Campionato Esportiva XVI Everything Thread

[Falatulu]

Campionato Esportiva XVI

MD2 Results

Group A
Racing 1–0 Anglatia
Northern Sunrise Islands 4–4 Banguela

  Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Northern Sunrise Islands      2   1  1  0    9   6  +3    4
2 Banguela                      2   1  1  0    6   5  +1    4
3 Racing                        2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
4 Anglatia                      2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0

Group B
Holy Philippine Empire 2–2 Southern Sunrise Islands
Brenecia 3–1 Super-Llamaland

  Group B                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6
2 Southern Sunrise Islands      2   0  2  0    5   5   0    2
3 Holy Philippine Empire        2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1
  Super-Llamaland               2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1

Group C
Aji No Moto 2–3 Fhulghamous Peninsula
Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Damukuni

  Group C                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fhulghamous Peninsula         2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Gregoryisgodistan             2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
3 Aji No Moto                   2   0  0  2    2   4  −2    0
4 Damukuni                      2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group D
Sorcuvov 2–1 Red Blackiland
Nephara 0–0 The Sword Bloke

  Group D                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Sword Bloke               2   1  1  0    3   0  +3    4
2 Nephara                       2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Sorcuvov                      2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Red Blackiland                2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

Group E
Allahisgodistan 0–2 Jeckland
Apox 4–2 The Sarian

  Group E                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Apox                          2   2  0  0    8   3  +5    6
2 The Sarian                    2   1  0  1    4   5  −1    3
3 Jeckland                      2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
4 Allahisgodistan               2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group F
Owner-osity 0–2 The Royal Barangay
San Jose Guayabal 3–1 Yttribia

  Group F                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 San Jose Guayabal             2   2  0  0    8   2  +6    6
2 Yttribia                      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 The Royal Barangay            2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Owner-osity                   2   0  0  2    1   7  −6    0

Group G
Batto Vitolo 1–0 Ethane
Nova Anglicana 5–2 Racao

  Group G                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                2   2  0  0    9   2  +7    6
2 Racao                         2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
3 Batto Vitolo                  2   1  0  1    1   4  −3    3
4 Ethane                        2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Group H
Ritenour 2–4 Thalamascia
Falatulu 3–0 Boring Paradise

  Group H                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Falatulu                      2   2  0  0    7   1  +6    6
2 Thalamascia                   2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
3 Boring Paradise               2   0  1  1    2   5  −3    1
4 Ritenour                      2   0  0  2    3   8  −5    0

[Anglatia]

GONE - PART 2.0

"How big is this plane exactly?" asked Vasu, checking out the size of the airliner that the team was boarding, to take them to Arija. It was a ValerianAir flight, and while that company was known for having large planes, it still surprised Vasu that they had booked a flight on such a large one even though they didn't have a large enough roster to fill it.

"It's an A380, it's so big because we're sharing the flight with another team," replied Antonius Suhart, the goalkeeper that had been a consistent starter for East Sungri over the last few seasons. "Apparently the Sungri Foxes had the same idea, and we're on the same plane because there aren't many flights leaving to Arija with the volcano warnings in effect. The weather people think that the Patriksfjordhur is going to blow and they'd rather lose money than risk downed flights because of the ash."

"I'm not sure why we're still flying, if the other companies are grounding flights because of this," muttered Vasu, entering the plane and finding a window seat. Valeria had a history of volcanic eruptions, and Athletic Sungri had actually won an Imperial Cup title in the past because their opponents, Calovice Sporting, had been grounded because of ash and had to drive and sail across multiple continents to get to the final site, leaving them with no practice time.

"It's ValerianAir, were you expecting them to take the safe route?" asked Antonius, sitting down next to Vasu. "They're all about profits, a downed flight or two isn't a problem to them if they keep rolling in cash. But I'm sure we'll be fine, we might be able to go around the ash if the volcano blows while we're in the sky."

"Hopefully. I have an acting career outside of football, I don't have time to crash and get stranded somewhere," Vasu said, taking out his phone and looking at a news app. There was a good chance of beating the ash cloud to their destination and there was also a chance that there wouldn't be an eruption at all, but it was impossible to know for sure. He just hoped that if there was an eruption, the airline wouldn't risk the safety of everyone on the plane to try and get to the destination so they wouldn't have to give a refund...

---

"Vasu, look out the window," said Antonius, midway through the flight. Vasu looked away from his tablet and looked to the window, seeing a massive cloud of black ash heading towards them at an alarming speed.

"Holy shit, the forecasts were right when they said there would be a lot of ash in the air," he said, taking a picture of the cloud. "No way around it either unless we tried to outrun it, but it's moving too fast for that..."

Suddenly, an announcement could be heard from the pilot. "Passengers, this is your pilot speaking. We are aware of the ash in the sky, please remain calm. We will begin evasive moves to avoid the cloud, and this should only cause a delay in the flight," said the pilot. "I repeat, stay in your seats and do not panic. We're beginning evasive moves."

"Evasive moves my ass..." muttered Antonius. "How the hell are we going to evade that?" he asked, pointing at the cloud. It was growing closer by the second, moving much faster than the plane. "I give us a couple minutes before it catches us."

"I knew this was a bad idea," groaned Vasu, leaning back in his seat and awaiting the inevitable. All he could do was wish that the ash would only bring them down, and not do something worse that had no chance of survival.

[Aji No Moto]

Travellers' Guide to Aji No Moto

---

Book 1: History of the Empire
Hello, everyone! I am Takihiro Minamoto, and I'll be giving you a brief history of Aji No Moto.

1.1 - Early Times

The land which is now known in today's history as Aji No Moto was discovered around 1,800 years ago. Paleontologists who scoured the land of the Ajian saw remains of people (skulls, bones) among the land mass, and the artifacts were estimated to be aged 1,800 years from today. The earliest known writing system for the ancient Ajians was the alphabet. It was 350 years later, around the year 639 where the first pages of Ajian history were written. It was still in alphabet form, but the spelling of the words were spelled as their kanji counterparts, which were brought upon by merchants from other parts of the world. Civilizations started around the present-day Joshuyo, which was very near the coast, and as such, the earliest settlers had fishing and maritime as their primary livelihood.

The earliest form of government took place around year 872 when the Asakawa family decided to lead the then-named Nomoto kingdom, which occupies the west and central parts of the present-day Aji No Moto. The Asakawa dynasty led a monarchy-type government for 452 years, in which they were defeated by the Nomura Clan. The Nomuras were well-known for their fighting instincts and a group of well-trained samurais. Genki Nomura, as depicted to the left, is one of the well-known samurai. He led the Nomoto kingdom when they decided to take the territory at the east, which was known as Aji Territories, with the Hosabe clan leading the charges. Depicted in the picture to the right is Junichi Hosabe, one of the best ninjas in Aji and is Genki's biggest rival. Skirmishes along the borders started, lasting 15 years, until the two decided to settle who will rule the two territories once and for all.
At the present-day Joshoku, which was the boundary of the two kingdoms at that time, Genki and Junichi squared off to determine the winner and who would take the two territories. It was a five-hour duel with no one giving an opportunity to their opponent. It seemed that Genki had the upper hand when Junichi's dagger was dropped from his grasp, and the former was ready to give the final blow, but arrows started to flutter to the arena, killing both Genki and Junichi. Chaos then ensued for the next 100 years, wIth no one seemingly wanted to lose their territory.

Watch out for part two of this documentary: The One Hundred-Year War.

[The Royal Barangay]

THE BARANGAYAN HERALD
25 Sangs

SPORTS NEWS - FOOTBALL
YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE BRINGS AGILANG DILAW TO VICTORY
by the Barangayan Herald Staff

After losing the opening match of the Campionato Esportiva to Yttribia, the Agilang Dilaw finally opened their account after beating Owner-osity, 2-0 and their travelling supporters liked what they saw in the newly regenerated side. Erika Mallonga scored her first international goal in the 54th after Beatrix Caccam gave the Barangayans the lead early in the first half.

In her second cap, Caccam took advantage of sloppy defending, running to the goal after she received a crisp pass from captain Robin Linsangan, and slotting it past the keeper at the 9th minute. The Agilang Dilaw however had a difficult time finding the second goal for the rest of the half, with Reimond Yparraguirre and Mallonga the nearest of those opportunities.

Caccam took advantage of the 4-3-3 formation of the Barangayans by keeping her other two strike partners involved in the second goal. An exchange of passes had the opposing team looked lost and allowed the Deportivo Nespa striker to score her first international goal. Many pundit applauded Rick Martinez in picking a mix of youth and experience; however he is expected to field an experienced XI against top dogs San Jose Guayabal.

[Banguela]

True/False
Our two analysts give their two cents on a hot issue

Will the 4-4-2 allow Os Gnus to take the next step?

True, according to Academica coach Rui Gilberto - “He’s choosing for our strengths”

“The display we’ve witnessed when facing the Machine marked for me the reinvention of Banguelan football by Joao Ferreira. In a way, it is the fiercest stunt he has managed to display so far, even more impressive than making the World Cup. During the first six years of his tenure, he made a few clear choices. Starting from a system, a formation, he asked his team to prey on unique chances that pop up eventually when facing any opponent. More than often, the 5-3-2 hoped on a creative moment from the number ten and dangerous infiltrations from the strikers. Three piano players and seven piano carriers, if I can say it baldly. And, as much as I’ld prefer to see it otherwise, it is a point of view which can be defended when facing several greats of the world of football.

How different it was against the Machine, where it were not only the duo of attackers and a brilliant Amarinho who let their proverbial fingers stroke the keys. Boldly, he placed Macabanga and Wilson Zuela in the starting eleven, both players capable of turning the game in a few seconds by themselves. A testimony to the grown importance of our domestic competition as well, both still residing in the Superliga. Some might have oracle when Monalisa pinched the 3-1 against the net that Joao Ferreira would have to return to a more conservative rationale. Instead he allowed his wingbacks to clean up closer after his attacking midfields and instead of hoping that the opponent would let some leftovers drop from his plate, they placed themselves at the table and took a good bite from the buffet. That buffet, significance in international football, is where we want to see our boys feast and with the displayed attitude, they might actually do so.”

False, according to former international Ze Vidigal - “Seldom were our limits so visible”

“Result whores might act all jubilant about picking up a point against one of the greats of the Esportivan history but overlook several things. First of all, we are talking about a draw, not a win, against a team that has just started a new chapter with a junior selection and an unexperienced coach. Someone who is clearly still searching for the right touch and not afraid to take a tough result to learn something, as it is after all a game that is hardly important to them. Honesty abides us to say, who doubts that the Machine will qualify for the knock-outs? So they experiment but still, we take in four goals. That horrible evening against San Jose Guayabal still forgotten in a deep cellar of our mind, when did we ever get four goals against?

