World Cup beacon day, although the national football team did not set foot on the top of the green, but this does not detract from the profit of business.
Sponsors are smiling from ear to ear, from the stadium to the fan camps, containers are full of Chinese brands; a TV giant is even proclaiming its ambition of "China's Leader, the World's Second", billboards are standing and cameras are capturing every scene.
However, there seems to be a hidden agenda behind the high profile, with the tagline changing soon after.
Companies profit from their products, teams profit from their status.
Even though they are weak in key battles, but after a series of salary restrictions, there are people who earn more than ten million dollars a year; former head coach Li Tie is the leading soccer business, rumored to be a bank deposit of up to one billion in Shenyang.
Where does wealth come from? The answer is about to be revealed.
According to public information, the former head coach Li Tie is suspected of major violations of the law, is facing a disciplinary inspection committee investigation. There are media reports that he has "confessed" three former international players, one of whom has been taken away, and the other is in fear.
This seems to confirm the rumors in the media - "someone is suspected of trading his status as an international footballer for benefits". Sound absurd? However, it is easy to understand if you look closely at their deeds.
According to the eye of the sky data, Li Tie's business is closely linked with the soccer industry. For example, at the end of his coaching at Guangzhou Evergrande, he was involved in the operation of a soccer pre-school; in China's happy period, he and Shenyang Peacock City's "in-laws" marriage.
In addition to direct business contacts, Li Tie is also good at "see the needle".
For example, when he was an assistant coach of the national football team in '14, he recommended his own endorsed products to the then head coach; after he became a shareholder of the company in 2017, the company became the official equipment service provider of the national football team several times.
Even during his coaching stint with the national soccer team, he retained his part-time job at Wuhan Zall, and even took firm control of the team's lifeblood. Despite the irregularities, with an after-tax annual salary of more than 30 million dollars, he still made what he thought was the right choice in the face of a 10 million dollar signing bonus.
Not only that, Li Tie has also gained a lot in the endorsement field. For example, Li Ning even signed a lifetime endorsement contract with him, which may amount to more than ten million dollars.
We have nothing against those who can earn their fortune, but you have to achieve something, right?Li Tie came on board in January 2020 and abruptly resigned in December 2021, and there were very few matches that really got the fans screaming for more.
Key underachievement and his unwillingness to accept criticism - Coach Lee spent half an hour making excuses, complaining and even sending out illegal advertisements during a press conference for the sixth round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers.
As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked. If the head coach is like that, how strong can the players be? If everyone is blind to criticisms and objections, it will be difficult for the team to progress.
In competitive sports, is it enough to just admit mistakes?
Look no further than the example of the Japanese team. Though many scoff at Japan's bowing culture, the self-criticism is unforgiving under the influence of a culture of shame.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan met Belgium in the round of 16 knockout round. On paper, Japan, whose best World Cup result was the round of 16, clearly couldn't compete with the Red Devils of Europe.
However, this does not mean that they accept their fate.
Japan's captain at the time, Makoto Kubu, had a simple idea to show a different spirit: "The whole world thinks we're going to lose, but because of that, we have nothing to lose."
In that case, let it go.
As a result, the Japanese team led by two goals in the first half of the game. At this point, the team was satisfied with both the coach and the players and decided to "keep things as they were".
However, this laxity eventually led to Belgium slowing down. They managed to equalize the score by taking advantage of the Japanese players' mistakes and staged a crazy 14-second comeback in the final extra time of the game to make the final score 3:2.
In the history of sports, such stunning reversals of more than ten seconds are almost unrepeatable myths.
Thus, while there were mistakes on the part of the Japanese team, factors such as physical fatigue, tactical arrangements, and luck of the field have to be taken into account, and they cannot simply be judged by their mistakes - after all, no one thinks that anyone can fly across the court and complete a shot in less than ten seconds.
How do we usually deal with this kind of "losing"?
Seasoned veteran fans know that the maximum penalty is three cups and less sea cucumbers. Maybe they'll celebrate because of a good looking score. After all, it's better to plan than to achieve. Today's defeat was my fault.
However, Japanese TV went the other way and went straight to a documentary project.
Nonetheless, the Japanese players did not complain, but conducted a very detailed and serious review.
For example, after gaining a lead, the team's thinking, including the coach, maintains the status quo and therefore issues instructions that confuse and misinterpret the players, squandering the opportunity to extend the lead.
When a dropped pass caused the ball to change hands and eventually points were conceded, the entire team bred a sense of foreboding and fear of the unknown. That moment truly became the turning point of the entire game.
So much so that a player faced the camera and exclaimed, "Soccer is really brutal, and a little bit of judgment can change the situation on the field. I haven't experienced such fear in a game."
As for the final 14 seconds that brought Japan to tears, they not only found all the photos taken, but also consulted experts and players from various European clubs and analyzed them in great detail.
Why did you choose to attack directly from a free kick in the final stages?
Why did the key pass in the final period miss?
Why didn't the whole team get back in time?
Why was there a hole in the defense on that last play?
In short, all sorts of awkward questions were asked.
In the end, all of this resentment and regret was regrettably cut into a 50-minute documentary.
It sounds combustible, but the reality is even hotter.
For in the following fourth year, Japan beat Germany in the first round of the World Cup in Qatar. Although this result was not popular, those who watched the game paid tribute to the Japanese players.
A week later, Japan managed to qualify at the top of the group by beating Spain 2:1. If he hadn't lost to Croatia on penalties in the final game, the tough middle-aged man would have literally been shut out by the crazy Japanese fans ......
Of course, the results are not only about coaches and players.
It is said that the Japanese know about this holiday but have no sense of justice. They also say that Japan has lost 30 years. Young people are lying on flat ground, a generation of collapsing "fat houses", but you have to admit that they do deserve praise in some areas of expertise.
For example, the implementation of the Second Basic Plan for Science and Technology in 2001 recommended that the number of Nobel Prize winners in the next 50 years should reach 30, maintaining the same level in the major European countries. What was the result? Since then, the number of laureates has indeed begun to soar.
In soccer, it's a similar thing.
For example, every year, a fixed amount of money is invested in the construction of genuine facilities and youth and grass-roots training, so that all Japanese children can voluntarily receive soccer training from the age of six, so as to enrich the talent ladder and the reserve strength.
Athletics can focus on the sharp end, but something as marketed to the max as soccer doesn't eat your shit.
As a result, the Japanese J-League, founded by Saburo Kawamoto, made it clear from the start that the professional league would be governed by the market, would not be under the direction of the JFA, and would pay only a small annual dividend to the JFA.
Thanks to its market-oriented approach, Japanese soccer has not only allowed local players to flourish in the three major leagues, but has also attracted superstars such as Stojkovic, Lietbarski, Reinkele, Dunga and Bebeto.
On the very day when the Japan-Germany match ended, a Japanese uncle said sincerely when facing the reporter's camera: "Last time it was Korea that won, this time it was Japan that won, and next time it might be the time for China to beat Germany".
But take a look at our head coach's bankroll and you'll see that things aren't looking good.
