WC72 RP Thread

[San Jose Guayabal]

As authorized by GGS

National Security Council HQ's, San Salvador, SJG. 28/4/2200

Like any typical Monday, the national internal security committee met in order to see how is the situation of security in San Jose Guayabal, in order to see how the situation developed in the war, a situation that is beginning to deteriorate rapidly because Gregoryisgodistan took seriously the situation of the war, perhaps even acted faster than expected, because the troops had killed 2,309 Guayabalense civilians innocently and cowardly, this being a trigger for counter attack.

The Prime Minister took the microphone and deployed a presentation in the hall, showed a map of San Jose Guayabal where it is displayed with an "X" cities that were being attacked by the invading forces.

"Surprise attacks killed in 2309 in Khabarovsk and Uluazapa" Camargo said, as he gestured with rage.

"Too low, it shows that the level of defense is not working, as the level has been established, we are just at DEFCON 4 is, nothing abnormal," said Commander of the Armed Forces, Luis Castro.

"DEFCON 4? Is this seriously, "argued the Queen.

"Yes, I believe that trust us to attack by those filthy slaves" Castro said.

"But trusted in that way in a war is fatal, we are talking about human lives, this is not a war simulator like the ones sold in stores or at any other supermarket" shouted the Queen.

Castro was pretty decimated by the strong reaction of the Queen, like a cry for part of it involves much wisdom is large but not infinite, it can be wrong but this time it was right at that moment, Camargo took a document previously prepared by Castro that was not approved by Parliament but which was approved by His Majesty.

"Mr. Camargo, tell us how the situation raised by Mr. Castro" said the Queen.

"Among the ideas are as follows: Increase the DEFCON 2, making each force present in the area of ​​maximum one hour combat and prevent the advance of enemy troops, the invasion of the island Gregoryisgodistan and is also shown in the Metropolitan lake. "He read Camargo, sipping water to calm his nerves.

"Why attack this island?" Said the Queen.

"That island is a latent threat, is very close to the capital and may be that these 15,000 slaves attack us at any time, is a real danger, so we must intervene in this island as quickly as possible." Castro said

"That I support, and I think this should be done this very day, while we cause lower the better for each of us, speaking as a nation we are." Said the Queen, in the imperative tone.

Basically the Queen had approved the plan to attack the island in the lake, being somewhat successful for the threat could be the island to San Jose Guayabal, not known if these slaves were armed or not, so it was better prevent and not cure.

Therefore an attack in order to defend the Motherland was launched.

Amphibian soldiers reached the island of Greg God at the Metropolitan lake of San Salvador just at midnight, in order to do a surprise attack, they entered to the isle and kidnapped the major of the isle, who was forced to call all the 12,000 people present on the isle (3,000 were away watching GGS vs FFD match), an hour was needed to call everybody in the main Square, they were asked to go to the stadium and that happened, the lights were on and everybody entered and also the access doors were closed with extra protection and an entire troop of Guayabalense soldiers were around the stadium, the major give a speech about getting ready to invade San Salvador, after ten minutes of speech, he was talking when people among the crowd, located in every entrance gate took their automatic machine guns and started shooting to everybody, then bombs exploded and that set the stage (where the major did his speech) on fire and the people ran in order to save their lives, the Guayabalense soldiers left but they put more bombs inside the pitch, the stadium turned into an inferno and took less than 15 minutes to kill 12,000 people and then doing arson around the central zone of the city, also they put a bomb and destroyed the church of Gregory in the city.

At the same moment, the troops were advancing to the district 10, killing to every civilian who appeared on the streets, 2,500 casualities happened on the Guayabalense side but at least 3,600 happened to Gregoryisgodistani forces, who saw how the Guayabalense army in land and air burned the crops, villages and killed around 1,200 civilians in the road.

(To be continued)

[Garifunya]

Frederykvil, Garifunya

"Baas" Jan Patriek Gillaat and the three members of the Federal Council stood in a room, looking at a map of the country. Gillaat, in the center, was an imposing man even at seventy-one, his sharp, energetic gestures belying his graying hair and growing paunch. To his right were the Council member for Klenzeelaan, Issaac Koel and the Council member for Aryncasse, Ibrahim Kluinsteker. Koel, a heavy-set man of medium complexion, had made his money in the shipping industry and was one of the wealthiest men in Garifunya. He was completely in Gillaat's pocket. Kluinsteker was a dour-looking man, thin as a reed and as dark as coal. He had been the mayor of Roidutse before ascending to the Council. He was a reasonable man, and one who cared about the province that he represented. But Aryncasse received more government aid than any place other than the wijk of Frederykvil, which made opposing Gillaat a risky proposition.

Immanuel Prins, the tall and thinly bearded man to Gillaat's left, weighed all these things in his mind as he gazed at the map of Garifunya. Prins was diametrically opposed to Gillaat, which Gillaat knew, but for some reason he had allowed him to win the election for Federal Council member for Platanakust. Gillaat had called the meeting to hear the Council members' reports on their provinces.

Koel began. "Mr. President, Klenzeelaan continues to flourish under your rule. Mytelbeerg's revenues from shipping have reached all time highs and with your reduction in the corporate tax rate, employment in the manufacturing sector has also risen. The one thing that I will say is that more and more fishermen have been coming home with their nets empty. We should consider, perhaps, more vigorously prosecuting foreign trawlers that enter our waters so that there are more fish left for our own citizens." He wiped his sweating brow with his silk handkerchief.

"And what of the people, Mr. Koel? Do they support me, or murmur against me like a bunch of traitors?" asked Gillaat.

"The people are content, Mr. President. There are a few troublemakers, as always, but the Jandaams are more than up to the task," replied Koel.

"Excellent," said Gillaat. "Mr. Kluinsteker, how do the people of my beloved Aryncasse fare?"

"Well, Mr. President," said Kluinsteker, "they remain grateful to you for your generous aid. But too many are still struggling. There are too many Garifunyans living in poverty off of subsistence agriculture."

"But what of the food, the medicine, the money that I send to them?" asked Gillaat incredulously. "Where does it go?"

"Mr. President, I have asked the government workers who distribute the aid where it goes. They say it all gets to the people. I have asked the Jandaams where it goes. They say it is stolen by bandits when the people return to their villages. I have asked the people where it goes. They say it is stolen by the government and the Jandaams."

Gillaat swelled with rage. "This is a lie! I would never allow my workers to steal from my people! The Jandaams are for the protection of my people!"

Kluinsteker withered before the assault. "M-Mr. President. I only report what I hear...there were even protests in Roidutse. Not against you, but against the Jandaams and the government workers."

"We cannot allow this!" said Gillaat. "What about the foreign aid workers? What do the people say about them?"

"Mr. President, they would not say. I believe that the people love them, but fear reprisal for saying it."

"So, it is the aid workers, then. They are stirring up my people against my government. Very well. Tell the Jandaams they are to arrest any foreign aid worker they see and hold them for questioning. And get Boeker in here! I want to talk to him about his men failing to protect our citizens!" He signaled to an aide wearing a beret and carrying a rifle.

The aide turned to leave, but another man, also with a beret and rifle, rushed in from outside the room and crashed into the man leaving the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" roared Gillaat.

The aide who had rushed in rose and saluted. "Mr. President, sir. There is a demonstration outside! I don't know how much longer the Jandaams can hold them back!"

[United States of Devonta]

Above Expectations
^{Devontans defeat lower ranked Flardania in pre-world cup friendly match}

United States of Devonta 3-1 Flardania

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Cooper, Brooks, Benton, Kindred, Liam, Russell, Abdullah, Edwards, Owens, Johansen, Adams

Quick Stats:
56% Possessions, 16 Shots, 9 on goal
44% possessions, 9 Shots, 5 on goal

Scores:
Johansen (23', 87'), Benton (62')
Yabuta (37')

CAUTIONED: Adams (78')
EJECTED: ----NONE----

---

Crushing Lose
^{Devontans defeated 5-0 in what was called there worst game ever}

United States of Devonta 0-5 San Jose Guayabal

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Cooper, Brooks, Benton, Kindred, Liam, Russell, Abdullah, Edwards, Owens, Johansen, Adams

Quick Stats:
32% Possessions, 4 Shots, 3 on goal
68% possessions, 16 Shots, 11 on goal

Scores:
----NONE----
Fanna (3', 76'), Saucedo (43'), Zelaya (64', 86')

CAUTIONED: Kindred (56')
EJECTED: ----NONE----

[Pasarga]

"The group looks clear now, don't you think, with us taking out Chiata at their place? I just don't see how if the squad has already put the second seeds on the backfoot how they can possibly not take the group and the qualification that comes with, even at this early stage."

"It certainly is better to have won that match than to have dropped points, that is sure, but do not be so quick to crown the Wanderers champions of the group. It has just been one weekend on the international calendar and there is still several more ahead. You can talk about the potential of winning the group and all that comes with that once the halfway mark comes and the Wanderers are clear and away from everyone else and not a matchday before. There is still far too many games to take anything for granted."

"Even though the second seeds were felled in their place and in an impressive fashion by our squad? It seems to me like the rest of the group is merely fighting for the second spot and the playoff, that the group is more or less the Wanderers to lose. Amazing if you consider how young most of the squad is, this could be the same team come next World Cup cycle as well, coming off a Copa win and an appearance in the Final, plus whatever they manage to do this cycle."

"While it is certainly a promising start, look at the results going on through qualifying with even the champions of Osarius losing and in their own home stadium. Teams can smell the chances before them and are pouncing at every opportunity they have to try and steal points that most would think they have no chance in grabbing. Not a single team is safe from the upset, from becoming too complacent and full of themselves, the Wanderers included. And that is doubly so with regards to their age, though their is experience there that their age would not hint at."

"Okay, I get it, the Wanderers have work to do and to curb my enthusiasm but it is so hard when the side have been doing so well. I want to believe that they can win not just their group, not just the Copa, but the World Cup itself, especially when they had their chances with Osarius last World Cup. The usual suspects of the game are in a down swing and this is the best of time as any for the Wanderers to try and secure their spot up at the top not just now but for the foreseeable future."

