Chapter 138 The Grassroots Miracle of Amateur Teams
"Here I go, Lingnan Nanhai lost to an amateur team!"
"Yeah, Nanhai's performance was really weak... When they were drawn to the amateur team, I thought they were going to be sent to the fifth round..."
"Tsk, tsk, the leader of the Chinese League One was actually eliminated by an amateur team. It's embarrassing to tell you!"
…
In the locker room of the Flashing Star training base the next day, the first-team players were discussing the big news that shocked the entire football world yesterday.
The biggest upset in the FA Cup.
There were not many people in the locker room because some of the players who had just played the FA Cup match yesterday had not yet come to the training base for training. According to the request of head coach Zhao Kangming, they had to wait until the afternoon to come to the training base for recovery training.
So the only people in the locker room now are the first-team players who did not travel with the team to the away game.
They chatted while changing clothes and getting ready for training.
Today's topic is that yesterday the leader of the Chinese League One, Lingnan Nanhai, was eliminated from the Football Association Cup by an amateur team, Dongtai Star City.
After years of development and reform, the Chinese Football Association Cup aims to become a football event that can be participated by all people like the English FA Cup, so it pays special attention to the participation opportunities of amateur teams.
The current competition rules ensure that at least twelve amateur teams can participate in the main competition every year, which is the first round of the Football Association Cup.
At the same time, in order to create more surprises and upsets in the FA Cup and increase the attraction and gimmicks of this competition, it is stipulated that except for the finals, which adopt a home and away two-leg system, all other games will be decided in one game. There will be no overtime.
There is no option to replay the game on another day. If the two sides draw, it will be a penalty shootout.
These rules greatly increase the chances of a weak team defeating a strong team in an upset.
But even so, it is still difficult for amateur teams to defeat teams at the level of the Chinese League One and the Chinese Super League...
That's why the result of yesterday's game surprised everyone and spread quickly throughout the Chinese football world.
Many amateur teams will be eliminated in the first round, and those who survive will be further eliminated in the second round.
In the third round, after the Chinese League One teams enter the competition, the difficulty of promotion becomes much greater.
Unless you are lucky and get the only remaining amateur team in the lottery, or a Chinese second-tier team.
And once the Chinese Super League teams join in the fourth round, it will be almost impossible for any amateur team to survive.
If it can happen again, it will be a huge upset, just like yesterday's game.
Of course, amateur teams that can reach the fourth round cannot simply be summed up as "good luck".
For example, Dongtai Juxing City, which just eliminated the Lingnan Nanhai team, although it is an amateur team, is obviously aiming to become a professional team in terms of hardware facilities and team building ideas - they have four natural turf football fields.
The training base has a complete coaching team and even an echelon, and all this is because behind them stands a large local taxpayer funder.
Although such a team is nominally an amateur team, it is no different from a professional team. At least in the minds of local fans in Dongtai City, it is a professional team. Their goal is to hit the second level of China. If they can succeed
Once promoted to the Second Division, with their hardware standards and registered capital, they can immediately register as a professional football club.
In the past, wealthy people played football by acquiring professional football clubs like the Chinese Super League.
Then after a while, you will die, burn all your money and quit.
Nowadays, rich people are much more sensible when playing football. They know how to stay rooted in the local area, establish amateur football clubs, and aim to become professional. Even if they don't succeed in the end, they won't lose much money. After all, the training base and office buildings are all fixed.
Assets will not depreciate.
If it succeeds, it can be considered as a contribution to the development of Chinese football.
Therefore, if the Chinese League One team encounters such a giant among amateur teams, if it is too proud and underestimates the enemy and is careless, it may really capsize in the gutter.
Not to mention the Chinese Football Association Cup, there have been precedents for Chinese Super League teams to be eliminated by amateur teams in the Football Association Cup.
Dongtai Juxingcheng also tied the best result of an amateur team in the Football Association Cup - reaching the top 16.
In other words, there were actually amateur teams that had achieved such an achievement before them.
In fact, the most attractive part of football is here. Even if you are a Chinese Super League team with a large number of international players, strong foreign aid, and strong financial resources, there is no guarantee that you can beat an amateur team.
Football is round. How boring it is to be in a world where the weak grassroots can only look up to the Big Mac forever...
"Okay, everyone, stop gloating." Qin Lin stood up and said. "This is actually bad news for us. Without the FA Cup, the Nanhai team can devote more energy to the league competition. They
We were first in the league originally, but now we are even more focused.”
When Boss Qin Lin said this, the laughter in the locker room became much quieter, and a group of melon-eating people realized that this melon was about to eat themselves.
After six rounds of the league this season, Lingnan Nanhai has five wins and one draw, ranking first with 16 points.
Although they failed to reach the top spot last season, they are indeed a strong team. After adding some new players this season, they are even stronger, and their current league ranking matches their strength.
In fact, if they hadn't underestimated their opponent in the away game against Dongtai Juxing City, they replaced almost all the main players and sent many players from the reserve team and youth team to play. The players were also relaxed mentally. With them
With their strength, even if Dongtai Juxing City is a giant among amateur teams, it will only be crushed by Lingnan Nanhai, the leader of the Chinese League A.
Seeing that the atmosphere in the locker room was a bit solemn, Qin Lin also knew that what he said was a bit harsh, so he smiled and said: "Of course, the upgrade quota is two. They are not our direct competitors, at least not yet."
"Brother Lin is right. The premise is to do our own things well. Don't worry about what happens to our opponents..." Captain Li Tielin also stood up and said.
Someone suggested: "Then why don't we just give up on the FA Cup? Anyway, we will definitely not win the championship..."
