After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!
Chapter 117 The Dead Are Completely Dead
This time, the FA, Arsenal, and London reacted with unbelievable speed.
A rising star player for the Three Lions was subjected to racial discrimination by a foreigner.
This is an insult to all of England.
Initially, 272 may have still harbored a lingering arrogance and wishful thinking, believing that at most he could just delete a post, apologize to the club, and then get a few games suspended to get by.
He also wanted to slack off and didn't plan to participate in the competition properly.
He didn't even realize that whether he deleted the post or not was no longer important.
But the situation took an unexpected turn for the worse than he had anticipated.
The first to defect was his agent.
When the call connected, the agent, instead of her usual polite and soothing manner, launched into a furious tirade of profanities:
"You're insane! 272! You're a complete madman! An incomprehensible idiot! I've never seen such a self-destructive moron as you!"
"The £1000 million signing bonus is Arsenal's business operation! What does it have to do with you?? Is your £35 weekly wage a gift from God? Don't you get enough money from Arsenal? Is there any need to be jealous of this?! Why do you use the most vicious weapon of racism to attack your own teammates? To attack thousands of fans?!"
"Arsenal is the club that pays your salary! You've insulted their most important signing of the season! You've insulted their market! And you've even pointed your finger at an England international!"
Do you know what this means?
This means your career is completely over!
No one in Europe's top leagues will want you anymore! No one will ever touch a player who ignited a powder keg of racism again!
"You not only ruined yourself, but you also destroyed the hard work of our entire agent team over the years, making us a laughingstock in the industry!"
The agent became more and more excited as he spoke, his spittle seemingly about to spray through the phone onto 272's face.
272 couldn't refute it, because every word the agent said was true.
The agent continued,
"This call is to tell you, I'm quitting! I'm resigning! On behalf of the entire team, I announce that our partnership with you is terminated immediately upon the end of this call! Goodbye! No, goodbye forever! I hope you have a pleasant time in prison!"
The agent's image vanished instantly after an angry hang-up call.
272 held the phone; the screen had gone black. This was no longer the gentle reprimand he had expected; it was a sign that he had been completely abandoned.
He stood there, holding his phone, in the empty living room of the villa.
The agent's angry rebuke still echoed in his mind.
He began to feel a chill.
He hasn't deleted that post yet; he's set it to private so only he can see it.
In the comments section of the post.
The outcry was overwhelming, with voices of abuse, boycotts, and calls for bans and contract terminations pouring in.
He tried calling his private sports lawyer for legal protection and assistance.
The sports lawyer's phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello, 272," the lawyer's voice on the other end of the phone was unusually cold and devoid of any emotion. "I think I don't need to offer you any advice anymore. You've already made a fatal mistake. Arsenal... and even the legal power of the entire English football circle, this time they're serious."
They have irrefutable evidence. I'm calling to formally inform you that my law firm has decided to terminate our representation agreement with you, effective immediately. I'm sorry, but we can't help you with this. Please seek other legal counsel.
The sports lawyer also quickly distanced himself, severing ties.
272 slumped on the sofa, frantically searching through his contacts for other London barristers he knew or had heard of, like a headless fly.
Every call I made was met with either a flat rejection or a cold "Sorry, we don't handle these kinds of cases" before the call ended.
Just as 272 was futilely trying to contact the next number on his phone, the doorbell rang.
Through the access control system, he saw that the person standing outside was neither a lawyer nor a friend.
Instead, it was several London police officers in uniform with serious expressions.
After opening the door, the lead officer showed his badge:
"Mr. 272? Please cooperate. We are representing the Metropolitan Police Department of London, and based on preliminary court approval, we are legally taking you into custody."
"Please come with us to the police station to assist with the investigation into your charges of 'inciting racial hatred' and related public order offenses." The officer's tone was official and carried an undeniable authority.
"What...what are you going to do? I haven't committed a crime...I haven't committed a crime," 272 said blankly.
"Sir, whether you have committed a crime is not for us to decide. We are just following orders. Please leave." The police still asked 272 to leave.
Although handcuffs were not immediately put on him (due to his status as a public figure and consideration for his initial cooperation with the investigation), two police officers stood on either side of him, completely cutting off any possibility of 272's freedom of movement.
He was lawfully detained and taken away, just like any other suspect accused of a serious crime.
After being taken to the police station for temporary detention and initial questioning, Özil received the only legal assistance he could "obtain".
Out of humanitarian considerations, the British legal system appointed a State Legal Aid lawyer, commonly known as a "public defender," for him.
The lawyer rushed over to meet with 272, his face etched with professional exhaustion and helplessness in the face of the difficult case.
