World Cup 76 - RP Thread

by **Nova Anglicana** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:09 pm

An Interview With Antoine Searcy

Hayden Landers, Nova Anglicana Football Today

U-18 men's football manager Antoine Searcy was named as the manager of the men's senior national team before World Cup 76. NAFT's Hayden Landers spoke with him midway through the qualifying stages.

Hayden Landers: Antoine Searcy, the manager of the men's senior national team. Antoine, thanks for joining me.

Antoine Searcy: I'm glad to be here, Hayden. I love reading Football Today.

HL: Going from U-18 to the senior team is a huge jump. What are some of the biggest differences you've noticed as a manager?

AS: Well, for one, I'm not the only one with kids. (Laughs) All joking aside, it has been an adjustment. You have to manage a locker room differently to accommodate all the different personalities. You can't deal with a veteran the same way you would deal with a sixteen year-old. That's definitely been something I've had to work on.

HL: And on the pitch?

AS: Well, the talent level is usually the same; we're dealing with very gifted players in both areas. But the experience and the savvy of the national team just lets you do so much more. It's a more complex game up here and I've been really grateful for the help of the assistant coaches and veterans on the team.

HL: Did you face any resistance from the team when you became the manager? At 38, you're barely older than some of the players.

AS: There was a little grumbling at first, for sure. But I sat some people down and had a heart-to-heart with them, and when they realized my dedication and love for the game, they definitely came around.

HL: The NAFA was looking for a candidate with previous World Cup experience to take over the team after Sook Jin Lee failed to get the team out of the group stage last time. Were you surprised that you were offered the job?

AS: It's an honor to be the men's national team manager. I know I wasn't the committee's first choice, but I'm grateful for the opportunity and I want to do everything I can to help this team succeed.

HL: Take us through the first half of qualifying. How do you think your boys have done?

AS: Well, we came in to Group 1 as the Pot 2 team and after six games, we're tied for second place. That's about where I expected we'd be, but I'd be lying if I said we'd played our best game so far. That draw to Azrea to open up qualifying, that really bugged me. We had a lot of chances in that one to put them away and we couldn't finish the deal. Then we can't get our defense together against Semarland; that one really stung. I wanted to give the fans a big win at home in my first game, but I just wasn't prepared for their attack.

HL: You had a really close call in Fluvique last time; it took a stoppage time goal from Mathieu Garçon to put you over the top and there was some bad blood at the end of the game. What do you expect from them next time out?

AS: That was a game where Mathieu just completely saved our butts. He got a little excited, as anyone would, after the game and some guys from Fluvique took exception. It's competition, Hayden. I don't read into it too much. We'll be ready for a fantastic match here at home.

HL: Second place after six games; what's your prediction for the second half?

AS: We have to go visit Semarland; I think that game will be our most important second half match. If we can win that one, I think we'll be in good shape. But we still have to watch out for Fluvique. They are definitely dangerous; they're a great side.

HL: Thanks so much for your time, Antoine.

AS: It was great to talk to you, Hayden.

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:17 pm

Hannah Alcouin sighed.

Chi-chan had been devastated following the events at 95X. Both were now without a team. At least for Hannah, the whole experience was somewhat new: she had been without competitive football for a while at RSK back at Polar Islandstates before the move to the SLX. Alas, things didn't go well for the league financially and both were now on the market. "Look, I know it's bad but..." Hannah tried to comfort the midfielder, only to find her deep in tears. "I'LL NEVER GET A JOB AGAIN!". Oh, for Arceus' sake.

The whole thing did remind her of having to rush a move out of the Polar Islandstates. She had been paid properly for a while back there, but there was no league. Nothing established. Friendlies of all sorts, but nothing beyond that. And then, on a cloudy night, she found herself on the transfer list. Funnily enough, the winning offer came a bit later. Spatula City Utensils. Her move there was rather news-worthy: the Soccer League X had been mostly closed to foreigners for a while and needless to say, it was meant to be quite the honor for her to be around.

Needless to say, it meant a lot of fun stories to tell to her friends. Sunrisians would soon follow, maybe the other big name being quirky midfielder Chi-chan. And sure enough, there she was. Crying over her first league demise. Life's a fun chain of events, at least that's what Hannah always thought.

Now, however, they both had an interesting possibility on their hands. The multiverse was large. Time to get more stories for their next generations. Either that or go back home.

"The Sunrisian Championship is pretty fun, anyway." Hannah said, taking Chi-chan by surprise and confusion.

by **Garifunya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:28 pm

Frederykvil, Garifunya

Immanuel Prins took a deep breath. It was the day before the presidential election, and he was about to speak to thousands of screaming supporters in downtown Frederykvil. Just three weeks earlier, it had looked like he was in good shape in the polls, with room to grow as the other candidates fell behind. It hadn't happened. Instead, his polls had stagnated to the point where it looked like he would not win that crucial 50% of the votes to avoid a second round of presidential elections. This was his last chance to prove to his supporters and to the rest of Garifunya that he was the man to lead the nation into the new post-Gillaat era. He had worked so hard for this. It could not be taken away from him.

A hand settled on his shoulder. Prins almost jumped, then turned and saw who it was. "Ah, François. You surprised me a little bit there."

"My apologies, sir. I meant no harm. The final speaker is almost done. Are you ready to take the stage?"

"Yes, François. I think I am. This speech is so important; I am a little nervous."

"Only to be expected, sir. Just remember what you're fighting for."

"-for the next President of Garifunya, Immanuel Prins!" came the voice from the stage. Prins nodded at François and bounded up the steps, emerging on to the stage to thunderous applause. He swallowed hard and stepped up to the microphone. "My friends!" More applause. "My friends, it is so good to see you tonight. It has been a long road, but we are drawing close to the end. Tomorrow is the first democratic election Garifunya has held in over forty years! And I encourage each and every one of you to go out and vote tomorrow! Claim the right that we have so long been denied! Make our country greater than it ever has been before!"

"My friends, I want to talk to you about why you should vote tomorrow. Yes, Garifunya needs to reclaim democracy as its birthright. Yes, we need to reinvigorate our nation. But most importantly, we must choose who will lead us for the next four years. In this time of new birth, Garifunya needs a leader with experience. Someone who knows how to guide our country and keep democracy from turning into conflict. Someone who knows how to fight corruption and ensure that justice is done all across our land. I believe I am that candidate, and with your help, we can make our dream a reality!"

"But just as important, is picking a legislature who will be bold and fearless in their pursuit of justice and prosperity! The president and the legislature must be partners in strengthening our great country. But a partnership is not possible if neither can cooperate with each other. I ask that you elect a legislature that shares our vision of a free and prosperous Garifunya. A legislature that will hold the powerful accountable and establish fair laws that give everyone the same chance to succeed."

