Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The Olympic Village in Shenyang is much smaller in scale than the Olympic Village in Beijing.

However, the hotel has a full range of facilities, including medical care, massage and fitness services. It has also established an Olympic support team to act as the national Olympic team's '24-hour steward,' providing services anytime and anywhere to ensure that athletes can focus on training and competition without being affected by external factors.

After checking into the hotel, the team leader and coaching staff discussed and began assigning rooms to the players.

In the past, when I was in the national team, it was usually the case that an experienced veteran would mentor a younger player, and an experienced veteran would be assigned to share a room with a younger player.

However, the national Olympic team only has three veterans, while the rest are young players, so the previous allocation method is obviously no longer feasible.

Therefore, this time they simply put players with similar positions together, which might improve their teamwork.

Lin Feng thought he would be assigned to the same room as Chen Tao, but he didn't expect to be assigned to Hao Junmin instead.

Hao Junmin was like a curious child, touching and looking at everything after entering the room, showing great curiosity about everything.

The hotel staff thoughtfully placed several Olympic mascots by the bedside, added a small bookshelf to the dressing table, and placed books on etiquette, nutrition, psychology, and self-help, as well as some sports newspapers and magazines, so that the players could read books and browse information.

In addition, each room is equipped with cable and satellite TV and a computer, allowing them to relax during their competitions and training, and to watch other Olympic events on the TV and computer.

Although it is under closed management, it is not that closed.

At least it didn't say anything about preventing players from making phone calls or going online.

After moving into the Olympic Village, the national Olympic team quickly began its training preparations.

The teams that the Chinese Olympic team is currently facing in the group stage, such as New Zealand and Belgium, have already arrived in China one after another.

The New Zealand team arrived in Beijing yesterday and will train there for the next two days before moving into the Shenyang Olympic Village on August 1.

The Belgian team arrived in Yantai, Shandong two days ago, and they will arrive in Shenyang on July 31.

The team that has garnered the most attention from the Chinese Olympic team and fans is the Brazilian team, led by Ronaldinho, which is currently training in Singapore.

They will likely move into the Shenyang Olympic Village around August 2nd or 3rd, making them the last of the four teams to do so.

The Brazilians look confident, and their squad looks very luxurious, boasting not only former Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, but also two golden boys, Pato and Anderson.

In addition, the Brazilian team has a large number of players playing in the top five European leagues, such as Marcelo, Lin Feng's teammate at the club, Diego, Chen Tao's teammate, Robinho and Joe, Manchester City's twin stars, Bruno from Bayern Munich, Lucas from Liverpool, Rafinha from Schalke 04, and others.

Judging solely from their roster on paper, this Brazilian team is far stronger than the other teams in their group, and they are among the top teams in all sixteen teams participating in this Olympics.

That is why Brazil is one of the favorites to win the gold medal at this Olympics.

According to the Olympic schedule, the Chinese team will face the Brazilian team in the second group stage match.

Given the strength of their opponents, this schedule is actually not very favorable for the national Olympic team.

If they fail to win the first match, draw, or even lose, there will be no room for error. The second match against Brazil will be a do-or-die battle for the national Olympic team.

Klaus Toppmöller was well aware of this, so during the final preparation stage, he focused very hard on the team's training, and even prepared some special tactics specifically for the first opponent.

While the national Olympic team was training hard, the Beijing Organizing Committee completed its second closed-door rehearsal at the Bird's Nest.

The rehearsal was very successful, but some unpleasant accidents also occurred.

A South Korean television station violated international practice by broadcasting a video of the second rehearsal of the opening ceremony in its report, revealing all the key details, including the performance process, the entrance ceremony, and the lighting of the main torch.

This incident caused a huge uproar internationally, and the South Koreans' unethical behavior drew widespread criticism from international public opinion.

The International Olympic Committee strongly condemned the other party's actions and is considering sanctions, including canceling South Korea's Olympic broadcasting rights.

The South Korean man slid to his knees at lightning speed, and the media outlet involved immediately apologized. Several other media outlets also jumped out to distance themselves, saying it was none of their business and they did not want to be implicated.

This incident caused quite a stir, and even the members of the national Olympic team who were in closed training heard about it.

"The South Koreans really do like to play tricks as always. They'll trample on any rules in order to gain benefits. It's a good thing they didn't host this Olympics, otherwise I think we wouldn't even need to play, we could just shove the championship trophy into their hands!"

"Heh, do you think they wouldn't do it? Have you forgotten the dirty tricks they played at the World Cup back then?"

