nucmednet Chapter 393 Want to win without reform? It's not that simple!
Chapter 393 Want to win without reform? It's not that simple!
Yanjing Sports West Road.
On the building across the street from the Workers' Stadium.
Ma Yongliang stood by the window, gently swirling a glass of red wine in his right hand.
The large screens broadcasting the World Cup matches on the plaza outside the stadium had long been turned off.
But some fans lingered in the square, unwilling to leave.
It was a tense and exciting match that left a lasting impression.
Perhaps the 0-3 result is hard for them to accept for a while.
Perhaps it was the two consecutive losses and the failure to score a single goal that left them deeply disappointed.
and so……
They also gathered in small groups.
Standing on the high ground, Ma Yongliang couldn't hear what the fans were saying.
Having watched the entire match, he could also sense the anger and regret in the hearts of the fans.
In this match, the Dragon Kingdom team fielded its strongest lineup against a formidable opponent, and fought tenaciously on the field.
Unfortunately……
From individual player abilities to team tactical coordination.
The Chinese team is no match for their opponents.
They had a number of shots, but none of them were threatening.
Being defeated 3-0 completely exposed the huge gap in technical and tactical level.
"Brother, are you still watching?"
Are there beautiful women in that square?
Somewhat drunk, Huang Jianming staggered over to Ma Yongliang's side.
"It's pitch black, there are hardly any people left!"
Ma Yongliang took a sip of red wine and let out a long sigh.
"Where are the beautiful women to see?"
"I was thinking that if we lost two games in a row, there would be absolutely no hope of qualifying."
"As the president of the Football Association, I have truly failed the trust placed in me by the leadership and the millions of fans of the Dragon Nation!"
Huang Jianming chuckled.
He patted Ma Yongliang on the shoulder and said with a wild smile:
"You have no shame whatsoever!"
"You didn't lead the national team, and you didn't select the players."
"Losing the game is the responsibility of the players and coaches, what does it have to do with you?"
"If we're going to assign blame, we could say the players didn't perform well, or we could say the coach's tactics were flawed."
"You could say that the opponent was really too strong, or even that the players were not used to playing abroad."
"In short, if you just want to find reasons for losing the game, you can easily list several, and none of them can be blamed on you, brother!"
At this point, Huang Jianming let out a burp and said with a wicked grin:
"Besides, the Dragon Country team can't win this match!"
"If we win, then all the money we bet will be wasted."
Ma Yongliang turned his head and glanced sideways.
Looking at Huang Jianming's greedy and greedy expression, he couldn't help but frown and ask:
"As a Chinese, don't you want our Chinese team to win?"
Huang Jianming suddenly stopped smiling and said in a very serious tone:
"I hope so! Of course I hope our Dragon Country team can pull off an upset, but the problem is... they don't have the ability!"
"The opponent is Baratheon, a top team that has won the World Cup four times, and a strong favorite to win this World Cup!"
"Just pick any one star player from the team, and their market value is higher than the entire Chinese national team combined. How can we possibly play like this?"
"If I know the Chinese team can't win, why should I still have any hope for them? And if I don't bet on them losing, am I supposed to bet on them pulling off an upset?"
"You can't go against money, can you? This is a sure-fire way to make money, so why not take it? You can't say I'm unpatriotic just because I didn't bet on it to win, can you?"
Ma Yongliang gave a light snort and turned to leave.
"Hey, why are you leaving? Did I say something wrong?"
Huang Jianming followed and sat down on the sofa.
He deftly picked up a cigarette, handed one to Ma Yongliang, and then hurriedly lit it.
Despite the conversation, he was still very clear-headed.
If it weren't for Ma Yongliang's help over the years, I would have made a fortune through sports.
The most lucrative deal they made was the renovation project of the Workers' Stadium across the street.
In order to host the World University Games, the city invested over 100 million yuan two years ago to upgrade and renovate the stadium.
With a simple renovation, some rest rooms and workspaces can be added to meet the needs of the team for rest, news broadcasting, and the organizing committee for office work.
Whether it aligns with international standards or presents a modern and innovative look is not important.
In any case, Huang Jianming made a net profit of more than 20 million yuan from just this one project.
More than 20 million! That's enough to buy dozens of unfurnished apartments near the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing and wait for them to appreciate in value.
And this was just one of the many projects he did with Ma Yongliang's help.
More than 20 years ago, he and Ma Yongliang became roommates at Yenching University of Physical Education.
After graduation, he was assigned to a very ordinary unit, while Ma Yongliang, who had a powerful background, entered the Longguo Sports Commission to conduct policy research.
Although he never worked as a professional athlete, he studied while working and became one of the few sports graduate students of that era, which made his career path smoother from then on.
In addition to his promotion, he also made significant achievements in sports legislation. The sports law currently in effect in China, as well as many other regulations, were drafted with his participation.
On the reform of the sports system, he was the first to question the state-run sports system, opposing the supremacy of gold medals and the blind pursuit of sports achievements at the expense of a large amount of human, material and financial resources.
Because he understood both sports and law, when the General Administration of Sport was determined to reform sports and listed football as a key area for reform, he naturally became a pioneer of reform and served as the vice president of the Football Association.
One person achieves the Tao and the chicken and dog ascend to heaven!
My former friend has become a high-ranking official in the sports field of China!
