World Cup 63 RP Thread

by **Azox** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 7:22 pm

Azox is back in World Cup qualifers.

After a admirable debut season the Azox Angelwolves return to the World Cup, with more experience and better funding. Hopefully the combination of the two will result in a improved product on the field. The group draw was earlier this evening and here is who Azox must face:

Game 1: vs. Eastfield Lodge
Game 2: @ Islands of Qutar
Game 3: vs. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Game 4: @ Euskirribakondara
Game 5: vs. Armed Bears
Game 6: @ Tyrants
Game 7: vs. The Archregimancy
Game 8: vs. Afrinesia
Game 9: @ Beaverriver
MID-QUALIFYING BREAK
Game 10: @ Eastfield Lodge
Game 11: vs. Islands of Qutar
Game 12: @ Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Game 13: vs. Euskirribakondara
Game 14: @ Armed Bears
Game 15: vs. Tyrants
Game 16: @ The Archregimancy
Game 17: @ Afrinesia
Game 18: vs. Beaverriver

Based on numerous factors, the weight of the moon on June 14th; a density of sand from Mt. Elmore and the number of scales on an eaglefish, Azox is predicited to finish no better than 6th in this group.

by **Qazox** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:49 pm

Day three, post incident

After spending almost all day yesterday puking and feeling like crap, I finally stopped puking this morning and I feel almost normal again. That's another effect of a concussion that isn't on TV; that fact that you want to puke up your stomach, lungs, liver, spleen or whatever's left in your stomach. Suprised that the fire was still smoldering when I awoke, I took the strong box that was in the purser's table, emptied it and used it to boil some water. I started looking through the paper work, mostly to see if there was anything in there that would've caused the incident. Since I have no idea how long I was out, and my watch broke; I can only go off the latest day of paperwork I had; which was December 20th. So today's most likely the 21st or 22nd.

If it's the 22nd, then for the first time since I was 5 years old, I'm going to miss the World Cup draw. My father and grandfather both were huge Qazox fans and I had become one as well over the last 30 years or so. Hell I have at home the jersey Rene Martin wore during World Cup 58! So after gathering some more fruit and nuts and not having any thing else to do; I made my own World Cup 63 draw based on the 180 teams that I had known had qualified for the qualifers. After a few hours of drawing out of groups, using various rocks, berries, nuts and a few insects i squashed I'd finished. Then I wrote down what I had drawn for Qazox' schedule and where I thought each match would likely take place.

@ Rockport Stadium, Rockport. Capacity: 90,000.

Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg. Capacity: 94,500.

New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721.

SaxerDome (II), SaxerVilla. Capacity: 91,150.

Estadia Pika II, Pika City. Capacity: 84,562.

New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721

Rockport Stadium, Rockport. Capacity: 90,000.

Qazian Memorial Stadium II, Qazox City. Capacity: 100,052.

Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg. Capacity: 94,500.

An interesting draw that I had given Qazox. Valladares and Free South Califas are two decent teams and Osarius isn't too shabby either. The other 6 teams in the group weren't as good and least so I thought so my draw had given Qazox one of the best chances they could for the World Cup. Until I get rescued, I guess predicting how this imaginary World Cup 63 will unfold will have to do to keep me sane until then.

(ooc: Please note it is 100% ICly conicidence that the narrator has gotten Qazox' draw 100% correct, as will all of his "match predictions" [which will occur over the course of this World Cup]... if we can have ponies, eggs, Gods, etc play football, then can't a stranded man make eerily accurate predictions that he would have no chance of knowing how right they are??

)

by **Silar** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:51 pm

The Royal Football and Rugby Association of Silar

OFFICIAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 28, 2012

On the Matter of Previous Involvement in the World Cup

Accusations have recently been made that the High Commonwealth of Silar fielded a national team for competition in an earlier World Cup and Baptism of Fire. While initial reactions were to the contrary given the lack of records of these matches by the RFRAS, closer investigation has yielded that a team was in fact fielded though there are no records of authorization by the RFRAS. A full investigation is being launched by the RFRAS with assistance from the Ministry of Order and Justice and the resources of the Attorney General of the High Commonwealth of Silar.

In the meantime, the RFRAS, in the spirit of goodwill and of the game, has decided to claim the earlier actions of the team fielded for World Cup 53 and its coorespanding Baptism of Fire and has willingly surrendered all the statistics and honors from the most recent Baptism of Fire. All these things have been done with contact made to the WCC and the RFRAS will be continuing to work with the WCC as needed to correct the errors which are clearly its fault. Currently, the RFRAS would like to assure the High Commonwealth and the international community that the Chevaliers will be playing in this World Cup as planned though arrangements are being made to accommodate the errors.

Furthermore, The Honorable Lord Eric Balding, President of the Royal Football and Rugby Association of Silar, offers his most sincere and deep apologies for this most embarrassing incident and would like to assure the international football community that he is doing all he can to right the wrong which he himself takes full responsibility for.

The RFRAS's Press Office will not be taking questions regarding this incident at this time though will release further information as it becomes available pending ongoing investigation into the matter.

OOC: On an OOC level, I'd like to apologize as well. The sign up in question occurred in a rather hectic period of RL that caused me to go inactive soon after signing up and I completely forgot the sign up had taken place. The sign up for this World Cup and Baptism of Fire was in good faith and, honestly, this is my first OOC touch into NS Sports (one I have greatly enjoyed). Having realized my error from it being pointed out to me by Darmen (who has my thanks), I took the initiative and contacted the World Cup officials. We are in the process of getting it all sorted. Again, apologies for my oversight and error.

by **Torisakia** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:55 am

TOKAI, TORISAKIA - After Torisakia's first pre-qual friendly loss to San Potato, the team received their schedule for World Cup 63 earlier this afternoon. After an alright performance in World Cup 63, the Torisakia squad returns for an exciting season. With more experience and more

Johnny Kelso

money, the team is actually able to afford to play their home matches in good stadiums this season. The squad opens up the competition on the road against Backyard States, who do not seem too intimidating as once thought. Team Captain, Johnny Kelso, leads the team in goals scored with 57 in his career with the ASFC Criminals pro team. The entire Torisakia team consists of some of the best players from this past TSL season, including Tokai Ice Birds FW Andrew Henderson, Postmeridian Firebolts MF Abkel Johnson, and FC Koradai Knightraiders DF Mathias Hertzog. Without rambling on any further about stuff you've probably already skipped, time to release Torisakia's schedule for World Cup 63!

PRE-QUAL 1: vs. San Potato @ ₨MAX™ Stadium, Tokai L 1-0
PRE-QUAL 2: vs. Mazion @ Rickell™ Stadia, Postmeridian W 4-1
PRE-QUAL 3: @ Equestrian States
MD1: @ Backyard States
MD2: vs. Gyatso-kai @ Gallerie Arena, East Lake
MD3: @ Vivedin
MD4: @ Mirelesin
MD5: vs. High Heels @ Chatham Stadium, Presidents City
MD6: @ Kiryu-shi
MD7: vs. Falconwhereveryouare @ Choke-A-Cola Field, Ogino
MD8: @ Conclespia
MD9: vs. Savski Venac @ Rickell™ Stadia, Postmeridian
MID-QUALFYING BREAK
MD10: vs. Backyard States @ Douglas-La Pryor Memorial Stadium, Douglas-La Pryor
MD11: @ Gyatso-kai
MD12: vs. Vivedin @ ₨MAX™ Stadium, Tokai
MD13: vs. Mirelesin @ Chatham Stadium, Presidents City
MD14: @ High Heels
MD15: vs. Kiryu-shi @ Copeland Sports™ Arena, Fishmarket North
MD16: @ Falconwhereveryouare
MD17: vs. Conclespia @ Alderman State Correctional Facility Field, Alderman
MD18: @ Savski Venac

by **Wight** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:44 am

by **Old Guard** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:05 am

Ken Rickwright strode around his tiny office in the centre of Old Guard's capital city. Safe to say he was now regretting taking on this stupid job.

"The government are incompetents!" he shouted, at no-one in particular, although his only assistant, Mimsy the Absurd, woke from his knap on the sofa in the office with a startled expression.

"What, my liege?" he asked, to Ken's exasperation and annoyance. For some reason, everyone kept calling him, their "liege" which he found intensely annoying and weird.

"I've told you, you don't need to call me that," he said, continuing before Mimsy could say anything further. "I didn't know when I signed up that I would have to completely build the football association in Old Guard, as well as have little to no funding or assistants. I have to do everything myself!"

"I could always help?" offered Mimsy. Ken rolled his eyes and sighed,

"Have you printed off that email I asked you to print off yesterday?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Mimsy looked up at him, apologetically,

"Do you want me to go do that?"

