Italian midfielder Marco Materazzi has tendered an apology to his French counterpart Zinedine Zidane for passing a slur at his sister during the World Cup Final.
Materazzi admitted that he provoked the attack, which eventually saw Zidane being sent off with a red card at a time when both the teams were playing equals at 1-1. Finally, Italy won the match on penalties.
He said though he was not ashamed of what he said, he apologised to Zidane since he realised that he should not have passed the remark. "After Zidane got frustrated at having his shirt pulled he offered to hand over his jersey to me. I said I’d prefer his sister," Materazzi reportedly said.
He further said that he wanted a truce with Zidane (34). "I dragged his sister into it so today I can apologise to his sister. I am not ashamed of what I said because these things happen and I would never have reacted in the same way. I am happy to give him the address of my house in Chieti where we can meet. I can give him my shirt and we can shake hands. FIFA can take a nice photograph and then finally everything will be over and finished with," The Sun quoted Marco (33) as saying.
The two players were given match bans over the astonishing clash in Berlin. Materazzi missed Italy’s first two European Championship qualifiers. But, Zidane retired after the match.
{{/usCountry}}The two players were given match bans over the astonishing clash in Berlin. Materazzi missed Italy’s first two European Championship qualifiers. But, Zidane retired after the match.
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