Blatter personally says sorry to Italy

New Delhi: FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologised to the Italians on Monday for not personally presenting the World Cup to the national soccer team last July.

Blatter said that "history will say it was an error" that the president of world soccer's governing body was not the one to hand over the trophy.

Italy's World Cup team was honoured on Monday with a special ceremony. It was the first time the squad had got together since returning from Germany in July.

Blatter, in Rome to present Juventus's Gianluigi Buffon with a FIFA award as the world's best goalkeeper in 2006, said he had shunned the presentation ceremony because he was afraid of being whistled.