The day after the Mesut Özil post incident.
Inside the top-floor conference room at Arsenal's Colney Base, all high-ranking officials gathered for an emergency meeting. The massive screen wall was lit, displaying a screenshot of Mesut Özil's world-igniting post, along with real-time scrolling data of hundreds of thousands of angry comments below it.
The expressions of the meeting participants grew uglier by the minute. Gazidis, the club's CEO, was ashen-faced, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. Kroenke's brows were knitted together, and his eyes were as cold as ice. But the most heartbroken, and under the greatest pressure, was Arsène Wenger.
The usually refined professor's chest heaved violently, his normally gentle gaze now sharp as a knife, and his tightly pressed lips trembled slightly. His knuckles were already white, as if he was using immense strength to suppress his rage. Wenger looked at the screenshot of Mesut Özil's post, at the insulting words, at the insults directed at his beloved protégé Oliver and his heritage, and at the slanders against the entire Asian fan base.
The veins on his forehead subtly throbbed.
"Crazy..." Wenger's voice was low and suppressed, yet it rumbled through the conference room like muffled thunder. "He's completely lost it, a thorough, irredeemable idiot!"
After Gazidis finished reading the post. He slammed his fist onto the heavy conference table, the loud thud startling those nearby:
"This guy not only trampled on every inch of the club's dignity, he also treated the club's red line like a jump rope! He slandered our future core player, whom we signed at all costs, even insulted hundreds of millions of fans in a potential market, and kicked the Football Association rules to oblivion. This includes Oliver, who is nominally his teammate right now! Mesut Özil's actions are foolish! Malicious! Intolerable!"
Kroenke added coldly: "This idiot destroyed the positive image we worked all summer to build, dragging the club into the dirtiest mire. This kind of cancerous behavior must be eradicated immediately."
The conference room was filled with the anxiety and anger of the high-ranking officials. Mesut Özil's 350,000 weekly salary contract was like a huge shackles, previously making people hesitant due to the huge penalty for early termination (approximately over 20 million pounds). Now, this scandal not only erupted with its own toxicity but also handed a knife to the club.
At this moment, Arsenal's chief legal counsel, David Svenya, pushed up his glasses.
He offered the executives a new perspective:
"Gentlemen, let's analyze this calmly. While Mesut Özil's actions are undoubtedly a disaster, from a legal and regulatory standpoint, they unexpectedly provide us with a golden opportunity to completely resolve this issue. Beyond our anger, we must skillfully wield the weapons that rules and laws grant us."
Everyone looked at Svenya.
"Tell us your thoughts, Svenya." Gazidis gestured to him.
Svenya continued.
"First," Svenya opened an official Premier League handbook document, "Mesut Özil's actions, the public use of racist language, clearly violate Premier League Rule E3.1 (discrimination by abusive, inappropriate, or offensive language or conduct) and E3.2 (abuse or insult based on race). This is already a foregone conclusion. Secondly, his public accusation and shaming of a club teammate severely disrupted team harmony and also violated the core clauses of the club's code of conduct. This can serve as ironclad evidence when we prepare to report to the Football Association and initiate internal disciplinary procedures."
Svenya's tone became even colder:
"As everyone knows, before this incident, if we wanted to unilaterally terminate Mesut Özil's contract, we would have to pay a huge compensation fee for his remaining contract years, totaling over 20 million pounds. But now, the situation is completely different. His blatant and extremely serious breach of conduct has personally torn up his basic loyalty obligations and the most fundamental moral contract to the club. Therefore, based on Premier League rules and the serious misconduct clauses in labor law, we have full and overwhelming legal grounds to terminate his contract immediately.At the same time,"
He paused, emphasizing his words, "not only do we not need to pay Mesut Özil a single penny in termination fees, but we can even legally pursue him for the huge economic losses his actions have caused the club!"
This turn of events suddenly sucked the air out of the conference room. Everyone's eyes lit up.
"Also." Svenya continued his analysis, showcasing the evidence his team had already collected, including specific data on the post's views (over 15 million views), shares (over 100,000 shares), and comments (over 100,000 comments).
"Mesut Özil's post has caused widespread and severely harmful negative effects on social media, constituting typical 'incitement to racial hatred'. This has completely gone beyond the scope of internal club rules and Premier League rules, constituting a breach of law, especially the relevant clauses regarding racial discrimination and incitement to hatred in the UK's public order act 1986." He displayed a draft of a lawyer's letter that was being prepared,
"I suggest that our club immediately file a complaint with the London police and the local court as a victim. Based on precedents and the severity of the charges, if found guilty, he will face not only a huge fine but also a prison sentence of a minimum of six months and a maximum of 7 years."
