The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 243: Battling the Rumors

Just after reaching a verbal agreement regarding a friendly match with the bitter rivals Ajax, Aldrich felt a sense of resolution, at least concerning the Van der Meyde incident.

The next morning, Aldrich tidied himself up, ready to head to the club. As he opened the door, a chaotic scene unfolded before him.

A throng of reporters had congregated outside his home, showering him with questions.

"Mr. Hall, is there any illicit activity surrounding Ronaldinho's move to Millwall?"

"People are questioning his eligibility for professional play in England. How does Millwall respond to this?"

"The FA doesn't have any documented transfer of Ronaldinho from Brazil to Millwall. Is he really qualified to play?"

...

Initially dazed, Aldrich finally grasped the situation once the flurry of questions subsided.

He quietly stepped back inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

At that moment, the phone at home rang.

Frowning, Aldrich picked up the receiver, only to hear Ronaldinho's voice on the other end. "Boss, my house is surrounded by reporters! What should I do?"

"Whatever they ask, don't answer!"

"Oh, should I still go to practice today?"

"Of course you should. No slacking off!"

"Ha ha ha, you see right through me!"

...

Aldrich felt relieved that Ronaldinho's family had returned to Brazil. Even his sister couldn't adapt to life here and decided to go back home with their parents.

Ronaldinho's family was confident that he would do well here. After all, it was his first professional contract, bringing in ￡5,000 a week. By sending half of that back home each month, he could help ensure his family had a comfortable life in Brazil, especially since his brother was still playing football there.

If his family were here, it might attract all sorts of gossip.

Aldrich picked up the phone to call the club staff, wanting to get to the bottom of things. This baseless rumor was starting to annoy him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Peering through the peephole, Aldrich recognized the visitor and opened the door.

Yvonne stepped in, looking elegant in a tailored shirt and skirt. After closing the door, Aldrich put the phone down.

She got straight to the point. "A newspaper on Fleet Street has published an article questioning Ronaldinho's eligibility as a professional player in England. It's the slow news season for football, and this article has been quickly picked up by others, igniting quite a buzz."

Aldrich sat back in thought with his legs crossed, while Yvonne took a seat beside him, curiously asking, "Could he really be here illegally? Honestly, if it weren't for him representing Brazil in the summer tournament, we might have thought he was English."

Despite Ronaldinho's distinctly non-English name and his darker complexion, England is a melting pot of immigrants. Especially in London, where people from all over the world flock, East London in particular serves as a landing point for many.

Aldrich had many friends, like Saul and Fred, who were both Black but considered themselves true Brits. Saul even had a European-sounding name, while Fred's name had Latin American roots.

Ronaldinho had appeared in Millwall's youth squad at under-16. He wasn't officially listed in the club's promotional material for the first team, which typically included details on players' names, nationalities, and past performances.

Most of the Lions' fans thought Ronaldinho was English, until he made a splash in that summer tournament, causing fans to realize: he's Brazilian! That explains his dazzling skills!

Fans accepted this revelation without further thoughts.

But some busybodies were a different story.

A Brazilian?

Can a Brazilian just play football in England?

Who established the work permit system?

How in the world did Ronaldinho end up at Millwall?

After a series of questions like these echoed in their minds, it all morphed into conspiracy theories.

For instance, insinuating the FA had bent the rules regarding work permits or that Millwall had acted illegally in signing Ronaldinho.

Yvonne came seeking answers from Aldrich, naturally curious about the truth.

"A transfer? What transfer are you talking about? Ronaldinho didn't even have a contract before coming to England; he didn't belong to any Brazilian club, so what's there to transfer?"

After Aldrich said this, Yvonne quickly asked, "So he just signed straight away? But he doesn't have a EU passport, does he?"

Aldrich shook his head, recounting the situation's details to Yvonne. By now, he figured out how to handle the situation.

Why bother with the meddlesome reporters?

What Aldrich didn't realize was that behind all this was a scheming hand—none other than Millwall's arch-rival, Chelsea.

Bates harbored resentment over Ronaldinho's stunning performance in the FA Cup final. That summer, not only did he sign new players to enhance his squad, but he also aimed to lure away some of Millwall's top talents.

Stealing players from a rival was a guaranteed morale booster, especially for a team in a weaker position.

However, Millwall's players showed no interest in moving to Chelsea, not even Ronaldinho.

Despite having won the Premier League, Millwall was still on the rise. The players were eager to seize the moment and take on Chelsea head-to-head!

Regardless of anything, they've made their mark in Millwall's history. If they put in the effort and stick together, there's a good chance they could become legends. As for Chelsea? Let's wait and see if they can win a trophy first.

Thus, Bates quickly saw an opportunity when he learned of Ronaldinho's Brazilian nationality. He discreetly sent someone to stir the pot. A cunning character, he knew Chelsea wouldn't outright make waves; they could just use a middleman to plant the seed, allowing the tabloid culture to explode from there.

