Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player
Chapter 53's
That afternoon, Nero followed his three coaches to the hotel's conference room to attend a pre-tournament meeting. She looks smart in black sportswear with the RSCA Youth Academy label. His height made him stand out among the team representatives and other young captains attending the meeting.
He grew taller than all his coaches during his time in Brussels. He would definitely be the highest player in the academy team if not for Isaac, his partner in midfield. He received some curious glances from the other delegates as he sat in the conference room.
Nero ignored them and observed the conference hall after sitting in his chair next to Coach Sebastian. Surprisingly, he did not recognize anyone. No famous names from his past life were in the room. He was once again made aware of how few players from the youth leagues would join the ranks of the best footballers in the world. He hardened his determination to work hard and become a professional as quickly as possible. Only then will he face world-class players on a regular basis and improve himself.
"Welcome back to the Riga Winter Cup, gentlemen— and ladies," said a black-haired man in a dark suit. He stood on the podium that had been arranged, speaking to the team delegation that packed the conference room. "This is a tournament that will be filled with fresh emotions, as always." He smiled and adjusted his microphone to fit his height.
"For those of you who don't know my name, I'm Michael Eradio, president of the Riga Cup. We welcome all sixteen teams participating in the tournament..." His accent, similar to the Russian characters in the film, weighs heavily on his words. He tells the team delegates, including the team captain, about the general rules to follow.
The Riga Cup match will follow all applicable sections of the rules of the Latvian Football Federation. Teams will play in the group stages first and advance to the knockout stages only if they make 1st or 2nd place in their group. There will be no draws in the semi-finals or final. Penalties will determine the winner of a knockout game if such a situation occurs.
Nero sat in his chair and listened nonchalantly to that thirty-minute speech. He only came to attention when the president mentioned something about the lottery, which had previously been done, to organize the participating teams into groups.
"The organizing committee has conducted a lottery draw and organized sixteen teams of participants into four groups" said Michael Eradio, curling his mouth with a smile. "I want to assure you that the process is randomized and supervised by credible referees licensed by UEFA. The committee organizes the group in advance for better scheduling and to save time during the tournament. After this meeting, you can choose the tournament program from the attendant at the door."
The president continued his oration to even introduce sixteen teams participating in the tournament. Among the participating teams, Nero recorded some familiar names such as Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax Amsterdam, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan.
After an hour-and-a-half meeting, Nero left and returned to his room. He did not wait for his coach because they were still mingling with delegates from other academies.
On his way back, he did not forget to pick a match fixture from one of the tournament officials on the conference room's doorstep. That was the main reason behind his presence at the pre-tournament meeting.
"You're back" Ryandi called, jumping off the sofa as he opened his hotel room door. Nero notices that Stefan and Damon, his other flatmates, are also present. "Did you get the equipment?" Ryandi and Stefan asked more or less simultaneously.
Nero flashed a gentle smile to his teammates. "What do you think?" He waved a brown A4 envelope in front of his flatmates.
"Good." Stefan grinning. "Quickly. Let's check out the team we're going to face." He extended his hand towards Nero.
"Give me time to open that envelope." Nero had not checked the equipment before arriving at his room. He sat on his bed before tearing the envelope and pulling a set of printed paper from it. There is a detailed list of tournament groups and some matches on the second page.
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Riga Cup Tournament Group (U-18)
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Group A
(1) JFC Riga (Latvia)
(2) AC Milan Academy FC (Italy)
(3) RSC Anderlecht Youth Academy (Belgium)
(4) Lechia Gedanks Academy (Poland)
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Group B
(2) Atletico Madrid (Spain)
(3) Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
(4) AIK Stockholm (Sweden)
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Group C
(1) Jong Ajax (Netherlands)
(2) Skonto Academy (Latvia)
(3) VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
(4) Crystal Palace (English)
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Group D
(1) ADO Den Haag (Netherlands)
(2) Borussia Dortmund Academy (Germany)
(3) C C Sturm Graz (Austria)
(4) Jagiellonia (Poland)
****
"Group B looks like a death group" Stefan commented as Nero looked at the contents of the second page. At one point, his three flat friends swarmed over his shoulder—to glance at the fixtures in his hand.
"Zenit, Atletico, and Leverkusen." Ryandi whistled while shaking her head. "That must be a death group. Let them get exhausted in the group stages. We'll have an easier time winning during the knockout phase." Kasongo grinned.
"Our group is not easy either" Damon added. "We have to face Riga, the local club, as well as Milan's academy from Italy."
Nero ignored the chatter of his teammates and moved on to the next page. Written are match fixtures and scheduled times.
"So, we will face JFC Riga on Monday at 08.00 WIB" Ryandi said. "Isn't it too early for a game?" He frowned.
"The amount is limited, bro," Stefan replied. "You should have noticed that there is a match every two hours. But the game that worries me is our last group game against Milan at 19:00 on Thursday."
"Calm down" Nero cut after he finished reading the match schedule. "I'd rather face Milan than Dortmund or Ajax. Those academies have produced some very good players over the years."