He looked out over the crowd. Yes, they could do it. Together.

by **Matthewsiania** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:45 pm

The afternoon paced.
Another rainy day at Mardi.
Eleventh day with clouds on the sky, ninth day with rain.
Nana stared through the window, thinking.
The incident with Stella still rummaging her insides.
Was just a thing between a upcoming movie star and the sister of that one guy enough to bring her out of sanity again?
Did she have to go under treatment again?
Why did Asa trust her?
It was hard to tell.
Alas, she didn't think more about it.
A note came.
A new order.
Asa had already passed by Lorelei.
A new recruit would soon arrive.
And his powers were more than unique.

Sho Miyamoto.
A teen pushed away from his hobby due to an unfortunate accident.
At a point, he lived for skating.
Even if he was just a kid at the time, that seemed like what his life would sum up to.
Skating.
But then the whole accident happened.
He was up late on a skate-park.
Disobeying his mother again.
Thankfully, his mother was out of town and his father had went for a drink.
A couple of drinks.
Maybe a gallon, he was quite the drinker.
And then it showed up.
A fast Nightling, chasing him around the park.
His entire trick book spent, the Nightling still hot on his trail.
He saw his father on the horizon, driving crazy after the six or seven bottles of beer.
Sho managed to skip the car.
Well, his right leg aside.
The Nightling got a hold of it, but didn't notice the car.
Surprisingly, the car ran the Nightling down.
And as a result, it also ran over Sho's right leg.

CHAPTER XXIX - BITTER

He was bitter.
Extremely bitter.
In a way, he knew he was also at fault.
He probably knew that he wasn't capable of losing the Nightling on his own.
But that didn't mean his father was free of guilt.
In fact, had he been more responsible about it all, maybe Sho's mother wouldn't have left him a while after that.
Sho would spend most of the time in the care of a nurse.
They had taken out his crushed leg, making him an amputee.
His dream crushed.
His love crushed.
All under that car.
Sho swore revenge.
Revenge against his own father.
But then something took his mind out of the issue.
Another boy, around his age, had passed on following an even worse accident.
Thankfully, for Sho, the leg was still intact.
Sunrisian medicine is rather off, sometimes.
But still, somehow, they managed to make it work.

And so, Sho would walk again.
He would not, however, return to his skateboard.
He deemed it destroyed.
He wouldn't try again.
It was his passion, but he'd rather watch as far as he could.
His last ride could've killed him.
Then again, maybe his mother wouldn't even allow him to reconsider.
Still, one thing was certain.
He would never skate again.
Thanks, Dad.

As Sho arrived in the base, his fellows looked at him with some spectacle.
The Tokyoto-born kid wore a cap and bangs over his eyes. A nice dark jacket with some chains and also dark pants.
His neck covered by a scarf.
His fists wore black, finger-less gloves.
He seemed rather rough.
Didn't help his first event on arrival was knocking Neil out with a single punch.
Sho Miyamoto is here.

by **Eshan** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:48 pm

Maybe there wasn't a need for a special tactic using inverted wingbacks or anything like that for the match against Turori in two matchdays, Alexio del Nieran thought to himself. Perhaps he could just send the players out there and let them play the way they were playing, because right now the Echani national team was red hot and showing no signs of slowing down.

They had come into the match against Schottia sitting only two points clear about the second place team in the group, coincidentally enough the Schottians themselves. Four points back were the Turorians, with 17 points to their name. We had a game in head, so that was certainly something to be excited about as it gave us an advantage heading into the last four fixtures. With Schottia and Turori both breathing down our necks, a win was absolutely vital to keep the once-distant dream of qualification alive.

He sat watching the tape of the match against Schottia, a 5-2 drumming that almost clinched our qualification to the sporting world's biggest stage. The next match, one that pitted us against the last placed team in the group Mazurska, was in six days time, and del Nieran was intent on pouring through the game footage in the offhand chance that he noticed some minute detail he hadn't already picked out in the countless times he'd already rewatched the match.

He had spent much the buildup for previous match against New Gazi asking his players to try playing in a much different tactical setup than he had in the previous seven games. Normally he had asked the team to be very quick and attacking with their buildup play, wanting his players to quickly ping the ball around the field, always shifting the point of attack and keeping the opposition on the back foot. When in defense, he had wanted the Echani players to be a pack of wolves in their pressing. Relentless, communicating, always closing down. He wanted to choke the life out of the other team, make their players fear receiving the ball becuause they knew that an Echani player would be nipping at their heels in a matter of seconds.

This new tactic he had been working on stressed the importance of sealing off the midfield of the pitch, congesting the flow of the game by having the fullbacks play as inverted wingbacks. Basically, when Eshan would be in possession against Turori, Alexio wanted the two wingbacks to push up and come into the defensive midfield area to form a bank of two. To cover for them, the two centerbacks would stretch out wide, while the defensive midfielder would drop down into the center of them to form a three man defensive line. Jean-Marie Bentacur, or whoever played as a traditional advanced playmaker, would be allowed his normal freedom to roam the pitch offensively, while Xavi Arisilde, or the deep lying platmaker, would sit at the top of the center circle to serve as an outlet for possession. The two wingers would hold very wide, although Marco van Ciavatinni (RW) would obviously be allowed to do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted, while Anthony Baudelio (ST) would stay center. The result would be a 3-2-1-1-2-1 formation, with the majority of Echani players clustered in the center of the pitch. That way, retaining possession against the talented Turorian team would be made easy, with the formation naturally having both an M and a W shape in, allowing countless passing options for the players. The packed midfield would make it hard for the Turorians to pass the ball around, or if the ball was cleared from the defense the Echani team stood a pretty high chance of regaining possession.

On paper it made sense, but in the match against New Gazi, it hadn't really worked all that smoothly. We had choked the midfield as the tactic called for, but we lost a lot of the free flowing, formless attacking buildup that really characterizes the Echani team, particularly with this group of technically gifted players. The wingbacks were much better pushing up the field providing width, at least if we wanted to be the goalscoring Eshan side that had dominated thus far in the World Cup. We managed to win 1-0 and never really looked like losing while doing so, but it just wasn't fitting together as completely as Alexio del Nieran knew it needed to. That's why for the essential match against Schottia he had asked his boys to just go out there and play the way they'd been playing all tournament. Don't worry about choking the midfield, don't worry about inverted this and free-floating that, just go out there and move the ball around, and win it the fuck back on defense.

The Erathore legend Alexio del Nieran smiled to himself. It had worked out perfectly.

The Schottian match would have pretty big ramifications for the last few matchdays in terms of who qualified. If Eshan lost, qualification would be blown wide open between the trio of Turori, Eshan, and Schottia. Indeed it would be the later who would sneak into first place, albeit both Eshan and Turori would have a game in hand. If Eshan won, we'd solidify our position at the top of the table and, assuming the Turorians grabbed three points, we'd sit four above Turori and five above Schottia, with Turori and Eshan both having a game in hand on Schottia. There'd only be nine points left to play for, so margins were incredibly small.

