World Cup 59 RP Thread

by **Polar Islandstates** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:34 pm

WELCOME, TO THE FIFTY-NINTH NS WORLD CUP!

Rosters Thread
Scores Thread

Group A
Vilita
Cosumar
Pasarga
Gyatso-kai

Group B
Aguazul
Bostopia
The Archregimancy
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu

Group C
Valanora
Cafundéu
Saugeais
Mangolana

Group D
The Holy Empire
Cassadaigua
Jeruselem
Ipeland

Group E
Polar Islandstates
Qazox
Erathore
Osarius

Group F
Jeru FC
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Bergnovinaia
New Montreal States

Group G
The Babbage Islands
Akbarabad
Chetkosk
Taeshan

Group H
Krytenia
Bears Armed
Astograth
Sargossa

Group One
Armed Bears
Carddy
Unitopolis
Audioslavia
Chenkorya
New Montreal States
Dorian and Sonya

Group Two
Orlkjestad
Stachland
The Enornkian Isthmus
Arcatea
West Angola
Ajaundar
Akbarabad

Group Three
The Archregimancy
Jeru FC
Carmadin
Yesopalitha
Kogvuron
Sativaville
Phoenigetuzstha

Group Four
Michael VII
Milchama
Novikov
Erikkesh
The Babbage Islands
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Liventia

Group Five
Aguazul
Acapais
Jedi8246
Chetkosk
West Zirconia
West Guiana
The Icemark

Group Six
Carasatoga
Baltskandio
Cascratia
Bloodbath Generation
Swartaz
Pasarga
Rhodesiah

Group Seven
Gyatso-kai
Kalumba
United Soviet Countries
Azrael
Qazox
Cyborg Holland
Planet Irk

Group Eight
Thatius
The Kiaser Colonies
Antoletia
The Holy Empire
Ang Grung
Legalese
Merfurian

Group Nine
Branta Island
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuk
Lukquarel
Valanora
The Union of Myanmar
Camwood
Kulverint

Group Ten
Von Kopsho
Taeshan
Unibot
Eastfield Lodge
Ossidiacqua
Luketopia
Bostopia

Group Eleven
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Bacopa
Baleyaroh
Valladares
Sarrbia
Cosumar
19th Century Beards

Group Twelve
Kanslavia
Nethertopia
Equestrian States
Mangolana
Jeruselem
Torisakia
Pretty Awesome Persons

Group Thirteen
Turori
Fribberdy Gimlets
The Kangaroo Republic
Sargossa
Wolfmanne
Crosstoon
Astograth

Group Fourteen
Cowardly Pacifists
Octinstine
Burchadinger
Mytannion
Saugeais
Ko-oren
The imperial canadian dutchy

Group Fifteen
Homelands our
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Radiatia
Soviet Canuckistan
Kiryu-shi
Ipeland
Kernansquillec

Group Sixteen
Felbah
Bears Armed
Megadia
Osarius
Darmen
Ibis Galaxy Alliance
Swalenia

Group Seventeen
Ancharmunn
Socialist States Owen
Cassadaigua
The Kytler Peninsulae
Civil Citizenry
Karditan
Hanox

Group Eighteen
Nicole Scherzinger
Queer Poco el Mono Ara
Bergnovinaia
Western Cuba
Hakkland
Geilinor
Blackbone Bay

Group Nineteen
Meshkete
Cafundéu
Montory
Northern Bettia
United Kingdom of the Southwest
Mapletish
North Chicanan

Group Twenty
Wight
Krytenia
Erathore
Carpathia and Ruthenia
Melbergia
Licentiapacisterra
Ketharnia

Updated as far as Civil Citizenry.

SCHEDULE
MDs 1-7 scorinated by Polar Islandstates
MD1: 2vs7, 3vs6, 4vs5, 1 bye
MD2: 6vs4, 7vs3, 1vs2, 5 bye
MD3: 3vs1, 4vs7, 5vs6, 2 bye
MD4: 7vs5, 1vs4, 2vs3, 6 bye
MD5: 4vs2, 5vs1, 6vs7, 3 bye
MD6: 1vs6, 2vs5, 3vs4, 7 bye
MD7: 5vs3, 6vs2, 7vs1, 4 bye
Day Off
MDs 8-14 scorinated by Vilita
MD8: 7vs2, 6vs3, 5vs4, 1 bye
MD9: 4vs6, 3vs7, 2vs1, 5 bye
MD10: 1vs3, 7vs4, 6vs5, 2 bye
MD11: 5vs7, 4vs1, 3vs2, 6 bye
MD12: 2vs4, 1vs5, 7vs6, 3 bye
MD13: 6vs1, 5vs2, 4vs3, 7 bye
MD14: 3vs5, 2vs6, 1vs7, 4 bye
Playoffs

Cutoffs for the first half of qualifying will be at MIDNIGHT GMT
MD1's cutoff will therefore be MIDNIGHT GMT on WEDNESDAY 28th, the early hours of Wednesday for those East of UK, late Tuesday night for those West of GMT.

by **Qazox** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:56 pm

"Eureka! I've done it!" Famous words from Archimedes upon his discovery of the principle of buoyancy named after him.

Alas for the Qazoxian men's national team, there's never been that Eureka! moment. Sure there was World Cup 31 qualifying, after the team qualified for their first ever World Cup, their first win at the Baptism of Fire, the Draggonnii Inviyattii V title; but unless you hoist the World Cup, every one of Qazox' 407 international wins ring hollow.

Once again the Eagles, or formerly the Pheonix or the Black Oxen; stand at a crossroads of footballing history. At World Cup 41, after the team's first foray into the knockout rounds, it took 24 years to get back. At World Cups 48-50, arguably the most successful stretch in team history; the team looked to be on the way towards that elusive title, but then the Scourge virus struck, setting the team back again. It's taken 28 years just to get back to where the team was after World Cup 50.

So will this edition of the Eagles be able to withstand the pressures of history and become the team that Qazox has waited over 120 years for? Or will fate or the blessed mistress of scorination once again conspire to keep them down?

by **Jeruselem** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:10 am

Jeruselem coach Allison Salamida and young Princess Melody Song Dallas

Ally: Say, where's that good for nothing mother of yours?
Melody: Oh oh, she's working on music video.
Ally: The world cup is nearly here, we need all hands on deck.
Melody: Don't worry, we've got it under control.
Ally: Not that Sofia really practices anything that hard.
Melody: We don't need to.
Ally: Everyone must put in same effort, Princess or not.
Melody: We put in effort
Ally: Dunno about that ...
Melody: Anyway, I'm more excited about the new music video.
Ally: Any sexual innuendo?
Melody: Of course !!!
Ally: What's this new song?
Melody: Well, it's a cover of oldie.
Ally: I see ...
Melody: Do you wanna date my avatar
Ally: I don't know that song.
Melody: The original was sung by Felicia Day.
Ally: Let me guess, she's a redhead.
Melody: YEAH YEAH
Ally: So why are you here, aren't you supposed to be at school?
Melody: Hey, it's holidays for me.
Ally: So why are you here?
Melody: Mum can't be here I'm here to do training for here.
Ally: Training supposed to help her not you.
Melody: That's OK, I don't mind.
Ally: OK.
Melody: How is your little Sofia?
Ally: Umm, being a pain as usual.
Melody: Don't worry, she'll get worse.
Ally: Thanks, I'd guess you'd know.
Melody: YEAH

by **Von Kopsho** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:12 am

World Cup 59. After an exciting Baptism of Fire, in which our national team made it to the quarterfinals, ₂₄₀Von Kopsho is now ready to face the ultimate international competition, the World Cup.

Being relatively young, our team doesn't have many chances to even make it through the qualifying round. For that reason staff, players and fans alike are hoping to meet ₁₇₀Baleyaroh in their group, to have the chance to confront and humiliate our former mother nation, from which, as we all know, we became independent a few months ago after a boring and bloodless war, so short historians will probably discuss its occurrence. Meanwhile ₁₇₀Baleyaroh's Council of First has sent an official message wishing ₂₄₀Von Kopsho the best luck. They are so nice you have to hate them!

The 59th World Cup will be hosted by ₃₇Vilita and ₈Polar Islandstates. Schedules and stadia still need to be presented.

The Quatre Puigs Sports Council has decided to keep Santo Albina, coach from Siosque Miners, as national football team coach after the team's good performance in the BoF46. Coach Santo Albina has already made public that he will be keeping his colleagues from Siosque Miners as staff for the upcoming tournament and he announced the list of players that will join him in the international competition. He will keep only eleven of the players that accompanied him during the team's first international adventure. Some pundits will question his decision to discard MC Jewell Gelineau, DF Jerrell Dien, AMC Andreas Blasenhauer and ML Hyman Pagni.

Tactically coach Santo Albina will maintain the 4-4-2 with a slight variation, namely the introduction of the DM position to play in a combination of two positions between DM, MC and AMC. He has also declared that the team will be openly aggressive and attack-minded.

23.03.2012 - Oswaldo Hidaka

by **The Kangaroo Republic** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:42 am

Another world cup
The world cup 59, to be hosted by the nations of Vilita and Polar Island States promises to be an exciting event again. Once again, the 'roos are going to give it their best at qualifying for the world cup proper, but after an absolutely disastrous CoH, trust in the team is at an all-time low. Enart Kerke should definitely feel very lucky he still has his job, as he had been given the bulk of the blame for the 'roos' embarrassing defeat in the group stage of the CoH 50.

There have been a few major changes, whatever falls under the category of major changes with the conservative approaches the Macropodines take, to the team. One obvious thing is that the 'roos are using the 4-1-2-1-2 formation as their standard now. This decision was largely due to Jevjøki's incredible performance. Staggering the midfield shall accomodate the midfielder with a more forward position, but we now rely on the backs to support the attacks over the wing. All-in-all, it was a smart decision of Kerke, and perhaps a sign that he's finally willing to play a different game from the same old same old we always have.

For the starting line-up, there have been no major changes just yet. But last Wednesday, Boerde, age 35, announced what has already been rumoured to happen for some time. This will be the last world cup he'd be participating in before retiring from professional football. He stated that he will be there with the 'roos for the world cup qualifications, and continue playing with them whether they advance to the world cup proper or will be going to the CoH, but after the world cups will finish, he's stepping out. The captain is the oldest player on the team, and has provided the 'roos with much experience and tactical insight.

Indeed, one of the fan favourites, Boerde's impending departure will be seen as regretful. Boerde himself stated that he hoped to get the team to qualify for the world cup. An end to his career at such a point, where the 'roos would break through a new frontier and qualify for the world cup proper, would be idyllic, if possible. Either way, while Boerde will not be playing on the field anymore, his heart remains with football. He's stated he will likely opt for a career as a youth trainer at one of the domestic clubs. Many a club is already lining up to take Boerde in as a staff member.

The prospects for the 'roos are looking so-so. The growth the team exhibited appeared to have stagnated since the end of the CoH, and that can also be seen at the relative lack of enthusiasm of the fans in comparison to earlier world cups. Coach Enart Kerke can understand the sentiments of the fans. He knows they had been severely let down after the team's earlier dismal performance and the 'roos need to prove themselves again to their crowds to restore their honour. He places his priority on giving the crowd what they really deserve, a joyful team to watch play. Everything else is secondary.

