บท 310: People's Idol
The situation escalated quite a bit.
The Turin police had no choice but to come forward and explain to the public, while the mayor of Turin engaged in dialogue with Aldrich.
The incident dragged on until deep into the night before it finally came to a close.
The last image that the public saw was Aldrich and the mayor of Turin shaking hands with smiles, conveying to the outside world that the matter had been perfectly resolved.
Italian media, however, began to mock the British.
Despite allegations of blind enforcement, the Turin police's evidence for detaining Millwall fans came from the British police.
Their blacklist database was provided by the British authorities.
What a slap in the face for themselves!
The fact is, Aldrich never aimed his anger at the Turin police or Italy; he wasn't going to stir up trouble for England.
His goal was to win hearts.
Whose hearts was he trying to win?
Primarily those of the Millwall fans, with the broader British fanbase being secondary.
The root of the issue stemmed from the British police's overly aggressive tactics against football hooligans over the years. This not only led to Millwall fans suffering unjustly today but also fueled outrage among fans of many other clubs. Such incidents were not isolated but had occurred with fans from Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, and even neutral fans.
Even though many club fan organizations petitioned the FA, the FA turned a blind eye.
The reason was simple: to resolve this issue, the FA would have to engage with the British police, who would prefer to avoid confrontations with outside forces, especially political ones, maintaining a status quo was their best option.
Thus, while the FA openly and secretly supported clubs' "away packages," it did help reduce fan incidents.
The Millwall fans who remained in Italy flew back to London the next day, thanks to Aldrich's generous covering of their expenses.
They returned to England like heroes, with Aldrich leading the team into the Champions League semifinals, and also taking a stand against the unjust treatment faced by fans. This enhanced his image in the eyes of the British public.
Upon returning to London, the BBC was quick to interview him, where Aldrich declared that he would engage with the British police to demand an explanation: why was he labeled a football hooligan?
The FA's Wiseman privately reached out to Aldrich, subtly implying, "Don't let the fans cause a ruckus; you can stir things up on your own, and the FA will support you in spirit!"
Yes, the FA intended to use Aldrich as a pawn this time. They couldn't confront the British police directly, but as a public figure, Aldrich had every reason to demand an explanation from the police for the unfair treatment he received due to their actions.
Aldrich was serious about this.
He believed being classified as a football hooligan was a serious stain on his reputation, and if the issue wasn't resolved, he would be left to bear the shame.
Andrew prepared a legal team for him, and Aldrich openly stated that if the British police couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, he would take legal action to restore his honor, while also helping the Millwall fans to clear their names.
If the British courts refused to hear his case, he'd take it to the European Union!
The situation continued to escalate, but Aldrich's life remained normal.
Eventually, the British police gave an answer: it was a previous mistake.
Aldrich had been placed on the blacklist back in '94, when he was about 17 years old.
Looking into the timeline, it seemed that Aldrich had watched an FA Cup match at The Den, where Millwall was a top football hooligan team, thus under heavy police surveillance.
As for whether Aldrich had been involved in any minor scuffles in the stands or conflicts with rival fans before or after the match, the police couldn't clarify. Their explanation had been that he was "suspected of having close relations with known football hooligans."
That "suspected" was the key.
Perhaps someone sitting behind Aldrich was a football hooligan, and thus he was labeled as one too.
This is the British police's approach of "better to wrongly accuse three thousand than to let one slip by."
Many fans were classified as football hooligans simply for being in the same vicinity as hooligans; the police had no time to investigate whether they knew each other, whether they had spoken, or if they had actually participated in any hooligan activities.
Given Aldrich's public influence, especially with the positive image he had cultivated through philanthropy in recent years, the British police had no choice but to "admit their mistake" and remove his name from the blacklist.
With Aldrich as a precedent, a wave of "exoneration" swept through British football as innocent fans pressed to clear their names, while Aldrich solidified his status as a national idol!
Only rivals such as Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United—who had longstanding grudges against Millwall—might disregard Aldrich. But fans from clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool generally developed inner respect for him.
Other clubs' fans looked on with envy, wishing that their own team's manager could be the next Aldrich—someone who stood firmly and faithfully by the supporters' side, neither a slave to money nor blind to the struggles faced by the fans.
Millwall players held Aldrich in great esteem, with Southgate joking during practice, "Boss, can you cut open your brain and let us see what's inside?"
Aldridge thought it was a joke at first, but when he saw the players' pious eyes, he just smiled and ignored it.
After a few years in the public eye, putting on a show is second nature, right?
Thanks to the Turin police's cooperation in detaining him, Aldrich could demand accountability rather than just be a passive observer who people might dismiss as stirring trouble for no reason.