The match had gone fantastically, del Nieran thought quietly to himself as he watched the highlights play out in-front of him. It had started off pretty shakily, terribly in fact. The Schottians had gone ahead halfway through the second minute when David Smith decided to just turn his brain off in possession. He had plenty of passing options to find with a Schottian player closing him down, but instead he passed it right to the Schottian, whose surprised first touch took them right into the box and they blasted it past Demarcus Jones into the goal, 1-0. Not really ideal, that had been incredibly shitty. To their credit, the team didn't really let it faze them. In years past, del Nieran mused to himself, it wouldn't have been unusual to see the team sorta break down, resorting more to hero ball than to their game plan to try and pull level. Now, there was a confidence in the team. Sure they were a goal down to a damn good opponent, but they didn't let that faze them. The Echani players collectively took a deep breath, said 'wow this blows but good thing we've been kicking ass this entire tournament so let's do this', and that's just kinda what they did.

It was Samper Markovic who leveled the game for Eshan at 1-1 in the 16th minute. Jean-Marie Bentacur had found a wide Marco van Ciavatinni with a nice little lofted ball, which the 21 year old wide man neatly trapped and started to cut into the center. Samper Markovic made a rare long run from deep, slicing up the field on the backside of the Schottian formation before curling in towards goal. The quick thinking van Ciavatinni rolled the ball from left to right foot, toe-poking the ball through the legs of his defender right to Markovic, who smacked it with his right foot into the roof of the net, 1-1. The next goal came in the 34th minute, when a Schottian attack ended with a strong Demarcus Jones diving save. Luke Albom pounced on the rebound, clearing the ball upfield. Anthony Baudelio chested it down to Bentacur, who sprayed it far down the sideline for MvC to chase after. The lightning quick right winger caught up to the ball, and hit a grounded cross towards the top of the box, where Jean-Marie Bentacur collected the ball and narrowly slipped it past the defensive line for Anthony Baudlio to neatly sidefoot into the net, 2-1. On the stroke of halftime we went ahead 3-1, when the tricky and elusive Marswhan Mercury was fouled about 30 yards away from the goal, slightly off right of center. Marco van Ciavatinni stepped up to plate and hit a beautiful curling shot up and over the wall, the home crowd going crazy as the ball eluded the goalkeeper, smacking into the net to make it Eshan 3-1 Schottia.

When the halftime whistle came, many Echani were pinching themselves, this was just too good to be true how well we were playing. Without the distraction of having to focus on inverted wingbacks or anything like that, the Echani were just playing their natural game to devastating effect.

No changes from Alexio del Nieran or his opposite number as the second half started, and it was the Schottians that were the first to celebrate. Another defensive error from David Smith, this time a completely mistimed tackle in the 49th minute sent a Schottian player tumbling to the ground in the box, and a penalty was given. The actual PK itself was pretty shitty, a chipped attempt slightly off left of center, and Demarcus Jones was able to bat it away. Unfortunately, joy turned immediately into sorrow as the rebound fell to the PK taker, who had an empty net to blast the ball into, 3-2.

That was it for the Schottian team though. Our quickly moving possession game had worn them down, while our constant, non-stop pressure on defense meant that the tired Schottians were giving the ball away far more easily than in the first half. Indeed, it was a ball won by Samper Markovic off a superb sliding tackle that lead to Eshan's fourth goal, when he poked the ball away to Xavi Arislde. The midfielder who plys his trade for Goodfeather FC snapped his head up, taking in the entire field at a glance before picking up a streaking Marshawn Mercury with a brilliant long pass. The ever-flashy Mercury took the ball out of the air with a neat little backheel flick, popping the ball up over the centerback infront of him. He collected the ball out of the air, faked a shot to send the keeper to the floor, and cheekily rabonad the ball into the net, 4-2 in the 63rd minute.

Alexio del Nieran made two changes after this goal, bringing on centerback Darren Tran, who plays for Osarian club Kyoshiku Island, for an abysmal David Smith, while it was elite box-to-box midfielder Deandre James who came in for a tired-looking Jean-Marie Bentacur. With no changes in the scoreline, del Nieran made his final switch in the 72nd, bringing off Anthony Baudelio and subbing on Sebio City striker Robby Stanford. Despite scoring 14 goals in his first season with the team and being the perfect sort of cerebral play Sebio City covets, there are rumors of manager Miralem Marjanovic thinking of transfer listing the striker. Either way, good to see him get some gametime for the National Team.

The final goal of the game came in the 78th minute, when Marco van Ciavatinni found Robby Stanford with a neat through ball, and the super speedy striker blew into the box, only to be clipped by the onrushing Schottian goalkeeper, the referee blowing his whistle and pointing to the spot for the second penalty of the night. It was van Ciavatinni who stood over the PK, taking a deep breath, squaring his shoulders, starting his run up annnndddd……chipping it to the left of the goal, opposite the keeper who guessed the wrong way.

5-2, and Eshan's ascendency into the World Cup Finals was so close, he could taste it Alexio del Nieran thought to himself with eyes closed.

The match against Mazurski should be little more than a formality, the last placed team had a single win and only eight goals to their name, while they'd conceeded 22. For an Echani team that had found net 29 times during qualification, a goalfest could be seen on the horizon, and what a world of good that would do the boys heading into the vital match against Turori. That was the game that would really decide things. A win or even a draw against Turori would be enough to seal first place and qualification, while a loss and results for Schottia could still find us maybe dropping out of the qualifying spots all together. There was still a lot of football to be played, plenty of time for things to go wrong, but Alexio del Nieran could feel his coronation coming. He'd been crowned so many things, best ever Eshan national team manager would look good as the latest item on that list.

by **Eura** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:11 pm

A litany of statistics had become available to the Euran government in the space of a few hours after the cabinet had held their main discussions. Few of them made for good reading. The value of the Euran pound, a reliable value in the context of multiverse economics that usually remained close to the NSD rate, had plummeted suddenly to its lowest value in over eighty years. Although it was expected to mostly recover within a few days, the shock taken by the Euran economy was extremely severe and had led to substantial capital flight. The reaction of the state at least had been formidable - a sudden cut of interest rates from the Euran National Bank, mandatory nationalisation of select private companies on terms already defined in contracts drafted for such a situation, and promising to place substantial procurement orders for wartime activities within days. They also had been presented with daunting statistics on the topic of the amount of resources that would now have to be marshalled to get things in order. Eura's practical supply of oil would have to increase substantially to avoid further economic slowdown or the military coming to a halt, a big task considering the requirements of both. Huge amounts of food, water, medical and other aid resources would have to be acquisitioned and funneled to affected regions and the military fighting on the border. Six million people would have to be selected to perform "voluntary" work on special assignments across the country, and that was just to start.

