Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Lin Feng simply laughed off FIFA's "targeting" tactics.

Even without him, Neymar will force FIFA to make amends in a few years.

However, seeing FIFA working overtime to rush to issue the new rules before the opening of the Olympics, Lin Feng felt a little uneasy.

To paraphrase a certain Gua: The way you're frantically trying to make amends is really captivating!

After returning to China, the national football team announced its disbandment.

Everyone went home to their mothers and enjoyed this last precious holiday.

With only ten days left until the opening of the Olympics, the national team players selected for the Olympic team have little time left for vacation.

As the Olympic Games approach, the Olympic atmosphere in Beijing is already very strong, with foreign athletes beginning to arrive and check into the Olympic Village.

On July 25, the Chinese sports delegation for the Beijing Olympic Games was officially established at the General Administration of Sport.

The size of the Chinese sports delegation participating in this Olympic Games reached a record high, exceeding 1,000 for the first time, reaching 1099 people, including 639 athletes, 263 local coaches, 38 foreign coaches, and 46 medical personnel.

As the host country, the Chinese team entered all 28 major competitions, aiming for medals in more than 100 of them.

This was the first time Lin Feng had ever seen so many athletes. Many of them, whom he had only seen on television before, were now sitting around him.

At the General Administration of Sport's mobilization and oath-taking ceremony, Lin Feng, Liu Xiang, Yao Ming, and others were arranged to stand at the front as athlete representatives.

Lin Feng is standing to the left of Yao Ming and to the right of Liu Xiang.

Although Lin Feng is already considered tall among athletes, he still felt a lot of pressure standing next to Yao Ming.

He couldn't help but look up, feeling that his head could only reach Yao Ming's chest at most.

No wonder he's called the Little Giant, he's really tall!

I wonder what the person sitting behind him felt. He probably couldn't even see who was standing on the platform.

Yao Ming saw Lin Feng looking up at him, and smiled at him as he looked down:

"Am I blocking your light? Should I crouch down?"

Lin Feng quickly waved his hand: "It's okay, it's okay, don't hurt your knees."

Since Yao Ming began systematically gaining weight, his weight has exceeded 150 kilograms, nearly 20 kilograms heavier than when he first entered the NBA.

This weight gain placed a huge burden on his body, especially on key parts of his lower limbs such as his knees, Achilles tendons, and ankles, creating a significant hidden danger for Yao Ming's early retirement due to injury.

If the two hadn't just met and Lin Feng hadn't been mindful of the impropriety of speaking too intimately with someone he didn't know well, he would have genuinely wanted to advise Yao Ming to stop ruining his health.

The weight gain not only increased the burden on his lower limbs and raised the risk of injury, but also weakened his mobility, making it a completely counterproductive move.

Yao Ming is a very outgoing and humorous person. Although the two had never met before, they had long admired each other.

As the two sports with the widest audience in China, football and basketball have always been compared, with fans of both sides arguing fiercely about which is the number one sport in China.

However, the player representatives from both sides chatted very amicably, without any tense atmosphere.

"When does your competition start? Is it being held in Beijing?"

Yao Ming seems to be quite interested in football. He heard that the national Olympic team has a good chance of winning a medal, so he thought about going to watch a game live and experience the atmosphere of a football match.

"We will start the group stage on August 7th. The first match will not be in Beijing, but in Shenyang. The knockout stage may be in Tianjin or Shanghai, and the final will be held at the Bird's Nest."

"Huh? Aren't your matches in the same city?"

Yao Ming really knows nothing about football, so he found it incredible when he heard Lin Feng say that the national football team would visit so many cities.

This Olympics has 12 basketball teams participating, but all the games are scheduled to be held at the Wukesong Arena. The entire arena is open all day long, from 0 a.m. to midnight, with 6 games played a day!
So all the teams are in BJ, so there's no need to travel around.

He could hardly imagine how much energy it must take to play in so many places, just getting used to the venues and traveling back and forth!
"There are more teams participating in football, and there are significantly more matches. Also, football fields are different from basketball courts. Basketball courts are sturdy and durable, and you can walk on them without any problems."

But the grass on a football field can't withstand being trampled on. After a few matches, the field will turn into a vegetable patch, especially the area inside the penalty area where the goalkeeper stands. In the end, it will definitely be bare, just mud and no grass left!