He flipped through the hundreds-of-pages-long document submitted by Arsenal's chief lawyer Svenja's team, a document with a breathtakingly complete chain of evidence.
The core evidence is the screenshot and data of the post that received over ten million views, over one hundred thousand reposts and comments, and caused a huge negative impact globally.
This includes Arsenal's board resolutions, statistics on the wave of fan protests, reports of strong reactions from Chinese media, and the FA's disciplinary decision...
The public lawyer gave a wry smile and said bluntly to the pale-faced Özil:
"Mr. Özil, based on the serious charges and extremely unfavorable, irrefutable evidence you are currently facing... I must tell you frankly."
This is a lawsuit that is destined to fail.
My defense options are very limited, mainly focusing on possible mitigating circumstances, such as being drunk on the day you posted the message, and then trying to gain some leniency in sentencing.
However, please note that courts have extremely low tolerance for racially motivated crimes, especially those causing such a significant social impact; you should be prepared for the worst.
The lawyer's frankness was almost brutal, but it also revealed the cold truth: no one could put out the fire that 272 had started and fueled with its own stupidity.
A lawyer's role is more like a tool to witness disaster and enforce procedures than a hope to turn the tide.
He knew he was facing a double crushing force from both the elite legal team hired by Arsenal and the prosecutorial power of the state apparatus.
Soon, the trial proceeded under intense public scrutiny, but unexpectedly, there were few suspenseful moments or lengthy debates.
The evidence presented in the civil lawsuit filed by Arsenal Football Club and the criminal lawsuit filed by the state prosecutor's office is overwhelming and authentic:
The post that was the root of all evil has been confirmed by judicial evidence; its wide reach and negative impact (causing global condemnation and widespread harm to clubs and national team players) are supported by detailed data.
His explicit insults against Yan Yuan based on his Chinese identity and his use of extreme racist terms such as "yellow-skinned monkey" and "chxxk" to refer to Chinese fans.
This constitutes Section 18 of the Public Order Act of 1986, "fear or incitement to hate based on race or religion," and Section 5, "the use of threatening, insulting, or offensive language or behavior that may cause harassment, panic, or distress."
Arsenal provided further concrete evidence that 272's remarks directly led to a severe short-term damage to the club's commercial brand value in the Chinese and East Asian markets, the risk of termination of commercial sponsorship contracts, and potential huge losses in ticket revenue.
In court, Arsenal's chief lawyer, Svenja, presented a calm and rational account, meticulously dissecting the layers of 272's crimes.
The prosecutor's rhetoric was even harsher, emphasizing the case's egregious trampling on social inclusion and anti-racism efforts in the field of football.
The lawyers assisting in the 272 case did their best to provide some formal defense.
For example, they emphasized that "the defendant was seriously intoxicated," "the mistake was made in a state of impaired rationality," and "he has deeply regretted it," but these arguments seemed weak and powerless in the face of overwhelming evidence and public opinion.
When 272 appeared in court, he looked ashen-faced and had a vacant look in his eyes. He had lost all his former charisma and was filled with immense fear and bewilderment.
The final verdict was announced solemnly by the judge:
"This court finds that the defendant 272's crimes are serious and the evidence is conclusive:"
1. A serious violation of Section 18 of the Public Order Act of 1986, inciting hatred on racial grounds.
2. Violation of Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
3. Intentionally and seriously damaging the commercial reputation and goodwill of Arsenal Football Club (civil part).
Given the extremely egregious nature of its actions:
• The discriminatory remarks were spread on a large scale through social media, with far-reaching and destructive effects.
• One of the victims is Yan Yuan, a current England national team player who is in the public eye, making the impact even more compounded.
• Their actions have caused significant damage to British football and society as a whole, which are committed to diversity and inclusion.
The judgment is as follows:
1. Civil damages: Defendant 272 is ordered to pay Arsenal Football Club £450 million in damages. This payment must be made within 30 days.
2. Criminal aspect: The defendant was sentenced to two years imprisonment. The judgment is effective immediately.
"Court is now adjourned! Take him away!" The judge's gavel slammed down.
The bailiffs stepped forward, and this time the cold handcuffs were finally placed on Özil's wrists.
272 did not struggle or cry. He seemed to have his soul ripped out, and was escorted out of the courtroom like a walking corpse, heading towards the police car waiting outside.
Outside the car door, reporters who had already gathered and some indignant Arsenal and England fans erupted in a loud chorus of boos and curses.
The police car sped away.
272's football career in Europe has come to a complete end.
Arsenal have completely rid themselves of this cancer.
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