Among all of this talk about numbers in relation to the economy, the Prime Minister was somewhat ambivalent. While his advisors worked out the terms, he was taking an arguably well earned break. Even so, a nice sofa in the PM's accommodation area at the Deep Reserve C underground facility and an expensive Falourr whiskey couldn't give him a break from the toll of war. It was the discussion of the human cost that had affected him. Although there were no confirmed numbers, his advisors were giving him the best estimates from the ground in Pooltree, citing anything between a hundred thousand and the most part of a million dead from the bomb. Several million more from the area surrounding Pooltree and the larger conurbation of Marhead were in direct danger and now being displaced from their homes, with massive refugee camps already being rushed up in the area. The attack in Falourr had not only cost Eura a couple of thousand sailors, but also the lives of hundreds of civilians, with further evacuation needed due to the raging oil fires and a crippled nuclear aircraft carrier smouldering in the bay. The door opened behind him as he mulled over these horrendous figures. It was Yarley, his Foreign Minister, and the Chairman of the secretive Office State of Intelligence. Both looked down at the PM for a little while without speaking, the silence saying all that needed to be said until he decided to break it. 'Look's like you were right all along, Chairman. Couldn't trust the bastards. Congratulations, eh?' The Chairman didn't reply, instead walking over to the PM and showing a rare bit of emotion (unlike his old self), putting his hand to his face and almost clawing at it out of anger. 'It's not your fault sir. I expect my colleague Mrs, well, "Spader" will be resigning?' The PM said nothing. He just laughed and poured himself some more whiskey.

Yarley joined them for a drink. 'Hope you don't mind us having a sip boss?'
'Take as much as you like. I expect we will have to get used to drowning our sorrows.' Yarley sat down next to her party leader and mentor, trying to give him comfort with a hand on his shoulder. 'We should be through the worst. They have lost the element of surprise now.'
'I remember the last war. They don't need that to do this much damage. Are you going to tell me the latest or not?' Yarley looked nervously at the Chairman. 'I'm not sure that's a good idea Michael, why don't you relax for a bit before we get into that?'
'Amy, I have immense respect for you, you know that. But in the last three days I've survived a nuclear explosion, watched my country be placed in its greatest peril for a very long time, and been put in a position where I then have to tell three billion plus people how its going to be alright. Just get on with it and tell me.' The Chairman decided to take the burden off her and get straight into it. 'News is that they have made minor breakthroughs at the DZ. The chiefs of staff are still pursuing the staged withdrawal strategy and our guys at the front are holding on as long as they can. In the meantime three Army Corps are being mobilised north of Oakstone to add a hefty buffer to our defence as it takes its ground further south. The eastern flank has held well though we've had to redirect some troops away. In the west they haven't broken through but apparently the fighting is difficult; they're moving through the mountains with special forces and trying to surge the Northreach Gap with armour and helicopters. The nuke they used on the DZ is slowing them down though, its closed off a whole area of advance.'
'At what cost?'
'As far as we know? 30,000 men from the bomb. God knows how many across the line. Sameban casualties are likely much higher.'
'30,000? Christ. And the world just fucking watches.' Despite Yarley's visible concern, Michael took another long drag from his glass. 'How's the navy doing?'
'Two Sameban escort vessels sunk in the last hour off the Marston Bank. We've got reports of Sameban landings in the Ferguson Islands in Endemia though, and one of their naval groups has slipped into Atlantian Oceania waters but we don't know where precisely. Its all up in the air to a degree.' The PM only nodded back at Yarley, who herself seemed to hurt inside every time she reflected on the hardship they now faced.

More advisors entered the room without knocking, much to the trio's chagrin. 'Excuse me but what exactly do you think you're doing? You'll be briefed shortly.'
'I'm sorry to interrupt ma'am, but we have further developments for you. Please could you come with us?'
'Is it about Gregoryisgodistan again?'
'Yes, ma'am. We've monitored traffic between them and the Sameban Navy. The supply runs look likely to happen.'
'Fine, one moment.' Reluctantly Yarley obeyed, setting down her glass and whispering some words of reassurance into the PM's ear, gesticulating to the Chairman to keep an eye on him on the way out. 'See you later boss. Now look you lot, I told you, all these madmen need to know is that if they come within sight of Rushmori waters, the Euran Navy is going to ram a wave of missiles up their arse. How hard is that to understand!' As soon as she was gone, the PM switched his attention to the Chairman for further information. 'She spoken to Valladares yet?' The Chairman was taken aback by the PM's unusual frankness. 'Well yes, but I wasn't part of the discussions.'
'You got the gist of it though right? You two seem to be on the same wavelength all the time.'
'Mostly. But the Valladar's have only told us so much, apart from offering their condolences obviously. However I've been speaking to their spooks separately and obviously they are extremely embarrassed that their nuclear technology has ended up being used in combat against us, let alone in an act of mass terror. They might help us. We'll see. Certainly Sameba getting too far isn't in their interest. The Sargossan's are looking pretty amicable by the way.'
'That's a positive change at least.'
'Yes, Prime Minister. Though why it took such a series of events as this to make Sargossa realise that they should reach out to us rather than playing competitor, I don't know.' The PM chuckled once he'd polished off his drink. 'Now now, John. This is why you're not a diplomat.'
'Well, you say that sir, but I'm getting a lot of sympathetic notes from all over. People really have it in for Sameba and understandably so. Nephara in particular seem rather aggravated by the Pravenna crisis. San Jose Guayabal can be relied upon to support us in all likelihood.' The Chairman wanted to say something else, but stopped short.

He finished off his drink and turned to leave. 'I'll get out of your hair Prime Minister.'
'What's the bad news?' The Chairman was halfway through the door but he stopped, slowly closing the door again and checking no-one was listening. 'You're good at reading people aren't you sir?'
'I was a lawyer once upon a time, its a helpful skill to have!' The whiskey had run out but neither of the men seemed to care too much. The Chairman took a seat, dwelling on what the PM needed to know. 'We have a substantial amount of internal refugees, and I'm afraid that this is going to create a problem with Electrum.'
'How so?'
'It was bad enough with the Population Density Act, which is why we didn't tell them it could be two million people going over. Now you have hundreds of thousands of under-employed people from the north and northeast who have a reason to wander south. My sources on the ground can't get exact numbers but there are people piling up on the southern border and some have already crossed in unguarded areas. I also understand that some of the more organised protest groups who used violence recently have been consolidating and are now on the move. My MoD chaps are looking into it but we may have a case of ex-soldiers advising them on how to go further.'
'How serious is the risk? This would be the worst possible time for instability with Centralis. We need them on our side.'
'Pretty bad, but quite frankly sir, I think we have bigger fish to fry. That's the other thing, the sleeper attackers. We had what, fifty odd incidents? But you asked me earlier if there could be more. My answer is; probably not. It seems the Sameban's expended them all in one go. At the moment I think our primary concern should be further nuclear terrorism or strategic air raids.' The PM finally set his glass down and stared into it, like he was looking for answers. 'The lone wolf attacks are over then. A thousand dead or something later.'
'Better late than never?'
'I suppose. Thank you, John. I think I need some time alone now.' The Chairman obeyed, and left the Prime Minister to his thoughts. He would soon have to make some big calls to do with strategic direction, and the consequences of any poor decisions would cost many lives.

'

by **Audioslavia** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:22 pm

For Roddy Fraser, a four hour plane trip was an eight hour plane trip. Always. It wasn't so much the fear of flight - maybe initially, yes, but these things get easier with time - it was more the fear of death. Everything had gone so well up until now. He had things to live for. Not like before.

