Chapter 79: The Minor Protection Law Saved William II—Facing Feyenoord

The match entered the second half; everyone assumed Ten Hag had completely ignored the law, but this guy suddenly substituted Tang Ye off at the 60th minute.

“What the hell!”

“Why the substitution!”

Tang Zhengxiong shouted loudly, furious at Ten Hag’s decision to make the change.

Unfortunately, Ten Hag didn’t understand Chinese.

“Beep, beeeep—!!!”

Full time: Utrecht defeated William II 2–1 at home.

Post-match press room.

“Yes, that’s correct—due to legal restrictions, I had to substitute Tang off at the 60th minute.”

Although they won the match, Ten Hag’s mood wasn’t good.

This reflects his high standards for the team!

“Well, we had many opportunities in the second half that we failed to convert; you could say the Dutch minor protection law saved William II.”

Ten Hag’s words surprised the reporters below.

“Mr. Eric, after this match your club may face penalties—what’s your response?”

Ten Hag spread his hands: “We will accept the punishment.”

…

PSV Eindhoven official: Head coach Cocu dismissed, assistant Werner appointed interim head coach; new head coach tentatively set as former Eindhoven II manager Van Nistelrooy.

“Dutch Football”: Utrecht Club fined 27,000 euros for violating minor employment clauses; the club must pay the fine within one month.

Dutch internet lawyer Jonathan: If Utrecht had allowed Tang to play the full 90 minutes, the estimated fine could have exceeded 42,000 euros.

“Utrecht Evening News” front page headline: Utrecht Club applied to the Royal Dutch Football Association to change match times, but the request was rejected.

“Unless the opposing club agrees to change the match time, Utrecht’s application cannot be approved.”

Reporters noted that after the spring season began, Utrecht still had about six matches scheduled after 10 p.m., including the Dutch Cup semifinal.

In fact, Ten Hag had no idea before this incident that Tang Ye would be restricted by the minor protection law; it was only when the spring season started that Dutch Eredivisie fans discovered the issue.

Utrecht was thus forced to hold a press conference.

“So far this season, Tang has delivered excellent performances in both the league and the Dutch Cup; however, because spring matches are generally scheduled late, your next six matches will all fall after 10 p.m.—and if you advance to the Dutch Cup final, that’ll be seven matches.”

“Tang will be restricted in all these matches. Mr. Eric, how will the team respond to this issue?”

The reporter handed the microphone to Ten Hag, who stood still, relaxed in posture.

“I think it’s not a big deal.”

“Tang isn’t Utrecht’s core player; even without him, we’ll still perform well. The minor protection law can only restrict us, but it can’t defeat us.”

“But…”

The reporter timidly reminded him: “This season, in all matches where Tang Ye didn’t start, Utrecht won only one.”

“?”

Ten Hag frowned: “Where did you get this data?”

“Royal Dutch Football Association’s official website.”

The reporter pulled out his phone and showed the screen to Ten Hag.

Ten Hag carefully read the content on the phone, then swallowed hard.

“It’s a simple probability issue—children know there’s no direct correlation.”

“Utrecht leads the league this season because our overall strength is high, not because any single player is decisive—as we all know, football is an 11-man sport.”

…

The legal restrictions severely impacted Utrecht.

A fine of tens of thousands of euros per match was manageable, but Dutch law was extremely strict—the fine amount increased with each violation.

The club had Tang Ye write a personal letter, delivered through Utrecht’s youth protection organization to the provincial government, but after four or five days, there was still no response.

After the first half of training, Tang Ye noticed Ten Hag’s gloomy expression and walked over: “Mr. Eric, I’m really sorry…”

“Sorry for what?”

“About the minor protection law issue… if necessary, you can reduce my playing time.”

Tang Ye had proactively looked into the matter.

The fine was minor, but if paying it couldn’t fully resolve the problem, it would become a major issue.

“I won’t reduce your playing time.”

Ten Hag’s tone was firm: “It’s not that you’re indispensable to the team—just, you know, since you’re my player, I’ll give you sufficient playing time!”

“This…”

Tang Ye blinked.

Honestly, he was touched.

“Mr. Eric!”

“Hey, it’s fine, go train.”

Ten Hag waved his hand: “These are things I should do, Tang—remember, as long as you’re in my team, you’ll always get fair treatment!”

Tang Ye didn’t know what to say, nodded to Ten Hag, then ran back onto the pitch.

Although this guy Ten Hag was a bit annoying, he truly cared for his players.

The club was fined; as head coach, Ten Hag must have been under pressure.

Yet he chose to shoulder the pressure himself!

“Can’t we solve this?”

Aale passed the ball to Tang Ye, who flicked it up with his heel and caught it in his hands: “I don’t know—I never expected something like this. If I were just two years older, it’d be better.”

Tang Ye’s birthday is March 4; he’ll turn 17 in half a month.

Unfortunately, the Netherlands’ definition of minor matches China’s—under 18.

