Friday, July 14 2006 16:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Zurich: FIFA said Thursday they have opened a disciplinary inquiry into the behaviour of Italy World Cup winning defender Marco Materazzi in the infamous Zinedine Zidane affair.

In a statement, FIFA said, "The decision was taken following claims made by French player Zinedine Zidane, who attacked Materazzi with a head-butt during the final of the FIFA World Cup in Berlin on July 9."

According to the statement, Zidane said in an interview that he reacted to repeated provocation from the Italian.

FIFA will study the circumstances of the incident and both players Zidane is already under investigation are due to present their cases to the world football governing body by July 18.

They will then have to appear in person before FIFA's disciplinary commission in Zurich on July 20, their first meeting since Zidane felled Materazzi with a butt to the chest just minutes from the end of extra-time in the World Cup final, which Italy won on penalties.

Any fines handed out to the Frenchman will be symbolic as Zidane had already announced his retirement from the game after the World Cup.

Under FIFA rules, he could be fined a minimum 3,300 euros and banned for two matches. Materazzi could be suspended for at least two games and a possible fine of 6,600 euros.

On Wednesday, Zidane said he was sorry for headbutting the Italian but that Materazzi had deserved it for insulting him with some "very hard words" aimed at sullying his mother and sister.

"I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched that. There was no excuse for it," he said.

"I want to be open and honest about it because it was seen by two or three billion people watching on television and millions and millions of children were watching," he said.

Asked what exactly Materazzi had said, Zidane would only offer that it was very personal and concerned his mother and his sister.

"You hear those things once and you try to walk away. That's what I wanted to do because I am retiring. You hear it a second time and then a third time," he said.

Zidane was not asked in the interview whether there was a racist tone to the insults.