Dad was a Genius - Chapter 53
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 053
In 2013, the South Korean national team did not perform well in many evaluation matches and even in the East Asian Cup.
At first, there were rumors that Director Kim Myung-kyung would be dismissed.
But people advised him that it was not yet time to fire the manager.
Because even the legend of the 2002 World Cup, Hiddink, lost 5-0 in the evaluation match and was not able to win a single game, but he eventually proved it by advancing to the semifinals in the World Cup.
So the general public opinion was to let coach Kim Myung-kyung experiment more tactically.
But isn’t there a saying like this?
To achieve results, he said, change everything except your wife.
Here, the wife was coach Kim Myung-kyung, and if that’s the case, then the rest of the people who had to change were the players.
The team was actually drafted in 2012 and has been in use ever since, but this time it seemed like a major overhaul was needed.
“What? You’re going to take us from Seoul again? Isn’t this too much!”
“Ahem. Our Ulsan players are having a hard time right now because of injuries. We have no one to give up.”
“Our Pohang team is not good at attacking. Isn’t what the national team needs right now a striker?”
The World Cup was a great opportunity for the players.
But for the manager, being called up to the national team wasn’t a very good thing.
Of course, you could say that the World Cup was held in 2014 and that the K-League would have a month-long break then, but that is not the case.
Once a member of the national team for the World Cup is called up, they must continue to train with the national team and play evaluation matches before the start of the World Cup.
Then, players belonging to the K-League will have to take a forced break due to national team matches, and managers will be anxious about the absence of their aces.
So, if possible, K-League managers are reluctant to have their own team’s players called up.
Instead, the idea is to encourage players who are active overseas rather than in the K-League to be drafted.
But then suddenly they start to think like this.
‘Is it really necessary to only use players overseas?’
Couldn’t national team selection ultimately be used as a strategy for victory?
And what caught their eye was Cheonan.
“Didn’t the people criticize us very much? If we had a great striker like Kang Dae-ho, we could have won the East Asian Cup!”
“That’s right. Cheonan currently has a large number of players who are the envy of overseas players, no, they have players who will become overseas players in the future!”
“A great striker, a playmaker, and a goalkeeper with great kicking power! Cheonan is truly a treasure trove!”
“… … .”
The Korean national team coach cannot withstand the pressure from the KFA.
Why else would Coach Hiddink have said in an official setting that he blocked the Korea Football Association from forcibly selecting players for the national team and manipulating them as they pleased?
It is possible for a foreign director to reject all such things.
Because I won’t be staying in Korea for long anyway.
But it was difficult for domestic directors to refuse it.
And it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with what they said.
Isn’t Cheonan now called the Real Madrid of Korea?
* * *
… … That’s probably why it happened that way.
I know very well how the Korea Football Association system works.
And this isn’t just about criticizing the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.
In any country, in any sport, stagnant water tends to rot.
This chronic problem was not easily fixed.
“But how can you draft 7 people from one team… … .”
The coaches were astonished.
Because it was highly unusual for seven people to be drafted from one team.
“Isn’t this blatantly trying to keep Cheonan in check?”
“There are 7 from Cheonan, one from Ulsan, and the rest are all overseas. What is this…?”
“Obviously, other teams must have tried to instigate us in order to keep us in check. If the KFA pressures us, we as domestic coaches have no choice but to listen.”
“This must be protested, Director!”
Even in my view, this was a blatant expression of intent to keep Cheonan in check.
Since it seems like they can’t defeat us tactically, are they going to try attacking us with external factors?
“The World Cup is a truly fascinating competition.”
“yes?”
“Even the best strikers shed tears when they play in the World Cup, and don’t they want to lift the cup more than anyone else? Rather than becoming a legend of a club, it would be the players’ dream to lift the World Cup as a representative of their country.”
I’m not a player so I don’t know their minds.
But it is clear that the World Cup has a special meaning to the players.
There is something more intense and blood-boiling than playing for a club.
“So let’s just let it go coolly.”
“Go, Director!”
I decided to think positively.
To be honest, it only seemed like a dirty trick by the owners of other teams to somehow break Cheonan’s overwhelming lead.
“What better opportunity could there be for our Cheonan players? It may be bad news for the coaching staff, but it is good news for the players. The World Cup is a stage that players definitely want to go to.”
“That’s true, but… … .”
“So, let’s help the players train well without worrying about what others think, and let them perform well without being intimidated by foreign teams.”
I know very well what the results of the upcoming evaluation matches and the World Cup will be.
But haven’t there been many changes in the squad now?
Maybe the results will be a little different.
And the experience gained in the outside world is much more valuable to the players than the domestic well.
I just hope that the seven players drafted from Cheonan will have a dazzling performance on this occasion.
* * *
The pen of the press must be heavy and its mouth must be heavy.
But it must be infinitely light for the person opening the wallet.
That’s how journalists survive.
