SWR: Chapter 1146/1149

Chapter 1146: Huge Bonus and Contract Renewal

After beating Barcelona 5-0 at home, Real Madrid had a short break before heading away to face Sevilla in the middle of the week.

This was the 30th round of La Liga.

Gao Shen rotated the squad once again, and except for Ronaldo and Ramos, almost everyone else was changed.

In the 14th minute, Ronaldo opened the scoring for Real Madrid with a free kick. But shortly after, former Real Madrid player Reyes made a brilliant pass from the right, and striker Bacca poked the ball into the net to equalize.

Just before halftime, Illarramendi played a through ball, and Ronaldo finished from the left side of the six-yard box to score his second goal, restoring Madrid's lead.

Afterwards, Real Madrid kept pressing but couldn't find another way past Sevilla's defense. The home side also struggled to create chances against such a strong opponent.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 2-1 away, with Ronaldo scoring both goals.

…

The match was played at night, and after it ended, the team returned to Madrid immediately.

The next morning, during recovery training, Florentino arrived at Valdebebas with José Sánchez, Butragueño, Valdano, and other senior executives.

The main purpose of the president's visit was to inspect the office building project Real Madrid was preparing to begin.

At present, the club still operated out of the Santiago Bernabéu, but everyone knew that stadiums had become incredibly valuable assets. For a venue as large as the Bernabéu, the commercial potential was extraordinary.

For that reason, Real Madrid had long planned to construct an office building at Valdebebas.

In recent years, construction at Valdebebas had been ongoing. After the first team moved in, stadiums for the youth team and basketball section were built, followed by the Di Stéfano Stadium. In 2012, work began on the first-team dormitory building, with Gao Shen also attending the groundbreaking ceremony. It wasn't completed until last summer.

This dormitory was built entirely to five-star hotel standards, with top-class facilities.

Now, Real Madrid was preparing to build an office building.

This had been planned for some time, since once the offices were moved to Valdebebas, the renovation of the Bernabéu could officially begin.

Everything had to be done step by step.

For a top club like Real Madrid, the number of issues involved was simply too many and too complex.

Just imagine, if the office building wasn't finished before the Bernabéu renovation started, where would the two to three hundred club employees work?

Renting an external office would not only mean paying high rent, but also renovation costs, approvals from the board of directors, and endless bureaucratic procedures.

For this new headquarters, Real Madrid had hired a famous Spanish design firm to handle the project, with plans adapted to Valdebebas' terrain. The investment would be similar to that of the first-team dormitory.

It was worth noting that the dormitory alone had cost 17 million euros, making it extremely luxurious.

…

When Florentino and his group arrived at Valdebebas, it was natural that they would meet the players.

Especially the two captains, the star players, and the rest of the squad who had been outstanding this season.

The team's performances had been excellent, and Florentino's position as president was more secure than ever.

In high spirits, he kept joking with the players and then announced the latest bonus plan approved by the board: a massive treble bonus.

This would be an unprecedented treble in Spanish football history.

In the past, Barcelona had promised similar treble rewards several times, usually around 40 million euros.

Importantly, this was an additional reward outside of the players' regular contracts, which already included salary, match bonuses, and appearance fees. The 40 million would be shared among all first-team players.

How it would be divided would depend on negotiations between the coach and the squad.

Usually, it wasn't split equally, since players' contributions varied. Those who played more and contributed more would get a bigger share. Players were generally grouped into tiers based on playing time, with each tier receiving different bonuses.

Regardless, a 40 million euro reward was still a huge motivation for the squad.

Even players in the lower tiers could receive close to one million euros.

Of course, this would only happen if they won the treble. If they only managed a double, then according to the club's reward system set before the season, the amount would be much lower.

Hearing this, the players erupted in cheers.

The league title was almost secured, the Copa del Rey final awaited, and the last hurdle was the Champions League.

In addition to the players, the coaching staff and other staff members would also receive extra bonuses, as was customary.

For example, if Gao Shen led the team to the treble, on top of his salary and contract bonuses, he would receive an additional 5 million euros.

Do not underestimate that figure. It was higher than the annual salary of Martino or Simeone.

