Soccer: Zidane taunt deciphered by press

Italy's Marco Materazzi called Zinedine Zidane a "son of a terrorist whore" just before the France captain gave him a brutal head butt in the soccer World Cup final, says Britain's top forensic lip-reader.

The Times newspaper hired Jessica Rees, whose skill has seen her summoned as an expert witness at criminal trials, to study a tape of Monday's match that saw Zidane get a red card for his assault.

"After an exhaustive study of the match video, and with the help of an Italian translator, Rees claimed Materazzi called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore", the newspaper said.

The Daily Mail said it too engaged the services of a lip-reader, whom it did not identify, who reached the exact same conclusion as Rees.

The Independent cited lip-readers for Brazil's Globo television as concluding Materazzi had told Zidane his sister was a "prostitute".

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport reported yesterday that Materazzi acknowledged he "insulted" Zidane because he was particularly arrogant in the final.

Zidane, 34, then floored the Italian defender with a head butt. He was sent off, missing a penalty shootout in which he would have been expected to take one of France's spot kicks.

Materazzi said: "I held his shirt ... for only a few seconds, he turned toward me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down: 'If you really want my shirt, you can have it later.' [Zidane said].

"It's true, I shot back with an insult," Materazzi said.

Earlier, one Italian lip-reader told the BBC that Materazzi said: "I wish an ugly death to you and all your family."

Zidane is fiercely proud of his family and roots in the Algerian village of Taguemount.

Another told Brazilian television that the Italian had called Zidane's mother, who it is understood became ill on the morning of the final, a "prostitute". Zidane maintained his silence on the row yesterday although his agent, Alain Migliaccio, hinted that he may reveal all in the next few days.

In Paris, a sheepish-looking Zidane bowed before the flag-waving crowds as one-by-one the French players stepped forward on the balcony of a luxury hotel to greet their supporters.

France's President Jacques Chirac had only praise for an "exceptional captain", the team and much-criticised coach Raymond Domenech as he greeted the team at the Elysee Palace.

"Dear Zinedine Zidane, what I want to express to you at this perhaps most intense and difficult time in your career, is the admiration and the affection of the whole nation - it's respect too," Chirac said.

"You are a virtuoso, a genius of world football. You are also a man of the heart, of commitment, of conviction, and that's why France admires and loves you."

But Le Parisien asked how "the blue angel turned into a devil," and L'Equipe condemned the "stupid" assault on Materazzi that editorialist Claude Droussent said was hard to forgive.

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