"YES" replied Ken. Mimsy scurried off to his office, which was little more than a hole in the wall of the building they were in. Ken looked out of the window at the training ground which his players were meant to practise on. Meant. At the moment, John the Large was the only one doing anything, as Tim the Goalscorer was practising penalties. Not that they'd ever scored any penalties.

In the corner of the ground, the two trolls, Og and Ug were sleeping, taking up a good 5% of the pitch as they did so. In the team dug-out, which was falling to pieces, Jooles the Sophisticated was sitting there in his tweed suit, smoking a cigar and telling all the women his exciting stories, which Ken had learnt were about 90% false.

The star of the team, Xav the Fast was still in Apox, he wasn't due to fly out until the next day, as he was training with Gwinevra Barbarians for the time being. Ken was envious of Apox, with it's fully functioning Football Board and money and pitches and coaches. Hell, they didn't even have a coach, and when he'd tried to teach the team some moves, none of them had listened. He needed a real coach. It was a miracule they'd got the the Round of 16 in the Baptism of Fire.

Luckily for him though, there was no pressure on his job, and the pay was good. The Guardian government, or whatever the people running this shambolic country could be called, had said that their aim for the team was to not finish last in their group, but they weren't too bothered. From what he could tell, this was a country completely devoid of ambition in any form. Good, time to mold a team, he thought.

When he'd announced the teams they were playing to the team, and told them they were playing the 4th ranked, 5 times world champions Valanora, the team weren't even slightly bothered. Someone had even asked who Valanora were. They were going to get killed. He was interrupted from his revery by Mimsy poking his head through the door,

"Shouldn't the team be doing something?" he asked, grinning as he waved the email he was meant to print off. Ken sighed before heading downstairs and off to the pitch.

by **Jeru FC** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:26 am

Melody Pond and Melody Dallas ...

Pond: Hey, I'm the coach and I'm younger than the players!
Dallas: Well, we're both 28 and yes we are.
Pond: Why aren't you over in the Jeruselem team
Dallas: Mum says I'm really good at ordering people around
Pond: But that's my job
Dallas: You don't seem to do a lot of that

Pond: Well ...
Dallas: Anyway, where's the girls?
Pond: At some retraining camp
Dallas: Now? Hey, we have a football team to get ready.
Pond: I know but I don't have any control.
Dallas: So we've got nothing to do now?

Pond: We've got plenty to do.
Dallas: Well, let's get to work !
Pond: We have to fill these forms out.
Dallas: 4 boxes full?
Pond: Don't ask me.
Dallas: What are they?

Pond: You know, immigration forms.
Dallas: I've never seen those before
Pond: That's because you Princesses don't need them
Dallas: Really?
Pond: We need to fill them out.
Dallas: I'll be here all week.

Pond: That's only half of them.
Dallas: There's more?
Pond: Yeah, for the 2nd half of qualifying.
Dallas: God
Pond: I have other things to do
Dallas: I need a drink now

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:28 am

(From Shabeen Ahmad III's blog:)

That time of year

Yes, it's that time of year again, where the Eastfield Lodge national football team is dusted off and brought back to face further humiliation on the international stage. Seriously, I don't see why we bother with this. OK, football is the lifeblood of our commonwealth's sporting past, but given our tremendous slide down the rankings in the past few world cups (from 37th after World Cup 55 to the 85th now, which I think is our lowest ranking since World Cup 51, or even 50), something needs to change. Maybe the team, which has remained largely unchanged since god knows how long ago. Maybe our attitude to qualifying, which we may not have been taking seriously enough. Or it's just our luck that needs to change, given how unlucky we've been in qualifying, getting so close yet falling at the final hurdle.

At any rate, I can safely that this World Cup, our own fans are now seeing us as rank outsiders to hit the playoff spot, so there won't be as much domestic pressure on us to succeed. It's our fifteenth World Cup cycle, and seeing that we've only managed to qualify once, all the way back in World Cup 55, we are getting ever closer to breaking a record for the most unsuccessful qualification attempts (not that I know what that is, so yeah).

Still, the first World Cup in a long time where we're not expected to do much. And I'm guessing you've all seen the draw, but I'll put it up here anyways. We're in Group 2, with:

Euskirribakondara: One of those teams who have rather recently returned from a long break from international football, although playing rather intermittently it seems, they are ranked all the way down in 208th, so it should be an easy match. High scoring as well, given their attack-minded 4-3-3 formation. MD7 Home: Win; MD16 Away: Close Win
Armed Bears: The alternate reality version of our friendly rivals Bears Armed who we play in our only pre-qualifying friendly, this lot are also, rather confusingly, nicknamed the Bear-Belles. Ranked above us in 61st, these matches will be key in determining 2nd to 4th places. MD8 Away: Loss; MD17 Home: Draw
Tyrants: Absolutely no idea who this lot are. They are ranked joint 329th, which is extremely low. I'm predicting a double win, with MD9 at home and MD18 away.
Azox: They had a decent debut showing, and will be looking to build on that. Certainly will be a dangerous team to play against. Ranked 132nd, it will be a close game at their place on the first matchday, which I'm guessing will be a draw. At home on MD10 however, I'm going for a scrappy win.
Afrinesia: And here we are at the lowest seed in our group, joint last (or joint 356th, whichever way you want to look at it) after no points in the just finished Baptism of Fire. I'm predicting that this lot will finish with less than 5 points when all's said and done, getting no points from us on MD2 at our place and MD11 at theirs.
Beaverriver: Starred with nine points back in World Cup 61, they're ranked joint 250th (interestingly, joint with Zarbli, a team once known as powerhouses of pretty much any group they were in). But hey, another double win, with them hosting us on MD3 and us hosting them on MD12.

Odd, the draw so far seems really nice. And then we got thrown this lot:

The Islands of Qutar: Ranked nine places below us, we have another former yet returning great. Last time out, they scored more points than us (21 compared to 17), and I won't be surprised if that happens this time round. It's going to be a really good two matches I'm guessing, both where only a single goal is the difference at most. I'm guessing a double draw, home on MD5, and away MD14.
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega: And this is where we start panicking. Third place in World Cup 61, things were looking promising for the next time. But somehow, they struggled. Finding themselves in one the best qualifying races from a neutral's perspective for a while, they lost out on the playoff places to Geisenfried by one point, and lost the automatic spot to The Archregimancy (who happen to finish off our group) by two points. However, they went on to win the Cup of Harmony in rather resounding fashion. It'll be a double loss for us, as they race The Archregimancy for the second time in as many cups. We'll be playing away on MD6 with a home game on MD15.
The Archregimancy: The Orthodox monks will be contending with ASMV for the second (see above for details). Ranked 26th after being smashed 6-1 in the round of 16 by fellow Dreamed Realm inhabitants and eventual perfect champions The Holy Empire, they are again rank outsiders when it comes to the automatic spot. But as we saw last time, anything could happen. With regards to us, again I'm predicting a double loss, with an away match on MD4 followed by a home match on MD13.

Which leaves us with a 9-4-5 record and 31 points. In reality, I'm guessing we'll get around 20 points, maybe 25 if we're lucky and don't drop points to those small nations lower down the rankings. Before all that however, we have our traditional match away to Bears Armed, who managed 2nd place last world Cup. Oh great.

This is Shabeen Ahmad III, signing off.

by **Sicoutimont** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:04 am

Les Royales Roster Finalized, 1 Day Before Group Draw

A loss to Gaveo, 4-2, in a friendly, was enough for Marc Denis. Herbert Georges and Louis Desjardins were cut. That meant the goalkeepers would be Artyom Bergeron of Ferdullaele FC, and Pier-Luc Dion of FC Ararat Severny, who recently wrapped up the Mytanar football club title. The game against Gaveo featured mistakes by almost every player, with defender Yves Savard being a lone bright spot, with both goals. Desjardins turned the ball over 3 times, and 2 of them lead to goals. Georges was frankly a mess. The first goal was a weak chip from half, which you, dear reader, probably could have stopped. We must give him credit on the second goal, however. How many times do you kick the ball, only for it to wind up in your net a second later. Georges passed it directly to the Gaveoan striker, who probably was chuckling as he tucked it away. Next up for Les Royales was Estope. A 3-1 win brought the team to 1-1-2 so far in friendlies, with 1 remaining, against Boring Paradise. Maxime Elemanceur is the final cut for Team Sicoutimont. We will play a 1-2-4-4 style, with Girard Giroux as lead striker, and Christopher Savard and Stan Sarault behind him. Hans Richelieu, Oscar de Orebale, Antoine Urbaille, and Vince Varrault will play mid, with Yves Savard, Neal Kent, Alex Gannot and Loic Leduc behind them on the D, with Shane Von Axelsson as the sub. After the friendly with Boring Paradise, the World Cup begins! And what better way to start our coverage with.....the group draw! Rene Rochefort once again flew out, and, well, once again returned home drunk! But that's beside the Stl-Ble....point. Sicoutimont, at 86th in the world, were drawn into group 14. Matches will be played with Apox, Kinitaria, Richmond Republic, San Potato, Warkus, Bonarisa, Shadowbourne, West Zirconia, and -gulp- Bears Armed. BA is one of the World's most premier football teams, and finished second in the World Cup, only losing to The Holy Empire. They, Apox and Warkus will be our toughest competition for the group. There is a high chance the Bears will qualify. Kinitaria and Apox are ranked ahead of us, and West Zirconia is 1 place behind us, at 87th. This looks to be an entertaining group. Here is Team Sicoutimont's schedule:

MD1-Richmond Republic vs Sicoutimont
MD2-Sicoutimont vs San Potato (Home, Stade St-Pierre)
MD3-Warkus vs Sicoutimont
MD4-West Zirconia vs Sicoutimont
MD5-Sicoutimont vs Bonarisa (Home, Stade St-Pierre)
MD6-Sicoutimont vs Shadowbourne (Home, Stade St-Pierre)
MD7-Sicoutimont vs Apox (Home, SportCity)
MD8-Kinitaria vs Sicoutimont
MD9-Sicoutimont vs Bears Armed (Home, SportCity)
Mid-Qual Break, possible friendlies.
MD10-Sicoutimont vs Richmond Republic (Home, Stade St-Pierre)
MD11-San Potato vs Sicoutimont
MD12-Sicoutimont vs Warkus (Home, SportCity)
MD13-Sicoutimont vs West Zirconia (Home, SportCity)
MD14-Bonarisa vs Sicoutimont
MD15-Shadowbourne vs Sicoutimont
MD16-Apox vs Sicoutimont
MD17-Sicoutimont vs Kinitaria (Home, Sport City)
MD18-Bears Armed vs Sicoutimont

Looking at the schedule, this team is in tough if the need a win in the last 3 games. Apox and Kinitaria look unwilling to grant that, and Bears Armed look unlikely to give up a game against us. If we can win 6 games in the first qual and 6 in the next, this should not be a problem. However, if we stumble early like we did in some of our friendlies, 3 points against any of these teams might be needed, and that would be a definite problem. Looking at matches being played here, the biggest ticket draw will be Bears Armed on Matchday 9. This will be played at SportCity, and is likely to be full with supporters. However, this being tropical storm season, the game could be moved to Stade St-Pierre. Next time at the Lac-Drouin times, we will round up the first matches, and look at Sicoutian players playing in foreign leagues as a feature-story. Until then, signing off for The Lac-Drouin Times.

by **Birolika** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:02 am

La Kastia histori yu bylo hosafiltri - A lost history of Birolika

Part 1 - The Settling of Birolika

Birolika was really first lived on by a group of pastoral nomads named the “Ays vojago chana de voya hejrene” or just the chana if we want to save ink and time. They originated from somewhere in the caucuses and lived a lifestyle based around sharing and co-operation, they never settled and moved around with the seasons. A few however did settle down, for example around the area of Peldon and Marleygate where they still today make up about 40% of the population. Of course back in the day Mollary was part of Birolika where there were even larger numbers of chana and they settled into cities such as Sarioney and Canil which were in fact just invaded and expanded upon (except in the city centre where things were knocked down a bit), these days they make up 75% of the population in Mollary. These people however were not to be left in Bliss as they were invaded and settled by a wave of Travoknians, who lived to both sides of them, and they set up most cities and the first wave of them were mostly Scandinavian. The final bunch of settlers were French and English, English mostly settling in modern day Birolika and the French moving into Mollary hence the popularity of Beer and Wine in both countries.

This of course all sounds civil, but in fact before the Travoknians unified it all into one country it was a mix of different nations some of which were organised but totalitarian and some were in chaos. The nations were mostly city states which usually fell into one of three types of government: a constitutional monarchy, a military dictatorship or a republic which was elected but only by property owning Travoknian males. The biggest countries were Peldon, Saldon and Dalton in Birolika and Canil and Sarioney in Mollary. Eventually the five powers united all the smaller nations under them and eventually they were absorbed into Greater Travoknia as individual states. This sounds peaceable, however Travoknia used force to pull both Peldon and Canil into the republic. The result of this was resentment at the lack of representation in the government (oddly enough they would have been happier at being their own absolute monarchy, but the minute the people having power over them looked a little different they wanted more democracy) so they fought for greater states rights, which they were granted. This worked for a while but as we will learn in the next section this would eventually fall to pieces.

Part 2 – The breakdown of Greater Travoknia

Birolika and Mollary were never really happy with this arrangement, they had democracy but the Travoknian style of politics was far too right wing for them. As a result they decided to try and break free, setting up the Birolik Independence Movement which took control of local government in both Birolika and Mollary in the 1770’s. The result of this was they petitioned the government for greater autonomy, this was not at all well received. The Travoknian government put stricter controls on both countries, including forcing them to send all their exports via Travoknia which destroyed its trade. This greatly angered the Biroliks and a small group of revolutionaries carried out attacks against the Travoknian government. The result of this was the Travoknians pushing them out of Travoknian government and ruling them as a colony with Travoknia creating most laws over them without their permission, except for a few ones which were made by a colonial congress. This was of course very unpopular and led to greater resentment. The next government decided that the measures were too strict so they allowed Birolika back in, however the damage was done and the Birolik revolutionaries decided action was needed. At first they tried organising a violent overthrow of the regime, however instead they decided to infiltrate the government. They decided the best way to do this was to set up two extremist parties to destabilise the country: the fascists and socialists. The party didn’t really agree with either ideology, however they knew nothing destabilises a country like extremist politics. They succeeded to some extent, however all it ended up achieving was a big civil war between the people they had drawn into the different ideologies. The war was close with the fascists holding the countryside and western peninsula, however the strong city base of the socialists led to them winning and the rebels party taking control; however by this point the old revolutionaries had lost their sense of purpose and instead started installing socialism. This short period of stability wasn’t to last and it was called “The Short Years of Happiness” by many Travoknian socialists.

Next however came the second revolution which was far more effective and far more deadly than the last. It started as the new revolutionary group “Nov Veri Minin” or “The New Truth Union” who decided to start a war against the mainland. They were led by Martin Corton who was actually a Dalton nationalist who wanted independence from Travoknia and Birolika. He led a small force in Dalton to overthrow the government of Travoknia, this led to Dalton becoming independent. Once this had happened however it took on a life of its own and managed to take most of Dalton’s old territory. The revolution was led mostly by Travoknians who had settled earlier and created their own nation, they considered themselves Birolik. However to make sure they had a large fighting force, especially in Mollary, they enlisted the help of the Chanas who made up numbers. The final group to make up the revolution were the poor people from the English and French settlers and they were all fighting against the wealthy French and English who made up just 5% of the population. The result of this was they managed to push them out of Birolika, however they needed to do something else to free Mollary. At that time however Travoknia had become a constitutional monarchy and they decided to put Mollary under the control of one of the princes of Travoknia. The problem with this was the fact that the prince was pretty sympathetic to the rebels cause and he also was easily persuaded. The result of this was he declared Mollary independent under his rule as a constitutional monarchy and led a massive army against Travoknia, they destroyed almost all the infrastructure and destroyed most of the cities and the government; after this they decided to withdraw the army instead of holding onto Travoknia they withdrew the army as “an act of kindness” however it did the opposite instead and caused Travoknia to collapse. Birolika then decided to remove the monarchy of Mollary as they decided to keep Mollary independent, they managed it quickly and pulled Mollary under their wing forming the Birolika that would last hundreds of years.

by **Silar** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 12:30 pm

Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Silaran Evening Telegraph

Scandal Breaks at Royal Football and Rugby Association

Following accusations published in a Darmeni newssource that Silar had fielded a football team in not only the most recent Baptism of Fire, but a prior tournament and World Cup in violation of WCC regulations, the Royal Football and Rugby Association of Silar (RFRAS) made a quick retreat and acknowledged, granted in part, guilt in the matter. According to a press release from the Association, a team was fielded for World Cup 53 and its corresponding Baptism of Fire. However, the Association claims it has no record of authorizing the team. It will, however, take responsibility for the team and has forfeited the stats earned at the most recent Baptism of Fire. The RFRAS claimed it would be investigating the matter with the Ministry for Justice and Order. A confidential source from the Office of the Inspector General, however, told the Telegraph that an Independent investigation is planned by the Office to uncover the full truth of the RFRAS' involvement in the scandal. The Telegraph's calls to the RFRAS and its President, Lord Eric Balding, have not been returned and the Association has made no comment.

