World Cup 67 - RP Thread

[New Sideburn]

Gethin Ramsey is still New Sideburn's World XI submission.

Angela Ramsey was a lot of things. Pinup model, go-go dancer, the flapper ideal of the 300s and 310s and, in general, a sex symbol of New Sideburn. She was also a high profile, extremely devout Catholic.
Catholicism in New Sideburn varied from that elsewhere - for one, they followed their own religious authority, the Antipope of Cranequin. Back in the civil wars between the city-states of modern New Sideburn, the Grand Duke of Cranequin was the first to use religion as a weapon, declaring his second son to be the voice of God on Earth, and immediately excommunicated all of his enemies. Others would follow, but long after the wars had ended, the authority of the Antipope of Cranequin was acknowledged as the highest. Curiously, he never lost the Anti-.
The Catholic Church kept out of Sideburnese politics, paid a modest tax and generally kept out of the spotlight. It focused its efforts inward, for the most part, and was very pure of purpose, without abuse of power.
Justice III had died peacefully at the respectable age of 77 - currently the college of cardinals (just eight in all) were voting on the new one, and a respectful smattering of people waited outside St. Reinhard's Cathedral.
Angela nervously hugged herself in the cold breeze, and tried to focus on the chimney above the great cathedral.
Her husband tapped impatiently on his tablet. "So what smoke means there's the new Antipope?" he asked, without looking up.

Derek Martin Bondfield: your defensive tactics put the sideburnese game in CONTEMPT you will SWITCH IMMEDIATELY to an AGGRESSIVE FORMATION against the WORLD CHAMPIONS
gramsey420: eat shit ya mad cunt

"Black smoke means a failed ballot," said Angela, who was still staring intently at the highest chimney. "White means a success."
"Oh. Who're you going for?"
"Well... the Archbishop of Crisisbless is a real reactionary who wants the Church to take more action in politics. So... basically anyone but him."

Derek Martin Bondfield: impudent knave
Derek Martin Bondfield: you will call me IMMEDIATELY
Derek Martin Bondfield: we will DISCUSS your TERMS

Angela turned to face her husband. "Who the hell is messaging you?"
"The guy who shouted at you a couple months ago. NSFA President."

Derek Martin Bondfield: RAMSEY are you LISTENING

"He's a nice lad, really."

Derek Martin Bondfield: VAINGLORIOUS CUR

Angela glanced at the screen. "Yeah, I can see that."
Gethin tapped quickly and erratically into the tablet.

gramsey420: read my contract + weep
gramsey420: fight me irl
gramsey420: lol
gramsey420: are u the real or the no good jabroni
gramsey420: fire me and i will bcom more powerful than u can #5ever imagin

"Oh my," said Angela, trying to suppress a smile.
Gethin sighed, and tucked the tablet back in his coat. "C'mon, that's enough work for now. We haven't spent ... enough time together lately."
"Oh, Gethin..." The taller woman pecked her husband on the forehead. "I understood what would happen when we got married. You've always been work-focused, and I've... I mean, it's never been a dependent relationship. But these moments are nice. I appreciate you taking me out to Cranequin for this."
Gethin shrugged. "Eh, Auburn could do with the practice of taking up a full training session anyway. It's a matter of shouting and letting Escher take care of the details anyway." He slipped a hand around his wife's waist. "Come on, let's just see what happens."
White smoke billowed from the Cathedral.

Two days later, downstairs at a rather shady snooker hall, Nikita Rasputin was a happy woman.
"We made a killing on the new Pope! The Archbishop of Brinemouth won by a landslide."
She held up a shot glass of vodka, and Gethin clinked his pint to it. "Cheers, and long live Augustine VI. But, uh... you ran a betting ring on the Antipope?"
Nikita shrugged. "We bet on everything, my friend! For us, it is a pastime. May I break?"
"Go ahead."
Nikita drained her shot and took aim, sending the white ball forward at full force. Everything missed.
"Shit! I'm... really out of practice."
"And you've already got three shots of vodka down you."
"That is nothing for me. Come on, big man, let's see what you can do."
Gethin took up his cue and potted a red without hesitation.
"So," said Nikita, quietly, "Eura - do you think you will win?"
"We stand a more than fair chance of victory."
"Well, you're tipped to lose by one or two. No offence."
Ramsey shrugged, and casually angled the yellow into the far pocket. "None taken. I assume you're not gonna try to give me tactics that would help you?"
"Messing with sports... that is not what the Union does."
"Thank fucking christ. I get enough of that shit from the goddamn President." Bitterly, Gethin drilled another red, and glanced over at the black.
Nikita raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is he being... difficult?"
Gethin glanced at his friend. It had at certain times in the past been convenient to be a drinking companion of a mysteriously Russian crime lord, but he felt that that particular ace up his sleeve should be conserved for emergencies. "It's... okay. I can deal with him, I guess."
"With that contract of yours? You are practically invincible, my friend!"
"Yeah..."
Gethin turned away, and absently missed potting the black.
"What's the matter?" asked Nikita sharply. "You aren't planning on... leaving the national team, are you?"
"No, of course not!" said Gethin quickly. "Just... well, okay, I've been thinking about it. But I got a job to do first, no fear about that. We're going to the World Cup... and I'll be leading them there."

[Mytannion]

Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
Part Seven.

Elita strolled into the room; she held her pistol loosely down at her side and scanned around the room. Things were strewn everywhere and absolutely nothing was in good condition, it was clear that Kalinina herself no longer cared for leading a particularly ‘normal’ life. They often said that those who possessed power go to pieces when they are without it. It certainly seemed like Kalinina had. She couldn’t cope with losing her position and it seemed she no longer cared for political machinations or anything like that.

Elita could sense that this was quite simply a place of intense alcohol abuse and despair, it didn’t seem like it had much else going for it. Kalinina was nowhere to be seen, there were plates and clothes strewn everywhere, the place was a real mess. Elita didn’t know how anybody could live somewhere that was in this state, it wasn’t as bad as some of the hovels that had existed whilst Kalinina had been in power herself... At least it didn’t smell bad anyway.

Elita didn’t want to find Kalinina, in some ways now, knowing she was in this state, knowing she was living whatever quality of life she was doing. But she knew that that wasn’t entirely the case either. People had said that Kalinina had been throwing wild parties ever since she had arrived and that had almost been her mechanism of coping with losing power.

It seemed strange in itself, a former leader of a nation, throwing wild parties and getting absolutely hammered – but she had been known for it back home too. It was a wonder nobody had dealt with her back then, when people could have taken advantage and put themselves in a powerful position within the Mytanar government. Of course, it didn’t help that everybody was terrified of Kalinina whether she was vulnerable or not.

Elita looked around the room some more, there wasn’t much going on, that was for sure. There was a television mounted on the wall, flickering on and off, the screen went fuzzy every so often and other times a Spanish voice crackled out jabbering about something or another. Elita didn’t know where to go, it was evident that this was a large room, there were several adjoining rooms and she wondered again why the Sargossans were putting Kalinina up still, especially in somewhere so expensive where she was getting a free ride of everything.

The KGB controlled Mytannion now and the Sargossans surely knew that just as any government across Rushmore did, she wasn’t sure where the KGB would steer her country but it hardly mattered anymore. She had achieved what she wanted from working for the KGB, she had gotten the information required to hunt down the deposed despot that had indirectly murdered her whole family. She was here now, in the same hotel room as the woman and she was simply waiting for the moment that their two paths would cross. She didn’t know what she would do, would she speak to her first?

She doubted that, that humanised the woman, which gave her some power. It would probably be for the best if she just put a bullet through her head as quickly as she possibly could and then she could take the body and get out of there as soon as possible. They’d leave the body somewhere where it would be noticed quickly and then the news would hopefully get out as quickly as it possibly could, it would spread like wildfire across Rushmore and as soon as the Mytanar government heard they’d also have to defend accusations of the job that Elita had pulled.

It’d be clear from CCTV both inside and outside the building that someone had done the job, a man and a woman, but nobody would know who they were other than the OSI and the KGB, or so she hoped.

Elita moved to the door nearest to her, there was silence on the other side so Elita shrugged to herself, where was the harm in looking around whilst she had the chance? Hopefully she could learn something about Kalinina and how she had lived in the time she had been in Sargossa whilst she waited for her to come out from wherever she was. The room was like a rabbit warren and Elita hoped she didn’t have to get the rabbit to come out of its hiding place by force. By looking around, she may have been forcing that to happen anyway, but she didn’t really mind that much, it’d just be better if Kalinina walked into the trap herself.

She slowly nudged the door open, leading the way through with her pistol, this was the sleeping quarters. A large four poster bed dominated the room, how very decadent, the bed sheets were all over the room and there were some smears up the walls that looked suspiciously like blood. Worrying, to say the least. Even if it was a woman that Elita hated with every fibre of her being for what she had done to both her own country and her own family. The squalor she seemed to be living in here was ridiculous though; Elita didn’t like to see anybody living in these sort of conditions.

Elita also hoped that she hadn’t lost her mental faculties. She wouldn’t be able to question her then; she wouldn’t be able to get answers, were the claims about death camps true? Why had she gone to war against her own people? Why did she hate Thessians so much and why did she promote such regional nationalism?

That in particular had left a damaging mark on Mytannion, everybody hated everybody all of a sudden. The Thessians had always been rather different to the rest of the country, they had always been the industrial heartland and the rest of the country had always been a little jealous, but suddenly the Hochlanders hated the Thessians more than usual, the Magevs isolated themselves further and although the KGB tried to steer the politicians towards unity it seemed to have no effect.

Kalinina obviously wasn’t in her bedroom, Elita thought to herself, which was when she heard a flushing noise and quickly moved back into the main area of the hotel room. She almost chuckled to herself, she had to conceal it, she’d come to kill Kalinina and when she raided her room she found her on the toilet. Comedic to say the very least. Elita didn’t know what she would say, she wouldn’t say anything that was too clichéd, she wanted to say something that really got across what Kalinina had done to her life, but anything that passed across her mind seemed too rehearsed, too fake.

Maybe she should just fire the gun off and put the fear into Kalinina. She didn’t really know what to do, for the moment, she waited.

Elita could hear a tap running the background, good to know that Kalinina had some sense of personal hygiene despite living in the state that she did. The middle door rattled a little as the handle turned, slowly, the door opened. Light flooded into the main room, where Elita was stood, as a dark figure moved through the doorway.

...

Adder dragged the second guard down the corridor and put him next to the other one, the two dead ones were now tightly packed together in a storage room full of mattresses on the top floor. That’d certainly make for a nice surprise for the next person who walked in, Adder would be quite apologetic, but he didn’t really mind. It was the Sargossan’s faults for harbouring the woman, everything could have been made easy if one of them had quite simply ratted on their men on the top.

If they’d done that, then the Eurans could quite simply have sent a crack team into the hotel, taken the security systems apart within seconds and then taken the woman and put her behind bars. He hoped Elita didn’t let emotion get to her, he’d told her relentlessly that she couldn’t kill Kalinina, they had to take her before an International Criminal Tribunal or whatever they were called, they had to go through the proper protocol to get the job done. If it had been an entire Euran job they would at least know that the job had been done correctly, rather than relying on an emotional Mytanar agent.

Relying on Mytanar agents was like relying on Mytanar cars, good at first and nice to look at, but the long-term outlook came way below expectations. This was Elita though – Adder knew that he could rely on her, she was different to the rest of the clowns at the KGB, she got the job done, she had some steel inside her, some drive, some determination and it meant that she couldn’t be distracted when she wanted a job doing properly.

