Football Card System

"Get off! Get off! You have ten minutes!"

Gao Bo stepped off the bus, followed closely by John, who was busy directing the players to head to the locker room to change and then come out for their warm-ups.

The players gathered their gear and filed off the bus one by one. They entered the locker room, quickly changed into their uniforms, and made their way to the field to begin warming up.

Gao Bo stayed behind in the locker room, preparing for his final pre-game pep talk.

This match had attracted significant attention across England. Rumors in the media suggested that if Scolari's team underperformed, his tenure at Chelsea might come to an early end. Gao Bo couldn't predict whether his presence might accelerate Scolari's dismissal—after all, in his previous life, Scolari had been fired by Abramovich just a month later.

Now alone in the locker room, Gao Bo listened to the cheers and chants of Chelsea fans coming from outside.

The Premier League…

He clenched his fists. As a coach, how could he not dream of the top league? Yet, Gao Bo remained pragmatic. Fantasizing was meaningless without tangible achievements.

Walking into the restroom, Gao Bo splashed cold water on his face to shake off the stiffness. He stared at his reflection in the mirror—his angular features, thick black hair partly covering his forehead, and bloodshot eyes peeking out from under his bangs.

"Come on, Gao Bo!" he whispered to himself, straightening his posture and clenching his fists with renewed determination.

---

"Director He! Look at this!!"

In Guangzhou, at the Guangdong TV headquarters, a clerk ran over and stopped He Hongfa, who was on his way to the live broadcast studio.

He Hongfa, a senior commentator for Guangdong TV Sports Channel, was preparing to commentate on an FA Cup match between Tottenham and Wigan Athletic. It was the most high-profile match of the third round, as both teams were in the Premier League. Other matches, featuring Premier League teams against League One or League Two opponents, lacked broader appeal.

"What is this?"

The clerk handed him a printed copy of an online news article.

"A Chinese head coach leading Luton against Chelsea?!"

The headline was punctuated with both question marks and exclamation marks, reflecting the writer's skepticism about its authenticity.

At the time, China's internet was experiencing rapid development, with an explosion of news making it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood.

A Chinese manager? Coaching Luton?

He Hongfa's first thought was that this must be fake news.

He checked the time—there was still an hour until the match began.

"Hold on!"

Sensing the potential significance of the story, He Hongfa knew that if it were true, broadcasting this match would be a huge ratings boost.

Rushing back to his office, he turned on his computer and searched for the article. Soon, he found it, complete with hundreds of comments.

"Is this real?"

"Fake news! Ridiculous!"

"I don't believe it!"

The majority of the comments questioned the news.

There were indeed Chinese football coaches, but very few worked abroad—far fewer even than the number of Chinese players overseas. A Chinese head coach leading a foreign team? The idea seemed absurd.

The damn internet speed…

Frustrated by the slow loading, He Hongfa waited impatiently until the page finally loaded.

The article included a photograph of a young man surrounded by players. Though the image was taken from a distance, his East Asian features were unmistakable.

At first glance, He Hongfa was convinced the man was Chinese—his Hakka facial features were too distinctive. But the article itself didn't explicitly confirm his nationality.

He quickly navigated to Luton's official website, which was only available in English. This posed no problem for He, who found the coach's profile easily.

"Gao Bo?"

The pinyin name confused him initially, but the next line confirmed everything. Next to the word "China" was a miniature five-star red flag.

This League Two team really hired a Chinese head coach!

Excited, He searched British news websites for information about Gao Bo.

The results were astonishing:

"Chinese head coach leads his team to 10 consecutive victories, overturning a 30-point penalty deficit!"

"Former Chelsea U18 coach claims Scolari's tactical approach is doomed!"

"Luton's Chinese manager criticizes Abramovich's lack of football knowledge!"

He Hongfa was stunned. Gao Bo's achievements in England were remarkable.

"Director He, the broadcast is about to start…"

A colleague reminded him, but He waved them off.

"Wait a minute!"

Moments later, major Chinese sports portals updated their schedules:

"Live Broadcast: Chelsea vs. Luton at Stamford Bridge!"

The announcement drew immediate reactions online.

"Chelsea vs. Luton? Isn't Luton a League Two team? Why broadcast this instead of a Premier League match? Absurd!"

But once people read the headline, everything changed:

"Premier League giants Chelsea face Luton, led by Chinese coach Gao Bo!"

The internet exploded. Confirmation from Guangzhou Sports Channel left no doubt: Gao Bo was indeed Chinese.

Curious netizens flocked to Luton's official website, causing it to crash under the unexpected surge in traffic.

Even though it was midnight in China, the news spread like wildfire, fueled by the country's massive population.