Vice president Chung Mong-joon's original plan had been to push Bin Hammam down and secure second place.
In that sense, he had achieved his goal.
However, he had never expected Blatter to step down and Bin Hammam to rise.
"Damn it."
The tide had shifted sharply.
He had not been hoping to win this election in the first place.
He knew very well how great Blatter's power within FIFA was, and how wide his influence spread across the world, so victory had never been something he expected from the beginning.
His goal had been to secure the Asian and African votes, then swallow up Bin Hammam and Prince Hussein.
But a completely unexpected variable had appeared and smashed the whole board to pieces.
Of course, Chung Mong-joon had long known that Blatter was a breeding ground for corruption, but he had only had suspicions, so he could not use that as a weapon.
If he moved carelessly, the backlash could hit him instead.
But Bin Hammam was different.
No one knew how they had found out, but they had pressured Ireland and South Africa and succeeded in uncovering Blatter's corruption.
It was as if they had known everything from the start.
"Hyungnim, isn't this going to become a real disaster at this rate?"
Chairman Chung Hyun-kyu, who had grasped the seriousness of the situation a little too late, stuck out his lips.
"..."
But Chung Mong-joon had no room to answer.
The executive director answered in his place.
"Chairman. I think the landscape will change once again depending on Ho-young's decision. Since Lucci made that call, he will obviously bring up naturalisation. The media are already putting out articles about the possibility of Ho-young switching nationality. The impact is too great for us to stop it."
"And the reaction?"
"It's intense, of course. We're checking it in real time, but even right now public opinion is very bad. All the criticism is being directed at us."
The executive director immediately pulled up one clear example.
[If the situation continues like this, Ho-young would meet the naturalisation conditions proposed by Bin Hammam. In other words, he would be able to leave Korea and switch to the other nationality held by his family, from his parents to his grandparents, which is Spain.
Then how likely is Ho-young to choose naturalisation? As someone who retired from the national team just a few days ago while accusing the Korea Football Association and FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon, there is a high chance that he could leave Korea.
└If I were him, I'd leave too. How could anyone keep playing football in Korea after getting sick of this?
└Seriously, what has this country ever done for him?
└This is all the KFA's fault.
└This is all the KFA's fault 22
└This is all the KFA's fault 333
Countless netizens were fiercely criticising the Korea Football Association.
Because if Ho-young chose naturalisation instead of retirement, that would be the end of it.
Ho-young had already announced his retirement, so people's anxiety was growing rapidly.
If he had grown so sick of the Korea national team that he even considered retirement, then it was obvious he would also consider naturalisation.
"Then was the retirement announcement part of the groundwork? To heighten the sense of unease?"
"That is the only way to interpret it."
"Damn it."
Chung Hyun-kyu felt as though he had been struck on the back of the head.
Had he been completely played by a brat barely dry behind the ears?
Of course, he knew Ho-young was exceptionally gifted in areas like foresight and judgement, but he had never dreamed that he would act this boldly against politicians as rotten as they were.
"He's not alone. Mansour must be backing him fully from behind."
"I agree. They were probably on the same side from the start."
"Then what are we supposed to do now? We can't stay silent forever."
"Well..."
"At this point, shouldn't we be begging him to stay? If we soothe him somehow and just get him into the next World Cup, then he'll no longer qualify under the naturalisation conditions."
In truth, that was the most ideal method.
The method that would draw the least criticism while allowing them to regain the initiative at the same time.
"But Ho-young's trust has been broken too badly for him to go along with that so easily..."
Ho-young was not an easy opponent.
No one even knew how many times they had already been hit after underestimating him.
Moreover, he was not alone.
Mansour.
For the sake of Ho-young, whom he valued the most, he would surely offer the best solution possible.
"What they want is an official apology. They'll demand that we honestly admit all the lies we've told so far."
That was also a problem in itself.
They could not even begin to imagine how much abuse they would take.
The already rock-bottom trust in the Korea Football Association might disappear altogether.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
The most dangerous moment in the history of the Korea Football Association had arrived.
If they failed to hold on to Ho-young like this, they would be branded an incompetent executive leadership.
Of course, even this would settle down with time.
Just as it always had, they could use all kinds of tricks to bury it internally.
But this was a problem on a completely different level from retirement.
If Ho-young switched to Spain, they would have to watch his performances for at least the next ten years.
And that would be while he wore Spain's shirt rather than South Korea's.
And if Spain ever faced Korea...
'Horrible.'
So now they had to make a decision.
It was right then that the executive director spoke.
"Chairman. Looking at this coldly, now is the time to push hard instead."
"Explain in detail."
"If Ho-young comes out saying he'll naturalise, then we destroy him in the media over it. We frame him as a traitor who betrayed his homeland for personal glory."
"Hm..."
As far as they were concerned, that was the best option.
The article came out the very next day and was posted across the major portals.