I won’t blame any individual as none deserves it and even if Djalma Yaba seems to suffer from the troubles encircling his team Brasilia Suchitoto. But with the wing backs often high up the pitch, Landa Landa and his two central defenders were far too often left chanceless. This system might produce spectacular results, but if it weren’t for a comedy capers moment by Sami Saari, allowing Macabanga to bring us back in the game, we would be left square on points with Racing. Something that immediately would raise the importance of the upcoming away game. For long, our football was about blind attacking. It was one of the key merits of Joao Ferreira that he managed to keep that vision outside and instead organise a team that knew its limitations. But now, he throws this wisdom out and replaces it with a system in which most of the balance depends on the wing defenders and the number six, positions held mostly by junior, inexperienced players in our current formation. On top of that, he walks away from the benefits from the internationalisation of his squad, guys who discovered abroad how the game is played in places where it matters. It matters, because they are winners. If we want to become part of that, we cannot walk away from the lessons that are learnt there.

[Apox]

15:21:08 15th September 590

To: H.Matterhorn@mud.ac.apx
From: P.Scott@apfdwile.apx
Subject: A Discussion of Corruption in Modern Apox - Request for further dialogue

Dear Herschel,

I am DCI Paul Scott of the special investigations branch of the Apox Police Force, and my field of work is in corruption and the perversion of fairness.

Having read your recent paper regarding Corruption in Apox, I would be very much interested in meeting with you to discuss in more depth any findings you’ve found to correlate them with data we’ve been collecting at APFHQ.

Please get back to me as soon as possible regarding the possibility of scheduling a meeting.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Scott DCI

17:03:55 15th September 590

To: P.Scott@apfdwile.apx
From: H.Matterhorn@mud.ac.apx
Subject: RE:A Discussion of Corruption in Modern Apox - Request for further dialogue

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your email. I would certainly be interested in meeting with you to pass on any knowledge I might have. I’ve been extensively researching this aspect of Apoxian law for many years (since graduating with my PhD in Law from MUD in 583) and therefore I will hopefully be able to assist you in your investigations in whatever way I can.

Does meeting for a coffee later on this week work for you? I am free for the majority of Thursday 17th September?

Kind regards,

Herschel

17:54:54 15th September 590

To: H.Matterhorn@mud.ac.apx
From: P.Scott@apfdwile.apx
Subject: RE:A Discussion of Corruption in Modern Apox - Request for further dialogue

Dear Herschel,

Yes, Thursday works well for me. Meet me at the Blue Box Cafe near the main entrance to MUD at 12:30pm if that suits?

Yours sincerely,

Paul.

Apox 4-2 The Sarian Zozula 8', McKenna 14', Nelson 32', Horn 43', St Cleer 64', Etezadi 88'
APX: Anaximander -- Treloquithack, Shahzad, Etezadi (c), Fowey -- St Cleer -- Abbraciabene, Ibrox, Aurora (Vladimirescu 61') -- Zozula (Juquinho 61'), McKenna
TSA: Shaw -- Eldridge, Kendall, King, Snyders -- Dyson, Montgomery (c), Horn (Yap 69'), Abdiou -- Nelson, Rimmer
In a crucial home match against the second seeds of the group, Apox come out victors, to continue the team's unbeaten start to the competition. Olim Benzari set his team up to play offensively and aggressively from the off - resulting in some, perhaps fortuitous, decisions on the pitch swinging in favour of Apoxian players. Adnan Zozula opened the scoring for Apox, side footing in Kaj Aurora's cross. The pressure continued to go Apox's way in the early stages of the first half, and Corinna McKenna smashed in a goal from the deep in the 20th minute. However, The Sarian seemed to slowly work their way back in from that point onwards, and they pulled one back through the boot of Charlie Nelson, before getting an unlikely equaliser due to Anaximander being out of position from Luke Horn. However, the second half saw momentum swing back to Apox, and with a couple of substitutions made and fresh legs brought on, the game was finished off - the third goal coming from Luxulya St Cleer's free kick and then the fourth goal came from a late corner, captain supreme Solomon Etezadi powering a header from Kaj Aurora in the net.

[San Jose Guayabal]

www.ire.gu/economia/datos_basicos

Economy

The economy of San José Guayabal is a developed mixed economy with state-ownership in strategic areas of the economy. Although sensitive to global business cycles, the economy of San José Guayabal has shown robust growth since the start of the industrial era. Shipping has long been a support of Guayabal's export sector, but much of the Guayabalense economic growth has been fueled by an abundance of natural resources, including petroleum exploration and production, geotermical power, hydroelectric power, and natural gas. Agriculture and traditional heavy manufacturing have suffered relative decline compared to services and oil-related industries, and the public sector is among the largest in the world as a percentage of the overall gross domestic product. The country has a very high standard of living compared with other Esportivan countries, and a strongly integrated welfare system. The Guayabalense modern manufacturing and welfare system rely on a financial reserve produced by exploitation of natural resources, particularly on the South Pole Sea.

Energy Resources

Guayabalenses enjoy one of the highest GDP per-capita in Esportiva and the fourth GDP (PPP) per-capita. Today, San José Guayabal ranks as one of the wealthiest countries in the world in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation in Esportiva. According to the WA World Census, San José Guayabal is a net external creditor of debt. San José Guayabal managed after decades of constant progress through the rankings the best Human Development Index (HDI) of the region with a value of 92 The standard of living in San José Guayabal is among the highest in the Multiverse. Esportivan Union Foreign Policy Magazine ranks SJG the 94th among 94 nations in its Failed States Index for 2202, judging SJG to be one of the region's most well-functioning and stable countries. Based on continued oil and gas exports, coupled with a healthy economy and substantial accumulated wealth, San José Guayabal is expected to continue as among the richest countries in the world in the foreseeable future.

Green Energy

San José Guayabal is a heavy producer of renewable energy, first of all due to good resources in hydropower. Over 60% of the electricity production in mainland San José Guayabal is covered by hydropower plants. The total production of electricity from hydropower plants amounted to 896.9 TWh in 2195 There is also a large potential in wind power, offshore wind power and wave power, as well as production of bio-energy from wood. San José Guayabal has quite limited solar energy resources during the winter but the deficit is normally defeated during the large period of summer, but is one of the world's largest producers of solar grade silicon and silicon solar cells.

Guarantees of Origin, the system for Guarantees of Origin was implemented by the Esportivan Union Renewable Energy Directive 2179/28/EC. In 2192 the average electricity consumption mix of a Guayabalense household was 45% renewable.

Gas Production

In 2195, Guayabal was the largest crude oil exporter in Esportiva (at 156Mt), and the 4th largest exporter of refined oil (at 104Mt). It was also the largest natural gas exporter of the region (at 144bcm), having significant gas reserves in the North Sea. San José Guayabal also possesses some of the world's largest potentially exploitable coal reserves (located under the Guayabalense continental shelf) on earth.

Three million barrels of oil adds 1.3 Mt of CO2 per day to the atmosphere as it is consumed, 866 Mt/year. Thus the global CO2 impact of San José Guayabal activities is significant. Much of the CO2 creation happens outside of Guayabalense borders, from Guayabalense fossil fuels.

Oil Industry

In May 2169, SJG asserted sovereign rights over natural resources in its sector of the South Pole Sea. Exploration started on July 19, 2173, when "Viajero Océanico" drilled its first hole. Initial exploration was fruitless, until "Carguero del Sur" found oil on August 21, 2173. By the end of 2173, it was clear that there were large oil and gas reserves in the South Pole Sea. The first oil field was "Oro Negro", produced 427,442 barrels of crude in 2180. Since then, large natural gas reserves have also been discovered.

Against the backdrop of the 2171 Guayabalense referendum to join the Esportivan Union, the Guayabalense Ministry of Industry, headed by Ramiro Montesinos moved quickly to establish a national energy policy. SJG decided to stay out of international oil groups, keep its own energy prices in line with world markets, and spend the revenue—known as the "currency gift" in the Petroleum Fund of San José Guayabal. The Guayabalense government established its own oil company, Statoil, and awarded drilling and production rights to "Petróleos del Sur" and the newly formed "Henríquez y Cia S.A.de.C.V".

The South Pole Sea turned out to present many technological challenges for production and exploration, and Guayabalense companies invested in building capabilities to meet these challenges. A number of engineering and construction companies emerged from the remnants of the largely lost shipbuilding industry, creating centers of competence in San Miguel and the western suburbs of Rostov. Rostov also became the land-based staging area for the offshore drilling industry.

---

Matchday 1:

San José Guayabal 5-1 Owner-osity
@ Estadio Cuscatlán - San Salvador - 119,200 - 19:30

Scorers:

3' - Owner-osity player.
4' - Omar El-Sayed
23' - Humberto Santa Cruz
61' - César Motta
85' - Kevin Santos
87' - Humberto Santa Cruz

Estadio Cuscatlán

San Salvador's regional anthem - played before Guayabalense National Anthem.



Location: San Salvador
Capacity: 121,000
Altitude: 786 meters above sea level
Tenants: Sporting Stadiums of San José Guayabal S.A.

The Estadio Cuscatlán is undoubtedly the cathedral of football in the nation, home to the national team, Atletico Militar Marte and the iconic team Alianza FC. Near the center of the Government and the big residential cores, with a capacity of 121,000 spectators is not the largest in capacity but certainly this stage is characterized by his painting of blue and white in some parts, with a roof that covers part of the western sector of the stadium. A stadium where the national team of San José Guayabal usually shows his most offensive version. This stadium has hosted games and group phase of the Champions' Cup, the Baptism of Fire 56 (Group stage and semifinals) the World Cup 70 and Cup of Harmony 65 3PPO and the Cup of Harmony 63 Final, also has hosted the Final of the Campionato Esportivano di Campeones in the editions 18 and 19 respectivel, apart of being the default venue for finals in case there is no bids for hosting the final of the CEdC, WC 74 3PPO.

---

Matchday 2:

San José Guayabal 3-1 Yttribia

@ Stat Oil Arena - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - 131,997 - 22:00

1' - Humberto Santa Cruz
34' - Yttribian forward
39' - Humberto Santa Cruz
40' - Humberto Santa Cruz

Sakhalinsk Stadion

Sakhalin's regional anthem - normally played before the Guayabalense National Anthem



Location: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Capacity: 133,540
Altitude: 530 meters above sea level
Tenants: StatOil (State owned petrolium company)

It is one of the most modern in terms of its infrastructure stadiums, that after the remodeling that took a couple of months ago in collaboration with various oil tycoons and the national government in order to host the World Cup, many details were chosen to stadium did something unique in the country and succeeded in building a transparent and resistant roof any natural event. The stadium now seeks to create a bit of history, this venue has just witnessed the BoF 56, World Cup 70 Group Stage and Quarterfinals, CoH 63, 65 Group Stage and Quarterfinals and national team games against teams of international prestige, where losses were expected and games ended in draws and the WC 74.