If his salary and other bonuses were included, Gao Shen's total income from Real Madrid would reach astronomical levels.

But even with this, Real Madrid had other concerns.

Florentino's big trip to Valdebebas was also about something else: Gao Shen's contract renewal.

His original deal was three years, ending in 2015, which meant there was still more than a year left.

But clearly, the club was already anxious.

Florentino even joked that he couldn't sleep if Gao Shen's contract wasn't extended.

"I still remember that year in Cheshire, when you told me you could bring ten years of glory to Real Madrid."

Thinking about it now, Florentino still considered it the wisest decision of his presidency. Gao Shen had brought immense glory to Real Madrid.

Last season, they won both the Champions League and Copa del Rey. This season, they had won almost everything so far.

Now, with the team pushing towards an unprecedented treble, how could he not be excited?

Not only Florentino, but also the entire board of directors and the fans were urging for a renewal.

Many directors had even called him personally, asking him to secure Gao Shen's extension immediately.

"I'm telling you, Gao, if I don't get a satisfactory answer this time, I might get impeached at tomorrow's board meeting," Florentino said with a smile.

Everyone laughed.

Of course, it was an exaggeration, but it showed how important Gao Shen was at this moment.

"Is this emotional blackmail?" Gao Shen joked back.

"If it gets you to sign, then I admit it," Florentino replied without hesitation.

He had come determined to secure the deal, though specific contract terms weren't finalized yet. Many details still depended on Gao Shen's preferences.

For example, salary.

Given how eager the club was, it would make no sense not to increase it.

Previously, Gao Shen earned 20 million euros net per year, twice Ronaldo's salary. But after Ronaldo's renewal, he now earned 17 million, almost on par with Gao Shen.

So this time, Real Madrid's offer was 30 million euros net, a 50% increase, still the highest salary in world football.

In addition, there were generous bonuses and no changes to image rights.

According to their agreement, Gao Shen retained his image rights but authorized Real Madrid to operate them, with both sides splitting the profits 50-50.

Even after club costs, Gao Shen still took home about half.

With Real Madrid's strong commercial team, his brand value had exploded in the past year, generating more than 50 million euros annually in commercial income, not including deals from China and Asia.

Gao Shen now had a dedicated business team led by Su Qing.

He didn't object to the salary and agreed quickly.

As for the contract length, Real Madrid wanted a five-year deal, but Gao Shen preferred three years, from 2015 to 2018.

"2017 will be a turning point," Gao Shen explained.

Given the age of the squad, there would likely be a steep decline around that time. A rebuild would be necessary, which could cause problems.

Modern football rarely saw managers like Ferguson or Wenger anymore, because club management, fans, and media could quickly grow tired.

Win a title in your first year, and they will celebrate you. Win again the second year, and the excitement remains. But by the third, fourth, or fifth year, success becomes routine.

And once you stop winning, they might turn against you.

Gao Shen didn't want to hear boos at the Bernabéu, but he knew it was inevitable if results dipped.

If the squad aged and performances suffered, what could a coach really do?

He preferred to step away while on top, though he wouldn't say it openly.

That was why he suggested a three-year extension, until 2018. Even if problems arose in 2017, he would still have an exit.

Until then, he could guarantee that Real Madrid would remain favorites for every competition. He even had the ambition to win them all.

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Florentino agreed quickly.

In truth, even with a contract, if Gao Shen wanted to leave, the club couldn't stop him.

This renewal was simply to put things in order legally, and Real Madrid had no reason to refuse.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1147: Man Proposes, God Disposes

The vast majority of domestic fans do not realize that Real Madrid is not what they imagine.

In the eyes of fans, Real Madrid is a team, a football team composed of first-team players, coaching staff, and youth teams.

The two or three hundred employees at the Bernabéu headquarters, the Bernabéu stadium staff, and the Valdebebas staff all work around the first team.

But what is the reality?

Not really.

Real Madrid is a club, a membership organization, and a modern enterprise with a strict hierarchy.

Florentino is the chairman of the company, and under him is the board of directors, including the vice chairman and directors.

Further down, there is the CEO and various administrative departments. Although the sporting department is the core business, it is only one of the departments. Technical director Jorge Valdano is not even as influential as public relations director Butragueño.