He briefly wondered how long they had left, he was hoping that the science type guys that worked for the Euran military were making their predictions skew towards the longer time rather than the short prediction that they had made. Between 20-45 minutes, well what was it? Nobody could be sure, apparently. He certainly hoped it was 45 minutes, if it was the shorter end, then some of them would be stirring for definite now. They had been inside for at least twenty minutes, though it was probably closer to twenty-five by now. As soon as they started stirring then shit would hit the fan and they’d have to get Elita out quickly.

His mind turned back to the job, moving the guards, he had four to secure still, the two that were knocked out further around the other side where he had dropped in and the pair that him and Elita had worked together to secure. It’d be a tough job but someone had to do it, he hoped Elita secured Kalinina and then they could be off, whether people were stirring or not they’d hopefully be able to walk out the front door and get out of Sargossa as quickly as they possibly could do.

...

“Hello Ms. Ryzaev.” The dark figure said, stepping into the light, “I’ve expected you to come for some time.” Light flashed across the figures face, it was a woman, that much was for sure. Elita could confirm that it was in fact the former Premier of Mytannion, Natella Kalinina. But that wasn’t what had shocked her the most, it was the fact that Kalinina had known who she was, had addressed her by name and had somehow expected her.

Elita hadn’t wanted to walk in and say something that had seemed rehearsed or fake or clichéd, but the tables had been well and truly turned by Kalinina here. Her response to the apparition of Elita in front of her had been greeted with almost indifference, almost as if she had known it was coming. The words she had spoken could have come straight out of a rubbish Euran film. It was strange, as if Kalinina had some knowledge that she probably shouldn’t have. The Sargossans were apparently more reliable than they looked.

“Hello Ms. Kalinina.” Elita replied.

“The Sargossans may seem inept, but they do a good job of keeping me informed on who in particular may want me dead.” Kalinina said, smirking. She was every bit as evil as Elita had imagined her, “The SZGN, when they existed, did a sterling job too.” The smirk continued, Kalinina had let her hair grow since she had been the dictator of Mytannion, her long light blonde hair fell down her back and she looked like she could have been a model had she not chosen a career in the military and then politics. The beauty almost made her even more evil, Elita couldn’t put a finger on what the reason for this was, but for some reason it was there.

The mention of the SZGN almost made Elita’s blood boil, though, she couldn’t stand the fuckers. They were the ones that had come before the KGB, the forerunners for the organisation and they had been one hundred times more bloodthirsty and infinitely more evil. They had apparently been the ones that had run the dreaded death camps that had killed more than nine million Mytanars systematically just for having a different political view or for the crime of coming from a different region of the country.

Elita’s thoughts were disrupted by Kalinina once again. “So what are you going to do Ms. Ryzaev? Are you here to kill me or not? I’m ready for it now, I can’t wait in a way, what’s the point now, there’s nothing left for me.”

She seemed almost... resigned to her fate. Elita didn’t think she would get the pleasure she had expected she would from ending Kalinina’s life. She had expected that the revenge would set her mind at ease, it’d let her come to terms with everything that she had had to deal with. The murder of her father, her boyfriend, her family. Everything had seemingly affected Kalinina more than it had Elita, the woman was ready for death, Elita had wanted to see her struggle, had wanted to see her squirm.

Elita knew that she’d always feel an emptiness, like something was missing from her life, what it was was easy enough, her lost family. She missed them all and she wished she could have them back, but murdering Kalinina wouldn’t fix that. Bringing her before an international court of law like Adder had instructed her to do, that was what she’d have to do. The people that were closest to Elita were all gone forever, the only way she could gain closure was if Kalinina just wasn’t free to repeat what she had done once. As long as she was in Sargossan custody she would be able to do that.

“You’ll be gone soon, Natella,” said Elita, “Very soon, we’re going to take you somewhere else first.”

“Ah right, I really can’t wait,” the smirk on Kalinina’s face turned into a twisted smile, she looked crazed, deranged. Elita walked over, pulled the handcuffs from her belt and cuffed her quickly. Her hands were literally tied and she wasn’t going anywhere now. Elita felt it would be fitting to do something to show her now dominant position, she also cuffed her over the head with the pistol. Kalinina’s skin cracked instantly and blood trickled, she smirked all the same, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Come on, let’s go.” Elita said, bundling Elita forwards towards the door.

...

Elita and Kalinina almost bumped into Adder. He was panting and had sweat trickling from his brow. He had obviously been jogging, what was up?

“What’s going on?” Elita asked.

“Come on, we need to go now, I’ve got all the guards sorted but I think people are beginning to stir downstairs.” He said.

“Right, okay, let’s go.”

“Who’s your friend Elita?” Kalinina asked, giggling.

“No time for introductions now, what’s the quickest way out of here?” Elita asked hurriedly.

“The lift, straight down to the bottom. You’re really going to have to tell me how you got past the guards, they were very stern with me, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.” Kalinina said, almost hysterically. It was worrying how affected she seemed to be. If she was as insane as she seemed then she could potentially get away with everything.

“Alright, come on.” Adder said, then more urgently, “Come on!” Elita ran, dragging Kalinina with her by the arm as they headed towards the lift. Adder had evidently reached it extremely quickly, Elita could already hear the heavy metal doors opening. They turned the corner and Elita bundled the former dictator into the lift. Adder smashed the buttons and they were moving quickly as the doors shut.

“We’re going to have to go to the airlift point.” Adder said. Kalinina’s ears pricking up. Elita realised straight away and a look of horror passed across her face.

“Airlift?” Kalinina asked.

“Yeah, we’re going to take you home, Ms. Kalinina.” Elita said, trying to quickly change the impression she must have gained pretty quickly. She could see the whirrings of thought behind Kalinina’s eyes, she had suddenly changed, she didn’t seem like she wanted to be as cooperative all of a sudden.

“Why? What’s going on?!” A tone of anger lacing her voice all of a sudden, she was shaking, she was pushing her arms outwards, almost trying to break the cuffs that held her hands together in a bid to escape.

There was no answer that’d make any sense. Elita simply knocked her over the head again with her pistol, this time a little harder, this time knocking her out. She turned to Adder and smiled.

“That felt good.” She chuckled.

“It’s not over yet.” He said seriously, as the lift doors opened and a scene of chaos greeted them.

[Eura]

IT’S TOUGH AT THE TOP
Ahead of Eura’s key tie against New Sideburn, Emplor Sport looks back at qualifying so far

SANGTI – 0

EURA – 2
Adams 30
Carling 73

The campaign started with the simplest of wins; a dominant victory away at Sangti. Despite a threatening volley from Ulsa winger Christian Sanchez being well saved by club teammate Chris Waller early on, the away side were in almost complete control for all ninety minutes. They took a deserved lead a third of the way through the game when Mike Adams, in the injury hit side in the place of Craig Sinclair, curled home from the edge of the area. Liam Carling of Hornchurch secured a well-earned win with a bullet header in the 73rd minute. Not a bad start at all for Sporadic’s world champions.

EURA – 4
Oslograd 22
Thomas 56
Sinclair 62
Parsons 80

KINZAR – 2
Shannon 50
Floria 90+2

With most of their injured players back into the fold, Eura were unfortunate not to win more comfortably in an exciting fixture against Kinzar. Skorji Oslograd had given them the lead with a driven shot from outside the box on 22 minutes, but they had been frustrated for much of the first half when half time came. Straight after half time this frustration was likely exacerbated by an unexpected equaliser, courtesy of a wonderful Chris Shannon volley. Eura took control once more though and hit back immediately, Sam Thomas heading in Craig Sinclair’s cross at the near post. Sinclair then got on the score sheet himself, cutting in from the right before curling the ball around the outstretched arm of Jason Tunney. The victory was complete by the 80th minute as Chad Parsons stabbed the ball in from 4 yards after a goalmouth scramble. Annoyingly, Kinzar would get another consolation in stoppage time when Zarius Floria rather blatantly dived for a penalty, which he converted.

NEW SIDEBURN – 3
Thunder 37, 81
Crowley 48

EURA – 1
Oslograd 42

This result is what has kept the group relatively tight – and what makes the next game so important. New Sideburn took the lead through Gerhard Thunder in an evenly contested first half before Oslograd swept in an easy equaliser. Yet only three minutes after half time Eura were behind again, this time the victims of some superb holding up play by Keith Rowland (Remember him, Holdenberg City fans?) and a cute finish by Crowley. Eura pressed on and took the game by the horns at this point but Sideburnese goalie Riordan kept the Euran’s at bay with a series of fine saves from the likes of Thomas, Sinclair and Spartan. Substitute Charlie Fuller came closest though, directing a shot onto the bar from just six yards out. Nothing seemed to go in, and eventually Thunder scored again to put the game to bed. A bad result for Eura, and the best of the campaign for New Sideburn. Kelly Sporadic will want to see a more clinical performance on the next matchday.

EURA – 3
Kane 60
Ashtree 65
Allen 87

NEW RHODES – 1
Unknown 4

Eura were back to winning ways against minnows New Rhodes. However, the second string side (apart from the inclusion of John Spartan and Chris Waller) started very badly, and drew a chorus of boos when New Rhodes took the most unlikely of leads. Ryan Collins played a dreadful backpass back to Chris Waller, which was latched onto by the opposition forward who went around the Ulsa keeper and scored. Eura were not to be deterred though and they seized control of the game, though being 0-1 at half time was rather embarrassing. Eventually the equaliser came as Kieran Kane scored for the first time in a while, rifling home from an angle. John Spartan then set up Sam Ashtree with a cross that only a deity could intercept, before Liam Allen netted his first goal for his country – an elaborate volley from the edge of the box.

TASRAILIA – 1
Ripo 35

EURA – 3
Oslograd 19
Parsons 55
Sinclair 76

Eura were far more comfortable in Tasrailia, returning to a full strength lineup as they took on one of the middle seeds. Oslograd gave Eura the lead with a thumping volley in the 19th minute before Matthew Ripo gave Tasrailia a deserved equaliser before half time. It had been a tightly contested first half, but in the second Tasrailia unravelled. Chad Parsons scored with a low and hard shot to give Eura the lead again, before Craig Sinclair rounded off the win with a wonderful curling effort.

EURA – 4
Sinclair 2
Parsons 59
Oslograd 60
Ashtree 85
Thomas miss pen 43

EASTFIELD LODGE – 0
Strax s/o 2

However, it was in this game that Eura truly returned to form with a bang. The game couldn’t have started any better – Strax received a straight red after bringing down Oslograd as he bore down on the keeper, one on one, only ninety seconds in. Craig Sinclair lifted the resulting free kick over the wall from 20 yards and into the top left hand corner. Eura laid siege to the Eastfield Lodge goal, striking the woodwork twice before having the chance to double their advantage just before half time when Oslograd won a penalty. Yet Sam Thomas was unusually inaccurate from the spot this time, blasting the ball wide. Before long though the lead was deservedly doubled by Chad Parsons, whose diving header was his third goal of a very good qualifying campaign. Only seventy seconds later, the game was well and truly up; top scorer Oslograd ran on to a Riley through ball before lofting the ball over the keeper and into the net. Before the game was finished Eastfield Lodge’s misery would be compounded by another goal for Sam Ashtree, who leathered the ball in on the rebound from Parson’s half cleared cut back.