[Racao]

---

Op-ed: Racao must take firm steps to end corruption
Corruption has stifling effect on Racaoan economy & increases poverty

---

As I was parking my car this morning at the offices of the Lemur Press here in Port Louis, a police officer walked up to the offices. I nodded to him, but thought nothing of the encounter until he stopped me. "I'm going to have to write you a ticket for illegal parking..." I calmly and politely protested, showing him my parking permit and my identification. He ignored my remonstrations, instead continuing to write out the ticket. "That will cost you... 750,000 dollars [about $239 in NationStates dollars]." He then paused. "But, I can throw away this ticket and give you a warning off the record. For a small commission..." He then whispered in my ear: "One hundred thousand [around $47]." Seeing that going to court to pay the ticket would be a big hassle, and likely require a further "commission" from the judge, I reluctantly consented to his "commission," handing over the money. What he called a commission, most people would call a bribe. And this sort of corruption is overwhelmingly common throughout Racao for numerous functions of government - police functions, bureaucratic paperwork, forms, taxes, education, driver's licenses. You name it, and you'll likely have to pay a bribe to get it done.

That's not the most stifling instance of corruption, though. Racao's government, even at higher levels, is renowned, or infamous, for being corrupt. Especially in previous administrations, high-level administrative officials would often appoint family, friends, or members of their ethnic group to high posts or sinecures, in some cases even appointing dead people in order to collect their salaries and funnel it through a number of shell corporations to reach their own accounts. In order to secure a job contract in Racao, many contractors save ten to twenty percent of the bid value as a "commission" (otherwise known as a kickback) for the official(s) involved in the bidding process. Some people are even more brazen than that in their corruption, though: embezzlement is rampant, as well. Recently, for example, an order went out to a bank in San José Guayabal to withdraw money for some governmental project - except the money never arrived in Racao. Instead, it arrived in a bank account in the Isles of Avon, in the grubby fingers of some higher-level official. While this is one of the most egregious cases of embezzlement, smaller cases unfortunately are also quite common as money will simply disappear from government accounts and budget reports.

Corruption is a serious problem in Racao that has a negative impact on the economy and on the quality of life for most Racaoans, both at the level of petty bribery and the more disturbing systematic corruption at the top of the political ladder. At the bottom of the ladder, bribes can form a large cost for many low income families. Because many people cannot afford the large cost of bribes, then they cannot do many things that require them - such as send their children to school, get treatment in a hospital, or get necessary business licenses or paperwork to maintain their jobs and standard of livings. Alternatively, the money spent on bribes at the bottom is money that can't be spent on something else - food, water, sanitation, clothing, or education, for example. Thus even the lower-level instances of bribery and corruption can have a negative impact on the quality of life for many Racaoans and their families because of the opportunity costs and the in-affordability of many services that the government is required to provide, and can even result in deaths.

The corruption at the top of the political ladder has more of a macroeconomic effect on the economy as well. Corporations with the most friendly access to high-up government officials, or those with the most money set aside for kickbacks, can often get the best government jobs - when those corporations are not necessarily the most qualified do do business on public works, or have a reputation for shoddy craftsmanship. This can also allow certain favored groups or state-owned businesses controlled by governmental cronies to receive monopolies, sometimes in exchange for gifts or bribes, and sometimes just because of nepotism, which increases prices for the individual consumer and decreases quality. International foreign aid, and foreign trade, suffers because of less confidence in governmental institutions and higher costs involved in doing business; low-quality education and healthcare result from corruption because well-connected, but poorly qualified, individuals can get lucrative posts. Most importantly, and most detrimentally, corruption reduces the incentives for starting a new business or innovation, because potential competitors can out-bribe any smaller outfits, and the bribery costs to get necessary paperwork can be quite intimidating. Plus, money in the government's coffers that would have been spent on actual services instead is lining the pockets of officials, and increasing the wealth gap.

So, then, the question is, what should Racao do to fight corruption? The most salient measures are to increase accountability and decrease the culture of impunity. Racao must start to prosecute corrupt officials from the top down instead of punishing one or two more severely and letting the rest off the hook, or putting a few minor fish on the grill and letting the big fish go free. Racao must open independent auditing of government records and start an independent corruption task force to begin processing these cases. Transparency of government records and processes can also help to increase accountability by allowing citizens to know exactly where their taxpayer money is going. Finally, monitoring and oversight have the ability to drastically decrease corruption if these horrific abuses are brought to life. On the other point, strong legal frameworks against corruption, and increased enforcement, will help to decrease the culture of impunity, and education can help to end this culture. Furthermore, there are some other measures that can be taken: higher pay for civil servants (to reduce temptation for petty bribery), reduction of red tape, and use of Internet technology to facilitate the government's interaction with the rest of society, not only helping people to get the paperwork they need but reducing the opportunity for corruption. Those, however, are easier said than done, and Racao must actually start to make good on these promises, especially through measurement and action from the community to ensure this.

Some measures must be taken on the international level as well. International cooperation is necessary to stop this heinous problem in Racao, and, for that matter, in other countries where corruption is prevalent. Nations must engage in an international framework to prevent money-laundering and bribery, and other nations must hold their corporations to stop paying bribes and kickbacks to local officials to secure contracts. Also, without access to the international banking system, corrupt officials cannot store their ill-gotten gains and loot, and without laws allowing easy creation of shell corporations, corrupt officials cannot hide their money so easily. In addition, international cooperation is necessary in cases where money crosses international borders in order to track it down to its source. Ultimately, international cooperation can increase accountability and reduce the opportunities for corrupt operators to squirrel away their loot. Overall, corruption is a nefarious action that must be stopped, because of the harm it does to Racao's economy and its people. But it takes a network of actions and many steps in order to actually reach this goal. With cooperation and perseverance, though, it is goal that can be reached, and a goal that should be fought for.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

Rain fell over the number 9 of Northern Sunrise. He stared to the ball, emotionless. Two steps and a boot. The ball screeched over the lines before hitting the back of the net. The ball was on fire, bits of the net had turned into ashes, the rain slowly putting away the fire from the kick. Hokuto sighed, only hearing some clapping from the side. He turned to the side, finding the clapping to have come from the coach. "Well, well!" Ryo said. "Didn't know you really had that super shot in you."

Go nodded, picking up the somewhat burnt ball, throwing it high on air before doing a high strike on the ball. The shot went high before taking a slight curve on the way down, hitting the ground, the higher bar and entering the goal. "You must be a cyborg." Ryo said, slowly walking into the rain. "Wonder if any of my boys did any work on y-" Hokuto simply stared down on him. "So I assume maybe they didn't and you're all natural?" Hokuto went after the ball, before lobbing it high, then once again kicking it. The ball made a curve only inches near the manager, finding the back of the net again. He then tried to walk past the manager before being stopped by a palm. "Please, Go. Listen up. I'm not making any advertisements."

Go stared at him again. He looked around before looking back at the manager. "You know that we're all aware of what your business is, correct?" Ryo nodded. "That we don't expect that Pokémon Trainers will take the four Sunrises to their best participations yet?" Another nod. "That we know that if we do well, you'll then make it advertisement?" Ryo looked to the side. Go sighed. "You don't fool any of us. Even if wearing the National Team's shirt is nice after so long." He turned back. "I don't need money, fame or your appreciation. My training for the day is finished."

Rain kept pouring as Go walked out of the field. Ryo's arms were crossed. How to make the stars he picked be themselves for once?

[Super-Llamaland]

PENBROOKE OUT

Fans' fears, which arose after young star Ansel Penbrooke was substituted out for striker Violet Ticheli in the fifty-second minute of the Tigers' game against Brenecia, have been confirmed - twenty-five-year-old striker Ansel Penbrooke will not play against the Holy Philippine Empire.

This decision was made after manager Rodrigo Vaz met from team officials with Longeylin Coast, Penbrooke's Vilitan club.

"Not an easy decision, by all accounts," said Vaz when asked, "but we want to make sure Penbrooke is healthy and if that means skipping a game, so be it. He'll be back against the Southern Sunrise Islands for sure, though."

Kyle Rutherford of Eastham's North Isle is expected to start in Penbrooke's absence, with Violet Ticheli and current attacking-midfielder Felix Rasmussen both viable Plan Bs. Jarred Nash is expected to make his start appearance in the Campionato, playing right-wing against the HPE in place of Max Quirk.

Around the pitch, goalkeeper Caroline McGuire and midfielder Morgan Hernandez are also expected to make their first starts against the Empire - for Hernandez, it will be her first cap as a Tiger.

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

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

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA XVI: DAMUKUNI VS FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
By Malik Qazizadah


Max Fetfatzidis celebrates scoring his second goal of the game. His two goals and another one from Tatsuo Kamakura ensured a Fhulghamousian victory over Damukuni. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

DAMUKUNI - A brace from Fhulghamousian debutant Max Fetfatzidis and a goal from Tatsuo Kamakura was more than enough to give the Colonists their first victory in the latest Campionato Esportiva.

Kamakura gave the Fhulghamous a deserved lead after his volley from Kieran Moskowitz's corner slipped past the hands of keeper Raiden Tatsuyumi.

Fetfatzidis then scored his first goal for the Fhulghamous in his regularly brilliant fashion, a curling strike from twenty yards out meeting the side netting despite the best efforts of the opposition.

But Damukuni managed to pull a goal back after Aidan Power Jr. allowed Margaret Vayne to go one on one against Rashidunnin Ali before calmly slotting past the colonial politician-slash-national team goalkeeper.

Fetfatzidis then closed off the game with a clever finish following some intricate passing play with Sebastiano Pelucci.

It appears as if the lessons learned during the last Campionato Esportiva have finally sunk in with the players, but perhaps the naming of Orestes Katsouranis Jr., formerly manager of Fleftic Premier League side Marinos Thimpodopoulos, as the new manager of the national team may have had something to do with it as well.

After Governor Petrarchos Kulbano had stepped aside for Katsouranis to take over, the former Marinos manager and Admiral Porcusces defender immediately worked his magic with the team which resulted, of all things, in a 2-0 victory against Abanhfleft in the final friendly match before the Campionato.

But even though Governor Kulbano may no longer be directly involved with the running of the national team, he will be pleased to see that his choice of his managerial successor has paid off.

   DAMUKUNI 1 - 3 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
VAYNE (42')       KAMAKURA (19')
                  FETFATZIDIS (36', 80')

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
GK: 01 Ali
RB: 02 Montemayor (Zaman - 62')
RCB: 04 Singerstein
LCB: 05 Hainaut
LB: 03 Kamakura
RM: 08 Power Jr.
RCM: 07 Moskowitz
LCM: 17 von Frankreich (Tavistock - 85' █)
LM: 12 Suzuki
RS: 19 Sebastiano (Salvatore - 75')
LS: 09 Fetfatzidis

DAMUKUNI
GK: 36 Tatsuyumi
RB: 09 Willis
CB: 08 Matterhorn (Takedashita - 74')
LB: 04 Catanese
DM: 65 Leno-Hartman
RM: 22 Dietrich
RCM: 16 Butler
LCM: 12 Statham (Nakahara - 71')
LW: 47 Shiinato
ST: 35 Mizayaki
ST: 74 Vayne

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Damukuni: 50%
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 50%
Shots
Damukuni: 14 (8 on target)
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 14 (8 on target)
Corners
Damukuni: 6
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 4
Fouls
Damukuni: 9
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 14

---

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA XVI: AJI NO MOTO VS FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
By Malik Qazizadah


Max Fetfatzidis celebrates his first ever hat trick for Fhulghamous Peninsula. The Rosenpfelblatz City striker was able to score three times in the final seven minutes of the game against Aji No Moto to give victory to the Colonists. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

JOSHUYO, AJI NO MOTO - A hat trick from Max Fetfatzidis propelled the Fhulghamous Peninsula to the top of Group C after an electrifying match against Campionato Esportiva debutants Aji No Moto.