Why?

At least Butragueño serves as a vice president.

Not to mention, below the technical director, there are the sporting director and the football director, followed by the football department and the basketball department.

Therefore, many people do not realize that whether it is Gao Shen or Ronaldo, there is actually a very long distance between them and President Florentino.

As Pellegrini said, during his season as Real Madrid head coach, he only had a handful of direct conversations with Florentino.

Not to mention actually sitting down and discussing the team's vision and future plans.

Of course, nothing is absolute.

As the core business of the club, football is naturally highly valued by the Real Madrid president.

During the first period of the Galácticos, Florentino had a lot of dealings with the first team, so Ronaldo, Zidane and others would directly call Florentino's mobile phone to complain.

But everyone who has worked in a company knows that this kind of cross-level management is very problematic.

Therefore, in the second phase of the Galácticos, Florentino changed this management mechanism.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo does not have the right to talk to him at any time.

Mourinho is a head coach highly regarded by Florentino, but he did not have it either.

It was not until Gao Shen coached Real Madrid that he and Florentino established this kind of direct dialogue.

But in the past year or so, Gao Shen has never bypassed Valdano to talk directly to Florentino.

This is a tacit understanding between them, and also a way to maintain Real Madrid's current management system.

But everyone at Real Madrid knows very well that Gao Shen has that authority.

In Real Madrid's first team, there is another person who has it, and that is Zidane.

Everyone knows that Zidane is Florentino's advisor and has always had a very special status at Real Madrid.

Some even say that if Gao Shen were not Real Madrid's head coach, Zidane would probably return to being the president's advisor, which is a very promising role.

However, like all businesses, or even more complicated than some, as a football club under worldwide scrutiny, Real Madrid has many things that cannot be put on the table.

To use Florentino's words when he advised Rosell to give up suing Laporta, whether you win or lose, it damages the club's reputation.

…

After finishing their business, Florentino suggested that Gao Shen take a walk with him outside.

The others immediately understood what was going on, and they followed from a distance, not getting close enough to hear the conversation.

Although the morning training session had ended, Valdebebas was still very busy because the coaching staff had to prepare for the afternoon session in advance, and the grounds crew had to maintain the pitches used in the morning. Some damaged turf needed to be replaced promptly. These were all routine tasks.

Gao Shen and Florentino walked slowly from the first-team training ground toward the youth section.

"In recent days, many directors have talked to me about Casillas," Florentino began.

Gao Shen had guessed it.

This had always been a sensitive topic.

Because Casillas is not only the captain of Real Madrid, but also the captain of the Spanish national team.

In fact, it has long been a tradition that the captain of Real Madrid is also the captain of the Spanish national team. If one day the captain of the national team were a Barcelona player, it would trigger an uproar.

There are many things that cannot be laid out in detail. To do so would require me to jump through time. I can only say that the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is no longer just about the two clubs, but also about national sentiment within Spain.

"You know my opinion. As early as 2012, I had this idea. You persuaded me then, but the situation is different now. You, I, and Real Madrid have done our best."

Florentino clearly still had the idea of selling Casillas and letting Ramos take his place.

This is not because Ramos is more obedient, or because he is Florentino's man.

In fact, Ramos is no more obedient than Casillas. People who know him are well aware of his character.

The key issue is that Ramos is young, and he can continue the tradition of being captain of Real Madrid and captain of the Spanish national team.

Of course, the Spanish national team's captaincy has its own rules, which are similar to Real Madrid's captain selection process.

Real Madrid's captaincy is based on seniority since joining the club, while the national team's is based on number of appearances.

In today's Spanish national team, once Casillas retires, only Xavi has more caps than Ramos.

Many people may not have noticed that Ramos was actually selected for the Spanish national team in March 2005, while Iniesta was not called up until May 2006, and Fàbregas was first called up in March 2006.

In other words, among the current group of players, Ramos still has the longest seniority.

Of course, he cannot be compared with Xavi.

But there have been reports that Xavi plans to retire from international football after the World Cup.

Ramos was selected for the national team early. Real Madrid spent a large fee to sign him and then developed him heavily. It is unrealistic to say he lacks experience.