Bates thrived on this kind of dirty play, much like when he hired a private investigator to dig into Dein's affairs. Even if nothing substantial came of it, he would relish in making life more difficult for his rivals.

Aldrich and Yvonne left the apartment. As they stepped out, reporters surrounded them. Aldrich opened the garage door, tossed the keys to Yvonne to get the car, and turned to face the crowd of reporters.

The assembled journalists quickly fell silent, sensing that the young manager was about to speak.

Aldrich maintained a calm demeanor as he addressed them. "Ronaldinho's eligibility to play has been registered with the FA. If you believe he doesn't have the right to represent Millwall or play in England, perhaps you should question the FA. In any case, Ronaldinho will still be competing for Millwall in the new season, as we've submitted the squad list which the FA has approved. Please don't bother me or my players with this nonsense."

Once he finished his statement, Yvonne pulled up in the car, and Aldrich hopped into the passenger seat. In a flash, the vehicle sped off.

The reporters exchanged glances and varied expressions.

Some looked genuinely disappointed.

These stringers covering the gossip didn't care much about whether Ronaldinho was legitimate; they just wanted to see a celebrity slip up.

If Aldrich had misspoken or lost his cool, such photos and headlines would certainly sell better than anything about Ronaldinho.

But given that it was a slow news period for football, with little to cover outside of transfer market tidbits, who would bother writing about friendlies?

With hopes dashed, they turned their attention to the FA.

The FA was promptly put on high alert. As a governing body of professional football, the FA was technically a private entity and largely unregulated, granting it vast power while simultaneously fearing public discord. Should societal pressure intensify, forcing government intervention into the FA's affairs, it was a nightmare scenario for everyone involved.

Thus, all day, the FA scrambled to investigate Ronaldinho's registration and discovered no discrepancies whatsoever.

That night, a spokesperson for the FA stepped forward to assert, "Ronaldinho holds British nationality, and his service to an English club is entirely in accordance with FA regulations. Moreover, there are no transfer records for Ronaldinho because he didn't transfer; he joined Millwall as a free agent."

Aldrich shifted the focus onto the FA, which, eager to appear efficient and transparent, quickly issued a statement to deflect attention from their own purported failure.

They showcased the documents of Ronaldinho's registration, including his UK passport.

To the reporters, the message was clear: if you want to stir up trouble, go ahead!

If questioning persists, take it up with the Immigration Office or UK Passport Office!

After all, the FA had no intention of verifying whether Ronaldinho's citizenship was legitimate.

The FA resembled a fortress, with powerful figures holed up inside, avoiding confrontation with external government entities while steadfastly resisting any efforts to break into their domain.

Even though several scandals had inviting red flags for governmental scrutiny in the football world, they often fizzled out. The truth could obliterate professional football, harming England's football reputation far worse than any hooligan-related tragedies. This was an unspoken agreement shared among power brokers in professional football worldwide. No government dared touch football, not even during Thatcher's reign. Rumors circulated that two versions of the Taylor Report existed, the real one permanently sealed or even destroyed.

Consequently, the FA engaged in clever deflection, adopting an outward face of impartiality, ensuring external focus shifted to governmental departments.

Relentless reporters returned to the Immigration Office and Passport Office for insights.

Outside of information they couldn't disclose, the official response was straightforward: Ronaldinho possesses UK citizenship.

Upon hearing this, the reporters felt deflated.

Angry thoughts flooded their minds: Who the hell started this mess? They had been made to look like fools!

As Aldrich sat calmly on the couch that morning, he realized how to deal with the matter. If he hadn't been thrown off by the reporters' ruckus when he stepped out to go to work, he wouldn't have forgotten his original intention of assisting Ronaldinho's family with their investment immigration.

Be it the FA, UEFA, or FIFA, they all belong to the football sphere. If a player transfers from one club to another, their respective national associations govern it while FIFA oversees the larger picture.

But when an entire family moves from one country to another, that falls outside football's jurisdiction, and they would avoid any interaction with government bodies.

Initially, Aldrich had invested over two million pounds in Ronaldinho, wishing for a smooth process without any concerns.

Ronaldinho's family immigrating? Who would even care? The FA? UEFA? FIFA? Even if they wanted to, would they dare stand against the UK government or the EU?

As long as they didn't come looking for trouble, Aldrich considered it a victory.

Regarding who financed Ronaldinho's family's ￡2 million investment in UK bonds, not even the FA would dare question that. Anyone attempting to stir that pot would meet resistance from the UK government, eager to bolster the economy. A ￡2 million stable investment for one immigrant was more than welcome—a boon for the recovering strength of the pound. Who would foolishly challenge well-established policies?

Ronaldinho acquired his UK citizenship before joining Millwall, meaning every step of the process was completely in line with regulations.

This wasn't a player transfer; Aldrich had more than enough grounds to stand firm on this issue.

As the storm settled, Aldrich led the team to Amsterdam for their third preseason friendly against Ajax.