According to the Darmeni report, the second entry was expedited by a spelling error by the Baptism of Fire, inserting an extra "l" and changing "Silar" to "Sillar." The Silar team, under their misspelled national name, supposedly played a significant role in World Cup 53, though finishing third in their group at the Baptism of Fire. This year's team, on the other hand, made it to the quarter-finals with a perfect record before being bumped by Secundus Kasius in extra time following a draw. The honors and statistics from this most recent Baptism of Fire have been forfeited by the RFRAS and have been purged form the Silaran team's records by the WCC.

"Personally, I'm rather disappointed," said Luther Lewis, Striker for the Chevaliers, "We, the whole team, put our hearts and souls into the Baptism of Fire and now we find that some unknown group had already competed behind our backs.. its a slap in the face. I hope whoever is responsible is found and punished accordingly. For now, though, I will just be doing my job of making this the best fir- I mean second World Cup Silar can have."

by **Boring Paradise** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:14 pm

Continued From a long time ago. (Aka Copa Rushmori XII)

The Unknown Voyagers return to the seas with special football fans.

Welcome back to my writing which I will keep sending you nearly everyday about my travels and about the match. I have restarted my voyage on the sea shore with some special fans of Boring Paradise. It is the two of the three lads which they RPed for the team in World Cup 61 and a bit of World Cup 62. They will be with me, Cameron Clark and Gary Hughes all the way from the sea-shore of Boring Paradise but not searching for any land. We are just going to travel with the team by air.

"Just to say, when we mean Sea-shore" Cameron Clark pointed out the real thing. "The airport we will be using is at the Sea-Shore, the Central Paradisian Airport."

"But we do travel in a private jet for the three of us isn't it." Gary Hughes saying it softly so no one could here it at home. "You might be thinking why there is only two of them when there were supposed to be three of them."

Sharkinal Jones isn't with us as he is in hospital because he was shot by a armed burglar. He is still alive and the guy is arrested and he is recovering quite well with the private doctors in Bartholomew City. I hope my son had a great match against Khytenna. I hope they had won the match.

"They drew three all with some really good moments and some bad as well." said Gary Hughes from his mind. "For now bye from all of us. We hope to see you tomorrow for some highlights of the match and then the group draw that we will be seeing live at the place. I hope we do get a good group for the Paradisians."

by **Hutt River** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:27 pm

It was a beautiful sunny day on the platform in the sea between Ipeland and Hutt River. Lister had awoke and had started his lunch, three pieces of some kind of meat, which he decided was probably pork. The timer went off, and Lister, who was sitting on a chair reading a book, jumped up and took the boiling hot pieces of pork off the pan with his bare hands. While juggling them in his hands, he put them on a small plate next to the cooker. He then sprinkled some soy sauce on it, starting off gently then gradually making it bigger until he had unscrewed the lid off and emptied almost half the bottle onto it.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. That smells good." said the Cat, walking into the kitchen, "What is it?"
"Some eat I found in the fridge," he said, pointing to the fridge connected to the wall near the medical room, "It's pork, three pieces."
"What did I come in here to tell you... Oh yeah, we're having a mini-golf tournament in the medical room tonight." The Cat grinned, showing his long canines
"You what?"
"You know, mini-golf. You should see hole 10. You start on the operation table, up the ramp, over the three dead frogs, maneuver around the medicine bottles and around the bend to the finish on the student practicing table."
"Where the hell did you get all that stuff from?"
"I think Kryten got it out of Red Dwarf. Well most of it."
"Why did he get the dead frogs?"
"I did say most," the Cat said.
"Did you kill the frogs then?"
"Yeah, I did."
"How long ago? I've never seen frogs up here. All I've seen is those damn rats. And who the smeg knows how they got here."
"About two, maybe three weeks. And the only reason you've never seen frogs is because I killed them all."
Lister had a disgusted look on his face. "Where do you keep them?"
"In that draw by the side of your bed."
"So that's what that smell was. Thanks Cat, you've put me off my food now."
"So I can have it?" the Cat said. Without waiting for an answer, he snatched the plate out of Lister's hands and turned to walk out the door. In the doorway, he stopped, turned to Lister and said, "Nicely done, though could do with a bit more soy sauce."

Resigned to going hungry, Lister sat down at the table and began to read. Rimmer walked in the room, opened his mouth to announce something, but was taken aback by Lister.

"Er, Lister what are you doing?"
"Reading", Lister replied not looking up from the book, "What do you think."
"Why?"
"Why not?" Lister put his book down and turned to face Rimmer
"Because it's not for you. It's way out of your league. Like giving a hamster a key to the wheels of a Ferrari."
"I have to do it for this robotics course. The Most Influential Humans. Makes you feel really inadequate. For example, Beethoven wrote his first piano sonatas at age 12. I don't think I could write when I was 12. Or that Shakespeare made the expression, 'A dish fit for a king'. That's a great expression that. I really like that one."
"Is it though?" Rimmer asked
"Yeah, of course it is. Who hasn't used that once in their lives? It's like 'in a pickle'. Shakespeare invented that one too. Great bloke."
"I think Shakespeare's overrated, personally. All these expressions that don't make sense. I mean, who would want to know what the inside of a 16th century pickle felt like?"
"You really are a strange bloke, Rimmer. Shakespeare was one of the greatest, if not the greatest writer the world ever had. He wrote plays like Hamlet and that king one."

Before Rimmer could reply, Kryten entered.

"What do you want Kryten." Lister asked
"I don't want anything, I just have an interesting discovery to announce."
"You've found a new mop?" Rimmer said.
"You've bought some more washing up liquid?" Lister said.
"Now, I'm not the one-dimensional cleaning robot I once was. I have evolved into something better."
"Hmm" Lister said before shouting, "Stain!"
Rimmer then joined in quickly, yelling, "Dirt!
"Spill!, Mark!, Smeg!, Smeg!" were shouted in quick succession, sending Kryten into a frenzy, spinning around and around.
"Oh please stop doing that it's driving my computers absolutely crazy." Kryten said, "Now, let me show you what I found."

by **Apox** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:35 pm

Surprise.

That was the only way to put it. Northern Sunrise Islands had come to Apox, to the Royal Stadium, our spiritual home, and beaten us. Maybe that's what happens when you give a friendly match a fancy title and make it a regular thing.

While it definitely couldn't be said that we hadn't thought much of our opponents, we regards the Sunrisians highly, we hadn't expected to lose to them, at home. I suppose that's what happens when you field a slightly weaker team for a friendly match.

So, it had started well, we were playing good attacking football, the defense was holding up, the off-side trap was well used to break down a Sunrisian attack before it got going. Olim Benzari, the acting captain, whilst Dravid Scott suffered internal suspension for his actions to Ichi Tuzzio in the previous friendly, came close with a long range effort, that was curling into the box. The goal finally came in the 17th minute, after Keri Ularu somehow managed to avoid a wave of the Islanders players, before smacking one into the top left corner, far from the reach of Andy Cunnington in goal.

However, from the restart, it all started to go downhill, although this could be attributed to set of players playing together without being fully as a group. Anthony Hawk put a lovely through ball down the wing, which Larissa Pereira was onto in a flash, easily losing her marker Hans Nielsson as he struggled to get back. With the defense crumbling, Damien Bonapart ran through the centre and was there to receive Larissa's cross in, which resulted in a fairly routine chip over Will Hewitt who unfortunately fell over as he backpedalled furiously, much to the amusement of the crowd.

We managed to hold out for a total of 6 minutes before conceding against, but this was not before NSI had taken a couple of shots through our suddenly bedraggled defense. This time, a poor back pass by Cas Newan was the cause, Brendan Crawford latching onto the ball happily, before supplying Larissa Pereira up front, Will Hewitt unable to get to the ball.

At half time John Grigia clearly looked like he had stern words to say to the players, and he marched inside angrily. Dan Weekes came off for the experienced hand of Chris Neguwa and Tom Mills replaced Will Fich, playing in a defensive midfield role.

However, it was to now avail, as the Islanders scored once more, this time not the fault of our players, but of the referee, with substitute Martin Greenville knocking in the ball from a free-kick when he was a metre off-side. Arguments from our players only yielded a yellow card for Keri Ularu, so no help there then.

We continued to look slightly shaky until the steady prescense of Chris Maarsden came on in the 63rd minute. He linked well up front with Keri Ularu and together they managed to hassle the Sunrisian defense, which, unfortunately turned out to be stronger than ours that game. However, Chris' presence on the field seems to help up front, and Chris Neguwa at the back managed to maintain some order in the back line. Eventually, our second goal came in the 75th minute, as Chris Maarsden received the ball near the half-way line after a long punt up from Jennie Scott, before laying it off to Cas Newan out wide. Coming back in, he got his head to it in the box, but alas, it hit the post! Luckily, John Carpenter was on hand to smash it into the net and have nothing said further.