Ramos was born in 1986, and among Real Madrid's players born in the 1990s, the most highly regarded are Carvajal and Isco, both born in 1992. Jesé, born in 1993, Morata, born in 1992, and Illarramendi, born in 1990, are also excellent.

In other words, Real Madrid now has a complete pipeline to supply players to the national team.

Barcelona is also paying attention.

From Puyol to Xavi to Iniesta, Barcelona has been consistently overshadowed by Real Madrid. Even in the generation of Fàbregas in 1987 and Busquets in 1988, they were clearly suppressed by Ramos.

Next, it will be a question of who lasts longer.

As long as Ramos can hold on, the captaincy will fall to Busquets or Fàbregas.

But that will probably happen many years later.

If Busquets and Fàbregas cannot outlast Ramos, then the next in line will be Carvajal, Isco, Jesé, and others to continue the tradition.

Of course, according to what Gao Shen knows, Ramos did not actually outlast Busquets. Unfortunately, in his previous life, the development of Isco and Jesé was not as expected.

Man proposes, God disposes.

…

"Has any team made an offer?" Gao Shen suddenly asked.

Florentino did not hide it and nodded. "Yes, several teams are inquiring."

"What did Casillas himself say?"

"We have not asked yet."

Gao Shen understood.

In fact, this is a very difficult decision.

Casillas is a very good player, but he is old now.

From a club operator's perspective, selling him is normal and kills two birds with one stone.

As early as 2012, when Casillas made a big mistake, Florentino and others wanted to sell him, but Gao Shen kept him.

Now, their view is to sell him and let Ramos take over as soon as possible.

But from an emotional perspective, it is a difficult decision.

It is not about sentimentality. It is about considering the reaction in the locker room, especially the psychology of certain players.

For example, what would Xabi Alonso think?

Why did Villas-Boas fail at Chelsea?

Because he bluntly told veterans like Drogba, Lampard, and Terry, I am here to push you out.

These veterans made great contributions to the club and carried significant weight in the dressing room. They might be older, but they definitely still had the ability and the authority to influence things.

Just like Xabi Alonso, he can still play for at least two or three years without any problem.

There is also Casillas. If he leaves, Real Madrid will have to find another suitable goalkeeper who is willing to be a backup.

"Remember, in 2012, I told you that being too emotional is not good, but being too rational and calm is not good either. I still say this now. We need wisdom to handle the Casillas situation."

Many people accuse Real Madrid of lacking humanity, and there is a reason for that.

For example, Raúl did not even have a farewell ceremony after leaving Real Madrid. Yet he only played two years at Schalke 04, and the Bundesliga club held a grand farewell ceremony for him and even temporarily retired his number.

Whether it was for publicity or something else, Schalke 04's move did make Real Madrid look very inhumane.

"If you are asking for my opinion, I respect Casillas."

Gao Shen paused and added, "If you have made a decision, I still hope you can respect Casillas and that both sides can maintain some dignity."

"Do not worry about the locker room. No matter what happens, I am here, and there will not be any trouble."

Gao Shen had already made himself clear enough.

"In addition, I want to say one more thing. I have already told Casillas that Courtois will start in the next Champions League match and the Copa del Rey final."

"He has almost recovered now. Next, I will consider arranging for him to play in the league when the pressure of the match is high."

This actually meant arranging for Casillas to play as a backup.

Gao Shen had spoken to Casillas about this several times, and the Real Madrid captain had accepted it.

But Gao Shen promised him that after the new season, everything would start from scratch and he could compete fairly with Courtois.

Of course, the premise is that he continues to stay at Real Madrid.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1148: The World-Class Shot on April Fool's Day

Florentino was gone.

He obviously did not get the answer he wanted most.

But it did not matter anymore.

As the team's head coach, Gao Shen also needed to stick to his position. He had to fight for certain interests for the players in his dressing room, even if it was just the most basic decency and dignity.

Of course, Florentino would never clash with him over such a matter.

Gao Shen had done what he could. As for what Florentino and the management would decide next and how they would communicate and negotiate with Casillas' team, that was beyond Gao Shen's control.

We are all adults, and everyone has his or her own interests.

Casillas was no exception.

