LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 261
The whole world’s attention was focused, and South Korea was no exception.
After Son Jinho’s naturalization, the South Korea Football Association underwent significant changes. The long-standing bureaucrats who had been leeching off the association were largely ousted, resulting in a fresh start.
Of course, not all lingering issues disappeared, but perhaps because viewers witnessed the football association crumbling in real-time?
The executives of the football association began to show a bit of awareness toward the public for the first time in history.
Taking public opinion into account, the football association refrained as much as possible from meddling in player selections.
Selecting players based solely on merit, ignoring politics and connections, the national team burst forth with hidden potential, easily breaking through to the final qualifiers for the World Cup.
[Will the South Korea National Team be the first in Asia to reach the Round of 16 for three consecutive tournaments?]
After successfully reaching the Round of 16 for two consecutive tournaments, the Brazil World Cup instilled hopes of a third consecutive Round of 16 to the public.
And that expectation quickly translated into high viewership ratings for the draw ceremony.
[(Live) 2018 Russia World Cup Draw Ceremony.]
└ What if we end up in the same group as England?
└ What’s the problem? LOL Just go confess on Jinho’s SNS and beg him to let us win once! LOL
└ Wow. But is it for real that Asia’s pot is completely trashed?
└ The last Brazil World Cup debacle hit hard…
└ Everyone but us is in pot 4, LOL!
└ Why the heck is England in pot 2? Didn’t they win the Euros?
└ LOL, they got knocked out before that.
└ Wow. Spain is also in pot 2, LOL.
With the speeches from Putin, who got elected with a 140% approval rating, and the FIFA president concluded, the congratulatory performance began.
[Oh look, there’s the soccer emperor Pelé.]
└ LOL, God Pelé, whoa.
└ Haha, and there’s God Gihyun too.
Familiar faces appeared on the broadcast screen, and netizens expressed their delight in the chat.
[A1 Pot Russia.]
└ Ah, that’s the easy group!
└ For real, if we want to comfortably reach the Round of 16, we definitely need to land in A group.
The performance ended, and the host nation, Russia, recorded its name in pot 1 of Group A, officially kickstarting the World Cup draw.
[B1 Pot is the 7th ranked team in FIFA, Portugal.]
└ B group also looks decent. Just need to stop that Shin-doo guy, yeah.
└ Who the hell can stop Shin-doo?
└ …Jinho?
└ Jinho, come back! T_T
[C1 Pot is Poland.]
└ Poland isn’t bad either.
└ LOL, ignoring Lewandowski, huh?
└ Honestly, Poland’s better than Portugal, LOL.
Portugal was placed in B1 pot, and Poland’s name appeared in C1 pot.
[D1 Pot’s host is the 2014 Brazil World Cup champion, Germany.]
└ Yep, Hell Group, LOL.
└ Haha, entering here means doom, LOL.
The former champions of the Brazil World Cup, Germany, landed in D1 pot.
South Korean football fans already started calling Group D the Death Group.
Having successfully reached the Round of 16 in the last Brazil World Cup, South Korea was the only Asian country to secure the 3rd pot, putting them ahead compared to other Asian teams.
└ Up until now, is Group D the toughest?
└ Yep.
└ But wait, they only drew pot 1, and it’s the toughest? LOL.
└ If a team from pot 2 like Switzerland comes in, could be a breeze, right?
└ For real, haha!
South Korean football fans had lively discussions about which groups were easy and which were hellish.
While football fans were chatting cheerfully, the first pot draw ended.
In practical terms, the draw for the dreaded second pot began.
Uruguay was chosen in A2 pot, and their coach desperately tried to maintain his expression, but couldn’t hide the bright smile on his lips. Russia, with a FIFA ranking of 65, was the weakest in pot 1.
[Oh crap! Get out of Group A! No way Group A!]
└ Don’t freak out over just Uruguay!
└ Honestly, is it better to face Russia or Uruguay? Seriously?