A couple of late substitutions then occurred, but their defense stayed strong and we managed to keep our's together before eventually the ref blew his whistle. The best chance came from Damien Bonapart with a long drive which Will Hewitt just got his hands to and turned it away over the post.

John Grigia will have a lot to ponder, and will need to sort out the niggling defense problems the team is suffering from if we're to beat the likes of Kinitaria, Sicoutimont and West Zirconia to secure qualification, let alone try to keep out what is likely to be a rampant Bears Armed squad.

Team Sheet from the Game (scorers in bold)
GK - Will Hewitt
RD - Hans Nielsson sub Jack Forster 79'
CD - Dan Weekes sub Chris Neguwa 45'
CD - Fronden Abel
LD - Jennie Scott
RM - Olim Benzari (c)
CM - Will Fich sub Tom Mills 45'
CM - John Carpenter
LM - Cas Newan
ST - Keri Ularu
ST - Marlon Vetta sub Chris Maarsden 63'

by **Khytenna** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:36 pm

RNC:SPORTS

3 second half goals help Khytenna snatch an impressive draw

Boring Paradise-3
Jaklim- 27th
Patterson-39th
Williams- 77th

Khytenna- 3
Hytan- 65th 81st
Firestone- 69th

The first half of this game seemed to go all the Boring Paradise way, scoring two great goals and generally dominating the half. but despite this, the Khytennan tenacious spirit kicked in, and the second half saw Khytenna sub Hytan start winning the game back for the away team, eventually Khytenna drew level and drew the game at 3-3 bring about the end of a positive Pre-qualifier warm up. And now Khytenna know there group, the home fan's will be hoping that the Strips will be making a name for themselves against the big sides.

Some say you can't win anything with kids, but with an average age of 19, and 5 players under the age of 18, traditionalist would right a team of like Boring Paradise, however there ranking and respect puts these to bed. they got the game away and with the home crowd behind then, the kids got to work in taking the game to khytenna.

it was 12 year old Jaklim that put the Boring Paradise ahead, a bit of luck and skill was all the was needed to put the ball pass Keeper Troy. Jaklim beat his marker Bowman, who was busy thinking that Patterson was going to make a run into the box on his own, with space created , Patterson passed the ball into the box for Jaklim to take on, and with a well timed low shot, the game was one nil, to the home side.

Paterson would make matters worse for the Six islands, when he powered home a long rang shot from an angle in the 39th minute of the game, it was a a beautiful shot one of his best, and the keeper couldn't do anything about it, Patterson looked amazed himself, a great goal. the half ended 2-0.

With the second half under way, Khytenna came out of the dressing room looking like they had fire under there bellies, they where fired up and ready for busyness. Carmichael work helped grab Khytenna's first after a mad dash into the box, with Hall hanging off him he tried to chip the ball other the keeper, but Homewood did well to get back to the ball, and tried to push it over the crossbar, it hit it instead and Hytan was there to pounce on the ball with a header before the ball hit the ground for Khytenna to get its first goal!

Firestone in typical fashion got the second and drew level with Boring paradise 4 minutes later when he also pounced on an opertunity at goal, a poor pass between defenders saw Firestone intercept the ball with his lighting pace, he just ran towards goal and powered it pass the keeper it was over as it started.

Not to be outdone, substitute Williams scored a cracker to give the lead to the Boring Paradise. it game from a free kick taken by Ali where Williams from range got his chance, Ali's shot was blocked by the wall, and Williams had the opportunity to make a shot, the ball curled its way passed troy, who was unlucky not to get to it.

Hytan then brought the game back to deadlock with the last goal of the game, it was a quick taken corner that saw Hytan head home the goal, he jumped high to reach the cross, but he was only going one way after he left his head, Homewood tried get a touch on it but was expecting it to go the other way, but in end it shot to the back of the net, Hytan beat him to get the third of the game.

The game was drawn, and Boring Paradise will surprised by that result, especially after all the hard work they put into the first half, in the end Khytenna dogged tenacity prevailed, but will it be enough for the upcoming games?

Khytenna will play the first game in group 9 against the low ranked Northern Artic Islands, Khytenna will be looking to make their mark on there opening game, but with likes of Jeru FC in their group and other high ranked team, Khytenna might have to be content with the cup of Harmony this year, again.

James Davy will anouce the team for the Opening game, tomorrow. Stay tuned Sports fans!!!

by **West Angola** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:47 pm

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WORLD CUP 63: GROUP FOUR PREVIEW

By: Will Dervis

With the group draw for World Cup 63 completed, and dozens of football teams from all over the world preparing to compete for just thirty qualifying spots still open, West Angola finds themselves in what might be called “The Group of Death for Bubble Teams.” While normally the title “Group of Death” is reserved for a group with multiple teams at the top of the rankings, in this case the label may be considered appropriate for Group Four. While the group features a clear runaway winner in the top-ranked team in the world (The Holy Empire), the second place in the group, which brings with it a spot in the group playoffs, promises to be hotly contested. If all goes according to the rankings, Starblaydia (38) will grab the playoff spot; however, they will face stiff competition from the team just below them: our very own West Angola (47), with Lymantatia (69) and Anollasia (92) waiting in the wings for an upset. At any rate, this promises to be a fun group, and I look forward to the fireworks which will undoubtedly result!

Group Four Projected Finish Order:

1. The Holy Empire (1)- The reigning World Cup champions, as well as the oldest nation in World Cup competition, The Holy Empire is hands-down the smart pick to win the group. My source within West Angola’s gambling industry said that betting on The Holy Empire’s chances to win the group was never opened because it was deemed “a sure thing.” The Holy Empire is likely to run the table within the group, but may indirectly decide who else gets out, as if any of the three contenders for the remaining spot can muster a draw, they will hold the advantage over the other two.
Prediction: Loss away, loss at home. Points: 0

2. Starblaydia (38)- The World Cup’s purple-clad stalwarts, Starblaydia is one of the older nations in the World Cup, although not quite as much as The Holy Empire. While slightly favored to claim the second qualifying spot in the group, the Starblaydi team must also contend with West Angola, who is ranked just below them and will fight hard for upsets as they attempt to claim the qualifying spot. This spot, as well as the one below it, will come down to head-to-head and how many points (if any) the two can take away from top seed The Holy Empire.
Prediction: Loss away, win at home. Points: 3

3. West Angola (47)- The hometown heroes, West Angola has never finished higher than third in World Cup Qualifying, which they have done in World Cup 60 and 62. One of two teams within shouting distance of each other rank-wise, West Angola is on the low end of the pair, but still represents a solid threat to Starblaydia. West Angola and Starybladia are in for an interesting battle for the playoff spot, and my source within the gambling industry says betting on the two is setting new records.
Prediction: None. Silly, did you really look here?

4. Anollasia (92)- I’m going a little out on a limb here, something I never did while I worked at the Register, and saying that Anollasia is going to beat out Lymantatia for the fifth place spot. Now maybe, maybe I’m a little influenced by the Lymantatian press virtually ignoring us in their group preview, but I honestly think Anollasia will get the spot. Who knows? With the right amount of luck, and some sniping between the trio just above them, Anollasia could even climb higher.
Prediction: Draw on the road, win at home. Points: 4

5. Lymantatia (69)- The fifth team in the group as far as rankings go, I’m picking Lymantatia to finish sixth. This World Cup should be interesting for Lymantatia’s team, as a recent group preview published in one of their leading newspapers contained scant information on several nations in the group (including ours), and in many cases simply listed “I don’t know.” Whatever the reason for this (I suspect lackluster efforts by a certain tourism department), Lymantatia’s team should learn a lot about the other nations in the group as they travel about, and this could impede the team’s performance if they are shocked and distracted by the new cultures they encounter.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

6. Bloodbath Generation (146)- With a 146 ranking, Bloodbath Generation is at a crossroads. Their rank places them above the first-time participants fresh from the Baptism of Fire, but below those competing in their second and third cups. They are high enough to hope for upsets against teams like Anollasia and others in the 90s and 100s, but low enough that they still must watch their back against teams like Vettrera, Kishrael, and Vakolic.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

7. Cambirano (180)- A nation in their second World Cup, Cambirano did relatively well for a newcomer in the last cycle, managing nine points in what was admittedly a tough group and finishing one spot up from the bottom. Cambirano should be able to climb higher as time goes on, and we need to stay focused and avoid dropping what are essentially "gimmie" points against this and other low-ranked teams in the group.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

