Chapter 747 Incredible Reversal

After the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling came out, the media were in an uproar. They hadn't expected Chen Hero to actually complete an incredible reversal!

Regarding this result, their opinion was the same as Liverpool Football Club's. A nine-month ban was nothing compared to a two-year ban.

As for the other penalties, they were completely incidental, purely to avoid making their purpose of clearing Chen Hero too obvious.

What the reporters couldn't understand was what evidence Chen Hero had presented to make the Court of Arbitration for Sport rule so favorably for him. Although everyone knew that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had intervened to help Chen Hero, they still had to do it legitimately.

They couldn't really distort right and wrong or call a stag a horse.

If they really did that, FIFA wouldn't mind seizing the opportunity to fiercely criticize the fairness and authority of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, thereby plunging the International Olympic Committee into a crisis.

Therefore, Chen Hero's evidence was crucial. It had to be convincing enough and true enough for the arbitration court to believe that he was indeed forced and had extenuating circumstances. In addition, the FA had to accept their evidence; otherwise, they would definitely not agree to this ruling.

Now that they had accepted the result, it meant that the evidence Chen Hero presented was strong enough to leave them speechless and unable to find fault.

So what exactly was the evidence?

The media were even more curious about Chen Hero's evidence.

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At this moment, the editorial department of Liverpool Football Club's mouthpiece, the *Liverpool Echo*, received a package.

The package was sent directly to their chief reporter, Chris Bascombe.

After Bascombe opened it, he found an envelope containing a CD and a piece of paper.

The paper stated the contents of the CD.

After just one glance, Bascombe's hands trembled with excitement.

The evidence that all the reporters were speculating about was now in his hands! Even though it was just a copy…

But it was precious enough! Because Chen Hero had made it clear in the letter that this was the first copy besides the one he had given to the Court of Arbitration for Sport!

Bascombe deeply thanked Chen Hero for giving the *Liverpool Echo* this opportunity to make a name for themselves.

※※※

The next day, the *Liverpool Echo* published a bombshell of a news story: they had obtained the exclusive right to publish the evidence Chen Hero possessed. And this phone recording would be placed on the *Liverpool Echo's* website.

Anyone interested could go to their website to listen!

Then, two hours later, the *Liverpool Echo's* website crashed from the traffic…

It couldn't be logged onto for half a day.

Although it was only for two hours, enough people had already heard the phone recording, downloaded it, and put it in other places, such as their personal websites, forums, and Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, online storage drives… everywhere it could be shared.

Like a snowball rolling down a hill, it got bigger and bigger, and more and more people were spreading it, and they also learned the truth.

Any normal person, any person who still had a conscience, any person who even pretended to have a conscience, would feel anger, or feign anger, after hearing this recording.

Everyone knew that Chen Hero and Manchester City fans had always been at odds.

If Manchester City fans did something to Chen Hero, everyone would actually find it normal. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You provoked and offended Manchester City fans, so naturally you have to allow others to provoke and offend you.

But Chen Hero's son was innocent. His six-year-old son had not offended or provoked the Manchester City fans. What did they mean by attacking him, insulting him, and cursing him with such vicious language?

Furthermore, Gruul himself had denied the matter, indicating that Gruul knew it was wrong to do so. Otherwise, why would he deny it?

Since he himself knew it was wrong, why did he still do it?

Since he himself knew it was wrong, they had even more reason to condemn him for doing so.

In the phone call, Paul Gruul proudly boasted about how he had provoked Chen Hero and gotten him banned for two years.

Now, no matter what he said, it was useless. The evidence was irrefutable.

He had once sworn to countless reporters that he had absolutely not insulted Chen Hero's son.

Now, that had become the best proof of his habitual lying.

The entrance to the hospital where Gruul worked was once again blocked by countless reporters.

But Gruul no longer appeared frequently to accept interviews with reporters and play the role of a hero in the eyes of Manchester City fans, as he had done before. Now, he refused all interviews, claiming that he needed to rest due to poor health.

But that didn't allow him to escape the center of the storm.

Some fans who supported Chen Hero held up signs accusing Gruul of being a liar and a pedophile, and demonstrated outside the hospital. Naturally, they became the best subjects for the media who couldn't find Gruul to report on.

Overnight, Paul Gruul went from being a Manchester City hero to a despicable liar and villain.

His reputation was ruined.

But that was necessary. Who told him to provoke Chen Hero and then expect to get away with it?

※※※

Paul Gruul's reputation was ruined, and the FA was also having a hard time.

Because they had trusted Gruul so much before, and even said so many good things about him. In the end, the result was that they were slapped hard in the face by the cruel reality, by Gruul!

They said they didn't believe that Gruul, such a pure and kind fan, would do something like wantonly insulting someone else's child. Gruul really did it, and the facts proved that Gruul might be a fan, but he was definitely not pure and kind.

The FA said that fans were all kind, so how could they explain the existence of football hooligans?

