From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Goal!”

The old man, though seated in a wheelchair, tried hard to lift the little boy high and shouted excitedly, ”Just after the conflict ended, Ma’el assisted Van Persie with a curling ball from his non-dominant foot!”

”Scott Parker and Modric still wanted to chase Van Persie, but their teammates held them back; they already have a yellow card each!”

”An amazing header to score, Arsenal crushed Tottenham with an aerial assault!”

The little boy started clapping his hands excitedly and shouting with joy.

Beside them, others in the VIP seats looked over in confusion, not understanding why there was someone repeatedly shouting here.

This isn’t the commentary area; isn’t it a bit embarrassing?

They sent one or two representatives over to negotiate, ”Hello, your commentary is interesting, but could you keep it down a bit?”

This was a subtle way to stop it, shouting a bit is usually fine, but if someone is constantly commenting right next to you, it’s indeed quite strange.

People in the VIP area are usually more restrained when watching the game, holding themselves back more than those in other fan zones.

This kind of viewing is actually somewhat dull, okay as a novel experience occasionally, but over time it gets quite boring.

”Oh, sorry.” The old man immediately showed a face full of apology, nodding and smiling to the two people, ”I’ll quiet down. The child can’t see and just wants him to feel the environment; sorry for bothering you.”

”Huh?”

The two were momentarily stunned, turned sideways to glance at the little boy, and realized his eyes indeed had some issues.

”Oh.....!”

Their faces turned pale with slightly open mouths, and a clear storyline started to form in their minds.

The grandson cannot see, so the grandfather brings him to the stadium every day, narrating the game at his ear, letting him feel Arsenal’s matches.

The guilt on their faces grew heavier, gradually evolving into self-reproach. They wanted to take back their words but didn’t know how; several times raising their hands, but stopping mid-sentence.

Finally, after offering a bewildered apology, they went back to their area.

”I deserve to die.” One person muttered with a grimace, feeling like he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.

...

”Screech...!”

”Bang!”

Down on the pitch, the battles grew ever intense. After Arsenal scored, Tottenham desperately tried to speed up the pace in retaliation, creating a mess on both sides.

Their formations became disorganized, with tactics and strategy thrown out the window, lacking any sense of logic or calm.

Often, for a disputed ball, both sides could commit two or three players each.

This led to extreme chaos in some areas, with quick turnovers in possession, but neither side managing any good transitions.

It’s common in a derby, aside from the opening phase, the rest of the time is purely a fight for dignity.

At the 16th minute, Tottenham’s defender Michael Dawson again tackled Ma’el, who rolled directly off the pitch.

”Whistle!”

Luckily, the main referee reacted quickly this time, gave Michael Dawson a yellow card, and separated him from the Arsenal players before any conflict could escalate.

minutes later, Koscielny tackled Modric on the flank, receiving a yellow card.

”Bang!”

It wasn’t over. In the 41st minute, Ledley King made a heavy collision after Ma’el sent out a crossing, knocking Ma’el, who only had his standing foot on the ground, to the floor.

”Fack!!” With Van Persie’s shout of anger, Arsenal’s team rushed over, engaging in a brawl with the Tottenham players.

The players seemed to be shoving, but in reality, they were stomping on opposing feet, slapping or punching at faces out of the referee’s view.

Just like last time, Ma’el quickly got up and furiously charged at Ledley King, who was then grappling with Van Persie.

”Bang!”

He lowered his center of gravity and used his right shoulder to hit Ledley King’s waist, knocking him flat on the ground, clutching his waist in pain, ”Ah.....!”

Feeling the chaos around him, Ma’el realized he’d lost his cool, potentially risking a second yellow card and getting sent off.

But on the pitch, many things are uncontrollable.

If he allowed such malicious fouls to go unchecked, everyone would target him like they later did with Neymar, making playing tough.

”Whistle whistle!”

The main referee blew his whistle and ran over, aided by the side referee to separate the players.

He first issued a yellow card to the instigator Ledley King, then one to Van Persie for sneaking punches at Modric, followed by cards to the agitated Adebayor and Sagna.

Four cards in a row!

Adding to the previous four, this match already had eight yellow cards!

Card master!

This also shows the chaos on the field; sometimes, a high number of cards doesn’t mean a referee is strict.

Finally, he looked at Ma’el, walked towards the handsome 18-year-old.

”Roar roar roar.....!” Low growls sounded from the Emirates Stadium, as over fifty thousand Arsenal fans simultaneously voiced their warning, aiming to pressure the referee.

The referee suddenly felt as if he stood in hell, surrounded by countless restless souls, hesitated by Ma’el’s side, and ultimately didn’t lift the yellow card in his hand.

”Last warning!”

”Aahh.....!” Cheers rang out, followed by applause as fans knew how to provide emotional support to the referee at the right moment.