Super Marshal

"In this game, the referee's enforcement was like a one-way street."

"He must think that Juventus players are crystals and we can't touch them. It's a foul if we touch them."

"The referee didn't let us play at all. We couldn't play with Crystal."

"Juventus has many stars. We are not as powerful as our opponents, but this time we played better."

"It's a pity that the referees didn't let us play. We have never seen referees and linesmen like this."

…

When Gao Han held up the freshly released Gazzetta dello Sport and looked at the angry complaint published by Livorno Chairman Spinelli in an interview with Sky TV last night, Jorge Sitting opposite him Mendes, on the other hand, devoured the delicious breakfast on the table without any image.

Glancing at the collaborator in front of him, Gao Han looked like he didn't know him at all, curled his lips and continued reading the newspaper.

Turn over the page and it’s still about the game between Juventus and Livorno.

When Livorno head coach Mazzone was interviewed, his attitude was much gentler than that of Chairman Spinelli, but he also said straightforwardly, “Everyone makes mistakes, players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes, and referees make mistakes. "

But then, he added, "It's just that in this game, the referees seemed to be a little wrong."

According to the newspaper, yesterday was Mazzoni's 70th birthday. Everyone in the team wanted to give him a special birthday gift, so the whole team was holding back their energy and wanted to get it from Juventus. to a victory.

This veteran coach has coached 784 games, including three play-off games, and he has caught up with AC Milan's legendary coach Rocco's record of 787 games. In this regard, Mazzoni had no choice but to "This game is becoming a joke," he said.

As a coach who has been coaching for 39 years, Mazzone finally said that he was very satisfied with the game and everything.

Gao Han couldn't help but sigh when he saw this.

Mazzone may not have any outstanding achievements, but it is not easy to work in professional football for thirty-nine years.

Jorge Mendes, who was sitting opposite him, heard the sigh, grabbed a napkin, wiped his mouth, and asked with a smile: "Do you feel that the voices against referees and Juventus have become much louder recently?"

"Huh?" Gao Han put down the newspaper and looked at his agent strangely.

Mendes smiled enigmatically.

The Portuguese can rise rapidly in European football. Although Gao Han is behind him, providing him with an endless supply of talents and making him a guest of major teams, in fact, he has to have this ability himself. ability.

There are as many sad cases as you want when mud cannot hold up a wall.

As an agent, Mendes has his own sources of information, many of which are often unknown to the club.

Seeing his deliberately showy attitude, Gao Han felt angry. He invited you to dinner early in the morning and then hung him up to sell him?

"Say it or get out."

"Okay, okay, boss, I obey you." Mendes quickly begged for mercy with a smile.

"Actually, when it comes to judging a game, the referee must have some psychological favoritism towards the strong team. It can't be all equal. According to the information I got, it is about 60%. But the referee bias that Juventus has suffered in the past few years is too obvious, but no one in Italian football has said anything about it, don’t you think it’s strange?”

Gao Han nodded, "I guess there is someone up there."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Mendes still smiled and shook his head, pointing his right index finger above his head, "There are people higher up."

"More above?"

"Well, first of all, I heard what I said below. There is no real evidence. Don't ask me for evidence."

"explain."

"I heard that Moggi has a very close relationship with Interior Minister Pisanu and Economy Minister Siniscalco. From judges and financial police to the Football Association and the referee committee, he has people, to put it simply and straightforwardly. , they are in the same group."

"What?" Gao Han was so surprised that he lost his voice. Isn't this too outrageous?

Mendes, on the other hand, waved to Gao Han calmly, telling him not to make a fuss.

"Football has a decisive appeal in Italy. When Berlusconi came to power, he was inseparable from AC Milan, and it is not surprising that Moggi has connections with senior government officials."

Gao Han quickly calmed down and gradually became able to accept it.

Everyone says that Italy is the most corrupt country in Europe. If Moggi doesn't have a strong backing, who would believe it?

"When I first came to Italy, someone told me that Little Moggi's GEA agency was a one-handed man in Italian football. Those who went with the flow prospered and those who went against the flow perished. They even coerced players into signing contracts. Many of their methods are almost the same as those of the mafia, and they use all possible means."

"Back then, the Roman prosecutor's office launched an investigation into Xiao Moji's agency and collected a lot of evidence, but the result was still nothing. There was no way for the outside world to get the evidence. It was said that it was suppressed by the people above. Down."

Gao Han was a little stunned when he heard this. This was simply too arbitrary.

However, he quickly remembered another thing, "But tell me, why are there so many rumors against Juventus recently?"