"That is indeed possible but does not excuse the lack of patience, for it is virutious to have patience and to see how things play out. However keep up that hope for it will serve you well, especially should the Wanderers wind up in a similar place as those perpetual nations that you speak about. It is hope that helps fuel the dreams that leads to the hard work that has given the Wanderers their current spot. It is hope that will see them forward."

[Valanora]

Will results from yesterday bring fortune today?

Results

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA BORDERS CLOSED DOWN FOLLOWING BEGINNING OF ESPORTIVAN WAR
By Feodor Federici


Lieutenant Governor Nadejda Palomarska (Maj. Gen., DRAA) announces the closure of the borders of the Fhulghamous Peninsula following the escalation of the war with Gregoryisgodistan in southern Esportiva. But despite the closing of the borders, Lt. Gov. Palomarska has stated that this will not affect the colony's qualifying matches for the World Cup. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network/Tatsuo Makiyaki)

PORT THIMPODOPOULOS, FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA - The clouds of war have gathered once again on Abanhfleft's territories, and this time it has decided that it will not get involved in this war this time.

Festering relations between many of the nations of Esportiva have ended up culminating in the declaration of war, and the war looks set on consuming the entirety of the continent. Therefore the Democratic Republic has decided that the borders of the Colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula, which is on the Esportivan continent should be closed until such a time as the Esportivan War, as it is now being called in the media, has finally died down or ended.

Lieutenant Governor Nadejda Palomarska of the Fhulghamous Peninsula, who is also a serving major general in the Democratic Republic Army, has announced that the 16th Colonial Expeditionary Force, which is under her command, will be mobilized to close down the borders of the colony but will not take any aggressive or offensive maneuvers in the area unless the colony and its sovereign territory comes under threat.

"It is, in the interests of safety and security of the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft and the Colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula, that the 16th Colonial Expeditionary Force has been deployed to secure the colony's borders," Palomarska said in a live press conference. "By order of both the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Colonial Affairs, I have seen fit to send the soldiers under my command to secure, patrol and police the borders of the colony until such time as the so-called "Esportivan War" comes to an end."

The 16th Colonial Expeditionary Force, composed of 12,000 men and women in uniform along with their accompanying materiel, are set to patrol over 10,000 square meters of what is considered as "colonial borders" in their mission to safeguard the Fhulghamous Peninsula.

"Abanhfleft and her territories and colonies will not join the war," according to Governor Kulbano


Governor General Petrarchos Kulbano of the Fhulghamous Peninsula is "adamantly sure" that Abanhfleft and its affiliate nations will not get involved in the Esportivan War despite the proximity of his colony to the warzone. According to him, President Rako Novoire is set on leading the country on a new path, away from its "war-freak past." (Courtesy of Crescent News Network/Ibrahim al-Talib)

"I am adamantly sure that Abanhfleft and her associated nations, territories and colonies will not get involved in this so-called Esportivan War," Governor General told CNN in an exclusive interview.

"Before the Revolution, our joining this war was a very grim and real possibility and probability. But now that we have made the transition into a new Democratic Republic, I am sure that President Rako Novoire sees no desire to drag the entire country into this war. He is not a warmongerer, he loves peace and is willing to do all it takes to keep it. If the Fhulghamous is invaded, then yes, Abanhfleft will reply with force, but until then, we will not increase tensions further by mobilizing our soldiers."

Governor Kulbano also added that the security measures implemented throughout the Fhulghamous will not affect travel in and out of the colony, especially the arrival and departure of teams in the World Cup qualifiers that will play against the Fhulghamous Peninsula national football team, which is also managed by both Kulbano and Palomarska, with help from famed fitness instructor Chan Lua and Colonial Councillor Rashidunnin Ali.

[Augusticinia]

Quest to Qualify Hosted by Emil Fermi & Gulshan Kjeldsen

"Hello and welcome to Quest to Qualify. Today we will be focusing on Augusticinia's performance so far."

"Yes, indeed Emil. This is Augusticinia's first World Cup Qualifier."

"Well Gulshan, in Augusticinia's first match they faced a crushing defeat against Carialus."

"The most crushing part of the game was the possession difference. Augusticinia had 19% possession while Carialus had 81% possession."

"Also Vladimir Maier one of their best players was booked with a yellow card."

"Yes indeed, Augusticinia has so far been a foul-heavy team. If they plan to make it into the world cup they need to dim down the aggressiveness."

"Though, Augusticinia had a nice game against Matthewsiania."

"Augusticinia did perform well against the nearly unstoppable Matthewsianian Keeper."

"Augusticinia made great improvement during that match. Though you must not forget that Stanić, Augusticinia's Goalkeeper, has been performing well this tournament."

"Speaking of Improvement, Augusticinia only had 2 fouls."

"Well, Gulshan do you think Augusticinia can make it into the World Cup."

"Even though they are doing well I think that their Inexperience will knock them out. What about you Emil?"

"I'm going to go against you, Gulshan and say that Augusticinia will get lucky and make it in."

"Emil, I would like to commend Augusticinian player John Watson. Personally I think he should have been the man of the match in the Augusticinia - Matthewsiania game. Well tomorrow night we will be reviewing Polkopia."

"Goodbye"

[Nephara]

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
"WE WILL NOT CONCERN OURSELVES WITH A PETULANT MANCHILD" - BROOKFORD'S DOVE STANCE MADE CLEAR
by Gerhard Radford

In what promises to be the first time the two major parties of Nephara have had a genuine partisan split since the last election, Margravine Kirsten Brookford made it adamantly clear she had no intention of getting involved with an Esportivan war.

During Question Time yesterday, Leader of the Opposition Calliope Lazaridis demanded Brookford lay out her stance on the issue. The Margravine did not hesitate. "We have more important things to do than be sidetracked by the tantrums of the Holy Nation. We will not concern ourselves with a petulant manchild, and we will not risk the lives of brave Nepharim soldiers in a vain attempt to change a broken nation through force."

The Holy Nation, a short form of the full official title The Glorious And Holy Nation of Gregoryisgodistan, has recently attracted ire across the multiverse after the senseless nuclear bombardment of the small island nation Hicana. Nepharim were involved in aid efforts and rehousing immigrants, but while the prior Traditionalist government of Rook Barker tended to be hawkish, was prominently involved in the War of Felix and, in a significant part of their first term, reformed and modernised the outdated Nepharim military, the Progressive Democrat campaign pledged to keep Nepharim boots off the ground in foreign pastures. This stance was only hardened when, after a hard-fought election between two very strong candidates, the centre-left Pro Dems were forced into coalition with the further-left Moving Forward party in order to hold a majority government. So far, there has yet to be any issue as polarising as the War, but Brookford's rhetoric leaves no room for doubt as to her policy. However, with the next election in a year's time, a Traditionalist government could and likely would force a change in foreign policy.

Barth Graf, the leader of the exceptionally hawkish Honour and Glory party, was vocal in adding to the debate that an alliance with the Free Republics could not be countenanced, as formally joining SETO would entail, but Brookford did not agree, stating that SETO had the official support of the Nepharim government and that the Nepharim military would only be used to fly in supplies or help refugees.

Minister of Defence Karena Tristram, who made an appearance on Q&A later that night, agreed with the party line when pressed on it by a member of the audience. "Look, the Holy Nation is commanded by a man, possibly a child or perhaps even developmentally challenged judging by his actions which are without rhyme or reason and seem, sometimes, to be a misjudged attempt at humour, with the run of the military junta supporting him. The only strategy we've seen from them is hurling soldiers at civilian areas and terrorising them, and they have a lot of soldiers. They may still have nuclear weapons. All Nepharim activity would do would be to put ourselves at risk for a lost cause - if change in the Holy Nation was to come, it would be from within the nation, and there's simply been no sign of that."

It does not look like this stance will gain any traction amongst the Traditionalist base. The Shadow Minister of Defence Escher Marlborough was particularly strong in a statement to the press, saying that "The Progressive Democrat stance of 'hoping it goes away' cannot be allowed to stand. This idea that, with other armies on their doorstep, the Holy Nation will simply focus on its invaders gives the alleged Lord Gregory far too much credit. None of his actions have made sense to date - why would he start now? But it's beside the point, anyway. There's a threat to the rest of Esportiva out there and we should act to stop it." Meanwhile, Honour and Glory senator Mick Maybliss later controversially tweeted 'SETO should just nuke the bastards and be done with it.'

It looks as though the only direct involvement in the war Nephara will have may be through mercenaries. Known private military company Brute Force Synergy Solutions is based in Vermillion, but none of its representatives were prepared to comment on the situation.

[The Sword Bloke]

SWORDEAN REFERENDUM: SETO OR NONO?

The Sword Bloke have decided, amidst all the controversy in our region of Esportiva, that a referendum will be held to chlose the side of The Sword Bloke in the war. The vote, titled 'SETO or NONO' will be held this Friday, with the votes taking place in Swordean hospitals, schools, airports & town halls. Shop Owner opened the discussion today by stating 'Friday will be a historic day in Swordean history. We will be choosing between evil and evil in this war we want to be involved in." After the referendum results are announced, a quarter of the Swordean population (9,500,001 people) will be drawn into the Swordean army. "These people will die for their nation if needed. I don't care, as I will instead be watching the World Cup. My friends will lead the battalions into battle!"

All Friends of Shop Owner will be leading the army from a safe distance with all the luxuries soldiers don't have, such as a roof, steaks, cool drinks and the hottest guns, or staying in Owner-osity, home to some of the holiest locations in Ownerism, and home to the Swordean Rushmori Embassy. The Owner-osity short-time migrants will be staying in the coastal island of Bay de Owner, having enough food to last them 20 years, a beautiful apartment and all the luxuries those leading the battalions have. Anyways, it hurts to not be a friend of Shop Owner.

And if you think there isn't any more executions in The Sword Bloke while those soldiers are serving me and the country, you do NOT get a gold star. If you desert, death. If you shoot another Swordean soldier, death. If you state you don't want to be in the army, death. If you shoot one of our allie nation's soldiers, death. If you wish not to be on the side of the nation's we are sided with, death. IF YOU WANT TO BE A FRIEND OF SHOP OWNER, NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE WAR AND STAYING IN OWNER-OSITY OR LEADING A BATTALION AND HAVING LUXURIES, DEATH! So you still have rules to follow in the Swordean Army. Not so easy being a Swordean, isn't it?