The football streaming specialist continued to rouse viewer interest with provocative words while the draw progressed.
Mexico entered B group, where Portugal was.
[Mexico!]
└ Hm… B group doesn’t seem too bad, right?
└ Portugal and Mexico? If we play well, we could totally reach the Round of 16.
Just when netizens wore ambiguous expressions, Colombia’s name appeared in C2 pot.
And South Korean netizens cheered as if they saw Columbus discovering America.
[This has to be C group!]
└ Whoa. Are they really ignoring Lewandowski here?
└ But honestly, C group looks like a huge help, LOL!
Then finally, in the coveted D pot, where the previous champions Germany resided.
“England!”
This was considered the hell group because it housed the reigning champions Germany, and now their eternal rival, England, completed the infernal group.
[Oh… with this, the World Cup champions and Euros champions are in the same group, right? If we end up here, it’s totally finished!]
└ LOL, the hell group is ON! Haha!
└ How did Germany and England end up in the same group? LOL!
└ Someone in that group is seriously unfortunate, LOL!
└ Group D is totally Death, LOL!
└ If you end up there, it’d be a glorious death, right?
└ It’s not a glorious death; it’s pure sacrifice, for real, LOL!
└ If China goes in, it’d be perfect since it’s a Chinese cultural tradition to have sacrifices…
└ But China didn’t qualify for the World Cup, right? LOL!
The reigning champions from the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the 2016 Euro champions ended up in the same group.
The coaches of both Germany and England desperately tried to manage their expressions.
The strength of both teams was not only a factor, but also considering the historical rivalry between the two countries, facing off on the World Cup stage would certainly be burdensome.
[The draw ends with Switzerland in H2 pot, moving on to the draw for pot 3 where Korea is placed.]
In any case, amidst this unprecedented rivalry situation, the draw progressed rapidly.
The draw for pot 3, which included South Korea, began.
[C3 Pot name was Senegal.]
└ Ah… can’t go in here, can we?
└ Hm… then where’s the safest option among the remaining spots?
└ H group.
└ First off, H group, and definitely avoid D group, LOL!
Then came the draw for pot 3 in D group.
[Denmark.]
└ LOL, goodbye! Goodbye!
└ Haha, Denmark got totally wrecked, LOL!
└ ? What? Why is Denmark dropping to E group?
└ ???
└ Why the heck are they moving down!!?
Denmark’s name echoed, and the South Korean football fans erupted in cheers for avoiding D group.
However, due to the continental allocation principle, Denmark moved to E group 3 pot, leading to a re-draw for D group 3 pot. The South Korean fans watching the lottery broadcast felt a sense of foreboding at that moment.
[Since there are already two European teams in D group, Denmark will be moving to E group 3 pot.]
└ No way! Why is Denmark moving to group E!?
└ The commentators explained it!
└ “Summarize it in three lines!”
“Please… please, let’s just avoid group D.”
Behind the chaotic chatroom, the PD of SBK was desperately praying.
[Korea.]
The name that shouldn’t be heard escaped through the announcer’s lips.
“…Huh? PD, where are you going?”
“I’m going to write a letter of resignation…”
A chilling silence flooded the broadcasting station covering the draw ceremony.
[…Korea is now placed in the D group with England and Germany.]
└ Oh, please, don’t mess with us like this. I feel like losing my mind, losing my mind!
└ Denmark should have originally landed there.
└ For real, if you’re going to keep it the same continent, just draw the same group!
└ Someone said earlier it’d be perfect if China entered. Well, here comes the great power! LOL!
└ Isn’t there any chance Japan will come to pot 4?
└ Honestly, I’d rather Japan would come to pot 4.
└ That’s not allowed because they’re the same continent, you idiots!
└ So what about England and Germany then?
└ Europe has 13 teams in the World Cup, so two teams from the same group is allowed…
└ From three teams onward, they go to different locations like Denmark.