Even if Casillas were really sold, Gao Shen would not be affected in any way. In fact, his status in the dressing room and in the minds of the players would only be further enhanced.

No one is willing to work for an irresponsible boss.

Since Gao Shen wanted to be the boss of the dressing room, he had to take on that responsibility.

Casillas lost his authority as the boss of the dressing room because he allowed his girlfriend to do those things.

But now, everything Gao Shen was doing would only make everyone in the dressing room rally more closely around him.

As for the conversation between Gao Shen and Florentino, no one would know the specifics unless they chose to reveal them.

Only people inside Real Madrid could infer their attitudes based on what happened afterward.

Externally, Florentino's most important outcome from Valdebebas was reaching a consensus with Gao Shen on a contract renewal.

After returning to the Bernabéu, Real Madrid quickly sent a press release to the major media outlets.

Real Madrid had officially started contract renewal negotiations with Gao Shen.

At such a critical moment, this could greatly stabilize Real Madrid's morale and spirit.

After seeing off Florentino and his party, Gao Shen and his assistants began intensive preparations for the match.

…

This weekend, in the 31st round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Rayo Vallecano at home.

Real Madrid broke the deadlock within 3 minutes.

Di María crossed from the left side of the penalty area. Benzema poked a shot in front of goal, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Ronaldo then pushed the ball into the empty net from the edge of the box, scoring the opener for Real Madrid.

In the 15th minute, after another pass from Di María, Ronaldo broke through the challenge of three defenders and slotted into the far corner from the right side of the penalty area, making it 2-0.

In the 26th minute, Ronaldo timed his run to beat the offside trap and, after receiving Modrić's pass, delivered a wonderful ball across. Benzema finished easily to make it 3-0.

After the break, Ronaldo assisted Carvajal to score, then Ronaldo and Marcelo combined brilliantly on the left side of the area. The Brazilian left-back crossed, and Di María tapped in at the back post for 5-0.

In the 70th minute, Di María latched onto a long pass from Pepe, beat the offside trap to go one-on-one, and scored again for 6-0.

In the 76th minute, Ronaldo received a pass from the substitute Isco, rounded the goalkeeper on the right side of the penalty area, and finished to complete his hat-trick, 7-0.

Just two minutes later, Isco produced another wonderful pass and Morata curled in from the left side of the penalty area.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Rayo Vallecano 8-0 at home.

While Real Madrid crushed their opponent, Barcelona narrowly beat Espanyol 1-0 away with a Messi penalty. Atlético Madrid came from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao away with goals from Diego Costa and Koke.

It is worth mentioning that Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper Valdés was injured during the game.

After the match, Barcelona announced that Valdés had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and would travel to Germany for surgery, ruling him out for at least seven months.

With the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals about to begin, Valdés' absence dealt a heavy blow to Barcelona.

And Gao Shen indeed developed his tactics around this point.

…

April 1, April Fool's Day, Camp Nou, Barcelona.

In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid visited Barcelona.

Gao Shen wore his signature, sharp Kiton suit, standing in front of the visitors' technical area, watching the game in silence.

From the moment the whistle blew, Real Madrid seized the initiative and launched high-pressing attacks on Barcelona.

The tempo was very fast, especially in the entire attacking third where Real Madrid pressed Barcelona almost frantically.

Just over a minute in, Real Madrid created a chance high up the pitch.

Marcelo and Ronaldo combined repeatedly, and the Portuguese fired from the left side of the area, but it went wide.

After that, Real Madrid kept turning the screw on Barcelona.

In particular, the two central midfielders, Toni Kroos and Modrić, took turns stepping up to press.

In the third minute, Real Madrid's pressure on Piqué forced him to play the ball back to the stand-in goalkeeper Pinto.

Modrić did not stop there. He left Piqué and sprinted straight into the box, heading directly for the goalkeeper.

Such fierce pressing caught Pinto off guard. In a hurry, he punted the ball toward the team's left, Real Madrid's right, trying to find Alba.

But at that moment, Di María suddenly burst forward, intercepted before Alba, and slipped a diagonal pass as he dribbled into the area.

The ball was played from the right side of Barcelona's box and the top of the arc. Neither Benzema nor Modrić attacked it, instead drawing the defenders' attention, allowing Ronaldo, arriving from the front, to beat Piqué to it and guide the ball into the bottom-right corner.