One extra year wouldn’t help Tang Ye much—only slightly reduce the club’s fine.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”

Ramselaar hugged his head: “The FA probably never imagined a player under 18 would play in the top division. Eredivisie 2 and youth leagues are much better—they don’t have matches starting after 8 p.m.”

“If the match started at exactly 8 p.m., I might be restricted too.”

Tang Ye reminded him.

“Why?”

“Because there’s post-match interviews… those count as working hours too.”

“Damn!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Jansen walked over: “It’s just six or seven matches—does Eric risk getting arrested for violating too many times? It’s just a fine, don’t worry!”

You really had to respect the veteran—after Jansen spoke a few words, Tang Ye instantly felt better.

Right, Ten Hag won’t get arrested because of me.

Whatever.

Tang Ye should focus on training.

Powerful shooting and long-distance quick passes rely on physical strength—Tang Ye must use Ronaldo’s chicken breast to rapidly boost his strength level!

Before afternoon strength training, Tang Ye went to the gym to measure his body data.

Height: 177 cm.

Weight: …

68 kg!

Height hadn’t increased much, but the weight gain was decent.

Tang Ye still couldn’t physically overpower 20-something adult players, but holding his balance in duels was no longer difficult.

“You need to improve your aerobic training.”

Ten Hag suddenly said: “Your endurance will drop as body fat rises—you already have poor stamina.”

“So?”

“So tonight you have extra training—but don’t worry, it’s light.”

Ten Hag took the notebook from Fan Degah, who collaborated with the fitness coaching staff to group players ranked 6–10, each group with a different training plan.

Tang Ye had his own separate page—his training volume was 1.5 times that of other first-team players.

“Five kilometers slow jog, then five 300-meter sprints—originally 450 meters, but I changed it to 300 because we have a crucial match at month’s end.”

Ten Hag slowly uttered the Dutch word.

“Feyenoord!”

…

Dutch internet lawyer Jonathan: Utrecht’s deadline to pay the fine is one month; Tang’s birthday is March 4—if Utrecht pays after his 17th birthday, the original 27,000-euro fine will drop to around 15,000 euros.

Utrecht RTV: Currently, Ten Hag leads the February Coach of the Month poll—if they defeat Feyenoord, the new head coach may win his third monthly coach award.

On match day, Ten Hag was extremely excited; days earlier, his focus had been on Tang’s playing time, but only after checking news did he realize he might win February’s Coach of the Month.

Clearly, today’s match against Feyenoord was even more important than he’d thought!

A Chinese live streaming room.

“OK, guys and friends, welcome to Xiao Wang’s stream—I’ve already posted the preview in the group: Utrecht vs. Feyenoord.”

"Oh, after Tang Ye became popular, lots of fans found this livestream—many newcomers don’t even watch the Eredivisie, so let me professionally introduce both teams here."

Wang Chao is truly the top streamer on HappyNet; this level of thoughtfulness is unmatched by any ordinary host.

"First, the home team, Utrecht. No need for much introduction—they’re Tang Yuwang’s team, and their popularity on DongqiuDi is even higher than some Premier League and La Liga clubs."

"Then the away team, Feyenoord—one of the Eredivisie’s Big Three, fourth last season, currently third this season, behind only Utrecht and Ajax."

"Oh, here he comes! We can see the player on the right, holding a young girl’s hand, is Tang Ye!" The camera zoomed in on Tang Ye—he still hadn’t noticed the camera was on him.

"Can I have a piece of gum?"

The female ball girl on the left gave Tang Ye a big, pleading look.

Tang Ye reached into his pant pocket, pulled out a folded piece of gum, and was about to hand it to her—when his hand suddenly froze mid-air.

"No, I need four pieces in the first half. If I give you one, I won’t have any left to swap."

Tang Ye put the gum back in his pocket. The ball girl’s face drooped, looking slightly wounded.

Luckily, Aale behind Tang Ye came to the rescue, pulling out his own prepared gum.

…

"The match has started! Let me introduce the starting lineups!"

"First, the home team, Utrecht, wearing red-and-white jerseys!"

"…"

!

"Then the away team, Feyenoord, attacking from left to right across the screen."

Feyenoord (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Vormer

Defenders: Kong Geluo, Bertin, Van Bijk, Carlsdoop

Midfielders: Vreven, Vjeknovic, Ahmedi

Forwards: Elia, Krammer, Kuiter

"bijansdoeteenbalprecies"

"wateenbalmoetdoen"

"wehebbengoedespelers"

"…"

As the match began, the fans at the Goffert Stadium erupted in unison singing Utrecht’s anthem.

With Feyenoord, one of the Big Three, as the opponent, the stadium was, unsurprisingly, sold out.

In the family section, six Asian faces stood out.

Luckily, they’d run into Tang Ye on the way—otherwise, these six international students might never have gotten tickets to this match!

"Utrecht!"

Thump! Thump!

"Utrecht!"

Thump! Thump!