As well as that, the traditional 'Sword Bloke Weaponry Shop', one of, if not the worlds largest weapon store, will go back in business for the first time in 189 years to serve the Swordean soldiers and those affiliated with The Sword Bloke. The Swordean weapons include the 'Longshot-86', 'Bankshot 39', 'Bigone 76' and 'Dead 24', all successful Swordean guns that fetch about $5,000,000, mainly due to their bullet size, with bullets about 14cm x 5cm. Bullets are made of Solid Gold, which will of course be an advantage to the side the Swordeans join in the referendum.

Want to know how to watch the referendum on TV?

* The show will start on Friday at around 6:00pm Swordean Time with some political debate on 'The Owner Talk'.
* At 7:15pm, the results from the southern states of The Sword Bloke will come in. Each of the 4 southern states will have their mayors read out their vote percentages. The political talk will continue for 10 minutes.
* At 7:30pm, the western results will come in. The 4 western states will have their mayors read out their percentages.
* At 7:35pm, the show will have an interval, with an episode of 'The Angelou's'.
* At 8:00pm, the Political talk will continue.
* At 8:15pm, the 4 eastern states will have their mayors read out their vote percentages. More political talk for 15 minutes.
* At 8:30pm, the 5 northern states will have their mayors read out their vote percentages.
* At 8:38pm, the side that will get The Sword Bloke will be announced nationally.

Yes, so that is what Shop Owner has proposed as for this war business. Turning this into entertainment, as Shop Owner always does well. This is TSBtv calling, good night The Sword Bloke!

OOC: 6 nations will grab a state in this referendum. These nations will announce the vote percentages in the referendum. If you would like to be one of these 6 nations, please telegram The Sword Bloke with your intentions.

[Jeruselem]

Princess Laura for Naked News Jeruselem by herself

Hey everyone, this is Princess Laura Virginia Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem. I'm in another country for the world cup 72 qualifiers once again. This time a place called The United North States. We've never been here before. But there's always a first time for everything. We took on the local team for another qualifier, number 3. We won our first one 5-3, lost 2-1 at home and now we're here. After per normal these days, we seem like playing away games. We won! Not like the 5-3, only 4-0. Yes, we didn't conceded a single GOAL. Now that's progress.

Sorry, this place isn't the warmest place. A big improvement on our last game, and we got back on the scoreboard. Including two goals from myself! OK, I could have scored a few more but you can't always have 100% conversion rate. This was our best game, with the team not having any weak points today. Still, it could have been better. We could have scored far more goals! Apart from the ref disallowing two but nevermind that.

Jeru FC boys were at home for the first time for qualification and they won 1-0 against Volcanoc. I guess it's three points but surely against a team like Volcanoc, you can score more than one goal? Still, they have a solid defense which kept Legalese to 2 goals in their last game.

Sorry, I think I'm allergic to something round here as well. Ok, you wanted it. It's Q&A time again and I'm here to answer some questions from the good people out there. Well, except the ones them pervs from Jeru FC keep asking. They don't need to ask me, they can go ask my hubby ROAW instead.

OK, a new Mum asks how to keep of the weight. She says she's become a bit pudgy after having kids. Well, I know what you mean but I'm a very busy girl. If I'm not playing football or training, I'm working at Naked News. Or working on my rather late new album. I'm very busy, I'm got no time to be idle. In short, I'm just too busy. I don't have time to sit around at home. Oh yes, and the kids are right royal pain too. Hyperactive lot.

A football player asks why personal insurance for football players is so expensive. He says he can barely afford it. I understand, but in my case I can afford it. I don't really need it but apparently I do if travel overseas like to places like here. I think us football players have a high chance of getting injured and they think we make loads of money. Younger players don't get paid a lot and I think the premiums are too high.

Someone has asked how does one join Jeru FC. Well, I don't know why one would want to but in short - you get picked. You can't just join Jeru FC, they picked a bunch of people called it a football team. I guess they have to have some football skills as well. Join the army, and hope they pick you. Most of the Jeru FC team are hopeless with weapons. Good luck. Just don't get yourself killed. It is the army.

People do ask if one gets sick of travel. The fun bit is being another country, the bit I hate is actually travel. All airports look the same and well the same security checks, the same customs hassles and annoying pokey officials who make you life hard. Saying that, some place I don't want to go back to either. It's not all bad, but it does wear you down sometimes. Spending a few weeks at home in the break helps. Some people love travel and others hate. It's different for everyone.

Some people ask if it's really necessary to research their opponents. Why can't you run out and play them without this. Good question. You have to know your enemy, you can't fight a war without knowing the enemy fights. It's easy with opponents who know or have played before, because of prior experience. Sometimes it's really hard because it's the first time you've played them and they have no idea about you as well. You have to be prepared and know their style and their tactics. Victory depends on how you handle their big guns.

Someone questions why we spend so much time on sport. Well, like any industry we have support ourselves. We're no different. The World Cup is the ultimate in football tournaments, and companies are lining for the TV exposure for their sponsorshop when it comes around again. It's not just Jeruselemites, the rest of the football world watches and you want to be there to sell your products to them too. We also need a way to keep the kids outdoors and playing sport is one way, in some cases it becomes their income.

That's it from me for now. See you all later, wherever I end up tomorrow or next week.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

"The Group 1 looks as it is, and once again Quebecois are not in top 2 spots. Even if it's a very early part of the qualifiers, it looks to be another of hard, wasted qualifiers that will lead to Grim Reapers failing to qualify for playoffs minimum, for the first time in 6 years."

"It certainly is better to win and humiliate the Llamalanders than to lose in a disappointing display against them, but writing the Grim Reapers off is not a wise solution, Pierre. There are still many games ahead, mostly against nobody states, sans The Fallenmark Islands, so we can talk more about possiblity of qualification or write-off come the halftime, or even in the third quarters. There are too many games to give up on and knowing the Grim Reapers, they tend to get better and better come the second half. Should they do a huge push come the second half and win."

"I beg to disagree on the positive prospects you have over the Grim Reapers, and this is because the way they have been playing on those three games. No soccer fan is happy in the nation right now, and for a good reason Maurice. A tie to Timbermunich and a shameful loss to Super Llamaland? Away matches aside, those two shameful games were against teams that Grim Reapers can easily beat on any other day. Heck, the home game against Associated Godlands was far below our expectations and we shouldn't be doing that bad. This is not typical of what we've seen in past, especially because the quality of those games, even on the basis of typical slow starts, have been ridiculously bad. Whether it be complacency or poor luck, those things shouldn't be happening right at the beginning every time."

"What we should recognise, however, is that 2 shameful defeats we had over last 3 weeks were away games, and were against the highest-ranked teams in the group. The rankings, though not perfect, are there as good indicators of success and results so we should still remember that they're not just nobodies. Super Llamaland has had some success over few years and Timbermunich, I could claim, is similar to Sandwich Territories that we've faced far too many times."

"Fair enough, but for a team that's drawn Polar Islandstates and Vilita the last time around, this is no better than a shame. We have a core who've worked together for enough games to function well, and they did not deliver. We have one of most volatile management staffs who have pulled many miracles on the field, and they did not deliver. We have players who've been playing in some of the world's best leagues and teams, who failed to do so. This is embarassing."

"Yes, but the team is still a young team on the building block. While we often ignore this due to how old Frederic Beauchemin is, most of the guys are still growing. With forwards, all but Fortin and Hertel are under 27 and most of the guys have been playing as stars in top leagues around the world. With defence, already a new generation's been pushing towards a total change. Goaltending? Cech's only going to be better and better, while Middleton's an underrated guy whose fire has helped the Reapers push through when Cech faltered in occasions. This is just a part of transition, and we shouldn't feel too down about first three games."

"Alright. We should remember that should this continue and the Reapers not qualify for even the playoffs spot, then we'll be seeing a new manager before next AOCAF. Ji Choon Kim's managed to keep his job because his teams improved along the players. That's what really made his players be that loved, and if Dhanda makes this huge step back this time, the RQFA won't be so happy about it."

[Volcanoc]

VOLCANIC EMBASSY IN ESPORTIVA 8:00am

It is morning somewhere in the middle of the Esportivan sea, and Priest Major Guerres, the Volcanic ambassador in Esportiva, has just got 14 different Esportivan newspapers, all of which have cover stories on one particular event; The war between Gregoryisnotgodistan & SETO.
The Sword Bloke's paper has a referendum, Greg's has another Not so Lord Almighty Gregory speech, and Coconut Isle's has coconuts and SETO. Priest Major Guerres discusses the war with his best friend, Priest Major Ferdinand, who lives with him.

"I hate hearing about wars. I heard about 14 views on that war between Greg & SETO all by looking on 14 different newspaper front covers. Sigh... I hate war."

"I know. Those stupid Swordeans need a compulsory referendum to sort this out. Wow, Shop Owner. Wow. And Lord Almighty Grgeory has another speech to the people. Wow, Not so Lord Almighty Gregory. Wow. And Coconut Isle's is about coconuts. Wow, Coconutty Journalist. Wow."

"Exactly. I don't get this. Referendums? Speeches? Coconuts? Seriously, this is stupid."

"But I do hope that Shop Owner loses his immortality, and dies. Then the Holy Volcanic can take over The Sword Bloke and make them all slaves."

"And I hope the same thing happens with Gregory."

"Yes, Agree."

"And the same thing should happen to San Jose Guayabal, and Coconut Isle, and The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and Gloriax, for being involved in this. Wars only cause deaths."

"Thank you. A point smarter than all of those articles."

"I won't be caring about invaded nations; Volcanoc offers no aid to other nations, unless they follow the Holy Volcanoc."

"Which no other nation does. Well, when Skyrtha was part of Volcanoc, they worshipped us. Now, they're all atheists."

"Stupid Skyrthans."

"Anyways, we lost to Jeru FC in the World Cup Qualifiers. But we are still 3rd in our group, which is a relief."