1-0!

…

After taking the lead, Real Madrid tried again but could not break Barcelona's goal.

Gao Shen then decided to consolidate, signaling the team to drop off, stabilize the defense, and wait to counter.

Barcelona took the opportunity to launch wave after wave of attacks.

Unlike before, Barcelona increased their long-range shooting from outside Real Madrid's penalty area.

Neymar, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta all took turns shooting from distance, clearly looking to exploit the weakness of Real Madrid's single pivot and strengthen their threat from outside the box.

Courtois performed superbly, parrying shots left and right, making it hard for Barcelona to score.

Barcelona attacked with increasing intensity.

The Camp Nou crowd grew anxious. They clearly could not accept the team's poor performance, losing to Real Madrid at home again, and kept urging the team to ramp up the attack.

But just when Barcelona could not find a breakthrough, Real Madrid won the ball at the back and Ramos suddenly launched a long pass over the top behind Barcelona's defense.

Benzema accelerated onto it, reached the edge of the area, and before Piqué could reach the ball, used his body to shield the center-back, brought it under control, and held off Piqué in the physical battle.

Puyol and Piqué looked to double up on Benzema, but the French striker laid it back to the right side of the box with his back to goal.

Di María arrived like lightning from deep, took the ball into the area ahead of Alba, and when Pinto came out, he used the outside of his left foot to prod it.

The ball went under Pinto and nestled inside the left side of Barcelona's goal.

2-0!!

…

Two quick goals disrupted Barcelona's setup and rhythm. In attack especially, Barcelona became very anxious.

Real Madrid played steadily. They were at an absolute disadvantage in territory and possession, but in terms of clear chances, they did better than Barcelona.

Courtois was excellent, keeping Barcelona out for the entire first half.

After the interval, the pattern remained one-sided.

But in the 54th minute, Real Madrid launched another fast counter.

Ronaldo and Marcelo forced their way through on the left, but Barcelona recovered quickly this time and did not allow the counter to develop. When Real Madrid reached the edge of the box, they had to slow down and recycle to Toni Kroos to reorganize.

Real Madrid's midfield circulated the ball outside Barcelona's penalty area, while the front three held the line near the edge of the box, flattening Barcelona's defense. The two full-backs also pushed up aggressively.

Everyone knew Real Madrid's strengths were pace, efficiency, and aerial prowess.

So, in setting up their defense, Barcelona paid special attention to Madrid's wide threat.

But this time, Real Madrid suddenly changed the pattern. Toni Kroos received on the left side of the area, drew Busquets' attention, then switched to an unmarked Modrić on the right.

Modrić took a touch to set himself. With no Barcelona player immediately closing him down, the Croatian midfielder hesitated, then struck it cleanly, producing a world-class goal.

The ball flew with tremendous speed, drew an elegant arc, and found the top-left corner.

Although Pinto tried his best, he could do nothing.

3-0!

Camp Nou erupted in boos.

Barcelona fans were very dissatisfied with the performance, especially with goalkeeper Pinto.

Everyone knew that if Pinto had not made the early mistake, Barcelona would not have played so anxiously.

But there are no ifs.

Pinto's error gave Real Madrid a great opportunity, and Ronaldo seized it.

After going three up, Real Madrid relaxed slightly.

After all, scoring three away goals gave them a clear advantage, but Barcelona hit back quickly.

Messi dribbled past two defenders outside the box, then whipped a world-class left-footed strike into Courtois' goal.

This made Gao Shen on the touchline extremely dissatisfied. He loudly scolded Real Madrid's defenders, demanding they focus, stay alert, and avoid carelessness.

Against a team like Barcelona, any lapse can be disastrous.

They have superstars like Messi and Neymar who can change a game at any moment.

After conceding, Real Madrid became more passive, and Barcelona pressed to close the gap, but Courtois remained very solid.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 away and put one foot into the Champions League semi-finals.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 1149: The Heaviest Fine in History

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 away and put one foot into the Champions League semi-finals.

But interestingly, this match did not make the front pages of major media outlets afterward.

It was not because the game was not important enough, but because even bigger news had arrived.

