The media exposed the words of Cassano and Balotelli, which immediately caused an uproar.
The Roma fans were extremely angry. Inter Milan had insulted their prince. This was unforgivable, especially the 'traitor' Cassano.
Some of the Italian football legends also jumped out and criticized Cassano and Balotelli for their lack of respect for a great player. Cassano's words and deeds were especially criticized, especially since he was Francesco Totti's former teammate.
The media also gave this matter a serious name, 'Stick Gate.'
For a while, Cassano was hated by everyone. As for Balotelli, although he was also criticized, people were more focused on Cassano. In the words of the media, Balotelli was still young and must have been led astray by Cassano. Of course, the media was not so kind. This was because these media were well-versed in the elements of hype. The confrontation between Cassano and Roma was originally the focus. At this time, everything needed to revolve around this central point. As for Balotelli, he was just a small fish and was a secondary target.
Roma's manager, Luciano Spalletti, fiercely criticized Cassano and Balotelli. "For a great player like Francesco Totti, their behavior is too much." Spalletti's words also hinted that the two Inter Milan players' behavior must have been influenced by their manager, Li Ang, who had always been a troublemaker.
Francesco Totti's Roma teammates also stood out to support their captain and criticized Cassano's bad behavior.
On the contrary, Totti himself was not too angry when he was interviewed by the media. Instead, he said coldly, "Although this may only be because Antonio is drunk … (But), he has succeeded in angering me."
The matter was getting worse and Li Ang had to come out to put out the fire.
*****
"Obviously, Cassano and Balotelli were both drunk. This was premeditated by the reporters. They took advantage of the fact that Cassano and Balotelli were drunk."
"I don't want to say much about the grudge between Cassano and Roma. Maybe there is a story between them. So, I don't think there's anything wrong with Cassano complaining after he's drunk. Although his words lack respect, it's normal. Everyone has the right to say something when they're drunk, "Li Ang said.
"Do you mean that you support Cassano's actions?" A reporter from Corriere dello Sport immediately asked.
"I bet you don't like me." Li Ang stared at the reporter's face. "At some point in time, you must have said something extremely insulting to me. Perhaps you were talking to yourself, or at the table."
The Corriere dello Sport reporter was about to deny it.
Li Ang did not give him a chance. "Don't deny it, and don't worry about me being angry, because this is human nature. I've had many verbal conflicts with your newspaper. You don't like me, and I don't like you. So, it's normal to say something excessive in private when you're emotional. However, this doesn't affect you from interviewing me, and it doesn't affect me from accepting the interview. This is the scope of work, and this is a rule. Within the rules, we respect each other's work.
That's good. "Li Ang's words resonated with the reporters at the scene. As Li Ang said, many reporters did not like Li Ang and scolded this bastard manager in private. However, in public, in the scope of work, they still had to look up and lower their heads. This was their job. Moreover, Li Ang admitted so frankly that he had complained and scolded in private. This kind of frankness won the reporters' favor, although it would not reduce their targeting of Li Ang.
"That's it. Cassano left Roma. There's a story between them. He complained a little, but it's nothing. Roma is our opponent. Balotelli complained a little, but it doesn't affect Totti's greatness. I always think that the greatness of a player lies in how much his opponents hate him!" Li Ang said seriously.
*****
This was a special press conference. In the television cameras, the Inter Milan manager, Mr. Li Ang, changed from his previous unruly and arrogant face to a peaceful face with a warm smile. He accepted the interview very kindly. Even in the face of the media and reporters who had a bad relationship with him, he did not speak ill of them. Sometimes, he even showed his unique sense of humor. Even if the two sides had a dispute, Li Ang was extremely frank. This kind of frankness easily won the favor of the crowd. The atmosphere between the two sides was rare and harmonious. This was rarely seen in previous interviews – he seemed to have a natural enmity with the media.
"Moreover, I would like to express my dissatisfaction here. (Regarding) the reporter's behavior of pretending to be a fan to fish for information, this is a classic case of fishing for information. Making a person's private complaints online is a violation of personal privacy and freedom!"
Li Ang even explained the meaning of 'fishing for information' to the crowd: Setting a trap in advance! Sinister intentions!
In the end, when Li Ang said these words, the pro- Inter Milan reporters applauded first. Then, there was a warm applause at the press conference. Even the media who did not like Li Ang had to applaud because there was nothing wrong with Li Ang's words. They were correct remarks. There was nothing wrong with them!
After the video of the press conference was broadcasted, the response was very good. Although it did not completely extinguish the anger of the Roma fans, it was still very effective. Li Ang's frank attitude won the favor of many people. Who had not complained in private about the people they did not like? When they were drunk, they would even curse the other party's ancestors. Li Ang's use of the phrase 'fishing for information' attracted a lot of likes. Some media included this phrase in the quotes of the Inter Milan manager, Mr. Li Ang, and praised that this phrase was very vivid.
As for the Roma fans, although they still did not like Li Ang, Li Ang's phrase, "A player's greatness lies in how much his opponents hate him," was recognized by the Roma fans. They were very afraid of their captain!
Later, Inter Milan released a video. Cassano and Balotelli were interviewed. In accordance with Li Ang's strict requirements, the two men said in the interview that they had spoken without thinking. In fact, they had been framed by malicious reporters. In a word, they were innocent and had been led into a ditch by malicious people. However, they still sincerely apologized to the people who might have been hurt.
Their attitude was good.
Perfect scapegoat.
Then, people began to notice that with the glib tongue of the Inter Milan manager, this incident that could have caused a very serious negative impact on any club and any player was eliminated by Li Ang.
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