8. Vettrera (257)- The next-to-last team in the group with a ranking, Vettrera is a relatively new nation as far as the World Cup goes. Just like many others, they are now attempting to move up and gain some ranking points. West Angola needs to stay focused against them and the rest of the lower-ranked members of the group; with second place so contested, running the table against the bottom will be vital.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

9. Kishrael (314)- The last team in the group with a ranking, Kishrael shares a close relationship with Phoenigetuzstha, a nation whom West Angola competed fiercely with in the previous World Cup, and nearly wrested the playoff spot away from them, being done in by (what else) an upset draw and loss to low-ranked teams. If West Angola can avoid more of that against this and other teams in the bottom half of the group, they should be able to come away with a very respectable finish.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

10. Vakolic (Unranked)- The group's lone unranked team, Vakolic represents a potential pitfall for the higher teams in the group. In a tight race for second place, a race in which both teams within ten positons of each other will likely split their head-to-head matches, the final positions will likely be determined by how they both fared against the other teams in the group. If Starblaydia or West Angola get tripped up by one of these teams, it could give the other a key numbers advantage.
Prediction: Win on the road, win at home. Points: 6

Group Four:
1. The Holy Empire (1)
2. Starblaydia (38)
3. West Angola (47)
4. Lymantatia (69)
5. Anollasia (92)
6. Bloodbath Generation (146)
7. Cambirano (180)
8. Vettrera (257)
9. Kishrael (314)
10. Vakolic (Unranked)

Match Schedule:

1. vs. Cambirano
2. at The Holy Empire
3. vs. Kishrael
4. at Starblaydia
5. vs. Bloodbath Generation
6. at Lymantatia
7. vs. Vettera
8. vs. Vakolic
9. at Anollasia
-Bye-
10. at Cambirano
11. vs. The Holy Empire
12. at Kishrael
13. vs. Starblaydia
14. at Bloodbath Generation
15. vs. Lymantatia
16. at Vettera
17. at Vakolic
18. vs. Anollasia

Won (0) Drew (0) Lost (0) Should Win (12) Might Win (3) Toss-Up (0) Might Lose (1) Should Lose (2)

Projected Final Record: 14-1-3
Projected Group Finish: 3rd

by **Cataduanes** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:10 pm

Welcome to tonight's edition of Cataduanes Sport Focus,

The waiting is over and the groups for the qualifiers confirmed, Cataduanes find themselves in Group 5 with some tough opposition to face, for Cataduanes as the newest team on the block so to speak and as a result unranked all of the teams represent a tough test but most notably the well ranked Sylvanaes Queendom and Legalese. National manager Manuel Taipa remained pragmatic about his teams chances and was quoted as saying;

Its all about giving the boys a run out at this level and building experience, something that will be crucial in future tournaments. If we hit the ground running that will be pleasing but I will not be putting any pressure on the squad to perform miracles

His cautious appraisal of the squads chances has been applauded by the press back home or though some dissenting voices have criticized the perceived lack of ambition. However in light of the first fixture being at home against the respected team from the Sylvanaes Queendom taking a cautious approach would seem to be wisest course of action even with the home advantage. One thing is sure that the return of the national side to international competition is eagerly awaited and the excitement back home is building up further and further with each passing day.

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:27 pm

Group 6
Silar
Kericia
Jedi8246
Jeruselem
Carmadin
Pacificius
Velkomorave
Cuboneland
Super-Llamaland
Darmen

Head Coach Bryan Ferguson anxiously watched his squad play. There would be some tough matchups, but some teams were new-timers like Super-Llamaland.

He watched his players, wondering who would play the best. Would it be Attacking Midfielder and Captain Trevor Duncan? Young backup Johnny Rushmore, who had turned in four goals in the Baptism of Fire?

His team hadn't won anything yet. Could they really advance in the Cup above all?

by **Sandwich Territories** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:06 pm

Sandwich Sports Network Online Report

After the Baptism of Fire, Sandwich is ready to set the world on fire.

Written by: Alec Watson (Head Columnist)
©2013 by Commonwealth of Sandwich Territories Copyright Law

NS Soccer Rankings (Worldwide): 190
Hello fans! And welcome to the 63rd edition of the World Cup! The boys have gotten some experience from the 50th Baptism of Fire, and Tolliver Ments, along with the rest of the gang, will take on 181 other countries, in hopes of winning this hallowed event. Sandwich has the luck of playing against some other Baptism of Fire teams. The squad has been training ever since its disappointing loss in the quarter finals of the BoF. And you know what? Sandwich has it's work cut out for them. But don't worry, Sandwichians, These players are ever ready. Like a lantern in a shed full of gun-powder in the 1770's, all the team needs is time to ignite to go wild. Best of all, Tolliver's ankle has fully healed, and he is ready to get back in goal. Luke Havalotti is the teams main scorer, and that trend is looking to be continued. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm not even trying to score. Not to have so much hubris, but I only take what comes to me. It's all about the team. If you can't play as a team, you can't win", notes Luke. It's true, many of their goals are assisted. But please let it be noted, these players don't need that much help to score. The pieces to the puzzle are there, but all that is needed is for them to be place correctly. Too many times, the team has trouble working together, so working on chemistry is definitely a main clause for victory. "We are proving ourselves one win at a time", notes head manager Jonathan Mallard. "For now, we have to focus on improving ourselves, instead of trying to be the most talented, because talent means nothing if you can't work together". Well, for now, we will just have to wait and see how things work out for this brand new team, but a 5-0-1 record has some people already looking ahead for the team, and why not? After all, Sandwich even has a new motto made by the fans; CONQUER OR DIE.

by **Tryienne** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:29 am

Group 17
Valladares
Svengarda
Silar
Free South Califas
Skarakia
Qazox
Osarius
Cap-Hibou
Tryienne
Kerblaekistan

Tryiennian Sports Press Building.
Roma Major, Tryienne.
Sunday, 30th December 2012.

The head of the Sports Press was looking over the members of the group where Tryienne would play against. He hoped, for both Tryienne and himself, that Tryienne would qualify THIS time, the bad taste of last World Cup still fresh in his taste.

Let's hope that this time, WE will BE in the cup! he thought.

He carried the piece of paper with him and walked into the bustling Press Room, full with the ambiance of a newspaper board.

He climbed onto the speaking part of the room, and ushered everyone silent.

"Okay, fellas, were in it, again!"

Some cheering was to be heard in the room.

"But. We are again in a though group! We cannot do anything to help the team, but we will try to make it worthwhile and tell the story to the people of how the team's fairing! Gloria I Tryienne!"

Gloria I Tryienne! bursted through the room and returned to their workplaces.

Let's hope that this time, it will be worthwhile... he thought when he was retracting to his office...

by **Yelvoldia** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:19 am

YBC Sports – Football – Group opponents rated

Written by Aaron Bearven

Here, we will rate our group opponents for World Cup 63 qualifying. The draw has placed us in Group 7, alongside the following teams.

Saugeais (32nd)

Saugeais co-hosted the most recent Baptism of Fire (the 50th edition) with Apox. Saugeais also co-hosted the 60th World Cup with The Babbage Islands. However, Saugeais failed to qualify for World Cup 61, and, in Cup of Harmony 53, didn’t even make it to the knockout stage! Saugeais didn’t qualify for World Cup 62 either, but reached the CoH 54 knockout stage. I think they only lost out in the final of CoH 54. Due to Saugeais’ recent misfortunes, I think that they will not make it to World Cup 63, and again fail to even qualify for the play-off stage. However, Saugeais will be out to prove their doubters wrong, as they are still quite a good team. Two losses for our badgers are almost certain.

The FSSO (5th)

Due to being 5th in the world, The FSSO are the favourites to win the group. They reached the final of World Cup 60, losing 3-1 to The Holy Empire. Unlike Saugeais, The FSSO qualified for the proper tournament of both the 61st and 62nd World Cups, respectively reaching the quarter-finals and the round of 16. Reaching the final of World Cup 60 is probably the major factor behind The FSSO’s very high rank. What makes The FSSO’s achievement at World Cup 60 more amazing is that they had not qualified for the World Cup in any of their previous six attempts. We will definitely lose both of our games against the FSSO.

Western cuba (59th)

Western cuba are possibly the unluckiest team ever. They have tried to qualify for eleven World Cups, but have failed to qualify for any of them. Western cuba have been in the Cup of Harmony a few times – their most recent CoH was the last one – but they have not won it. A possible reason as to why Western cuba being so unfortunate could be because they are very good at baseball, and are thus focusing more on baseball and less on football. Two losses are expected against Western cuba.

United Gordonopia (76th)

United Gordonopia are another good team. They finished 5th out of 8 in World Cup 62 qualifying, which is a decent position, but not that good. They reside in a region called Greater Dienstad, which contains very few nations which we know of. The most well-known of these nations, apart from United Gordonopia, would probably be Lamoni. We think that we will lose both of our games against the Gordonopians.