Svenya continued to press on.
"More importantly, Mesut Özil's remarks directly damaged Arsenal Football Club's global commercial reputation, especially causing devastating harm to the Asian market. We have sufficient evidence to prove a direct causal link between his actions and the damage to the club's image and the shrinking of its commercial value. We are fully confident of winning in civil litigation and seeking massive economic compensation from Mesut Özil, amounting to millions or even tens of millions of pounds."
They could terminate the contract without spending a single penny, and also receive huge compensation. The conference room was silent, everyone moved by the method Svenya described. The pit Mesut Özil dug for himself was not only deep enough to bury his future at Arsenal, but it might even send him to prison and make him bleed heavily.
"Svenya," Kroenke finally spoke, his voice carrying a decisive ruthlessness, "Proceed immediately as you've outlined, use all legal power, and push the legal process to the very end! I want him to pay the heaviest price for his foolishness and malice!"
"Gazidis," Kroenke turned to the CEO, "immediately prepare evidence and appeal to the Football Association. At the same time, public relations handling is urgent and must meet the highest standards of crisis management! Release an official announcement immediately!"
Gazidis immediately gave instructions to the public relations manager, speaking rapidly: "The core content of the announcement has three points: First, condemn Mesut Özil's actions in the strongest, clearest language! Completely disassociate from his racist remarks! Declare that this is a disgrace Arsenal will never condone or forgive!" His voice was resolute,
"Second, on behalf of all high-ranking officials, all staff, and all fans of the club, extend the most sincere and profound apologies to Oliver and his family, to all his fans, and to all those harmed by this incident! Tell the world that we understand and respect our fans and partners!"
He paused briefly, his tone firm:
"Third, provide substantive compensation to fans, announcing: For the entire upcoming season (2018/19 season), all fans holding any valid Asian passports who travel to Emirates Stadium to watch Premier League matches in person will receive 50% off their ticket purchases. This is our direct action to express our remorse and support."
The last point was crucial.
"Fourth, immediate disposal decision! Before the final ruling of the Football Association and legal procedures is issued, Mesut Özil is prohibited from entering Colney Training Centre, Emirates Stadium, and any other related facilities of Arsenal from now on! Arsenal will immediately proceed to remove all elements related to Mesut Özil from Emirates Stadium, Colney Training Centre, official website, social media, and all other channels! Mesut Özil's number will be immediately reclaimed, and this name will no longer exist in the Arsenal locker room! I want people to know how thorough our determination to remove him is!"
Professor Wenger took a deep breath when he heard this, and his face relaxed a little. He added, "The club-level handling is very important, but personal-level compensation cannot be missing. Oliver is a child I personally invited. He and his family have suffered an unwarranted disaster. This apology cannot just stay on paper. Gazidis, arrange a car for me after the meeting. I will go to Oliver's home in London immediately to apologize to his parents in person. This time, I must go myself. Oliver is currently training with the England Team, preparing for the World Cup. This is his first major competition. He is under immense pressure. After apologizing to his parents, I will also apologize to Oliver."
The meeting concluded with unprecedented efficiency and unity. After the meeting, various departments operated at high speed like precise machines. The documents prepared by Svenja's team flew like snowflakes to the Football Association Disciplinary Committee and the London local court. The accusations against Mesut Özil included:
[Serious violation of Premier League rules E3.1, E3.2; violation of club code of conduct; criminal prosecution materials (inciting racial hatred); preliminary notice of civil litigation (claiming loss of goodwill and reputation)]
After the legal team's action, Arsenal's official announcement was quickly released:
[Official Statement from Arsenal Football Club]
The club was deeply shocked and angered upon learning of the remarks made by Mesut Özil on his personal social media.
These remarks contained an unforgivable attack on his teammate Mr. Oliver and his mother's Chinese background, as well as a serious insult to the Asian fan community.
Such behavior completely violates the values of inclusivity, respect, and unity cherished by Arsenal Football Club.
The club hereby condemns these remarks in the strongest terms and clearly states that it completely dissociates itself from Mesut Özil's views.
This behavior seriously violates the club's code of conduct and relevant Premier League rules.
On behalf of all members of the club, we extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Oliver and his family, as well as to all Asian fans and partners who have been hurt.
Mr. Oliver is a member of Arsenal and a player for the England National Team. He deserves the utmost respect and support.
To express our apology to Asian fans, the club has decided:
[During the 2018/19 season, all fans holding any valid Asian passports who attend Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium will enjoy a 50% discount on tickets]
At the same time:
[Mesut Özil is indefinitely prohibited from entering Colney Training Centre, Emirates Stadium, and any buildings or facilities related to Arsenal.]
