Chapter 71 Bullying

"At every press conference, they give participating journalists a small gift worth more than two or three hundred pounds. If it was only once, it would be nothing, but they give it every time, which is quite extraordinary."

Not only in the UK, but even in the world, this is the only one of its kind.

When Rebekah Wade heard what her men said, she immediately understood.

It is not uncommon for football clubs to give gifts to journalists, but it usually happens during festivals and the journalists have to be big names.

But it is very rare to see a team like Southampton giving gifts to both big names and small players and treating them equally.

What’s more important is that they deliver it every time, which is very rare.

"No wonder there have been reports about Southampton in the newspapers almost every day in the past two months, and all of them are positive. It turns out that it's not just because the club has the resources to hype itself, but there is also this layer of relationship behind it."

As she spoke, Rebekah Wade looked at the reporter in front of her. His name was Charles Pike, a very young reporter.

"Editor-in-chief, I have actually received quite a few gifts from them, but I can guarantee that I have never done anything that violates professional ethics." Charles Pike is responsible for following the English League One in The Sun, with a focus on Southampton.

"Okay, I got it!" Rebekah Wade just wanted to put some pressure on him so that he could share some of the benefits in the future, so that his subordinates wouldn't get a lot of money while he, the editor-in-chief, would get nothing.

"Go on."

"In addition, I also got the news that they entertained the referees in the top five-star hotels and arranged luxury cars for pick-up. This is also a considerable achievement." Charles Pike was also amazed.

Rebekah Wade was also amazed when she heard it. After all, let alone the English League One, even in the Premier League, Southampton was probably the only one to entertain the referee team with such high standards.

"The English Football Association should know, right?" Rebekah Wade asked casually, but it was very crucial.

"Well, they have reported that there are not many hotels in Southampton, and they don't want the referees to live in a bad environment and affect their rest, so..."

After hearing this, Rebekah Wade clapped her hands on the table and looked very excited.

"Very good, hurry up and get ready. Tomorrow morning's front-page headline will be Southampton. Also, in the next three days, I will use three consecutive important pages to introduce the uniqueness of this team. You should get ready as soon as possible!"

Charles Pike agreed without hesitation, "No problem, editor-in-chief, I have all the materials ready."

"Well, hurry up, time is running out!"

We need to start preparing for tomorrow morning's front-page headlines now, otherwise it will be too late.

After seeing Charles Pike off, Rebekah Wade sat down again and looked at the photos on the monitor with a smile on her face. She knew very well that this matter had caused a huge uproar on the Internet. She believed that early tomorrow morning, websites all over the world would be competing to report on this matter, and even newspapers and TV stations might follow suit.

The Sun must stay firmly at the forefront.

This is their biggest secret to ensuring their sales are far ahead over the years!

Oh, by the way, he also thought of a killer move.

…………

…………

In fact, it was just as Rebekah Wade, who had a keen sense of news, guessed.

Early the next morning, almost all the British media's front-page headlines were about this incident in Southampton.

Even the third round of the Premier League and news about the European Super Cup were all under his control.

This is almost impossible for a League One team.

But within one day, Southampton firmly occupied the front pages of major British newspapers, and even occupied important pages of many newspapers in Europe and around the world.

On the Internet, the controversy has become even more heated.

Everyone was shocked by Southampton's generosity, a prize of 10 million pounds for a game, which had almost never happened in football history.

Countless fans and spectators were amazed, thinking that Southampton was spending money in an unscrupulous manner.

I think the owner of Southampton is the real super rich man, and Abramovich and the Abu Dhabi consortium are not as good as him.

There are even more and more netizens paying attention to or becoming fans of Southampton.

Because they all believe that with the money spent by the rich boss, Southampton will rise soon.

And during Southampton's rise, they were able to gain a sense of participation that fans of top teams did not have.

For a time, the number of Southampton fans increased rapidly.

Even on WeChat, the number of fans of Southampton's official WeChat account even surpassed Ibrahimovic, ranking far first, with a total number of over two million.

This incident also further attracted more users around the world to use WeChat.

But it soon sparked a series of controversies.

Manchester United coach Ferguson had previously fallen out with Southampton over the transfers of Paul Pogba and Ravelle Morrison. In an interview with The Sun, he was the first to question Southampton's approach, believing that this approach would destroy the environment and structure of English football.

"According to the legal provisions of the English professional league, all incentive bonuses must be clearly recorded in the player's contract at the beginning of the season, but Southampton has violated this principle. I call on the English Football Association to investigate this."

Arsenal head coach Wenger also said that such money-burning behavior would not do any good to the English league.

The Premier League also expressed strong concern about this matter, but Premier League CEO Scudmore believes that whether Southampton has violated the rules requires further investigation and evidence collection by the FA.

Southampton officials apologized as soon as they received the news.

The team's chief press officer Sun Yue immediately held a press conference the next day, expressing his responsibility for the incident, but he defended the team and management, believing that it was mainly due to a lack of experience in running a team, and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the FA's investigation and even impose penalties.

But at the press conference, Sun Yue also hit back at Ferguson and Wenger's actions.

"We admit our mistakes. We lack experience. After all, we have only been here for less than two months and are not very clear about the relevant laws and regulations. But I want to ask Manchester United and Arsenal, do you dare to say that you have not violated any regulations? Do you dare to say that everything you do is strictly in accordance with the regulations of the Premier League and the English Football Association? Do you need me to give examples?"