"Yes, it sure is."

"Anyways, any plans back in Volcanoc to blow up The Sword Bloke?"

"Nah, not yet. Waiting for the war to get officially started. Will make it a lot easier for us."

"Good on them."

"I know, right? Prime Minister Gulan has really done some good over there."

A beeping noise is heard.

"Oh, I better get my coffee. See ya in 5 minutes, Priest Ferdinand."

"OK. Bye!"

Sorry if your nation was offended in my RP.

[The State of Panem]

Panem Sport Report
Brought to You by Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman
"Theme Music"

F: Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the 3rd of 14 rounds of qualifiers here at the 72nd World Cup brought to you by the Panem Sport Report, I am Caesar Flickerman and this is Claudius Templesmith, your favorite hosts

T: Hello all, as many of you may know, today Panem's Soccer Team plays its third match of the 72nd World Cup qualifiers against Garifunya here at the Capitol. It is a nice sunny afternoon as the stadium is filled with a moderate crowd, turn out seems lower since Team Panem's two time blunder of being defeated 2-1 or 4-2 by their opponents in the last two games.

F: Yes, and I know what many of you are asking. What about Silvia Cardew? Well Silvia is still in rehabilitation and the team's spirit has certainly fallen.

T: Even watching them sing the national anthem is telling, how they just mumble along and have a dazed look.

F: I am not trying to a pessimist but our chances certainly are not very good right now, we our weak offense, defense is our only hope. Garifunya has a notable offense and will try to score as many shots as what happened in the last match.

T: True, if Panem wins today, which I am sad to say is unlikely, it will be because of our defense. Looking back, even viewership numbers have dropped drastically since the first game as many seem to have already lost hope. And it looks like Garifunya has won the coin toss so they will be kicking off

--Half Time Break--
F: Alrighty, it seems that our bleak predictions are holding up here at half time with Garifunya leading Panem 2-1. Half of the fans have already left the stadium while Radiance Firebreeze is giving her team a vigorous peptalk it seems.

T: Yes, Garifunya scored the first straight off at 17:22 minutes into the game. Bouker made a run for the goal, distracting the attention of Hagerdraw and Greenlee before quickly kicking a side-kick to Ledeboer who had a straight shot for the goal and made it.

F: Panem did get close to a goal at 25:14 when Corke got close enough to the goal but his intention to make a goal shot was quickly foiled when he was surrounded by Van Kalvenhaar and Van Hartskamp. He tried to pass the ball to Greer who made a grab for it but she tripped and fell on her face, the ball being swiped up by Castelao

T: Garifunya then scored a second goal at 34:56 when Amadi kicked a long field kick and tried back a goal, but Durant stopped the ball and threw it out. Greenlee tried to bounce it off her head but she missed the ball and Boumers quickly hit the ball straight into the goal, Durant stopping it right on his side of the goal line.

F: Actually, the WC referees had to come out and call a brief break as they looked over the tapes and decided that it was a goal for Garifunya. We did score one last minute goal before half time at 45:16 when Corke had the ball and passed it to Hallowood who distracted both Ledeboer and Bouker, but then he kicked it to Griswold who had a straight shot at the goal. She kicked and scored on point, the crowds faintly murmuring their approval.

T: Yes, we'll the game is starting so lets get back to it. Half-time is extra short because of that rules break

--End of Game Review--
F: Whew, that was a freaking close game but we did it, ladies and gentleman, we finally tied our first game 2-2 in the World Cup.

T: Yes, after half-time, Corke led a second goal attempt but Linden and Amadi both stopped it before it got very far. But at 79:21, Hope had the ball and she tried to pass it up to Corke but she missed as Garifunyan defense closed in on him. The ball fell into Greer's hands and by perhaps the greatest stroke of luck ever, she kicked an open shot that scored Panem's second goal, tying the match.

F: And this move made Garifunya go into overdrive and at 87:19, they did a kick but the ball was stolen by Hagerdraw who played with Griswold and Jones by keeping the ball trapped in mid-field, frustrating the Garifunyans and when the clock stopped, Panem and Garifunya had tied 2-2

T: While this may sound like good news and it was greeted by cheers from the small squad of remaining loyal fans, Panem is still very poorly ranked and unless they start doing very well, their chances of qualifying are doomed. Presently, Panem is ranked 7th out of the 8th nations in their group, and has a record of 2 loses and one draw while the 6th place nation is Garifunya with 2 draws and 1 loss.

F: Tomorrow, Panem will be playing again in the Capitol against Bears Armed who is ranked 44 to Panem's 168. They have one of the strongest offenses Panem has seen yet, even likely stronger than that of Krytenia who we first played and even the formation is very heavy on the offensive side. Our only hope for victory is if our defenses can hold up against their onslaught while getting enough points to draw or hopefully even beat them. Presently, Bears Armed is 5th place and they did lose to Valladeres so it would certainly be helpful to our ranking if we can beat them. Wish our team luck and may the odds be ever in their favor. Also, get well soon, Silvia, we hope

[Jeru FC]

Jeru FC coach Major Trooble and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth Dallas after Jeru FC won 1-0 at home

Major: So what did you think the performance today Princess
Mary; Just call me Mary, don't need to use my title everytime you refer to me
Major: So what did you think of the boys
Mary: A bit slack, I don't watch many Jeru FC games but sometimes I think they don't put in a lot of effort
Major: We should have scored a few more goals really, but we got the win
Mary: Still, sitting on 1-0 lead isn't what it should be

Major: Yes, there's plenty of improvement to be gained
Mary: We don't want to out the playoffs because of goal difference do we?
Major: They don't think about it that way
Mary: They are a bit rough, but I guess that's their style
Major: Style and subtlety isn't their thing
Mary: Yes, subtle as bricks through a window

Major: I'm feeling good about this cup, we could make a playoff
Mary: The boys have started well even the loss against Legalese was a good game
Major: All we need to do is score a few more goals, we can't expect one goal to be enough
Mary: We have some harder opponents coming up, none of these softer weak teams
Major: Yes, I know. But it's early days Mary
Mary: It's a good start anyway. Keep up the good work.

Major: You don't some very often to watch our games
Mary: Jeru FC football fans aren't well ... classy people
Major: Our fans can be a bit crude
Mary: They sure don't behave terribly well
Major: Look at the football team, same lot of lower class bogans
Mary: It's not everyday people call you "Princess with the small boobies" hey

Major: It would be nice if your fans had more class
Mary: Not all army people are like that but the ones who support Jeru FC sure aren't them
Major: I can't do much about our supporters
Mary: I don't expect you to have much influence on them, they are drunk
Major: So it my team sometimes
Mary: They call Princess Laura "Naked Blonde one with bigger boobies"

Major: She does have big ... boobies
Mary: For her size, that is. Saying that, so does most of the Princesses
Major: Don't worry, our fans are mostless harmless
Mary: Unless you're a 20 something female with big boobies
Major: Yes, then you might get groped
Mary: You can't trust them Jeru FC lot to keep their hands of you

Major: Dunno how Princess Laura puts up the attention when she's here
Mary: She likes attention, she's like that
Major: I guess she's got loyal set of soldiers here
Mary: In a perserve way yes
Major: Not they are much good at their other job
Mary: You can't be great at everything

[Associated Godlands]

News Wrap Associated Godlands

Welcome to the News Wrap, Associated Godlands's daily wrap on the news.

Queen Explains Recent Time Freeze in New Wolfopolis

Recently, a subject in the news that has garnered a lot of discussion has been the time freeze in New Wolfopolis. Everything in New Wolfopolis froze suddenly froze suddenly 3 years ago, and just woke up, with all activities continuing as normal. While many have speculated on the cause of such phenomenon, Queen of Associated Godlands Shirley Phelps-Roper has offered her explanation.

"This is clearly God's wrath." Phelps-Roper says. "New Wolfopolis had for years, enabled homosexuals, and this is a warning. He is feeling merciful to give just a warning, but unless New Wolfopolis sees the light soon, there will be another freeze. And this one won't ever end."

God declined to comment on whether this was, in fact, true.

Barbaric Esportivans Go To War Again

In an event that shocked absolutely no one, the barbaric people of Esportiva have decided to go to war yet again. It all started when Gregoryisgodistan decided to bomb Hicana, prompting the Holy Republican Empire, San Jose Guayabal, and a bunch of other nations to go to war.

"What can you say?" asks Queen Phelps-Roper. "Brutal killing is just what Esportivans like to do."

God, once again, declined to comment, though recent storms over Gregoryisgodistan have indicated who he is rooting for.

Associated Godlands Loses Again Despite Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Brace

Once again, the national team of Associated Godlands has lost an exciting, high-scoring World Cup qualifier, this time to the Fallenmark Islands. It started so well for the obeyers, with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ scoring a brace within 15 minutes, but it fell apart after that. The Fallenmark Islands drew one back just before halftime, and followed that up with an equalizer in the 60'. A stoppage-time winner gave them the win.

"I definitely didn't perform up to snuff," said the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after the game. "My teammates were great, but I failed them."

God didn't show up for His scheduled press conference after the game.

[State of Europa]

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT TRASH, yelled Ard, smashing his fist on the desk. He looked at the musty room filled with his men. “This is the second time we have gotten a draw and we only have one win, ONE FREAKING WIN, you butt-holes. Are you forgetting you ancestral pride, our mighty white spirit. Those monkeys out there were able to make us tie, 0-0. Yes, you may have been able to ensure they scored nothing whatsoever, but how can we not score a single point against them.” Ard locked his gaze on Jean-Philippe Boule.

Jean shifted nervously before beginning, “Sir, we tried our best but…” he stopped as if even the thought was impossible to comprehend. “But we couldn’t penetrate the Kalumban defense.”

“The hell with those excuses, they are inferior colored monkeys. How the hell can you not penetrate their defenses. Are you stupid, insane, or crazy? Think about how this will look back in Europa. ‘A bunch of Europa’s best are on par with the mongrels of Kalumba.’”

“I can only offer apologies, we will try to do better, sir”

“BUTTHOLE! You will offer much more than just apologies when the EuroParty gets wind of your epic failure so far. We got humiliated in the Baptism of Fire and we will not be humiliated again. We will win this game at all costs, and so far, we are not doing good enough. We need to go to the top of the bar, do you understand.”