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:46 pm

Ko-orenite Sports Network

Ko-oren back at WC59!

The National Team is back in time for World Cup 58! This edition is organized by Vilita and the Polar Islandstates, and while the sign-up phase is still not finished, the organizers allow teams to send in their rosters. Ko-orens Football Association (KFA) has already submitted the teams information; coaching staff, kits and players. So far, 135 teams signed up for the World Cup, and 35 teams have submitted their rosters.

For Ko-oren, the goal is to be even better than at the last World Cup, WC58, where Ko-oren finished at a respectable 4th place in the group. While this is not better than Ko-orens efforts at WC 56, where Ko-oren was 3rd, and one place short of qualification, everything points in the direction that Ko-oren should experience an unforgettable cycle. Ko-oren will play in their fourth cycle, and second consecutive cycle, and so far Ko-oren has never qualified. The team has been invited to the Cup of Harmony, although that ended badly for the team. Ko-oren played three, lost three. This followed into the rankings, where the Verdazzuri accumulated zero points extra.

The goal for this cycle is to qualify for the World Cup. “If the drawing is easy on us, we should be able to do that” commented Haki Asgard, back again as goalkeeper for the team. “We were so close last time, we were even closer before, but we don’t think about those times anymore. We want to get revenge for the CoH, we just want to establish ourselves”.

Alizarin Lelantos, head coach for the Greenblues, in the press conference after the publication of the roster: “We do have a goal, and that’s to qualify for the first time in history. Realistically, the team is more or less unchanged, and everyone gathered some more years of experience. We have a talented group, and after the CoH we are ready to show that.” To the question of whether the tactics have changed since: “We will focus on defense even more. Last times, we played with three defenders. We will still play with three defenders, but the teams philosophy is that the defender should have nothing to do for 90 minutes, and more if we need those.”

A common point of criticism on the team in previous cups was that the defense was a little lacking. The statistics show that the NT played 50 matches in the World Cups so far, scored 64, but conceded 67. “While that does not seem like a big difference, real top teams concede no goals. You get fans with good strikers, but you get gold and silver with good defenders.” as said by Koyane Shiribeshi, the team’s top striker during WC58. ”I had my fun, now it’s time to get somewhere”.

by **Sativaville** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:43 pm

Stoners promise better showing at WC59 or else!

The National Sports Federation of Sativaville (NSFS) has guarenteed a better showing than that of 4 years ago. How will they do that? By using the latest in shock-collar technology. Each member of the national team has had a shock diode implanted into their hearts. Any time one of the players commits a mistake, in the Head Coach's opinion, they will be shocked. To make it fair, the Head Coach will also be shocked as well, with the control given to one random fan at each home game; whiel on the road, the shocks will be controlled by the NSFS president. It is hoped that the shock therapy will provide incentive for the team to do better or to possibly die trying.

by **Qazox** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:14 pm

Group draw posted:

Qazox was drawn into group 7 along with these other teams:

Gyatso-kai
Kalumba
Cyborg Holland
Azrael
Planet Irk
United Soviet Countries

The complete schedulehas not yet been finalised. But here will be the Home game locales for Qazox:

Qazian Memorial Stadium: v. Cyborg Holland
SaxerDome: v. Gyatso-kai
Estadia Pika: v. Kalumba
Ganja Vodka Stadium: v. Planet Irk
New Bruxen Hotel and Casino Field: v. Azreal
Rockport Stadium: v. United Soviet Countries

by **Montory** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:16 am

The Calm before the storm

With the hectic BoF cup over and done with, and the angry mobs after Audioslavian blood have gone home, preparations for the World Cup have begun. The Monotry team are flying out to the tournament last minuet, inorder for the players to go home inbetween tournaments. This also provides the team with a stable training enviroment, in which the pressures are much less than those in a tournament hosting nation.

We attended the 6th WC training session, held on an all weather astroturf pitch in the countryside training center on the outskirts of the captial, Brum. The team were full of good spirit, with smiles and laughter setting the mood of the training session. The team looks in overall good shape, with the BoF having minimal if any effects on the team. There is however the exception, our key striker Powers looks a little unfit. Still carring a slight knock from the group stages, Kenny dosn't look like he is operating at 100%. With extended phyiso sessions with the team doctor and the country's best sporting doctors, we have been assured that there is nothing to worry about.

Team manager Whitewell was also present at the training, watching on from the side lines occasionally giving instructions and advice, while the coaching staff took the more hands on approch. Pen and paper in hand, Whitewell looked like one of our reporters as he scribbled down what we can only assume is tactial notes. We caught up with Whitewell in the dugout to ask him some questions:

What did you learn from the BoF?

Whitewell: I it taught me, that even at the highest level, a bad ref can still cheat you out of a game.

Are you talking about the Audioslavia game there?

Whitewell: I am, but even I'm getting bored of hearing myself moan about the result. Broken record springs to mind, ask me about the World Cup.

Okay then, will you be sticking with the sweeper system in the WC?

Whitewell: If it's not about Audioslavia, then it's about the fr*****g sweeper system. Listen to me young man, the sweeper system works and the BoF proved that. Although its an old tactic, no one uses it anymore, so in theory no one knows how to undo it either becuase no one in this generation has ever played against it.

Whats the key to keeping the squad motivated over the whole tournament?

Whitewell: Beer, next question.

Won't that do the squad harm? The players drinking during a tournament?

Whitewell: You don't actually give 'em any. You keep promising, then when we've either been knocked out or won it, then they drink.

The interview was then interupted by Whitewell jumping out of his seat and running towards the training players after Gray blasted a shot wide.

by **West Zirconia** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:59 am

West Zirconian Football Association
Cochrane House
31-35 Liverpool Street
Moorcroft MT3 3AP

Dear Ben,

I have been watching your performances in the Copa Rushmori very carefully, and I was very impressed with what I saw. You have clearly gained the respect of almost all of the West Zirconian footballing community, and that showed in the way they played for you during the competition.

Your knowledge of the game is second to none, and I have every confidence that this will benefit the team as they approach the World Cup qualifiers.

I understand that you were nervous about how your personal life would affect your prospects. I must admit, I was nonplussed at your becoming one of these 'born-again' Christians and your subsequent renouncing of your 'former lifestyle', especially as it entailed abruptly dumping my son. I may add that even now, James is still very upset about the whole affair - or more accurately, how it ended.

However, I am not one to let personal differences get in the way of my professional duties, and I still believe, despite recent events off the field, that you are currently the best person to lead the team into the World Cup, and hopefully beyond.

I therefore have no hesitation in offering you the post of manager of the West Zirconian national football team on a permanent basis.

Yours sincerely,

Damon Clarke
Chairman, West Zirconian Football Association.

by **Aguazul** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:33 am

La Verdad

"Bakers, schmakers;" Amendola dismissive

García Amendola, who is from the football association, announced his "distrust" of the renowned bakers of Civil Citizenry prior to an impromptu visit to the Rushmori nation. "So apparently they make a lot of food over there," he shrugged, "but come on, how could can it really be? I mean, seriously."

Expressing his suspicions that they "probably couldn't even make a decent enchilada or anything," Amendola did seem pleased that the trip was going ahead. "Yeah, I just got to talking with [Citiz head coach Wladyslaw] Bashirskaya and he invited me over and was being all polite about it, so I figured hey, why not?"

Blinking at a quick brief prepared about the country, he rolled his eyes and said "Oh, because they're probably a bunch of pansies, is why not. Seriously, this is probably going to suck so much."

On the bright side, Amendola can at least travel without being criticized for his stadium decisions, as the national team's schedule for the next qualifying stages has just been released. The construction of new stadia (and making sure we draw the boundary lines in the right places) for the Baptism of Fire has, so far, been a success; all three of those will be used, with Estadio Peluque hosting The Icemark's Bears of the North once more. And under Andrés Meligini's new leadership, Ojedo Cerro have been floundering too much to really deserve a new stadium, or indeed a national team's visit to the old one, with only seven home games scheduled.

Of course, even they're an improvement on the floundering Mapabore Juventud, held to draw after draw after their unimpressive arrival in the second division and consequent culling of their players from the national team. "The good news is we have lots of people to replace them," Fernán Mejia said, "I really appreciated the Brevity Challenge Cup, it gave me an opportunity to look at lots of people. Um. But I still get to keep talking now, right?"

Maybe not.

by **Homelands our** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:04 am

INTERESTING?

WC 59 group 15
Homelands our
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Radiatia
Soviet Canuckistan
Kiryu-shi
Ipeland
Kernansquillec

First thing first, this is not a winnable group, well unless ASMV provide us with a shocking display over the next 14 match days. Most fans will want to find out our updated rank after the cup of harmony:

127 Camwood 5.75
129 Kerblaekistan 5.72
130 Homelands our 5.64
131 Ancharmunn 5.56
132 Landau Institute 5.55

So after two world cups and two cups of harmony we are ranked inside the top 130. Before you all start sending me letters I do not know why we have not played in a BoF. Drawing Ipeland is a good thing for two reasons. One we have a country I know how to spell and two we can beat them up for costing us Quall Cup II, Quall Cup IV will be different Ipeland - I now feel like a am numbering popes! Enough about popes and quall cups it's time for me to review the draw for you.

1. Homelands Our, probably more disappointment for us after drawing two top 40 teams. Challenge Ipeland for 3rd is the best that we can do. Ok it's not but that's all that I can hope for (hope-pope, don't get me started).

2. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, ASMV is the proper title for the nation that co-hosted the last WC. ASMV should win the group sooner rather than later. However a slip up could that us, ipe or kerns into top spot.

3. Radiatia, right this is where the names of nations that I don't know creep in. Honesty, who are you?

4. Soviet Canuckistan, a world cup returnee with ambitious plans, just like us then. Not so they have a higher rank than us because of playing in a BoF, the HOFA is just weird some times.

5. Kiryu-shi, ranked below us (I think) this nation that I have not heard of should not be a challenge in our path to victory (ok maybe a bit over the top).

6. Ipeland, this is a beatable nation. Ranked 65 and made the playoffs last time out should beat us but could still give us six points. However they could take six from us.

7. Kernansquillec, 33 in the world. I think they made it to the world cup proper last time so we will have to watch them. 3 points is the max I think we can get of this nation.

We start off with a bye day before welcoming ASMV to the Horloop nation and traveling to Radiatia.

by **Darmen** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:22 pm

With the Whitecaps season finished, and no International competition to look forward to, Tor Tong Lee wanted to take his talents abroad once more. He quickly found a team willing to take him on board, the Mangolana powers, Arsenrall. Following the first half of the Mangolana season, Arsenrall sat in third, only three points behind league leaders, Skyline United. Tor Tong Lee quickly became the star of the League's Second Half, winning the Midfielder of the Year award despite only playing in 16 matches.

It was what Lee and Arsenrall did in those sixteen matches though that made many fans around Rushmore turn their heads. Arsenrall fnished it's final sixteen matches with fifteen wins, and winning the league title over Skyline United by two points. Lee scored 26 of Arsenrall's 42 goals throughout the second half of the season, leading the league in scoring through that period.