"Even if our actions really destroyed the competition in English football, it would only be temporary. What about you?"

"As a wealthy family, isn't the damage caused by your every move and every action greater and more serious than ours?"

Sun Yue's questioning gave Manchester United and Arsenal a strong counterattack.

Everyone knows that laws and regulations are only on the surface, and what people do in private is just turned a blind eye.

But Arsenal and Manchester United are now putting pressure on the FA at the same time, which is undoubtedly suppressing Southampton.

Moreover, after Southampton publicly apologized, it was tantamount to indirectly acknowledging the huge bonus, which once again set off media around the world. Everyone previously thought it was just a misunderstanding and hype, but now it seems that this is indeed true.

That said, Southampton did spend £10 million to reward the team.

Otherwise, why apologize and express willingness to accept punishment?

The English FA also demonstrated high efficiency this time. On the afternoon of the same day after Southampton apologized, they held an impromptu high-level meeting and made a judgment. Taking into account that Southampton was a newcomer and a first-time offender, they gave Southampton a verbal warning and no fine.

Are you kidding? You just announced the day before yesterday that you had received a donation of two million pounds, and now you’re fining them the next moment. Do you have the nerve to do that?

Southampton immediately announced that it accepted the punishment from the English Football Association and promised not to commit the same offense again. However, Sun Yue once again implicitly stated Southampton's attitude at the press conference, which was that the team was being suppressed by the giants.

The outside media also likes this role positioning, that is, Manchester United and Arsenal, two giants at the top of the English professional league pyramid, join forces to suppress the rapidly developing small team Southampton. This has undoubtedly become the focus of media and newspaper hype.

As a result, Southampton was portrayed as a tragic team oppressed by the giants, while Manchester United and Arsenal became hegemonic teams that bullied the weak.

There is no doubt that the underdog attracted more sympathy, and Southampton received almost unanimous support in public opinion.

"How much money they want to reward is their business. What does it have to do with Manchester United?"

"I want to ask Manchester United and Arsenal, can you guarantee that you have not evaded taxes?"

"The English Football Association should take a close look at the financial situation of these two teams!"

"Well done to Southampton for having the courage to admit mistakes and take responsibility. Don't be afraid of being suppressed by the big teams. We support you!"

"Yes, I support Southampton. I have long been dissatisfied with Manchester United and Arsenal, the two hegemonists."

"Come on Southampton, strive to be promoted to the Premier League as soon as possible and beat them!"

Southampton's top star Ibrahimovic also expressed his dissatisfaction with the actions of Manchester United and Arsenal in an interview with the Times and explained what happened throughout the incident.

"Our boss rewarded the team with a large sum of money, mainly hoping that the team can work hard and get rid of the slump at the beginning of the season. In fact, we did not win the game because of the huge bonus. Each of us worked very hard to win every confrontation."

"After this incident, everyone in our locker room has seen the truth of the matter and has become more united. This incident did not dampen our enthusiasm and enterprising spirit. On the contrary, it has made us more motivated."

"Ferguson and Wenger said we were playing for the money but we will prove we are not."

"We hope to draw these two teams in the FA Cup, because we will use facts to prove that even if there is no bonus, we will still give our best, and a Southampton team that gives its best to play has the strength to beat any opponent."

"Even if they are Manchester United or Arsenal!"

Ibrahimovic's words immediately received unanimous support and affirmation from Southampton fans and players.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing his parents.

After finally meeting a rich boss who offers a generous reward, he turns around and is screwed over by Manchester United and Arsenal. Who wouldn't be angry?

Neymar also expressed his opinion on WeChat, saying that the team is currently united and hopes to challenge strong opponents in the FA Cup.

Captain Adam Lallana even challenged Manchester United and Arsenal to be careful.

"You better not draw us in the FA Cup!"

No one expected that what was originally a violation by Southampton could, thanks to the public relations and operations of the News Department, make the whole world think that this was a move by a wealthy team to suppress a lower-level league team.

Southampton was portrayed by the media as a brave team that is not afraid of power, winning the hearts of fans.

In September, the turmoil subsided temporarily, but Southampton soon attracted the media's attention again.

Through Cash Harris's help, Southampton signed a sponsorship contract with Citibank with a total value of 7 million pounds, which is also the highest jersey sponsorship that the English League One and the Championship can get. Even more than half of the Premier League teams are not as good as Southampton.

At the press conference, the CEO of Citibank also stated that there is a one-year renewal clause in the contract, and if Southampton is successfully promoted next year, Citibank's sponsorship amount will be further increased.

After signing the big sponsorship contract, Southampton's first game in September was the first round of the English League Championship in a lower-level league, against Swindon, also from League One.

The Saints played at home and continued their momentum from the previous match when they defeated Charlton Athletic, beating Swindon Town 5-0 at home.

Three days later, again at St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton defeated the visiting northern team Rochdale 6-1 at home.

Having won three games in a row, Southampton became the talk of the town and received constant attention and unanimous praise from the British domestic media.

While Southampton's performance improved significantly and they won big against their opponents one after another, Yang Huan appeared on the campus of the University of Southampton.

This time, he challenged all students in the entire University of Southampton!

Football Giants