In the days leading up to the match, explosive news broke: Team Am's official announcement stated that Head Coach Messi would be temporarily absent for the next game, with the assistant coach stepping in as interim head coach.
This news shocked the world. No one expected Messi to step down from his coaching position at this particular time. The entire world had been anticipating watching Messi falter.
Regardless of whether the next match was won or lost, the outcome would have been dire for Head Coach Messi.
Based on past experiences, Messi was unlikely to escape this ordeal.
It wasn't uncommon for head coaches to lead teams from one country in fierce competition against their own. In fact, such situations occurred frequently.
However, there had never been a case where a head coach abandoned their post just before a crucial match.
A head coach deserting their team before a game could lead to even more disastrous consequences.
Recently, win or lose, at least there was a persona of someone brave enough to take responsibility. As long as there were no obvious signs of match-fixing on the field, public criticism might ensue but would eventually fade with time.
But for a head coach to retreat from the battlefield would be an undeniable act of cowardice, destined to be etched onto the pillar of shame in history, a dark stain that would be difficult to forget.
No one expected Messi to make such a decision. Wouldn't Huang He, the owner of Team Am, be driven to madness by this?
As a result, global media coverage intensified, and amidst this fervent buzz, the match finally commenced.
Simultaneously, the pre-match interview session once again saw a massive influx of reporters. The room, originally designed to accommodate a maximum of 150 people, was crammed with over 600 journalists.
Although the press conference had not yet begun and the representatives from Team Am had not appeared, the mere prospect of Messi attending the pre-match interview was enough to make headlines worldwide.
If Messi had indeed resigned as head coach, he would logically no longer be qualified to lead the team in interviews. Even if he did, his appearance at this time would undoubtedly be a very negative situation for him.
If Messi did not appear, who would be qualified to lead Team Am in interviews? After all, there was no precedent for an assistant coach giving interviews.
Typically, when the head coach is unable to attend, the team captain handles the interviews. This meant that Liu Xu might be the one stepping forward.
Whomever it was, the anticipation was enough to draw significant attention.
As the key figure for the interview emerged, it was destined to dominate the front pages.
For the person leading the team in the pre-match interview was none other than the world's richest man, Boss Huang He.
Instantly, countless camera flashes erupted. No one had expected Huang He to appear; it was a surprise even greater than a Christmas gift.
Soon, cameras, seemingly without reason, focused on Huang He. Almost all reporters raised their hands, eager to secure this precious interview opportunity. Then, Boss Huang spoke in Chinese: "To the reporters who can understand me, please hand your press passes to the staff on either side within 10 seconds. I prefer direct communication without language barriers!"
As he finished speaking, over 40 reporters immediately removed their press passes and handed them to the nearby staff at the fastest speed possible, leaving the other reporters, who were still raising their hands, utterly bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened. When the on-site translator relayed Boss Huang's words, everyone collectively froze.
Shortly after, the staff presented the collected press passes to Huang He. Boss Huang casually drew one, and the translator announced the reporter's name. An excited reporter stood up and asked in somewhat unpracticed Chinese, "Mr. Huang, in what capacity are you attending this pre-match press conference?"
This question was quite astute because Huang He's identity at this moment was crucial. Team Am was a regional team, representing the will of a region, and therefore, logically, could not have an owner.
Thus, Boss Huang's personal appearance at the venue was technically a violation, as he was neither a player nor a coach. By all rights, he was not qualified to be there.
"I am the Chairman of the Am Football Association. Since our head coach is unable to attend the press conference due to unforeseen circumstances, I am here to represent him!" Huang He replied decisively. This answer was also impeccable, after all, he was the chairman of the association.
"May I ask why Head Coach Messi has temporarily withdrawn?" the next reporter asked, directly addressing the question most on everyone's mind.
The reporters expected Boss Huang to evade the question, offering vague answers like Head Coach Messi feeling unwell or having an urgent family matter requiring him to return home, thereby masking the real reason. However, Huang He directly stated, "We believe Head Coach Messi's current state is questionable, and it is not suitable for him to serve as head coach for this match. Therefore, he has been temporarily suspended to rest for this game!"
