Marco Materazzi has admitted to insulting Zinedine Zidane prior to the head-butt that led to his sending off in Sunday’s World Cup final. Media speculation about what Materazzi said have ranged from steroid allegations to racism, but until now neither one of the pair has spoken publicly about the matter. Materazzi told Gazetto dello Sport, “I held his shirt for a few seconds only…He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said, ‘If you really want my shirt I’ll give it to you afterwards.’ I replied with an insult, that’s true.” Of course, Materazzi declined to tell the paper exactly what he said, saying only “It was one of those insults you’re told dozens of times and that you often let fall on a pitch.” He strenuously denied calling Zidane, “a terrorist” as other reports suggested. “I did not call him a terrorist. I am not a cultured person and I don’t even know what an Islamist terrorist is,” the Italian defender said. He also denied saying anything about Zidane’s mother or sister. Zidane has yet to speak about the incident. His agent claimed his reaction was due to a “very serious” comment.