This was to be his third meeting with the national team, and first on foreign soil. He arrived into Redinxson for the second time, traversing security with minimal fuss, knowing this time that his passport was the back pocket of his trousers, as opposed to in the front zipper of his carry-on case as it usually was, and made his way to the waiting bus, sitting himself down on one of the empty seats.

Some players had preferred seating partners. Marquez and Caceres, the national team's traditional centre-half pairing, were inseperable, while the Moreazerua and Izotz Zubia players rarely mingled outwith the pitch. Some players preferred to travel alone. Fellow striker Jose-Luis Aurrekoetxea was one of them. Roddy was another. He sat himself behind his team-mate on an empty double-seat and looked out of the window at the early evening citiscape. The hotel was a fair way from the airport and, with this traffic, it might be a couple of hours until they got to the hotel.

Roddy flicked through a few albums on his iPod, found nothing he was in the mood for, and selected a learn Blackilan audio track instead. The first guttural quadruple-S sound had barely escaped his headphones before he felt the presence of someone rattling into the seat next to him.

Roddy looked around. It was the unmistakeable Jeremy Jaffacake.

"Jer... what... what are you doing here?" asked Roddy. Jeremy smiled and tilted his head to the side, quizzically. Roddy furrowed his brow. "..er.. I mean, what brings you here... sir..."
Jeremy threw his head back with a hearty cackle and gave Roddy what the old Audioslavian probably thought was a firm, thudding pat on the back. Roddy, built more for rugby than soccer, barely registered it.
"Oh, Roddy, no need for formalities. I'm not here as WCC President today. Well, not right now. I'll be formally introduced as eminence greasy before our... I mean, your... game with Red Blackiland. I'm just here to have dinner with the team at your hotel and do the kit-launch photoshoot with a few of the guys."

Ah yes. The photoshoot. Since the first day of quaifiers, Audioslavia hadn't needed to use any colours other than the ones on their ghastly new home shirt. Now, facing a Red Blackiland side whose colours could be predicted by a colourblind invalid with only a passing familiarity with international geography, Audioslavia would be forced to wear their change strip, and Kirola had decided, in their wisdom, that unveiling the new shirt in the home city of rival kitmakers Meski was somehow a grand idea.
'Rivals indeed' thought Roddy, '20 years ago, maybe. Were Kirola even active any more? You'd look as out of place wearing a Kirola shirt in 2110 as you would wearing a set of Wayfarers, a clock around your neck and a Transformers tie'

"Have you seen the new kit yet, Mr. Jaffacake?" asked Roddy.
"Aye, of course" said Jeremy. "Same as the home one, only white with red pinstripes on the right hand side"
"Ugh"
"Oh come on now" protested Jeremy, "it's not as if you'll be wearing it yourself." Roddy made sure Jeremy saw the big shade of side-eye he was giving him. Jeremy smiled. "Come on, Roddy, you're, what, sixth choice usually? Even with these injury problems you're, what, third choice? The boss would be mad to start you ahead of Aurrekoetxea and Apexarena. You, a young lad with a second division team, you're happy just to be here, aren't you?"
Roddy tried not to bristle at that comment. Sure, the old hack-turned-suit (and what a suit. What was that on his tie? Was that... was that a Mask logo?) had a point, but Roddy wasn't here just to make up the numbers. Even when Audioslavia's first-choice partnership of Dragan and Renzo had been fit, Roddy's name had been bandied about the newspapers as a potential depth player, one of the only players whose shoulders were broad enough to carry the number 9 shirt that Dragan had made his own over the course of the decade. Had Roddy figured he'd be coming to Red Blackiland just to wear an expensive tracksuit on a bench for 90 minutes, he'd have feigned injury, just as Patzi Azarola had. Patzi, the Raynor City United player, had made a career of choosing his beloved club over the national team. Audioslavia hadn't given him a chance in his early twenties, so he'd spent his late twenties returning the insult, amassing five goals over his three substitute appearances and one solitary start, and coming down with a bout of the sniffles every time it came down to squad selection.

"Not expecting to start, no" came Roddy's reply, "but I'm expecting to play a part".
"They'll be going with just the one up front" said Jeremy, wagging his finger. "It'll be either Apexarena or Aurrekoetxea, not both. You'll have to give one or both of them a studs-down-the-ankles in training to even have a shot."
"He wouldn't dare" came a voice from the seat in front. Jose-Luis Aurrekoetxea, raised a lazy hand into the air, into where Roddy and Jeremy could see it, and waggled his finger.
"'Course not, Orry" called Roddy, "I won't need to. Boss'll be picking me before you, innit?"
Jose-Luis continued waggling a finger, only this time it was a different digit being held in the air.

"Big match" said Jeremy, after Jose-Luis had gone back to 'reading his book' (or 'finding books with interesting names on the internet and downloading them before going online and finding a synopsis so he can wax lyrical about them to his gorgeous-but-nerdy girlfriend', to be more accurate but much less brief). "4-5-1, definitely, unless Guillermo is actually an undercover Krytenian spy sent to destroy us, as I have always suspected".
Jeremy's final words, louder than the rest of his sentence, drew another finger from a be-suited arm near the front of the bus.
"Why?" asked Roddy.
"Because we don't really need to win this one" answered Jeremy. "A draw, and two wins in our final two games, get us to the top of the group. NWG and Sargossa would have looked impressive 20 years ago ('like your tie', thought Roddy), but they're incredibly winnable games nowadays. Red Blackiland, on the other hand... yeah, we gubbed them in Audioslavia, but in their own stadium, with a big chance of putting themselves four points clear with only a game to play... going for a win would be brave. Very brave. Plus, it's not just auto-qualifying that's up for grabs, it's the boss's career, too. Imagine being the first Audioslavia manager to fail to qualify for the World Cup while in the top 100 in the world. Except that time in World Cup 5. Add to that the fact that we, after a big unbeaten run, got beat by Isles of Avon... that was a hell of an upset. Lose out on qualifying after having a fairly tame group, and after going six for six in the first half of qualifying, and he'd be hounded out of Cathair faster than you could say 'son of a douchebag'.

"Fair enough" said Roddy, wishing he'd saved his save for the start of this journey so he could have taken a seat elsewhere.

"Speaking of douchebags" continued Jeremy. "I did an AMA on Nessit the other day. You heard of it?"
"Nessit? Aye. That's where all the idiots go to try to sound clever. Opposite of RL States, which is where all the clever people go to try to sound idiotic"
"That's the one. Did you read the AMA?"
"I must have been busy that week" said Roddy, alluding to the fact that Jeremy, in his everlasting quest to be the centre of attention everwhere, at every time, had kept answering questions, and counter-trolling abusers, days after he was supposed to.
"Your name came up exactly once" said Jeremy.
"Yeah?" said Roddy, not remotely interested.
"Yeah. Some guy. Checked his post history and he's a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Something about... well... he talks about superheroes a lot. Regular looking guys with super-hero powers of some description. You wouldn't.... you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Roddy just about managed a 'no' after a very, very long inhale.

