In an interview with French television channel Canal Plus Zidane also said he apologised to children and fans but did not regret the head-butt that led to his sending off.
The French captain reacted to the insult by head-butting Materazzi’s chest in the second period of extra time of the match.
“He (Materazzi) pronounced very tough words about my mother and my sister. I tried not to listen to him but he kept repeating them,” Zidane said in a live interview.
Playing the last game of his career, Zinedine was shown a red card, leaving his team mates finish the match without him. France lost on penalties.
Zidane denied Materazzi called him an Islamic “terrorist”, as was reported by a Paris-based anti-racism group.
Zidane is of Algerian origin, his parents being born in the village of Aguemone in the Kabylie region.—Reuters