Spanish newspaper AS has apologized to Barcelona's Gerard Pique for fueling "the suggestion" he had cut the Spain colors off his sleeves during La Roja's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania on Sunday, according to Samuel Marsden of ESPN.com. Pique announced after the game that he plans to retire after the 2018 World Cup "as a result of the criticism he has faced in Spain." AS, "among other prominent media outlets," ran a story -- which it later removed -- "stating as fact that the Barcelona defender had cut his sleeves" while questioning if there were anti-Spanish sentiments behind the move. However, a statement from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) clarified that both Pique and Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos had cut the sleeves of their long-sleeved shirts, "which did not feature the same detail as the short-sleeved versions, to feel more comfortable." AS editor Alfredo Relaño on Monday wrote, "I offer Pique our apologies for the hastiness with which, for 20 minutes, this newspaper's online version initially reported on the storm whipped up on social media" (ESPN.com, 10/10).
