"Why aren’t they speaking up? Milan, Turin, Rome Sports Daily, and Lu Yang all made such a fuss, and now they’re all speaking up for that little brat. What happened to their promised actions?"
"What about Asi Bao? What about Marca? What about Daily Sports and World Sports Daily? Echo? Manchester Evening News? Super Sports Newspaper? Are they all dead?"
"Why is it that even French Football and Team Report haven’t come forward to criticize Lu Yang’s actions?"
"They promised they’d manage the club spokespeople and those news media, right?"
Jeffery was going crazy.
He sensed that something was amiss.
Although the leaders of La Liga and the Premier League nodded, after two days, the major media outlets hadn’t moved at all. Only a few official media under their association were jumping around.
This kind of turning black into white requires a massive "volume" to suppress the opponent’s truthful reports.
But now the volume isn’t there!
This makes UEFA look somewhat like a laughing stock.
Why is this happening?
Could it be...
Jeffery had a bad premonition.
He dialed several numbers, but none answered, no one picked up.
A few minutes later, he received a mysterious call.
Jeffery hung up the phone, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, yet his expression was also one of anger.
Those bastards!
Haven’t they made enough money from me?
How dare they treat me like this?
I’m one of the most powerful figures in UEFA!
Just because the introduction of goal-line technology might lead to their earnings dropping sharply next year?
Just because the emergence and potential introduction of VAR might make their future earnings uncertain?
I’ve clearly told them, even if these things are implemented, they’ll stay within the controlled range of the rules. Why don’t they have confidence in me?
Greedy bastards!
They’re just looking to take this opportunity to squeeze me, to take even more.
Shameless!
Conspiring with the tiger, you will ultimately suffer a backlash.
Jeffery rose from being a little-known lawyer in Slovenia to the head of the Football Association and then to the head of UEFA, thanks to the efforts of countless people behind his rise.
Those people helped Jeffery, but they also had to get something from Jeffery in return.
Jeffery believed they had received more than what they had initially asked for, and he didn’t want to fully cooperate with those people, because he didn’t want to end up in jail after stepping down like his predecessor.
This time, it was those people giving him a warning.
Those people didn’t care about how Italian football fared, and even less about a little Lu Yang, but they cared a lot about annual betting lines and the surprises or upsets in certain hot matches.
Cooperating might lead to being held accountable in the future.
Not cooperating would lead to being held accountable immediately.
Jeffery had no choice.
He could only grit his teeth and allow them to use Italian football and Lu Yang as a means to give him a slap, while in the meantime, show those people he understood his mistake and would arrange things immediately.
There will be hot matches, and there will be upsets.
This summer’s European Cup, next season’s Europa League, and Champions League, he would fully ensure the "fairness and impartiality" of the matches!
The next day.
"Bombshell! Koschel accepts interview, tearing at French fans, you should calm down now!"
This is a video interview released by Team Report, where Koschel openly responds to the series of recent events: "Hello everyone, I’m Koschel, and I didn’t expect that the low mood I personally was experiencing caused such a big inconvenience to others."
"I’ve been offline, nearly isolated from the world, because missing the European Cup is so far the biggest regret in my football career. But... I want to say, this has nothing to do with Lu Yang!"
"We are all professional players; we are aware of our actions and each other’s intentions. Neither Lu Yang nor I compete with the premise of harming each other’s physical wellbeing."
"So I hope the French fans attacking Lu Yang can listen to me and stop being used by those with ulterior motives! Lu Yang and I are not enemies, I respect him for his fighting spirit for the match, but the next time we meet, I will still guard against him strictly, and I believe he will do the same."
Koschel felt a bit guilty as he said these words.
Because the day before, King of French Football Zidane had approached him, along with some powerful figures from the French Football Association and a few veteran legends of French Football.
Although they were only there for a brief meeting, Zidane’s influence was already unmistakably clear.
There has always been a rumor among French players that Zidane’s power is immense.
That night, Koschel deeply felt this point.
It’s not a rumor; it’s true.
Zidane started with the European Cup, first easing Koschel’s emotions, then analyzing the current situation with him.
Even if this matter continued, it would make the Italian Football view Koschel as a thorn in the side.
Along with that, some promises made to Koschel by certain people within UEFA were simply empty promises.
Whether it was the national team or the club, Koschel couldn’t expect their favors.
Conversely, these two sectors, because of Lu Yang’s connection, were willing to look after Koschel.
The national team’s shield, the club’s vice-captainship, these were all ready-made positions, and Koschel knew what choice to make.
So, in a strict sense, Koschel stabbed Jeffery in the back.