Just seven minutes from the end of the game, Fetfatzidis finally managed to break through the tight Ajian defense, but Yutaro Shigemitsu was able to level affairs for his side.

Relentless Fetfatzidis replicated the efforts that gave him his first goal of the game, this time running down the left flank before cutting inside and slotting past Fusanosuke Kudara.

Hideyuki Kikkawa looked to have earned a point for his side in the dying minutes of the game, but a free kick given for a foul on Samson Lovejoy was more than enough opportunity for Fetfatzidis to score his hat-trick and give his side the three points.

Before the match, a minute of silence for the victims of the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that devastated the colonial capital Port Thimpodopoulos was held, and the Fhulghamousian team wore black armbands in remembrance of the victims of the quake.

The match was emotionally charged, with fouls and limbs flying around and sometimes landing on an opposing player, and Aji No Moto's defensive solidity served to frustrate the normally creative duo of Fetfatzidis and Sebastiano Pelucci.

Aji No Moto actually had the best chance to open the scoring deep in the first half, but Yukie Mizutani's thirty-yard screamer was denied by the post.

But there was a scarcity of chances between that and the final ten minutes of the match when a flurry of shots at the Ajian goal eventually resulted in Fetfatzidis scoring his first of three goals of the day.

Fhulghamous Peninsula's next opponents will be Gregoryisgodistan, and the contest may prove to be crucial in deciding who will be top of the group at the end of the group stage.

     AJI NO MOTO 2 - 3 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
SHIGEMITSU (85')       FETFATZIDIS (83', 88', 90+6')
 KIKKAWA (90+1')

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
GK: 01 Ali
RB: 02 Montemayor
RCB: 04 Singerstein
LCB: 05 Hainaut
LB: 03 Kamakura
RM: 08 Power Jr.
RCM: 07 Moskowitz (Lovejoy - 68')
LCM: 17 von Frankreich
LM: 12 Suzuki
RS: 19 Sebastiano (Salvatore - 75')
LS: 09 Fetfatzidis

AJI NO MOTO
GK: 01 Kudara
RB: 21 Takudo
RCB: 02 Okano (Ibuka - 77')
LCB: 06 Okimasa
LB: 03 Yoshihara
RM: 15 Ino
RCM: 08 Takishita (Ogura - 63')
LCM: 12 Amagawa
LM: 17 Okumura
FW: 07 Kawashima (Kikkawa - 70')
FW: 09 Shigemitsu

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Aji No Moto: 47%
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 54%
Shots
Aji No Moto: 10 (4 on target)
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 12 (5 on target)
Corners
Aji No Moto: 5
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 6
Fouls
Aji No Moto: 8
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 17

[Thalamascia]

"Look at how they tremble before our mighty nation my dear Aleksander, they tremble before the superior might of our nations greatest athletes. It is here that we have finally proven that Thalamascia is worthy of being among Esportiva's best, both politically and sportingly, they can not begin to object to the inherit superiority of our nation and its athletes now. All that awaits is to further dominate and humilate those who would stand in the way of our glorious nation, the world shall be ours in short."

"My Queen... I am not sure how to break it to you... but the group stage of this Campionato Esportiva is not a single round robin, it is a double round robin, thus why our side was able to play a home match rather than being in a neutral venue inside the host nation. I am afraid that the Knights have not secured passage to the next round at all, nor has anyone been eliminated yet. It is unwise to be so boasting when you know not even the format of the event, if I may be so bold my Queen."

"Oh Aleksander, do you take me for a fool? Of course I knew that it was a double round robin and I only speak the truth of what is known to all in Thalamascia and the region, we are the descendents of Herakles, we are superior to all of these peons. Even you, who thinks their Queen does not know the way of the world, even your minuscule intellect and underwhelming deduction skills are superior to all of those who are part of this region, part of the world. The blood of the gods runs through our veins and it is past time we have cast down the chains of our rivals have kept us bonded in, trying to chain us as the titans were beneath the world. Their efforts have done them well, but no more, we shall rise and rise again until they fear the very mention of the nation. All will pay tribute to Thalamascia and fear my wrath."

"Is it not better to forge allies and friendships, create a feeling of comradrie rather than animosity? And to base this all on a single footballing match seems quite absurd your highness, I think you are taking an ant hill of a victory and turning it into a mountain of superiority complex. The Campionato Esportiva is merely a friendly tournament for the region after all, it is not an arena of life and death, no false war that one can claim superiority over all things because of a small success."

"Oh ye of little faith, you shall seen Aleksander, see how wrong you and this world are. Soon, very soon."

[Anglatia]

OOC: This is half the intended length because of time reasons.
Lessons, Part One

It had been a wild ride recently for Blaze Chrzanowska. She went from a relatively unknown youth player at Underfell to a nationally known top prospect because of her performances with the U-15 team that led the Empire to its first international sporting achievement, 3rd place in the U-15 World Cup. But at the same time, her playing in the semifinals despite being sick was what cost the team a spot in the final, and her future was uncertain at Underfell now that other teams were beginning to gain interest in her. She turned down a big deal at Bathgate to stay with the club that she had been with since the start of her career, but she found herself on loan abroad because now that she was sixteen, Underfell wanted her to get experience playing in a better youth league.

That was how she found herself in Rosenpfelatz, playing for the same team as the player she looked up to the most, Isa Tangemen. Of course, she was playing for the youth squad instead of the senior one, but she was still happy to be on loan at a team where she would probably get some instruction and training from one of her heroes. She would also be living in the same apartment block as Isa, thanks to some negotiating from her new agent, Ezra Blaha. And living that close to Isa, Blaze couldn't resist knocking on her door after she had finally moved her stuff into her new home.

After a few seconds, the door opened and Blaze stood there nervously as Isa looked her over, probably wondering who she was and what she wanted. Blaze noticed that she had cut her hair into a mohawk style again, after letting it grow out when she played for Southeastern, and that she actually looked kind of drunk. She was wearing a red tee shirt that said "Southeastern Saints" in white lettering, along with a pair of grey sweatpants, the same type of attire she usually wore around the gym. When she looked closely enough at what was behind Isa, Blaze noticed that there was an Armeian National Cup on the coffee table, but she decided not to ask about that for now.

"What the...?" muttered Isa, doing a double take. She was clearly surprised about something, but Blaze had no idea what it was. "Um, who are you?"

"Blaze Chrzanowska. I'm your new neighbor, I just signed for the youth team around here," Blaze said, stuttering a bit.

"Oh, you. I heard about you and your team, actually. I just didn't recognize you at first," Isa said, still looking kind of confused and surprised. But her surprise shifted to disappointment and that was visible on her face. Now Blaze felt bad... Had she accidentally offended her?

"Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

Isa shook her head. "No... You can come in if you want, it's kind of crowded inside though. I have some friends crashing here until they find a better place."

Blaze nodded and followed her inside, and she was quite surprised by who she saw in there. Kameron Hamsik, the former star striker of Southeastern, was sitting on a couch and watching something on TV, and cradled in her arms was Pandora Reimfeller, the former goalkeeper and winger for Vandals and AFC Center City. Pandora looked high, while Kameron looked more concerned with her young son who was kicking a football around the room. "These are your friends? Wow..." said Blaze, feeling like she was intruding on something.

"That's not even everyone," Isa chuckled, turning towards one of the bedrooms. "Hey Ryo, Mara, stop screwing around and come here! There's someone here for you guys to meet!" she shouted, and two more former Armeian players emerged from one of the bedrooms. Ryoto Taguchi and Mara Fuller.

"How big is this place?" asked Blaze, now that the group of players was fully assembled. "There's room for all of you?"

"Eh, I've lost some sleep because of them but it's never really a problem," Isa replied. "Pandora can sleep on the couch and me and Kameron are fine with the floor in a pinch... Probably from all the time we spent sleeping on the ground in the Army. Mara and Ryo are the only ones here who need to sleep on a bed."

Mara laughed softly, rustling Ryoto's hair and making the younger girl squirm. Isa just rolled her eyes and looked to Blaze with a grin. "It's sort of like a family in here. A dysfunctional one, but still a family. I can't guarantee that you'll keep your sanity if you become friends with us, but if you can handle that... Welcome aboard."

[Falatulu]

Campionato Esportiva XVI

MD3 Results

Group A
Banguela 5–2 Racing
Anglatia 1–0 Northern Sunrise Islands

  Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banguela                      3   2  1  0   11   7  +4    7
2 Northern Sunrise Islands      3   1  1  1    9   7  +2    4
3 Racing                        3   1  0  2    5  10  −5    3
4 Anglatia                      3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3

Group B
Super-Llamaland 2–1 Holy Philippine Empire
Southern Sunrise Islands 1–3 Brenecia

  Group B                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      3   3  0  0   10   4  +6    9
2 Super-Llamaland               3   1  1  1    6   7  −1    4
3 Southern Sunrise Islands      3   0  2  1    6   8  −2    2
4 Holy Philippine Empire        3   0  1  2    5   8  −3    1

Group C
Damukuni 5–1 Aji No Moto
Fhulghamous Peninsula 0–4 Gregoryisgodistan

  Group C                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan             3   3  0  0    6   0  +6    9
2 Fhulghamous Peninsula         3   2  0  1    6   7  −1    6
3 Damukuni                      3   1  0  2    6   5  +1    3
4 Aji No Moto                   3   0  0  3    3   9  −6    0

Group D
The Sword Bloke 3–0 Sorcuvov
Red Blackiland 3–2 Nephara

  Group D                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Sword Bloke               3   2  1  0    6   0  +6    7
2 Nephara                       3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
3 Sorcuvov                      3   1  0  2    2   5  −3    3
4 Red Blackiland                3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3

Group E
The Sarian 1–0 Allahisgodistan
Jeckland 0–1 Apox

  Group E                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Apox                          3   3  0  0    9   3  +6    9
2 The Sarian                    3   2  0  1    5   5   0    6
3 Jeckland                      3   1  0  2    3   3   0    3
4 Allahisgodistan               3   0  0  3    1   7  −6    0

Group F
Yttribia 2–0 Owner-osity
The Royal Barangay 1–5 San Jose Guayabal

  Group F                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 San Jose Guayabal             3   3  0  0   13   3 +10    9
2 Yttribia                      3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
3 The Royal Barangay            3   1  0  2    3   7  −4    3
4 Owner-osity                   3   0  0  3    1   9  −8    0

Group G
Racao 5–2 Batto Vitolo
Ethane 0–1 Nova Anglicana

  Group G                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                3   3  0  0   10   2  +8    9
2 Racao                         3   2  0  1    8   7  +1    6
3 Batto Vitolo                  3   1  0  2    3   9  −6    3
4 Ethane                        3   0  0  3    0   3  −3    0

Group H
Boring Paradise 2–0 Ritenour
Thalamascia 0–3 Falatulu

  Group H                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Falatulu                      3   3  0  0   10   1  +9    9
2 Boring Paradise               3   1  1  1    4   5  −1    4
3 Thalamascia                   3   1  1  1    6   7  −1    4
4 Ritenour                      3   0  0  3    3  10  −7    0

[Racing]

---

Now Racing has accomplished a great feat in being victoryous when playing against Anglatia. The final result is 1-0. The Racing have seen an spectacular goal scored by of course the most amazing and skillful Samuel Hornish. Most important to the victory instead is the defending position of Gilles Deferran, the best defender of Racing when you consider all factors.

