Rome - Fifa president Sepp Blatter has apologised to Italy's World Cup-winning team for his absence at the trophy presentation after the Berlin final.
Blatter skipped the ceremony and so Uefa president Lennart Johansson handed the trophy over to Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro.
Blatter claimed he was whistled by fans before the match had begun and wanted to avoid further embarrassment to the organisers.
But the Azzurri were incensed at what they saw as a deliberate snub, accusing Fifa of being "anti-Italian."
Blatter tried to heal the rift here on Monday as he met with the Italian players who were each awarded the 'Cavaliere Ufficiale' one of the country's highest public service decorations.
"I said it (sorry) to the Italian team today," Blatter was quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa.
"History will say it was a mistake for the Fifa president not to award the Italians the World Cup, and it was indeed an error on my part."
Blatter then said he had apologised to the Italians straight after the match.
"I said sorry to the Italian authorities straight after the final," he added. Italy claimed the World Cup for a fourth time by beating France 5-3 on penalties after the July final had ended in a 1-1 draw.