Mashiki (93rd)

Mashiki are relatively new to the world of sports. Their first World Cup was World Cup 61. They failed to qualify, which is expected of a new nation. Before the World Cup, they played in the 48th Baptism of Fire. At the next World Cup, Mashiki again failed to qualify (also expected), but their performances were good enough to see them get into the 54th Cup of Harmony. Mashiki are a decent nation, and are just two places lower than our master nation, Slembana, in the KPB rankings. We think that we will lose away to Mashiki, but gain a point at home to them.

Sandwich Territories (195th)

Sandwich Territories are a new nation. This World Cup will be their first. They played at the 50th Baptism of Fire earlier this year, and performed quite well, reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament. Other than that, we know very little about Sandwich Territories. We think that we will record two wins over Sandwich Territories.

Darknesssssss (275th)

This nation is also new to the footballing scene. It is a puppet of Cuboneland, who are quite new themselves. Darknesssssss entered the 50th Baptism of Fire, and only reached the round of 16 – just like ourselves at the 49th Baptism of Fire. Other than that, hardly anything is known about Darknesssssss. We expect to beat Darknesssssss twice.

Lunar Republic Islands (342nd)

Lunar Republic Islands, like Sandwich Territories and Darknesssssss, played in the 50th Baptism of Fire. However, unlike Sandwich Territories and Darknesssssss, LRI failed to reach the knockout stage of the BoF. In fact, LRI failed to even win a game, and ended up with just two points to their name. They finished bottom of their group. Two wins against Lunar Republic Islands are almost certain.

Regencia de Cazonia (UR)

This nation is new to the footballing scene. Its football team are unranked, and did not enter the 50th Baptism of Fire. Nothing else is known about Regencia de Cazonia. Two wins against them are certain. If we do not get six points in our games with Regencia de Cazonia, it will be considered a massive failure.

If our predictions come true, our final record will look like this:
Played 18
Won 8
Drew 1
Lost 9
Points 17

Because of our shockingly awful performance during World Cup 62 qualifying, gaining 17 points from 18 games would be considered to be quite a good total. However, we’re better than then, and our points total wouldn’t be too surprising.

by **Silar** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 3:04 pm

Silar Draw Altered Following Ranking Forfeit and Association Scandal

Following a scandal at the Royal Football and Rugby Association regarding an accidental double entry in the Baptism of Fire in violation of WCC regulation, the Silar national football team has been moved into a new qualifying group for the upcoming World Cup: Group 17. A revised schedule is published below.

MD1 Silar v Cap-Hinou - Home: Royal Stadium, Silar Demesne
MD2 Tryienne v Silar - Away
MD3 Silar v Valladares - Home: Royal Stadium, Silar Demesne
MD4 Svengarda v Silar - Away
MD5 Silar v Kerblaekistan - Home: Royal Stadium, Silar Demesne
MD6 Silar v Free South Califas - Home, Royal Stadium, Silar demesne
MD7 Skarakia v Silar - Away
MD8 Silar v Qazox - Home, Royal Stadium, Silar Demesne
MD9 Osarius v Silar - Away
MD10 Cap-Hinou v Silar - Away
MD11 Silar v Tyrienne - Home: Grand Ducal Park, Camen City
MD12 Valladares v Silar - Away
MD13 Silar v Svengarda - Home: Grand Ducal Park, Camen City
MD14 Kerblaekistan v Silar - Away
MD15 Free South Califas v Silar - Away
MD16 Silar v Skarakia - Home: Grand Ducal Park, Camen City
MD17 Qazox v Silar - Away
MD18 Silar v Osarius - Home: Grand Ducal Park, Camen City

Primary Office, Royal Football and Rugby Association of Silar, Silar Demesne, Silar. 2 PM Local Time.

Jeremy Holland hung up his cell phone with a smooth tap of the touchscreen before slipping it away in his pocket, taking a long drag on his dying cigarette before snuffing it out with his foot. Holland, an agent of Silar Office of the Inspector General, wasn't sure if he had just recieved the best or the worst assignment of his career. It had come to a surprise to Holland, a medium-ranking and mostly undestinguished auditor in the office, when a phone call summoned him several floors up in the Ministry of Justice and Order's building to his boss's, the Inspector General of Silar, office. There, he was given his job: investigate the Royal Football and Rugby Association's involvement in a recent scandal involving the Baptism of Fire football tournament.

And here Holland was, accross the street from the large, ancient building that housed Silar's regulatory authority for the nation's two largest and most popular sports: rugby union and association football. He checked his sidearm, tucked back behind his rather stereotypical khaki trenchcoat, before setting off towards the building. Once inside, he approached the desk of one of the secretaries. "Could you show me to the central offices please?"
"You have an appointment?" she asked idly, not even glancing up from the game of solitaire on her computer screen.
"Umm. no, I-"
"If its about the Baptism of Fire, you can read the press release. No on is going to speak to you about it. We're all sworn to secrecy." the clerk said, again, not even bothering to glance up. Holland sighed. He really hated making a scene of it all, but he had been left no choice. He reached into his pocket, removing an order straight from the the Silar Demesne Justiciary on the matter as well as his agency badge.
"Ma'am, I'm from the Inspector General's office. I have a court order. I'm going to get into those office, appointment or not, and I'm going to be talked to about the scandal regardless of any oaths of secrecy you've taken." That was enough to get the clerk to look up from her computer screen. She blinked a few times, looking at the order that dangled in front of her face complete with red wax seals, before nodding a few times.
"Um.. right this way, sir. Its just down the hall." She removed a string of keys form her pocket, unlocking a hallway. "Take the time you need, sir."
"Thank you." Holland said with a slight smile and a nod of the head before stepping down the hall.

The court order turned up a massive collection of papers from the RFRAS as well as the hard drives of several of their computers, including the President's. Holland, assisted by several other auditors on the case, were spending the better part of the week sifting through them all. At 1 AM the following morning, an interesting bit was found amongst the thousands of memos, emails, and files.

Memorandum
TO: Alexius von Winter, Manager, Demesne Football Club
FROM: Lord Balding, President, RFRAS
RE: Baptism of Fire 40

SECRET

Mr. von Winter, note that this is completely off the record should this plan fail, we could find ourselves in a lot of trouble. I hope you understand. Regarding our discussion of last week...

by **San Potato** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:46 pm

World Cup Group Drawed,San Potato in group 14
Our Baptism of FIre 50 runners up,San Potato has been drawn into a group that has its share of easy and hard teams.

Bears Armed(2nd)
Runners up of the last world cup,losing to undefeated Holy Empire in the finals,Bears Armed are looking to make it to the world cup with ease.They are predicted to finish top of group 14 and may probably make it to the finals as well.The crusaders will have no chance against them,and will expect no wins,or even draws against Bears Armed.

Kinitaria(36)
The second highest ranked team in the group,Kinitaria almost made it to the World Cup proper,losing 1-0 in the playoffs to Taeshan. After many close calls time and time again,the Kinitarian FA has been losing their patience.Expect them to probably make the qualifiers.If we are lucky,we could probably get an unlikely win at home but we will most likely have a double loss against them.

Apox(49)
Co-hosts of the 50th Baptism of Fire with Saugeais,Apox were just a point away from making the qualifiers last time around,and will be looking to fight for the qualifiers again.A win once again is unlikely,but upsets has happened,and it may just happen here for us at home.

Sicoutimont(86)
They failed to qualify last time,and with the top 3 teams being so high ranked,it seems unlikely for them to qualify.Despite that,the rank difference is quite huge between them and San Potato,though 2 draws would be nice for the crusaders.

West Zirconia(87)
They also did not qualify,finishing 6th in their group last time,and might be happy with a 4th place this time.We might just get a win actually this time,probably at home and maybe a draw away,but it is still 2 draws for us.

Warkus(134)
Probably the main match-up for us in the group,Warkus finished 7th in group 18.They are not as strong as the other teams,and it would be impossible for them to qualify.They are the perfect match-up for us as they are not far off from our rankings,so probably a win at home and a draw away would be good.

Richmond Republic(290)
Not much is known about this team,but we will be looking to get 6 points here away and home.

Shadowbourne)(314)
Another team where not much is known,but another 6 points for us?Likely.

BonarisaThis team is unranked,so it might just end up with no wins at all,expect an easy 6 points away and home.