THE FAIR REPUBLIC – 1
Riley (og) 30

EURA – 3
Oslograd 47, 72, 83

For some reason, Eura seem to love finishing games at 3-1 in this qualifying campaign. This time they recovered from a deficit incurred early on by a Tom Riley own goal to win comfortably, thanks to an outstanding performance from Skorji Oslograd. Oslograd levelled the scores with a left footed shot in the 47th minute, doubled his tally with a powerful header from a corner in the 72nd, and wrapped up the win with a right footed belter from 25 yards in the 83rd. A perfect hat trick for Oslograd then – left foot, header, right foot – which ensured Eura would remain top of the pile.

EURA – 2
Oslograd 85, 89

DUTZENDERLAND – 1
Koizumi 86

Eura were less comfortable in a close run home tie against minnows Dutzenderland on the next matchday. The away side were pretty hopeless, a one dimensional team with no imagination, variation in style or discernible logic to any move they made on the field. Fortune certainly wasn’t favouring the brave though as the more attacking Euran’s found themselves still drawing 0-0 as the clock ticked down. Needing a win, Oslograd stepped up once more to deliver them from potential embarrassment with a cheeky flick from a Spartan corner. Yet only three minutes later, Dutzenderland equalised with their only shot on target of the game. Hiroto Koizumi scored it, his poorly hit cross from the right inexplicably beating Andy Quinn for height and pinging in off the post. Yet justice would be done within another minute in one of the most memorable finishes to a Euran qualifier in recent years. Oslograd beat three defenders all by himself before slotting the ball home from the edge of the box, giving Eura a hard fought and deserved victory. It also happened to be his seventh goal in four games.

EURA – 1
Spartan 66

SANGTI – 0

This was by far the dullest game Eura played in this qualifying campaign, though it was also arguably one of the most evenly matched. Sangti fought hard for a good seventy minutes before crumbling under pressure in an uneventful final twenty. However, the game had likely already been put to bed by a superb John Spartan strike from range in the 66th minute. Craig Sinclair then had one of the less glorious moments of his career as he put the ball over from only three yards out with no-one to beat in stoppage time.

KINZAR – 1
Homewood 12

EURA – 1
Sinclair 60
Thomas s/o 40

And so we reach the last game Eura have played to date in qualifying, and easily the second worst result. Kinzar away is not the easiest fixture in the group, but with New Sideburn still in hot pursuit Eura really cannot afford to drop points. It started badly enough as Kinzar captain Homewood gave them the lead with a glorious half volley from 12 yards. Things went from bad to worse soon after when Sam Thomas, already booked for a dangerous challenge early on, saw red for a late challenge that summed up the disappointing campaign Thomas has had so far. It seems Sam Ashtree may be replacing him sooner than expected. Regardless, Eura didn’t lie down and eventually they equalised, Craig Sinclair making up for his open goal miss in the last game to score from a tight angle in the 60th minute. Despite continuous pressure until the final whistle, Eura failed to find a winner leaving them in need of a win against New Sideburn in the next qualifier. With Thomas suspended it is expected that either Ashtree will start, or Sinclair will play behind lone striker Oslograd with Kieran Kane in on the right for Thomas.

Top scorers so far

Skorji Oslograd - 9
Craig Sinclair - 4
Chad Parsons - 3
Sam Ashtree - 2
John Spartan - 1
Sam Thomas - 1
Kieran Kane - 1
Liam Allen - 1
Mike Adams - 1
Liam Carling – 1

--------------------------------

‘Look Kelly, if we’re going to win we need to stick to the formula. This is madness!’ Kelly Sporadic looked unimpressed with his assistant Johannes Kallstrom. ‘I didn’t realise two World Cup defeats had castrated the balls of the entire Polarian coaching establishment, Johannes.’
‘Yeah well, guess which side I was on for the second one?’
‘Fair point. Still, come on man, grow some balls! Too many times this term we’ve done what we used to do – dominate possession, score beautiful goals, but overwork it the rest of the time and make ourselves vulnerable to defensive errors and counter attacks. Robertson is a good vice-captain at the back but he’s getting too old and it’s shown this campaign. The same goes for Thomas up front and, dare I say it, Riley in the middle.’
‘I don’t see how this is a viable solution, not halfway through qualifying.’
‘Just trust me, it can work.’ Kelly decided to go over it one more time. ‘At their place, the Sideburnese ran rings around us in midfield and we were too content to defend a stalemate. Thomas is suspended and Riley isn’t fit, so this time let’s change things round a little. Keep Skorji up front obviously, we have to – but let’s drop the second forward in favour of Blackthorn in a holding midfield position, with Spartan and Anderson in front of him. We have Parsons and Sinclair playing more narrowly on the wings while Skorji roams free up front. Or, even better…’ Kelly smiled to match Johannes growing frown. ‘…we throw away that relatively conservative tactical change and go all out to try and batter the bastards. Oslograd and Ashtree up front with Sinclair in the hole, Parsons and Kane bombing it down the flanks, Blackthorn and Spartan behind them, and a three man back line of Heath, Collins and Gilbert.’
‘And if it goes wrong?’
‘Then we revert to the usual system and try and save the game. Look, we are at home Johannes, and if we win we’ll be in the driving seat with just over a quarter of qualifying left to go. Of course if we lose the Sideburnese suddenly are favourites, but were good enough to top the group as long as it remains mathematically possible.’
‘Are you sure about this Kelly? Fortune doesn’t always favour the brave.’
‘Yeah, well, I’ve had enough of playing like a coward. Let’s get back to playing the beautiful game, shall we?’

[Lymantatia]

72 Days of Christmas (Part 5/6)
After realizing that Christmas is coming soon, I got the idea of making a long "12 Days of Christmas" parody related to the soccer competitions in NS Sports (especially NS World Cup) which I will do with Lymantatia and Dutzenderland. "Telesat and Stuff" and my Pretty Cure fanfic will resume after the Christmas break.
24 Cygnus Cups
23 WCC Members
22 Points
21 World Baseball Classics
20 Qualifying Groups
19 World Bowls
18 GFs
17 GAs
16 Qualifiers
15 EWCC Members
14 Games
13 Copas Rushmori
Lymantatia 2–2 Kalumba
Posted at 12:00pm 2013 December 28 by Laurent Schwartz - We made a tie, duh! I so like this job! You know pourquoi? Because l'autre homme quit, what was son nom? Aidan, Edward, Evan... I got it! Edmund. Just messing with you, ha!
Goalscorers
39 minutes - Anthony Peters (Kalumba)
41 minutes - Jacques Bressler (Lymantatia)
87 minutes - Sylvius Johnson (Lymantatia)
89 minutes - Anthony Peters (Kalumba)
Current Statistics
Average number of time of goals: 64 minutes
Average number of time of goals by other teams: 44 minutes
Most goals by person on Lymantatia's team: Jacques Bressler (10)

[Dutzenderland]

72 Days of Christmas (Part 6/6)
After realizing that Christmas is coming soon, I got the idea of making a long "12 Days of Christmas" parody related to the soccer competitions in NS Sports (especially NS World Cup) which I will do with Lymantatia and Dutzenderland. "Telesat and Stuff" and my Pretty Cure fanfic will resume after the Christmas break.
12 Votes
11 Cups of Harmony
10 Globe Cups
9 Series B Champion Cups
8 Group Stage Groups
7 WC Host Bids
6 Campionato Esportivas
5 Knockout Stages
4 CoH Host Bids
3 BoF Host Bids
2 Baptisms of Fire (some people had accidentally competed in two BoFs, true story)
And a WCC Presidency!
Dutzenderland 3–4 Tasrailia
Posted at 12:00pm 2013 December 28 by Yoshio Fujiwara - We lose by one! It is due to an own goal. It was scored by Masao Hoshida and the thing is two hours before the game, he went back home in his apartment to drink some chocolate milk, except he forgot to refrigerate it earlier, so it became rotten, causing him to suffer blurred vision and drowsyness. Also, he's forgetful about certain things, especially breathing.
Goalscorers
11 minutes - Shun Honda (Dutzenderland)
18 minutes - Masao Hoshida (Dutzenderland)
28 minutes - Addison Roqwa (Tasrailia)
37 minutes - David Banrai (Tasrailia)
42 minutes - Shun Honda (Dutzenderland)
48 minutes - Kelsey Otot (Tasrailia)
77 minutes - Masao Hoshida (Tasrailia, own goal)
Current Statistics
Average number of time of goals: 51 9/16 minutes
Average number of time of goals by other teams: 50 5/19 minutes
Most goals by person on Dutzenderland's team: Hiroto Koizumi (8)
Note: Own goals from Dutzenderland are counted as "other teams" and Own goals from the other team are counted as being in the Dutzenderland team.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

OOC: I know it's strange to talk hockey in World Cup but lately I am facing an overload of inspiration from hockey and not enough from football. Regardless, enjoy!

QBC Interview with Thomas Clovius

Jonathan Kim is in the QBC studio in Quebec City.

Jonathan Kim - Tonight, I have a privilege of getting to interview Thomas Clovius, the latest of superstars the Kingston Knights have in their roster. Last season, as a 25-year old rookie from Saintland, he scored 43 goals and 89 points to push the Knights to its third-consecutive Prenneau Cup Championship. Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas Clovius!

Thomas Clovius, dressed in a fine suit while holding a hockey stick on his right hand, enters the stage.

Jonathan Kim - Nice to meet you, Thomas.

Thomas Clovius - Same here, Jonathan.

Jonathan Kim - It is always a great honour to have a hockey star like you coming over for our interviews.

Thomas Clovius - Absolutely, Jonathan.

Jonathan Kim - How was bringing the coveted cup to Saintland as first Sanctii ever to win it?

Thomas Clovius - It was certainly special to be back in St Andreas, my hometown where I grew up and went on to win 2 Sanctii championships before coming here to Kingston. Over 10,000 people came over in cup parade, which brought more of excitement and feelings of achievement behind the win.

Jonathan Kim - How are French and Korean skills improving so far?

Thomas Clovius - I am slowly making improvements, step by step, with both of them. With French I can understand nearly everything, but it is much harder to speak the language with right pronunciation and articulation. Korean, on the other hand, is much harder because of the completely different linguistic structure it consists of, not to mention cultural elements behind it. Fortunately my teammates and host family are extremely supportive in helping me learning both languages, so I hope that there will be much progress made within next year or two.

Jonathan Kim - Did the language factor influence you to sign with Kingston, at the heart of the Anglophone world in the nation?

Thomas Clovius - Absolutely not. I chose the team that would give me the best chances to compete, with right style of coaching and playing style that fits me. That's why I chose the Knights.

Jonathan Kim - Now, going back to the season, Is there one particular goal that you remember the most scoring this season?

Thomas Clovius - For me it's probably the series-clincher against Winnipeg in Conference Semifinals. We were at overtime and got extremely exhausted by then, so it seemed as if we are going to lose in front of sellout crowd at home until 5 seconds before the goal.

Jonathan Kim - Who was the toughest player you faced against?

Thomas Clovius - Logan Guthrie. He always delivers the hardest of checks on both front and back, and can be a huge threat on any part of ice from being an instigator to scoring clutch goals when needed. Yves Jodoin of Winnipeg (Giants) and Soo Myeon Kim of Attawapiskat (Avalanche) are not far behind however and it should be great to play more against them for at least few seasons.

Jonathan Kim - Certainly. Anyways we are moving on to next question. Almost every QHL teams require involvement with the community, what has been your best experience so far with the Kingston Knights?