The celebrations were in the streets by the time the match was over. Anglatia were no match for Racing.

It is bad when Racing is not playing at the race track stadium in racing city. Losing to Banguela in the nation of Banguela, and losing to the Northern Sunrise Islands in the nation or territory or group of Islands Sunrise Unified was not what the plan would have been, maybe it was fate.

Now there is a chance for Racing to return to racing city and defeat the Northern Sunrise Islands. Of course, it must be possible. Northern Sunrise Islands have been defeated by Anglatia, a team Racing has already been victoryous against.

So now we look to the next match to see if Racing can win. It must try to win, so they can become the Champion or maybe the Campion of Esportiva.

Group A
Northern Sunrise Islands 5–2 Racing
Racing 1–0 Anglatia
Banguela 5–2 Racing

Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banguela                      3   2  1  0   11   7  +4    7
2 Northern Sunrise Islands      3   1  1  1    9   7  +2    4
3 Racing                        3   1  0  2    5  10  −5    3
4 Anglatia                      3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3

[Nephara]

He'd been here before. This was nothing he couldn't handle.
Just... Christ, could it have waited a bit longer?
Anyway, it wasn't that bad. They hadn't conceded, had they? I mean, for everything else you could say about the performance, they hadn't conceded. He'd kept things similar to how they were at the World Cup, just ... dialed things back a little. The side was a bit more compact now, capable of being a little more reactive. Fuck, his strikers were so good they scarcely needed any help. In theory. In practice, his one goal so far had come from Cawdor in midfield, Ashdown's set pieces were just a little off, Amokachi had missed from six yards...
In a way, it was an impossible situation for him. He'd come in right after Nephara had won the World Cup - damn the fact that the Cormorants had qualified through the playoffs to win less than half their games! They won the right games, and here he was with one unlucky scoreless draw and, and...
Oh, what was the point in ruminating? He walked out to the cold, flickering light of the press conference.

Tradition dictated that the relationship between the Nepharim press and the Nepharim management was frosty. Shale had to admit he thought that would change as soon as he stepped into his first interview, but, uh... no, that was naive, he had to admit in hindsight. He'd been a media darling in the Premiership, hell, even managed to catch headlines in the First Division. Until things had started to turn against him, he'd been adored in Buyan.
Michael Brandon walked by his side as they made their escape. "That was a bloody crucifixion." No emotion, just pure, objective fact.
Ashdown looked seasoned to it as well. She shut the door behind them as the three of them entered the time-honoured sanctuary of 'the nearest room', which turned out to be a video analysis chamber.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Shale said, sharply.
"You been paying attention to your predecessors?" said Brandon, dry as ever. "Ramsey never spoke to the press after a certain point, just sent out her whip to berate them for asking questions. Mortlock never had anything interesting to say, and Tess Riether, bless her, was too high-strung to give journalists the time of day."
"Was it so naive to think things would be different?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck." Shale inhaled, exhaled. He needed time, most of all. "Okay. Okay, so, we can stabilise the media. Get 'em off our backs."
Ashdown snorted them. "Guv, you heard 'em. They crucified you."
"For one away draw, for fuck's sake!"
"Yeah, for an away draw."
"Look, I'm not saying it'll be easy. But, Jesus, Ash..."
"Results first," Brandon said. Simple, matter of fact. "Get 'em talking again, then don't set 'em aside or treat 'em like they're dirt. Then maybe you keep this job for your whole contract."
"Right. Results first." Shale could get behind that. He was a results man, in the results business.
Which is why it was a crying fucking shame they lost the next match 3-2.

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

The Byquist Curse, Part Six

Arena Marinos
Charalampios, Port Thimpodopoulos, Fhulghamous Peninsula

"A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has devastated the capital of the Fhulghamous Peninsula Colony, Port Thimpodopoulos. The earthquake struck just minutes after the conclusion of the Ladies' Premier League football game between Marinos Thimpodopoulos Women and Ludogorets Markovsky Ladies, and one of the most devastated areas in the city is the district of Charalampios, where Marinos Thimpodopoulos' home stadium, Arena Marinos, is located. As you can see in the video, an entire section of the arena's roof has collapsed onto the stands below, but thankfully, there have been no deaths in the stadium as the fans had been on their way out when the quake struck, and the section on which the roof collapsed was one of the less-filled stands, so to speak. But not everywhere else was as lucky, and according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, or NDRRMC, over a dozen hundred people have already been reported killed by the quake..."

"All right, everyone, listen up," Kasper Molak said as he got off the phone and turned to face his players, who had been gathered around a radio listening to the latest news about the Port Thim earthquake. As soon as the radio had been turned down, and the players were facing him, Molak said, "The bad news is that we're going to have to stay here in Port Thim for a little long while bit more than we expected to be staying. Don't get me wrong; the roads out of Charalampios are still intact, but the quake cracked the runway at the airport, and that's what's stopping us from leaving and also what's stopping all the relief goods from coming in. The good news is that we've all been allowed to stay here in the stadium along with the other team and some of the fans that were stuck in here after the quake. They're still checking the structural integrity, but they think that the hotel will make it through even the aftershocks. But before that, we get to stay in a tent city on the pitch!"

"And that's supposed to be the good news?" Bella Maynard asked.

"Think of it this way: it's almost like a training camp, or a team bonding camp, whatever you choose to imagine it as," Molak replied.

"Oh, no, boss, I don't have a problem with that," Bella said. "I don't mind living in a tent city. What I do mind is living in a tent city with these girls? I mean, have you even heard them snore?"

"Says the girl who doesn't half keep the whole town awake at night with her snores," Raisa Korovina added. This got a few laughs from the team, and then those little laughs eventually became rip-roaring laughter. Even Kasper Molak found himself joining in on the laughing. He knew that it was because they had just survived one of the scariest things that could ever happen to a person and lived to tell about it.

"All right, the authorities have already put up the tents," Molak said once the laughter had finally died down. "Your choice of where you want to go."

"What about the food? Where are we gonna eat?" Sofie Dolan asked.

"I'm sure the authorities have that figured out," Molak replied. "If not, then... one of us will have to get eaten." This got yet another round of laughs from the team.

---

Dinner was some kind of thick soup made of rice boiled in water with some kind of meat stock, and then topped with bits of garlic. Tess looked at the soup in the bowl provided to her by the local colonial authorities from the soup kitchen and considered what she was going to do next. She couldn't throw it away; that was disrespectful of the people who worked hard to make the soup, and it was also a waste of food. But she also didn't like the thought of eating this weird soup.

Tess was still contemplating what to do with her soup as she walked back to the government-provided tent where she and Sofie Dolan were spending the night. Sofie was already halfway through her soup when Tess ducked into the tent. "God, this is probably what fasting is like for us football players," Sofie said. "I don't know how people could stand eating this white stuff everyday, sometimes for every meal of the day! Or maybe it's just the Hungarian and the Irish in me talking. I mean, Abanhfleft's a very diverse country, but there are some things that are meant to be confined to the capital islands."

"I can't help but notice that you've eaten half of the soup even as you're wondering why people like it," Tess said as she sat down in front of Sofie and crossed her legs under her.

"Yeah, it's because I've finally figured out why they like it," Sofie replied. "Raisa Korovina says that lugaw tastes best with pepper, tofu, and quail eggs, but a few Skyflakes or Magic Flakes crackers could do the job as well."

"Raisa? I thought she was Russian through and through," Tess muttered as she scooped out a spoonful of the congee to eat.

"Well, that's the thing with Abanhfleft," Sofie said. "We may be of American, English, Irish, Hungarian, Greek, Russian, Japanese or whatever ancestries, but underneath all that, we're all Fleftics."

"You're certainly different from Armeia, I can tell you that," Tess said. She then watched as Sofie took out a pack of saltine-like crackers from her bag, opened it, took out a rectangular cracker, and then crushed it into the soup. "Makes it more salty, if anything else," Sofie replied to Tess' unasked question.

"Do you mind if I get one?" Tess asked. "A cracker, I mean."

"Knock yourself out," Sofie said, tossing the opened pack to Tess. Tess took out a cracker and crushed it into her soup. Once the big bits had been crushed enough from her stirring, she had a taste. "Wow, you're right," she said. "It is a little bit more salty than usual."

"I told you, right?" Sofie said. She then looked down at her bowl and said, "Dammit, I'm out. Wanna come with me to get a refill?"

"You can get a refill?" Tess asked. She was still wrapping her mind around the fact that this lugaw soup was an actual delicacy in Abanhfleft; albeit a delicacy that was also served during times of calamity.

"Of course, duh!" Sofie said. "It's a soup kitchen! It's their job! I think."

Tess followed Sofie out of the tent and towards the soup kitchen. Somehow, she had found herself eating the lugaw until she was scooping up dregs from the government-provided bowl. As she walked to the back of the line, however, she found herself bumping into someone she didn't think she would meet again so quickly. "Excuse me," Tess said, but then her mouth dropped open when she saw who she had bumped into.

"Wait a minute, you're Tess Byquist, right?" Miriam Hannibal asked. "We swapped shirts with each other before the quake, right?"

"Yeah, I remember now," Tess found herself saying. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"The whole team's stuck here, just like you," Miriam replied. "Well, we're not exactly trapped in the stadium, but our training facilities are still being checked for damage, along with our apartments."

"Okay," Tess nodded her head. "What was it like for you? The quake, I mean."

"Definitely one of the scariest things I've ever experienced," Miriam said. "I wouldn't wish it upon the people I hate the most. And some of those people really deserve to have their world shaken literally, if you know what I mean."

Man, the Fleftics do speak strange sometimes, Tess thought. Then she asked, "What about the soup, the, er, lugaw, eh? Do you like it?"

"Can't live without it," Miriam said. "It's probably just my hunger talking, but I really, really like lugaw. I prefer it with some tofu, but right now, you gotta make with what you have. Not that I'm complaining. Whoever makes this lugaw knows how to make it tasty even when it's plain like this.

"So you're from Armeia, huh?" Miriam asked Tess. "How's the place looking like right now?"

"Not good, to tell you the truth," Tess replied. "Ever since the government went total war on our historical enemies, little if any news comes out of Armeia now. A lot of the players in the leagues have decided to go to Anglatia to get away from the fighting, or else they'll get drafted to the Army or the Navy or wherever. Me, I got to Markovsky before that went down."

"What's it like playing in Armeia? How does it compare to Abanhfleft?"

