Footbal: Arsenal - Chapter 58: Aren't You Going to Take That Red Card? (Patreon)

At first, the Madrid players tried to keep Kieran out of the crowd surrounding the referee.

They were terrified that if he got close enough to say anything, the red card would become inevitable.

But Arsenal's players were right behind him. With strength in numbers, they forced a path through, practically shoving several Madrid players aside.

Kieran stepped up to the referee with a smile.

“Hello, ref!”

The official's anger at the Madrid players began to fade. He nodded. “Hello, Kieran. How's your leg?”

Kieran's smile grew even wider.

“Thanks for asking, ref! My leg's fine. I can carry on. And I'm really glad we've had a chance to talk before the match is over.”

In Kieran's view, communication was one of the most important things in football.

You had to communicate with teammates and supporters. Naturally, you had to communicate with referees too. A conversation could change the course of a match.

Relieved to hear that Kieran was all right, the referee nodded and listened.

Kieran made his request in a thoroughly respectful tone.

“Ref, I'd like to offer my view of that challenge. Ramos was careless, and he made contact with my foot. There's no doubt that it was a foul.”

The official nodded in agreement.

“But he didn't stamp on me, and he didn't go in with his studs showing. He was trying to reach the ball first. I don't think it amounts to serious foul play. Under the rules, I believe a yellow card would be appropriate.”

It was almost impossibly fair-minded.

Kieran certainly had a temper. In the past, if an opponent tried to push him around on the pitch, he would have made sure to retaliate. This time, however, he wasn't asking to have Ramos sent off.

The referee's eyes widened.

He had assumed Kieran was coming to demand a red card. He had already decided to show one, so it hadn't mattered whether Kieran intervened.

Hearing the player who had been fouled request a yellow instead was the last thing he expected. He was genuinely shaken.

“Ref, I've watched Champions League matches you've officiated before. You're a fair official. If Arsenal's reaction caused you to change your decision today, I think my teammates, our manager, our supporters and I would all feel guilty about it.”

Kieran looked utterly sincere.

And he really had watched the referee's previous matches.

Before every fixture, he checked the officiating appointments published by the FA and UEFA. Know yourself and know the other side, and you can be ready for anything. The referee was far too important a part of a match to overlook.

How did this official usually make decisions? Where did he position himself as the players moved? What could he see from different places on the pitch? Kieran paid at least some attention to all of it.

Whatever his reasons for researching the man's previous performances, the referee felt he was being treated with extraordinary respect.

Slowly, he slipped the red card back into his pocket, looking deeply moved.

He had never received this much appreciation and recognition in a single day.

The truth was that he had never been particularly strict or stubborn about applying the rules. Now he feared he was even less impartial. He could already feel himself developing a bias.

He accepted Kieran's suggestion. Instead of making himself the villain to one group of supporters, he chose a decision intended to balance both sides.

The whistle sounded.

Yellow card for Ramos. Direct free kick to Arsenal.

Arsenal's supporters were furious.

Fairness? Who cared about fairness? If Ramos escaped without the full punishment of a red card and a penalty, they were going to think the referee was biased!

The man had knocked Kieran several meters through the air! It had looked agonizing. Anything short of a red card would have the crowd cursing the official.

Boos swept across the stadium.

Of course, the supporters didn't know that Kieran himself had asked for this outcome.

Once again, the referee was left taking the blame. That wasn't particularly fair to him.

Kieran began applauding the official enthusiastically.

The Arsenal players around him joined in, gathering in a circle and clapping for the referee.

Anyone arriving without context might have assumed Arsenal were thanking an official for giving them a favorable decision. Yet, from the outside, the decision looked much more favorable to Madrid.

For the Arsenal fans, the applause suddenly made everything clear.

Their King, Kieran, had generously forgiven Ramos and persuaded the referee to give him only a yellow card.

Well, if that was what their boy had decided, they would follow his lead. The reason hardly mattered.

Come to think of it, wasn't that exactly the kind of person Kieran was?

The young man they adored had such admirable character. He wouldn't kick someone while they were down, and he wanted a fair contest. Surely that was something to be proud of.

They conveniently forgot the Kieran who had traded physical blows with Tottenham players in the North London derby.

Tottenham were their sworn rivals, after all. What was wrong with their boy giving as good as he got?

Many supporters made a private vow. If anyone ever took advantage of Kieran's kindness to bully him, they would make sure that person discovered how it felt to walk outside and find their car tires mysteriously flat. Every single time.

All around the Emirates, Arsenal fans began clapping along with Kieran.

The sight left Real Madrid's players speechless.

And they weren't the only ones.

The Madrid supporters watching the broadcast, the Merengues, were equally baffled.

Moments earlier, they had watched Kieran and his Arsenal teammates push past Madrid's players to reach the referee. Naturally, they had assumed Arsenal were going to play the victims, put pressure on the official and make a theatrical spectacle of the incident.

The Merengues were just preparing to let loose with the insults.

Then everything turned upside down.

After speaking to Kieran, the referee had put away his red card and produced a brand-new yellow for Ramos instead.

The Madrid supporters were stunned into silence. They felt a few seconds of genuine guilt for having judged Kieran so harshly.

Then the same thought struck them all.

Mourinho had been right before the match. Kieran had exactly the qualities that belonged at Real Madrid. Just standing there, he looked like one of their own. So why shouldn't he join them? A player like that ought to wear their shirt!

Besides, Madrid had money. Arsenal didn't!

Couldn't Madrid's executives simply make Arsenal an offer they couldn't refuse in the summer transfer window? Arsenal would get the cash, and Real Madrid would have their very own Crown Prince at the Bernabéu.

The more the Merengues thought about it, the more delighted they became.

Mourinho! Florentino! You'd better take this Kieran transfer business seriously!

But if Kieran was available to the highest bidder, Madrid would hardly be the only club with a chance.

Money would decide the winner.

Paris Saint-Germain, the French club backed by Qatari investors, had all but forgotten the fact that Kieran was only sixteen and was already eager to enter the race.

Manchester City, another Premier League club backed by wealthy owners from the United Arab Emirates, had never been short of cash. They began making frantic inquiries about his market value.

Then there was Chelsea. Its owner, Abramovich, was one of Russia's best-known oligarchs and had spent years among the country's wealthiest men.

If there was one thing he had plenty of, it was money.

According to one British newspaper, Abramovich admired Kieran so much that he had already put aside enough funds to buy him. He was ready to compete with the other clubs on price.

Nobody bothered to ask Arsenal what they thought of any of this.

Everyone knew the club still had stadium debts to pay.

Some members of Arsenal's management really were tempted.

But after watching what their supporters had done during this match, they couldn't help feeling the matter deserved a little more thought.