"Holy cow!" a collective gasp swept through the room. This answer was explosive and incredibly candid, essentially stating that the Am Football Association did not trust Messi.
"Mr. Huang He, does this mean the Am Football Association does not trust Head Coach Messi?" the reporter pressed.
"Yes!" Huang He's reply was equally direct. "Although I personally believe that based on Head Coach Messi's character, he would never do such a thing, we have discovered numerous threats against Head Coach Messi on social media.
"We have counted and collected over 28,000 Weibo messages, all originating from Argentina. These accounts, using their own language, have been coercing Head Coach Messi, telling him not to forget he is Argentine, not to forget Argentina raised him, and even brazenly demanding in their messages that he throw the game, requiring Team Am, which he leads, to deliberately lose to Argentina.
"Furthermore, many messages directly threaten Head Coach Messi. Many of these threats are extremely malicious, with over 3,620 individuals stating they would kill Head Coach Messi, and 326 people making bomb threats via mail, and so on.
"All of this has caused severe psychological distress to Head Coach Messi. Therefore, we strongly suspect and do not trust that Head Coach Messi can still make the correct decisions in the next match.
"In light of all this, our collective committee of the Am Football Association has made a considered decision: to suspend Head Coach Messi's coaching qualifications for this match. The substitute coach will be responsible for the next game, and Coach Messi will remain in his hotel to rest and will also not participate in recent team training.
"Head Coach Messi himself has stated that his emotions are stable and he is willing to accept the association's arrangements. That is the situation!" Huang He said with considerable anger. His response left everyone speechless, marveling at the genius behind such a reason. Messi, in one fell swoop, had been extricated from the whirlpool.
Indeed, this response was exceptionally clever. By having the Football Association make the statement, they were forcibly requiring Messi to withdraw and directly suspending his coaching qualifications. This effectively saved Messi's reputation and image.
The Football Association then shifted the blame squarely onto the Argentine fans. They claimed that the association was stopping Messi's coaching duties out of concern for his safety, rather than mistrusting his personal abilities. This excuse was also flawless, placing no pressure on the Am Football Association.
Ultimately, the only ones to suffer were those abusive Argentine fans, who became the ultimate scapegoats.
However, given that they would threaten a normally functioning team's head coach with such language on social media, these fans deserved to be scapegoats, or rather, all the blame was inherently theirs.
"Mr. Huang He, will Head Coach Messi be in charge for the match after the next one?" a reporter asked.
"If we win the next match, I can give you a definite answer!" Huang He replied, eliciting laughter from the audience.
"And do you believe your team will win this match?" another reporter inquired.
"I believe that as long as we can push it to a penalty shootout, victory will surely be ours!" Huang He chuckled, followed by another round of laughter. The post-match interview concluded in such a cheerful atmosphere.
After the interview, many negative comments about Messi on the internet instantly disappeared. It was unclear if these commenters felt remorse after hearing Boss Huang's words or if someone had simply deleted those comments.
Regardless, the football world was truly envious of Messi, marveling at him for having such an exceptional owner.
When facing a public relations crisis, he was willing to step forward directly, using the reputation of the entire Football Association to protect his own. Such an exemplary owner – please give me ten of them!
However, regardless of the public sentiment, the match between Team Am and Argentina began quickly. This was perhaps the most bewildering match for the spectators.
Team Am had consecutively defeated Poland, appearing very strong. Yet, Argentina had fought their way back from the brink of elimination, also seeming formidable. Moreover, they were a former World Cup champion team with a deep history, making it truly difficult to predict who would win.
Ultimately, everyone unanimously agreed that Argentina had a higher chance of winning, as Team Am was without a head coach. This perception held until they discovered Huang He himself had appeared on the coaching bench, unceremoniously occupying the head coach's seat.
At this moment, all spectators and media suddenly realized that the actual head coach for this match might not be the assistant coach at all, but Boss Huang himself.
The world's richest man serving as the team's head coach – that was a piece of news so explosive it could shake the heavens and earth.
There will be another chapter later, currently being written.