"Oh, gosh," Tess sighed. "I never expected the league here to be that physical. I mean, it hurts me to say this, but I wasn't the best striker to have against physical defenses, and that was just in Armeia. I don't know how I've even managed to survive this long in Abanhfleft!"

"Eh, you look like one of those quickly adaptable players," Miriam muttered. "Just get to pumping some more iron into those scrawny arms and you've probably got a future here."

"Miriam!" Sofie Dolan said as she came back with a full bowl of lugaw. "Are you trying to recruit Tess here to Marinos?"

"No, I was just having a normal human conversation with her," Miriam replied, "but if I'm the one who convinces her to move to Port Thim, then that's all right with me."

"No, I'm not moving anywhere," Tess said a little bit defensively. "I like Markovsky, and I'm perfectly content playing there."

"Oh, don't listen to her," Sofie said to Miriam. "That's what she says in public. But in the locker room, all she wants is to move anywhere away from me!" When the two of them saw the look of shock and disbelief on Tess' face, Sofie said, "I'm just playing with you, Tess! But you have to admit that you were pretty unlucky that when you finally found a team where you would have fitted in nicely, your country decided to go all-out war and deport all foreign athletes, which as you all know once included me."

"Yeah, I've heard about that," Miriam said. "Is it true that Sofie here pushed you out of the starting rotation?"

"Yes, it's true," Tess said with a resigned nod of her head.

"You will have to tell me more," Miriam said. "I must know what's been happening in your life with Sofie. But not tonight. Tonya and I have agreed to show some of the kids here some of our moves."

"Wait, some of the kids asked you to do that?" Sofie asked. "Why weren't we invited?"

"Maybe because you're from Markovsky, and these kids don't really trust anyone not from Marinos or Port Thim," Miriam said.

"You're such a tease, Miriam!" Sofie said. "Tess, wanna join us?"

---

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

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA XVI: FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA VS GREGORYISGODISTAN
By Malik Qazizadah


Fhulghamous Peninsula's Rashidunnin Aii makes a save against Gregoryisgodistan. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

THEREISNOGODABAD, FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA - Fhulghamous Peninsula missed the chance to go top of Group C in the Campionato Esportiva XVI after they were trashed by Gregoryisgodistan at Richard Dawkins Park.

Prune Farmer 913881 scored Gregoryisgodistan's first goal of the game with a curling shot from 22 yards out.

Max Fetfatzidis and Sebastiano Pelucci missed chances from close range before Loyal Friend to Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo struck from beside the penalty spot and Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy headed in the third.

Striker Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo struck the bar with ten minutes remaining in the game but assisted Slave Beater YUSEAXA in his first goal, which he headed past the outstretched arms of Rashidunnin Ali.

It could have been even worse for the hosts as Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU was declared offside twice in the game.

Fhulghamous Peninsula had won consecutive games in the Campionato Esportiva for the first time as they recorded victories against Damukuni and Aji No Moto, but they were unable to make a mark against Gregoryisgodistan in this contest in the northern Fhulghamous.

The contest would have most probably decided the winner and the runner-up of the group, and following the dismal performance by the Colonists, second place may be just about what they deserve.

Star striker Fetfatzidis, who had scored four goals in the last two games, had to be substituted early in the second half when he was nearly crushed to death by Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy.

The Enemy Crusher, one of the legion of notorious thugs employed by Lord Almighty Gregory for the sole purpose of crushing their nation's enemies, was once again the center of controversy as he crushed a shirtless Fhulghamousian fan who had the word "coconut", apparently a banned word in Gregoryisgodistan, painted on his bare chest during the defender's celebration of his goal. The referee duly red carded Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy, which resulted in the referee also getting crushed to death and necessitating in the search for an adequate replacement referee.

Despite the red card, Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy remained on the pitch as no one else was willing to risk their life to take him off, not even the Gregoryisgodistani team manager.

Fhulghamous Peninsula manager Orestes Katsouranis Jr.: "It is a shameful display, both from us and from Gregoryisgodistan. But the displays are shameful in different ways.

"It is a shameful display for us because we conceded four goals, all of them which we could have and should have defended well. The first goal I will admit was probably the only one that should have counted. The other goals came from defensive errors and should not have happened, but there we have them.

"And the Gregoryisgodistan team was also shameful because they let those enemy crusher maniacs loose on the field of athletics. Never in my career have I seen such disrespect for the referee. But then again, never have I ever seen someone die on the pitch during my career. There is a first time for everything, it seems. But a player with a red card surely cannot stay on the pitch even if he crushes everyone who says so to him."

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA 0 - 4 GREGORYISGODISTAN
                            PRUNE FARMER 913881 (26')
                            LOYAL FRIEND OF LORD ALMIGHTY GREGORY XYLOCRAP NOTATYPO (57')
                            ENEMY CRUSHER FATTY FOOTY (68')
                            SLAVE BEATER YUSEAXA (90+7')
                            ENEMY CRUSHER FATTY FOOTY (█ 69')

GREGORYISGODISTAN
GK: 01 Prune Farmer 3818F
RB: 02 Slave Catcher I913AFBSBFI239
RCB: 03 Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy █
LCB: 04 Prune Farmer HUXU88238ASF
LB: 05 Police Agent Jorge Warlord
CDM: 06 History Teacher CZDE9745
RM: 07 Prune Farmer 913881
LM: 08 Soldier 0EDCK13DHI
CAM: 09 Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU (Slave Beater SUAXMC91 - 69')
FW: 10 Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo
FW: 11 Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal (Soccer Captain Laredo Potato - 88')

FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
GK: 01 Ali
RB: 02 Montemayor
RCB: 04 Singerstein
LCB: 05 Hainaut (Carlson - 84')
LB: 03 Kamakura
RM: 08 Power Jr.
RCM: 07 Moskowitz
LCM: 17 von Frankreich
LM: 12 Suzuki
RS: 19 Sebastiano (Salvatore - 63')
LS: 09 Fetfatzidis (O'Mitchell - 47')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 48%
Gregoryisgodistan: 52%
Shots
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 9 (5 on target)
Gregoryisgodistan: 20 (11 on target)
Corners
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 4
Gregoryisgodistan: 8
Fouls
Fhulghamous Peninsula: 7
Gregoryisgodistan: 25

[Super-Llamaland]

NEW LLAMA CITY, SUPER-LLAMALAND

"Right," said Ryan Lindberg, President of the Third Llamanean Republic. "Welcome to New Llama City. As you all know, today I've gathered many of you to discuss the recent events in Hicana and Miklandia. Jason, could you get us started?"

Jason Feliz cleared his throat nervously. The thirty-six-year-old had been very successful at climbing the ranks in the Department of Foreign Affairs, making it all the way up to Vice-DIrector of Greater Hicanan Affrairs, but this was his first meeting with the President's cabinet - in fact, this was his first direct contact with President Lindberg, although he had briefly spoken to the previous leader, Michael Wladecki.

He cleared his throat again. "Earlier this morning, there were protests both in Hicana and in the Hicanan expatriate community in Super-Llamaland. First, the Hicanan one. Roughly six thousand protesters gathered outside of Hicana's capitol building in Santa Barbosa to speak against recently-implemented austerity measures by the Edgardo Jimenez-led government. Obviously, these economic changes were in direct response to FLULON's cutting off of certain relief efforts to Greater Hicana. The Hicanan expatriate protest, which was, in fact, larger than the one in Santa Barbosa, took place in three cities across Southern Super-Llamaland: Talahita, Nikcoro, and Los Juantos. However, evidence suggests that all three were part of a common movement. In total, there were 9,600 protesters that demanded we continue aid to Super-Llamaland. There were several conflicts between armed police and protesters, and fifty-two are estimated dead."

"Thank you, Mr. Feliz," said Director of Foreign Affairs Kristopher Lance. "Obviously, this is troubling news. However, I'm certain that the Jimenez presidency is nearly over. I can't imagine Edgardo Jimenez will stay in power for too long."

"That does give us an opportunity to install somebody less nationalist and more liberal, similar to former President Emilio Luciano Gomez of Miklandia. Of course, with the nationalist Michel Silva in power in Miklandia, we could also turn our efforts there."

"I'm always reluctant to consider such imperialism," said Vice-President Maria Cardinal, "but considering our current economic state, a Hicana that will do more for the former FLULON nations than accept handouts would be greatly appreciated."

Feliz spoke up again. "The public hatred, and eventual revolt against, President Adam Watson in the early aughts over relatively minor economic issues suggest that Edgardo Jimenez will need to tread very carefully or risk being killed. And there have been some very successful liberal movements in the past, like that of Solomon Ervine."

"Vice-Director Feliz is right," said Lance. "We need to move forwards and install a new, more liberal and internationalized, regime that will support us. We can't have such nationalism in Hicana and Miklandia."

"What about Miklandia, then?" asked Cardinal.

"I've an idea," said Kristopher Lance.

ROSTOV, EYRELIA

Chris had been browsing the internet when his phone rang. The Llamanean had fled his country six years ago after his involvement in the website LlamaLeaks became known. Eyrelia had been ready to hand him back over so he could rot in a Llamanean jail, but he'd escaped in the nick of time and gone into hiding as "John Alcott". The Llamanean government couldn't find him without Eyrelian cooperation, and Eyrelia, mired in a war with their northern neighbors, had better things to do than track him down.

But he needed something to do in Eyrelia - there wasn't much open space for somebody who spoke no Eyrelian and whose first concern was making sure the Llamanean government could track him. He'd spent some time working a food cart, then he'd done some coding jobs. Now, with reports from his contacts that the Llamanean government was ramping up their efforts to find people like him, he was unemployed. Leave no trace.

He picked up the phone.

"Is this Christopher Johanssen?" Somebody said into the line with a thick Eyrelian accent. Chris froze.

"Er...no, sorry. Wrong number, perhaps?" Chris shakily replied.

He heard a distant beeping, then another distinct noise. A computer?

"Voice scan indicates a 96% chance that this is Christopher Johanssen," replied a computerized voice.

He'd have to leave immediately. He'd pack everything, rip up his credit and debit cards. No, that wouldn't do, he was low on money...he'd have to stop at an ATM too, then to the bank to cancel his accounts. Did he have anything else? The website! That would go, too, and he could take down the websites he'd helped design...

"We want your help, Mr. Johanssen." It was the first voice again.

"What?"

"Please check your banking account." Johanssen did so. A deposit of one million dollars was listed.

"If you would like more, please leave for Puerto Bartolome in Miklandia. We will pick you up at the airport." The line went dead.

[Apox]

Paul Scott sat in a corner of the Blue Box Cafe, which was entirely empty apart from himself and the staff, scrolling through messages on his phone, waiting. He was a fairly slim man, not lanky, he was still quite built, but not overly so. He stretched out, running his hand through his dark blonde hair, yawning as he did so, before impatiently checking his watch.

The door to the cafe opened, and a short man in a tweed suit with a well kept beard walked in - without ever having met Herschel Matterhorn before, Paul could tell that this was his man, he exuded the air of an academic, if ever he’d seen one. The academic, Herschel, reached where Paul was sitting and stretched out a hand,

“Paul I’m guessing? Herschel, nice to meet you.” Paul took his hand and motioned for Herschel to sit down opposite him, which he did. Before conversation could begin, a waitress appeared at the table - Herschel ordered himself a black latte.