Yao Ming thought about it and realized that it made sense, although he really wanted to ask why they didn't replace the lawn with the PVC sports flooring used in basketball courts.

But after mentally replaying the image of a soccer player being tackled and falling to his head on a hard floor, he immediately dismissed the absurd idea.

Basketball is more of an upper-body contact sport, while football is more of a lower-body sport. Because the field is larger and the impact is more intense, injuries are more likely to occur.

Sports that are already prone to injury are put on hard floors, which is like being a living hell.

"Brother Yao, when is your game? If our game is over by then, can I ask you for some tickets to watch the game at Wukesong Arena?"

It's hard to watch football matches because they're not in BJ and are always traveling around.

But watching basketball games is much easier, since all you need to do is buy a ticket to enter the Wukesong Arena.

Of course, because the venues are fixed, tickets are hard to come by, and the tickets released through official ticketing channels have long been snapped up by basketball fans.

"Our tournament starts on the 10th, with the opening game against the USA. Do you have a game that day? If not, I'll have someone reserve a few tickets for you!"

"The 10th? We also have a match on the 10th, so the time conflict is probably too much for us to make it!"

"How about number 12?"

"It still won't work. We have a match on the 13th, but the 14th should be okay. After we finish the group stage, the match venue will be changed to Tianjin. With the help of the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed railway, it will only take one hour to get to Beijing."

"The 14th? Let me check the schedule. We're playing Angola on the 14th. We should be able to win that game. So, I'll save you a ticket for that match. By the way, how many do you want?"

"Two, please!"

"Okay, but if you make it to the finals, remember to save a few tickets for me too."

Many strong teams came to this Olympics, and Yao Ming knew very well that the Chinese team would not make it to the end.

Making it to the quarterfinals would be considered a success, and by that calculation, the Chinese men's basketball team's season would end on the 20th!
"Okay, if we can make it to the finals, I'll definitely invite you to watch the finals at the Bird's Nest!"

Actually, the football schedule is much tighter. The semi-finals were finished on the 19th, and only the final match was left after the 20th.

Although this national Olympic team can be considered the strongest national Olympic team in history, their opponents are not weak either. Teams like Brazil and Argentina are the favorites to win the gold medal in this Olympic Games.

There are also traditional European powerhouses like Italy and the Netherlands, none of whom should be underestimated. The Chinese Olympic team has a chance to reach the final, but it's not very high.

"What are you two talking about?" Seeing the two chatting so enthusiastically, Liu Xiang curiously came over.

Upon learning that the two were discussing tickets, he immediately became interested.

"Please prepare one for me too. I don't have many races, but I'll come over to cheer you on after I finish my race!"

The 110-meter hurdles schedule is relatively late. The preliminary rounds will not start until August 18th, and there will be one race every day until the final on August 21st.

If the national Olympic team really makes it to the finals, then Liu Xiang and Yao Ming's races will be over, and it would be a good opportunity to go to the stadium to cheer for the national Olympic team.

"Is your old injury alright?"

Lin Feng really wanted to ask about Liu Xiang's injury situation, since he had to withdraw from the Olympics due to injury, which put him in the spotlight.

"You rascal, ever since I met you, you've reminded me to be careful of injuries almost every year. Are you that worried about me getting hurt?"

Although he was complaining, Liu Xiang was still very touched.

Lin Feng is a true friend, no doubt about it.

After learning about his old Achilles tendon injury, he used his connections and relationships in the football world to recommend various foreign sports medicine experts to him.

With the help of these experts, and Liu Xiang's increased awareness of the importance of his injuries, he was able to recover.

Although he has participated in many competitions over the years, he has not developed health problems due to overwork like in his previous life, and some of his old injuries have been effectively controlled.

At 25 years old, Liu Xiang is at the peak of his career. With no illness or pain, he is brimming with confidence and has boldly declared:

"I'm determined to win the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles this time!"

Lin Feng and Yao Ming exchanged a glance, neither of them wanting to pay any attention to this arrogant guy.

Although both of them really wanted the gold medal, winning it was extremely difficult in their respective sports.

Basketball and football games are not individual solo matches; they are competitions of team strength.

Although Yao Ming and Lin Feng are strong, their teammates are weaker than their opponents, making it difficult for them to even compete for a medal, let alone win the championship.

