Former Premiership referee Jeff Winter believes Zinedine Zidane was wrong to take the law into his own hands during the World Cup final - despite provocation from Marco Materazzi.
France legend Zidane headbutted Materazzi during extra-time on Sunday after the Italian appeared to make a comment to the midfielder and the Azzurri going on to win on penalties following the dismissal.
It remains unclear what Materazzi said to spark the attack, although Winter insists insults or comments cannot lead to players taking revenge on their opponents.
Winter told BBC Radio Five Live: 'Of course it's wrong but there are so many things in the game of football that are wrong - it's wrong to pull shirts, it's wrong to spit, it's wrong to dive, it's certainly wrong to pass racist or religious comments about players.
'But you can't take the law into your own hands.'
Zidane's performances before his red card - he scored the winner against Portugal, the opener against Italy and produced a masterclass against Brazil - saw him awarded the Golden Ball as the best player at the World Cup, which Winter did not agree with.
Winter added: 'You talk about role models. Zidane as a football I loved but to reward him with the player of the tournament after what happened is another matter.'