Isn’t it an essential virtue for a journalist to know how to bow uprightly to advertisers while being stiff to others?
And today, they sat in front of their computers again to fulfill the mission given by the advertisers. They were planning to release all the articles they had prepared in advance at once when the signal came.
“Hmm. It’s a little late… … .”
“That’s right. If it were the managers of other teams, they would have been making a big fuss and making a big fuss by now.”
Cheonan had to send as many as 7 of its starting members to the national team.
Last time in Seoul, they took away three starting members and there was so much chaos.
But there are 7 people, more than twice that number.
It was a situation where the director would get angry no matter who came, whether it was Bodhisattva or the Second Coming of Jesus.
And that’s exactly what they want now.
This is a story of a man who loses his temper and spews out foul language.
“The big companies are really bad. To be honest, it was Cha Seong-eun who helped develop the K-League. But it’s really bad that they’re trying to somehow get a hold of it.”
“He did help grow the K-League scene, but in the end, he only did good things for Taesan Group. He must have been upset that they were winning continuously and creating all kinds of buzz.”
Cha Seong-eun currently boasts popularity comparable to that of top stars in Korea.
Beautiful appearance and fit body. Plus, continuous appearances on variety shows, modeling shoots, etc.
It has captured the hearts of countless women, regardless of age.
No wonder female fans flock to the stadium just to see Cha Seong-eun’s face.
As a result, the image of Taesan Group has improved beyond comparison to the past, and its stock price is continuing its upward trend.
That’s exactly what got the big companies upset.
I heard that the heads of large corporations consider Cha Seong-eun as their number one son-in-law, but it seems that Cha Seong-eun is pursuing self-respect and has rejected all the positions that come his way.
Maybe that’s why.
The big companies set the game with the mindset that if they couldn’t have it, they would rather destroy it.
The goal is to pressure the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the national team coach to take as many players from Cheonan as possible and ruin the season, and to focus on Cha Seong-eun, who is angry about this, and to drive him out as a son of a bitch who has sold out patriotism.
“If our country does something that goes against patriotism, it gets a lot of criticism. No matter how popular it is now, if it blows up here, it won’t be able to be reversed, right?”
Cha Seong-eun’s fan base is so strong that it is difficult to conquer it.
But big business knows all too well that things are different when it comes to patriotism.
This is not the first time they have waged a public opinion war.
No matter how much of a traitor you are, if you fall into this trap, you’re finished.
Knowing that, the reporters were also half nervous and half excited.
“It’s almost time for the official announcement to come out… … Huh?”
It was a time when so many media outlets were waiting for just one hit.
Suddenly, aren’t several media outlets publishing interviews with Cha Seong-eun?
“What? Weren’t they supposed to explode all at once?”
“Ouch, looks like communication failed again.”
But then an article came out that was the exact opposite of what they had thought.
[Unprecedented situation. Intentional borrowing by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation?]
[The bowls are different. Even in the blatant restraint, Cha Seong-eun has a grand appearance.]
[It’s embarrassing, but I’m grateful to the association. I think it will be a good experience for the players.]
“huh?”
“What? This is completely different from what we planned.”
“Where did these articles come from?”
A whopping 7 players are being drafted from one team.
Anyone can see that this is an abnormal situation.
As a director, this must be a bloodcurdling situation.
Cha Seong-eun will be unable to control her anger and will be interviewed in an agitated voice.
It has to be that way.
But contrary to their expectations, Cha Seong-eun showed a completely different appearance.
‘Representing the Republic of Korea is very symbolic and a great honor for the players. I want more players to play and experience on the world stage.’
‘I understand that this is a very unusual move. Some say that it is to check Cheonan. Is the manager okay with it?’
‘It is obviously fatal for the team to lose 7 starting members. However, it is not a problem for Cheonan. We will win without wavering as we always have. I also thank coach Kim Myung-kyung and the Korea Football Association for giving the players this opportunity.’
This is the full text of Cha Seong-eun’s interview.
“… … .”
“What should I do with this… … ?”
The reporters who had been sharpening their knives to criticize Cha Seong-eun ended up like dogs chasing a chicken.
It’s not like you can suddenly criticize someone who gave an interview so smoothly.
“No. What kind of bodhisattva is this gentleman?”
“You’re saying you’re going to tolerate this without swearing?”
“Ha. Your confidence is crazy. That’s why people can’t get away from Cha Seong-eun. Actually, I feel the same way.”
“Ugh. How can coolness vibrate in an interview?”
“I’m even grateful to the Football Association. This is a proper counter.”
Hundreds of articles written overnight, wondering how to cook up this talented director, were tearfully discarded that day.
“So what do we do now?”
“What should I do?”
“yes?”
“We should also write articles praising Cha Seong. Aren’t you all going to get more views?”
“ah-.”
The tips of the reporters’ pens were light in front of the number of views.