Thomas Clovius - I think the most enjoyable public relation thing I did last season was visiting sick kids at Mount Masada Hospital not far away from Maple Leaf Gardens. I really enjoyed getting to visit kids with rare illnesses and getting to spend time with them. Me and some of my teammates will be visiting there again next Friday, this time with the Cup to share.

Jonathan Kim - That is very gentlemantary of thee, Thomas.

Thomas Clovius - Thank you, Jonathan.

Jonathan Kim - Moving on to next question, what is your goal for the next QHL season?

Thomas Clovius - My goals for next season would be breaking 100-point barrier, which I was unable to do so while injured, and leading the Knights to another cup championship. I think it's not that impossible to make it four in a row, seeing as how we have many important pieces functioning well in a system.

Jonathan Kim - Well, I hope that will happen. Next question: Lately there has been accusations from international community over Sanctii Government and Church providing financial, personnel and martial supports over terrorist organizations. What are your opinions on it?

Thomas Clovius - I am not in a position to say much about it, but I will have to condemn Feministvs Sanctvsterra over their series of attacks against Sanctii Government and the Church. Those kinds of tactics are only the things that only the mentally feeble *****es would do. This kind of warfare is terrorism and regardless of its purpose,unacceptable.

Jonathan Kim - Even when Prince Josephus, captain of the national team,was the one behind such?

Thomas Clovius - (stares at Jonathan with a deathly glare) We will see if that is true or not, but if that is the case, then I will have to change my opinion about this issue.

Jonathan Kim - Alright. Anyways, we are out of time. Thanks for interview and have a great day.

Thomas Clovius - Thank you. Hope to see you soon.

[Chiata]

Coach Roger Fillmont walked onto the field after the game had finished. They Suns had played a wonderful game and had come away with a victory. Despite their rank, Ryebarre was rather tough to beat but Chiata was able to keep it together and and wrestle a win. With the return of star defense-man George Chriss the defense formed an iron wall. With this added pressure, Ryebarre was unable to score throughout the match. Now it was time for the offense to do its work. Sadly, they did a sloppy job that will be highlighted on in practice. However, Chriss was able to kick a long ball to R.T. (Ringer-Toso) who then scored on Ryebarre. That would be the only score for Chiata but it was enough due to the pressure of the defense.
All of this was a distant memory in Roger's mind, however. Before their game had finished some wacky results had come in from other matched. In their own group, unranked The Weegies had beaten number one Polar Islandstates and pulled off the ultimate upset. In another group, Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Cesky pounded, beat, and threw out their opponent with an 11-3 win against The United Squiggles. These games clearly showed that ANYTHING could happen in the World Cup. Roger just hoped that the luck would be on his side when there was to be an upset.

[Felix]

Part One|Part Two|Part Three|Part Four|Part Five

Its Not Just A Football Term Folks

Two weeks till the primary and Luis Garcia was ten points behind his brother in the latest Liberal Party, while that sounds bad right now it is a huge improvement from the last poll taken a month ago, where Luis was behind 40 points. Luis now has the opportunity to get the lead with the agreement he is working on with the Consul. Luis Garcia was looking at his computer, still waiting for that response and still waiting for more good news. For once. Finally after one whole hour of waiting he got the message back. While he did say no to Inception he did promise him he will get the DNA from Kyle Bolton and finally get the proof he needs that he is indeed the rapist.

He now was going to write his response to the Consul and tell him thanks and that this was certainly going to help with the campaign. He started typing and after 40 minutes or so he was done. He clicked send.

TO: Venicio Piazza, Consul of the Federation of Free Republics
FROM: Luis Garcia, President of the Federal Republic of Felix
RE: DNA Evidence Deal

Good, good. I expect the results to be shipped to Felix as soon as it is done. I hope that this case finishes the hostile months your nation and my nation has been having for way to long. I assume the last message I sent you was deleted as that message contained classified content.

Now that this rape thing was winding done Luis thought nothing else could wrong as he assumed the last message he sent was scrubbed off the datafiles in both the Free Republics and in Felix, it was (at least on the Felixian side), but little did Luis or Venicio know, someone from the National Police Force got the info and decided to keep it even though he was ordered by the NPF and the government not do that. Of course, they didn't know he disobeyed orders. Now who was this person that had this information? Eduardo Nieven, a privately hired contractor that specialized in telecommunications information. Nieven wasn't going to reveal the information yet, but he will before the 1st Round of elections.

---

World Cup 66 Qualifiers: Big Win At Home, Felix Retakes First Place.
By: Steven Smith

After a tough 4-3 loss against Mizuyuki and the later demotion to third place in Group 17, Felix once again retakes the first place spot as Felix wins their match against West Angola 3-0, Mizuyuki has the bye for them and the Free Republics lose 1-0 to Pasarga. Felix now has to opportunity to secure their first place holding if they can beat the Free Republics at their house mind you, next week. Anyways going back to the game at hand, Felix has done massively well in that match after returning from Mizuyuki and the national team coach has said that Felix has officially bounced back. Now here is a recap of today's match.

The first half saw two goals scored as Felix came in confident and ready to show the world why Felix deserves to be heard and afraid of as they will take Group 17 from the favourites. Felix's first goal came from a Yun Dong Lee free kick in the 11th minute as his shot curved right into the top right corner of the net. What a goal. The next goal from the Felixian national team came in the 27th minute with a header goal by Kunibert Mathias from a excellent corner kick by Sebastian Krister. Felix had the lead in the first half 2-0. The fans inside Stadio Altomare were very happy with the result.

The second half produced one goal and it came from Sebastian Krister as he scored the third and last goal of the match as he made a powerful shot from long range as it went just pass the goalkeeper's hands in the 48th minute. 3-0 Felix. It could've been 4-0 Felix had another goal by Yun Dong Lee have not been called offside but it was and the goal was nullified. Eventually the clock ticked away and Felix secured the win as the defense shutout any hopes of a West Angolan comeback. Felix won that much easily, 3-0.

In the postgame conferences the captain of the team, Matías Ciriaco, announced that Felix will beat the Free Republics easily with the scoreline reading 3-1. Many experts agree that Felix will win the match they believe the scoreline would be much closer, something alone the range of 2-1 or 3-2. Nonetheless the confident Ciriaco says that Felix will go far and possibly qualify for the World Cup itself. This guy sure was sure that Felix could qualify. Now, what do I think? If Felix plays like they did against West Angola, of course they can, but the team needs to learn that they can't concede that many goals, cause if they do, they will lose. No matter how many goals have been scored by the Felixian side.

As mentioned earlier the Felixian side will face off against the Free Republics, can they steal a win from the Republican home side? Last time the FFR stole one from us at home, can Felix get their sweet revenge? I certainly hope so. Word of warning to any traveling Felixian fans, be careful in Nejax. Those overly nationalistic woodheads will attack any Felixian fan on sight and certainly attack anyone that goes against the "Republican Ideal", such as myself. Now I will not be attending the match as I fear of my safety after the outrageous arrest made by those buffoons back in the CoH.

One last thing before this edition of The National goes goodbye, I would like to mention the FFA's efforts to revitalize the PUSH campaign to bring back football to Vettrera. Felix will be doing some exhibition matches in Vettrera's home stadium with the best Felixian teams showcasing Felixian talent in football and of course showcasing the sport itself. The stars of the teams plan to sign autographs to young kids and talk about football to the local press. The FFA also pledges to pay 4.5 Billion NSD to help assist VSA fund new indicatives to help out football in the country. Some Felixian clubs have also pledged finical support to build new football fields and small but state-of-the-art stadiums in Vettrera. And lastly, the FFA is in talks with the VSA and Vettreran media corporations to air Felixian Champions League and Felixian Football League matches for 4 years to help spread awareness to the country.

And on that happy note I shall say goodbye, until next time! And good luck to Felix in their upcoming match!

[Kinitaria]

"Listen, we're not going to be asking you to do that much. We're just concerned that certain individuals might not be treating this country with the respect its reputation deserves. I'm sure you can see how serious that is, especially when you're going off all around the multiverse representing our great nation. I'm sure you've seen that, haven't you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not really sure what you mean," stammered Vilo Mulkanov. The 21-year-old midfielder had been 'invited' to a meeting with several low-level representatives of the Kinitar government. It seemed, for whatever reason, that they were determined to get some information on the national squad. Something to do with their ongoing quest for ideological purity. Vilo never really got himself engaged with politics, this being something that he just couldn't get himself interested in. He preferred to let other people deal with it. His focus was his football.

"We know that, in the past, there have been certain disagreements within the squad," a thin, close-shaven man in an ill-fitting black suit tried to explain. "You're on the verge of taking our nation to the World Cup, and we think that it's in our best interests to make sure that they don't keep happening. You can't go to the biggest sporting event in the world and have a huge fallout like, ah, certain other nations."

Vilo nodded to himself, albeit hesitantly, as though he wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. He'd certainly seen the reports of other national squads getting to the World Cup and descending into chaos. There'd been some nasty scenes involving players going out on strike, refusing to play for certain managers, or with certain other players, but... that wouldn't happen with the Kinitar squad, would it? There'd been some minor spats in the past, but he wasn't there for them, having only been called up to the squad this cycle. And this current squad was getting along very nicely, thank you very much. Melody Pond had installed a new sense of confidence in the side. They felt as though they could beat anyone, and so far, they'd been making quite a good job of it.

"We're just concerned that if any of your, ah, colleagues have their heads turned by subversive elements, that could destroy the good relationships you've been building up within the squad, and that would have a severe negative impact on team cohesion and potentially damage our nation's reputation in front of the entire world," continued another official, although it could well have been the same one, for all the difference there was between their appearances. "You haven't heard any rumours like that in the squad, have you?"

"No, we don't really discuss politics," was Vilo's measured reply. "We're mostly concentrating on the football."

"Of course, I thought it would be something like that. Well, you'll keep an eye out for us, won't you?" asked the same official with a knowing smile. Vilo's record for Kinitaria stood at one cap (an 86th-minute substitution against New Austzeland) and zero goals. He was what they referred to as a "promising youngster", which meant that he wasn't considered good enough for the national team and as such, would be lucky to get more than a couple of games against low-ranked opposition. Although he'd put in some good displays in the Premier Division, he knew not to expect to burst onto the world stage in his first cycle with the national squad.

As a newcomer to the squad, he was finding it hard to really blend in. Sure, he'd go out with his teammates, and they'd all get on well enough together, whether in the nightclubs or at the training ground, but he wasn't really taken into consideration. He wasn't an integral part of the national team, nor of the squad's consciousness. It was different at his club, Dinamo Paleu, where he'd been for five years and knew everyone. In contrast, he'd been here a few months and was still slightly star-struck from the call-up. In that regard, the Office had chosen well. They'd picked a young player who was feeling slightly unsettled with his role and given him an incentive, a place where he could fit in and help out. And, it's fair to say that his head was being turned.

"Fine," he said after a couple of moments' reflection, although he couldn't prevent that little nagging doubt at the back of his head. He quickly silenced it, though, for - the greater good? Life wasn't black and white, he knew that, anyone who grew up in Kinitaria ended up thinking in different shades of grey instead, but... what was he signing himself away to here? "I'll help you."

"That's fantastic, thank you so much," beamed a grey-suited official, his colleagues wearing identical grins behind him. "You don't need to do anything much from here on out, just keep your eyes and ears open, and we'll be in touch with you in due course." It's not like he'd been dragged away or anything, merely received a very official-looking letter which strongly suggested that it might be a good idea for him to be present in a certain government office on a certain date. And here he was, shaking hands with a faceless bureaucrat on an agreement to spy on his teammates. This isn't what Melody Pond and the FFK had called him up for, was it?

