Starting from a Fake University
Chapter 1714 - 900: Summoned by the General Administration of Sports_2

Chapter 1714: Chapter 900: Summoned by the General Administration of Sports_2

Wen Ruohan quickly operated the phone, transferring the call to Principal Ding’s desk phone.

"Hello, this is Ding Yue, the Principal of Mist City Arts and Science University."

Ding Yue answered the call, first introducing himself.

"Hello, Principal Ding."

A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end, sounding about forty to fifty years old, with a strong leadership vibe. Just listening, you could tell he was someone with a high position in the National Sports Administration.

"I am Deputy Director Rao Wanzhi from the National Sports Administration." The person on the phone also introduced himself.

Wow!

The Deputy Director of the Sports Administration holds a position comparable to the Deputy Director Chen of the Space Administration, except one is from the sports department, and the other is from the space department.

"Ah, it’s Deputy Director Rao."

After learning the identity of the person on the other end, Ding Yue immediately said, "Is it because one of our students from the Mist City Arts and Science University Sports College in the National Team made a mistake?"

Anyone familiar with Xia Country sports would naturally know Deputy Director Rao Wanzhi from the Sports Administration. Ding Yue was also somewhat informed as he mainly oversees domestic and international sports events.

Generally, the roles of the department heads and deputies differ; the head is the entire department’s leader, while the deputy roles can be numerous, each managing specific affairs, similar to how a group company could have several vice presidents.

"Oh no, no need to worry, Principal Ding. As far as I know, your students in the National Team from Mist City Arts and Science University perform very well and are quite diligent, truly living up to the excellent education of Mist City Arts and Science University Sports College."

Rao Wanzhi quickly clarified.

He wasn’t calling Principal Ding to cast blame, not at all. In fact, the students from Mist City Arts and Science University Sports College who entered the National Team have been outstanding, making significant achievements in various domestic and international competitions. Some even performed impressively on the World Championship stage.

"Oh, that’s good, that’s good."

Ding Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

In reality, Ding Yue’s earlier statement was merely a rhetorical gesture. He knew well whether the students from the Mist City Arts and Science University Sports College who joined the National Team had caused any trouble.

"Principal Ding, I’m reaching out this time to discuss the National Football Team. I understand you are the person in charge of the Feiyue Football Club, correct?"

Deputy Director Rao’s tone grew serious as he asked.

"Yes, that’s right, the Feiyue Football Club is mine."

Ding Yue straightforwardly replied.

It seems Deputy Director Rao must have done some in-depth research on the Feiyue Football Club. Indeed, the true owner of the Feiyue Football Club is Ding Yue.

"National Football Team... Deputy Director Rao, is it because the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers are about to begin?"

Upon hearing Deputy Director Rao mention the National Football Team, Ding Yue faintly sensed something.

The men’s National Football Team of Xia Country is quite different from other sports in structure, following a club system domestically.

Unlike other sports, where the National Team directly nurtures athletes to make the country proud on the field, football operates differently. The National Football Team never has a fixed roster; it adopts a club recruitment model.

What’s the implication here?

It means the men’s National Football Team remains in a "disbanded" state when there are no competitions. When events like the Asian Cup or World Cup Pre-Match require participation, the National Team coaches recruit professional footballers from the Summer League A’s major clubs to form the National Team, then train and compete.

This model is utilized in many countries, yet Xia Country’s recruitment model hasn’t been very effective.

Despite the football players’ mediocre abilities, the National Team formed under this system doesn’t perform notably well, one of the reasons the National Football Team consistently fails in major international competitions over the years.

Since professional footballers have contracts with clubs, belong to the clubs, and earn their money from the clubs, joining the National Team to play is akin to overtime work, generally unpaid. This significantly diminishes their motivation. Moreover, understanding their own level, they realize the likelihood of losing to other National Teams is high, leading some to simply give up, figuring it doesn’t matter if they lose to the Vietnamese or the Thai; after all, they have nothing to lose.

They’ve essentially chosen to disregard their reputation.

"Yes, the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for the Eagle, Canada, and Mexico are about to commence. We suffered a bitter loss in the 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifiers. Many regarded us as the earliest team preparing for the 2026 World Cup, and now that the Qualifiers are approaching, we must rally our spirits!"

Deputy Director Rao expressed this sentiment with emotion.

Reflecting on the 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifiers, the National Football Team’s loss to the Vietnamese, missing the World Cup, was a moment of despair.

Although, since 2002, the National Football Team hasn’t qualified for the World Cup, Deputy Director Rao, overseeing football as a part of the Sports Administration, wished to see the National Football Team return to the World Cup.

In recent years, a different club team has emerged within the country.

This team is the Feiyue Football Club. Historically perceived strong teams within domestic football clubs were nothing more than Hengtai, Haigang, An Country, Lu City, etc.

However, in the Xia Super League, these once-top domestic football clubs almost never triumphed against the Feiyue Football Club.

Rao Wanzhi saw a glimmer of hope for the National Football Team because of this.

Mist City Arts and Science University and Feiyue Football Club have cultivated a group of outstanding football players for the people of Xia Country.

"So... Deputy Director Rao, you mean... to recruit a few players from our Feiyue Football Club for the National Team?" Ding Yue asked.

"Exactly."

Rao Wanzhi firmly replied, "We will select the top players from teams like Hengtai, Haigang, Lu City, An Country, along with those from your Feiyue Football Club. This time, we’ll form a top-tier team determined to reclaim our lost dignity!"

Listening to Deputy Director Rao’s words did stir a sense of excitement.

However.

Ding Yue felt something seemed off.

Very quickly, Ding Yue realized.

The National Football Team is based on a recruitment model; sending a few excellent players from the Feiyue Football Club to cooperate with renowned players from Hengtai, Haigang, An Country, and Lu City—can they truly collaborate well?

This is also a downside of the recruitment model, gathering players who have never played together, then having National Team coaches conduct training for a period before putting them on the field against other National Teams.

What about the adjustment period?

Actually, Ding Yue personally thinks it might be better to have the entire Feiyue Football Club team participate as the National Team in the World Cup Qualifiers instead.

Because the Feiyue Football Club’s team has developed such good rapport, achieving consistent victories in the domestic Xia Super League, it seems nonsensical to dismantle such an excellent steel-like team.

But harsh reality strikes; Ding Yue’s idea would likely meet opposition from the Sports Administration because historically, World Cup Qualifiers and similar competitions have always involved forming the National Team by selecting famous or outstanding players from major powerhouse teams.

"So... um, alright, which players from our team have you got your eye on, Deputy Director Rao?"

Ding Yue initially wanted to say something to Deputy Director Rao, but figured it might be in vain and thought better of it.

Let’s wait and see how the National Team, comprised of a few players from the Feiyue Football Club, performs in competitions.