In addition, this result also confirmed Dekula's accusations that they had been specifically targeting Chen Hero.

If they weren't specifically targeting Chen Hero, why would they have rushed to a conclusion so quickly and not given Liverpool a chance to appeal?

They had something to hide…

After this result came out, the media launched a fierce attack and bombardment on the FA.

For a time, the FA was also in a sorry state.

The sorry state also extended to FIFA.

Because before that, FIFA had clearly stood up to support the FA. Everyone saw where they were coming from.

Now that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had rejected the FA's decision, it was naturally a hard slap in FIFA's face as well.

FIFA was slapped so hard that it didn't dare to say a word.

Perhaps it wasn't that they didn't want to speak, but that they couldn't speak—their face was swollen, so they could only cover it with their hands and couldn't say anything.

Later, it was said that after hearing this ruling, Platini broke a cup in his office because he accidentally cut his hand, and that was how people found out about it…

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Liverpool Football Club, on the other hand, immediately announced that they would abide by the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Of course they were willing to abide by it… only a nine-month ban, they had made a profit!

But Liverpool still had to complain.

After all, as the core of the team, even if Chen Hero only missed one game, it would be a very serious matter for Liverpool. Not to mention missing nine months!

This would inevitably affect the team's strength.

Liverpool's loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the previous game was the best proof.

Even though Chen Hero was almost forty years old, Liverpool with and without him were still two different teams.

In fact, the strength of these two teams was not that different, or rather, there was no difference at all. But over the years, Chen Hero had long been more than just a center forward who was particularly good at scoring goals. His significance to Liverpool was even more important. He was a banner, a leader, a pillar of strength, and the team's source of power.

His absence had a significant impact on the team.

Now, they were only two points behind Arsenal, who were second in the league. It was still unknown whether they could keep the title in the end.

For Liverpool, a nine-month ban for Chen Hero and a two-year ban were not good results. They could only reluctantly accept a result that was less bad in a situation where there was no other way.

They were so eager to accept this result simply because they didn't want to give the FA or FIFA a chance to take advantage of them. They wanted to strike first, expressing their willingness to accept the punishment and shut the mouths of the FA and FIFA.

※※※

When Chen Hero and Dekula flew back to Liverpool from Lausanne, Switzerland, they were warmly welcomed at John Lennon Airport.

Hundreds of Liverpool fans, wearing t-shirts in support of Chen Hero, gathered outside the airport exit.

When they saw Chen Hero appear, they shouted, "Hero! Our Hero!"

They cheered for Chen Hero's reversal of the FA.

Chen Hero was taken aback by this scene. He didn't expect so many fans to come to pick him up at the airport.

After the initial shock, he waved to the fans.

The cheers at the scene grew even louder.

Then they all sang the Hero's Song together. The singing floated in the air above the airport, even drowning out the roar of the supersonic planes taking off.

Now, Chen Hero's position in Liverpool was unmatched. Before, there was still Gerrard in the team, and Chen Hero had only joined midway through, so everyone always ranked him behind Gerrard at least. Although they cheered for Chen Hero, they did not place all their emotions on an "outsider."

Later, after Gerrard retired, Chen Hero continued to stay at Anfield and led Liverpool to one championship after another. He had long become a god-like figure in Liverpool.

Now, Liverpool had long moved from Anfield to the new Stanley Park Stadium. And the thing that best represented Chen Hero's position in the hearts of the fans stood outside Stanley Park Stadium—a bronze statue, a one-to-one replica of the real person, in the classic pose of Chen Hero raising his right fist in response to the fans' calls.

This statue was called for and initiated by the fans, and then finally completed by Liverpool Football Club.

It fully demonstrated how high Chen Hero's position was in the hearts of the fans.

Chen Hero had been in Liverpool for seventeen seasons, and many fans were even used to seeing Chen Hero wearing a Liverpool jersey running, shooting, scoring, and celebrating on the field every weekend and midweek.

If you were just a sixteen-year-old teenager when Chen Hero first joined the team, then you are now a thirty-three-year-old father. If you were a forty-year-old middle-aged man at that time, then you are now an old man approaching sixty.

For such a long time, he had given his most golden years of his career to Liverpool.

And he had not only been here to gain experience, but he had also brought Liverpool fans more honors than they could have imagined.

These performances had made Liverpool fans no longer treat him as an outsider, but truly accepted him, loved him, and supported him from the bottom of their hearts.

After the singing stopped, Chen Hero raised his hands high, signaling everyone to be quiet. He had something to say.

The scene of hundreds of people was instantly silent. Chen Hero had such influence and authority among the fans in Liverpool.

Facing these fans, Chen Hero once again raised his right fist high, and then shouted loudly, "See you in nine months!"

Everyone present shouted with him, "See you in nine months! See you in nine months!! See you in nine months! We will—see—you—there!"

The sound soared into the sky, higher than the planes flew.