With Arsenrall's championship atop the Mangolanan Premier League, Tor Tong Lee will make his first appearence in the Champions' Cup, and only second international appearence in UICA play, which is set to get underway in the upcoming days. It seems wierd that Lee has taken this long to reach the international stage with a professional team once again, considering that he is one of Darmen's best players, level with the likes of National Team teammates Bryan Faulkner and Zach Preston.

Lee comented on heading to the Champions' Cup with Arsenrall, saying, "It's good to finally get back to the international level of UICA play. I've really missed the opprituity to play against other clubs from around the world." When asked about his expectations for the Champions' Cup, Lee added, "It'd be nice to win, but I think that's a bit beyond our reach. Honestly, I think we could progress out of the Group Stage in the Globe Cup, and make it to the knockout stages.

With the group draw now finished despite a long delay caused by the disapearence of Magnus Ragnorak (Mr. Ragnorak has sence been found and is in fine shape), Darmen has learned who they will face in their quest to qualify for their first World Cup Proper, and Manager Tim O'Donahaue says the outlook is good for Darmen's chances in Group 16.

Darmen will face the Ursines of Bears Armed, ranked 13th, and Osarius, ranked 46th. "The Bears are one of the lowest ranked one seeds we've ever had to face (WC56:Aguazul, WC57:Cassadaigua, WC58:Cosumar) so I think we may be able to draw them, especialy when they visit us. As for Osarius, they're only ranked 8 places ahead of us, so the two games between us will definately be good, solid, competitive matchs, ones to watch for sure," commented Tim O'Donahaue, manager of the national team, as he and former manager and current President of the Darmeni Soccer Federation, Georges Thomas, exited the Kulturhaus in Franz Josef City, Polar Islandstates.

Joining Darmen, Bears Armed, and Osarius in Group 16 are Megadia, Swalenia, Felbah, and Ibis Galaxy Alliance. O'Donahaue comented on the lower seeds, saying, "Megadia may provide a bit of a challenge, but the other seeds will most likely be defeated with the utmost of ease." This sentiment was shared by Tor Tong Lee, a rising young star in the international scene. "Bears Armed and Osarius will be tough opponents, sure. But the rest of the Group looks extremely week."

Georges Thomas though warned against feeling so positive. "The past two Cups we've been overly positive in our predictions and goals. We've said for the past two Cups that we would qualify, and the truth is, we failed miserably both of those Cups. It's not that we weren't good enough, it's that we got the fans hoping too high, and wanting too much. If we stay realistic, we'll do just fine."

Despite his comments about the "unrealitic" hopes and goals the team and fans have set, Thomas agrees with many critics, fans, and team members, that Darmen could easily finish second in the Group. "If we win our games against our lower ranked opponents, and we can defeat Osarius at home, I think that'll be good enough, possibly, to get second."

The Darmeni Soccer Federation released the All Green's Schedule following the draw.

MD1: 54-Darmen @ 46-Osarius
MD2: Day Off
MD3: UR-Ibis Galaxy Alliance @ 54-Darmen
MD4: 54-Darmen @ 202-Swalenia
MD5: 315-Felbah @ 54-Darmen
MD6: 54-Darmen @ 13-Bears Armed
MD7: 82-Megadia @ 54-Darmen
Day Off for all teams
MD8: 46-Osarius @ 54-Darmen
MD9: Day Off
MD10: 54-Darmen @ UR-Ibis Galaxy Alliance
MD11: 202-Swalenia @ 54-Darmen
MD12: 54-Darmen @ 315-Felbah
MD13: 13-Bears Armed @ 54-Darmen
MD14: 54-Darmen @ 82-Megadia
MD15: Playoffs

All-time Series:
Bears Armed: First Meeting
Osarius: Osarius leads all-time series 0-1-1
Megadia: Darmen leads all-time series 1-0-0
Swalenia: First Meeting
Felbah: First Meeting
Ibis Galaxy Alliance: First Meeting

A quick look at who we think will go through, and who will just miss out.

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:58 pm

Ko-orenite Sports Network

Group 14 Summary

The draw for WC59 drew Ko-oren in Group 14. This is the first time that the National Team plays in a qualification group that is not with the first two or last two groups of the tournament’s qualification phase. Ko-oren has been drawn into Group 14 together with:
Cowardly Pacifists
Octinstine
Burchadinger
Mytannion
Saugeais
Ko-oren
The imperial canadian dutchy

In order of Ranking:
9 Mytannion 39.21
31 Saugeais 19.00
66 Octinstine 10.81
98 Ko-Oren 7.64
118 Burchadinger 6.25
207. Cowardly Pacifists 2.00
N/A. The imperial canadian dutchy (unranked)

SCHEDULE
MD1: Burchadinger v. Ko-oren
MD2: Ko-oren v. Mytannion
MD3: Saugeais v. Ko-oren
MD4: bye
MD5: Ko-oren v. The imperial canadian dutchy
MD6: Cowardly Pacifists v. Ko-oren
MD7: Ko-oren v. Octinstine
Day Off
MD8: Ko-oren v. Burchadinger
MD9: Mytannion v. Ko-oren
MD10: Ko-oren v. Saugeais
MD11: bye
MD12: The imperial canadian dutchy v. Ko-oren
MD13: Ko-oren v. Cowardly Pacifists
MD14: Octinstine v. Ko-oren
Playoffs

The other teams
Ko-oren has, so far, never played any of the teams in Group 14. There is only one unranked country, the Imperial Canadian Dutchy. There is also one top 10 team: Mytannion. According to the ranking, all teams are far apart in quality, especially the gaps at the top seem large. Going from 39 points, to 19, then to 11. After that comes Ko-oren, with 8, then a team with 6 points. After that, there is a team with 2 points and lastly an unranked team. We predict that this is an obvious group: the KSN prediction is that every team will finish according to their ranking.
Two other teams have published their roster so far: Saugeais, with two 23-year-olds in the starting eleven, the rest is over 29 years old. They play an attacking 3-4-3 or 3-6-1. Their coach is Iarlaith Mag Aonghusa, from the Southern Northland. The complete opposite is the other published team: Cowardly Pacifists. They use a very defensive 5-4-1, formulated by coach David ‘Duck’ Encover.

by **Phoenigetuzstha** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:02 pm

QEP News, Informing the Nation since the Great Transition

Today, the draw for the World Cup 59 qualifying rounds was made today. Phoenigetuzstha have been drawn into Group 3.

Group 3
The Archregimancy (Ranked 28th)
Jeru FC (Ranked 6th)
Carmadin (Ranked 67th)
Yesopalitha (Ranked 104th)
Kogvuron (Unranked OOC: If I'm wrong, please correct me)
Sativaville (Ranked 224th)
Phoenigetuzstha (Ranked 148th)

Phoenigetuzstha are the 5th seed, therefore are not expected to qualify to the final tournament, this is echoed by manager Nebuchad Bel-Hammonis who said exclusively to our camera's:

"I don't believe we are in this group to win, or to even get into the play-off rounds. We are here to improve our ranking, as we won't win anything with the one we have. In the last World Cup, we finished bottom of our group, and we need to change this if we are to improve in the future"

With the Quall Cup 2 under their belt, Saevam Phoenicopteri will be hoping for even more success in the current tournament. Currently lying in 148th in the World Rankings, Phoenigetuzstha will be hoping to improve, thereby increasing the likelihood of an easier group next year. Here are the predictions from QEP Betting

That is all from QEP tonight, thank you for watching/reading/listening.

by **Ipeland** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:20 pm

New Cup, new squad, same old group

Well, it's that time again, the biggie, World Cup qualifying. We've been drawn into Group 15 AGAIN. Sometimes I think the draw is rigged to place us into that group, which is the third time we have been drawn into that group, in three World Cups. At least we've got some brand new teams:

1. Homelands our Ah, the weirdly named nation. I mean Homelands our just makes no sense, it's just the wrong way round. There's probably a reason for that, but lets focus on the football. We have met Homelands our before, each time in the strangely named Quall Cup. The 'B' team won both times, so we should get 6 points from them rather easily.

Home: MD13. Away: MD6.

2. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Hosted World Cup 58. Played their Under-19s in AOCAF with weak team, lost 2-0. Will win group with ease, but we could get a draw. 1 point.

Home: MD7. Away: MD14.

3. Radiatia Fresh from a quarter final appearance in the Baptism of Fire, Radiatia will be determined to upset a few teams. May be tough but we will succeed in the end. 6 points

Home: MD8. Away: MD1.

4. Soviet Canuckistan No idea who they are. With the very few bits of information that I can get, we should win easily. 6 points.

Home: MD2. Away: MD9

5. Kiryu-shi An old team which last submitted a squad 100 years ago. They are back anyway and look rather good if we go off their Di Brandini Cup performance. They could snatch a draw at their home, but they should lose here. 4 points.

Home: MD10. Away: MD3

7. Kernansquillec Our main rivals for second place, qualified for the World Cup proper last year. Very good and play on a similar level to us, we could play out two draws. 2 points.

Home: MD5. Away: MD12

Projected points: 25 points from 36.

Warm-up game: Middle of Somewhere FC 2–10 Ipeland

Ipeland played a warm-up game to help kick-off their World Cup campaign. The team selected was Middle of Somewhere FC, based in a small hamlet with the same name, who beat 5 other non-league teams to the game. A sell out crowd of 500 fans watched them get thrashed 10-2. Five goals from Kevin Texan and three from Ben Marsh helped Ipeland on their way to victory.

The teams came out from the little huts by the side of the pitch just after the floodlights came on. Ipeland kicked it off, and almost scored about 40 seconds after, Patrick Phillips crossing it from the right wing into the penalty area, Ben Marsh heading it over the bar. Middle of Somewhere took a shock lead in the 10th minute, striker Jon Holmeas' spectacular 25 yard bicycle kick going over House Sparrow Fogherty's left shoulder. Ipeland immediately hit back on the 12th minute, Ben Marsh rounding Somewhere's goalkeeper and tapping into the open goal. Ipeland scored again in the 23rd minute, Kevin Texan's long range shot having a freak bounce and over Somewhere's keeper's head and into the middle of the net, just missed by Somewhere defender Glenn Mays, who had slid in too late.

We lost, it was pretty much confirmed from the start of
the game anyway. It was all about the warm-up for the
World Cup. There was a good crowd here supporting
the local lads, lets hope some come to the other games.

Middle of Somewhere manager, Walter Cox

Ipeland managed to get a third in the 33rd minute, Rún Gissurardóttir hitting an indirect free kick into the 6 yard box, cleared by the Roe Green defence. The clearance fell to Chase Jackson, who heat a neat shot from just outside the box which went into the goal. The time between the third and fourth goal was controlled by Somewhere, surprisingly. Patrick Phillips attempted an overhead kick, but it went wide. Ipeland's fourth and pneultimate goal of the half came in the 43rd minute, Kevin Texan heading in from a Noah Moore corner. The final, and Ipeland's fifth goal, came in the 45th minute, Kevin Texan and Chase Jackson exchanging around ten passes before Texan passing the ball around the 'keeper and into the net. Half time came, and Ipeland were winning 5-1.

A good win, which showed how much quality
we have in our team. Somewhere played well,
although that may have something to do with
the rubber chickens which randomly appeared
there.