└ Ah. So, there can be a maximum of two teams from one group, but the two teams in group D happen to be the international champions, eh?
└ Yeah…
└ This is ridiculous, isn’t it? For D group’s pot 4, we could have just had Panama, LOL!
└ Honestly, it would have been better for Morocco or Nigeria to take that spot for a glorious downfall!
└ For real, LOL!
*
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Kang Chan, who started walking the path of a forward after transferring to Geumsun High School thanks to Son Jinho’s help escaping a coach’s violence during high school, exhibited commendable performances in a lower-tier Bundesliga team and successfully settled into the prestigious Serie A club, AC Milan, this season.
Last season, he drew attention from Klopp of Dortmund, but this season, with Klopp stepping down from coaching, the transfer fell through.
Ultimately, he left the Bundesliga to join Serie A.
Although AC Milan and Serie A recently gained negative evaluations about being fallen distinguished teams and leagues.
Because many people still remembered the era of the seven princesses in Serie A, the attention remained substantial, making it undeniable.
[Korean Inzaghi Kang Chan, scoring the winning goal in his debut match, leading his team to victory.]
Having transferred to AC Milan this season, he earned the nickname “Korean Inzaghi” by scoring a traditional debut goal reminiscent of Filippo Inzaghi.
Currently, AC Milan’s league ranking was sitting at 5th place, and if the season concluded like this, it would mark their return to the Europa League after quite a while.
Performing well in the Europa League could mean a rise in market value, so his transfer was a splendid choice.
‘By the way, I’ve changed so much.’
Kang Chan suddenly looked around.
Currently, instead of the old furniture stuffed in the semi-basement where he had spent his school days, luxurious custom-made furniture was sprawling all around him.
When he first debuted in the Bundesliga, the cheers from the fans felt strange, but now he had become somewhat accustomed to it.
If he thought back to his high school days when he was the target of the coach’s rage for not being able to provide kickbacks, his current life was a successful football life beyond anything he could’ve imagined at that time.
Financially comfortable now, he could have felt relaxed, but Kang Chan diligently trained every day, putting in the effort.
‘Finally, I’ve come this far.’
He wanted to show the progress he had made to Son Jinho, who could be considered his benefactor.
And after a long wait, the opportunity finally came.
He was blacklisted due to the internal whistleblowing incident at Hojin High School and political issues tied to being close to Son Jinho, preventing him from being called up to the national team.
But following Son Jinho’s naturalization and the reforms within the football association, he finally succeeded in being called up to the national team on the eve of the Russia World Cup.
– Kang Chan: Son Jinho, see you at the World Cup.
As he donned the national team uniform, he sent a message filled with respect, admiration, and a hint of rivalry toward Son Jinho.
“South Korea!”
South Korea landed in D group.
– Son Jinho: ???
– Son Jinho: What? Are you declaring victory right now?
Suddenly, the message he sent turned into a provocation.
“No… I wasn’t hoping to meet you this early.”
While Kang Chan was thrown off by the sudden change in situation and couldn’t mentally process it.
– Son Jinho: Okay… you think I’m easy, huh?
The misunderstanding from Son Jinho intensified.
*
[South Korea, in the hell group with ‘Euro Champion’ England, ‘World Cup Champion’ Germany, and Panama.]
[Japan, confident in their chances of reaching the Round of 16.]
[South Korea’s probabilities to reach the Round of 16: “Draw with either Germany or England and beat Panama.”]
[If South Korea advances as the second place in the group, they’ll face either Poland or Colombia in the quarter-finals…]
└ How can we even get to the quarter-finals if we can’t get past the Round of 16? LOL.
└ For real, LOL. Let’s make some sense here.
└ Honestly, this is the kind of betting that should be deemed treasonous, LOL!
[Japan bursts into laughter at the news of Korea being in the hell group.]
└ You guys, go face England in the Round of 16.
└ Huh? England used to be Japan’s former ruler…?