Training, the next day, was the first time he saw his teammates since agreeing to keep tabs on them for an authoritarian government. Considering the circumstances, he was acting normal enough as he got changed into his training gear. Yesterday's meeting had faded to the back of his mind, for that matter. All he was there to do was focus on his training, and maybe convincing the coaching team to give him a chance in the run-in to the World Cup. The established squad members might have more skill and pace than he did, but he could always make up for it with his own brand of tenacity that had quickly made him a fan favourite at Dinamo.

He highlighted this during a training five-a-side match, when he put in a slide tackle on Karl Sala that, as well as taking the ball perfectly, left the veteran defender on his backside and limping around the pitch for a good couple of minutes afterwards. Considering that Sala had picked up nine red cards in international games alone, and had a reputation for being what supporters might call a "hard man" (and everyone else would call a "psycho"), he was hardly the person you wanted to get on the wrong side of, and Vilo might have thought the worst when he saw Sala bearing down on him after the training session.

Instead, all he got from the defender was a slap on the back. "Never told me you could tackle like that," he said, showing his missing tooth as he grinned. "That's something I'd have been proud of ten years ago. Follow through, let the f*cker know you're there."

Vilo wasn't entirely sure how you react when a man who delights in the nickname of "the Butcher" compliments you on your ability to injure people, so he settled for averting his eyes and muttering a thanks.

"Show yourself a bit more though, won't you? You might know how to cut through someone, but that won't help you if you're hiding in your shell. Put yourself about, maybe even make a name for yourself. You'll go far, I can see that."

"You think?" People had told him this before, but he'd always doubted it. Even coming from one of the finest defenders in Kinitar history, it was a bit hard to believe. He wasn't a world-class footballer, he was a clumsy mess of arms and legs.

"Look, when I was your age, I was playing in the Baptism of Fire." Sala was one of the precious few survivors in the Kinitar squad from the days of that precious victory. "Got myself sent off during that tournament," he chuckled. "Nothing important, though. I didn't cut someone down to stop them scoring or take out one of their best players. That's a good foul. That's the kind people forgive you for committing. I didn't know that then, of course. But our first games were against complete nobodies. Teams who are literally just footnotes to our win back then. Half of them don't even exist as countries any more. And you know what? I'd have given anything to be the kind of player back then that you are now."

"But I'm nowhere near being good enough for the team-" Vilo began to protest, but he was soon cut off.

"And if I'd been chucked into a team as high up the rankings as we are now when I was 21, neither would I. People think I'm a legend because I developed with the team. You're a bit late for that, but you get to reap the benefits. Top-class facilities and coaching. You should have seen the stuff we were working with in the 60 qualifiers. You'll be far better than I ever was, and I know how to judge a player by now."

Vilo wasn't named in the provisional lineup for the clash with New Austzeland. But it's fair to say that his determination had been fired up just that little bit more by the veteran. It could even be said that, from that moment on, Vilo was a little more involved with the national squad socially, and began to showcase his talents a bit more, earning himself praise from teammates and coaches alike. But that didn't change the fact that an oppressive government was after him for some information, and that if he didn't provide them with any, they wouldn't be very keen to do him any favours...

[Vaugania]

President Jonas Moen sat in his study in the Gold House, his residence, Executive Hill in downtown Yzerberg. None of those things were very accurate descriptors. Much like Moen being called President. The Gold House wasn't actually gold. It was mostly white with its ornate marble columns at the front entrance and the façade being nearly entirely white, a brilliant white, with some gold trim along the defined edges of the structure and adorning the tops of the columns. Executive Hill really wasn't all that executive either. Of course the president's home being there made it executive, but more business went down in the Capitol Building which was also on the hill. Hill isn't the best word to describe the place where the Capitol and Gold House were either. One would expect a hill to go up at a similar angle the entire way. Not this one. It went a ways up and flattened out. There were the Capitol Grounds. It went up some more. Once more it flattened out and that's where the Gold House was. A better word would be "plateau" really. And his study wasn't a study. It looked like one, but he didn't study there most of the time. It was a meeting place. One for serious business. The study was in reality a very comfortable conference room.

Then there was the matter of Jonas Moen being president. His party the Catholic Conservatives (CC), lost control of the House of representatives and the Senate, with control of both houses going to the New Catholic Party. A combination of former CC politicians and upstarts that didn't like his foreign policy. Admittedly, it was somewhat poor. There was a threat of war with the Free Republics for a while, and known only to the government, submarine surveillance had been carried out upon that nation by the VNS Sorochuk and the VNS Lindsborough. Their mission was considered successful and they gathered important intelligence pertaining to the layout of the country and coastal defense capabilities. The subs had been recalled without incident and as far as anyone knew, no foreign entity had discovered them.

These New Catholic fellows teamed up with the Progressives. Though it was more of the Progressives bandwagoning the NCP in order to get at least a tiny bit of their agenda accomplished. Most importantly an increased focus on education. The two parties had been bombarding Moen with legislation, Moen of course not being a fan of much of it and using his right to veto. After each veto, it was right back on his desk the next day. The Catholic Conservatives couldn't do anything to stop it. They planned to all not show up to work one day so as to avoid reaching quorum, but law prevented that and all of them could have been impeached. It seemed like they had just given up. Many of them simply abstained on pieces of legislation. The Progressives and NCP had the 2/3 of the votes need to override a veto in the House of Representatives, but lacked a few to override in the Senate. Because of this, it was a never-ending cycle of vetoes, override votes, and passage of more legislation only for it to be vetoed, etc.

With all of the fiascoes happening all across the world, his was the only one that truly hit home. He didn't have a secret list of illicit expenditures nor international crises caused by soccer players. Thank God for that, he thought. The players from his country weren't playboys looking for easy sex. Good Catholic fellows they were. Good Vauganian fellows. Klemens Knaus, his Vice President, was perhaps feeling the same way. Jonas didn't know how to put it. He had an absolutely awful feeling in his gut. It was brand new. He hadn't felt it while winning conference championships in hockey while he was in high school, nor when he graduated valedictorian. He hadn't felt it when he was accepted to the University of St. John the Baptist, nor when he received his Doctorate of Law from that institution. It took a long while to sort out what he was feeling, but he finally figured out what it was.

He had lost control. The Sanctii were purchasing the services of prostititues, funding terrorists and only God knows what else. The Republicans were about to go to war because of some rape accusations and some comments by a wrestler that were in very poor taste. Perhaps he had gone the way of Consul Piazza and King Paulus XV. He had lost control just as they had. In his own way, but no longer was he the man in charge. He was, as much as he hated to say it...

Finished.

[Equestrian States]

Already, some nations have been eliminated. Will any more join them today? Well, you're about to find out:

MD12 Cutoff!

Results

[Star United States]

This is a report for yesterday's match day

Star Sports Magazine

---

December 28, 2013

---

Another Day, Another Game... To Lose

---

The Star United States Team faced the team of Crystal Empire at the Imperial Arena in Crystopolis, Crystal Empire. Last time these two teams faced each other was at the Star Stadium in Star United States on December 16, 2013, where the Crystal Empire won to the score of 0-1.

The match started off with the team of Crystal Empire having possesion of the ball on the 9th minute Ivory of Crystal Empire, kicked the ball towards Spark, the goalkeeper of Star United States, and the ball was reject but Spark didn't catch it. The ball bouced bsck onto the feild where Castle kicked the ball back towards Spark and scored. 1-0. "GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL" was heard through the arena! For the next two minutes of the match the ball was kept mainly on the middle of the field. On the 30th minute of the match came the second goal for the Crystal Empire! Zirconic kicked the ball to an unproctected goal net, and scored. 2-0.

The match kept on going until Santiago Solo of Star United States got the ball and passed it to Chris Soarison, who passed it to Felix Gonzalez. Gonzalez started to run down the field and kicked the ball as hard as he could towards the goal net! Everyone could see the goal of Star United States as the ball flew through the air. It was getting closer and closer to make the goal, while everyone just watched. Rejected. The ball hit the post and back onto the field where Amberlocks took the ball and passed it to Artic Lily. Lily passed it to Castle? Confusing the player Caleb Horas of Star United States, who had to stop and think.

Castle was successful in passing it to Crystal Arrow who kicked the ball towards Spark. The ball slipped right thorugh his fingers to score. 3-0. *Beep* First half finished*

*Beep* second half begun, with no action until on the 46th minute, Solo of Star United States ran through the field only to lose the ball to Esmeralda of Crystal Empire. The ball came back as a counterattack from Ivory who caught Spark off guard and scores. 4-0.

On the 51st minute, Star United States's Matthew Stafford scored!!! 4-1. You could see how mad the coach was until this point, he still seems disappointed. There was hope until the 62th minute where Crystal Arrow socred. 5-1. The match stayed with this score until the whistle whistled to end the match.

A few minutes after the match the tables were relased and Star United States is in 8th place in the group.

Maybe Star United States will do better next time who knows?

[Jeruselem]

Princess Amy and Lady Marge in Old Rhelia, for match day 12

Amy: Hello, this is Princess Amy for Naked News Jeruselem. We're in Old Rhelia. If you have no idea where that is, don't worry. I'm with Lady Marge, one of our stars today. She's the one likes women ...
Marge: Hey people, looking good Little Amy
Amy: OK, the home team here are pretty much eliminated as they were ages ago
Marge: Yes, I think they knew that from day 0
Amy: Anyway, we won 5-2 which is good because we don't do so well away
Marge: Our away record isn't that good but we go home again next

Amy: Yes, we conceded two goals but we weren't here to defend
Marge: The coach said she wanted a few goals
Amy: I hope 5 was enough
Marge: I think she wanted more like 6
Amy: Yes, well ... close enough
Marge: Still, it's a win

Amy: But the big news wasn't us winning.
Marge: Really?
Amy: Osarius drew 0-0 with Melbergia and Legalese 0-0 at home against eliminated Hicana
Marge: Wow, that's good news for us
Amy: Well, I'd prefer if they lost but hey it's good news anyway
Marge: I fully expected them to win

Amy: Means we're back in 2nd, baby
Marge: So good that, but we can't rest
Amy: Yes, we have a bye to watch
Marge: I guess there's still a lot of football left
Amy: Yes, no time for complacency
Marge: But a moral win today

Amy: Shadowbourne beat Kidlantis 2-1 to stay 4th
Marge: I guess they aren't out of it yet
Amy: Jeru FC took on Antoletia in Antoletia and got a draw 0-0 which is good
Marge: Yes, their away form is dodgy
Amy: They didn't lose but it means they didn't win and lost 2nd spot
Marge: Ooooooo


Amy: Vaugania thrashed the hopeless Swyftlandre 6-3 and took 2nd from Jeru FC. Darmen had their bye
Marge: Yes, I guess it means Group 8 is still open
Amy: Given Swyftlandre is like 7 points off 4th, they should give up now
Marge: They are one of more fancied teams there
Amy: NexxusDrako beat some beards 4-1 and Julain put out Karditan's hopes with 1-0 win over them
Marge: I guess anyone who isn't in the top 4 there better start winning

Amy: Group 11, Qazox won 5-2 and hold 2nd spot
Marge: I guess they are fighting hard to be there
Amy: I guess they are, but they can do better I think
Marge: Pretty close still
Amy: Group, Kinitaria won number 9. Well done Pondy
Marge: Yes, wish we were doing what her team is

Amy: Our goal scoring is picking up, so hopefully we have good one at home
Marge: But some opponents are harder than others
Amy: Yes, but goals wins games. No good drawing all ya games.
Marge: You'd never qualify

[Zwangzug]

Member of the Arlington tourism board by day and a very secretive organization by night, Myra Krattner glanced down at the paper in her hand, and scowled.

