The Referee Problem

Chapter 7

After the longest phone call known, Haaland led the others to another room. "So, what do we do? Just wait until he comes?" Mbappe asked. He had no time to just sit around and wait for this retired guy to come over and talk to them. Aguero was probably going to come in at the last minute anyways...

Haaland nodded, "Yup, we just wait here." He sat down on a couch that was in this little resting area. The others joined him and they all sat down. For a while.

Mbappe was now growing impatient and was tapping against the corner of the couch.

When is this guy going to come over? He might actually arrive at the last minute. Or maybe extra time, who knows... Mbappe thought, sighing.

Then, the doors opened and Mbappe looked up to see that Aguero had come in. He wasn't in the mood to talk to Aguero at all, so he sat and waited. Waited for someone else to say something to him first.

"Hi, Aguero! You remember why you came, right?" Haaland asked. Aguero smiled, "What, you think I have a bad memory just because I'm a retired player?"

Yes

Haaland laughed and the two started to talk about the whole corrupt referee thing. "Weren't you guys even more corrupt than the refs? I mean, if you really think about it, you guys do have a lot of lawsuits." Vinicius' tone was casual. It even made Mbappe chuckle a bit.

Aguero didn't seem to mind the comment, "Yeah, I guess we were. Manchester City does have over a hundred lawsuits...but let's move on. The referee's have always had a bit of corruption now. People realize it, then forget it, then it just repeats." Aguero said.

Hm, the guy might be a bit old, but he isn't really that dumb. I guess I could trust this guy. Mbappe thought, now paying attention to what Aguero had to say.

"Makes sense...do you have any recommendations on any other player we should meet up with to talk about the same subject?" Bellingham asked. He sounded very mature, like he was a forty year old, not a twenty year old.

Aguero nodded, "I recommend seeing Özil. He doesn't come from such a corrupt club like Manchester City," He glanced over to Vinicius. "But I think he could tell you more about it."

Ugh, why another retired guy? Why can't we go to someone old, like Thomas Müller? Actually, nevermind, he'll make too many jokes out of it. He's a joke himself. Mbappé thought.

"Alright, then I guess we'll be heading over to Arsenal now, see if he could go back and visit." Haaland said. "You don't have to tell him if he's going to go back or not, he's going to visit the Emirate's tomorrow." Aguero told them. Haaland's face lit up, "Oh, cool! I guess we should get going now, we're going to head over to London now. Good seeing you." Haaland stood up and so did the others. They had a long road trip ahead of them.

•••

"Finally! We're out of that car..." Mbappe stretched as he took his first steps out of the car after a good four hours. "I feel good, how about you guys?" Haaland stepped out of the car and didn't stretch at all. "Hm, with those big legs, I wonder how you're the one that doesn't get uncomfortable. Probably because you're a robot." Vinicius teased.

Bellingham shook his head playfully, "Alright, alright, let's get inside now." Bellingham grabbed Vinicius by the shoulder and lightly shoved him forward. Mbappe walked behind everyone, he was done talking with all of the old players. It feels like going into another retirement home or something like that...

They walked inside and went to sit on the stands. Arsenal players walked around the stadium. They were either eating, drinking, talking, or sitting on the stands doing all three of those things. Mbappe looked around, trying to see if he could be the one to spot Özil first. But he got too impatient and decided to get up and ask one of the Arsenal players he saw.

"Hey, you, what's your name?" Mbappe went up to one of the Arsenal players. He stopped walking and curiously looked at Mbappe. "Martin." His answer was bland.

"Martin what?"

"Martin Ødegaard"

Guess I found the wrong M.O.... Mbappe thought, letting out an irritated sigh.

"Do you know where Mesut Özil is?" Mbappe tried to make his tone sound a bit more up beat, but it just sounded very impatient. And Ødegaard probably had noticed it too. "Somewhere around the stadium, I dunno." He shrugged.

Mbappe clenched his fists with annoyance. He was frustrated at the fact that this tiny footballer was trying to make him mad for no reason.

This player should know that he is talking to the next GOAT...he is just some random footballer who plays for Arsenal. I bet gooners don't even want him to stay in the club. Hm, I wonder if they even know if he plays for them? Mbappe's thoughts were full of anger.

"You seem mad..." Ødegaard took another scoop out of his ice cream in a cup, his stare to Mbappe was innocent. "You know what? Yeah, I am mad. Just tell me where Özil is so I don't have to deal with you anymore."

Mbappe could sense that the other Arsenal players were listening in, as they stopped walking and were off to the side.

"Mbappe! Stop being so harsh, can ya? You can never seem to take a chill pill." Bellingham went over to where the two players were and stood beside Ødegaard. "I'll talk to him, you could go and sit down."

Mbappe clenched his fists with anger. Everyone seemed to make Mbappe mad now. "Fine. Talk to him, he was annoying anyways." Mbappe turned around and stomped back to the seats. He could feel everyone's eyes on him while he walked back. Could no one seem to mind their own business?

•••

Over time, they found where Özil was and decided to talk with him in the stands. He didn't have the same personality as a regular old player, which surprised Mbappe a bit. He kinda liked this elder.

"Why'd you come to me? I was here to remember my time here, not remember the referee's I had to deal with." Özil pointed out. "I know, I know, it's just that we need to know about the referee's at the time. Just for a bit?" Mbappe put up a weak smile.

Özil stayed silent for a bit. "Fine, just ask your questions then we'll go our own ways." He agreed. Mbappe smiled and the two went on about the referee's. He liked Özil. He wasn't all smiles and positive stuff, like Aguero.

"So, just two questions. First one is, were the referee's decisions corrupt?" Mbappe asked. Once again, Özil sat in silence. But this time, it looked like he was thinking, not judging. "Every so often, but it wouldn't be so big. Not always. But there were also big and corrupt decisions made to other players around the time I was playing. Like with Drogba, or with Lampard's clear goal that was disallowed because it 'didn't go over the line'."

Mbappe slowly nodded, "Cool, what do you think is the main reason for all of these corrupt decisions?" He felt like an interviewer, which made him feel bad for Özil. Every player had their slight hatred toward the press. "Before, I'd say it was because there was no VAR. Without it, the referee's could only make a decision based on what they saw. But now, it is because of VAR. Many great goals are disallowed just because an atom was offside. It can also be from the crowd's reaction." He explained.

"Alright, that's all. I guess we'll just go our own ways now." Mbappe was quick to stand up, he was already ready to leave, move onto the next stage. To confront FIFA.