“YES SIR” said the whole team.

Ard dismissed them before heading back into his dinky quarters. “Screw these monkey pissers,” he muttered, watching as four roaches suddenly crawled out from under his sink. He smashed them under his dark blue boots before putting on his jacket and heading out to their bus.

Meanwhile, a public service announcement was published throughout Europa and sent to the government of Yttribia (it being translated of course)

ATTENTION: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL FOREIGN VISITORS

DUE TO POTENTIAL OUTBREAKS OF FOREIGN VIRUSES AND BACTERIA IN EUROPA, WE WILL NOT BE ALLOWING AND FOREIGN VISITORS OR FANS INTO EUROPA AND ONLY THE PLAYERS AND IMMEDIATE STAFF OF ANY PARTICIPATING NATION IN MATCHES HOSTED IN EUROPA SHALL BE ALLOWED INTO OUR TERRITORY, UPON WHICH THEY SHALL BE QUARANTINED FROM THE REST OF THE POPULATION OF EUROPA AND ESCORTED BY INNOCULATED AND IMMUNIZED GUARDS PROVIDED FOR EUROPA FOR OURS AND THEIR PROTECTION.

[Polkopia]

A Piece Of Polkopian History
#4: So, You Want To Learn Polkopian? (2011)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

As discussed in Part 3 of the A Piece Of Polkopian History collection, you learned the transformation of the Polkopian language following the years after the Second Polkopian Revolution. Now, Polkopian remains the dominant language within Polkopia, and a major language in all surrounding nations. Polkopian is now taught at almost every major school across the globe. Now, we feel that is necessary to explain how the language itself is grammatically structured.

Contrary to Old Polkopian, modern Polkopian no longer uses the standard alphabet. Instead, the Polkopian alphabet is as follows:

Аа, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Yy, Z z, Ž ž

Also, nouns are divided into three genders as opposed to two in some languages; Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter. Masculine nouns always end in a consonant and Y, and generate a masculine adjective. Feminine nouns always end in A, while Neuter nouns always end in O. Like masculine nouns, adjectives correlate to their respective gender and change endings as such.

Furthermore, Polkopian nouns are divided into numbers as well; Single, and plural. Nouns that are single do not change and remain in the case that they are given. Plural nouns, however, completely override any other case that the noun may be in, and the ending of the noun is changed to an I, if the dictionary word (Or nominative case) is masculine or neuter, or the ending vowel is replaced with an E if the nominative case of the noun is feminine. In this case, adjectives do not change with the number of nouns in a sentence.

The Polkopian language is divided into five cases. Each case is explained below in detail:

• The Nominative Case answeres the question "Who?" or "What?" As stated above, there are no endings added to nouns and adjectives in the nominative case.
  1. Ya student. --> I am a student (Male).
  2. Ya faita. --> I am a girl.
• The Accusative Case refers to when the noun in question is a direct object. If the noun in question is male or neuter, nothing changes, however if the noun is feminine, the ending vowel is replaced with U.
  1. Ya am ailafu faitu --> I met a girl
• The Dative Case designates that something is given or addressed to an object or a person. If the noun is masculine, an A is added to the end. If neuter, the ending vowel is replaced with an A. If the noun is feminine, an M is added at the end.
  1. Ya duča časa. --> I go to the home.
  2. Ya dam tebyam. --> I gave it to her.
• The Prepositional Case is used when referring to going to an inanimate object or place. If the noun is masculine, an E is added to the end. If neuter, the ending vowel is replaced with an E. If the noun is feminine, a š is added at the end.
  1. Ya duča ni stadione. --> I go inside the stadium.
  2. Ya duča ni čase. --> I go in the home.
  The Genitive Case is used to show that something or somebody belongs to something or somebody. It is also used when attributing numbers to signify somebody's age. If the noun is masculine or neuter, the word "Te" is added after the noun. If the noun is feminine, a č is added at the end.
  1. Pashol mait te. --> The hair of the boy.
  2. Glochi manoitač . --> The eyes of the girl.

---

Snovski Storm Past Vettrera
By: Sebastian Aliyev

Two games, two wins, what could be better? Another win? Yes please, the Snovski sure will take it! And that's exactly what they did after facing Vettrera in their home stadium, beating out the visitors at a tremendous 3-1 lead!

The game started a bit shaky from Polkopia's point of view. Several missed passes by the usually-accurate midfield gave possession to the visitors on multiple occasions, creating chances which almost led to a goal from the visitors on multiple occasions. But thanks to our trusty brick wall in the goal box there, Ivan Opotov was able to block all incoming shots for the first fifteen minutes of the game.

The first goal came from Alexandr Krenkov after some confusion in the opposition's box led to Krenkov receiving the ball just outside the net, allowing him to tap it in for Polkopia's first goal. The fans were absolutely nuts! Their chants were probably heard over in Yttribia for all I know! But anyway, yes, it was a lucky break for Polkopia, because the Polkopian side really were not playing up to par. Nevertheless, they managed to convert their chance and put Polkopia on the scoreboard.

Next, the away side managed to tie it all up. The right winger on the Vettrerian side managed to dribble past the midfield and into the right wing, where he crossed it into the box. Though he didn't head it in, the striker trapped the ball perfectly with his left foot, and quickly used a one-touch shot to place the ball just out of the keeper's reach for Vettrera's first goal of the night. Halftime arrived, and surprisingly there were no substitutions for the Snovski.

Stenin must have given the players a nice talking to, though, because within ten minutes, Polkopia had already doubled their score, after a strike from Serevo was blocked by the keeper, but Rotislav Kantrisov managed to immediately shoot the deflected ball, which went whizzing past the keeper. Goal.

And finally, Polkopia's third goal came off of a free kick after a harsh tackle on Roman Maldov was forced to take him off the field, where Erast Vinogradov took his place. No worries though, Maldov is fine. I've even heard rumors that he may start in the next game. But anyway, Serevo took the free kick and placed it perfectly toward the line, where defender Yefim Butusov headed the ball in the back of the net for Polkopia's third and final goal.

A great game... if you were just watching the second half. In the next game, the Snovski travel to Furellum to play Claudiu Frey's team. The home side are an incredibly defensive side and Spartak Stenin will have to manage to push through their tough defense if the Snovski can expect a win out of this one.

As always, the in-depth analysis of the last game can be found below:

---

[Walkany]

Jason sighed as he watched the Dean and Fargo show. He was angry. Neither Iona or Alex had shown up to watch the home game against San Jose and he could not get in touch with them. He just hoped it would go a little bit better than their past couple of game. One point in three games would be embarrassing. He had heard that the odds were somewhere in the range of one-hundred to one, but he wasn’t so sure. San Jose had been beaten by Abanhfleft and Walkany had tied with the Fleftics, so maybe they would beat the away team.

---

Dean and Fargo were just finishing their match analysis. Fargo asked, “What about Sean Fraser? He is their top goal scorer and one of their best players. Do you think he’ll score some goals today?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Dean replied, “he is an excellent player, but at the same time, he is not the best that San Jose has to offer. There are plenty of others that are much better because they not only score goals, but also can make the game complicated for defenders.”

“Like who, Dean?”

“Well, let me list a few…”

Jonathan "Atomic Flea" Faña 27 Y/O, Left Striker of Oljestaden IF (AUD)

Little in size but extremely fast, the "Flea" tends to be very technical and does a lot of dribbles, he can't shot so well from large distances but his excellent speed and counterattack skills makes him a rather interesting player to follow, the bad thing is that he's overconfident and can fail goals even in front of the goal, even if the Goalkeeper was beated by his drible. Well he has a bad luck.

Rodolfo "Fito" Zelaya: 25 Y/O Striker of 1830 Cathair (AUD)

Considered the SJG's best player good among the groups of football experts and fans all around in the country, the 25 years old player born in Islas Canarias near the Esportivan South Pole is a player that features good skills if we talk on the goal scoring and headers being the most accurate player if we talk of shots to goal, this crack is the one to put the spotlight on and his strong point is definitively the long distance shots taking in consideration his good skills at bending balls.

"Zeleya and Faña are both great examples of better players. They are good andscore goals!"

"Well, Dean it is about time for the game to start, but I'm afraid, due to recent events in San Jose, that it will be just slightly delayed while their team arrives. What about San Jose's last game against Nurovo?"

Dean laughed and said, "Great comeback from a team who lost their first game. They easily disposed of a lower ranked team. I watched the highlights and San Jose was obviously the better team. Let's hope their form does not carry over into tonight's game."

"What about our us? Will the fans be able to bear another game of such intensity?"

"Fargo, what you don't understand it that the Walkany fans are the most hardcore out there." He turned, stood up, and looked at the camera. "If you are not supporting this match, I will personally come into your home, tie you down, and force you to watch every Walkany international game in a row. You hear me?! Let's go Gators! Wa-Ka-Nee!"

Fargo seemed shocked and did not speak as Dean realized what he had done. The bald man slowly sat back down and composed himself, "Fargo, uh... let's go to our match commentators."

"But-"

"Fargo. Just say it."

"Now... to our match day commentators?"

---

Eddy Haphazard sat in the locker room with his teammates, waiting for the signal to go down the tunnel. They were already pumped. He was ready to take on San Jose, a team that was quickly becoming a rival of Walkany's. He had already talked to everyone about their responsibilities. No one would be confused about their job. They were ready. The blue light turned on, telling them to line up. Eddy stood up at the front, ahead of Jurgen and then the rest of the team. The light turned orange. Time to go. "Let's go, boys!" Someone shouted from behind, attempting a last minute rally. Eddy did not need it. He was already prepared.

