MILAN, Italy (AP) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Zinedine Zidane could be stripped of his Golden Ball award for the best player at the World Cup due to violent conduct.
"The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA, but by an international commission of journalists," Blatter said in Wednesday's La Repubblica. "That said, FIFA's executive committee has the right, and the duty, to intervene when faced with behavior contrary to the ethic of the sport."Zidane head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after the two exchanged words on the field in extra time of Sunday's World Cup final. He was sent off and Italy won its fourth title on penalties.
FIFA's disciplinary committee opened an inquiry Tuesday into Zidane's behavior. World soccer's governing body has declined to say whether Materazzi's conduct is also being investigated.
Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball on Monday -- ahead of Italy's Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo -- but the ballot box was open until after the end of the final, making it unclear how many votes were cast before or after the incident.
Blatter said he was "very hurt" by Zidane's violent reaction and that "to see him act like that made me feel bad, for him and for fair play."
"I was told that at the end of the game the French federation executives asked Zidane to go and receive his medal, and he replied that he didn't deserve any medal," Blatter added.
Zidane, who won the World Cup in 1998, had said he would retire after the tournament.
Materazzi has admitted he insulted Zidane, but denies calling him a "terrorist."
"I did insult him, it's true," Materazzi said in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I categorically did not call him a terrorist. I'm not cultured and I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is.
"I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned round and spoke to me, sneering," the Italy defender said. "He looked me up and down, arrogantly and said: 'If you really want my shirt, I'll give it to you afterwards."'
The 32-year-old Inter Milan player did not elaborate exactly on what he said to Zidane.
"It was one of those insults you're told tens of times and that always fly around the pitch," he said.
Media reports, based on interpretations by lip-readers, have suggested that Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist or insulted his mother or sister. Materazzi denies these claims, too.
"For me, the mother is sacred, you know that," Materazzi told the newspaper.
SI article here