Noah Moore, Ipeland assistant manager

The second half started with little action to report of, mainly Ipeland passing around the field and showing off a lot. Somewhere got the action started by going close on the 55th minute, defender Glenn Mays' shot skimming the top of the bar, then scoring their second goal in the 57th minute, Jon O'Mahony chipping over Fogherty after a brilliant Somewhere move. Ipeland restored their four goal lead with a Kevin Texan free kick on the 60th minute, then increased it to five, Ben Marsh tapping in from a Rún Gissurardóttir corner. A lull in play followed, the main threat of a goal coming from Somewhere's O'Mahony which went horribly wide. Ipeland then went on a goalscoring rampage in added time, scoring 3 goals in two minutes. Ben Marsh made it 8-2 with a header from a Moore corner. Texan increased the lead in the very same minute with a tap in from a goal kick. Stainag, who came on in the 75th minute, completed the rout with another header from a corner just before the full time whistle.

by **Licentiapacisterra** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:56 pm

The Licentiapacisterran team, led by legendary Montfort Wanderers manager Tom Lucan, are on a high having claimed 4th place in the recent Baptism of Fire, a performance expected by no-one in the country. Many Licentiapacisterrans have their fingers crossed for another amazing performance in the upcoming World Cup, co-hosted by Polar Islandstates and Vilita. The Lions will have to fight their way through Group 20 in qualifying, which contains Wight, Krytenia, Erathore, Carpathia and Ruthenia, Melbergia, and Ketharnia.

Proper intro coming soon

by **Qazox** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:04 pm

Schedules finalized:

MD1:  @ Azrael
MD2:  BYE
MD3:  Qazian Memorial Stadium: v. Cyborg Holland
MD4:  @ Planet Irk
MD5:  SaxerDome: v. Gyatso-kai
MD6:  @ Kalumba
MD7:  Rockport Stadium: v. United Soviet Countries
MD8:  New Bruxen Hotel and Casino Field: v. Azreal
MD9:  BYE
MD10: @ Cyborg Holland
MD11: Ganja Vodka Stadium: v. Planet Irk
MD12: @ Gyatso-Kai
MD13: Estadia Pika: v. Kalumba
MD14: @ United Soviet Countries

The schedule looks rather simple, with the games v. Gytso-kai and Cyborg Holland appearing to be the toughest on the docket. Qazox should reasonably win at least 8 to 10 games; but you can never take any team for granted.

by **Audioslavia** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:12 pm

From the pages of Krytenia's Emberton Post...

Spaamgate: 200 Years On

When one looks at the average modern sporting organization or institution, from the WCC to the Starblaydian F.A. to the World Cup itself, with their traditions and formalities, presidents, members, laws and regulations, it's sometimes easy to forget that, in a distant past, these organizations that we take for granted were not always quite so professional. To get to that point of total authority, total control over their demesne, every institution goes through a 'wild west' period. Reputations and loopholes are exploited, bad habits are formed with no-one strong enough to speak out against them, and the laws that these days are taken as gospel are improvised on the fly, reactive in the face of unforseen problems.

The World cup wasn't always governed as a democratic, constitutionalised force for balance. Once upon a time, the rules for each Mondial were governed entirely by the hosts, with no president or committee to regulate how they use the ranking system, how they go about qualifying thirty or so nations into the tournament, and how they go about their business.

By the time World Cup 9 rolled around, the football community had ratified an early version of the WCC - an old-boys club of former hosts rather than a democracy of participating nations - and had, after stops and starts, moulded the tournament in roughly the same shape as we see today. The first two world cups had only 32 entrants and no qualifiers. World Cups 3 to 5 had just one round of qualifiers, rather than two, and ensured the top four seeded nations would join the hosts and champions automatically in the World Cup finals, opening just 26 slots for the rest of the hopefuls. World Cups 7 and 8 saw the old-boy system gain strength, limiting the effectiveness of new nations. Eventually the the KPB Ranking System would take hold and would eventually give younger nations a helping hand, rather than keeping them down to the advantage of the old order. For this to happen, however, some kind of catalyst would be required.

Spaamanians of the world, step forward.

These days, our historians tell of the seeds of chang being planted in the World Cup 9 tournament planned and hosted by Europa Britannia and Ravenspire, with the big talking point being the infamous 'Spaamgate'. Historians, however, have a habit of glossing over or simplifying the important points and, as such, I've taken it upon myself to give our side of a tale which, to this day, remains one of the most infamous moments in World Cup history.

For Audioslavians, 'Spaamgate' was only half the story.

The Story of World Cup 9 - Qualifying Group 4.

The Background

The WC9 qualifiers sectioned eighty teams into ten groups of eight. Most groups had interesting narratives, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Group 1 paired the controversial duo of reigning champs Liverpool England and The Belmore Family together with the oft-forgotten One Red Dot and a young Kaze Progressa. Group 2 saw future champions Eauz and Capitalist Slani - then known as Commerce Heights - together with WC7 champs Errinundera and a Haraki team that had lost in the semis of WC8. Beaten WC8 finalists Bedistan were grouped with Antaeus Rising - puppet of the infamous Total 'n Utter Insanity - and another forgotten 'power' of world football by the name of Halfassedstates. Groups 5 and 6 saw battles between other long-forgotten contenders, while Group 7 pitted a fledgling, unseeded Rejistania against long time favourites Squornshelous and WC creators Ariddia. Groups eight to ten included such legendary names as Kingsford, Dennisov, the afore-mentioned Total n Utter Insansity, Giant Zucchini, Oglethorpia and the sorely-missed duo of Snub Nose 38 and Lemmitania, alongside puppets Gilmeecia, 1900s Oglethorpia, One Blue Dot and Belmorian Scandinavia.

Group 4, didn't stick out in terms of quality. It was, however, to bring itself to the fore in terms of the notoriety and infanmy of its members.

Spaam were known for their occasional controversial views, especially when it came to the notion of pushing for the advancement of the established order at the expense of newer teams - a trait they shared with fellow Heartland regionmates Liverpool England. Audioslavia were also known to share this belief, having rallied against the 'rank condensing' formula behind World Cup 5 - a formula which ommitted defunct teams from the rankings, pushing lower teams up the pecking order and giving new teams a rank equivalent to the lowest ranking team (at that time a rank of 45) - and were known for some incendiary news reports from the pen of one Jeremy Jaffacake. The presence of Spaamanian puppet East Spaam was controversial in the light of the attempts in World Cup 8 to seperate puppets from their masters during qualifying. Another interesting thing about the group, looking back, was the presence of two certain nations who's news reports from their games threw up even more questions than those of Jeremy Jaffacake: Aquilla and Lanky Dude. Here, for your amusement, is an example of the average Aquillan or Lankdudian news report:

Aquilla:
Well I'll probably be able to topple that Loose watever. I'm worried about S, ES, and Timway tho.

Lanky Dude:
Lanky United beat Clearwater 2-1, after two brilliant headers from lanky smith. Their striker was huge!!!
Still a good mathc for the leg powered lanky team :wink: :wink:

As difficult as it is to believe, the amount of smilies at the end of that report has been halved - entering more than ten is strictly forbidden by current journalism standards.

When you throw in the average East Spaamanian RP, you get even stranger results:

@@@@ EAST SPAAM NYOOZ @@@@
Nates Meos Mordi

Spaam playd East Spaam last nit in frunt ov orlmost 150000
spektatorz in da noo Guroch Stadium. It woz a veri eksiting gaym wif
lots ov chansiz. Aran an Elmo both orlmost skord golz but da Spaam
keeper stopt dem. Da grayt M?la S?helin skord da onli gol ov da mach
in da 38th minit, geting it past Celo eezilee. Koch Menny sed hee
woz hapi wif hiz teem eeven tho wee lost. Wee ar looking 4wed too
playing Ordeeo^H^H^H^H^H^HOrdeeosla^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Har
nekst gaym koz wee mit win. Da End.

Sam.rfta defeeting Ordeeoslarveea at hom laast rownd East Spaam went too
Kleerworta. Kleerworta had playd Spaam larst rownd, loozing 1 nil and
so East Spaam wer konfident. Da gaym beegan wel, with plentee ov
akshun an chansiz. Elmo skord da ferst gol in da 21st minit, eezilee
defeeting da Kleerworta keepa Tucker. Kleerworta den kam bak in da
35th minit, with Davis an Gannon kombining too skor past Celo.

Kleerworta skord agen rit afta da brayk, with Davis defeeting Menada and
Celo too poosh dem too a wun gol leed. East Spaam kept serching for
da eekwaliza, with plentee ov klos korls bi Aran an Elmo, but it woz Mara
hoo finalee got it in da 72nd minit. Shee shot it intoo da top left korna,
an eeven do Tucker got hiz finga tips on it, it stil got in. Elmo orlmost got
da wining gol sekendz from fool tim, but Tucker just got it on da lin.

Dis dror keeps East Spaam at 4th plays on da taybel, wun poynt beehind
Akwila, hoo droo with Spaam in Nat?l. Spaam stayz at da top ov da
taybel, wun poynt ahed ov Laynkee Dood, hoo wee wil bee playing nekst
rownd heer in Shaw. Orl ov United Spaam wil bee hoping wee win.

The news reports from fellow Group 4 combatants Timway and Clearwater were short and infrequent, although they stood out as works of art compared to that of East Spaam. The Timway media, for a team that was top-ranked in Group 4 on the back of a quarter-final appearance in World Cup 8 - by far their furthest foray into World Cup football - didn't seem to be all that interested in football.

That only leaves the strangely monickered 'Sensual Products' as the final team in the group. Whether or not they were paying attention, we'll never know.

Games 1-6: An Establishment Usurped

East Spaam, Aquilla and Lanky Dude would start their campaigns very strongly indeed, all taking wins over the heavily fancied Audioslavians. Group favourites Timway managed just one win over the first six games, after which the table looked like this:

Code: Select all: Pld W D L F A GD Pts Spaam 6 3 3 0 09 06 +3 12 Aquilla 6 3 2 1 10 06 +4 11 Lanky Dude 6 3 1 2 10 07 +3 10 East Spaam 6 2 1 2 06 05 +1 10 Sensual Products 6 1 3 2 04 05 -1 6 Timway 6 1 3 2 07 09 -2 6 Audioslavia 6 1 2 3 03 05 -2 5 Clearwater 6 1 1 4 04 11 -7 4

Insult would be added to injury for the Audioslavians by a paticularly mean TnUI journalist, commenting on Audioslavia's position on an entirely subjective list of the world's footballing 'superpowers' that was, at the time, doing the rounds.

Power? They couldn't power their way out of a paper bag!

An Audioslavian Fightback, A Spaamanian Capitulation

In an impeccable answer to their critics who, along with Jeremy Jaffacake, had dubbed any purported fightback 'Mission: Impossible', the 'slaves would win their next five games on the trot before succumbing to a draw with Aquilla. Spaam would drop points left right and centre. Timway bravely struggled on while East Spaam continued their strong start. Lanky Dude and Aquilla? Who knows what they were doing. With one game to play, the top of the table looked as so:

Code: Select all: Group 4 P W D L GF GA GD Pts East Spaam 13 8 1 4 16 14 2 25 Audioslavia 13 7 3 3 17 9 8 24 Aquilla 13 6 4 3 18 10 8 22 Timway 13 5 5 3 23 16 7 20 Spaam 13 5 5 3 15 13 2 20

While the 'slaves had overcome the odds to mathematically qualify for World Cup 9, and unpopular Lanky Dude were out after picking up just five points over the seven games, Spaam had capitulated. Having lead the group at the half-way point, the Spaamanians had taken only two wins from seven games and, with Aquilla due to play Timway in the duo's final game, would need a miracle in their final game against Audioslavia. An Aquilla win would put them out. A win for Timway, or a draw, would still mean the Spaamanians would need to hit Audioslavia for six - or more - to progress. This was the real Mission Impossible. In all likelihood, a win would only put Spaam fourth at the finishing post.

