Blatter says sorry

Posted Wednesday, October 30, 2013 by Marca.com

FIFA president, Joseph S. Blatter, has apologised to Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese football and Real Madrid, in separate letters sent to the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Spanish club. Blatter says sorry

"Please convey my apologies to the player and the Portuguese football community and accept, dear President, my warmest regards", Blatter wrote in a letter to the president of the FPF, Fernando Gomes, following the Swiss' comments regarding Ronaldo during an appearance at the University of Oxford.

"At the end of my speech, the chairperson asked me about Messi and Ronaldo. I responded that they are two exceptional players, stars of our sport, but each with a different playing style. I sincerely regret that my words, taken out of context, have been misinterpreted", said Joseph Blatter.

The FIFA president also responded to the letter he received from Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, lamenting the situation caused by his criticism of Ronaldo, emphasising that "he is at the same level as Messi" and stressing that he is a Real Madrid supporter.

"I regret very much that this situation arising from a university event is causing so much pain and I apologise for that. It was never my intention to annoy or show a lack of respect to Real Madrid, one of their players or their fans, not only as one of the founders of FIFA, but also as a club that I follow and have admired since my youth", said Blatter.