Chapter 768 Miracle Land
Southampton and Atletico Madrid are going to travel to Lisbon, Portugal, and they need to do a lot of preparation.
For example, choosing a hotel is also a very important job.
Remember, when Ferguson led Manchester United to Rome and lost the Champions League final, he pointed the finger at the poor hotel accommodation in Rome, believing that the poor hotel conditions affected the players' rest and thus affected Manchester United's performance.
Of course, many people will scoff at this, but they have to admit that food and accommodation are important.
Not just the players, but also the Saints Supporters Club, as well as sponsor representatives and guests from Southampton and Atletico Madrid.
Yang Huan has always been very ambitious in what he does. If he does something, he will do it to the best of his ability.
So, this time he came to Lisbon, Portugal in person to select hotels for the two teams.
How to choose?
Simple!
Wouldn't it be ok if you just stay in every five-star hotel?
After several days of comparison, Yang Huan inspected several of the best five-star hotels in Lisbon, and finally selected two of the top hotels.
The two hotels are very close to each other, and it is very convenient to travel between them. They are only a few minutes' walk away.
More importantly, the transportation is convenient. It is only eight kilometers away from the airport, and it takes about ten minutes to get to Lisbon's Stadium of Light. The hotel facilities are very complete, including a gym, conference room, swimming pool and so on.
What makes Yang Huan most satisfied is that there is a Lisbon branch of Wangjiang Pavilion near the two hotels.
Of course, one's own business must take care of one's own people. At that time, the three meals a day of Southampton and Atletico Madrid will naturally be left to Wangjiang Pavilion to take charge of.
But this is not what Yang Huan cares about most. What he cares most about is the number of rooms in the hotel.
Both hotels have more than 300 rooms and are quite large.
And Yang Huan’s idea is…
"Nicholas, Ferran, go talk to the hotel. We have booked both hotels for the next two or three days before and after the game!"
Yang Huan was sitting in the car, using WeChat on his mobile phone to video chat with Nicola Cortes and Ferran Soriano.
When the two heard Yang Huan's words, they were obviously moved.
"All inclusive?"
“Master Huan, there are more than 300 rooms. I’m afraid we can’t accommodate so many!”
"Yes, according to what you just said, on average, even if they give us a discount, a room will cost at least 200 euros. With 600 to 700 rooms in two hotels, that's more than 200,000 euros a day, and that doesn't include other expenses!"
When you calculate this amount, it is indeed a considerable expense and must be considered carefully.
"I know, but what I mean is that the players, their families, sponsors, club staff, and our invited guests are all staying in these two hotels."
oh!
The two people in the video suddenly realized.
No wonder Young Master Huan attached so much importance to it this time and even went to inspect the hotel in person. So this is what was going on.
Not to mention anything else, among the guests, there are a thousand people in the Saints fan club alone. According to the normal arrangement, two people per deluxe double room, then 500 rooms will be used. The rest will be left for the players and club staff, as well as the invited players' families and guests. It may not be enough.
That's why Young Master Huan chose two hotels that are right next to each other!
"I've checked and there's a four-star hotel nearby that's pretty good. If it's not enough, our club staff will move out and stay at the four-star hotel. After all, we're one of our own, so we'll be easier to talk to!"
Yang Huan's idea was also recognized by Nicola Cortes and Ferran Soriano.
In fact, the treatment from Southampton and Atletico Madrid was good enough.
"By the way, Ferran, how was the talk between Tesiki and Sporting Lisbon?" Yang Huan asked with concern.
"I just contacted him this morning and we're almost done talking. I guess he will contact you later, Master Huan." Soriano replied quickly.
If the team wants to come to Lisbon to play the Champions League final, they will have to come early and then they will need a training ground.
Therefore, Atletico Madrid plans to borrow from Sporting Lisbon, while Southampton plans to borrow from Benfica.
This is also a very common thing, and it is just a matter of a training class, so basically no one will object to it.
"Master Huan, what's the situation here in Benfica?" Nicola Cortes asked with concern.
Although Southampton and Atletico Madrid are both owned by Master Huan, Nicola Cortes and Soriano represent Southampton and Atletico Madrid respectively, so there is naturally a sense of competition between them.
After all, this is a Champions League trophy!
Neither of these two teams has ever won the Champions League in their history!
"I'm on my way to the Stadium of Light now. I called earlier. It's not a big problem!"
Upon hearing this, Nicholas Cortes was relieved.
"I had dinner with the mayor of Lisbon and representatives of the Portuguese government last night. They mentioned that according to preliminary estimates, more than 150,000 fans will flock to Lisbon. It's a huge scale and the whole of Lisbon is very nervous."
"For safety reasons, we must do a good job with the fans and maintain good communication and contact with Lisbon. There must be no mistakes, understand?"
"I understand!" Both people in the video nodded.
They also know how important safety is!
Fifteen thousand fans flocked to Lisbon in just one or two days. This would be a heavy burden for any city, especially in recent years, when the economy of Lisbon and Portugal was so bad and public spending was constantly cut, the pressure was enormous.
