"Because some joking remarks I made at a private event caused all sorts of misunderstandings and created trouble for Yang Yang, I deeply regret it. I hereby offer Yang Yang my sincere apology."
"I want to say that world football has many exceptionally talented players, and Yang Yang is one of them. I have the utmost respect for him and never meant to look down on him in any way. The remarks attributed to me that circulated earlier were nothing more than a joke I made at a private event. I am willing to retract them and sincerely wish Yang Yang all the best."
At FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, President Blatter solemnly read his letter of apology to the many media reporters below him, publicly retracting his earlier inappropriate remarks and formally apologizing to Yang Yang.
All the reporters present found it hard to believe. Blatter had always been arrogant, yet he had actually apologized publicly to Yang Yang—and even held a press conference for it. That was absolutely rare.
When had the dictator Blatter ever been willing to apologize to anyone like this?
The reporters below quickly caught wind of the story. During the subsequent open-question session, they asked Blatter about the events leading up to the incident. The FIFA president patiently explained everything one question at a time. As for the Golden Ball Award contest between Yang Yang and Messi, Blatter changed his tune and said that he had no position on it.
"They are both the top superstars in world football today. I believe either of them winning would be perfectly normal."
This time, Blatter had clearly learned his lesson and refrained from taking a side publicly.
As for Yang Yang's agent Raiola saying earlier that he would prevent Yang Yang from coming to Zurich for