---

Jason's anger had boiled over now. The final whistle had just blown, putting an end to the Gators misery. They had taken an early lead with an amazing free kick from Cleen that dipped over the wall and hit the post, ricocheting into the goal. A short while later, still in the first half, Xavi sent a corner in, with Fil Gones rocketing the ball down into the back of the net. Walkany had been up two-zero at half time and it did not look like they would lose it, but lose it they did. Sean Fraser scored an easy one just minutes into the second half. He scored a second, only minutes after the first, equalizing the match. Walkany fought hard, though to no avail. Then, in the eightieth minute, Fraser finished his hat trick. With only minutes remaining, O'nielle made a quick decision to put on Ferro, Sorrel, and Wegner. It made for exciting football, but did not bring the win. Jason had locked himself into his room for the rest of the day, while his grandmother tried to politely prod him out. He would not listen. He did not feel like it. He did not want to try. It seemed to him that the Gators did not either.

[The Sarian]

MICHAEL

“Marco, the government is at a standstill because of you, the deal can’t possibly go through” Michael Bryan was getting annoyed. It had been a week since that now infamous Chief Executive’s Questions moment and the Florican Party still hadn’t budged. After nearly eighteen hours of sitting in the Legislative Assembly Chamber, Michael had decided to leave, the plan was to get MPs to sneak into the chamber into the dead of night to reach the sixty-percent quorum requirement without the Florican Party and their assortment of the radical left, but they continued to block the chamber into the dead of night – like an army setting up a watch.

Michael Bryan had been the Chief Executive since the first democratic election following the fall of the Florican mini-dictatorship period, he had brown messy hair which was once described as unparliamentarily by critics, but was now a key part of his image. He had hazel eyes and short beard that started off as one of those charity things – ‘mo-vember’ but he ended up liking it and it stayed, although not short he stood smaller than most other men in parliament who all tended to be giants and he was a good foot under the other man in the room, the one who had caused the first real controversy in his premiership, now in its second term.

“What you don’t seem to grasp, Michael, is that we don’t care about how your government works – our interests, and your intere-“

The way Marco Russ spoke always infuriated Michael, he was the Chief Executive of the country and he was being spoken down to like a naughty school boy, “You stop right there, I hold the highest office in the land and you should treat it with respect.”

Marco Russ’s laugh that was the worst bit, it cut through Michael like a knife through butter, taking away every dignity he had left, “I’m extremely sorry, Mr Chief Executive but if you wanted me to treat your office with respect then you shouldn’t have approached me looking to put money in your own bank account should you?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?” asked Marco quizzically, flashing a condescending smile, when Michael didn’t answer he continued, “You demand your office be given respect whilst spitting on it and every person who put you in it. Don’t hear me wrong, I admire your change of heart – everyone but a fool and a communist knows that money gets you more power than elected office ever will. Less responsibility too, less judgement and you made the right choice coming to me – I like making money, Kongliege sound is practically soaked in money but no-one else will let me fish up that money because some birds are more important apparently whilst you benefit by getting some for yourself.”

“That’s all very well, Mr Russ, bu-“

Cutting in, Marco put a finger on Michael’s lips, “Since when have you called me Mr Russ?”

“Since when have you called me Mr Chief Executive?”

“Since you started asking me to respect you, but if you like I can call you dick breath if you like.” Taking the look from Michael on board, Marco gave an apologetic shrug, “Anyway, you were saying?”

“No-one will tolerate any oil being harvested by SariOil in the Kongliege Sound – or anywhere else, for that matter – for several years now, you forget I don’t have a majority and the smaller parties in my coalition are threatening to revolt.”

“Offer them something then.” Michael hated it when Marco stated the obvious, rolled his eyes and continued like he, the Chief Executive, would never have thought of it.

“You think I haven’t tried. They won’t budge, any of them.”

With a snort of derision, Marco responded “Offer them something better then.”

“Like what, exactly?”

“Your resignation.”

---

DANIEL

“But, sir, I’ve guided the side to three World Cups.” Daniel Bauer was at a loss, here he was being scolded by the Chairman of the Sarian Football Federation like a lower college* child who swore in class – it was completely unfair. Yes, the side hadn’t been doing fantastic but his record spoke for itself – he was a proven champion.

“And I don’t care if you have guided them to seventy fucking World Cups, if you don’t win all of your remaining games going up to the half qualifier break, you will be fired. If you do not qualify for the World Cup, you will be fired. If you do not make the bunch of shit lumps of goo I’ve been watching perform well, you will be fired. Do you understand that?”

Daniel wiped his brow, a mixture of sweat and the Chairman’s spit (which he had an annoying habit of doing when he shouted) had culminated there, “I understand it perfectly clearly, sir, but do I agree with it? Absolutely not! It’s completely unfair.”

“I’ll tell you what’s unfair, you worthless pile of shit.” The Chairman rose from his chair, wearing a shirt that showed the bottom of the beer belly which questioned how he was the chairman of any sporting association, “What’s unfair is having to watch you drag my fucking national team down the shitter. That’s what’s unfair.”

“Three games, sir. Three bad games and you’re throwing a temper tantrum.”

“Yes three games. And if you have the sheer mother-fucking audacity,” the Chairmans face was pressed up against Daniel’s now, almost close enough to be kissing, “if you have the sheer audacity to make it four I will throw your arse back to gas land.”

“Rutenbach.”

“I don’t give a damn about what your terrible country is called, how about you leave my office right now and go and work on not humiliating yourself, hm?”

“Sir-“

“GO!”

* Ages 11-14 in The Sarian education system

[Abanhfleft]

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WORLD CUP 72 QUALIFIERS: GABBINDON AND THE LIFFAN ISLES VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah


Players of the Abanhfleft women's national football team surround each other following the end of the game against Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles. Despite four goals, including a brace from Alexandra Rousseau, the lower-ranked hosts were still able to draw with the Lady Revolutionaries. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

HARAZAT STADIUM, GABBINDON AND THE LIFFAN ISLES - Four goals, among them a brace for Alexandra Rousseau, wasn't enough to keep away newcomers Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles from the Democratic Republic, and the two teams ended up sharing points in their World Cup qualifying game.

Abanhfleft started putting the pressure on the hosts early on, and they were rewarded when Rousseau managed to sneak past the GFI back line to slot away her first goal in this qualifiers.

GFI managed a quick reply just minutes later when David Ossen managed to break away from his defender and tapped the ball to the right post, a tad too quickly for Victoria Carter.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Adelaide Singh headed in the corner kick from Chelsea Stuart. But coming into injury time GFI pulled back a second goal courtesy of Mark Swan who went for goal from an acute angle but nevertheless made the shot count.

The match seemed to slow down in the second half, even though Abanhfleft was still mostly in control of the game. Bella Maynard upped the Lady Revolutionaries' tempo once again as she sent in a curling free kick from 33 yards to give Abanhfleft the lead once again.

Rousseau nailed her brace when she was able to side-foot the ball past the hapless GFI keeper. Abanhfleft seemed set to win the game, but since this was football, and no game is over until the final whistle is blown, the Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles national football team continued on their attempt to salvage at least a point from their overwhelming visitors.

The GFI comeback began when Claire Osgood made a crunching tackle on Vladimir Dracassy, who could have scored a goal were it not for the necessary tackle. The referee then saw unnecessary violence in the tackle and gave Osgood a red card, a decision that will surely color most Fleftic fans' memories of the match in hindsight.

Ossen took on the honors of taking the spot kick, and he drilled the shot to the right. Carter got a hand on it, but the ball still went through.

The hosts completed their improbable comeback when Alana Zarebelevski headed in the corner from Dracassy and equalized the game once again.

Abanhfleft will play hosts to multiverse no. 57 Sameba at the Monsanto Stadium in Releinthi.

GABBINDON AND THE LIFFAN ISLES 4 - 4 ABANHFLEFT
       OSSEN (24', 77' (pen.))       ROUSSEAU (20', 69')
                  SWAN (45+3')       SINGH (44')
           ZAREBELEVSKI (90+2)       MAYNARD (55')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Carter
RB: 02 Osgood █
CB: 03 Jackson
LB: 04 Valentine
RW: 07 Prescott
RM: 05 Maynard
LM: 06 Choi █ (Vance - 46')
LW: 08 Singh
CAM: 09 Torres (Mesbros - 75')
RS: 11 Stuart █ (Villegas - 75')
LS: 10 Rousseau

GABBINDON AND THE LIFFAN ISLES
GK: 01 Fillet
RB: 05 Zarebelevski █
RCB: 03 Turner
CB: 06 Uhenzho
LCB: 02 Durant
LB: 04 Puma
CDM: 08 Cranning █
RW: 10 Swan
LW: 09 Dracassy (Iagus - 80')
CAM: 07 Stone
CF: 11 Ossen (Payne - 80')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles: 35%
Abanhfleft: 65%
Shots
Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles: 5 (4 on target)
Abanhfleft: 21 (17 on target)
Corners
Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles: 4
Abanhfleft: 12
Fouls
Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles: 17
Abanhfleft: 12

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP 12 TABLE

P Group 12                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                              3    3   0   0     6    0   +6     9
2 San José Guayabal                    3    2   0   1     7    4   +3     6
3 Abanhfleft                           3    1   2   0     6    5   +1     5
4 Sameba                               3    1   1   1     2    4   −2     4
5 Nurovo                               3    1   0   2     6    6    0     3
6 Gabbindon and The Liffan Isles       3    0   2   1     5    6   −1     2
7 New Wolfopolis                       3    0   2   1     1    5   −4     2
8 Walkany                              3    0   1   2     3    6   −3     1

[Ko-oren]

Second Goalkeeper Selection Process

In Ko-oren's 3-0 win over Sameba, Cláudia Macedo has sustained a very minor ankle injury. This will not prevent her from playing the next game, but if the injury returns, or worsens, the Union will not have a player to back her up.

The game against Sameba was a success in all other regards. Three goals, nothing conceded, and the midfield showed some brilliance they also had during World Cup 70. All goals came from open play, and while it seems like Sameba didn't stand a chance, they surely had some chances too. The Ko-orenite defence was too strong though. Sameba recorded four shots on goal: two headers from corners, one shot from the edge of the box and one shot from 25+ metres out. Only one of these was remotely dangerous: the second of the headers, in the 60th minute. The Dragonflies were leading 2-0 at the time, and Macedo had a lightning reflex to keep the effort out. Macedo's injury happened in the 79th minute after a goal kick, and after all of Sameba's big chances.

