Zidane Probe Focuses on Who Said What

French football star Zinedine Zidane finally broke his silence, but the exact exchange between the France`s captain and Marco Materazzi remains a mystery.

Zidane, who had been ordered off the field after the violent action, said in an interview with Canal Plus television on July 13, “I was furious as Italian defender Marco Materazzi insulted my mother and sister.”

The French captain went on to say, “I told him I will give my shirt after the game as he pulled it several times. Upon hearing that, he insulted my mother and sister using harsh and nasty words. First I ignored them. But he repeated those words.” He also added, “I would rather have taken a punch in the jaw than have heard that.” He, however, would not say what the insults were.

He also said, “I know I should not have done that. I apologize for my violent conduct to the two billion spectators who watched the match on TV, especially to children. But I have no regrets about what I did because that would be like admitting that Materazzi had every reason to say what he said.” Yet, Zidane denied the speculation that the Italian player had called him a Muslim terrorist.

But his remarks are different from what Materazzi says.

Materazzi acknowledged insulting Zidane but denied insulting Zidane`s mother or sister. He said, “I did nothing but hold his shirt. But he turned back, looked at me with arrogance and said, ‘If you are dying to have my shirt, I’ll give it to you after the game.’ So I replied with an insult.” He swore it by his 10-month-old daughter. “Zidane has always been my hero, and I admire him greatly," he said.

So, who is right? The two are different in the ‘insult to the mother and sister’ part. Some say maybe it was the kind of insult that is commonly tossed around the soccer pitch. Zidane might have taken it too seriously. In other words, cultural difference may be the reason. Materazzi might have talked trivial insults to Zidane’s mother and sister. But for Zidane that may have sounded insulting.

It all depends on FIFA’s investigation to know who really is right.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com