“So, how can I help you Paul?” Paul simply looked at Herschel for a second, before speaking. Almost as if he was sizing him up.

“Well, as I explained in our email conversation, I’m involved in tracking down and bringing to justice those who might be partaking in illegal activities related to corruption. We’re beginning to get the inklings of something big, and we’re in a consultation phase with a lot of legal experts in the field.” Herschel opened his mouth to speak, but Paul quickly cut him off, “and I’m sorry, I can’t disclose anything regarding this “big operation” we’re currently investigating. Confidential police business. I just wanted to know whether you had any more in depth knowledge which could help us out.”

“Well,” Herschel began, “A lot of my recent research was published in that paper you read, however, I do have a few nuggets of information regarding certain, well, “interesting practises” shall we say which I didn’t publish, due to potential outcry as a result of my publishing them.”

“Very good, and we’ll certainly get onto that,” said Paul, producing a microphone from his pocket, “please be aware that anything you say will be on the record here, if that’s ok. We may need it for evidence in any charges we may need to press following this investigation. Could you please begin by stating your personal details and profession and then by giving a short review on what it is you do. We will then have an informal chat to pick your brains a little over this entire thing. Please, begin.”

So Herschel recounted a brief overview of his recently published paper, before Paul began questioning him further over various details. The interview took a little over half an hour, but on replaying it later, there was one point in particular that was helpful, and indeed, was being repeated by many people;

Paul: “Very interesting Herschel. So far then, there isn’t much concrete evidence of match fixing in Apoxian football, only hints and whispers. How widespread do you believe any matchfixing to be?”

Herschel: “Indeed, only hints and whispers. And as to how widespread, well, the people who do this are very careful to cover their tracks, but occasionally, someone makes a mistakes, which highlights something to us. In all the years I’ve covered this, I’ve seen these mistakes made all over the places, both domestically and internationally. And so, while I have nothing clear to give you other than my thoughts, it seems to me like, well, like the whole establishment is up to it.”

Paul: “So you’re saying you believe match fixing and other corruption events to occur, largely, throughout the whole Apoxian football scene?”

Herschel: “That’s precisely what I’m saying.”

Jeckland 0-1 Apox Zozula 33'
APX: Anaximander -- Treloquithack, Raynerson, Etezadi (c), Fowey -- St Cleer -- Ingersleben, Ibrox (Palmisano 57'), Aurora -- Zozula, McKenna
JEC: Not provided

Another strong game by the Apoxian national team as they head into the second half of the Campionato group stage with a perfect record, Jeckland proving a relatively easy foe to overcome on this occasion - the goal a long ball forward from James Fowey which Adnan Zozula managed to control excellently, jink past the opposing defender and slot it away. Apox maintained the pressure for the rest of the game, and although there were a couple of interesting moments, it was clear that the points would only be heading one way this game.

[Red Blackiland]

---

Fotball...Literally

---

I wonder: Why is that guy there is so far alone in the rain, in the cold, training faults, kicking and kicking and kicking the empty net, since neither goalkeeper of junior withstood stay longer?
Yeah, I wonder: Why is it that just the older guy on the team, which even has gray hair, the star, the celebrity is doing it, kicking the empty net, making the ball go over or sides of mobile barrier when it is early evening, strong prescription and does not see more almost nothing and no one else in the stadium?
There he is, with a white and blue all dirty coat, the hood over his head, the football boots seemed more as a mud boots, stew, kicking and kicking and kicking, and already has absolute mastery of the free kick, is a expert batsman, has mastered the art and craft, does not get better at it (although it should find that you have).
Why is it that this guy is not at home with his wife and two small children, eating a good pasta and drinking a red wine first, which he likes so much because he has learned to enjoy good things in his travels around the world and also because It has an Italian descent who put him certain tastes in the head and certain preferences in taste?
This guy is the team captain, was the last World Cup and was very good, is one of the greatest heroes that fans already had, is rich because he knew how to invest the money he earned, and is still coming from injury, serious injury , muscle, calf.
So I wonder: Why is he there so far, in the rain, this cold chipping, with a hell of wind, alone, kicking and kicking and kicking for exactly forty-eight minutes after a collective training of those who leave up boy 18 over?
Today I walk away thinking this guy, our captain. I've seen a lot happen in a football field. Including such scenes, lack of batters (some, as in this case, bright) trying to improve, hardworking people who want to achieve something more. But sometimes it's different. Like now. It is the setting, the context, whatever. The way the guy walk up the goal to get the ball and start kicking alone. The head, eyes fixed on the field, the iron will, the belief in himself, sure to be doing what you have to do, to be on track to be living the life, of being who he is , and depend on the only person he could even depend on this life: himself.
So I say, 'He's doing it because it feels good.
I answer myself: He's doing it because too much like the life you have. I did not want another, not really.
He is happy as well.

[Racao]

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The Orion Port Louis

The Orion Port Louis is located in an old French building built in 1860, which fittingly once served as a hotel and headquarters for the French colonial officers. The English then took this building over and a private company took over the maintenance of the hotel, with the descendants of the hotel owners selling the building to Orion. Located in the city center of Port Louis, the Orion is located very close to one of the biggest street markets in the city, if not the country, and near some of the most excellently preserved and beautiful instances of British and French colonial architecture in the city, such as along the Port Louis Promenade. Also located within walking distance are most of the city's business district and the Port Louis Pirate Museum, always a hit with people of all ages. Inside the hotel, there is an exquisite garden featuring some of Racao's native orchid species as well as other types of flora. The spa and pool located near the garden offer a place to relax after a long day in the city, which requires a lot of walking due to the lack of public transportation. The hotel's fine restaurant, 1860, serves up native Racaoan cuisine and traditional dishes with an Asian fusion flair. Each and every room has some of the most modern amenities and comfortable beds while still maintaining the colonial-era flavor through period decorations and wallpaper. Even though it is crowded at times, Port Louis has a lot of charm, especially in the colonial district, and so does this hotel.

Taolana Mountain Lodge - Ranovara

Ranovara is a sleepy city in the middle of the Taolana Mountain Range which runs through the island of Racao like a backbone. This hotel is located on the outskirts of the city but close to a number of the city's major attractions, which are the ecotourist national parks just outside the city. The Queen Ranavalona III National Park hosts an amazing array of biodiversity, with lemurs, sifakas, fossas, tenrecs, and a great array of chameleons to dazzle the eye; the cloud forests drapes the forest with an element of moisture, and the location at the top of the mountain range gives you a great view of the entire forest. The Spires of Anosimena are on the opposite side of the hotel but equally as stunning; this natural formation, made of a type of limestone called karst, is extremely jagged and spiky but it one of the best natural formations in the entire nation of Racao. After traversing these stunning national parks, as well as many of the waterfalls on the rivers in this area, the Mountain Lodge provides a nice place to relax after a long day. The world-class spa and masseuse can work wonders into tired muscles, and the soft mattresses will allow you to rest in peace; the cold pool will furthermore allow you to cool off after the long day. The hotel restaurant, Mitonia, makes a large variety of fruit dishes and cocktails as well as savory zebu meet; all of the ingredients are procured locally. Let the Taolana Mountain Lodge be your home away from home as you explore the beautiful scenery of Ranovara.

Sifaka House - Voanorova

Voanorova is the third largest city in Racao, after Port Louis and Soalara, but beyond the hustle and bustle of the city center there is plenty for you to explore in the quiet and solitude of wilderness. In the wilderness, some of the most beautiful national parks only await your arrival, the most notable the Andriamanitra Falls and Voanorova Rainforest National Parks. The former is one of the tallest waterfalls in all of Racao, crashing down a sheer cliff to collect in a pool at the bottom. To get there, there is an exhilarating hike through the cool cloud forest that brings you close to the flora and fauna of the region. The latter national park contains a museum relating to some of the native tribes of the area and the early inhabitants, with some of the best preserved specimens of early bark canoes used to traverse this region. There is a guided tour throughout some of this park, but much of it is off limits to all but a few, allowing the wildlife in this area to roam free without human intervention. In the city, you can find some of the tastiest native Racaoan dishes and some of the finest examples of Racaoan art. The hotel itself used to be a private home of a local plantation owner, who enjoyed the rainforest not for its beauty, but for its resources. While preserving the charming colonial architecture and period furniture, Orion has turned the main lobby into a monument to the rainforest, with a large atrium and a fountain as well as liana vines and many examples of native orchids, allowing you to rest in the peace and solitude of the hotel. The garden surrounding the hotel also has several paths and trails for you to follow to engross yourself in nature, and the pool is cool and azure, sure to relax you. Suites in the hotel are large enough to fit the entire family, and the service here is as friendly as the local people, who do have that reputation of community and sharing with each other. Overall, this charming hotel is a great place to start to explore the city of Voanorova and the surrounding rainforest.

Part 2 to come later...

[Ethane]

Online Chatroom during and after game

FootballManiac101: WHAT ARE THEY DOING!
WishIdidn'tsupportEthane: WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT! BOIVIN, PICK YOURSELF UP AND TAKE A SHOT MAN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!
C2H6: Guys come on, we still have loads of time to pull back a victory...
FootballManiac101: Maybe instead of putting the Ethanians on the pitch, we should stick some Ethane on, burn the pitch down,
and then play once the other team is burnt to a crisp?
C2H6: An excellent idea, but how do we get the Ethane there and on to the pitch without it being noticed, apart from our own
team?
WishIdidn'tsupportEthane: Naturally, release it from a plane. I hear those new military planes that have just been bought would 
be excellent for the job. It'll be like dropping incendiaries.
C2H6: I'd rather just watch the game...
RedKite560: Great shot from Boivin..... WHAT A SAVE!!!
C2H6: Should have scored that!
RedKite560: I know, but it was still a good shot!
FootballManiac101: It wasn't bad, but seriously, Boivin needs to GTFO of our national team, we have better players.
RedKite560: Boivin's the best player we got, why do you think Llandudno Local sold him for 22 million?
FootballManiac101: I don't know, maybe they wanted to get rid of him...
RedKite560: No one would buy a bad player for that price!
FootballManiac560: Do you even pay attention to the international transfer window?
RedKite560: Good point...
WishIdidn'tsupportEthane has been removed from the room for inactivity.
C2H6: Where'd he go?
FootballManiac101: To commit, because of how bad his team is?
C2H6: Probably, we are playing terribly. We can't lose this one. THEY DO REALISE THAT DON'T THEY?!
Footyislife has joined the room.
FootballManiac101: Welcome Footyislife 
RedKite560: Hey Footyislife 
C2H6: Here to talk about our crap football team?
Footyislife: Yeah, totally 
RedKite560: In fact, final whistle. WHY CAN'T WE FRICKIN PLAY FOR OUR LIVES!
Footyislife: We're on a downward spiral after our World Cup Campaign.
C2H6: If we want to do well in the next WC cycle, then we're gonna have to improve!
FootballManiac101: Well duh! I vote get rid of Boivin.
Footyislife: So do I, out with Boivin. We need a real striker!
RedKite560: I say we keep Boivin, but get rid of Steeling. We need a real manager who doesn't want our team to sit in front 
of goal and do nothing all match!
C2H6: Boivin is SHIT! SO IS THE TEAM! OVERHAUL! NEW TEAM! NEW TEAM!
Footyislife: That's the spirit C2H6!
RedKite560: Well, I guess that is our CE dreams over! On to the next cycle of World Cup!
C2H6: I hope there'll be a few minor tournaments we can get some practice in!
Footyislife: I'm sure we'll play some friendlies as well, you never do know at this stage.
FootballManiac101 left the room [host closed the connection]
Footyislife: Til next time 
RedKite560: See ya Footyislife. Goodbye C2H6.
C2H6: Bye you lot, chat again next match.