[The club will remove all logos and content related to Mesut Özil from all official channels (including stadiums, training bases, websites, social media), and his number 10 jersey has been reclaimed. Currently, the club is fully cooperating with the relevant investigations and procedures of the Football Association and legal institutions. The handling of this incident reflects our firm commitment to eradicating all forms of discrimination.]
Shortly after Arsenal's announcement, headlines in major sports media worldwide were refreshed again.
The announcement's zero tolerance for discrimination, sincere apology to Chinese fans, and the half-price ticket initiative, especially the thunderous measures of facility ban and number abolition, won a flood of public praise and a sense of relieved understanding. Facing Arsenal's detailed reporting materials and overwhelming social pressure, the Football Association also showed astonishing efficiency. Just hours after receiving Arsenal's official report, after an emergency Disciplinary Committee meeting,
The Football Association's official statement was released:
[Player Mesut Özil has been given the maximum penalty of a 12-match ban from all football activities in England and a fine of £100,000 for serious violations of Rules E3.1 and E3.2.
At the same time, the Football Association has approved Arsenal's application to terminate player Mesut Özil's contract without compensation. Mesut Özil is no longer an Arsenal player and will not receive any severance pay.
Finally, the Football Association firmly upholds the dignity and reputation of all England National Team players, opposes all forms of racism, and Oliver, as an important member of the England National Team, has our firmest support.]
On the other side, Professor Wenger's actions were also underway. A low-key black car was parked outside a quiet residential area in London. This is Oliver's family's new home in London. Professor Wenger, accompanied by Gazidis, pressed the doorbell of Oliver's London home with a solemn expression. The door opened, and Oliver's parents appeared at the doorway.
Professor Wenger bowed deeply and said in an extremely sincere tone:
"Mr. Thorne, Mrs. Shuwen, as the head coach of Arsenal, I must come in person, on behalf of the club, and even more on behalf of myself, to express my deepest and most sincere apology for the disgraceful harm that has befallen your son and yourselves! The club failed to protect his reputation, and this is our huge failure! But please believe that we will hold the perpetrator accountable to the end! We will never tolerate it!"
Mr. Thorne looked at Wenger bowing and apologizing so sincerely, and much of his anger and worry dissipated.
He helped Professor Wenger up: "Mr. Wenger, the fault is not yours, nor is it the club's. We saw your handling after the announcement, it was very quick, and your stance was very firm. We saw Arsenal's actions."
...
After leaving the Thorne family, Professor Wenger returned to his Colney office.
He personally dialed Oliver's video call.
Oliver on the other end of the screen was wearing the England Team training kit, with the St. George's Park training center in the background.
Oliver's expression was relatively calm, as he had already seen the Football Association and Arsenal's handling results online.
"Professor," Oliver's voice came through the video.
"Ollie," Professor Wenger's voice was unusually gentle, full of fatherly care and determination, "I am deeply sorry for everything that happened at the club, for causing you this grievance. This dirty episode should not have appeared on your path to winning the championship."
He looked at Oliver and continued, "I visited your parents with Gazidis not long ago and apologized to your parents on behalf of the club. They are very strong. I called you because I wanted to tell you personally: First, the person who humiliated you will never appear here again, including Arsenal, including the Premier League, and even including the Europe arena. We will make him understand what 'never' means. Second,"
The professor's tone shifted to encouragement, "don't think about anything. We will handle this perfectly. Mesut Özil will not have a good outcome. You continue to focus on your World Cup preparations. Your teammates, coaching staff, and all of England are looking forward to your performance. On the field, speak with the most brilliant football. This is the best response to all absurdities! Arsenal will always be your strongest backing."
Oliver looked at the sincere gaze and tired yet determined face of the professor on the screen, and the gloom in his heart seemed to be dispelled by this powerful assurance.
"Thank you, Coach," his voice became strong, "and thank you for everything Arsenal has done. I will, I will focus on the World Cup and the England National Team."
The video call ended.
Professor Wenger leaned back in his chair, finally relaxing a little.
Outside the window, everything at Colney Training Centre was being cleaned, removing the marks that shouldn't have been there.
The professor closed his eyes.
Now, he only hoped that his beloved protégé, far away at St. George's Park, could shed this heavy burden and run freely on the upcoming green field, shining with the light of the World Cup.
This ugly storm, born of jealousy and ignorance, was ultimately transformed into a powerful action demonstrating Arsenal's attitude and values through the thunderous measures of Arsenal's top management and Professor Wenger's warm protection.
...
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