It had been some time since the abrupt departure of one of the group's youngest members, Kylie. There had been no word from her since she left, and sometimes, Myra lay awake worrying about her. Could Kylie really have left Zwangzug altogether, entangled herself in an uprising she could barely understand? Myra doubted it. But then, that day, there had come the message, that looked as if it could have travelled all the way from Calania. And suddenly, Myra wasn't sure what to think.

By the time you read this, I'll have left the country. Maybe I'll be back someday. Maybe not. If things go wrong--well, better countries have disappeared. I like my chances.

Don't take this personally, any of you. I know what you're working for, and it's bigger than any of us. Bigger than me. Well, now that I'm not in the way, I can wish you all the best...but I wasn't going to fit here. At least not now--I'm young, maybe I'll grow more comfortable here. But even at the best, I never wanted to fit in completely, not blend in entirely--and that was with you guys, the best comrades I could have asked for. My family, their friends, everyone outside--all they wanted was short memories, forget where they came from and make a new start here, Zwangzug. I don't blame them; they deserve somewhere to be happy, too. With the pressures they were putting on me, though...I couldn't stay. They probably won't like me flying off to who-knows-where, but I want some space.

So, good luck with the business. I know how it goes--there's that temptation to do something rash, but you have to hold onto what you've already secured. Reaching out, grasping for whatever fragments you can keep...Well. You never said it would be easy.

But you taught me plenty. So thank you for that.

Myra sighed, folding the note over in her hand. And that was when Oliver Fulothos poked his head in. He, too, had been at that meeting when Kylie young operative had departed. Did he know something...?

"What's going on?" Myra asked.

"There's been an announcement overseas," said Oliver. "Nothing definite, yet, but it would have repercussions, if true."

"Overseas?" she said. "Is it about Kylie?"

"Hardly!" he laughed. "It's about the mission?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows. "Not Paripana?" He snorted, and she went on, "Vircais? Auzeria?"

"Nowhere you've heard of."

"What kind of repercussions?"

"Come watch the broadcast," he nodded, flicking on a TV in the next room over.

Myra watched. She listened. And then, in shock, she let the paper fall from her hands, unconcerned. "If this is true..."

Oliver nodded, soberly, but with a hopeful light in his eyes. "It would change everything."

(Gasteiz 46, Gonzalez 73; McCluey 5 and 39, Coelho 60, Gerland 86)

[Qazox]

"...and after Skye's goal to make it 5-2, we assuredly pulled back the reins, so to speak; despite such measures, we now are the #1 scoring team in the group. Defensively, yeah allowing 18 goals in 11 games is a bit more than projected, but remember that 7 of those were in one game." A statistician droned on as Lewis stared blankly at the picture above the QFA president's head. It was a stylized watercolor of a photograph taken of the World Cup 27 team, the team that debuted 160 years ago this month, starting Qazoxian football down the road that lead to this moment.

"I'm sorry." Lewis interrupted the statistician. "Something has come up and I need to go, sorry sir." With a nod to all Lewis stridently walked out of the meeting, and headed towards the carport downstairs. A thought nagged at him as he walked towards his car, and continued to he reached the ProSoc offices 25 minutes later.

'What have we done?'

[Maineiacs]

From SportsBlog.mai--

Another Defeat For Maineiacs

The Tie-Dyeds took another blow to their already tenuous chances to advance in the World Cup, losing 2-0 to New Montreal States. Maineiacs failed to score against the far stronger New Montreal side in two matches this tournament. Our offense has remained anemic since play resumed following the holiday break. To add to our team's woes, our defense has also become more porous lately, giving up 6 goals in our last two matches. Questions are being asked of the decisions made by interim manager Linda McDillon. McDillon announced that she was changing Ted Wilson's strategy to be more offense oriented.

So far, McDillon's decision has seemd ill-advised at best. We are not simply competing domestically among the few people in a hockey-centric nation that know how the basics of soccer. We are up against the best of the best, and our surprise passage to the final 16 in the Baptism of Fire was just that -- a surprise fluke. We were not ready for this, and the powers that be in MSL and MPSL should have thought better before throwing us into the lion's den. Our national pride has suffered as a result. Maybe, if the MOC [IC: Maineiacs Olympic Committee] goes ahead with application to the next Winter Olympics, we can regain some dignity.

Otherwise, we should just stick to what we know -- hockey. Let's just forget this debacle and get the MHL season back underway.

[Kinzar]

Kevin vs Steve: Matchday 13

Our two soccer personalities, Kevin Gallant, the biggest Kinzite expert on World Cup soccer that you’ll find; and Steve Dwyer, the average Kinzite citizen who thinks soccer is very boring are going head to head for bragging rights as they make predictions on qualifying matches.

Recapping: Kevin didn’t do poorly, but he is not going to be happy with the MD12 results, as once again, Steve was able to score big on picking a draw between let’s just say, not as glamourous nations. This time, it was Patistan drawing Filopines, and this was very deserving of its 15 points as the two nations are separated by nearly Kinzar’s rating. (They are separated by 123 spots, and Kinzar is ranked 126th). So, you could say they are almost as close together as Kinzar is to Polar Islandstates. (Though not really since it’s the point values associated with the ranks that matter). Steve’s other picks didn’t pan out, but when you’re big one does, it’s certainly a victory. Looking at Kevin, he got two out of three results, but they were smaller point plays. Kinzar did defeat New Rhodes, and he got Mytannion to win their game. However, these were not upset picks, and therefore he only gets a combined 6 points. His larger play did not come to fruition. So, in summary, Steve pulls further ahead. Is Kevin starting to feel the pressure?

Score: Steve 73, Kevin 64


Kevin Gallant

It appears as though I am going to have to try to go against the grain a little bit now. Steve’s strategy of taking draws against lesser nations paid off once again, and now he can add Patistan to New Rhodes and Dutzenderland as the reasons he has taken this lead. I have tried to focus on the games that are more interesting to the fans that do truly care about qualifying. And I know you are out there, because there are rumors that Hudson Stadium might sell out for the first time in World Cup qualifying for the key upcoming match against Tasrailia. Speaking of that match, I liked the way the Wildcats handled the Tigers at Launey Arena on matchday four, and believe that Kinzar will again be victorious on home turf. While it will get me 4 points, I am more concerned for the 3 points it can get us in the standings. It’s a great opportunity, and if Steve wants to proclaim he is the greatest, he needs to get his ass to the game. He has yet to go to one, and closing in on being 2/3rds of the way done. I am also excited about the Group 6 game between Polar Islandstates and Northen Sunrise Islands, and am going to pick a draw in this, and this would get me 8 points. The Terns seem ripe to be held to a point here, and it’s a huge game for NSI. Finally, in what should be an intense game for reasons other then soccer (and maybe this is something that can get Steve to watch), I’m taking Mizuyuki to beat the Free Republics. This is a 4 point play.


Steve Dwyer

Ah hahaha! Kevin’s really feeling the heat now. What’s the matter? Scared to admit that these games are easy predictable. Pretty soon I am going to open up such a big lead on you that you will be begging me for mercy! And you know what, Kevin? I am going to go to the Tasrailia match and as a matter of fact I already have my tickets. Because I wanna see all these little bandwagoners who otherwise couldn’t care less and are just buying in to the hype of what has been a good start by Kinzar, go home disappointed. That’s right, the buck stops here! To make matters worse for them, and better for me, the game will end in a boring 0-0 draw, to once again convince these people that soccer is a huge waste of their time and is only popular in nations that don’t have true athletes that can play real sports. This is a 6 point play for me, and I’ll get 8 points if the 0-0 score plays out, so there will be at least one happy person by that result. My second pick will be one point sympathy pick for poor Kevin, and I will take New Sideburn to beat New Rhodes. See, I do care! But my third pick is going to be another draw between teams at the bottom that not even their own national leadership or media pays attention to anymore: Kidlantis and Old Rhelia draw, for 7 points.

I’ll be at the game, and if you want my autograph, I will be in section 127, row M.

[Jeru FC]

Princess Katy and the Jeru FC coach after a 0-0 draw with the fire ants

Katy: Say, the boys doing alright.
Andre: It could be worse
Katy: Worried about having a bye last game
Andre: I suppose you would be unless you have secured your spot
Katy: Given Group 8 is a 4 way tug of war, no
Andre: That's the problem

Katy: I guess it's all down to the last day
Andre: No one expects us to qualify, so we're doing good
Katy: Form a bit all over the place
Andre: You get that with this kind of team
Katy: They aren't exactly professionals
Andre: They have the skills, working on the attitude

Katy: Good luck
Andre: It's my job, don't worry
Katy: Your home team is doing good too, behind the Purple Menace
Andre: Oh Starblaydia, yes. but it's far from over
Katy: A lot of close groups out there
Andre: Always down the last day, I guess

Katy: Yes, I guess it's gonna be the same for Jeru FC
Andre: I really need no more dropped points, and hopefully even a win over Darmen
Katy: I guess it is possible but I don't see Darmen losing many
Andre: We can always try
Katy: I reckon even the game today, you could have won
Andre: But they are good opposition, our attack is iffy against good teams

Katy: The whole team is iffy ...
Andre: They aren't angels but they are just cheeky immature boys
Katy: I'm just biased, I prefer girls
Andre: The boys like their girls too
Katy: Most of them ...
Andre: Yes well, there's a few black sheep there

Katy: Give them a few beers, that does the job
Andre: Well, only at home. Beer isn't cheap overseas
Katy: I guess hookers are more expensive
Andre: I have enough scandals with this lot as it is
Katy: I guess you have your hands full
Andre: Always have to keep on eye on them

[Greater Watford]

Hornets lose out to “la Renaissance”

Greater Watford lost at home to another higher ranked team today, as they remain 7th in Group 9. Ossidiacqua, known for their tough tackling, took the fight to the Greater Watford team from the start of the game. It was always going to be a physical contest, and in the 20th minute, Ossidiacqua opened with a contentious goal, with Alessandro Finiguerra strongly tackling Ryan Warthon, and dribbling the ball into the box, before dispatching Ian Wall. The first half appeared to be ending at 1-0, but Mario Mannetti, the star striker of Greater Watford, showed his class, with a spectactular volley from 18 yards, with the ball flying over his shoulder and being struck without even bouncing on the floor. The half ended 1-1.

