{
  "id": 11391294,
  "title": "Zidane ‘no regrets’ about Materazzi headbutt as France face Italy again",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again-11391294",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T08:10:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/soccer/world-soccer/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Zinedine Zidane, France's new coach, has expressed no regrets about his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final as he prepares to face Italy again in his first home game in charge. The iconic French player, now 54, acknowledged that the images of the incident will always serve as a reminder, but emphasized that he does not focus solely on the negative aspects. He stated that he has not spoken to Materazzi since that night in Berlin and that his regret lies in the fact that he didn't anticipate becoming a coach in 2006. Zidane, who succeeded Didier Deschamps as France's coach in late July, is set to lead his team against Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, a match that will be held at the Stade de France, marking a significant homecoming for the seasoned coach.",
  "summary": "\"The images will always be there to remind me of what happened in 2006, because they are always being shown,\" said Zidane.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Michael Kayode is the face of a multiethnic revitalization of Italy’s struggling national team",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/michael-kayode-is-the-face-of-a-multiethnic-revitalization-of-italys",
        "published": "2026-10-01T10:30:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Zidane 'no regrets' about Materazzi headbutt as France face Italy again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again",
        "published": "2026-10-01T17:34:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Zidane 'no regrets' about Materazzi headbutt as France face Italy again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again",
        "published": "2026-10-02T01:36:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Zidane ‘no regrets’ about Materazzi headbutt as France face Italy again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/zidane-no-regrets-about-materazzi-headbutt-as-france-face-italy-again-11333856",
        "published": "2026-10-02T01:41:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Nations League: Zidane returns to face Italy and the Stade de France",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/nations-league-zidane-returns-to-face-italy-and-the-stade-de-france",
        "published": "2026-10-02T05:49:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}