"Worst lie I've ever seen, Roddy" said Jeremy, quietly.

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 7:39 pm

International waters off the coast of Sameba

The Gregoryisgodistani Navy ships were quickly moving towards Sameba, but were still in international waters. For now, the Euran Navy had not engaged them, but Gregoryisgodistan knew that it was only a matter of time. Navy SuperAdmiral Joseph Larez ordered his ship, the Holy Gregory, the crown jewel of the Gregoryisgodistani Navy, to go full speed ahead. Meanwhile, 500 other ships were also preparing to join that ship at a rendezvous point just outside Sameban waters, then attempt to break through the Euran blockade together.

The ships carrying gruel, oil, and other supplies for the Samebans such as prune juice to drink in case nosy old Eura tampered with the water supply, and even gifts for small Sameban children. Good gifts like teddy bears which any child would enjoy, not silly propaganda like The Llama Mama. Now, if Eura sunk the Holy Lordini, they would be known as the nation which sunk a ship full of children's teddy bears. That wouldn't quite get them to the pariah level of Gregoryisgodistan or Sameba, but it might attract at least some international sympathy for the latter. Of course, Eura couldn't know which ship, if any, was carrying the teddy bears, and which were carrying more useful items such as food and fuel, or even that any ship was carrying teddy bears, so this was virtually useless as a deterrent. But if and when the Lordini was sunk, Lord Almighty Gregory was certainly going to exploit it for its propaganda value, as would the Sameban government.

At approximately 6:00 PM local, the ships reached the rendezvous point and attempted to break through the blockade immediately, in the dimming light, hoping that it would be harder for the Euran ships to spot them. "Enemy ship spotted ahead!" shouted the SuperAdmiral of the Holy Enemy Crusher I, on the right flank. The Holy Enemy Crusher, Holy Enemy Crusher II, and Holy Enemy Crusher Biggy McParis, were, true to their names, the best at charging directly into Enemy Fire, surviving damage, and if necessary, ramming the Enemy Ships at full speed and hopefully destroying both. The Enemy Crusher ships were also filled with highly flammable material, which would surely ignite at a full-speed ramming. They made sure to keep their distance from the rest of the Gregoryisgodistani ships, with the hopes of inflicting casualties on the Eurans and potentially serving as a distraction. They were suicide ships. The Euran ships began firing at the Enemy Crusher Trio, which proceeded at full speed and prepared to ram the Euran ships if they did not back off. The Gregoryisgodistanis would still have 497 ships remaining, all of which had much more critical cargo than the material aboard these three which was chosen solely for its high flammability.

The Holy Enemy Crusher Biggy McParis began the ramming by deliberately ramming a Euran ship at full speed, and all of a sudden all hell broke loose. There was firing in all directions, rounds being discharged, and ships ablaze, both the Enemy Crusher Trio and those ships engaging them. Gregoryisgodistani ships were trying like mad to break the blockade and were firing at Euran ships left and right while the sailors sang sea chants of praise to Lord Almighty Gregory.

Millions of people in Gregoryisgodistan, Sameba, and Eura looked on, wondering what would happen next and whether the ships would break the blockade. Surely some would manage to sneak through while others would be sunk, but hopefully they'd inflict casualties on the Euran ships as well. The ramming Enemy Crusher ships had already done so to some extent. That's what they were designed for. They were the lead ships, approaching at full speed and off to the side, in the hopes of having the Eurans be distracted by the main ships and not pay much attention to them. It worked, as the Eurans were too busy engaging the 497 other ships to notice the Enemy Crusher Trio, and they wound up just ramming the Euran ships while ablaze. These ships were designed to continue on temporarily even while ablaze, as they figured the Eurans wouldn't bother firing upon a ship that was already engulfed in flames. They were right, and the Eurans were busy focusing on other ships assuming the Gregoryisgodistanis had bailed out of the ablaze ones. But once the Trio rammed the Euran ships at full speed, they knew they had a chance. What the silly old Eurans didn't know is that the sailors had changed into fireproof suits and fully intended to die in the explosion created by the collision. And that is exactly what happened, but they took some Eurans with them.

It was a massive firefight on the high seas at twilight. As darkness fell, the sky lit up with rounds from both sides. FInally, around 3 AM, all was silent, and nobody could believe what had happened....

by **Nephara** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 7:41 pm

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
CORMORANTS LIKELY TO PROGRESS, BUT BONESEA ROTATION RAISES QUESTIONS
by Geneva Schwarzer

It's all but over in Group 10. Nephara need two points from three matches - Brigantii and Garifunya, beaten with clean sheets away, faced at home, and the dreadfully poor Northi visited. Bonesea need one win from their last two matches to clinch second. Garifunya have reason to be pleased with a solid campaign while Brigantii have disappointed so far.

So that means that the Nepharim press can finally stop talking about 'who will go to the tournament after qualifying' and be straight-up - Nephara will qualify for the World Cup, the big stage, they're going to make it to the last 32, they've done it, start booking your flights and arranging leave.

In the past, the question of who would make it onto the plane was usually moot. The first Nepharim qualifying squads were the same 23 guys. It was Jess Mortlock who first started being willing to call up replacements, and even then she never really gave them a chance to do anything. Gareth Pearce, notably, was thrown into the spotlight in the crucial playoffs against the Calanian Union. He impressed, but they were the last of his seven caps for a player never really forgiven for a handball in Nephara's first World Cup.

Theresa Riether was the first manager to really test the Nepharim strength in depth during qualifying, and Andrea Cawdor was the first standout example. Just a quick, spiky 22-year old winger for Crisisbless United, she took every single chance she had, cemented her place as Nephara's number 11 of choice and won contracts in Audioslavia and Osarius.

But it was the match against Bonesea that was the best example of rotation yet, of fully utilising Nepharim depth. Hyacinth Surman has basically not been seen throughout the full cycle, and Sieglinde Lohengrin has stolen her number 3 shirt for most of qualifying. Kuralay has almost vanished. Hargrave, as well, has mostly been prominent for having lost his place for Tsattalios. But Shale started all three against Bonesea with a counter-attacking 4-5-1 formation - Surman as a more cautious leftback than Vyntra's or Lohengrin's breakneck attack and ultimately scoring from a goalmouth scramble, Kuralay alongside Ashdown either side of a purely anchoring Tanith Rainsford in the middle and Hargrave - despite one horrific mistake that mercifully went unpunished - the eventual Man of the Match.

All three excelled, and Shale said after the match that sticking to a back four would help his players settle in compared to the 5-4-1 experiment last time around. He wanted a pure shot-stopper between the posts, a defensively-minded leftback and Kuralay's legs to make up for how slow Ashdown now is and Rainsford has always been. "Bonesea is not just any team, and it's one I very much hope we'll be seeing in the World Cup... through the playoffs," Shale said. "I had the privilege of drawing from the full national pool for this game, so I used it to pick the best side to win this particular match."