"I think we should take this opportunity to punish them severely. If we let them off so easily, it would be tantamount to condoning their continued mistakes!"

The sportsmanship of South Koreans is widely recognized.

Although the members of the national Olympic team were not victims of the previous World Cup, they had all heard about what happened back then to some extent.

Moreover, it's not just them who think this way; no one approves of the South Koreans' achievement of reaching the semi-finals through dirty tricks.

Even today, many Asian fans still consider North Korea's quarter-final appearance in the 1966 World Cup as the best result ever achieved by an Asian team.

It's important to know that back then, only 16 teams participated in the World Cup. Because of the small number, all the participating teams were top-tier powerhouses.

The fact that the North Korean team was able to reach the quarterfinals under such circumstances is far more impressive than the quarterfinals of the later expanded World Cup.

Lin Feng didn't participate much in his teammates' condemnation of the Koreans.

It's not that he doesn't dislike Koreans, but he remembers that this matter ultimately fizzled out. The Korean media was not sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, and the so-called cancellation of Korea's Olympic broadcasting rights was just empty talk. In the end, they did not do so for the sake of the IOC's commercial interests.

Given that this matter has not yet garnered much attention on foreign websites, it is primarily being condemned by netizens in China.

Lin Feng decided to add fuel to the fire by sharing the incident on his social media and adding a comment: "On the football field, those who commit malicious fouls should be shown cards!"
Lin Feng has a huge following on foreign social media, especially after he won the Golden Globe Award, when his follower count exceeded 2000 million. In 2008, the era when mobile internet was just beginning, it was an amazing thing to have so many fans.

As a result of Lin Feng's reposting, the incident gained increasing attention. After learning the details of the incident, more and more people on foreign websites joined in the condemnation of the South Koreans. Some Italian and Spanish fans even launched a petition on the International Olympic Committee's official website, demanding that they severely punish the South Koreans.

Seemingly under pressure from public opinion, the International Olympic Committee announced punitive measures against South Korean media on August 2nd:

The broadcasting rights of South Korean broadcaster SBS for the Olympics were revoked, as were the broadcasting rights of other South Korean media outlets for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

As soon as the news broke, netizens from both China and abroad who participated in this just trial celebrated the victory, feeling that the South Koreans deserved their punishment.

However, the South Koreans, upon learning of this news, did not feel that they had done anything wrong. Instead, they thought the International Olympic Committee was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Some South Koreans even believe that the opening ceremony is meant to be seen by people, and since we helped them promote it in advance, they should pay us for the publicity. Instead, they are sanctioning us, which is repaying kindness with enmity!

Perhaps this is the advantage of low morality!
With the opening ceremony approaching, the Chinese team has yet to reach a decision on who will be the flag bearer for this year's delegation.

Since the Chinese team resumed participation in the Olympic Games in 1984, the flag bearers of each Olympic Games have been selected from basketball players.

The flag bearer was Wang Libin in 84, Song Tao in 88, Song Ligang in 92, Liu Yudong in 96 and 00, and Yao Ming in 04. Following tradition, this year's flag bearer should be chosen from the basketball team, and Yao Ming's prestige in Chinese men's basketball is unparalleled; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be the flag bearer again this year.

But an unexpected event occurred!
The emergence of Lin Feng and Liu Xiang gave Yao Ming two more formidable rivals.

In fact, Liu Xiang was on the list of candidates for flag bearer at the last Olympics. However, he did not have any outstanding achievements at that time. His 12.91-second record, which equaled the Olympic record, was achieved in the Olympics. If he had this result as a guarantee before the competition, it would have been hard to say whether he or Yao Ming would have been the final flag bearer.

Four years later, Liu Xiang not only achieved results but also broke the world record, giving him even more confidence to compete for the flag bearer position.

As for Lin Feng, his popularity is no less than that of Liu Xiang.

Although he has never participated in the Olympics, he has led his team to win championships in many competitions, including the World Youth Championship and the Asian Cup.

He is the first Asian player to win the Golden Boy Award and the Golden Ball Award, the highest honors. Whether in terms of individual honors or team honors, Lin Feng is ahead of Yao Ming.

In addition, football is the world's number one sport, with a greater international influence and a larger audience.

Lin Feng himself is currently recognized as the number one player in the football world. His appearance, temperament and image are impeccable, and his popularity far exceeds that of Liu Xiang and Yao Ming.

