‘I thought you said he’d never play football again.’
‘No, I said he’d never play again at the highest level.’
‘Oh, you mean he can play in another league. Actually, Scott, I can’t honestly see how that’s going to work out either. Unless you allow the twins to practise the same deception on another club. Which can’t happen.’
‘You let me worry about that.’
‘For legal reasons PSG would certainly want an undertaking that the Dumas twins never pull this kind of stunt again.’
‘And you’ll certainly have that. I guarantee it. And they won’t be pulling any kind of stunts again. At least not of a medical kind. Look, all I need PSG to do is to sack him, like I said. I think you should sack him for misconduct. Specifically because of the political comments he’s made to the press which you regard to be incompatible with his employment at PSG. Specifically the interview he gave to Libération. Take him at his own word. He’s a communist who advocates Maoist revolution, isn’t he? How does that play with your team owners? The last thing they want in Qatar is a revolution. Of course, everyone will think there’s a lot more to it than that. And then maybe you can get your PR people to hint that he was involved with some bad boys in the banlieues. Which he was. Of course, in the long run, none of this will do Jérôme’s reputation any harm at all. Much better to be sacked for being a bad boy than for having a hole in the heart. In fact, I rather think the Maoism might even go down well with his new employers.’
‘What do you mean, his new employers? We haven’t even sacked him yet.’
‘But you will sack him. Because you have to. Because he can’t play for you any more. Like I said, your insurers won’t let him.’
‘For Christ’s sake, Scott. Why do I get the feeling I’m being bounced into something? And who are his new employers? It’s not London City, is it?’
‘No, it’s definitely not London City. In view of what’s happened you can be absolutely sure about that.’
‘Yes, I saw the news.’
‘No, it’s someone else, Charles. And I spoke to them an hour ago. Before I came down here to have breakfast with you.’
‘So, who?’
‘I’ll tell you. And I can safely say that provide you agree to everything I’ve told you just now, then I’ve solved all of your problems, Charles. And Jérôme’s. Not to mention one small problem of my own.’
32
Skype. To my mind it’s not the fact that calls are free that they should be selling, it’s the fact that they’re calls you see. Somehow, when you’re doing an important business deal, you need more than just a voice assuring you that everything will be as promised. You need to see a face. That’s what it means to stay in touch. Almost. The day you can seal a deal on Skype with a virtual handshake will be the day that Skype is actually worth the 8.5 billion dollars that Microsoft paid for it back in 2011. Of course, ‘face’ — miàn zi — is very important to the Chinese, especially in business, and it means a lot more than respect and knowing one’s place. It’s about courtesy and trust and the recognition that the time of someone as rich as Jack Kong Jia is valuable and that he could always do business with someone else.
‘Thank you for taking my call, Mr Kong Jia. I know you’re a very busy man.’
He was seated in a room that was almost all white and in stark contrast to the black sky and neon lights of Shanghai I could see through the window behind him. His tattooed arm was heavy with bracelets and charms. Around his neck was a shark’s tooth, which was enough to remind me that the man might be dangerous. It’s a rare billionaire who doesn’t have some extra teeth.
‘And thank you for your kind gift, Mr Manson. How did you know that I am so very fond of movie posters?’
‘Sir, it’s in an article about you in Forbes magazine.’
‘Yes, but it was clever of you to know that I like James Bond movie posters best of all. And that the UK Dr No poster was one I did not yet have.’
‘I noticed that you’d invested in the last Bond movie, sir. It was on the film’s credits. Therefore I assumed you might be a fan, like me. I’m afraid it was just good luck that I chose that particular one. Although since it is particularly rare it was perhaps a reasonable assumption that you might not have it.’
Rare and also expensive. The poster had cost me £5,000. That was the upfront cost of doing business with Jack Kong Jia.
‘I’m glad you called, Mr Manson. I’ve been thinking about you. Especially in view of what’s happened today.’
‘What’s happened?’
‘You haven’t seen the news?’
‘I’m in Paris, sir. I haven’t been paying much attention to the news. And it’s still pretty early here.’
‘Viktor Sokolnikov has been found dead at his estate in Kent. It looks as if he was murdered by the Kremlin.’
‘Oh. I see. No, I didn’t know. Jesus.’
A hundred thoughts crowded into my mind for a second; thoughts about Viktor and our time together at London City; concern for his family; and a question mark about the stewardship of an important football club. What was going to happen to the team that João Zarco and I had helped nurture?
‘I’m watching it on the TV news now. But then we are ahead of you here. We get everything before you get it.’
‘So I believe. Sir, about those two football players who were supposed to come to China to join your club.’
‘Chad Yekini and George Mboma. Yes, it’s a pity they decided not to come. We could certainly have used them. There’s a big match with Shanghai Taishan coming up in three weeks. Not that they would have been here by then, of course. They were going to come only at the end of the European season. But all the same, it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?’
‘Might I ask what kind of money you were prepared to pay them?’
‘Each of them had a three year deal worth two hundred thousand pounds a week.’
‘Christ.’
‘Plus whatever they could make from their image rights. Under my guidance, of course. Which would also be quite a lot. CSL players are very much in demand to sell almost everything in China. Especially when they’ve been playing at top clubs.’
‘I didn’t know players in China got paid so much.’
‘The Chinese Super League is going to be the wealthiest in the world, Mr Manson. You can take my word for it.’
‘What would you say if I told you I could replace them both? And in time for your match with Beijing? If I said that one of them is a very long way off the end of his career, while at thirty-seven years old Chad Yekini is very close to the end of his. I take it you’ve heard of Jérôme Dumas. He’s just twenty-two.’
‘Dumas. Of course. He’s a top player. He plays for Paris Saint-Germain, does he not? But I read in the sports pages that he was now on loan to Barcelona.’
‘Not any more. The loan isn’t going to go through. I happen to know that PSG are about to sack him. Among other things, for his Maoist revolutionary views.’
Mr Jia laughed. ‘That’s hardly a problem here in China. In spite of what happened during the Cultural Revolution a great many people in this country still revere Chairman Mao. So he might play for us, is that what you’re suggesting?’
‘Provided you could agree to waive his medical I can guarantee that I can bring him to Shanghai, sir. And to have his signature on a contract by the end of the week.’
‘You interest me a lot, Mr Manson. And the other player?’
‘His identical twin brother. Not famous like Jérôme. But he’s an excellent footballer. Which is why I’m offering them both to you as a two for one.’