"There are great Nepharim players who will not make it to the World Cup this year, a lot who haven't been called up this year at all. We have a shitload of great playmakers. Kieran Ritter's on standby. Kellard's on standby. To be capped for Nephara is a huge honour. And the simple fact is that some great players are not going to make that final squad of 23 - that doesn't mean I won't use them when I can."

A pretty clear sign, then, that he doesn't feel he can fit Surman and Kuralay into the 23 - Lohengrin and Chilmark, their younger, direct replacements, have been hugely impressive. Hargrave, too, will probably lose his place in subsequent fixtures. But Shale is a notorious tinker, and he has to be commended for stretching the depth of the country in a way that has very rarely been done before. Especially when it works.

by **Damukuni** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 9:58 pm

"You what?!" Nagayo Yamamoto was astonished.

"That's right, you heard me." Wisdom Tracey fought back tears. "I mean, sure, we won against Great Palkia, at Great Palkia. That alone, however, is pretty far from a shot at redemption."

"You may be right - I mean, we're four thirds of a game behind the qualifier playoff, but we still have a chance. Did you forget about bye week?"

"Please, Yamamoto-san, sit down. I have something to tell you."

The 47-year-old man, perplexed, sat down and faced the manager, some twenty-two years his junior, but still with the brows of an experience - and a story he apparently had not yet heard of.

"You see," Wisdom began, "my career as a player was cut short. I was kidnapped during the Parochial Wars, during the World Cup Qualifying. The leader of the rebel Confederation of Damukunian Free and Associated States was an old friend of mine, so they let me live. I managed to escape, though, and wound up at the Baptism of Fire. My hotel room had even been paid for.
"The FA were never so relieved to see me alive and well that they decided to make a manager out of me. And I'm only 25 years old!" She collapsed into tears. "Oh, Yamamoto-san, I want to relive my childhood. I want to play again!"

Yamamoto listened to her crying for a minute, then placed a hand on her shoulder and said, softly, as a father would to his daughter, 「継続は力なり。」Keizoku wa chikara nari. Don't give up. Perseverance is power.

Still teary-eyed, Wisdom looked up. "I guess I'm here for a reason..." She trailed off as a knock was heard on the door. It was Jannie Jones. "Hey, Skipper, Coach, we gotta go! We gotta drive to East Town and warm up for the match against Sarrbia!"

Wisdom smiled. She knew her team, with or without her leadership, would be in good hands. "You'd better go, Coach. I want to drive Jannie and Nicole to East Town myself, with a stop in Forest Glade. We'll catch up to you before the warm-up period starts."

Coach left. Wisdom immediately dialed Nicole Statham's number.

"Hey, Nicole? It's Coach Tracey. I need you to suit up, but instead getting on the bus, can you meet me and Jannie in the VIP parking lot of the FA building in ten minutes?"

"Sure thing, Skipper."

The three women drove along National Route 56 for about five hours. Neither of the players knew where Wisdom was taking them, but as their manager, they trusted her driving.

Finally, after the small talk subsided, and silence presently came, Nicole asked the question that Jannie hadn't gathered the heart to ask. "Skipper, why are we in your car, going northeast? East Town is south of here."

Wisdom only replied with an Mm-hmm, and continued driving. Seeing the concern on the womens' faces, she replied, "Oh, don't worry, you'll still be at the ETCC in time for the game. I wanted to show you, as team captains, something that only a few people know about. Something that will change your life forever."

They reached the city of Eternalfell. "This city was founded by an old friend of mine, who'll be sitting in the VIP box tonight, God willing." They drove about another kilometre north on M 93 outside of the city, then turned off where, the women deduced, an exit ramp had existed. They reached a closed gate. Wisdom entered a four-digit code on a small pad near the gate, and it opened. She directed the car through the gate, and kept driving. The gate closed behind the women as they drove on what looked like a road that hadn't been used in years. Nicole read a fading road sign out loud: "A 403... Hey, I remember this place..."

Wisdom nodded, as she turned left onto a dirt track that led to a shanty town. She whistled twice toward the centre of a group of slums to the right. Immediately, a woman and a child of no more than ten came out and approached the car.

"Ladies, meet Jessica St. Anne, the woman who saved my life. Hop in, Jess. Marc can come too."

by **Chromatika** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:09 pm

The good news? The Chromatik offense continues to roll after the defensive game that was the contest against Kaboomlandia, Rachel Hellion scoring on two set pieces, Andìsorì on a left footed goal, and Antonio & Rien adding onto the score before the game ended. The bad news? Suspect goalkeeping continues, coupled with some insane defensive miscues that led to two goals being conceded by Jillian Nier. Sure, nine goals through ten matches conceded may not be considered many at all, but taking into account that Chromatik football was based on defense? Perhaps the change from 5-3-2 to 4-3-2-1 should be looked at in a different light.

The more important result in the group is Kaboomlandia's upset against Starblaydia. This counteracts the fact that Chromatika has played one more match than Starblaydia and all but guarantees the Anomalies-in-Exile the group barring a miraculous collapse. The Team has been lucky that Kaboomlandia and Starblaydia have a lot of draws as well with four draws each, which as kept the group really close. The last two opponents have a total of twelve points total, so the Chromatiks will be favored to win the group still.

by **Gadirya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:21 pm

|||

Chapters

Chapter 1: I'm Lost
Chapter 2: Constitutional Monarchy?
Chapter 3: Election 238
Chapter 4: Election 238 Part Deux
Chapter 5: Gadirya and the World
Chapter 6: "Fun" Facts

|||

Chapter Four: Election 238 Part Deux

Due to the reforms made on preassigned seats in the parliament the turnout for the election of 238 was the highest in Gadiryan history with 80% of the eligible Gadiryan populace voting in this election. Here are the results in all 100 constituencies:

No one party achieved the majority of 76 seats and negotiations for coalitions began soon after the official results were posted and shared across Gadirya. In total th...

---

Charmat, Gadirya
5E 238
Late Winter

It was the morning after the results were posted and the city was quiet. A bird flew across the empty streets showing the lack of action in the city. Inside a certain building however, it was all but quiet. A meeting was taking place between the "Preassigned MPs", Congress of the Kingdom, Christian Democrats and a couple of royalist friendly Independents MPs; they all wanted to form a new government and for the first time they had to attract other parties. They had 69 seats and were 7 seats shy from forming a majority government. The man leading the talks to add more parties? Mohammed Haik, the Prime Minister of Gadirya. Haik won his seat comfortably but that was just his first challenge; forming a new government was his second and arguably bigger challenge. He tried to contact some reformist parties, specifically the Liberty Front, but most of his calls were ignored or the offers were denied.

Other MPs started to enter the already crowded west Charmat home as time went on. No word of a formed government yet. Not even the reformist parties he contacted formed a coalition which meant that there was still time. Out of the parties Haik did not yet included the Nationalist Party, a bunch of left of center parties, religious fanatic parties, and the Gadiryan Moderate Party. He didn't like his options. He wanted to maintain a centrist coalition and was already leaning conservative thanks to the Christian Democrats and the Congress of the Kingdom. Haik himself was a reformist leaning, centrist but he would never announce his true political beliefs in fear of being challenged by more conservative elements of this fledgling coalition. He shakes his head and sits down on his chair, slowly accepting the fact that he will have to contact the Nationalist Party and/or the Gadiryan Moderate Party. He sighs.