On the night of the match, FIFA posted a disciplinary notice on its official website, announcing that Barcelona would be banned from player transactions for 14 months, covering two transfer windows.

The reason for the punishment was that Barcelona violated regulations when signing U18 players.

As soon as the news came out, it caused an uproar.

This was arguably the heaviest fine in history.

In Gao Shen's previous life, Barcelona did receive such a punishment, but they quickly moved into crisis PR mode and kept appealing, eventually managing to delay the execution of the punishment, allowing them to sign players in the 2014 summer transfer window.

Gao Shen did not fully understand the specifics at the time, but now he had a clearer picture.

The so-called violations could be traced back to 2001, when FIFA introduced a series of transfer clauses aimed at protecting underage players, such as Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

According to the rules, players under the age of 18 are not allowed to play football abroad.

At this point, everyone must be wondering how that is possible.

Setting aside Messi, who predated these measures, look at recent years. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Premier League teams like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Leeds United have all recruited globally.

Especially a club like Leeds United, have they not made many such signings in recent years?

Not to mention those under 18, even teenagers born in the late 1990s are being recruited. Is that not even more outrageous?

But in 2007, FIFA established a transfer inspection system based on these clauses, with a component specifically overseeing the transfers of players under 18.

So what about the signings made by clubs like Leeds United?

The answer lies in three special exemptions in the terms.

One, the player lives near the border, within 100 kilometers of a club in a neighboring country. Two, the player is over 16 and the transfer is within the EU. Three, the player's family relocates to the country of the club for non-football reasons.

It is clear FIFA did consider various scenarios.

But there is a saying that suits this well: for every policy, there is a countermeasure.

FIFA has clear regulations, and clubs find ways around them.

The most common method is the third exemption, where the player's family relocates for non-football reasons.

What does that mean?

For example, if Mbappé were to move from France to Leeds United, how would it be done?

Would Leeds United directly offer Mbappé's family jobs?

No, that is explicitly forbidden. The relocation must be for non-football reasons, and the jobs cannot come directly from Leeds United.

Therefore, Leeds United would need to first "help" Mbappé's family find employment in the UK, and the whole family would "move" to the UK to live, allowing Mbappé to join Leeds United's academy.

Do you understand?

In reality, there are many ways to navigate these clauses. Because of this, FIFA's rules were rarely enforced strictly.

If they were, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and almost all clubs in Europe's top leagues would suffer.

Who has not done this?

In fact, FIFA's real purpose in establishing these clauses was never to stop top clubs from recruiting young talent, but to avoid money laundering and illicit deals, so enforcement often turned a blind eye.

You might ask, since everyone does it and FIFA usually adopts a "no investigation unless reported" approach, why punish Barcelona now, and so severely?

The reason is simple. Someone reported Barcelona.

In early 2013, FIFA found that Barcelona had violated transfer regulations for 10 youth players between 2009 and 2013 and banned six of them, including three Korean players.

But what was the issue?

More than a year passed, and Barcelona did not carry out a thorough rectification. It was even seized upon by someone with ulterior motives, who reported it to FIFA anonymously, listing in great detail which specific regulations Barcelona had violated.

In that situation, what could FIFA do?

They had punished Barcelona a year earlier and sounded the alarm, yet the club still did not clean up the mess.

In that case, how could they not impose severe penalties?

This might seem minor, but it actually exposed a very serious problem.

Even Gao Shen's first reaction when he saw the news was, "Does Barcelona not have compliance and risk control?"

Is this not the basic awareness all normal companies and institutions should have?

But soon, Gao Shen understood.

Not just Barcelona, many football clubs, and even many superstar players and famous coaches, have little awareness of this.

For example, Chelsea actually arranged for Mourinho to meet Ashley Cole in person to discuss the Arsenal left-back's prospects after joining Chelsea.

That was simply outrageous, was it not?

Look at what Barcelona has done in poaching players over the years. Do these actions not show they do not follow the rules?

Many people say Real Madrid like to poach other clubs' stars, but Real Madrid usually do things in an orderly manner.

There are many ways to navigate youth recruitment, not only the three exemptions above, but also a series of other methods. Yet Barcelona seemed too lazy to use them.

