry at Zinedine Zidane for his headbutt in the World Cup final but still felt bitter after the defeat by Italy.

''I never said I was angry at Zidane,'' Domenech told French sports daily L'Equipe in an interview today.

''What I'm angry about is what happened after that and eclipsed France's performance and even Italy's victory,'' he added, meaning the incident had been blown out of proportion.

Zidane was shown a red card 10 minutes before the end of extra time in the July 9 final in Berlin after headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. That ensured he missed the penalty shootout that decided the match in Italy's favour.

''I'm angry at the entire world but not at Zizou,'' Domenech said. ''He cracked up, that's only human.'' Domenech said he had refused to watch the final again.

''I am not over it yet,'' he said. ''It could take years.

''For me, it's still a failure. I could never accept defeat. I still can't.'' REUTERS SAM VV1533