However, since it's about his own honor, why not use this opportunity to gather support while performing for the fans?
As April rolled around, Millwall faced competition on three fronts, including an FA Cup exit in the quarter-finals. The bench performed poorly in tough games, especially without key players on the field. When the offense cannot find a breakthrough, their impatience will be revealed, providing opportunities for their opponents to take advantage of. Even Ronaldinho was not immune. After all, his competitive experience is limited, and honing a player's mentality is a process that cannot be rushed.
In the league, Millwall's results are solid and the gap to Manchester United has not widened; it has actually shrunk by a point. However, the league situation became quite tense and Arsenal performed well in the second half of the season, winning every game. Millwall remain third, but Arsenal are now just one point behind Manchester United. In a key match between the two teams, Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0 away from home, which not only brought the score closer, but also brought a heavy psychological blow to Manchester United.
With five matches left in the league, all three teams remained in contention for the title.
Aldrich maintained a calm demeanor regarding the league. The starters would play once a week, and if Champions League matches fell during the week, key players would conserve energy instead. The substitutes would be tasked with handling weekend league matches.
The Champions League semi-final opponent was Monaco, coincidentally a team they had faced during pre-season friendlies in a thrilling 4-4 draw at home.
Aldrich thought to himself, fate has a sense of humor.
Last year in the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, he encountered Fernandez, and this year, in the Champions League semi-finals, he was again up against Tigana.
Both were French teams, and both coaches had a good relationship with him.
The day before the semi-finals, Aldrich participated in the UEFA official press conference at the club.
Millwall would host first before traveling to Monaco for the return leg.
"I don't think there's any difference between home and away first legs. If Millwall were to focus solely on scoring away goals to eliminate our opponents, then we would never reach the final. That would be a sign of mental weakness. Although Manchester United was eliminated by Monaco due to the away goal rule, that wasn't the determining factor. The deeper truth is that Monaco performed better. They drew 0-0 at home against United but eliminated them with a 1-1 away draw. It's not just about numbers; it's about how the teams perform. Some may attribute it to luck, but without solid strength behind it, good fortune doesn't simply come your way."
Which is better—hosting first or away first?
Aldrich wasn't interested in pondering that. The reality was that he must emphasize that hosting first doesn't affect the team!
Otherwise, wouldn't that just add unnecessary pressure on the players?
Moreover, they had eliminated Juventus by hosting first, so they shouldn't dwell on the structure of the matches; instead, they should concentrate on performing well and not let external factors affect their mindset.
Fleet Street analysts believe that there is no doubt that Millwall will enter the final, because Millwall's strength is simply unmatched by Monaco.
Monaco has the best record among French clubs in the Champions League this season, followed by Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Bordeaux and Marseille. Unfortunately, Monaco is only ranked third in Ligue 1, significantly behind the top two teams. Unless they win the Champions League, France's traditional giants will miss out on European competition next season.Incredibly, the two biggest contenders for the Ligue 1 title are Lens and Metz.
Monaco's situation was similar to Millwall's, but their performances in the Champions League could not be compared.
Aldrich modestly stated that this matchup was a fierce battle between two equally matched teams, with no clear advantage for either side.
His words were indeed hypocritical.
He had confidence in reaching the final, and his players were equally assured.
Against Monaco, he intends to showcase Millwall's style of play rather than face the many tactical restrictions he faced against Juventus.
That night in London, light rain began to fall. Although it wasn't heavy, it would certainly impact the match.
As the players prepared in the tunnel, Aldrich happily chatted with Tigana at the sidelines.
"Fernandez texted me, telling me to take you down."
Tigana's words made Aldrich laugh heartily. "He really holds a grudge! So, where has he been lately?"
"He's had some offers from Spanish clubs and is considering his options."
"Spain, eh? Well, at least it shares a similar style with Ligue 1. Latin vibes, right? Is that young lad in your team still sticking around?"
"You're quite annoying! Bringing this up now, he probably won't stay. What, you interested? I could consider selling him to you this summer, but only after the World Cup."
"Would he like to come on as a substitute?"
"Probably not willing."
Aldrich frowned and thought for a long time.
Henry, after the World Cup, would likely not be obtainable for less than ten million pounds, and even if they did sign him, he would want a starting position. Even if Shevchenko left, Ronaldinho would take that spot.
"What if we buy him? Are we really going to invest another season just to train him?"
"Would he agree to come on as a substitute?"
Before the match, Aldrich said to Tigana, "Let's stay in touch. If you do decide to sell him, let me know; I'm still undecided, but money shouldn't be an issue."
Indeed, money wouldn't be a problem. If Shevchenko left in the summer, it would bring in significant transfer income.
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