Maybe that's all Spaam thought they needed.

Spaamgate

It may well have been at this point that Spaamanian officials formulated their plan to get their team into the World Cup. To do so, they would need a win over Audioslavia that would put the team in fourth place for sure. Puppets East Spaam were certainly though, overlords Spaam were certainly out but should, for any reason, East Spaam be ejected from the tournament, one could argue that the best unqualified team in the group - in this case, the fourth-placed team - would go through in their stead. East Spaam, kept active by their neighbour, were in no danger of exploding into civil war at that time. There had been no reports of any kind of economic situation in the run-up to that point so, why, after Spaam's 1-0 win over Audioslavia pushed the team up to fourth place, ahead of Timway, would East Spaam suddenly rule themselves out of the tournament?

Due to apparent financial difficulties, and despite winning their last
match and finishing top of their group, the officials of East Spaam have
announced that they are pulling out of the World Cup. Players are
understandably distressed at this news, but not totally suprised.

One thing that would come from this though, is that the other United
Spaam team, Spaam, would thus qualify. As a gesture of thanks,
Spaam football officials are planning a funding project for East Spaam
football starting after the World Cup.

This is Donni Darco, for East Spaam Nyooz.

Thanks Donni Darco, but we find it strange that your report has been written not in the garbled, semi-illiterate style of East Spaamanian journalism, but in the brighter, clearer English of your colonial oppressors, and the plot thickens: Spaamanian region-mates Liverpool England (a moral compass of the football world; LE had campaigned to have Lanky Dude banned from the tournament after more questionable news reports from the strange, backward country) sent this accross the international newswires almost immediately after news of East Spaam's withdrawal struck.

Rankings after Qualifying, including East Spaam's withdrawal

Code: Select all
Top 30 P W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 Liverpool England 14 11 1 2 28 10 18 34 2 Gilmeecia 14 11 0 3 25 13 12 33 3 Runaway Moose 14 10 2 2 30 15 15 32 4 The Belmore Family 14 9 3 2 24 11 13 30 ... ... etc.. etc... ... ... 26 Nikea 14 6 5 3 25 19 6 23 27 West Arridia 14 7 2 5 22 20 2 23 28 Dark Outcasts 14 6 5 3 16 14 2 23 29 Errinundera 14 6 4 4 19 13 6 22 30 Spaam 14 6 5 3 16 13 3 23 (placed at bottom after auto-matic qualification due to withdrawal of East Spaam)

At this time, debate about the situation was mainly occurring on unofficial international chat-channels, rather than over the newswires. As such, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which was the first national football association to stand up, wave a finger in the air and go "hang on a minute, here". What is known is that both LE and Commerce Heights / Capitalist Slani, amended the tables in their country's newspapers to oust East Spaam and include Spaam in the list of qualified teams. Jeremy Jaffacake, in Audioslavia's newspapers, came out with a different slant on the story altogether:

First the news: East Spaam are pulling out due to lack of funding, meaning the 'slaves top the group, Aquilla come second and the Spaamages get 3rd spot by virtue of being lucky. At least so it seemed.

The WCC stepped in at 8:20am this morning, after the Football Associations of Liverpool England and Ravenspire called the matter to its attention. An ultimatum decreed that either Spaam could take East Spaam's place, but East Spaam could never enter the competition again, or both Spaam teams could pull-out. 13 minutes later the world's media gathered as Spaam announced that both sides, Spaam and East-Spaam, would pull out. With this news, the final standings of the now 6-team group looks like this:
Code: Select all
Group 4 P W D L GF GA GD Pts Audioslavia 14 7 3 4 17 10 7 24 Aquilla 14 6 5 3 20 12 8 23 Timway 14 5 6 3 25 18 7 21 Lanky Dude 14 5 3 6 16 19 -3 18 Sensual Products 14 3 3 8 12 19 -7 12 Clearwater 14 1 2 11 9 28 -19 5

Timway, who originally finished down in 5th place, look like qualifying on just 21 points. They had better find their form if they hope to compete in World Cup 9.

According to the Audioslavian media, the amended group table conveniently put their nation on top, with Spaam and East Spaam deleted entirely. The message from long-time WC contenders Oglethorpia was altogether more incredulous

[quotel]What, you can seriously get away with this?
Using a puppet to get into qualifying, then replacing it with your main nation.
Great.[/quote]

The way the Oglethorpians saw it, maybe they hadn't realised Spaam had actually finished fourth in the group and, as such, would arguably be first on the list of teams to take Group 4's third qualifying spot should one of the qualifying nations pull out of the tournament. It seemed that public opinion would side against Spaam. It was at this point that their Heartland regionmates Liverpool England got their country personally involved:

Defending Champs Threaten to Pull Out Colonial Democracy Oddslavo if Spaam and East Spaam Boycott World Cup, LE Would Still Play On

The Defending Champions Liverpool England have threatened the WCC to pull out its' colony Oddslavo who finished Group 6 in second place if fellow-Heartlanders Spaam boycott WC9 should they be let in. "We are very certain. If the official response is Spaam pulling out, we'll create more of this havoc and pull Oddslavo out, that is our final decision. Similar comments are expected to be made by Gesamtkuntswerk and Dennisov, albeit not to the point of withdrawal.

The defending champions would still play on, although Oddslavo, ranked seventh in the world, could potentially lose their world ranking for a ranking of a new team to the World Cup.

The LEIFC spokesman also commented "We know that Oddslavo would then lose its world ranking of seven and be rated as a new nation to the tournament."

The Liverpool England suits also set about getting their view across to the hosts, and a representative of host nation Europa Britannia was quoted in his nation's media:

What the hell is going on?

I've come on, and LE informs me of a massive in progress Bitchfest. First and foremost I do not appreciate a decsion being made and ratified BEFORE I am even aware a problem exists. Whilst I am more than happy that the WCC found a solution so quickly, I am more than displeased as a co-HOST I had to find out from LE on IRC some hours afterwards what was going on.

If I am to be treated as a third wheel, I will resign as co-host with immediate effect. I stated that I was loathe to host to begin with, but That a joint operation might have a better chance of operation.

Two, This whole thing is crazy.

1) We did not change the rules to allow Tanah Burung qualification.

2) I did not qualify for WC VIII.

3) I don't approve of puppets.

4) I totally understand where Spaam is coming from.

Yes, the last one is contradictory, but I totally understand that he must see this as fairly simple. I am merely thinking of past indications. Perhaps we could have reached a more satisfactory conclusion.

I know I sound pissed off, hell I am very annoyed this whole thing has been sealed shut before I was even informed it had begun. Where did this "Never enter the competition again" stipulation come from?

[A very hacked off] EB.

The EB representative raised a good point. Why on earth were the only three solutions bandied about simply 'Spaam qualifies, but East Spaam should be banned forver' or 'East Spaam has qualified and should be forced to play' or 'Both are kicked out of the tournament, Timway or someone else qualify'? With Europa Brittania and Ravenspire both concentrating on running the tournament, it was seemingly being left to the nations to fight it out amongst themselves on the political field as well as the football field, and this didn't seem right at all. A Bedistani official would, soon after, call for the WCC to get involved, paving the way for the organization to do something other than merely select tournament hosts:

"And even then it was only a couple members of the WCC -- less than half. If the WCC is going to come to a decision, they really need to get some input from everyone on the WCC before jumping the gun like this. I have to agree with you -- this whole thing has been blown WAY out of proportion. I personally believe East Spaam should be through, Spaam should not, end of discussion."

WC founders Ariddia joined in:

"Basically, I think this is all way out of proportion and that East Spaam should be through, end of story. If both Spaams are now boycotting because of this, something is seriously wrong.

"I'd also like to add it's fairly unsportsmanlike. If you enter a puppet, you accept that your puppet is competing - including against your main nation. I understand it can be frustrating to be bumped out by your own puppet, but that had to be a calculated risk. If West Ariddia had by chance been in my group and ousted me, I wouldn't have complained."

Amidst the caucophany, Ravenspire drew the groups for the first round of the World Cup finals, including East Spaam in the draw. The Eastern Spaamanians were grouped with regionmates Liverpool England in group A, alongside Busby and Kingsford. Not ten minutes went by before Liverpool England made a statement in a national newspaper, re-printing the group draw, but with an amendment...

Group A
Liverpool England
Busby
Kingsford

Group B
Bedistan
Gilmeecia
Snub Nose 38
Total n Utter Insanity

...
etc...
...

Group H
Runaway Moose
Oddslavo
Gesamtkuntswerk
Aquilla

It appeared that Liverpool England had changed their position entirely; were they still pulling Oddslavo from the competition if the Spaams were kicked out? Far from it. It appears the prospect of a three-team group was too good to miss, and Liverpool England promptly removed East Spaam from their group, declared that they were received a 'bye' on matchday three, yet still listed Oddslavo in Group H. Elsewhere, however, there was an asterisk next to Oddslavo's name and, when it appeared that Europa Brittania and Ravenspire had been convinced by Liverpool England that the three-team Group A was the fairest solution, other nations got themselves more involved. Lemmitanian officials pointed out that LE had a lot to gain in insisting on a three-team group - LE, in a frank and honest response, flatly denied the accusations. Europa Britannian officials, exhasperated with the whole ordeal, appeared to be open to whatever the fairest - and quickest - solution turned out to be but, first, the football world had to ascertain Spaam's position on the matter.

Finally, a Spaamanian official had their say:

"If you weren't aware that (East Spaam and Spaam) were the same player, you would've allowed (East Spaam to withdraw). I don't care about the rankings. I care about my team missing out because you put my puppet in the same group. This sort of thing could happen IRL, so I don't see what the big problem is. Personally, I would like a ruling on this, and your cohosts opinion. However, if you are going to continue to be stubborn about this, then I WILL withdraw."

Spaam had stood firm, blaming the organizers for allowing master and puppet to compete in the same group in the first place. While the official may have had a point, it didn't change the fact that nations involved in the World Cup, from hosts to organizers to WCC members to creator, had to pick a fair solution. Spaam's line, "I would like a ruling on this" hinted at the need for a proper committee to sort problems like this out - something the WCC wasn't yet trained to do.

After much bickering, it fell, in the end, to Snub Nose 38 - one of international football's most respected nations and, traditionally, full of spokespersons as erudite as they were... strange - to voice possibly the fairest and best worded ideas:

"The Spaam/East Spaam/Timway issue

This is what I would have recommended to the WCC and Spaam. I still recommend it for any future such occurances -

If a qualified nation (puppet or not) pulls out of the cup competition, then the vacated slot be filled by a competition between the top unqualified nation in each qualifying group. Single elimination, quick and done with.