The team manager immediately called for a faster goalkeeper selection process. As reported earlier, the second goalkeeper spot is supposed to go to a nation which does not already have a player on roster. This limits the choices to these nations (with the primary clubs of these nations after the dash):

Wolf Islands - Laringen, Varenbeek, Tweebergen
Waratah - Myaranowra
Fern - Puketahi
Protea - iMangatshebale, iThulani
Dendronesia - Kuwamoto
Zakhozan - Gravel Coast, North Head

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

Dragonbuzz Top 10: Potential Union National Team Goalkeepers! You Won't Believe Some Of Our Choices!

Making Fitzpatrick's Job Easier - 10 Players You Can't Miss Out On! #GoDragonflies #KORUnionNT

10. Hannah Mayflower (f): Myaranowra, Waratah
9. Kumatarou Imamura: Kuwamoto, Dendronesia
8. Teun van Dronten: Laringen, Wolf Islands
7. Luthuli Dingane: iMangatshebale, Protea
6. Kai Hill: North Head, Zakhozan
5. Corey Owen: Puketahi, Fern
4. Steve Pace: Red Markets, Zakhozan
3. Nosekeni Nbekeni (f): iThulani, Protea
We couldn't believe she's only 22 years old! She keeps iThulani in the top seven of the Western league, if you support her, make sure to let us know in the comments!

2. Maartje Rosink (f): Tweebergen, Wolf Islands
She played in the national finals with Tweebergen. Would you believe this is the best choice for our team? Let us know in the comments!

1. Trent Booth: Gravel Coast, Zakhozan
He is the future of the team! He carried Gravel Coast by himself in the Northern league! If you think he should be on the team, leave us a message down below!

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

I decided to RP the game against Szavoda because it was an absolute goalfest.

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WORLD CUP 72 QUALIFIERS: FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA VS SZAVODA
By Malik Qazizadah


Fhulghamous Peninsula's Rashidunnin Ali rushes to save the shot from Szavoda's Mijo Nikazic. A boring first half was followed by a goal-filled second half in which the Fhulghamous Peninsula emerged as the eventual winner. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

PORT THIMPODOPOULOS, FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA - A boring and scoreless first half paved the way for the Fhulghamous Peninsula to carve out its first victory in the World Cup qualifiers at the expense of Szavoda.

Chances were few and far between in the first half, with both teams being unable to fully control the tempo of the match. The best chance of the first half was when Mephistopheles struck a powerful shot at the goal, which stung Nemanja Petrovic's hands but was nevertheless kept out of the net.

On the Szavodan side, Branimir Milic made a powerful header from a Mijo Nikazic corner which sailed high above the bar and failed to trouble Rashidunnin Ali.

Starting in the second half, things began to literally heat up. The cloud cover over Port Thimpodopoulos finally lifted, revealing the sweltering summer sun that had been baking the city just a week before a long chain of rainstorms poured water down on the colonial capital. In a similar vein, the players began to heat up and become more active as the cold that had been seeping their strength was now gone.

Szavoda was the first to make the breakthrough as Zar Mihailovic, whom Fleftic audiences will know from his time in Premier League side Arsenal de Releinthi, was the lucky recipient of the corner ball from Milic. Ali had already saved the corner itself, but he had fumbled the ball and it ended up at the feet of Mihailovic. At that range, it was impossible even for him to miss, and sure enough Mihailovic drilled the shot.

It was at that moment that Fhulghamous Peninsula received a similar rejuvenating shot in the arm. Tatsuo Kamakura, a most unlikely source, led the way for the Fhulghamousian victory when he managed to dance around three defenders and slide the ball past Petrovic.

Mephistopheles followed Kamakura on the scoresheet just a few minutes later when his shot from long range made it into the net despite Petrovic getting a touch on it.

Now that they had found their scoring touch, Fhulghamous Peninsula had no intention of letting up against their opponents. Aidan Power Jr., the son of Fhulghamous Peninsula's Nepharim fitness coach, netted his first goal for the Fhulghamous when his head steered the ball into the net following Mephistopheles' corner.

Fhulghamous Peninsula surely had the game in the bag now, but that didn't mean they let up on their newfound pressure against Szavoda. And perhaps it was inevitable that Fhulghamous' other forward, Sebastiano Pelucci, would find his name on the scoresheet as well when he received the ball from Mephistopheles' corner and side-footed it into the net.

But the Fhulghamousians' pressure on the Szavodans also left them open to attack, and Branimir Milic scored a consolation goal for his country coming into second half injury time.

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA 4 - 2 SZAVODA
       KAMAKURA (59')       MIHAILOVIC (48')
 MEPHISTOPHELES (63')       MILIC (90+1')
      POWER JR. (70')
     SEBASTIANO (75')

SZAVODA
GK: 01 Petrovic
RB: 02 Stefanovic
RCB: 03 Novak (Stavic - 61' █)
LCB: 04 Lukic █
LB: 05 Milosevic
RM: 06 Dragic
RCM: 08 Milic
LCM: 07 Radic
LM: Milovanovic (Jovanovic - 74')
RS: Mihailovic
LS: Nikazic

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
GK: 01 Ali █
RB: 02 Montemayor
RCB: 03 Singerstein
LCB: 04 Hainaut
LB: 05 Kamakura █ (Zaman - 83')
RM: 06 Power Jr.
RCM: 07 Moskowitz █ (Tavistock - 70')
LCM: 08 von Frankreich
LM: 09 Suzuki
RS: 10 Sebastiano
LS: 11 Mephistopheles (O'Mitchell - 82')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 52%
Szavoda: 48%
Shots
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 9 (6 on target)
Szavoda: 10 (6 on target)
Corners
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 8
Szavoda: 10
Fouls
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 5
Szavoda: 8

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP 7 TABLE (MD3)

P Group 7                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Blouman Emprie                       3    2   1   0     3    1   +2     7
2 Matthewsiania                        3    2   0   1     6    4   +2     6
3 Carialus                             3    1   2   0     3    1   +2     5
4 Fhulghamous Penisula                 3    1   1   1     4    3   +1     4
5 Mertagne                             3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4
6 Augsticinia                          3    1   1   1     2    3   −1     4
7 Szavoda                              3    1   0   2     5    7   −2     3
8 Murovanka                            3    0   0   3     2    6   −4     0

[Kirisaki]

---

Nova squeak past spirited Ceni
Shirakiin's players get it together late to remain perfect in WCQ72

---

First real challenge, overcome. Never mind that it wasn't pretty; never mind that it wasn't impressive. Three points are three points; and when you're going toe-to-toe with a top seed of the calibre of Barunia, you cannot afford to lose even a single point.

After two relatively straightforward victories against Welcomzia and Emperor Pudu, both of whom were widely expected to pose little threat to the Nova's prospects of maximum points from their first two games, the third matchday saw the first true test of the Nova's credentials - a difficult away trip against third seeds Ceni.

The Cenians, despite their seeding, had managed to pick up but a paltry point from their opening two matches; however, they remained a dangerous opponent capable of upsetting the best on their day. Guayabalense coach Osman Ibarra will no doubt have had impressed on his players the necessity of securing a win against Shirakiin's Kirisaki to halt their ominous slide down the table. Despite the Cenians' best efforts, however, a gritty Kirisaki side ultimately proved to have too much quality for them, seizing three points from the jaws of one right at the very last as Tsuchimikado pounced to break Cenian hearts.

The opening exchanges saw a curious departure from Shirakiin's usual gameplan; instead of deploying a high line and pressing well up the pitch, the Kirisaki-jin took a leaf out of the Shirazaka playbook and played comparatively defensively, with Ishibashi and Saten taking up less advanced positions presumably to shield their defence from Cenian counterattacks. Shirakiin's set-up looked to be an overly cautious one - despite their undoubted quality, Ceni were not thought to have sufficient firepower in their ranks to warrant such a defensively oriented set-up on the Nova's part. Indeed, Shirakiin's early gambit succeeded only in ceding dominance over the centre of the park to Ceni, and Kirisaki's attacking players were left to feed on scraps as Ceni grew into the game by degrees.

The first incident of note in the game came just five minutes after kickoff, when Kurugaya succeeded in winning the ball high up the pitch off a dawdling Corran Celgis. The midfielder, attempting desperately to recover possession of the ball to make amends for his error, chopped the sprinting Kurugaya down with an ill-timed tackle that looked to be worthy of at least a caution; however, the referee chose only to award the foul, a decision that went largely uncontested by the Kirisakian players. From the free kick, twenty-five yards out, Ishibashi faked the Cenian wall into an early jump that set Tsuchimikado up for a powerful low shot; her effort, despite being well hit, was too close to the center of the goal, and Jacrian Ryaden gathered without too much trouble.

Ceni continued to enjoy the better of the game, though the Nova's disciplined defensive line held well under the constant pressure and, to their credit, were able to limit the Cenian attackers to speculative shots from distance, most of which Shigure, standing in for the erratic Takanashi, was able to collect with a minimum of fuss. One long range belter from Jaime Del Olmo, however, almost caught the young 'keeper out; from thirty yards, the Cenian fired in a powerful dipping shot that struck the bottom of the right hand post, with Shigure left stranded and unable to reach the ball in any event. Minutes later, Will Noveth found space at the edge of the area and fired a low cross across the six-yard box; only a lunging Ishio prevented the ball from finding Aeris Cossadel, who would surely have applied the finish.

Both events were timely reminders of the offensive prowess that the Cenians possessed, and indeed the scares spurred the Kirisakian players into playing with more of their usual verve and vigour. While they were perhaps unaccustomed to being shoehorned into a relatively defensive set-up that did not make the best use of their luminous talents early on, the shackles eventually came off; the Nova's line advanced up the pitch and they began to force the Cenians back into their own half while robbing them of their previously unchallenged midfield dominance. Eventually, that dominance began to translate into tangible efforts on goal; on the half hour mark, Tsuchimikado registered Kirisaki's first shot on target with a fiercely hit effort from long range; unfortunately for her, Ryaden had had enough time to see the shot coming and made a magnificent save to keep the match scoreless. The resultant corner saw the ball only half cleared by a Ryaden punch; and Isshiki almost capitalised on the error, lashing a well timed volley just past the frame of the goal.