There was probably a belief that FIFA would not investigate closely anyway.

After FIFA's careful review and warning, Barcelona still did not make substantive changes, perhaps because the punished parties were youth players.

Gao Shen clearly remembered there was talk in Barcelona at the time that there were 15,000 underage overseas players in Catalonia, and if FIFA rules were strictly applied, all would be non-compliant.

Was that not a challenge to FIFA?

It is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet and being stopped by the police, then pointing at other riders and saying, they are not wearing helmets either, why arrest only me?

The problem is, the police warned you yesterday, reminded you there would be a crackdown, and told you to remember to wear one.

What was even more outrageous was that after being punished by FIFA, Barcelona held a press conference to explain themselves and vaguely hinted that there was a mastermind behind the attack on Barcelona.

Gao Shen found this unbelievable.

By contrast, Leeds United had a very complete compliance and risk management system. Whether contacting players or making major decisions like transfers, there would be an assessment plan to ensure compliance with the rules of FIFA, UEFA, the local FA, and the government.

The team also invested heavily in this area every year. The legal advisory team specialized in studying these rules and making recommendations to avoid such outrageous operations.

Barcelona is such a big club, and they even have a vice president specifically responsible for legal affairs, yet they ended up causing such a mess. The key issue is that even after being punished, they were so slow to react. It is truly unbelievable.

…

"You know what? Every time I see how these top teams operate, even clubs like Manchester United, I really feel it is unfair that Leeds United are not more successful."

When Gao Shen returned home and mentioned this to Su Qing, he found it extremely funny.

He could not understand how such things could happen in a normal company.

The key point was that Bartomeu issued a statement early in the morning saying that they knew in November last year that FIFA was going to punish them, but in the past four months, both Barcelona and the Spanish Football Federation were told there would be no punishment at all.

This was why Barcelona had been slow to act.

If there had been no explanation, it would have been fine. But once explained, the veil was torn off.

Translated, it basically meant: we knew we would be punished last November, but we obtained inside information through certain special channels that it would all be talk and no action, and it would not be implemented.

This was quite something.

"After all, it is still a management issue." Su Qing also felt it was outrageous.

Even without mentioning the punishment in early 2013, since they knew in November they were going to be punished, should they not have made amends quickly?

How could they be so careless and assume there would be no real punishment?

"They are simply too self-righteous and do not deserve their positions," Gao Shen pointed out bluntly.

"Exactly. With bloated management, overstaffing, and a lack of basic analysis and judgment, combined with blind faith, it led to the current situation."

At this point, Su Qing smiled bitterly. "In fact, whether it is FIFA or UEFA, they are not entirely proper either. There are too many gray areas. This has led to deep waters in the industry, with unspoken rules rampant. Gradually, people start ignoring the rules and even basic compliance."

"So, how could we at Leeds United fail? What reason is there for us not to succeed?" Gao Shen was particularly confident.

Leeds United were among the best in management.

"It is not as exaggerated as you say." Su Qing smiled. "But sometimes I really feel these clubs, even some of the wealthy ones, should seriously reform their management mechanisms. After all, these are transactions involving tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of euros. How can they be so careless?"

Let us not even mention corruption, which is widespread.

When it comes to risk management, especially in player transfers, there are probably no more than five teams in the world that can fully assess it.

As explained in Football Economics, these clubs' transfers often follow a herd mentality.

For example, if a player shines at a World Cup, his value can increase tenfold overnight.

That is outrageous, is it not?

From the perspective of ability, does it mean a player becomes dramatically stronger after playing in a World Cup?

The answer is obviously no.

The main factor behind skyrocketing prices is that as performances capture global attention, the player's name becomes more famous, more teams enter the race, demand increases, and prices naturally rise.

As for how much they rise, is that not just a matter of narrative?

This involves how a club conducts transfers.

This is a must-have skill for almost all so-called black shops.

Leeds United are also very experienced in this regard.

Gao Shen had a strong premonition. On one hand, it was a World Cup year. On the other, if Barcelona appealed and obtained a delay in execution, they would surely go on a spending spree this summer.

In that case, it would be better to hit them harder and make them bleed more this summer.

(To be continued.)