The second half got off to a violent start. In the 50th minute, Ian Wall came out for a ball, and was winded, as Angel Capobianco went in for the ball as well. Ian Wall was subbed off, with Gordon Watson making an unexpected debut in international football. On 53 minutes, Ossidiacqua retook the lead, as Oscar Olivarez finished off a good passing move to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net. In the 60th minute, Mario Mannetti was clean through on goal, before Yves Pantani bundled him to the floor. Mannetti was uninjured, but predictably Ossidiacqua went down to 10 men. Greater Watford equalised from the resulting free kick, with Aaron Smith getting on to the end of the free kick, heading the ball into the net. The 76th minute saw the most contentious incident, with Nicolo Gardella injuring Gordon Watson, by sliding into him as he went for a ball along the ground. Aaron Smith took issue with this, and kicked Gardella as he climbed to his feet, resulting in a red card for both players involved. Greater Watford were left without a goalkeeper, and Cameron Rastersson took the red jersey to be the make shift goalkeeper. Ossidiacqua scored in the 78th minute, as Angel Capobianco caught out Rastersson off his line, and chipped him. A 4th came on 82 minutes, Ezekiel Fibonacci blasting a long range shot into the top corner. On the 90th minute, a tough tackle from Oscar Olivarez sparked a mass brawl between several players and coaching staff, and Olivarez, as well as Peter Tilder, were sent off, ending the game 9v9, with Greater Watford having no recognized goalkeeper.

Not a nice game of football by any means. International football is teaching us that there are some dirty opponents, and that tempers can get heated. In my last column I mentioned the need to remain calm in the game, but again, we lost our heads, and that showed in our performance today. We’re an improving side, but poor results inflicted by aggressive play isn’t the way to go about the tournament. Our next game is against Gregoryisgodistan, who are famed for dirty play, so we must remain calm.

I was fortunate enough to score another goal today, with some great skill, if I say so myself. The team praise me for being a captain who leads by words and actions, and hope that I will remain at the forefront of our attack for years to come.

Code: Select all

 Greater Watford 2–4 Ossidiacqua
OS: Alessandro Finiguerra 20’
GW: Mario Mannetti 44’
OS: Oscar Olivarez 53’
GW: Aaron Smith 61’
OS: Angel Capobianco 78’
OS: Ezekiel Fibonacci 82’

GK   12   Ian Wall      INJ 50'
DEF   2   Thomas Razdeski      YELLOW 81'
DEF   14   Nacho Torli      YELLOW 90'
DEF   4   Ryan Warthon      OFF 72'
MID   5   Aaron Smith      GOAL 61' RED 76'
MID   6   Fabrizio Fazzarini      
MID   7   Peter Tilder      RED 90'
MID   8   Samuel Harris      
ATT   9   Mario Mannetti      GOAL 44'
ATT   20   Milo Gregory      YELLOW 33'
ATT   11   Ylvin Serven      
            
GK   23   Gordon Watson      ON 50' INJ 78'
DEF   3   Damien King      ON 72'
ATT   21   Cameron Rastersson      ON 78'

For more news and info on the World Cup visit http://www.gwtv.gw/sports, or http://www.greaterwatfordwc67.gw

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Sargossa

Foot Slaves shut out Sargossa, move into playoff position

The Foot Slaves of Gregoryisgodistan shut out Sarogssa today, 1-0. If qualification ended today, Gregoryisgodistan would advance to a two-legged qualification playoff against another second-placed team. Both Gregoryisgodistan and The Archregimancy have 22 points, most in the group, but the monks have a better goal differential, and it is unlikely the Foot Slaves will make it up.

Gregoryisgodistan's goalkeeper, Prune Farmer 3818F, has been excellent, with 9 shutouts in 11 matches. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the multiverse right now, and he is not even 19. Tomorrow, December 30th, is his birthday. The Foot Slaves will host Greater Watford, and the fans are planning on singing "Happy Birthday" to him when he takes the field in goal. Prune Farmer 3818F told the press "All I want for my birthday is to win these last few matches and go to the World Cup."

As for yesterday's match against Sargossa, the 26th best team in the world, the action got started in the third minute when Gelson Di Santo received a pass from Rodrigo Defederico and immediately tapped it to Mariano Estrada, who shot it on goal. However, Prune Farmer 3818F made a brilliant save to his left, diving and grabbing the ball to keep the match level.

In the 13th minute, Defederico dribbled into the box and shot, but Prune Farmer 3818F knocked it over the crossbar for a corner kick, which was easily cleared by the Gregoryisgodistan defense. Still 0-0.

In the 24th minute, Gregoryisgodistan got its first oppurtunity, with Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Robert Possibe receiving a pass from Soccer Jester CLOWNPIREPIE, but the shot went wide and the Foot Slaves couldn't score.

In the 35th minute, Gregoryisgodistan was awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Team captain Bottlemaker LP913838 got it over the wall, but Ezequiel Medrán saved it with ease to keep the Foot Slaves off the board.

Neither team would have an opportunity before halftime, as defense dominated, but in the 51st minute, Bottlemaker LP913838 dribbled it into the box and shot top right corner. It got past Medran's outstretched arm for a goal. Celebration in Gregoryisgodistan as the Foot Slaves led 1-0 in a crucial game.

Sargossa almost equalized in the 65th minute as Gelson Di Santo powered a strong header at goal, but Prune Farmer 3818F made a diving save to his right, keeping the visitors off the board.

Prune Farmer 3818F would make four more crucial saves in the next 20 minutes, being excellent in goal as usual. In the 86th minute, a penalty kick was awarded to Sargossa as Grammar Enforcement Officer ZZNNKUMBYA took down Gelson Di Santo in the box and was yellow carded. Di Santo took the penalty and shot right post, but Prune Farmer 3818F dove and saved it to a cheer from the crowd. Crisis averted.

Shortly thereafter, the final whistle blew and the Foot Slaves celebrated on the field. They were now in second place in Group 9. Next up is a trip to Ossidiacqua for another crucial match. The Archregimancy travels to Hutt River, which will also be a tough match, so if the monks drop points, Gregoryisgodistan could conceivably be in first place in the group by the end of the night. It should be a great day of soccer.

[Saintland]

Royal Palace, St. Petrus, Saintland

King Paulus XV had expected that his previous message to Gordonopia would be the end of it. Surely, his son Josephus had not actually funded a terrorist organization. Then, King Paulus XV received the message from Jonathon Dunn providing evidence that this "Heritage Alliance" was, in fact, a terrorist organization that was carrying out mass murder in order to stop women from participating in sports. While King Paulus XV was a firm believer in "natural" gender roles and felt that women should be protected from participating in sports, with the exception of a few properly "ladylike" sports, he considered terrorism an unacceptable means to achieve that goal. While the King of Saintland would have had no problem funding a terrorist group in Gregoryisgodistan that sought to overthrow Lord Almighty Gregory, terrorism was far too drastic a tactic to use when the issue was women's safety rather than a genocidal dictator.

The King sent for his son Josephus, who had funded this terrorist organization. At the moment, Josephus was in the Royal Palace. Prince Andreas's twin brother was best known internationally as the Sanctii goalie on their ice hockey, field hockey and lacrosse teams, although King Paulus XV had dropped the latter 2 sports at the request of his son. Prince Josephus was also the Crown Prince and only citizen of Saintland WA, a tiny artificial island off the coast of Saintland, which was officially its own nation. Saintland WA had adopted the strongest laws against immigration that the WA would permit, so it was practically a 1-man nation. This was done intentionally, with the support of King Paulus XV, in order to give the King's Government of Saintland a vote in the WA, but exempt the nation from anything that wicked and corrupt organization chose to pass. Some incompetent at the WA had actually permitted this "nation" to apply, confusing Saintland WA with Saintland and only after they were locked in as a member of the WA did anybody realize what was actually going on. Prince Josephus had been careful not to, technically, violate any WA rules, so there was nothing that the WA could do to get Saintland WA out of their organization.

Prince Josephus took his time, but he eventually arrived in his father's Throne Room. With his son now in the room, King Paulus XV decided not to waste any more time.

King Paulus XV - Josephus, I have very credible evidence that you used my Government's funds to finance a terrorist organization.

Prince Josephus - Father, with all due respect, what are you talking about?

King Paulus XV - If you were anybody else, you'd be in chains and headed to the pillory right about now.

The Prince was worried. He hadn't ever seen his father like this. It was traditional in the Sanctii Royal Family for the Queen to take on complete responsibility for raising the kids, who were expected to be seen and not heard while in the presence of their father, the King. While Kings of Saintland often grow emotionally attached to their daughters, they tend to be emotionally distant toward their sons, since they consider it harmful to the development of the boys if they take for granted their status as a son of the King. Prince Josephus knew that his father was angry and stopped trying to push his luck.

Prince Josephus - Father, is this about that group in Gordonopia?

King Paulus XV - Yes, it is. This "Heritage Alliance" is a group which commits acts of terror in the name of a worthy cause. Regardless, protecting the safety of women does not justify suicide bombings or armed thugs assaulting those that are encouraging women to make unsafe and, indeed, wicked choices.

Prince Josephus - Father, I don't know what you are talking about. David Spector told me that they are a peaceful organization that just wants to restore the proper gender roles in their country.

King Paulus XV - Son, you were lied to.

Prince Josephus - This can't be.

King Paulus XV - I've seen the evidence and I even called up News Magazine, which contacted sources in several nations neighboring Gordonopia. This evidence is accurate and they are a serious terrorist organization.

Prince Josephus - What are we going to do?

King Paulus XV - I'll tell you what you're going to do. You will meet this David Spector in Gordonopia and have him take you to their base, wherever it is. While doing so, you will wear a tracking device, similar to those that we stick on every school uniform from every school in our Kingdom.

Prince Josephus - Are you for real?

King Paulus XV - Yes, I am. If you don't do this willingly, I will have you taken to prison, until such time as you agree to cooperate.

Prince Josephus - I'll cooperate.

King Paulus XV - A wise choice. I will provide the Gordonopians with the technology needed to trace the tracking device. They will use it to trace the location of the group's base.

Prince Josephus - But, won't they suspect that it may be a trap?

King Paulus XV - I'll clear it with the Gordonopians first, but assuming that they are fine with it, I'll have the SP report that the "evidence" is a forgery and I'll see if the Gordonopians can deploy some troops. That ought to convince them that we aren't going to help bring them in.

Prince Josephus - That will probably work, but is it really a good idea to make everybody worry about the threat of war in the meantime?

King Paulus XV - You leave that to me, Josephus. Just lead the Gordonopians to the Heritage Alliance and then they'll arrest them once you leave.

Prince Josephus - I'll do that, then.

King Paulus XV began work on his response.

To: Arbitrator Jonathan Dunn, United Gordonopia
From: King Paulus XV of Saintland
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Ultimatum
Encryption: Maximum

Mr. Dunn,

I am shocked at the actions of this organization, as was my son Josephus. After some persuasion, I have convinced him to get in touch with his contact, a David Spector, and attempt to get himself invited to visit the Heritage Alliance in your country. My intention is for this to be a trap. He would be wearing a tracking device, similar to the ones that we use to track the location of schoolchildren in my Kingdom. I'll make sure that you have access to his location. My request is that you arrest these terrorists immediately after my son finishes meeting with them and leaves the premises.

I have attached all of the information that my son has regarding the organization, but it is my intention for my son to make amends by providing you with additional help in capturing these criminals. To lure them into a false sense of security, I will, with your permission, make a public statement of support for the Heritage Alliance, declaring that the allegations against them are a hoax. In the interest of believability, it would help if you could send some kind of military force into my region, but I request that they have specific orders not to fire on anybody. I believe that this ruse has the potential to lead to the capture of these terrorists, who have committed mass murder in the name of keeping women safe. While I would not be particularly concerned if my Government was funding terrorists in that one nation whose leader impersonates God, terrorism is simply an unacceptable method to use promoting the best interests of women and girls. I am willing to do everything in my power to ensure that those that would commit heinous crimes in the name of an issue so dear to my heart are brought to justice. I hope whatever information I can provide helps bring these criminals closer to their final resting place in the fires of Infernus.