So,7-5-6 for us,probably worse,who knows,but it is unlikely for us to qualify.
Schedule
MD1-San Potato vs Warkus(Home,National Stadium)
MD2-Sicoutimont vs San Potato(Away, Stade St-Pierre)
MD3-San Potato vs Bonarisa(Home,National Stadium)
MD4-Shadowbourne vs San Potato
MD5-San Potato vs Apox(Home,National Stadium)
MD6-Kinitaria vs San Potato(Away,Central Stadium)
MD7-San Potato vs Bears Armed(Home,National Stadium)
MD8-Richmond Republic vs San Potato
MD9-San Potato vs West Zirconia
Qualifying break
MD10-Warkus vs San Potato
MD11-San Potato vs Sicoutimont(Home,National Stadium)
MD12-Bonarisa vs San Potato
MD13-San Potato vs Shadowbourne(Home,National Stadium)
MD14-Apox vs San Potato(Away,Royal Stadium)
MD15-San Potato vs Kinitaria(Home,National Stadium)
MD16-Bears Armed vs San Potato
MD17-San Potato vs Richmond Republic(Home,National Stadium)
MD18-West Zirconia vs San Potato
Seems to be a good schedule for us,expect San Potato vs Bears Armed to be sold out.

Kaledor should play all home matches behind closed doors,say Hardaway
"Every teams has barbaric,idiotic fans,but Kaledor's fans are just over the top.To prevent any injuries happen to teams playing there,I suggest that all Kaledor home matches are played behind closed doors and restrict the number of fans for Kaledor when travelling.We need an intense security check to prevent any swords from going in.We lost the Baptism of Fire due to this,and the Syndicate has also experienced this.We have to do this or we could risk losing our players."
During today's press conference,Gary Hardaway was asked about Kaledor,and he said that they should play all matches behind closed doors.Every other team should agree on this,this is to prevent rampant fans on the field.Even if this is not granted,at least have a very intense security check.Check pretty much everywhere that might hold a sword or a weapon or some sort.

-San Potato Times

by **Polar Islandstates** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:16 pm

Knowing his task, Henning Tir set out immediately to locate the man he knew would be able to rouse the Terns and motivate them to play for their country like no other man he knew. Leaving the FPIFA arguing with the WCC over some plane ticket refunds caused by the great Silar scandal, he was able to nimbly jump in and out of the expenses office, cheque in hand, and ready for the long flights ahead.

Only, where he was going, there were no flights - he'd have to fly himself.

Hiring a helicopter, a task that always seemed comparatively easy in the Federation compared to in other places, Tir prepared himself for the flight ahead. It was a long way, but it wouldn't take long. He brought a map with him into the cockpit almost through sheer habit rather than anything else, but he knew he would not need it. Where he was going, the pages in the atlas stopped several pages ago. He had always assumed that the last few pages of a map were there for you to fill in what hadn't been discovered yet, and he had half a mind to bring a set of coloured pencils with him to draw in where he going as a result*, but he knew he wouldn't have the time or the inclination. He was on official business, after all.

Taking off, the rotors whirring above his head, he headed for his destination. He turned the chopper north, he turned it south. He went east, and west, he climbed, and he sunk. He performed a bank turn, and he hovered in place for exactly seven seconds. He turned it north, west, north, up, east, down, north, north, north... and then the sky opened up.

Like a computer game, Tir had entered in the cheat code for the sky, opening it up and flinging his chopper into the dreams of another planet. He felt turbulence, but kept the joystick steady, and continued to fly straight. The helicopter whined and complained about the multiversal strains being placed upon it, but it held steady. He looked down. He hadn't moved, but the Federation had. Now flying over a series of rocky ridges in a jungle rather than the frozen islands of the archipelago, Tir knew he was close, and he looked for the cave system he knew in the back of his head that he was looking for.

Ever since he'd been given the task of motivation in the team by Schwartz at that meeting, he'd suddenly knew what he would have to do. Like an idea that had been planted in his head many years ago had suddenly found the light and water and sprouted into an award-winning bloom, he knew the entire plan of action. Two months ago he would have never have known how to do that thing with the helicopter in the skies above Franz Josef City, and he would never have known what to do in this other dimension, but he was doing it all the same, and he knew exactly who he was looking for as well.

Spotting the entrance to the cave just where he knew it would be from the air like an old treasured "Where's Wojciech" puzzle that his subconscious hadn't quite forgotten yet, the itch grew to a pulsing blood vessel at the back of his head, and he searched for a convenient place to land. Stepping out from his chopper into the dense steaming heat of the jungle, he knew he was in the right place. He hacked his way through a stretch of undergrowth, and there it was - the entrance to the cave. Opening up in front of him, the great maw of the cave seemed to echo with the venerable sounds of time, creaking under the weight of all history, the circulating air turbulent in its entrance with the pressures of creation.

This was it. This was the place where all stories are born.

Treading cautiously, yet with unwavering confidence in the ability of his feet to find the way for him, Tir stepped into the cave and started to navigate its labyrinthine tunnel systems with all the assuredness of a seasoned travel guide. He was looking for a man, a man who had made this place his home at unlikely as that sounded. It was a man that Tir had met before, or he thought he had, anyway. Whatever supernatural process had planted the geographical knowledge into Tir's head hadn't gone so far as also inserting the kind of back-story that explained everything that had happened to make things this way, but Tir suspected that he would know the new version of this man half as well as he had known the old version. And that was assuming he knew the old version even moderately well in the first place - which he doubted.

There was a flicker of orange glow from around the corner in the dripping cave systems ahead, and Tir knew he had found his way at last. Sure enough, he turned the corner in the tunnel, and there in front of him was a mass of dark cloaks in a heap, sitting at a measly looking fire. The heap of cloaks appeared to be talking in a low and hurried tone into the fire, where the words seemed to be appreciated and drunk up with a hiss into the flames themselves.

Tir cleared his throat. The heap of cloaks looked up, and two beady eyes were visible in the shadows beneath the top folds. The eyes focused on Tir. There was a slight pause.

"All right," said Tir defensively, "there's no need to say things like that - I came as soon as I could."

The heap of cloaks continued to stare.

"Yeah, well, have you ever piloted a helicopter into another dimension?" replied Tir aggressively.

The heap of cloaks blinked.

"Right, well, you very well play coy, but I learnt how to fly a chopper just to do this, so you should be grateful!"

The heap of cloaks stood up and walked out of the cave, leaving Tir on his own.

"And 'hello' to you too," smirked Tir sarcastically as he hurried after the heap of cloaks into the darkness, "and anyway, you realise you're going to have to talk out loud when we get to the Nasjonale, right...?"

* - OOC: Yes, I stole this bit from the BFG.

by **Royalsoldiers** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:42 pm

Following the World Cup: WC63 Edition

It has been a busy and stressful week for manager, Jim Kodiak. His team is making preparations for its first World Cup match-up with Carpathia and Ruthenia. Kodiak believes that his team matches up well with the Carpathia and Ruthenia team as they did versus many teams. The Royish squad's speed, quickness, and balance could pose problems with the opposing team. Cyrus, Taurus, and Madison, the starting forwards, are projected to outrun and tire the opposing team quickly. You are also most likely going to see a little bit of Michael Smirnoff and Jason Burgess. These two are the rookies to the team, but Kodiak said on the record, "...The two have worked their behinds off and practice and clearly are athletically able to perform for the team." Kodiak might be held on these words if he either doesn't play Smirnoff and Burgess or they do not perform well. Burgess who is expected to substitute for Alexander Nix will be expected to pass well and be able to play with the intensity of Nix. Smirnoff who would probably replace Vic Madison [Victor Madison] at forward will be expected to score and cross to his teammates well. These are tough roles to fulfill but all trust must be put into Jim Kodiak who has replaced the now retired Cody Wilson as the Royish manager.

All players received their final examinations from the team physio, Theodore Cruz, and have all been cleared to play. This relieves tension that was around Oliver Cyrus and his ability to play. Cyrus never practiced lightly and continued full practice despite an ankle injury. Cyrus was in the starting lineup versus Eupheos-Anetus but was substituted in for after the game become 7-0 within the 50' of the match. Cyrus was seen sprinting along the pitch today after practice and it has been reported he is 100%.

Now, the Royish team must recover from the drama that was around them when Cody Wilson retired and assistant manager, Kodiak was hired. There was also the suspension of Alexander Nix due to the "disruption of the team precedent". So far the team has not had any problems but with their next match at Paradystopia they must march in and show the other teams that they do have experience and that they shall qualify. Kodiak has not been an outspoken character to the press and many believe that is helping the team concentrate without much controversy in the organization. The Imperial Squad is, on quote from the Executive Manager Patrick Bauer, "at its strongest form and disposition that it has been since Cody Wilson had the 'Platinum Era' in which they upset Eastfield Lodge and won two Christian Cups. They also won multiple Allied States Alliance titles. It has been extremely interesting to watch the team develop and now we will see the team at its best." These words gave the team a boost of confidence upon their already staggering 9-1 victory over Eupheos-Anetus.

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