I'm curious about that incident too.

I read somewhere that it was rumored that some unnamed French players said it was a racial slur.

Who knows? Maybe more will come out later in the week.

There's a report about his brother saying they probably called him a terrorist. Also, some brazillian network had so called lip readers analyze what he said and figured he called Zidane's sister a whore.

Who knows who to believe, though.

I saw a news ticker in the airport today that said Materazzi had "admitted to insulting Zidane" or something to that effect, but nothing more specific.

Rumours are that after Materazzi held Zidane, Zidane told him "If you really want my shirt you'll have it after the game," to which Materazzi replied, "I'd rather have the shirt of your woman."

Don't know how much of it is true though.

materazzi said that he insulted zidane but the insult was just one that a lot people say. Materazzi also said that zidane sneered at him and said, "If you want my shirt, you can have it after the game." or something like that. zidane told his agent that materazzi called him something very serious but wouldn t tell him what. a paris-based anti-racial group said that materazzi called him a 'dirty terrorist'. zidane today said he was spurred by cruel insults to his mother and sister.

"I would rather have taken a punch in the jaw than have heard that," he told the Canal-Plus television network, stressing that Materazzi's language was "very harsh," and that he uttered the insults several times.

Wednesday, he stressed he felt no regret "because that would mean (Materazzi) was right to say all that."

"There was a serious provocation," Zidane said. "My act is not forgivable. But they must also punish the true guilty party, and the guilty party is the one who provokes."

Materazzi has acknowledged he insulted Zidane, without giving specifics. At nearly the same moment Zidane was on TV, excerpts from a Materazzi interview were posted on an Italian paper's Web site. He denied insulting Zidane's mother.

"I didn't say anything to him about racism, religion or politics," Materazzi told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "I didn't talk about his mother, either. I lost my mother when I was 15, and even now I still get emotional talking about her."