Chapter 499: The Storm is Coming
"In this game, the referee's enforcement is like a one-way street. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biqugeγ infoβ
'He definitely thinks that the Juventus players are crystals, we can't touch them, we foul them if we touch them. β
"The referee didn't let us play at all, we couldn't play with Crystal. β
'Juventus have a lot of stars and we are not as strong as our opponents, but this time we played better. β
"It's a shame that the referees don't let us play, we've never seen a referee or linesman like that. β
β¦β¦
While Gao Han held up the freshly baked Milan sports newspaper and looked at the complaints published on it, Livorno president Spinelli had been furious in an interview with Sky TV last night, Jorge Mendes, who was sitting across from him, gobbled up the delicious breakfast on the table without any image.
Glancing at the collaborator in front of him, Gao Han had an expression that I didn't know him at all, pursed his lips, and continued to read the newspaper.
Turning the page, it's still about this match between Juventus and Livorno.
Livorno coach Mazzoni was much more relaxed than President Spinelli in an interview, but he also said bluntly, "Everyone will make mistakes, players will be wrong, coaches will be wrong, referees will be wrong." β
But then, he added, "It's just that in this game, the referees seem to be a little wrong." β
According to the newspaper, yesterday was Mazzoni's 70th birthday and the whole team wanted to give him a special birthday present, so the whole team was holding their back to get a win against Juventus.
The veteran coach has managed 784 games, and counting three play-offs, he has already equaled the record of 787 games held by legendary AC Milan coach Rocco, to which Mazzoni reluctantly said, "This game is turning into a joke." β
As a veteran coach of 39 years, Mazzoni finally said that he was very satisfied with the game and everything.
Gao Han couldn't help but sigh when he saw this.
Mazzoni may not have much to achieve, but it is not easy to work in professional football for 39 years.
Jorge Mendes, who was sitting across from him, heard the sigh, grabbed a napkin, wiped his mouth, and asked with a smile: "Do you feel that the voices against the referee and Juventus have been much louder lately?"
"Huh?" Gao Han put down the newspaper and looked at his agent a little strangely.
Mendes smiled inexplicably.
The Portuguese was able to rise rapidly in European football, although he was supported by the cold and provided him with an endless supply of talent, making him a guest of the major teams, but in fact, he had to have this ability.
The tragic case of the mud not being able to support the wall, how many are there.
As an agent, Mendes has his own sources of information, many of which are often unknown to the club.
Looking at his deliberate appearance of selling Guanzi, Gao Han was angry in his heart, he invited you to dinner early in the morning, and hung it up to sell?
"Say it or. β
"Okay, good, you boss, I'll obey you. Mendez quickly laughed and begged for mercy.
"Actually, if you want to say that the referee measures a game, there must be some psychological bias towards the strong team, it can't be a bowl of water, according to the information I have gotten, it is about 60 percent, but Juventus's referee bias in the past few years is too obvious, but no one in Italian football says it, don't you think it's strange?"
Gao Han nodded, "I guess, it's probably someone up there." β
Who knows, after Mendes listened, he still shook his head with a smile, and compared the index finger of his right hand to the top of his head, "There are people on top." β
"Further?"
"Then, let's say it first, I heard the following words, and there is no real evidence, don't ask me for evidence. β
Say. β
"I've heard that Moji has a very close relationship with the Minister of the Interior, Pisanu, and the Minister of Economy, Siniscalco, from the judges, the financial police, to the Football Association, to the refereeing committee, there are people from him, to put it bluntly, they are all in the same group. β
"What?" Gao Han was surprised and lost his voice, this is too outrageous, right?
On the contrary, it was Mendez, who calmly beckoned to Gao Han, signaling him not to make a fuss.
"Football has a huge appeal in Italy, and it's no surprise that Silvio Berlusconi was inseparable from AC Milan when he came to power, and Moggi has links with senior government officials. β
Gao Han quickly calmed down and was slowly able to accept it.
People say that Italy is the most corrupt country in Europe, and if Moggi doesn't have a tough backstage, who will believe it?
"When I first came to Italy, someone told me that Moggie's GEA agency in Italian football is a one-handed affair in Italian football, going with the flow and dying against it, and even in order to coerce players to sign, many of their methods are simply the same as those of the mafia, which can be said to be all-encompassing. β
"At that time, the prosecutor's office in Rome launched an investigation into Little Moji's brokerage company and collected a lot of evidence, but the result was still inconclusive, and the outside world had no way to get those evidence, and it was said that it was suppressed by the people above. β
Gao Han was a little dumbfounded when he heard this, this was simply too arbitrary.
However, he quickly remembered another thing, "But why do you say that there has been so much talk about Juventus lately?"