Therefore, at this time, it is very necessary for the club to assume its due responsibilities and take good care of its fans.
It doesn't mean to take on everything, but to provide some necessary help and guidance within your ability.
For example, Atletico Madrid has cooperated with a travel company in Madrid to launch a Champions League final package for fans. At that time, the travel company will use buses to pick up fans between Madrid and Sporting Lisbon, departing in the early morning and returning that night.
Moreover, due to the large number of people, the cost is very cheap and it is very popular among fans.
The same is true for Southampton, but because the UK is farther away from Portugal, the club chose to cooperate with an airline.
Two or three days before and after the game, there will be more than 150 flights from Southampton and London to Lisbon, which is unprecedented in Europe. Qatar Airways, Southampton's official sponsor, is the main force of this plan.
In addition, some fans chose to drive themselves, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Champions League final to travel all the way from Madrid and London to Lisbon.
There was even a group of fanatical Saints fans, consisting of students from the University of Southampton, who launched an initiative on Southampton's official website, proposing a self-driving bicycle tour and planning to make a documentary.
This initiative has received the support of hundreds of young fans, and the club has also given strong support, even inviting professionals to accompany the team to film and record.
If Yang Huan remembered correctly, they should have already set off!
Just last night, the Lisbon City Government also promised to increase vigilance and even send out multiple drone patrols to keep an eye on the fans' movements at all times. The Portuguese government also stated that they will keep a close eye on the two teams as soon as they enter Portugal.
But even so, Yang Huan still didn't dare to be careless.
Nicola Cortes and Ferran Soriano were repeatedly reminded to be cautious, cautious and cautious.
The safety of hundreds of thousands of fans is more important than anything else!
Even after hanging up the phone, Yang Huan still couldn't feel at ease.
He had done everything he could and just hoped that nothing serious would go wrong.
Just as he let out a long sigh, the car drove out of the main road and saw Benfica's Stadium of Light in the distance.
The stadium is not located in a remote area. It is located in the city of Lisbon and has convenient transportation.
There is even an overpass around the stadium, and there is a lot of traffic, with many cars parked on the roadside.
To the west of the stadium, across the road, is an idle lot covered with weeds, while to the south of the stadium you can see many tower cranes of high-rise buildings, but it seems that none of them are under construction.
This also reminds people of the downturn and decline of Portugal's economy in recent years.
The Stadium of Light is Lisbon's second European five-star stadium after Sporting Lisbon's Alvalade Stadium.
The capacity reaches 64,000 people. The upper level of the stadium adopts a steel frame structure and the shape is very novel.
This is the stadium where Greece staged their dark horse miracle in the 2004 European Cup final!
Therefore, many media are now talking about it with relish, believing that this stadium will soon perform miracles again.
Because whether it is Southampton or Atletico Madrid winning the championship, it is a dark horse miracle.
Perhaps, the feng shui here is very unique, and it is the so-called miracle place!
But this is not just a football field, there is also a supermarket and some other shops, as well as other facilities and venues such as a gym, a basketball hall and a small open-air football field.
This is because Benfica is not just a football club, it also has other branches such as basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, etc. This is similar to Atletico Madrid, except that football is Benfica's most important core industry.
Walking around the stadium and arriving at the entrance in the southeast corner, Yang Huan discovered that there was an underground parking lot here.
But the driver turned directly from another passage, drove straight in, and finally parked in the executive parking lot in front of the office.
As soon as Yang Huan got out of the car, the first thing he saw was the vacant land to the east of the stadium that had just been demolished and leveled, as well as the row of commercial housing to the southeast. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
In recent years, more and more Chinese have come to Portugal to invest, mainly to buy houses.
Previously at Lisbon International Airport, he had seen many Chinese billboards promoting luxury homes.
It can be said that investors from China have made a very significant contribution to real estate in Lisbon and Portugal.
But even so, there are still quite a lot of unfinished buildings.
Of course, Portugal's situation is still relatively good, and its ability to withstand the economic crisis is still acceptable.
I turned around, looked up, and saw the magnificent Stadium of Light.
This is the most popular stadium in the Portuguese football market, with an average attendance of 50,000 people per game, which is quite rare in European football.
But who could have imagined that behind such a hot football market lies Benfica’s poor finances?
Just as Yang Huan and Long Wu were walking towards the door of the stadium office, Benfica's president Luiz Filipe Vieira had already strode out to greet them.
"Haha, welcome to the Stadium of Light, Mr. Yang Huan!"
Next to them, the club staff also hurriedly took pictures, making it seem as if Yang Huan was a leader who came to inspect the countryside.
"Hello, President Vieira!" Yang Huan could only smile and shake hands with him, then generously let the staff take pictures.
Otherwise, what else can we do?
However, Yang Huan recognized the middle-aged man following Vieira at a glance.
"Rui, Rui Costa!" Yang Huan shouted in surprise.
This is a superstar midfielder of his generation!
He is now the general manager of Benfica.
"Hello, Mr. Yang Huan!"
Rui Costa, dressed in a light gray suit, quickly shook Yang Huan's hand with a sincere and enthusiastic attitude.
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