Despite the best efforts of both sides, the first half remained largely uneventful until the end; with the only other events of note being a caution for Natsume for a crude trip on Cossadel as well as a good Ryaden save at the feet of an onrushing Uryu, who had failed to adequately control a lofted Ishibashi through ball. As soon as the teams trooped out for the second half, however, it was evident that one team were the hungrier, the more threatening; and that team was Ceni. Invigorated by their regulation fifteen minute break, the Cenians roared out of the blocks at full speed, once more forcing the Nova onto the defensive as wave after wave of relentless attack pummeled the Kirisakian barrier. In the entirety of second half play, the Cenians registered almost twice the number of shots on target compared to their more illustrious opponents and their much vaunted attack. However, the Kirisakian defence - very much uncharacteristically - held stubbornly firm, with Ishio and Mikasa able to adequately marshal their side's defence as well as answer any question the Cenian offense posed them.

Kirisaki, on the other hand, were posing minimal threat to the Cenian goal. For the better part of fifteen minutes, the Kirisakian attacking quartet of Uryu, Isshiki, Tsuchimikado and Kurugaya spent their time camped on the peripheries of their own half, waiting for the Cenians to overcommit their hand in attack so that they could lead a counter-charge on Ryaden's goal. The better chances for Kirisaki fell to Isshiki and Kurugaya; at one point, a swift counterattack led by Tsuchimikado after Saten had tenaciously won the ball from Juan Medina saw the ball drop at the feet of Isshiki right on the penalty spot; the diminutive forward, with time and space to pick her spot, inexplicably dragged her shot wide of the Cenian goal. Kurugaya, meanwhile, acquitted herself rather much better in front of goal; a blockbuster of a shot, hit on the turn, required a tremendous reflex save from Ryaden to prevent his side from falling behind. The rebound dropped to Tsuchimikado just outside the area, but her attempt to lose Josh Axakel came to nothing, and the ball was cleared away from danger by the alert defender.

As the match began to wear on, the Cenians' efforts started to take their toll on their bodies; their energetic style of play throughout the game meant that their energy reserves were naturally lower than those of their opponents, and it showed on the pitch as Cenian players began to react less quickly, be it to a loose ball or in snuffing out a dangerous chance. This provided much encouragement both to the Nova and to Shirakiin, who promptly withdrew the flagging Isshiki for the fresher, more inventive Sakuranami, with Tsuchimikado switching out to the right in order to accommodate her. Sakuranami's presence in the opposition half was effective in injecting fresh invention and verve in the Kirisakian attack, linking moves together with her precise one-touch passing and skillful dribbling. Indeed, moments after her introduction, Kirisaki had a succession of excellent chances, all of which were variously wasted by profligate finishing or thwarted by outstanding defending from the Cenians, Kaia Travaran proving to be a massive contributor towards marshaling his three-man defensive line as they held firm in the face of the Kirisakian barrage.

Towards the closing seconds of the match, with two more minutes to go of added time, a moment of collectively luminous brilliance from Sakuranami and Tsuchimikado saw the deadlock broken and Kirisaki finally in the driving seat. Carefully constructing a passing move thirty yards away from goal, Sakuranami quickly laid the ball square to a rampaging Saten. The Cenians, expecting a barreling run deep into their half from the powerful midfielder, were quick to backtrack and double-team on Saten; however, they were caught flat-footed as Saten played a delicate flick backwards to Sakuranami, who displayed a deceptive turn of pace to breeze past Celgis and Medina. Looking up and spotting Tsuchimikado's penetrating run into Cenian heartland, Sakuranami executed a feint to lose Medina for the second time in a minute and, with a firm touch, slid the ball between the covering Axakel's legs into the inside right channel for Tsuchimikado to chase.

Sprinting to reach the perfectly-timed ball, the captain carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area and turned on the afterburners, racing away from a Medina challenge with relative ease. As the clock counted down the final seconds of the match, Tsuchimikado left Travaran sprawling in her wake with a cute touch before breaking Cenian hearts by unleashing an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner past Ryaden, who watched, his face a study in anguish, as the ball barely grazed his fingertips before nestling in the back of the net. Scenes of raucous jubilation erupted on the pitch as the Kirisakian players celebrated their late, late reprieve; indeed, the referee chose to end the game immediately rather than restart with a kickoff. And yet, even in their moment of ecstasy, captain Tsuchimikado showed a touch of real class by consoling the Cenian players, who were understandably devastated at their late heartbreak, as well as congratulating them on a hard fought game that ultimately did not end in their favour.

With the Ceni match now behind the Nova, manager Shirakiin must now be furiously planning for the team's next match, against familiar opponents in Atrua. While the Atruans are, as with Emperor Pudu and Welcomzia, not expected to provide a serious challenge, Shirakiin must nonetheless guard against complacency in her undoubtedly talented crop of players. Should the Nova be victorious against the Atruans next time out at the ShiFT, it will set them up nicely for a run of fixtures that will ultimately culminate in a heavyweight clash against top seeds Barunia on matchday six. In order to ensure that Kirisaki remains in a healthy position atop the table by the time that particular match comes along, Shirakiin and her players will have to be on top form for every single game - and indeed, if they are to secure automatic qualification, nothing other than the best can be expected in every single game until the conclusion of qualification.

It remains to be seen if Shirakiin can extract the maximum from a squad that we know have the potential, and indeed the ability, to be perennial qualifiers, if not contenders, for the World Cup. And if she can unlock the talents of her players on a consistent basis as well as solve the puzzling conundrum of the Nova's inconsistency, it will go a long way towards claiming a coveted spot in the World Cup finals in the Equestrian States and Valanora.

[Brenecia]

"Fucking finally!"
Granger couldn't help herself from shouting it as the full-time whistle blew. It had been a pretty easy game, Lymantatia showing precisely none of the... anything that they'd shown to beat Osarius. Connolly and Kilbane combined to put them down - and Urquhart, crucially, made some key saves the few times she was called upon.
Yes, the Patriots were back in business. Or, at the very least, they had won a competitive fixture. Against the third seeds, at that! That was... really significant!
But more than that, it had felt different. Every player was finally playing to their potential.
The first games, Nephara and Skarosbrekka, they'd not played like that. It had been sluggish, lacking a little commitment, losing 50/50s and failing the final ball, not making the runs... it just hadn't been there. Lapses at the back, too. The low point? 45 minutes against Osarius, a game where a win would massively boost their hopes of winning the group, in which they were utterly dominated.
It was like something had happened at half-time to give her a totally different side.
They'd improved in the second half against the Firebirds, too - shut down at the back, could've pulled a goal back, looked marginally the better team. But that was too little, too late. An opportunity lost. But they'd played like that again. And this time, Ruby Fletcher wasn't in goal to stop them. The finishing was still a little wayward, but Connolly's diagonal run onto Purrington's pass got the ball rolling in the 11th minute, and from then there could only be one result. That said, Granger wasn't taking anything for granted. She knew they could be sucker-punched against the run of play. So did all the fans - so there was a distinct sigh of relief when Kilbane raced through the middle to find Scherzer's pass and slipped it past the 'keeper.
And at least after this it was smooth going. They should start winning. Surely.

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Brenecia Endorses SETO Cause, But Officially Declares Neutrality
by Joan Boston

Brenecia has officially declared an intention to remain neutral through the Esportivan War now raging.

In a speech to the press, Prime Minister Rachel Murdock laid out her reasons clearly and concisely. "The war does not concern Brenecia. Though the SETO cause is a noble one, it is not Brenecian business. Our policy has always been to act as willing peacekeepers, but this is not a civil war, and the Holy Nation is not a country that can be saved with boots on the ground alone - change must come from within as well, and there has been no sign of this to date."

Murdock touched on other reasons, too - more pragmatic. "It is important that the Holy Nation does not overshadow the greater significance of the conflict, either. We hold no quarrel either with Quebec or with Sameba, and will continue to maintain full diplomatic and economic channels with them."

The Leader of the Opposition, Georgia Hunt, could not be reached for a formal comment, but as the centre-left Progressives ran on a broadly dove platform, it is almost certain that the Opposition will agree. As far as minor parties go, the Greens are openly pacifist, whereas Brenecia First and the Libertarians are both known to be very hawkish. But the fact remains - even if Brenecia were to take sides, what effect would it have? This is a war with a superpower on one side and a military dictatorship on the other, both with numbers and budget far eclipsing that Brenecia can muster.

Perhaps Bella Christon, the lone Christian Democrat in the Senate, summed it up best; "All we can do is pray for a swift and peaceful resolution to hostilities, and do what we can for the refugees left behind."

[Krytenia]

Slow, Slow, Quillec, Quillec, Slow
By Rubio Sanchéz in Kernansquillec City

WELL, let's be honest here, we knew it had to happen sometime. Krytenian football has been in a waking dream since the start of qualifying, but that dream was well and truly broken by a determined Kernansquillec team here at the National Stadium.

The Kers were, quite simply, too good for the Aces, despite winger Zac Poutre being ruled out with an injury. Rebecca Findlay made her debut in an emerald shirt, and performed well, leaving Hugo Gashotov as the sole male member of the home side. One thing we've learned, of course, in our many years of competing in international football, is that skill matters more than gender; so it proved here as Kernansquillec crowded the midfield, not allowing for the flowing passing game of the visitors to make an impact.

Varinia Varano, especially, was on top form, beating David Heaton with a screaming long drive to open the scoring; it was her (blocked) shot that led to the second, too, as the ball bounced off the unfortunate Will Frenz to land in the path of Kers captain Adélaïde Noupen, who made no mistake.

Rami Niblick brought off Samuel Alinas halfway through the second half, adding Robert Persson to the attacking mix; it didn't help. Varano added a second with less than ten minutes to go, and though Valrauncion grabbed a late consolation, it was far, far, far too late to influence the outcome.

On the bright side, of course, the Aces are only one point off the qualifying spots; something they can rectify against HopNation, a country that have risen in the Aces' absence. Onward!


KERNANSQUILLEC - 3
Varano 18, 82
Noupen 39

KRYTENIA - 1
Valrauncion 89