In this case (leaving out for the moment that Spaam may have pulled out along with East Spaam), Spaam would be one of ten 4th place sides to compete for that spot. Timway, as 5th, wouldn't get to. Nor would any other 5th place side.

BUT...in this particular case the WCC (if they adopt this idea) will have to weigh into the balance of their decision the fact that Spaam (a few posts above this one) seems to have pulled both East Spaam and Spaam out. And the fact that there seems to be a general concensus that Timway should get the spot. If Spaam has pulled both E Spaam & Spaam out, then I think Timway becomes the "next side in line" for Group 4 - and should be one of 10 sides competing for the vacated slot.

If Spaam is still in, but E Spaam is out, then Spaam should be the side from Group 4 competing with nine others for the slot vacated by East Spaam.

I would argue that One Red Dot, Eauz, Antaeus Rising, The Lowland Clans, The Redavic Union, Rejistania, Warnocks Wizards, Bullonien, and The Weegies have as valid a claim to that slot as Timway/Spaam, whichever

"
Old-timers Tanah Burung agreed:

"I'd say we have a NSWC precedent: when Al Quds dropped out (well, ceased to exist) in WC5 the spot was filled by elimination knock-out among the third-place teams in all the groups (decision by majority WCC vote at the time). That's how Bedistan got in (and Audioslavia had a chance to -- this was <Audioslavia's> suggestion). And although my memory is hazy, there was some sort of play-down among the various third-place teams for the extra spots in WC6, wasn't there?

So whatever the powers-that-be decide is fine, and i'm very happy to see either Spaam, Timway or any of the fourth-place teams go through, but i think that we should be guided by our own precedent. No matter what happens, a decision on what is done when a qualifying team drops out is needed, so this confusion won't happen in the future. Spaam thought the next-best team would go through automoaticaly, Ravenspire thought that it was unfair to arrange things to get Spaam's main country through, and both are valid positions, but the whole thing would not arise if there was a clear rule in place."

Rejistania, seeing a chance to get themselves into the tournament at the first time of asking, agreed too and, with Spaam announcing their decision to withdraw both Spaamanian sides from the competition, the door was open for Timway to take their place in a playoff between the eight best-performing fourth-place nations.

The Playoffs

Eight teams competed in the playoffs, with One Red Dot - the team a Kaze Progressan official had suggested take East Spaam's place due to having been the best performing of the non-qualifiers - beating Eauz 3-1. Timway, the team who finished in the final qualifying place in the Group 4 table published by the Audioslavian media, implying Audioslavia believed Timway to be qualifiers in their own right, were forced to take matters into their own hands and play in the first round of the playoffs, defeating Anateaus Rising 3-2. The third quarter final saw new-boys Rejistania take advantage of their second chance by recording a 1-0 win over Redavic Union while, elsewhere, future hosts Warnocks Wizards fell to Bullonien.

It would be Bullonien who would halt Rejistania's spirited charge to the World Cup, despatching them 3-0 in the semi-final. In the other semi, Timway and One Red Dot - two teams who had arguable rights to East Spaam's vacated position - fought it out with One Red Dot winning out, 2-1 after extra-time. The playoff final saw O.R.D. cement their position as the stronger of the non-qualified teams with a one-goal win over Bullonien, to take their place in the finals.

Progress: The WCC Embarks on the Road to Maturity

It is difficult to see any real positive aspects of the Spaamgate fiasco until one looks at the aftermath.

The debate that raged on over the correct way to deal with Spaamgate sparked debate about other areas of the game. In the same thread, and on the same page that saw Snub Nose 38, Europa Brittania et al deal with the Spaam situation, TnUI, Liverpool England, Kaze Progressa and Spaam would publish rankings based on different factors. Some would weight a team's performance by how far they travelled in the tournament, some by how many points they acheived, some would use the ELO ranking system traditional in other sporting tournaments. Bedistan would, however, adjust Kaze Progressa's method of taking an average over the amount of games played, and factoring in multipliers for important matches. The system's name would take on the initials of the two nations involved: KPB. The system was used from WC12 onwards, and is still used today.

The fiasco highlighted a need for guidance, for a senior figure to take control of situations like these as they arose, and for every participating nation - not just senior, former hosts - to have a say via democratic vote on what the best course of action is. Rules and relegulations were needed and, after Spaamgate, many were mooted, and some would go on to become a short, official constitution for how the football world should operate.

Wars, for all the damage they cause, invariably speed up a country's material production, neccesitates new inventions and new ways of thinking, and encourages bonds between those working for a common cause. The same can be said of the Spaamgate situation; it was ugly, and it caused more than a little friction between rival nations, but the dust would settle to reveal a new footballing landscape. The prospect of an official ranking system, RP bonuses, democratically elected presidents and a charter to ensure such a war would never, ever be possible again.

But then, of course, they said that about the Aeroplane.

Whatever happened to...?

One Red Dot: At the finals, One Red Dot would take a grand total of zero points; as good as a bye for the other three teams in Group A

Liverpool England: LE, as it turns out, were almost unstoppably strong at the World Cup, and would have come through a group of ten teams, let alone three. They finished with the best record of all the teams who weren't the hosts, finishing in third place ahead of Bedistan. Liverpool England would host World Cup 22, and suppliment their WC8 win with victory in World Cup 24. They would, however, be made to pay for beating Bedistan in the WC9 third-plce playoff; The Bedistanis would beat LE in the finals of both WC26 and Wc27, before overcoming LE in the semi-final of WC30.

Europa Brittania and Ravenspire: The two co-hosts, rather controversially, both made it to the final, with EB winning 3-1. Although some cried foul, few would begrudge one of the early World Cup's greatest names their first title, after finishing second in WC1 and third in WC3. Their failure to control the situation effectively suggested that a president be appointed, and that rules needed to be drawn up. They were, soon after.

Snub Nose 38: SN38 were rewarded for their diplomacy by, firstly, having their best ever tournament, reaching the quarter-finals before being put out by champions EB. Secondly, and more importantly, they were rewarded by being voted in as WCC president a few years later, and would help shape the WCC as it exists today.

East Spaam: ES were welcomed back to international football in WC10, and would qualify for both World Cup 11 and World Cup 12 before bowing out of international football twelve years later.

Spaam: Spaam, too, would return to World Cup football in WC10, missing out on qualification on goal difference yet again. Spaam would be beaten finalists in World Cup 13 and, from there on, would be more famous off the field than on it - but for the right reasons. The more open and democratic World Cup Committee, as we now know it, was formed by the Spaamanian WCC president around the time of World Cup 21.

Bedistan: Bedistan co-created the KPB ranking system and, though already a superpower of world football, they would go on to dominate the game for a number of years. The Bedistan Football Federation disbanded over a century ago, but their torch is carried by former regionmates Capitalist Slani, who claim ownership of - and responsibility for - the legend of Bedistani football.

Timway: Timway would stick around for a few more tournaments, qualifying for two, but their days of being a power of world football were already behind them by the time World Cup 9 had started.

Audioslavia: Audioslavia's improbable qualification for World Cup 9 was their fourth successive qualification in a run that would finally end after World Cup 29, when the nation pulled out of international sports entirely. They would be beaten finalists in World Cups 12, 19, 20 and 29, without ever winning it. This is still a record to this day.

Lanky Dude: Lanky Dude gained even more notoriety on the opening day of qualifiers for World Cup 10, beating Total n Utter Insanity by five goals to one in a result that reverberated throughout football. For this reason, and in spite of their strange media coverage, Lanky Dude are remembered fondly in some parts of the world, but are not exactly missed.

Aquilla: Aquilla would be part of the international football landscape until bowing out in World Cup 17, having made little impression on the game except for the odd enemy, especially in Bedistan, who considered them one of their fiercest rivals.

Rejistania: Rejistania would spend the next two World Cups perfecting their patented 'System Karela' style of football. They would sweep all before them in World Cup 12, and win WCs 17, 18 and 23, becoming one of the most successful teams in World Cup history.

The End of the West

And with that, the Wild West period ocame to an endall began its decline. From here on in, disagreements would be less about what direction was morally correct, but would be more concerned with the wording and implications of rules and rule changes. There were to be, of course, major disagreements over things like the RP bonus and how different tournaments should be weighted in the rankings - The Cup of Harmony debuted in World Cup 9, the first of many sub-tournaments in world football - but none as heated or as prone to obsfuscation as the Spaamgate debates.

by **Mapletish** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:59 pm

Mapletish is Back in the World Cup 59 , with a plan this time ...

"To Get To The Playoffs !!!" Muain Newtons is all set !

Mapletish is drawn into Group 19,drawn with the highly rated Cafundéu and Northern Bettia,well nations like Montory,United Kingdom of The Southwest,Meshkete and North Chicanan,
will be nations that we have to get our three points from,drawing against Cafundéu and winning Northern Bettia will assure us filled with 14 points,just enough for us to get
into the Playoffs to get into the World Cup.After a great show in the Copa Rushmori with Muain Newtons leading Mapletish to the Round of 16,and got knocked out narrowly
to Erathore 2-1,and managed a (4-0-2) record,Muain Newtons is set to the World Cup job.Well enough of the introduction now,time to see what the Group 19 has for us.

₂₁Cafundeu 27.77
₄₄North Chicanan 15.63
₅₃Northern Bettia 13.79
₈₇Mapletish 8.97
₁₅₄United Kingdom of the Southwest 4.08
₂₉₀Montory 0.88
₃₃₈Meshkete 0.13

Although we might be ranked lower then North Chicanan and Northern Bettia,but with the ambitious Muain Newtons at hand,doubts about Mapletish not performing
against this teams will be erased when we meet.Having faced Northern Bettia before in the World Cup 57,in which Mapletish silenced Northern Bettia in the opening
match 1-0 and finish them clean in the last with a 4-0 win.All five goals scored by Alero Junio.With a winning record over Northern Bettia and not other team else,a
confirmed 6 points has been held onto.It is predicted that Montory and United Kingdom of the Southwest would be easy targets for Mapletish too so another 12 points
have been confirmed,whether or not will we be able to squeeze either a point or three points from North Chicanan will be quite a challenge,and against Cafundeu,
it is possible that we are able to squeeze a point from each matchday.All in all,our main challenger for the second place spot should be ₄₄North Chicanan 15.63 with Northern Bettia not even giving us a headache at all even though they are ranked like 34 places above us.Lastly,Meshkete should prove no challenge
to us at all ranked at 338,the match against them should give us 6 points too.

Now let's take a look at the schedule,

Matchday 1 ₂₉₀Montory .VS. ₈₇Mapletish
Matchday 2 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₅₃Northern Bettia
Matchday 3 ₁₅₄United Kingdom of the Southwest .VS. ₈₇Mapletish
Matchday 4 [i]-Bye Day-
Matchday 5 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₄₄North Chicanan
Matchday 6 ₃₃₈Meshkete .VS. ₈₇Mapletish
Matchday 7 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₂₁Cafundeu
Matchday 8 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₂₉₀Montory
Matchday 9 ₅₃Northern Bettia .VS. ₈₇Mapletish
Matchday 10 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₁₅₄United Kingdom of the Southwest
Matchday 11 -Bye Day-
Matchday 12 ₄₄North Chicanan .VS. ₈₇Mapletish
Matchday 13 ₈₇Mapletish .VS. ₃₃₈Meshkete
Matchday 14 ₂₁Cafundeu .VS. ₈₇Mapletish

World Cup Warm-Up Game : Danaelia 1-18 Mapletish
Danaelia : Benedict Marsh 2'
Mapletish : Junio 1',7',15',20',45',65',78',86',88
Morison 5',12',31',52',62',71',81',90',90+3'

Mapletish kicked start their World Cup campaign with a friendly with Danaelia,an incorporated state nation of Mapletish.Having not played a single game before
except having players in their own 10 teams mini-league based in Danaelia.A sell out crowd of 2,250 fans watched Danaelia got trashed to the ground with a 18-1.
Both Alero Junio and JH Morison started a goal scoring mini-game,sadly they drew with each other with 9 goals each from them.