- King Paulus XV

King Paulus XV sent the message, hoping that this situation would soon be over. Looking at the results from the World Cup and seeing that Feministvs Sanctvsterra was now atop their group, King Paulus XV hit upon another idea. While it was a longshot, it was possible that he might be able to get his Feministvs Sanctvsterra problem taken care of, assuming that his plan worked.

To: "World Cup 67" Organizers, Cassadaigua and the Equestrian States
From: King Paulus XV
Subject: An Offer
Encryption: High

Hello, I am the King of Saintland and I am writing to you with an offer for your consideration. As you are undoubtedly aware, my Kingdom is boycotting your alleged "World Cup" at the present time, due to corruption within the WCC, corruption which deprived my Kingdom of the right to host a World Cup. However, I am nonetheless willing to consider ending my boycott of your so-called World Cup and recognizing it as the legitimate 67th World Cup, assuming certain conditions are met.

As you are aware, there is a terrorist organization known as Feministvs Sanctvsterra which is currently competing in your "World Cup" while falsely claiming to represent my Kingdom. I have attached substantial evidence that they are, in fact, a terrorist organization. As it turns out, this organization is somehow leading Group 7 at the moment and seems to be poised to qualify for your Cup. My offer will only apply in the event that they do just that.

In the event that Feministvs Sanctvsterra qualifies for your World Cup, I am willing to end my boycott of the World Cup and send my National Soccer Team to participate in the World Cup Finals, which I would recognize as such. However, in order to earn my recognition for your Cup, you will need to arrest and deport to my Kingdom as many members of this terrorist organization as possible. Should their team be unable to compete due to being in a prison cell where they belong, I will gladly send my National Soccer Team as a suitable replacement and you will be able to hold a World Cup that includes the legitimate National Team of Saintland instead of members of a terrorist organization falsely claiming to be the Saintland National Team. I am hopeful that you will consider my offer.

By the way, I wish both of your nations the best of luck in the upcoming World Bowl. My son Petrus is in the best shape that he's been in, since his unfortunate injury last May, so you're definitely going to need it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

- King Paulus XV

King Paulus XV sent the message to Cassadaigua and the Equestrian States. While he was certain that they would reject his offer, once they did so, he could denounce those nations for knowingly supporting terrorist organizations. He hoped that other nations would join his boycott, once it became clear that the World Cup hosts were pro-terrorist...

[Bears Armed]

"Urrrah! That's more like it."

"Ayyuh...
"But we hrreally expected the Belles to beat new Koln, hrright? Even after our girls' patchy performance last year, wouldn't it have been losing this match that would have been a hrreal surprise?"

"Well, ayyuh, but even so maybeso it's a start for a comeback."

"From your mouth to the good spirits' ears."

"Let's hope so.
"Anyhows, that new player, Morra o Barrdenn *: Pretty spectacular debut this was for her, ayyuh? I mean, a hat-trick of goals on her verry first time playing internationally..."

"Pretty good indeed, for true! And it was nice to see Sorrkhie Torr’hay scoring a goal again, even if that was for the first time in this tournament, bearing in mind that this will probably be her last World Cup."

"Ayyuh, it was.
"So, hwhat result are you forecasting for next week's game, at home to Kericia, after the Belles could only manage a draw away against them in the first leg?"

"Ur'rmm...
"I'll say a win for our girls, two goals to none or three goals to one, this time around."

"I've got five thalers here for another draw, instead of a win?"

"Hokay, I'll take that bet."


_________________________________________________________________

OOC

* I've just added her to the Belles' posted roster. There are some more places that I plan to fill this week, too.

[Farfadillis]

Great Preparation; Toughest Challenge Ahead

Now that went better than expected. Sure, beating Lymantatia was a must, and we had beaten them at their home, but thrashing them was not something I was expecting. To begin with, I was expecting a tough match. However, Lymantatia was no match for us this time around, which made them fit their description of most undeserved KPB ranking in the world. Looking at the table now, how can a third seed fall so low?

But anyway, as I said, Lymantatia were never in contention. As soon as the first few minutes (say, five or six) had passed, we all knew what was coming. Lymantatia could not even get the ball, they were becoming La Vherderoja's toy or something. A pass here, a pass there, dribbling here, there and so on. It did seem like Farfadillis was trying to get to know how to penetrate the Lymantatian defense, though, as they seemed to be looking for some hole to open up rather than desperately go for the goal. Dandalleion hit the post in the tenth minute, Terán had a long-range effort punched out two minutes later, and everyone realized Farfadillis would win unless something exceptional got involved.

Seven minutes later, Kâí scored. No surprises. He got a pass from Fakkotti and swiftly started dribbling defenders. First Lowe, then Volante. He then sidestepped Martineau. Facing the goalkeeper, he curved the ball to the upper-right corner. One-nil and Lymantatia's chances flushed down the toilet.

However, it would take twenty one minutes to score another goal. After many chances coming from the Farf team and just one from the Lymantatian team, Tuzzio was fouled close to the box. Fôx stepped up to take the free kick. He looked up, saw the wall wrongly positioned (I'm assuming this) and shot to the left post, where the goalkeeper wasn't. The ball avoided the wall by a few centimetres and hit the post violently before going in. Two-nil.

Half time would come and Farfadillis would be leading two-nil.

However, for the second half, Lymantatia did seem to recover a bit. To begin with, they scored in the third minute. García and Johnson one-twoed Mata, and so García sentenced Lisdiren. Two-one, but it would not change much.

I mean, like nothing at all. Dandalleion would score just five minutes later. A long pass from Mata, Dandalleion stopping the ball very close to the Lymantatian hald, then starting a run. He had to face two defenders while being pretty alone. He dribbled one then started running towards the goal. The other defender attempted a sliding tackle as soon as it got to him (diagonally, obviously, otherwise readihng Dandalleion would've been impossible for him). However, Dandalleion lifted the ball up and jumped, evading the challenge. Then, he faced the goalkeeper. Chipping the ball would be enough.

And six minutes later, Terán would score too. He would get a through pass from Tuzzio in the middle of one of those moments in which Farfadillis just crowds the opposing box. He would stop the ball and swiftly dribble the goalkeeper after feinting a shot that left him confused. With an empty goal at his will, he just chipped the ball for, I imagine, mere elegance. Four-one, and the three points were already Farves.

And six minutes later... another goal! Dandalleion would cross from a corner. The ball would go straight to Tuzzio's head. The midfielder would then powerfully head the ball to the crossbar. The violent rebound headed straight to Mata's head, who just took advantage of his ideal position and scored his third international goal. As a defender, and not having played that much, that's quite an achievement. I mean, he's scored as much as Tenian has so far (these qualifiers).

Lymantatia would score another goal three minutes later, continuing the goal rampage reigning the match. Ivanov would score it. He would dribble Fakkotti, who would fall victim to his footwear, as I'm sure he would've otherwise effortlessly stripped a rather mediocre player as Ivanov from the ball, then shoot to the upper-right corner. Nothing to do for Lisdiren, who had saved a few shots already. Nothing to complain, except our bad luck. Still, we were winning by three.

For like, fifty seconds. In a moment of pseudo-Kylx inspiration, Mêndêlöíndçêl got the ball from Tuzzio not far from the box and proceeded to fulminate it towards the crossbar. The ball violently hit it and went in. Another goal for us. Four-goal difference and Lymantatia almost officially out of the World Cup, something many nations would celebrate.

From there on, the game wouldn't be as entertaining as it had been previously. Lymantatia got to score another goal in the form of a penalty kick. Johnson would step up as Bressler was substituted due to one of his poorest performances so far. I'd personally name him the flop of the match. Anyway, Johnson would score, and the scoreline would remain static for the rest of the match.

Basically, we thrashed Lymantatia. A must-win we won, thankfully. However, this is some great preparation for the upcoming three points against Blouman Empire. If we win, we'll reach them on points (well, we'll get past them, but I'm counting our upcoming bye and their lack of one as a win for them). Getting the tiebreaker would be tough, however. First off, we'd have to win by three goals. At their home. We lost by three here, for you all to have an idea. However, winning by three would make us go for the goal difference tiebreaker. Should we win by three, we'd be almost level on that, though with Blouman Empire having one more match as an advantage. However, a four-goal difference or more would pretty much make us directly qualify, upsets notwithstanding. This is dreaming, obviously, as thrashing the Blouman Empire is close to impossible. This applies for teams like Polar Islandstates, Eura, Valanora and Audioslavia, too.

But anyway, winning the following match would give us a great advantage against many other second-place teams, or potential second-placed teams by the end of qualifiers. I'm not saying it would mean direct qualification, but it would not be far from it. For you to have an idea, we'd be leading like fourteen groups right now with our current number of points. Blouman Empire is currently the team with the best record these qualifiers, adding three points they're very likely to get. Direct qualification is not a dream, I can assure that. A play-off spot is not mathematically guaranteed yet, but it's already ours, though it's up to us whether we avoid it or not.

Basically, cross your fingers once again and hope for the team to be as good as against Lymantatia. We'll need it. Also, Dandalleion is still averaging a goal per game.

[Buyan]

Honking, people bashing on the windshield, the sound of what might have been vuvuzelas... It became pretty obvious that although they were still in their home region of Esportiva, they could've as well crossed the oceans to travel till the ridge of the earth. As much as possible, Sirius tried to focus on the upcoming game but the local bus driver, trying to explain the reasons why the Albos had felt the urge to start their own national team -broad gestures and an abundant amount of 'fasistas de mierda' included-, made it hard to keep a cool head. When another bottle hit one of the windows, Hope turned around in anger.

"What is this place, damned?"
"The White Hell," the driver responded with a broad smile.

Heaven or hell, this really became a nightmare by now. As every local seemed to been instructed -they probably had- to park their car in the middle of the road between the airport and the stadium and ordered to run around it with arms in the air, shouting and waving flags, the trip to this place had been a giant slalom. If it had been a snowy white hell and if Sirius was in the mood for moderately lame word jokes, this could've an ideal test track for the IX Olympics. Right now, he only tried to get over the urge to smack unknown people in the face.

"Ehm, Sirius," his aging assistant suddenly said, "the kick-off is within twenty minutes."
"Twenty? Oh, f-... Guys!" Hope yelled to the players in the rear, "get changed here, there will be no time to lose!"

Slowly, they approached the national stadium of their opponent, where big banners for Pan Sinai and Barrio de los Albos welcomed them as potential consumers. It would be a tight one, but if they could get the quickest route from the parking spot to the pitch, they might make it.

"Ehm, coach," asked Anders Bergh, the timid captain, "who's playing?"
"Didn't I... Damned, this, ... So, Anders, you're in goal. Zemaitis, Tufte, Bartkus and Refshauge in the back. Naess? Martinek? You're behind Sverre and then we have Crassus on the right, Wallenberg on the left and Edvald in attack. You all know what to do!"

Not all looked too satisfied with this line-up, but Hope knew you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Silly RP, my apologies. Regular line will be back tomorrow.

[Antoletia]

"0-0 tie."

"I can take that."

"Jeru FC is always tough at least we didnt lose at home."

"Big game for both teams and we got something out of it."

"Thats all we can ask for."

"All we need."

"Only a point out of a qualifying position."

"Much better position than we were only a few games ago."

"Yeah, get some wins before that Darmen game and we might have a chance."

"Yep."

"Need some help as well."

"Working our way back into things."

"Will be interesting to see the end of all this."

"Yep."