Chapter 88: Will He Play the Full Match? I Think So

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 168/400

With the max proficiency of 400 currently sitting at only 168, Tang Ye estimated that he would be unable to upgrade the Curved Through Ball to Lv4 before the season ended.

However, it didn't matter; judging from the newly unlocked 【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross】, acquiring new skills did not necessarily require raising existing ones to a very high level.

Meeting the attribute point requirements worked just as well!

Checking the proficiency for the Far-Corner Curling Shot again, it was similarly a long way from leveling up.

Since that was the case, Tang Ye shifted his focus to the 45-Degree Cross.

Although he still needed to gain over 80 proficiency points to reach Lv3 for the 45-Degree Cross, passing training proficiency was relatively easy to obtain.

Tang Ye did a quick calculation; if he practiced a little every day, he should be able to upgrade the 45-Degree Cross to Lv3 by mid-May.

"Hoo..."

Exhaling a long breath, Tang Ye felt nothing but immense pressure weighing on him now.

Utrecht was about to face Ajax, who sat second in the standings, and right now Tang Ye didn't even know if he could play the full match.

According to news Tang Ye had heard from Fan Fan Dejiahe, if Utrecht let Tang Ye play the full match in the next game, the club would face a fine of at least 80,000 euros.

The opponent was Ajax, and this was a crucial title-deciding match, so a fine of 80,000 euros was actually acceptable for Utrecht.

But what Tang Ye didn't know was that Utrecht was currently facing another problem.

Just three days before the match, the Dutch police issued a warning to Utrecht.

If Tang Ye exceeded the latest working hour of 10 PM again, the relevant person in charge would be summoned to the police station for education.

According to Dutch law, there were two such relevant persons in charge.

First was Verhoeff, the club's largest shareholder, who naturally had a connection to this matter.

The other was Ten Hag.

Although Ten Hag was merely an employee of the club, the final decision on whether Tang Ye played rested with him!

He was the directly responsible person!

Check Dongqiu Di: The Dutch Football Association has submitted a proposal to the Utrecht government, stating that continuously punishing Utrecht is unreasonable and that club head coach Ten Hag should not face the threat of detention.

On the evening of April 19, less than 48 hours before the start of the Eredivisie Round 31 match between Utrecht and Ajax, club head coach Ten Hag urgently visited owner Verhoeff.

"If possible, I hope the club pays this 80,000 euro fine; this is a very crucial match."

Ten Hag got straight to the point, voicing his true thoughts: "It's already Round 31, and the gap between fourth place and the top three is huge; as long as we can draw against Ajax, we can at least secure a Europa League spot, and there's even a probability of Champions League qualification."

The Dutch coach's meaning was clear: paying the 80,000 euro fine would absolutely not be a loss for Utrecht.

He needed Tang Ye to play the full match.

"Eric, I know, I understand what you mean."

Verhoeff sighed: "80,000 euros is a lot for a fine, but to support you, I am willing to have the club put up this money."

Verhoeff's words brought a smile to Ten Hag's face, but Verhoeff wasn't finished speaking.

"But don't forget, besides the fine, you still have to face something else; the Dutch police will detain you and make you undergo education on the Minor Protection Law—they are not joking."

"The fourth time!"

Verhoeff held up four fingers: "This is the fourth time we have violated the law!"

"..."

"Hasn't the Football Association already made a proposal? This rule itself shouldn't apply to professional players; it's unreasonable!"

Ten Hag still couldn't believe he would face detention and education.

In his view, he had absolutely not violated the law, absolutely not!

If he hadn't violated the law, he shouldn't be taken away by the police!

"You need to know that the contract Tang signed with us isn't a professional contract in the first place."

Verhoeff pointed out the core issue: "You think Tang is a professional player, I think Tang is a professional player, and the fans all think Tang is a professional player. He's already won Player of the Month, so he can't be considered youth training, but those damn guys don't see it that way! They simply don't regard Tang as a professional player; they only focus on Tang's status as a minor!"

Verhoeff was extremely angry; clearly, this Minor Protection Law thing had made him quite anxious too.

"So... Mr. Paul, what do I need to do?"

"Hoo..."

Verhoeff exhaled a long breath and stood up from the sofa: "It depends on you; Tang can start and play the full match, or he can be directly excluded from the squad list—it all depends on you. Anyway, I am willing to pay the fine."

"But besides the fine, there's nothing else I can do."

"..."

Ten Hag sat in the chair without speaking.

In his entire life, he had never imagined that being a football coach would involve encountering such troublesome matters.

The situation was now very clear: if Tang Ye was still on the pitch 30 minutes after the match started the day after tomorrow, he would be taken away by the Dutch police for education.

Neither Verhoeff nor the Dutch Football Association could protect him!

Utrecht Evening News Headline—Tang submitted a statement to the Dutch police explaining his voluntary participation in the match, but the Dutch police stated they would not take the statement into consideration because there were obvious signs of "involuntariness" on the document.

"The club required him to write this; it was not voluntary," a Dutch police officer stated.