In the realm of football, since the first president was essentially a figurehead, he naturally wielded absolute power.
Huang Jianming's career was not going smoothly, and he disliked the dull and boring life within the system. He decisively took advantage of the wave of layoffs and entrepreneurship, applied for a leave of absence without pay, and started his own business.
Initially, Huang Jianming only did some advertising agency business. For example, when a company wanted to sponsor a professional league and needed to produce various advertisements, he would act as its agent.
As the business progressed and I became familiar with the club and the organizing committee, the business naturally evolved into many new and innovative approaches.
With Ma Yongliang's backing, Huang Jianming was no longer satisfied with just being an advertising agent. Many clubs also needed his help with other things, such as player transfers and match manipulation.
Because the reform of football has not been thorough, too many institutional flaws and regulatory gaps have been left, creating a huge space for power-money transactions.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long...
Because there are too many corrupt referees in the league, and the money-grabbing is too excessive and even too obvious, fans are furious, and some law-abiding clubs are also complaining.
One club with a good league record, after suffering numerous blatant unfair calls and failing to get their complaints approved, simply withdrew from the league permanently in protest.
At a press conference, the club owner publicly denounced the Dragon China First Division League as being too corrupt, full of match-fixing and biased refereeing, and lacking any fairness. He declared that he was permanently retiring from the league and would never gamble on football again!
This incident caused quite a stir, and the General Administration of Sport ordered a thorough investigation, sparking a storm of anti-corruption efforts in the football world.
But what's the point of this "self-investigation" anti-black storm?
Without thorough reform of the football system, the anti-corruption campaign will ultimately be nothing more than a formality.
Not only did it fail to fundamentally solve the problem, it also allowed Ma Yongliang to eliminate his political opponents and smoothly rise to become the president of the Chinese Football Association.
As for the top division league, which has drawn complaints from fans and clubs, since it's rife with corruption and match-fixing, it should simply be suspended.
Ma Yongliang plans to launch a brand new Dragon Kingdom Football Super League, so the previous issues will naturally be minimized and forgotten.
Referees who have taken money to act as corrupt referees will not only be kept out of the public eye, but will also continue to officiate matches, as long as they admit their mistakes, return the bribes, and promise never to act as corrupt referees again.
As for the staff within the football association, they are naturally treated even more leniently. As long as they take the initiative to admit their mistakes and return the money, they will be forgiven and their cases will not be handed over to the judicial authorities for trial.
With the motto "Everyone makes money, and no one is severely punished," coupled with a powerful background and relevant academic qualifications, Ma Yongliang, who has never played a single amateur football match, has firmly secured his position as the head of the Chinese Football Association.
Therefore, Huang Jianming should be respectful when he should be in front of this living god of wealth, and should not take him for granted just because he is a good brother.
"Old Huang, I'm a little worried, will we lose the next game too?"
After taking a puff of his cigarette, Ma Yongliang said with a worried expression.
Huang Jianming chuckled, "Really? Then I'll have to bet more!"
Seeing that Ma Yongliang showed no sign of smiling, Huang Jianming immediately knew that his attempt to be clever had failed.
He knew that Ma Yongliang came from an extraordinary background and had once been a person with ideals and ambitions who wanted to make some contributions to the country and the people.
Even if the dragon-slaying hero eventually becomes the dragon himself, Ma Yongliang still has some sense of shame and wouldn't be completely without principles.
This World Cup, in particular, marks the first time that the Chinese national team has made it into the World Cup finals.
Not only do hundreds of millions of Chinese people place high hopes on this World Cup, but the journey of participating in this World Cup will also surely be recorded in history.
Ma Yongliang, who already holds a high position and has no worries about money, naturally wants the national team to perform well.
Even if he himself doesn't make history, when people talk about this World Cup and the national team's performance, they will inevitably mention him.
If they make it to the World Cup finals for the first time and lose all three matches... his position as president of the Football Association will inevitably be criticized.
Huang Jianming took a puff of his cigarette and shifted his position slightly forward.
"Don't worry, brother. Although our national team has lost two games in a row and has been eliminated early, we still have a high probability of winning the last game against Turkey!"
Ma Yongliang snorted coldly.
"Before the first match, you told me, 'What is Costa Rica? It's a country that many fans don't even know where it is. How strong could their football team be? I bet the whole country doesn't even have many decent football stadiums.' And what happened?"
"Damn it, I thought we could beat them 3-0, but we got thrashed 2-0. We not only lost money, but we also lost face. Now you're saying we have a high probability of winning the last game. Do you think I'd still believe your jinx?"
Huang Jianming chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll say I'll lose one game at a time, then I won't predict the outcome, okay?"
Ma Yongliang flicked his cigarette ash and took out his phone.
"We must win the last game!"
Even if we can't win, we have to score at least one goal!
"Otherwise, if we make it to the World Cup finals for the first time and lose all three matches without scoring a single goal, it would be too damn embarrassing!"
Huang Jianming straightened his back.
"A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men!"
"Call the head coach right now and tell him it's okay to lose this game."
"For the next match, as long as we win, the Football Association will add one million to the existing winning bonus!"
"Players who score and provide assists will receive an extra 200,000 and 100,000 yuan respectively, even if the team loses!"
"I just don't believe that the players won't give it their all in the final game, which is supposed to be a must. With so much money being spent, they're willing to fight hard!"