zidane_small.jpgselon Eurosport : Italy defender Marco Materazzi admitted on Tuesday he insulted Zinédine Zidane because he had been « very arrogant », according to La Gazetta dello Sport. The incident has been the subject of all sorts of speculation, and Materazzi is the first involved to give his version of the story.

« I held his shirt for a few seconds only, he turned to me, looked at me from top to bottom with utmost arrogance (and said): « if you really want my shirt, I’ll give it to you afterwards ». I answered him with an insult, » admitted Materazzi in an interview with the Italian sports daily.

The Inter Milan player denied the insult was aimed at Zidane’s sister but said:

« It was the type of insults that we’ve heard before so many times on the pitch, and sometimes we don’t even notice it.

« What’s sure is that I never called him a terrorist: I am not cultured and I don’t even know what an islamic terrorist is. My sole terrorist is her…, » added Materazzi pointing at his 10-month-old daughter sleeping next to him during the interview.

« I certainly did not talk about Zidane’s mother. For me, mothers are sacred, » he concluded.

Le Corriere della Serra, another Italian daily, explained in an article about the unsavoury episode that Materazzi would not have been so insensitive to have insulted Zidane’s mother since he lost his own when he was only 14.