[Anglatia]

Lessons, Part Two

Blaze had agreed to carpool to the training ground or the gym with Isa, since she didn't have her own car or license yet, but now as she was walking down the hallway to Isa's apartment, she wasn't sure if she should enter. There appeared to be some commotion going on inside. "I hate you! I hate you!All you do is run! You ran from Redtown to Vandals and then you ran from them the season after, when they needed you! And now you're running from me! I hate you so much!" someone shouted, apparently referring to Mara Fuller, who had spent the last year of her career with Vandals before jumping to coaching when they won the title. Whoever was screaming was obviously very upset, and they kept repeating how much they hated Mara.

After a few minutes of arguing, Mara exited the apartment, walking into the hallway with a large backpack on her back and a big bag in her hand. "Hey kid, I'm sorry that you had to hear that," she said sadly. "You might want to avoid Ryo today, she's... Not happy."

"You're leaving?" asked Blaze, confused about what exactly was going on.

"Yeah. The coaching thing was nice but my shoulder is healed and I want to give playing another shot. I'm going to be playing out in Flardania, for Haesan Metro FC."

"Good luck, it's hard to get back into the game after retiring," Blaze said. "But not impossible. I wish you would stick around a bit more so I can learn from you, but I wish you the best playing abroad."

When Blaze finally went inside, she found that things were still kind of chaotic. Ryoto was arguing with Isa over something, while Kameron tried to distract Filipe. Pandora was on the couch, sweating heavily and looking sick. "Is she okay?" Blaze asked, wondering if she was actually sick or if it had to do with something else.

"Yeah, she's going through withdrawal," Kameron stated. "She'll be fine... In a bit."

"What's going on with Ryo?"

"She's pissed that Mara is leaving to become a player again, it's complicated. I wouldn't get involved if I were you. She said that without Mara, there's no reason why she shouldn't join the Army to get citizenship, and Isa is trying to talk her out of it," Kameron explained.

As she was saying that, Ryoto said something else before turning and storming out, muttering something about needing air. "Should I go?" asked Blaze, watching the others awkwardly. This didn't seem like a very good time to come over.

"Nah," shrugged Isa. "You missed the worst of it. You're waiting for a ride to the gym, right? Just let me make breakfast first, I got delayed because of the relationship drama."

Blaze nodded and looked around the apartment as Isa put a bowl of frozen noodles into the microwave across the room. She noticed that the walls had pictures of team's from Isa's home country, some of them showing Southeastern players and others showing Southern's championships in hockey. Her eyes settled on one photo, which showed Isa in front of the stands at Port South, with another girl in Southeastern branded training clothes. They were both younger in that picture, still in high school, and the girl in the picture kind of looked like Blaze. She would look like her for sure if she didn't have shorter hair that was close to the style that Isa had worn during the World Cup. "Hey Isa, who's the girl in that photo? She looks like me."

"One of my old teammates... And she's the reason why I play football instead of hockey," mumbled Isa. "Or should I say she was...?"

"Sorry for asking," Blaze said. "Is she...?"

"Yeah. I'll explain what happened later, but now you know why I was so surprised to see you for the first time. You ready to head to the gym?"

Blaze nodded. Although it seemed like Isa needed to get to the gym to clear her mind from the drama more than Blaze needed to get there to work out.

[Falatulu]

OOC: Apologies for the late cutoff tonight. Cutoff will hopefully return to its normal time on Monday.

Campionato Esportiva XVI

MD4 Results

Group A
Racing 0–3 Northern Sunrise Islands
Anglatia 1–2 Banguela

  Group A                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banguela                      4   3  1  0   13   8  +5   10
2 Northern Sunrise Islands      4   2  1  1   12   7  +5    7
3 Racing                        4   1  0  3    5  13  −8    3
4 Anglatia                      4   1  0  3    3   5  −2    3

Group B
Holy Philippine Empire 0–3 Brenecia
Southern Sunrise Islands 0–3 Super-Llamaland

  Group B                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      4   4  0  0   13   4  +9   12
2 Super-Llamaland               4   2  1  1    9   7  +2    7
3 Southern Sunrise Islands      4   0  2  2    6  11  −5    2
4 Holy Philippine Empire        4   0  1  3    5  11  −6    1

Group C
Aji No Moto 0–2 Gregoryisgodistan
Fhulghamous Peninsula 3–2 Damukuni

  Group C                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan             4   4  0  0    8   0  +8   12
2 Fhulghamous Peninsula         4   3  0  1    9   9   0    9
3 Damukuni                      4   1  0  3    8   8   0    3
4 Aji No Moto                   4   0  0  4    3  11  −8    0

Group D
Sorcuvov 0–4 Nephara
Red Blackiland 3–1 The Sword Bloke

  Group D                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nephara                       4   2  1  1    7   3  +4    7
  The Sword Bloke               4   2  1  1    7   3  +4    7
3 Red Blackiland                4   2  0  2    7   8  −1    6
4 Sorcuvov                      4   1  0  3    2   9  −7    3

Group E
Allahisgodistan 1–4 Apox
Jeckland 0–2 The Sarian

  Group E                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Apox                          4   4  0  0   13   4  +9   12
2 The Sarian                    4   3  0  1    7   5  +2    9
3 Jeckland                      4   1  0  3    3   5  −2    3
4 Allahisgodistan               4   0  0  4    2  11  −9    0

Group F
Owner-osity 1–4 San Jose Guayabal
The Royal Barangay 4–2 Yttribia

  Group F                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 San Jose Guayabal             4   4  0  0   17   4 +13   12
2 Yttribia                      4   2  0  2    7   7   0    6
3 The Royal Barangay            4   2  0  2    7   9  −2    6
4 Owner-osity                   4   0  0  4    2  13 −11    0

Group G
Batto Vitolo 1–2 Nova Anglicana
Ethane 2–3 Racao

  Group G                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                4   4  0  0   12   3  +9   12
2 Racao                         4   3  0  1   11   9  +2    9
3 Batto Vitolo                  4   1  0  3    4  11  −7    3
4 Ethane                        4   0  0  4    2   6  −4    0

Group H
Ritenour 0–3 Falatulu
Thalamascia 2–1 Boring Paradise

  Group H                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Falatulu                      4   4  0  0   13   1 +12   12
2 Thalamascia                   4   2  1  1    8   8   0    7
3 Boring Paradise               4   1  1  2    5   7  −2    4
4 Ritenour                      4   0  0  4    3  13 −10    0

Clinched advancement to Round of 16
Cannot advance to Round of 16

[Super-Llamaland]

SANTA BARBOSA

Edgardo Jimenez was sitting in his study when the assassins came.

He had looked up when the door opened, instantly noticing the gun. The president had once played football, and although he was in his late-fifties he was still agile enough to immediately leap out the second-story window while three bullets broke through the window and whistled over him.

In retrospect, it wasn't the most inspired escape. But it had worked. Jimenez landed, breaking his arm. Rolling over, he noticed the gun barrel again pointed at him from his study. The assassin fired, hitting him in the leg, then again, in his non-broken arm, before Jimenez's vision faded to black.

DR. ESTEBAN ARCE AEROPUERTO NACIONAL, Puerto Bartolome, Miklandia
Chris walked out of the baggage claim, uneasily. He scanned the expectant scrum of waiting faces, all with somebody they needed to pick up, looking for his name. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and, turning, noticed a short Miklandian man.

"Mr. Christopher Johanssen?" he said.
"Er, yes." The Miklandian smiled at him as he replied. "Welcome to Puerto Bartolome, Mr. Johanssen. My name is Carlos Vasquez. Follow me." The two walked out of the airport.
"So, what has led you to Puerto Bartolome?"
"I'm just here on business," he replied, when his phone rang. He picked up. It was the same Eyrelian person as before.

"Where are you, Johanssen? Our Miklandian contact has no idea where you are."

Chris stopped in his tracks. "I just left with him. Call him again."

"We did, and he still doesn't know where you are."

Ahhhh s**t. He turned and ran.
---
Vargas, Super-Llamaland

It was a normal day at the office until the two policemen came in.
"We have an arrest warrant for somebody in this office!" one shouted. "Can whoever is in charge of this office please come up here?"

"That'd be Jason, wouldn't it?" the secretary replied. "Jason Feliz." The second policeman looked up. "Really now?" he said, amused.

Jason looked up, nervous. He knew this day would've come, and he was ready. He began to pack his things, hurriedly stuffing them into a small bag. Only the most necessary would be brought. The rest the others could find and shred, as long as he hid them well enough. Finishing this, Jason walked out of his office. "Hello, gentlemen," he said. "Jason Feliz, Vice-Director of-"

"Greater Hicanan Affrairs. Right. Please come with me," replied the police.

Jason felt for the gun in his pocket. It was there. He could take it out, shoot the police, and run for his life. His car was there...he had all his possessions, plus two fake passports. He'd be fine. He put his finger on the trigger, then took it off. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay."

Trembling, he let the police remove his possessions and take him away.

NIKCORO, SUPER-LLAMALAND

Geoffrey Marcos took the podium, sixth of that day's speakers. It was half past six in the morning.

The Nikcoro Hicanan-Llamanean Association (NHLA), a predominantly liberal group of some twenty-seven hundred, had been standing in front of the Provincial Capitol Building for an hour or so by then, demanding that the government increase foreign aid to nations like Hicana and Helvetica. For the past few years, the Wladecki regime had slowly reduced foreign aid, education, and healthcare while boosting the nation's military, and while Ryan Lindberg was far better than his predecessor, he hadn't made the progress many hoped. The recent dissolution of FLULON spoke to that.

"When the Hicanans revolt against their government," Marcos began, "everybody complains. When thousands of Helveticans are slaughtered, the government is upset. Yet we do nothing to stop this from happening. We do nothing to stop this instability in Hicana and Helvetica, the poverty of their people, the oppression of those people's rights. If we don't want this to happen, why aren't we doing anything about it?"

The crowd looked restless, uneasy. Some of them looked backwards, away from him. He continued onwards.

"When the Hicanan president is nearly assassinated, President Lindberg says that these assassins are a threat to our national security. If we don't stop these assassins, are we threatening our own national security?" There was no response. He looked up again, then down.

Then up again. He stopped and realized what he was seeing.

"Oh no," he whispered.