"That's the point." Mendes laughed. In Gao Han's almost murderous eyes, he took a sip of coffee before continuing, "Moji's actions have indeed become bigger in recent times. I guess this is also because he was You old man forced me to do this."

"Did I force it?" Gao Han was surprised, why did he have to shoulder the blame?

"He wants to win the championship and overpower Inter Milan, but you lead Inter Milan to win consecutively. Do you think he can agree?"

Mendes' explanation made Gao Han helpless. It's my fault.

"In addition to his own reasons, I also received news that there is an election in Italy."

"Yeah, I know, it's April."

"Then do you know who Berlusconi's opponent is for re-election?"

"I know, Romano Prodi has been in the news a lot recently. He just stepped down as president of the European Commission. I heard that his reputation is very high, and he surpassed Berlusconi in the polls."

"Yes, the reason Prodi was able to gain so much support was because he promised to bring a more orderly democracy to Italy after being elected, and he was targeting Berlusconi."

When Gao Han heard this, he immediately understood.

Not long ago, the Milan prosecutor's office launched an investigation into Berlusconi because he bribed witnesses to testify in his favor in 1997. Berlusconi held a press conference in Rome to publicly accuse Italy of The judicial system is believed to be used against him by people with ulterior motives, with ulterior political purposes hidden behind it.

It is indeed incredible for a sitting prime minister to criticize the country's judicial system.

Not only that, the chaos and corruption in Italy under Berlusconi's rule have long been known to everyone. As an opposition, it is understandable for Prodi to make a fuss about this.

"The corruption in the Italian government can be said to be deep-rooted. It is simply impossible to change it in a short period of time. I believe Prodi himself knows this very well."

Gao Han nodded repeatedly, "Are you saying that Prodi wants to gain political achievements and express his determination by pinching the soft persimmon?"

"Yes." Mendes nodded, "He promised voters to achieve results in the first year, but in fact even if his Democratic Party is elected, it will not have enough power to lead the government on its own, so it will need to rely on other small parties to form a coalition government. , and trying to reshape the Italian political scene will not happen overnight.”

"In fact, scandals have been constant in the history of Italian football. As early as 1980, a shocking football betting case occurred in Serie A. Eight teams including Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, and Naples were involved. Among them, the police even rushed into the stadium to arrest people, and AC Milan and Lazio were also punished for relegation. Colombo, the chairman of the Rossoneri, was banned for life. Among the many players who were punished, there were many players like Paolo Rossi. Superstar."

"In 1998, the famous head coach Zeman publicly accused Juventus players of drug abuse in an interview with Express Weekly, which caused an uproar at the time. This case was tried from 1998 to 2004. In the end, Juventus president Giraudo was acquitted, two unlucky team doctors became the scapegoat, and Zeman stayed away from Serie A for a long time.”

"In 2004, another match-fixing case broke out in Italy, and its impact was even greater and wider than in 1980. At that time, everyone thought it was going to be a big change, but in the end it was still nothing. It was just that Siena and Small players such as Modena were singled out as role models, while other teams were spared."

"Early at that time, the Italian Football Association's punishment caused a lot of criticism, and many people even began to question the Italian Football Association's trial process, because it was impossible for only these people to participate in it, but in the end, as time went by, no one was pursuing it anymore. .”

"Following this was the Genoa incident last year, which also caused quite a bit of controversy. However, this time the Italian Football Federation acted decisively, and there were no wealthy teams involved, so the incident was quickly settled."

"Not only the Italian Football Association, but also the Naples Prosecutor's Office once had doubts about the results of many games of many Serie A teams and launched an investigation, but the results have not been made public so far. Sky TV has also conducted research on 19 league games, but the same The results were not announced to the public.”

Gao Han listened silently, feeling a little disappointed.

This is the mini-World Cup that he has always admired!

From the Football Association to clubs to players, and even agents, there are constant scandals and shady stories.

No wonder, after the Lazio game, Moratti and Facchetti would come to Gao Han and ask if they wanted to do some public relations. That was because they 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 entire society. Corruption and shady affairs in Italy's political and business circles will naturally affect the professional league, and no one is immune."

Mendes smiled bitterly and shook his head, helpless.

"Prodi is a smart man and a standard politician. He knows very well where his ruling foundation lies. He does not dare to touch the government system lightly, let alone mess around. On the contrary, professional football has great influence, but among politicians It is insignificant in their eyes, so it can be used to scare the monkeys and create a show for Italian voters."

"So, I heard that as long as Prodi is really elected, this storm will sweep across quickly. No one knows how many teams are involved and how much impact it will have."

After Mendes paused for a moment, he smiled bitterly, "Perhaps, that will be the most sensational scandal in the history of Italy and even European professional leagues."