Comparatively speaking, the national Olympic team is a bit easier to deal with, but the men's basketball team is truly facing hellish difficulties.

Given the strength of this US team led by Kobe, unless a miracle occurs, the Chinese team has no chance of defeating them.

Lin Feng, Liu Xiang, and Yao Ming are currently the three most influential athletes in Chinese sports.

Their presence together naturally drew everyone's attention.

After the mobilization meeting, many athletes came over to greet the three of them.

Liu Xiang and Yao Ming are relatively easy to deal with. Both of them participated in the Athens Olympics and have extensive social circles in China, knowing many people, so they can handle things with ease.

But Lin Feng was in a tragic situation. He participated in very few competitions after returning to China, and those he did were limited to the football circle. He had almost no interaction with people in other circles.

So, apart from those famous athletes from his previous life, he had no recollection of anyone else present.

However, because his appearance and demeanor were the best among the three, many athletes came over to greet him enthusiastically, especially the young and beautiful female athletes. Some of the bolder ones even came up directly to ask for his contact information.

Lin Feng could only maintain an awkward yet polite smile, and reached out to tug at Yao Ming, whispering:
"Brother Yao, stand closer, yes, right behind me!"

What are you doing standing behind me?

Yao Ming was completely confused, but he did as instructed anyway.

"Cough cough, to ward off evil!"

Lin Feng felt that Yao Ming's imposing height alone would scare away 90% of people who tried to flirt with him!

Yao Ming looked speechless after hearing this, and joked:
"Brother Lin, aren't you having a bit too much luck with women? Why don't you just find a girlfriend like me and get married soon? That way, no one will dare to hit on you!"

Lin Feng looked up at Yao Ming's imposing physique again, and couldn't help but think to himself:
Is it because you have a girlfriend that no one is talking to you?
Through introductions from Yao Ming and Liu Xiang, Lin Feng got to know many people.

Players like Zhang Peimeng, Hu Kai, and Shi Dongpeng from the track and field team, and Wang Zhizhi, A Lian, Sun Yue, Zhu Fangyu, and Wang Shipeng from the basketball team.

In addition, some well-known athletes from other sports, such as Lin Dan from the badminton team and Zou Shiming from the boxing team, have also become acquainted with Lin Feng.

Everyone seemed to be very interested in Lin Feng because he was just too dazzling.

At only 20 years old, he has already surpassed many of his predecessors in China, becoming a pillar of Chinese football and enjoying great international fame.

Let alone Yao Ming, even an athlete like Liu Xiang, who once broke a world record, has far less international influence than Lin Feng.

Even domestically, Lin Feng's influence has surpassed Yao Ming's and is approaching that of Liu Xiang.

Football truly deserves its reputation as the world's number one sport; its large audience and wide influence are something they can only envy.

You can't only envy the other team's large fan base when the team achieves good results. When the national football team was universally condemned and treated like a rat in the street, why didn't anyone envy them then?

……

After the mobilization meeting, the national Olympic team began to assemble the following day.

After three days of training at the Xianghe training base, the national football team boarded a bus and set off for Shenyang, officially checking into the Shenyang Olympic Village – the Shenyang Marriott Hotel.

In large-scale military operations, discipline is of paramount importance.

Upon arrival at the Olympic Village, the team leader quickly gathered all members of the national Olympic team and conducted a disciplinary education session on their stay in the Olympic Village.

According to regulations, the national Olympic team will be under closed management after moving into the Olympic Village.

No one is allowed to leave the hotel at will. If you must leave the hotel, you need to ask the tour leader for permission and return to the hotel immediately to cancel your leave.

All personnel must be back at the hotel by 11 p.m.

If anyone leaves the team without permission, the consequences range from a public reprimand and a written self-criticism to expulsion from the national team and permanent ban.

With so many eyes across the country watching, we absolutely cannot afford to make a fool of ourselves on our home turf.

Moreover, this national Olympic team has a chance to win a medal, so everyone from top to bottom hopes to eliminate all distractions and allow the team to concentrate all its energy on training and matches in order to achieve a satisfactory result.

These strict regulations caused the national Olympic team members to secretly groan, but they also truly felt the pressure brought by the approaching Olympics. (End of Chapter)