{
  "id": 11424790,
  "title": "Zidane says 'no regrets' over World Cup headbutt as France prepare to meet Italy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/zidane-says-no-regrets-over-world-cup-headbutt-as-france-prepare-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T11:09:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RFI English",
    "slug": "rfi-english",
    "url": "https://www.rfi.fr/en/sports/20261002-zidane-says-no-regrets-over-world-cup-headbutt-as-france-prepare-to-meet-italy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "France coach Zinedine Zidane has said he has no regrets about headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final. The incident, which occurred 17 years ago, led to Zidane being sent off in extra time of a match that Italy won on penalties. According to RFI English and The Citizen, Zidane stated that while he is not proud of his actions, they are part of his career.\n\nZidane made these comments ahead of France's Nations League game against Italy on Friday. The Citizen reports that he mentioned the images of the headbutt would always be there to remind him of what happened, but he tries to focus on the positives. He also stated that he had not spoken to Materazzi since the incident.\n\nZidane's France team has had recent success, with two consecutive 1-0 Nations League victories, according to reports from The National UAE and The National Business. However, these reports also mention that Zidane will be without Kylian Mbappe for the upcoming game against Italy, as reported by Yahoo Sports.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Mashable",
        "title": "How to watch France vs. Italy online for free",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/how-to-watch-france-vs-italy-online-for-free",
        "published": "2026-10-02T06:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}