SOCCER: Fifa finally set in train a disciplinary investigation yesterday into Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final headbutt, which was beamed to an estimated one billion television viewers.

The announcement of potential disciplinary action came shortly after 2pm yesterday, almost 41 hours after Zidane was dismissed in his final match for France. A Fifa spokesperson yesterday ascribed the delay to the fact that the relevant officials in the world governing body had been travelling from Berlin to Zurich.

Fifa has given no indication of how long its inquiry will take. "We will hopefully receive all the information and will see if there is anything to be done," said the spokesman. "We have to compile all the data from all the official sources."

Though it is clear there is a case for Zidane to answer after he planted his forehead violently in the chest of Italy's centre-half Marco Materazzi, Fifa's investigations will focus also on the Italian's role in the incident. Materazzi yesterday admitted having taunted the France captain.

"I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering," said Materazzi. "He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said: 'If you really want my shirt I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true. It was one of those insults you're told dozens of times and that you often let fall on a pitch."

Speculation is rife over what Materazzi said and one report suggested he responded with: 'I'd rather take the shirt off your wife'.

Another series of stories yesterday alleged that Materazzi had connected Zidane with terrorism. Lip-readers believe he called Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore" among other things.

The former Everton defender denied such provocation yesterday. "I did not call him a terrorist," he said. "I am not a cultured person and I don't even know what an Islamist terrorist is. (And) for me the mother is sacred, you know that." He was alluding to his loss of his mother while in his teens.

Though sources close to Zidane say that the insult was "very serious" and that he intends to provide an explanation, the Frenchman has yet to expand on the nature of the exchanges. One report in the New York Times quoted a family member as claiming there had been racial aggravation.

"We think he either called him a terrorist or a son of Harkis," said Mokhtar Haddad, a cousin of Zidane, referring to the Algerian Muslims who fought for the French imperialist power during their country's war of independence.

Should the inquiry prove that the Italian's comments were a racial slur there will be a clamour for swift and decisive action.

If the speculation is any indication Fifa will find it difficult to determine what was said, because only two men in the world know exactly the conversation they engaged in. Several reports quoted "lip-reading experts" yet opinion as to what one said to the other differed wildly.

On this occasion video evidence appears flawed but there remains a dispute over whether it has already played a part. Fifa has strongly denied allegations that the Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo had missed the incident and dismissed the France captain only after the fourth official alerted him on seeing a television replay.

"The incident was directly observed (without the use of a monitor) by fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo from his position at the pitchside, who informed the referee and his assistants through the communications system," the governing body said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the president of Algeria said yesterday he had sent a letter of support to Zidane.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika described Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, as "a World Cup demi-god" and the best footballer in the world.

"Yesterday I sent a personal letter on my behalf and on behalf of all the Algerian people to express my solidarity and my friendship to Zidane, and to give him some comfort," Bouteflika told a news conference in London after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"He was a demi-god of the World Cup, but five minutes later for many people unfortunately he become something that sports men should shy away from," said the president, speaking through a translator.

"He has not lost his own human dimension. We support him because he is Algerian, we support him because he is the best . . . he's the best in the world. It was necessary for Algeria to express itself and to side with him."