What did Marco Materazzi really say to Zinédine Zidane? | OneFootball

A new online documentary revisits the global furore over the words that triggered Zinédine Zidane’s World Cup final headbutt. According to L'Équipe, "9 juillet 2006" retraces the months-long hunt for what Marco Materazzi said moments before the French captain was sent off.

The day after France lost the 2006 final, a worldwide investigation began. FIFA quickly opened a formal inquiry into the headbutt.

Reporters scoured footage and consulted lip-reading specialists. One theory alleged an insult linking Zidane to terrorism, a claim firmly denied by Materazzi and other experts.

Zidane did not spell out the exact slur, while President Jacques Chirac argued that a man’s reaction could be understood, even if not accepted. By mid-July, FIFA issued punishments. Materazzi received a two-match ban and a fine of 3,200 euros for provocation, while Zidane, already retired, was handed a three-match ban and a fine of 4,800 euros.

A year later Materazzi set out his version in his autobiography, promising to reveal the six words he used. He wrote that he told Zidane he preferred his sister, using a crude insult. Zidane has never contradicted that account.

Source: L'Équipe