The 8.45pm match was held in the chilly ground of Danaelia,coming out of a small tunnel at the main grandstand of the pitch,only to see a soggy pitch and wear-out turf.
Home to the Danaelian League champions Danaelian Dragons FC.Mapletish kicked off the match with and at just 30 seconds after,Peres De Oliver slot the ball over to
Junio at the right of box and an amazing bicycle kick by Junio sealed the exciting first minute.Danaelia fought back with a rough challenge by Benedict Marsh and dribbled
past Roi Ben and dipped the ball over the on-rushing Travis Hard,all happening in an exciting 2 minutes.The game settled down to a Mapletish affair as the action was piled
onto Danaelian's half.JH Morison took his turn to score in the 5th minute as he got a turn-around back-heel pass by Junio and he slot it in between the Danaelian keeper's legs.
Junio got his turn to bang in Mapletish's third this time with a cross by the on-coming John Davis at the left flank,met by Junio's toes,he chipped it past the Danaelian keeper.
Morison was not very happy with this and at the 12th minute,he got his chance too a misplaced pass by Danaelia was met by Morison who shot the ball right from the center-half,and the ball went into the net without much effort.Junio panicked a little in the 13th minute,to see his effort of getting round the keeper stopped by a rough tackle
from Benedict Marsh again,the captain gorgeous of Danaelia.Junio made another panicky move again in the 14th minute as a cross from Morison felled to his feet only to his effort flunked wide.

Frankly speaking I'm not very pleased with the panicky performance,
but this shows the quality of the team although the score would be 20-1 or more,nonetheless,the
scoreline speaks for itself.

Muain Newtons,Mapletish manager

The 15th minute turned to be a different story as Junio stopped the ball right on the tracks in the penalty box as the Danaelian keeper stood ready to save the danger ball by Junio but he wasn't agile enough to reach for the shot that was putted far left of the goal.The game was turned on to Morison in the 17th minute but his shot's curling effect just outside of the penalty box was met by the oncoming crossbar,as it went out for a goal-kick.The game has to be paused for two minutes as the goalpost started to have
noticeable cracks on it.The match referee went over to the goalpost at the Danaelian side and affirmed that it is still safe to play.In the 18th minute,Junio got a cross by
Steven Johnson but he placed the ball at the crossbar,and it went out.The cracks on the goalpost was not dimmed unsafe to play as the structure of the goalpost is strong enough to support it back in place even if there are cracks around it.The 20th minute was held on well by Junio as he met with a cross from Morison and did a banana kick that wipe past the Danaelian who can only look.The match continues to be very exciting as Morison missed out on a direct chance in the 23rd minute and the 27th minute respectively.Junio found his burning boots on fire as he shoots yet again but the ball that seems going into the net hit the bar at the top corner and the bar looked as if
it were drawn with graffiti.The constant shots of goal by both Junio and Morison have thus created cracks on the goalpost.The turf itself has been turned into a mud field instead,with the thin drips of snowing falling onto the pitch.Morison got a chance in the penalty box in the 31st minute,this time a rough tackle that send Morison flying by
the Danaelian keeper in the penalty box awarded Mapletish with a penalty and a man less for Danaelia.An argument broke with two players with the referee and this meant that 3 players were sent off instead of 1 and Danaelia have to play with 8 players behind the ball instead.

Morison took the penalty calmly as he slotted the ball low into the bottom left corner of the goal.Junio rounded up the first half with an amazing banana free kick made famous by Roberto Carlos in the 45th minute.The half-time scoreline was 8-1.

Halftime : Danaelia 1 - 8 Mapletish

The snow started to get bigger in the second half and the match just started to get wilder as Mapletish bangs in 10 for the second half.Morison got the second half
going with an offside free kick from Mapletish half in the 52nd minute flying into the net which left the keeper speechless.Morison was the show again
as he slot a ball in between the keeper's legs in the 62nd minute after he got a wonder goalkick by Travis Hard.Junio got his turn in the second half with amazing indirect free kick goal in the 65th minute.A run down effort by Morison in the 71st minute sees get his sixth in the game,a wonderful pass from the left flank by Junio.Junio got his turn in the later part of the seventies minute with a wonderful bicycle kick again that met with a cross from Morison in the 78th minute.Morison opened the opening eighties with a wonderful ratatouille and shoot into the empty net.Junio close up the eighties with 2 penalties in the 86th and 88th minute which sees another sent off for Danaelia after two rough tackles from the back by the defenders,but the referee was linnet to give a yellow card in each of the tackles.Morison ended the match with 2 amazing free kick goals from the Mapletish half in the 90th and 90th+3 minute respectively.The scoreline was pinned at 1-18 after the full time whistle.

by **Saugeais** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:30 am

Mytannion Again?

So the World Cup draw has come to a close, and we were thrown into Group #14, a mish-mash of veteran and newcomers to the world stage. But one nation sticks out in the draw that completely took me by surprise: the fact that Mytannion is even included in the draw. Didn't the Mytanar FA specifically state they would be dropping out of the national stage? Where is the formal letter of re-introduction if they are competing within this cycle's World Cup? Manager Iarlaith Mag Aonghusa gave his opinion on the matter in a press conference earlier: "You know, I don't have the authority to criticize what any nation's FA will do and when they do it. I do think it's a little uncanny they would reappear in the international scene after stating formally they would be taking a hiatus from competition. All this means is that we have one more strong team to compete against."

Apart from Mytannion, the Knights will be facing newcomers The imperial canadian dutchy and Cowardly Pacifists, along with international veterans Octinstine, Burchadinger, and Ko-oren.

Looking at the schedule...

MD1: @ Mytannion
MD2: bye
MD3: vs. Ko-oren - Pitape Stadium
MD4: @ The imperial canadian dutchy
MD5: vs. Cowardy Pacifists - New World Stadium
MD6: @ Octinstine
MD7: vs. Burchadinger - Pitape Stadium
MD8: vs. Mytannion - Stade de Montagne
MD9: bye
MD10: @ Ko-oren
MD11: vs. The imperial canadian dutchy - New World Stadium
MD12: @ Cowardy Pacifists
MD13: vs. Octinstine - Stade de Montagne
MD14: @ Burchadinger

...it's no secret that anything less than a playoff spot would be considered a lost cycle, and while Mr. Mag Aonghusa did bring the Knights to their first ever Finals berth, questions would arise as to how he's managing the team. Moving up wingers Dan Nagato and Dietmar Öztürk to the front of the line with striker Kuzman Ruslan does give an added edge to the offensive style of play, but keeping just three defenders in the back seems to be bad practice, especially when two-thirds of the defenders are past 30 years of age. "The back line is still spry enough to catch up to some of the elite forwards in the game today," stated Mag Aonghusa. "I wouldn't have chosen them if they couldn't get the job done."

Well, that being said, I for one am anxious to get this qualifying season underway, and see how out beloved Knights do!

by **Osarius** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:44 am

Montblanc talks down Firebirds chances, draws ire of OFA

In a recent interview on popular OSN show "On The Ball", Alain Montblanc revealed that he didn't think his side could top their qualifying group for the fifty-ninth World Cup, and even hinted that they may struggle to make the playoffs. "It's a tough group. Bears Armed will be the favourites, and Darmen can't be counted out. Then there's Megadia too... we'll need to be at our best to get anywhere near the World Cup this time around." The Firebirds chief told presenter Danielle Hardison.

The OFA are said to be furious at Montblanc's comments, believing him to be speaking unnecessarily harshly of the national team, who have improved dramatically over the past twenty years. A spokesperson for the OFA told us; "the board are disappointed with Mr Montblanc's comments, as they feel he has been given all the support he has asked for and needed to take the Firebirds to a World Cup finals, and to break into the global 'elite' as it were."

This kind of clash rarely ends well for the side that isn't the game's governing body in Osarius, and Montblanc's fairly impressive career with the national teams could be cut short if there is no reconciliation soon. Benedict di Corradi -- never one to shy away from controversy -- chimed in, drawing on his personal experiences with the OFA. "I think they will maybe use this as an excuse to get rid of Alain. He's a good coach, but the OFA do not like to hear you say things they would not say. I think this is why things happened the way they did for me. They like to keep up appearances, despite the corruption within their ranks."

Allegations of corruption within the OFA from di Corradi will no doubt draw the ire of the OFA too, and Roberto Cormega speculated on the reasoning behind both mens' comments. "I think perhaps Montblanc has a point. While the quality of youth football increased under his stewardship, it has declined since. The OFA spoke at length of developing more coaches, and improving grass roots football, but then put a sizeable raise on course and exam fees. As a result, Montblanc doesn't actually have a significantly better stock of players to select from." He told us. The popular blogger, and front-runner to take over from Karl Heinz-Grichenbauer as Turic boss eventually went on to speculate on the behaviour of former Osarius boss, Benedict di Corradi. "It wouldn't surprise me if he was just taking the opportunity, to be honest. Not to say he's antagonistic, but I know he's still pretty raw about the whole affair. He definitely doesn't think he should have been forced out the way he was, after taking the national team so close to 'the promised land', and he'd never admit it, but he's maybe still angry about it."

Cormega's comments are unlikely to help his case in his well-known ambition to coach at the national academy, or to boss the Flying Sparks someday, but his frustrations appear more deep-seated than those of Montblanc. And perhaps less likely to go away any time soon. The staunch Turic fan admits that he has altered his focus in light of his new perspective on the inner workings of the OFA.

More pressing a concern for the Firebirds -- and by extension, the OFA -- will be to sort out the situation with Montblanc, however. The prospect of seeing him walk out of the role this close to the start of their qualifying campaign, or early on, could have a crippling effect on the national team's chances. With something of a shortage of candidates willing to take up the role, too, the OFA have something of a diplomatic emergency to attend to.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:29 am

What to expect in World Cup 59:

The World Cup this year is being hosted by the nations of Vilita and Polar Islandstates, a couple of nations that are relatively new or new again to the international soccer scene. Vilita certainly has a long history in the World Cup from earlier days, but only recently has returned to full-fledged action. Polar Islandstates is more of a new entry, but has made an immediate impression on the world with a quick rise to through the ranks. Each nation has the passion that is needed to host a great event and make it memorable for all. Other then getting over the fact that the male is the dominant gender in both countries, Cassadaigua as a nation seems to have more in common with Vilita then it does Polar Islandstates.