"That's the point. Mendes laughed, and in Gao Han's almost murderous eyes, he took a sip of coffee before continuing, "Recently, Moji's movements have indeed been big, and it is estimated that this was also forced by your old man." β
"I forced it?" Gao Han was strange, why did he have to carry this pot by himself?
"He wants to win the championship, he wants to press Inter Milan, but you take Inter Milan all the way to victory, you say, can he agree?"
Mendes explained this way, but it made Gao Han helpless, and I blamed him for this.
"In addition to his own reasons, I also received the news that there is a general election in Italy. β
"Well, I know, in April. β
"Do you know who Berlusconi's opponent for re-election is?"
"You know, Romano Prodi, who has been making a lot of noise in the news recently, has just stepped down from the position of president of the European Commission, and I heard that his popularity is very high, and he overtook Berlusconi in the polls. β
"Yes, Prodi was able to gain so much support because he promised that if elected, he would bring a more orderly democracy to Italy, and he was targeting Silvio Berlusconi. β
When Gao Han heard this, he immediately understood.
Not long ago, the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Berlusconi for bribing witnesses to testify in his favor in 1997, while Berlusconi held a press conference in Rome to openly accuse the Italian judicial system of being used against him by people with ulterior motives and for hidden ulterior political purposes.
It's hard to believe that a sitting prime minister would lash out at his country's judicial system.
Not only that, the chaos and corruption in Berlusconi's Italy have long been well known, and it is understandable that Prodi, as an oppositionist, has made a fuss about this.
"The corruption of the Italian government can be said to be deeply rooted in the bone marrow, and it is simply impossible to change it in a short period of time, and I believe Prodi himself knows this very well. β
Gao Han nodded again and again, "You mean, Prodi wants to pinch soft persimmons to make political achievements and show his determination?"
"Hmm. Mendes nodded, "He promised voters to do well in the first year, but in fact, even if his Democratic Party is elected, it does not have enough strength to lead the government alone, so it needs to rely on other small parties to form a coalition government, and it is not an overnight thing to reshape the atmosphere of Italian politics." β
"In fact, in the history of Italian football, there have been scandals, as early as 1980, there was a shocking gambling case in Serie A, Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, Napoli and other eight teams were involved, when the police even stormed the stadium to arrest people, while AC Milan and Lazio were also sentenced to relegation, the president of the Rossoneri Colombo was sentenced to a lifetime ban, and many of the players punished were superstars such as Paulo Rossi. β
In 1998, the famous manager Zeman publicly accused Juventus players of abusing banned drugs in an interview with Express Weekly, which caused an uproar at the time, and the case was tried from 98 to 04, and finally Juventus President Girawudo was acquitted, two unlucky team doctors became scapegoats, and Zeman was away from Serie A for a long time. β
"In 2004, there was another match-fixing case in Italy, and the impact was even bigger and wider than in '80, when everyone thought it was going to be overturned, but in the end it didn't happen, but the small characters such as Siena and Modena were taken out as examples, and the other teams were spared. β
"As early as that time, the punishment of the Italian Football Federation caused a lot of criticism, and even many people began to question the trial process of the Italian Football Federation, because it was impossible for only these people to be involved, but in the end, after a long time, no one was held accountable. β
"Then there was the Genoa incident last year, which also caused a lot of controversy, but this time the Italian Football Association made a decisive move, and there was no participation of the big teams, so the incident quickly subsided. β
"Not only the Italian Football Federation, but the Napoli prosecutor's office has been suspicious of the results of many games of many teams in Serie A and has filed an investigation, but the results have not been made public, and Sky TV has also studied nineteen league games, but the results have not been released to the public. β
Gao Han listened silently, and couldn't help but be a little disappointed in his heart.
This is the small World Cup that he has always admired!
From the Football Association to the clubs to the players, and even the agents, there are many scandals and shady scenes.
It's no wonder that after playing Lazio, Moratti and Fachetti would come to Gao Han and ask if they wanted to come forward for public relations, because they both knew very well that the whole environment was like this.
"You should understand that professional football has never been just about professional football, it is more like a microcosm of the whole society, and the corruption and shady scenes in Italy's political and business circles will naturally affect the professional league, and no one is immune. β
Mendes smiled wryly and shook his head, helpless about it.
"Prodi is a smart man and a standard politician, he knows very well where his ruling foundation is, he doesn't dare to move lightly in the government system, let alone mess around, but professional football, which has a lot of influence, but in the eyes of politicians, it is insignificant, and it can be used to set an example for Italian voters. β
"So, I've heard that as soon as Prodi is actually elected, this storm will sweep over very quickly, and no one knows how many teams will be involved and how much impact it will have. β
After a pause, Mendeston smiled bitterly, "Perhaps, that will be the most sensational scandal in the history of Italy, and even in the European professional league." β