BERLIN, July 1: France midfielder Zinedine Zidane has refuted allegations that he kicked a dent in a door at a World Cup stadium in France's draw with South Korea in the first round.

“The French national team would like to clearly state that Zinedine Zidane did not kick in the door in Leipzig and nobody from the French delegation kicked it either,” organising commitete spokesman Gerd Graus said at a daily media briefing.

“We don't know who it was and we are not going to hire a private detective to find out, but Zinedine Zidane did not do it.”

The manager of the Leipzig stadium, Winfried Lonzen, said on June 18 that Zidane had kicked a door to the dressing room in frustration after the Koreans had scored an 81st minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw.

Lonzen said the door would be kept as a souvenir that one of the greats of World Cup football had played in Leipzig.

Zidane, who will retire after the World Cup, was expected to line up when France face Brazil in the quarter-finals in Frankfurt late on Saturday. —AFP