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FIFA will investigate France captain Zinedine Zidane's head-butt on Italy's Marco Materazzi in soccer's World Cup final two days ago.

The probe will allow FIFA ``to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident as exactly as possible,'' the ruling body said in an e-mailed statement today.

The 34-year-old former three-time world player of the year received a red card in his last ever game for butting Materazzi in the chest during extra time in the match in Berlin. Italy secured its fourth world title with a 5-3 victory in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1-1.

Brazil's TV Globo and the U.K.'s Times newspaper hired lip- readers to try to ascertain what the Italian said to provoke Zidane. Globo said Materazzi insulted Zidane's sister, while the Times said it was his mother. He called Zidane a terrorist, Spain's Marca newspaper said. Materazzi denied abusing Zidane's family, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport said today.

France coach Raymond Domenech said after the match that Zidane, the fourth player to be dismissed in a World Cup final, ``wouldn't react like that out of the blue.''

Zidane still received the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player of the tournament. FIFA said it wasn't involved in the poll of members of the media and didn't know how many votes were cast before and after the final.

FIFA reiterated that match referee Horacio Elizondo didn't show a red card to Zidane after the fourth official watched the incident on a television monitor.

Luis Medina Cantalejo ``directly observed'' the butt before informing the referee and his assistants, FIFA said. Officials can't base their decisions on television replays.

Zidane has yet to explain his behavior.