Marco Materazzi 2-0 UK Tabloids

November 4, 2008

Marco Materazzi can now cross the Daily Mail off his revenge list. His libel case against the UK tabloid was headed to court, but the paper has offered an apology and financial compensation, which the defender has accepted. After the Daily Star appeased Matrix with a similar apology/compensation combo to Matrix in April, this is the Italian’s second win over the tabs.

You remember the famous World Cup final moment of course, where Zinedine Zidane butted Materazzi (and launched a million parodies) after the Italian defender said something to provoke the French captain. In the frenzied aftermath various newspapers claimed that Matrix had racially abused Zizou by calling him “the son of a terrorist whore,” a story the Mail unveiled in July 2006 with the teaser headline “”Revealed: the insult that made Zidane see red” and then stuck with until December 2006.

The reality was that he called Zidane’s sister a whore. Not nice of course. Not nice at all. But not racist. And so the paper had to say sorry.

Jonathan Price, for the Daily Mail’s owners Associated Newspapers, said the newspaper offered its apologies for the distress and embarrassment caused, and had agreed to pay Materazzi substantial damages and his costs.

The actual amount of financial compensation heading for Matrix’s bank account hasn’t been revealed, though I’d guess it’s sizeable. And though there’s an argument that 1) Materazzi already has enough money and 2) this story is now two years old, I think the apology is important. It’s reassuring to know that when papers like Daily Mail and the Daily Star get it wrong they still have to admit it. Eventually.

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