[Ho-young, will he turn his back on the Red Devils and wear Spain's shirt? Ho-young now stands at the crossroads between personal ambition and patriotism. The biggest issue now is whether he will turn his back on his homeland for personal achievement. Reactions from netizens in real time include responses such as "That's going too far" and "No matter what, you don't abandon the country that raised you", showing that many do not view Ho-young's possible naturalisation favourably.]
└Huh? What article did I just read?
└Reporter, did the KFA pay you?
└That frozen-to-death patriotism again. Maybe they should have given him a reason to feel patriotic in the first place. They used him as much as they wanted, then after the World Cup they started treating him like a slave. I already didn't like how they overworked him during the World Cup. Better this way. He should naturalise.
└I mean, I can't say I don't understand it, but I still hope he doesn't switch... if he does, what enjoyment will there be in watching the national team anymore?
Rather than changing the tide, it only brought backlash, and public opinion, once it had already turned, did not shift so easily.
Koreans were not used to the culture of naturalisation, but even so, about half supported Ho-young's decision.
The other half did not want Ho-young to switch nationalities.
And the proportion blaming Ho-young was very small.
And that was not the end of it.
[
A few days later, public opinion had tilted completely toward Ho-young.
In the end, Chung Mong-joon and Chung Hyun-kyu had no choice but to make a decision.
"Ho-young keeps giving off hints related to naturalisation. He said as much in an interview with Marca last week as well. That he might do it."
As time passed, the two of them grew more and more desperate.
A large-scale mass protest might break out at any moment.
Sure enough, the area around headquarters was already occupied by protesters.
So what they chose was a phone call with Ho-young.
Even when they asked to meet, he would not meet them, so this was the best they could do.
"I hope you understand why I want to speak with you, even if only by phone."
If kneeling would turn Ho-young's heart, he could do it a hundred times.
"I am truly sorry. I sincerely want to apologise."
-Does that mean you admit the wrongs you've committed against me so far?
"I am sorry. Our greed got the better of us."
Chairman Chung Hyun-kyu spoke in a mournful voice.
Of course, it was not sincere.
He only wanted all of this to pass as quickly as possible.
"Then are you going to forgive everything now?"
-Forgiveness is not something you ask only from me.
"Then who else are you talking about?"
-You should also apologise to the people you deceived.
"We'll handle that ourselves, so just come back. If only you return, everything will be solved."
-I never said I would return.
"...?"
-That's all I have to say.
"W-wait. It's not as if you truly want naturalisation either."
-Whether I want it or not has nothing to do with you.
"W-what?!"
The call ended there.
And soon after, the follow-up article broke.
[
[Ho-young, "I am considering naturalisation. As long as the Korea Football Association does not change, I do not want to keep playing football while being treated like a disposable tool in a place like that. I did not do this because I wanted to become a hero. I sincerely mean this when I say that our country's football has many problems. I hope this incident can become an opportunity for it to improve, even a little. I also feel sorry toward the people. I want to formally apologise in person in a public setting for causing controversy."]
[Protest demanding reform of the Korea Football Association breaks out... This morning, around 20,000 football fans staged a large-scale protest in front of the Korea Football Association football centre in Sinmun-ro. That number is expected to increase.]
[Chairman Chung Hyun-kyu, unable to withstand the pressure, finally resigns voluntarily]
Now only chairman Chung Mong-joon remained.
At this point, there was only one way for him to survive.
Blatter's corruption case would have to be ruled groundless, and then Bin Hammam would have to collapse.
But that did not seem likely at all.
[Allegation raised that president Blatter received bribes worth 100 million dollars from LSI Sports Marketing and guaranteed highly profitable TV broadcasting rights and marketing rights... Under investigation by the FBI and federal police]
Far from being buried, more and more corruption cases were being discovered, and the situation kept growing worse.
A literal breeding ground of corruption.
No matter how much they dug, there was no end to it.
Then in the end, Blatter could no longer endure it and finally stepped down voluntarily.
It was the moment his thirteen-year long rule collapsed.
July 1.
The election for the ninth FIFA president began at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
The election ended in an overwhelming victory for Mohammed Bin Hammam, the man who had uncovered Blatter's corruption.
"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who believed in me and supported me. I will carry out every one of the pledges I made without exception, and the first thing I will implement will be the reform of the naturalisation policy, which was my key pledge."
After those words, a reporter asked a question.
It was the question everyone was most curious about.
"Where did you get the information on former president Blatter's corruption?"
"That, you mean. Don't be surprised. All of those incidents began from the World Cup third-place play-off in South Africa."
"The third-place play-off... do you mean the match between South Korea and Switzerland?"
"That's right."
Starting with those words, FIFA president Mohammed Bin Hammam began to reveal a rather interesting story.
And at that same time, Manchester Airport, England.
Eight senior officials dispatched by the Royal Spanish Football Federation arrived with grim expressions.
Their destination was Ho-young's house.
(To be continued.)