Many people believe that having him as the flag bearer would better showcase the image and style of Chinese athletes to the world.

All three are excellent and all three could serve as standard-bearers.

The decision-making process proved difficult for the delegation leaders.

Some support continuing the tradition of selecting a flag bearer from among basketball players.

Some people also feel that the men's basketball team shouldn't always monopolize the role of flag bearer, and that opportunities should be given to athletes from other sports.

Moreover, Yao Ming has already served as the flag bearer once, so this opportunity should be given to someone else.

No one could convince anyone else. The basketball association strongly supported Yao Ming, the track and field association supported Liu Xiang, and the football association naturally went all out to support Lin Feng.

As for the other associations that did not have a nomination list, they stood by and watched the show, waiting to see how these three associations would fight each other to the death.

Let's vote by raising our hands!

Since neither side can convince the other, let's decide through an internal vote.

People from both the Chinese Athletics Association and the Chinese Basketball Association felt they had a good chance of winning because they had achieved good results in recent years and had good relationships with other associations.

However, the Chinese Football Association has always been the target of criticism from fans, with no notable achievements and only so-so relations with other associations.

Therefore, both logically and emotionally, other associations would choose them, not the Football Association!

However, the Football Association disregarded sportsmanship and publicly declared before the vote:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the league organized by our Football Association has rebounded in the past two seasons, and has been even more popular since winning the Asian Cup last year. The market is approaching the peak of the Jia-A League. Based on the 36% league commission, this year's revenue will probably exceed 3 million yuan!"

Thanks to its excellent commercial operations, football, despite its lackluster performance, has consistently been a major contributor to the General Administration of Sport's revenue over the years.

The Chinese Football Association pays a large amount of membership fees to the General Administration of Sport every year, and this money is then allocated by the General Administration of Sport to other small, niche sports that are difficult to generate revenue on their own.

Therefore, the Football Association is a cash cow for many associations; everyone relies on them to make money and support their families!

Upon hearing this, the other associations' eyes lit up immediately. They no longer cared about their relationships with the Athletics Association and the Basketball Association; they simply voted for the Football Association.

Therefore, during the 'friendly consultations' within the delegation, Lin Feng was selected as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at this Olympic Games.

Both the Basketball Association and the Track and Field Association were quite helpless; the opponent's outside tricks were just too ruthless!

But they were helpless, since they weren't as profitable as the Football Association.

The Basketball Association earns just enough to support itself, while the Track and Field Association can't even support itself and needs financial assistance from the General Administration of Sport.

Perhaps a portion of the money they received came from the Football Association.

This made them feel inexplicably inferior in front of the Football Association, and they lacked the confidence to argue.

……

"Me, the flag bearer? Really?"

Lin Feng was shocked. It was already August, and there was less than a week left until the opening of the Olympics.

He thought the flag bearer had been chosen long ago, but he didn't expect it to be delayed until now, and in the end, he was the one chosen!
"It's absolutely true. This is the result of an internal vote within the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. I'm telling you this so you can be mentally prepared!"

When his teammates heard that Lin Feng had been chosen as the flag bearer, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment, wishing they could take his place.

Walking alone at the very front of the group and taking up most of the camera's attention, or blending in with thousands of people and sharing the camera with everyone—isn't it obvious which one to choose?

"Brother Lin, do you need a flag bearer? Count me in if you do!"

"I can too!"

"Count me in too!"

"Get out of here! Where did these flag bearers come from? Do you think this is a flag-raising ceremony?"

Seeing the envious looks from his teammates, Lin Feng felt quite surprised and hadn't been prepared at all.

To be honest, he was a little nervous.

After all, it was my first time doing this, and I had no experience.

Fortunately, he knows Yao Ming, so he can ask Yao Ming for advice later. Yao Ming carried the flag at the Athens Olympics and has a lot of experience.

Lin Feng had absolutely no idea what to pay attention to when being a flag bearer.

"There's nothing particularly special to pay attention to. Just hold on tight so you don't drop the flag, don't walk too fast in front, keep a good distance from other teams, don't look too serious or joking around. It's that simple!"

Yao Ming didn't hold back at all, passing on everything he had learned from his predecessors in men's basketball to Lin Feng.

Although he also wanted to be the flag bearer, he would be happy for Lin Feng and Liu Xiang if they were to be the flag bearers.

Yao Ming suddenly thought of a question: Lin Feng is only 20 years old this year, so he should be the youngest flag bearer in the history of the Chinese team at the Olympics, right? (End of this chapter)