Utrecht RTV reporter Fan Deberg: It is surprising that Ten Hag, as the manager of a dark horse team, would encounter such a dilemma; the Dutch police should carefully consider the matter of arresting Ten Hag, because regardless of anything, Tang must start against a strong opponent like Ajax.

The news spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred; soon, half of the Netherlands, and even Chinese fans, knew that Ten Hag was going to end up in a detention center.

【For real? Damn, is Ten Hag really going to jail?】

【Ridiculous, the Dutch police are truly ridiculous...】

【They probably just want money; the local police in Utrecht might be short on cash, so they're targeting Utrecht to bleed them dry.】

【Money, money—what does locking people up have to do with it?】

【Since you're already imposing a fine, the procedures beyond the fine must also be carried out; the police certainly never intended to detain Ten Hag, but that so-called Youth Protection Organization will apply pressure.】

【Hahahaha, Ten Hag, so you've finally met your day!】

【Play my foot! Without Tang Ye, how can Utrecht even play against Ajax? They might as well surrender outright. Do they really think Ten Hag has any ability?】

【Can someone tell me what the odds are for a head coach going to jail?】

……

Because they were being targeted by the Dutch police, fans generally believed Ten Hag would not let Tang Ye play in the next match against Ajax.

British sports-betting websites also seized on this hotspot, opening a special betting line for the Ajax versus Utrecht match.

The odds for Tang Ye to play were 3.75 to 1; besides "Tang Ye plays," there was another option to bet on: "Away team head coach goes to jail after the match."

Away team head coach goes to jail after the match!

The odds were...

15.7 to 1!

On match day, Utrecht's training base became a focus for reporters.

Tang Ye appeared on Utrecht's team bus; half an hour later, Utrecht officially released the match squad list via Twitter, and Tang Ye was prominently included.

Although no one knew whether Tang Ye would actually play, Utrecht's move left fans sighing in admiration.

"They're all guessing whether you'll play, haha!"

Ramselaar sat on a bus seat, clutching his phone and endlessly scrolling through the news.

Originally, everyone was somewhat nervous about playing Ajax, but one outrageous news headline after another made it impossible for Utrecht's players to stay tense.

"Come on, Tang, take a look; people are already spreading rumors."

Ramselaar pointed at the content on his phone and read it out verbatim: "Utrecht head coach Erik Ten Hag has currently been arrested by local Dutch police; reportedly, the detention period is three and a half days, hahaha!"

"These reporters never do anything proper."

De Jong remarked sarcastically; clearly, he too had been made to laugh by these news stories.

At present, Utrecht could be called the hottest team in the Eredivisie.

Of course, this "hottest" did not refer to title contenders, but damn it, to traffic and buzz!

"Utrecht!"

Bang bang!

"Utrecht!"

Bang bang!

The bus rolled into the Johan Cruyff Arena; away fans were already waiting outside.

Ten Hag rolled down the window; the first thing he saw was the signs held up by the away fans.

【Ten Hag, great!】

Ten Hag broke into a smile; this scene was captured by reporters staking out the spot.

Through the bus window, Ten Hag's smile appeared somewhat eerie.

Wait, why did Ten Hag's smile give people the feeling that he had already resolved to make a personal sacrifice?

No...

It couldn't be, could it?

……

With two and a half hours remaining until kickoff and the starting lineup not yet announced, Ten Hag went alone to the stadium's press conference room.

Click!

Click-click!

"Erik, Erik, will you let Tang play?"

"Erik, the FA's appeal had no effect; what is your view on this?"

The reporters on site were highly excited.

Ten Hag waved his hand, and the reporters immediately fell silent.

"One at a time; no need to rush, no need to rush. That Mr. wearing glasses—yes, you, thank you!"

The lucky glasses-wearing reporter who had been called stood up and faced Ten Hag: "Erik, will you let Tang play in today's match?"

"Yes, and in the starting lineup."

"Wow!!!"

The reporters on site began to clamor; the glasses-wearing reporter quickly pressed further: "We know that by the 30th minute of this match it will already be 10 p. m.; under such circumstances, will you still keep Tang on the field?"

"Hmm... I think so."

"Wowow!!!"

Click!

Click-click!

The reporters on site could no longer contain themselves; they trained their cameras on Ten Hag's face and shot away, the overlapping flashes keeping Ten Hag from opening his eyes for quite some time.

Gripping the microphone cable, Ten Hag explained: "I must acknowledge Tang's importance to our team; facing a strong opponent like Ajax, I must start Tang and have him play the full match; even if I may thereby incur unfavorable punishment, I believe it is worth it."

"Wow!!"

All the reporters below stood up; thunderous applause erupted in the Johan Cruyff Arena press conference room.

Seeing this scene, Ten Hag broke into a smile.

In fact, he had originally not intended to include Tang Ye in the match squad, but after noticing the incident's popularity gradually rising, Ten Hag changed his mind.

He was determined to put Tang Ye on the field, and to have him play the entire match!

Only a victory accompanied by sacrifice can witness the birth of a hero!

……

(End of Chapter)