When Hu Lai heard this, he stood up quickly: "No, what if we get this amateur team in the next round!"
"What a beautiful idea you have, Hu Lai!" There was a burst of laughter in the locker room.
"You always have to have dreams, what if they come true?" Of course Hu Lai also knew that his thoughts were too beautiful, but of course he couldn't give in at this time, and he had to keep his mouth shut even if he was stubborn.
"Then my dream is to win 5 million by buying lottery tickets! I buy them every time and never win!" Han Xiangfei said.
"That means Brother Han, your dream is not big enough." Hu Lai said seriously, "You should raise your winning target to 100 million, so that it can be realized. Five million, you can get it after just a few years of playing football.
Is there any need to get rich from lottery tickets?”
Han Xiangfei turned to his teammates and asked: "Whose urine is hot? Wake up Hu Lai!"
Everyone laughed: "Han Xiangfei, you can do it yourself!"
Zhang Qinghuan raised his hand: "Why don't we play a game? If Hu Lai guesses correctly and scores a goal in the game, the celebration will be for our whole team to line up to shine your shoes. If you don't guess correctly, then you
After you score a goal, the celebration is for you to shine the shoes of the whole team by yourself, how about that?"
Hearing what Zhang Qinghuan said, everyone in the locker room was stunned. They imagined the scene in their minds - they lined up and ran to Hu Lai to shine his shoes, and Hu Lai knelt on one knee in front of them, and then
Their feet were placed on their own thighs, making a shoe-shining gesture... Everyone nodded: "Okay, okay! It's such a happy decision!"
Only Hu Lai waved his hands hurriedly: "No!"
"Men can't say no, Hu Lai!" Han Xiangfei led his teammates to boo.
Zhang Qing smiled happily: "Why not? Don't you have confidence in realizing your dream?"
Hu Lai didn't expect to be defeated by Zhang Qinghuan on this issue. I, Hu Lai, have never been inferior to others in my life, how can I give in in front of this scumbag?
So he gritted his teeth and nodded: "Okay! Just bet!"
There was a burst of cheers and commotion in the locker room.
Li Tielin and Qin Lin looked at this scene and just shook their heads, but no one stopped everyone from playing.
Because the two of them also imagined the scene, they felt that the scene of everyone queuing up to have Hu Lai's shoes shined was so beautiful that they were a little moved...
※※※
When the players who had participated in the FA Cup came to the training base for recovery training, they all heard about the bet they had with Hu Lai in the morning from other teammates.
This attracted everyone's interest, and they all expressed their intention to participate. It seems that everyone usually resents Hu Lai's pretentiousness, so they are very active in showing off in front of Hu Lai when they have the opportunity.
Because everyone's enthusiasm for participating was so high, in the end we had to agree with Hu Lai that it would only be effective after a goal, and it was limited to ten other players on the field. Those teammates sitting on the bench could not participate.
And Hu Lai has an impeccable reason: "If you all come, whether you shine my shoes or I shine your shoes, the celebration time has expired. Can the referee stand by and watch us play like this? By the opponent
What if we complain that we deliberately delayed the time? Will each person get a yellow card?"
So, it was decided.
Now all that remains is for the outcome of the bet to be announced.
The Football Association Cup draw ceremony will not be broadcast live on television, but the entire draw process can be seen live online on the Football Association website.
The time is the night after all the FA Cup matches of the current round are over.
That night, many Shining Star players were watching the results of the fifth round draw of the Football Association Cup in front of their computers and mobile phones.
The team's WeChat group was very lively, and some people even gave out red envelopes to warm up, and everyone was eager to grab it. Usually, in the locker room, "this brother" and "that brother", at this time, it all stopped working. Boss
Qin Lin could even post a "Thank you boss" emoticon after grabbing Hu Lai's one-cent red envelope.
Then after discovering that it was actually a one-cent red envelope per person divided into one hundred parts for one dollar, I withdrew the thank you image...
After the atmosphere was heated up by the rain of red envelopes, everyone was waiting for the final result to be announced.
This drawing of lots is really just a "drawing of lots" in the literal sense. There are no red tape ritual procedures, nor are there any artistic performances or guest speeches.
A camera was pointed at a lottery box, and there were notary officers from the notary office on site to supervise the notarization, and two staff members were responsible for the lottery.
After the notarial office staff read out the notarization, the drawing of lots began.
The team drawn first will play at home, and the team drawn later will play against it.
"Dongtai Juxing City!"
The WeChat group suddenly became quiet.
Dongtai Juxing City was drawn out first, which means they will play at home.
And which lucky person will become their opponent?
At this moment, the result of the draw was announced.
Anton Shining Star.
…
The WeChat group of the Stars first team called "Sparks of Fire" went viral.
“Holy shit——!! I don’t believe it! Shady plot! Black-box operation!!”
"How could this happen? Do I really want to raise the winning target of each lottery to 100 million?"
"What the hell? What the hell is this?"
"There must be something wrong with this world..."
"Hu Lai, you are so lucky, aren't you? Why don't you buy lottery tickets? What are you doing to harm us?!"
"Zhang Qinghuan, come out! Tell me honestly, did you collude with Hu Lai to set up this situation?"
"It's unfair, Captain Li! I also want to shine Hu Lai's shoes! Is there any chance that I would be in trouble?!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Cheng, Cheng, Cheng! These shoes of mine... are waiting for you all!"
Wang Guangwei, who was in his bedroom, heard Hu Lai's wanton laughter coming from the next room, and then he thought to himself whether he should apply to Director Zhao to take a break for the next game?