It appears that France and Italy are heading towards a political battle following the Zidane- Materazzi incident in the final match of FIFA World Cup 2006 at Berlin. A right-wing senator of Italy, Roberto Calderoli has allegedly made racist comments on the French soccer team saying the runners-up team consists of ‘blacks, Muslims and communists’. According to Italian newspapers La Stampa and Corriere della Sera, Roberto Calderoli of the Northern League celebrated the national team’s victory in a different manner aimed at humiliating the France soccer team. Calderoli, who lost a ministerial post for wearing a T-shirt with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad offensive to Muslims, went to extent of saying team’s victory at Berlin was a political victory of Italy over France. These comments have complicated the head-butting incident, which brought humiliation to France captain Zinedine Zidane. It would bring hatred relation between the two countries at the diplomatic level.
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