The atmosphere was so electric that Tang Ye, despite the temperature still being in single digits, felt his body warming up.

Not long after kickoff, Tang Ye, playing as the attacking midfielder, sprinted out to the flank.

Long before the match, Fan Dejia had emphasized Feyenoord’s tactics to the players.

Feyenoord's style resembled PSV's—focused on wing attacks, a hallmark of nearly every top team in the five major leagues.

But Feyenoord had another major strength: set pieces.

Feyenoord’s set pieces were the best in the entire Eredivisie!

On the left flank, Tang Ye slowly retreated with Ahmedi, all the while watching Vjeknovic in the center.

Body on the wing, mind in the middle!

Snap!

Ahmedi passed to Vjeknovic in the center; Tang Ye extended his leg.

Too bad—he almost got to the ball!

Feyenoord’s attack continued!

Vjeknovic passed to Vreven, who sent a direct through-ball to Elia up front.

This was the advantage of a traditional powerhouse—Feyenoord’s transition speed was lightning-fast!

"Damn!"

Tang Ye cursed—he knew he couldn’t reach the ball in time, so he focused on marking Ahmedi beside him.

"Elia! One-on-one with Van der Maarel near the byline!"

"Van der Maarel plays as a fullback—Teng Ahai must have studied Feyenoord’s formation specifically!"

"Van der Maarel defends the byline extremely well—Elia can’t find any opening!"

"Elia!"

"Cross it back!"

On camera, Elia’s cut-back cross flew toward the arc—Vjeknovic, lurking at the arc’s center, suddenly sprinted under the falling ball.

Oh no!

Tang Ye felt dread.

Ramselaar seems off-position!

Snap!

Vjeknovic leapt, using his run-up to power a header.

Duang!

The ball struck the post, bounced out, and landed at Kuiter’s feet—he shoved it into the net.

Had Vjeknovic’s header gone directly to Kuiter, it would’ve been offside—but it hit the post first, rebounding straight to Kuiter.

Fans couldn’t immediately tell whether Feyenoord had gotten lucky or not.

But the ball was in the net.

"Damn!"

"Where the hell are Utrecht’s defensive midfielders? Where’s the holding mid?!"

"Both Ramselaar and Jansen are completely out of position!"

"F***!"

Wang Chao was angry—the director cut to a slow-motion replay of the goal.

"It’s Ramselaar’s fault—he broke off his marking halfway!"

Feyenoord led, and the livestream’s fans were upset—Dou Zhan Shi erupted in fury.

【What the hell? Feyenoord’s headers are garbage—why did the first goal come from a header?】

【I’ve said this a hundred times—the host’s analysis is wrong. Anyone who still follows him is an idiot.】

【Ugh—this is bad. Feyenoord’s always hard to beat.】

【Can Tang Yuwang play defensive midfield? Ramselaar’s in terrible form.】

【Why not swap in Amrabat or De Jong? They spent 9 million euros on a backup and don’t even use him—Teng Ahai’s a genius.】

【??? That away goal came way too fast.】

【Don’t get it—when you say Tang Yuwang, you mean Tang Ye? Why isn’t he running?】

"Bart!"

"Damn it!"

Teng Ahai jumped up in place—clearly furious with his players’ performance.

"Mark! Mark him!"

Ramselaar, called out, raised his hand toward the sideline.

"Oh no."

Tang Ye placed his hands on his hips and glanced at the fourth official’s timer.

17’29

That goal came way too early!

The match continued, reaching the 32nd minute.

The big screen showed possession stats—Utrecht’s possession had dropped from 42% twenty minutes ago to 37% now.

Oh?

Seeing the updated stat, Teng Ahai’s eyes lit up.

Is it…

Is it coming?

"Give it to me!"

Tang Ye shook off Vjeknovic’s marking and dropped back into his own half to receive the ball.

Li Ewei looked up and immediately passed.

This is an opportunity!

Tang Ye’s eyes flashed—he sprinted toward the ball’s location.

While running, he glanced back.

Aale, Jostens, Barazite, and six Feyenoord defenders.

Tang Ye memorized the positions of the nine forwards, reached the ball’s location, stepped on it with his left foot, turned, and struck it hard with his right foot.

It was a bit reckless, but Utrecht was trailing.

Tang Ye had to trust the system.

Trust Bruno Fernandes’ passing module!

“Tang Ye, bold move—direct pass!”

“Perfect, perfect!”

“To Aale! Damn, that pass was flawless!”

“Can Aale break free for a one-on-one? Let’s watch Aale!”

The long pass was accurate; Aale used his shoulder to cushion it, but not well—the ball rolled too far ahead.

Right between Aale and the goalkeeper Vermeer!

Time to sprint!

Aale dashed forward.

If he can get to the ball before the goalkeeper, it’s a goal!

Aale controlled the ball, but because he was too close, his shot was blocked by Vermeer.

Van Bick cleared it with a powerful kick.

Aale covered his face with both hands: “Damn it!”

……

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(End of Chapter)