r18novel Chapter 39 The Game of Justice
Chapter 39 The Game of Justice
In stark contrast to the praise from global media, South Korean media outlets published articles refuting the Chinese team's advancement to the semi-finals, insisting that the South Korean team was "the more praiseworthy Asian team."
The Chosun Ilbo's headline clearly conveyed a sense of dissatisfaction: "South Korea's advancement is undisputed; its opponents are far stronger than China."
"The South Korean team made it to the semi-finals thanks to the players' tenacious fighting spirit and excellent strength. The so-called 'controversial rulings' are just a one-sided interpretation by outsiders."
"In contrast, the Chinese team only defeated Asian and African teams like Japan and Senegal during their advancement. Meanwhile, the South Korean team defeated world-class powerhouses like Portugal, Italy, and Spain!"
"It can be said that the two teams' opponents were not in the same league. Therefore, South Korea's advancement is more valuable and commendable than China's."
The Central Daily News published an article defending itself:
"Home advantage is a right that every host team has. The South Korean team simply made good use of its home advantage and did not violate the spirit of sports."
"China's entry into the semi-finals was partly due to luck, but their 0-2 loss to Costa Rica truly reflects their strength. South Korea's undefeated record throughout the tournament is even more commendable."
"Italy and Spain have countless star players, but they were still defeated by us. The South Korean team is the true representative of Asian football."
The Korea Football Association also issued a statement, with a spokesperson saying in a firm tone during an interview: "Every victory of the Korean team stands the test of history and is beyond dispute!"
South Korean fans are the same; when they post online, they also have a "Republic of Korea is the best" vibe.
At the same time, they were confident that the South Korean team could defeat the German team in one fell swoop and compete for the World Cup championship!
However, this confidence seemed to have waned as the semifinals approached.
Because the Germans made their move.
Franz Beckenbauer, the German football legend known as the "Football Emperor," made a direct phone call to then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
The content of the phone call was roughly as follows:
"If the German team suffers unfair refereeing in the semi-finals, you can forget about continuing as FIFA president."
"The scandals in the previous matches have already brought shame to the World Cup. This match must be officiated by neutral European referees, otherwise Germany will unite with all European football associations to boycott FIFA."
Did Beckenbauer have that kind of energy?
Yes, we have them.
He is currently the president of Bayern Munich, the chairman of the organizing committee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and a member of the FIFA Executive Committee.
He can be said to be Blatter's most important European ally. Without Beckenbauer's support, Blatter might not have even been elected president back then.
In addition, UEFA General Secretary, German Aigner, also publicly stated: "Anyone who dares to cause trouble in this game will face consequences for Europe, which will consider distancing itself from FIFA-affiliated events."
Furthermore, Adidas of Germany, one of the biggest sponsors of this World Cup, has also threatened to withdraw all its sponsorship from FIFA.
With so much pressure, how could Blatter not give it a second thought?
therefore.
Three days later, half an hour before the semi-final match between Germany and South Korea was to begin, FIFA urgently replaced the referee team!
The new referee team is composed of all-European members, with the chief referee being Swiss, Meyer, and the linesmen being a combination of French and Czech referees.
Strictly speaking, this is not in compliance with regulations.
In the World Cup, when a European team plays against an Asian team, the referee is generally not from either of those continents.
But this time, under strong pressure from Germany, they actually changed it.
This is also the only time in World Cup history that the referee team has been changed in an emergency half hour before the match.
As for why it was dragged out until the last minute, there has been no public revelation.
It's likely that Chung Mong-joon still wanted to stick to the referees he had bribed, but ultimately backed down after weighing the pros and cons.
In any case, reaching the semi-finals is already South Korea's best result in history, and his political achievements are enough. If he were to criticize Germany again, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of the whole of Europe, which would be detrimental to his political career.
In short, this Germany-South Korea match can finally be conducted in a fair environment!
After losing their "home advantage," the German team also took control of the game.
More importantly, the rough fouls committed by the South Korean players on the field were strictly called, which made them no longer dare to commit fouls recklessly, and they naturally played a bit more cautiously.
Throughout the match, the German team had 17 shots, 7 of which were on target;
South Korea, on the other hand, only managed four shots, a clear disadvantage.
However, South Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae performed exceptionally well, making six saves against German shots.
There was only one time I missed the save—and that was the game-winning shot!
In the 75th minute, Schneider broke through two South Korean players on the right wing and delivered a low cross.
Ballack unleashes a powerful volley from the edge of the penalty area!
Li Yun touched the ball with his fingertips but was powerless to change the outcome; the ball went into the far corner.
In the end, the German team defeated South Korea 1-0, becoming the first team to advance to the final of this World Cup!
After the match, German head coach Rudi Völler did not immediately celebrate, but instead went over to shake hands with the four European referees.
Although no one could hear what he said, it was clear that he was thanking the referee team for their fair ruling.
If we hype it up like South Korea did against Italy and Spain, then even the German team would be defeated here!
After the match, the world's media seemed to have reached a consensus, all believing it to be a "clean and just" game.
Der Spiegel: "No boos, no controversy, no surprises—Germany brought South Korea's dark horse miracle back to reality with a clean 1-0 victory."
Reuters: "Germany ended South Korea's dream, reaching the World Cup final for the seventh time. Experience and discipline overwhelmed the dark horse; this uncontested victory is what football should be like."
Tuttosport: "Finally! A clean semi-final! The referee was impeccable, with no diving, no wrong calls, and no home-field advantage."
Bild published Kahn's original words in a post-match interview: "This was the easiest match of the World Cup! Apart from Lee Chun-soo's long-range shot, I did almost nothing. This is the real gap between us and South Korea."
Of course, the South Korean media will downplay the defeat and focus on the "miracle of reaching the semi-finals".
Though defeated, they fought to the last drop of sweat; they are national heroes, still the pride of Asia…
They then quickly shifted their focus to the Chinese team, who were scheduled to play the next day.
If the Chinese team, also an Asian team, makes it to the finals, then it would be a bit too shameless for the South Korean team to continue calling themselves the "Pride of Asia" and the strongest team in Asia.
"The gap in strength between the Chinese team and Brazil is obvious; this will likely be a massacre."
"Brazil underestimated their opponents in the group stage, which is why they were held to a draw by China. But if they take them seriously, China will have no chance of winning."
"We fought hard against Germany for 90 minutes before losing by one goal, while the Chinese team obviously won't last long before conceding a goal."
"A conservative estimate is a 4-0 start..."
Such comments were also brought to Ye Xian's attention by the reporter.
He simply smiled faintly, his tone calm yet firm:
"We've come this far simply by doing our best, taking every game seriously, and carefully planning every tactic. Every victory was earned through the players' all-out effort."
"As for other opinions, we will not pay too much attention to them."
"Our goal has never been to compare ourselves with anyone, but to constantly surpass ourselves and win more respect for Chinese football and Asian football."
"We will continue to give our all in the upcoming matches and live up to everyone's expectations!"
……