Cassadagans are used to looking at their qualifying group and seeing a bunch of pansies with the addition of one legitimate threat and one adequate challenger, so that makes the World Cup 59 draw seem like it is a mistake for us. Group 17 consists of Civil Citizenry and the Kytler Peninsulae. Say what? Then we remember that this is soccer, and neither Civil Citizenry or Kytler Peninsulae have been as strong in this as they have been in other sports, and in fact the bigger threat might actually be The SSO. Still, we’re not used to seeing so many recognizable names in our World Cup qualifying group. This will make for a tough campaign, because the Citiz and the Peninsulae know what it takes to be successful in sports. Then you have Karitan, who’s games are going to rotate between stadiums between Civil Citizenry and the Peninsulae? Really? That announcement from the Baptism of Iron runner-up was made before this group was announced so maybe that will change.

The team:

Cassadaigua will be led by captain Taylor Connolly, who has been the leading scorer for the last to World Cup qualifying campaigns. She will be joined by Tara Moreau in the midfield, who has also been a part of the last two campaigns and became known for her off-pitch exploits in World Cup 57. However, the midfield will have two new faces to the starting lineup, although both have been on the roster before. Megan McCarter has particularly impressed over the last teo years playing at home in Winchester. Coach Meaghan Bateman said that propelled McCarter over other options, “Megan has come a long way, as we have seen at home. She has a lot of heart and although we all wish she’d be a little bit bigger, she has that powerful shot and is tactically brillant.” Look for McCarter to be used often to deliver corners. Breanna Hawkins also starts for the first time.

Up front, its going to be the veterans Heather Wells and Jessica Behnke once again. They will be starting for the third time in these spots, in regards to World Cups, and that familiarity with one another will be an asset to the team. Behnke, as we know, is the speedster and the playmaker while Wells would rather just run you over. From the midfield, it will be mainly Moreau and Hawkins looking to set them up while Connolly and McCarter figure to join the rush more often then not. Or maybe we are just saying this to screw up the scouting departments of other teams.

In the back, Meghan Plaske will return in goal. At 32, this might be Plaske’s final World Cup, but she is definitely deserving to be part of the lineup this year after she played so well in qualifying last time, which was her first time of regular duty. She has a lot of talent behind her on the goalkeeping depth chart, and coach Bateman may have preferred to see an easier group to give one of the others some playing time, given their lack of experience. That still might happen, for example against Hanox, but look for Plaske to be in net whenever she is healthy. The fullbacks might be the question mark, and that’s a concern. Of them, only Julie McCarthy has been a regular starter in the World Cup. Taylor DeSantis has had regular playing time, but the inexperience at this level of this group, and particularly in their working together is going to mean Plaske is going to have to be top notch.

This all makes World Cup 59 a little scary. It’s a strong group, and the Dagan roster is relatively inexperienced. Some people have wondered if Taylor Connolly’s become worthy of having her #18 join the other retired numbers on monument wall. A good qualifying campaign should seal that deal. Her veteran instincts will be important and Jessica Behnke and Meghan Plaske will have to have a strong tournament. If they do not, Cassadaigua is unfortunately ripe for the picking in this group, and the opponents will know that.

by **Sargossa** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:36 am

The Island Chronicle

The Token Admin & Preview Bit

Good lord, is this another World Cup? It would appear so. Fortunately the decision makers at the Football Federation of Sargossa have once again been flinging their darts at a rather large map of the nation to determine the venues for the Corsairs' qualification circus. There's no question what the group's plum tie is as Rushmori rivals and Cup of Harmony holders Astograth loom into view. Naturally our rather fancy Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado in Soluca will be hosting that one, along with the opening game against Wolfmanne. The second city of Goza will play host to the visiting Kangaroo Republic while Turori will play their game in Jucaro. Meanwhile, the locals of Daroca and Torreón will probably not be getting excited over the prospect of seeing Crosstoon and Fribberdy Gimlets respectively in the flesh. Naturally enough the FFS have come into a bit of criticism thanks to their decision to award Soluca two of the six home matches, while the likes of Maturín, San Marquez and Cordova all miss out entirely. And naturally enough the FFS didn't particularly care.

Group Thirteen
Turori (136)
Fribberdy Gimlets (310)
The Kangaroo Republic (58)
Sargossa (45)
Wolfmanne (97)
Crosstoon (341)
Astograth (22)

Schedule
MD1: Sargossa v Wolfmanne (Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado, Soluca)
MD2: Crosston v Sargossa
MD3: Sargossa v Astograth (Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado, Soluca)
MD4: Turori v Sargossa
MD5: Sargossa v Fribberdy Gimlets (El Torrigal, Torreón)
MD6: The Kangaroo Republic v Sargossa
MD7: The Polar Islandstates v Sargossa
MD8: Wolfmanne v Sargossa
MD9: Sargossa v Crosstoon (Estadio Bolero, Daroca)
MD10: Astograth v Sargossa
MD11: Sargossa v Turori (Bonilla Arena, Jucaro)
MD12: Fribberdy Gimlets v Sargossa
MD13: Sargossa v The Kangaroo Republic (Independiente, Goza)
MD14: Bye

While national coach Brutušam Erassi ponders the final few details of his world cup roster we can take a very quick peek at the opposition in Group 13. Astograth will walk it, end of discussion. The Cup of Harmony winners have been on the charge in recent times and there's little in this group to slow them down. We're never particular bullish about our own chances but being second seeds for the first time in bloody ages, coupled with breaking back into the world's top fifty and glimpses of genuine class at the Copa Rushmori has left the huddled masses with genuine hopes of a playoff places this time around. Although fixtures against the Kangaroo Republic and Wolfmanne, neither of whom we know much about, will be paramount. Fribberdy Gimlets will provide a welcome opportunity to give a side from Esportiva a good, old fashioned trouncing while Crosstoon are officially the worst nation in the entire sporting multiverse. Which is nice.

And although you shouldn't mix football with politics it would appear that important people either side of the Sea of Sibir are using it to mend some bridges. Relations between Sargossa and The Polar Islandstates have been decidedly chilly thanks to [fair, just and frankly indisputable] Sargossan territorial claims to the Polarian islands of Külmsaar and Terra Scotia. In fact icicles had started to form following the appearance of a Külmsaar and Terra Scotia national side at the recent Cuppet. Just to add insult to, well, an earlier insult that tournament was actually held in The Polar Islandstates and was seen as the raising of a massive middle finger to the Delgado regime. Now, to perhaps ease some tensions, a high profile friendly has been arranged which will see the Corsairs travel north to take on The Terns in what will be a first sporting meeting between the two nations. The Polarian authorities are still mulling over the exact venue but the importance of the visit of their nearest Rushmori neighbour will surely see the game take place in Franz Josef City. Stands to reason don't it?

by **Polar Islandstates** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:36 am

Associated Press,

As you are aware, preparations for the hosting of half of the World Cup Finals are almost complete in the Federation. Aided and advised by our more senior bidding partners in Vilita, our stadiums and infrastructures have been upgraded and invested in over the last few years, and now is the time to put that work to the final test.

With the knowledge in the back our heads that the highest profile event the nation has yet hosted is the Cuppet, a fine event yes but not necessarily one that saw capacity crowds for the duration of the tournament, the FPIFA is undergoing a series of intense warmups featuring seven matches in seven matchdays. Not quite the level of intensity that we'll see over the World Cup, but still the largest series of consecutive home matches that the nation will have seen in a row. The Terns and Sol Kirkkegaard are fully behind the idea, and will be the home side in each of the seven matches, as the squads attempts to reach the peak of fitness in time for the finals without the benefit of playing a full qualifying campaign beforehand.

The list of opponents invited to take part has been a closely guarded secret, although some of you may have published rumours as to which of our rivals and international friends will be invited. Sadly, due to the nature of the events, taking place during our oppositions bye-days, not all of our rivals could take part, and we will have to promise them friendly matches in the future. For now, however, the full list of opposition and venues can be announced for the first time.

Polar Islandstates vs VILITA
MATCHDAY ONE
Carravale - 41,734 (Severny, Novaya Zemlya)
Our co-hosts will be the first invitees the venue for which will be Carravale. The largest stadium in Novaya Zemlya, when Red Star are doing well it can be packed to the rafters with shouting locals. The seats and backroom facilities have been totally overhauled, and this match will be the first test of its new traffic flow system.

Polar Islandstates vs CIVIL CITIZENRY
MATCHDAY TWO
Axel Torvig Park - 39,345 (Axel Heiburg, Axel Heiburg)
Having undergone a huge expansion to nearly 40,000 seats, Axel Torvig Park will play its part by hosting the visit of the Bakers to test its new facilities. Called 'Axel Twovig Park' by many fans in jest at its new appearance, this will be the first international game to be played in its new fully finished arena.

Polar Islandstates vs FSSO
MATCHDAY THREE
Victoria Stadium - 51,293 (Jan Mayen, Norscelt)
Victoria Stadium, set half into the side of the dormant volcano that dominates the skyline of Jan Mayen, has near had its guts ripped out. With an entirely new internal circulation installed inside, the changing rooms have been expanded and improved upon considerably, and with many teams jealous of the Ospreys' impressive facilities, FSSO will look to test them to the limit.

Polar Islandstates vs KAGDAZKA AND PAZHUJEBU
MATCHDAY FOUR
Millerntor Arena - 41,592 (St Paul, Nunivak)
The home of Federation League giants FC Cape St Paul, the Millerntor is a famous and iconic stadium. The Urchins have a chequered history when it comes to their visits to the Federation, but we're hoping a fair and friendly contest will emerge at one of the "safer" stadiums put forward by the FPIFA for the hosting.

Polar Islandstates vs ERATHORE
MATCHDAY FIVE
Palace Approach - 31,392 (Northbrook, Northbrook)
Beating out Harbour Way in the bidding process for host stadia, Palace Approach will be eager to put on a show here to prove to the selection committee that they made the right choice. What better team to test the new improved heating and wind shielding technology and the updated hospitality suites than the reinvigorated La Furia Azule?

Polar Islandstates vs ASTOGRATH
MATCHDAY SIX
Nasjonale Stadion - 67,481 (Franz Josef City, Franz Josef)
With both Landstadt Stadion and Rendahl Stadium undergoing only very minor cosmetic alterations, the FPIFA are confident at their ability to host a good match, and the only stadium in the capital to be tested is the cavernous interior of the Nasjonale. The Ostkurven remains untouched, but the press and hospitality suites have seen some work, along with the coach and car parking, and so who better to christen the new edits than our oldest rival on the pitch, the Olibondeka.

Polar Islandstates vs SARGOSSA
MATCHDAY SEVEN
The Workshop - 35,992 (Islay, Külmsaar and Terra Scotia)
With the choice of testing either The Workshop or Taugen Park all the way up in Torshavn for the final match in the series, the FPIFA elected to give the Corsairs a shorter trip, and will be trialling the new changing room and hospitality complex at The Workshop, in Külmsaar and Terra Scotia. This will mark the first meeting between Sargossa and Polar Islandstates on the football pitch, and it is sure to be one to remember.

This press release will also mark the first time the teams in question are made aware of the venue for their match, and so for further opinion on the announcement, their own FAs will probably be the best place to enquire. That said, interviews with FPIFA officials will be granted tomorrow should any be requested. Mr Ragnorak will not be available for comment as he will be inspecting facilities in Taugen Park in lieu of a match being played there.

Regards,
Alyssia Maruseva
Senior Press Secretary, FPIFA

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