PARIS, July 19 (UPI) -- Retired seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has sparked outrage in France after he insulted the country's World Cup soccer team.
The presence of Armstrong, who was in the country to follow the Tour de France in a car, was described by state-run radio station France Info as a provocation, and the athlete was blasted on the front page of newspaper France Soir, the Times of London reported Wednesday.
France Soir said Armstrong's comments at last week's sporting awards ceremony on cable network ESPN against the French soccer team were unpardonable. Armstrong had referenced the infamous incident at the World Cup final where French player Zinedine Zidane head-butted an opposing Italian player and was kicked out of the game.
Armstrong has insisted his comments were not meant to be taken seriously, saying: "It was a joke. You don't understand," in a televised interview Tuesday.
The cyclist had previously claimed he was a victim of a smear campaign in France after newspaper L'Equipe accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs.