Outside the Prime Minister's office all the MPs of nameless coalition were figuring out names of their coalition and assigning positions for the government. Senior leaders of the coalition knew that another party would join in and made it clear to any candidate for a ministry position that their spot was not guaranteed and subject to coalition negotiations. Mohammed Haik could hear the voices outside his Olive Wood doors and knew that he needed to organize something quickly. "I guess I do have to call the Nationalist Party..." he thought to himself. He grimaced at the thought but knew it had to be done.

He called Omar Kassis and hoped for the phone to be picked up. Soon enough it was and Omar responded; Haik could hear Omar's wide grin as he began to spoke, "So you need one more party to form a government, eh?"
Haik already annoyed by the prospect of forming a coalition with his party gets even further annoyed by his comment, "Yes. I do. What I want is simple, join this coalition and you'll have a couple of ministry spots."
Omar paused then asked, "A couple?"
Haik frowned, "You want more?"
Omar smiled, "I want at least three."
Haik sighed, "Three. No more no less. Can I count your on your party for support?"
Omar paused once again and replied, "Sure. My party will support your coalition."
Haik forced a smile and said, "Thank you. Please head to the Prime Minister's residence with your MPs for the meeting." Haik hung up the phone.

"God damn Fascists..." Haik mumbled after he hung up the phone. He opened the doors of his office, walked through a hallway and entered the main room where he was greeted by MPs, party officials of various political afflictions, and staffers. They all ceased their talking and looked at Mohammed Haik once they caught eye of him. Haik forced a smile and announced, "I have added the Nationalist Party to our government." It wasn't met with enthusiasm. The Nationalist Party, while conservative was viewed to be the black sheep of the conservative movement in Gadirya. For one the advocated against Gadirya's inclusion in both SETO and the Esportivan Bloc and secondly were rumored to be anti-monarchist. Haik sensed this disappointment and gathered the senior leaders of the Christian Democrats, the Preassigned MPs, and Congress of the Kingdom.

"I know you aren't thrilled by this." started Haik, "But this pushes us over the edge." Shakir Shamoun, leader of the Royalist Congress of the Kingdom, spoke up first, "Why the hell would you invite those anti-monarchist pigdogs to our government?! I know we need the seats but wouldn't the Gadiryan Moderate Party be a better choice?" the two other leaders nodded in agreement. Mohammed Haik shook his head, "Economically they are more centrist. I don't want our government to lean too much to the right when it comes to the economy. We need balance." that caught the mind of Maximilien Azéma of the Christian Democrats and Mohammed Haik knew that the Prime Minister continued, "Now, if you are concerned about the loyalty of the Nationalist Party I can always invite the Gadiryan Moderate Party. Now, I know what you're thinking. They're center-right. I and I am sure you have too, have heard rumors that they are planning to merge with the Liberty Front and the Gadiryan Arab Party. If that were to happen that would form the biggest non-assigned party in Gadirya in the Commons and will certainly be a force to contend with next election. If we can delay their formation we might just eke out another four years of our current government."

The three leaders were surprised by Mohammed's proposal. They didn't expect this political maneuvering from Mohammed and yet he proposed this. None of them spoke up and Mohammed felt the need to clarify, "I rather you don't share my grand strategy with anyone. Anyway, this will also give us a buffer of seats in close votes in case the Nationalist Party fails to follow our whip." the three leaders nodded and finally Khaled Issa spoke, "Brilliant plan. I'm fine with this. I know the MPs that will lose their seats will probably join with the Congress or Christian Dems and that will probably boost our numbers. Add that fact with your plan and we might just have that government as you said. I'm for." Maximilien nodded, "Aye." a reluctant Shakir Shamoun sighed then shrugged, "I agree despite my hatred for those Nationalists..." Mohammed smiled, this time genuine, "So it's settled then. Head back to your parties, explain the MPs of what happened. Not all of it course. I'll contact the Moderate Party."

The Gadiryan Moderate Party was rather quick to say yes in being part of the government, despite the rumored talks of forming one center-right party and soon was added to the coalition, now named the "Alliance for Gadirya". Soon after the announcement of the creation of their coalition another 3 Independent MPs joined the newly formed coalition. They had a total of 90 seats, a super majority, in the House of Commons. The Liberty Front and the Gadiryan Arab Party halted their unification talks but nonetheless joined up with 6 parties and a few Independent MPs to form the official opposition to the "Alliance", they called themselves the "Union of Reformists" and had control of 43 seats. Their coalition consisted of center-left parties to center-right, liberal ones and was labelled as a "broad coalition" due to the spectrum of parties included. The other 17 MPs were labelled as the "Non-Aligned" and were cross-benchers.

The government was formed and Mohammed Haik was once again Prime Minister of Gadirya for the next four years. The specific details of his government was going to be announced in the next few days but for now, he could celebrate. Which is what he was going to do.

---

Chapter Four: Election 238 Part Deux

...And here is the final image of the House of Commons:

Key-
Right: Alliance for Gadirya: MPs appointed by Anwar I, Nationalist Party, Christian Democrats, Congress of the Kingdom, Gadiryan Moderate Party, Independent MPs (90 Seats)
Left: Union of Reformists: Liberty Front, Gadiryan Arab Party, Popular Front, Party of the Turks, Labour Party, Oasis, Independent MPs (43 seats)
Cross-Bench: Non-aligned: United Islamic Party, Les Républicains, Independent MPs, Esportivan Unionist Party, Turkish Workers Party, Islamic Front (17 seats)

by **Turori** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 2:14 am

Sporting News from the Island Emirate

Eels Take Down Cat-Lovers

Royal T.V. Stadium, T.V. City, Qasden :: While their nickname is technically 'the Turkish Vans' - for unknown reasons - presumably because they like to eat Turkey Inside of Vans - the Atlantian Oceania rival nation of Qasden will always be known as the Cat-Lovers to the average Turorian fan.

As such, there were a few more than a few Turori fans who travelled to Qasden for the return leg of their World Cup 76 Qualification commitments dressed up in their best 'furries' outfit - there was even one entire row in the away section entirely of Turorian fans in their best Cat outfits all the way across.

Humor aside, however, it did not start out well for the Eels as the Cat Lovers - or Turkish Vans as they prefer, scored an early goal through Opal United's Onyx Foster that put Qasden up 1-0 and left a lot of Turorian fans in Furry Cat costumes somewhat tempered in their emotions - but also quite possibly glad that they were at least hidden inside the cat.

The somberness for the Turorian fans continued through the half time break but it was evident as the second 45 minutes began that the Turori National Team coaching staff had done their job and Qasden's Jon Merritt, perhaps, did not.

The Eels came storming back with three second-half goals to claim all three points and put a distinct gap between themselves and third-placed Schottia.

While the news on the day was positive, there was still a lot of work to do for the Eels. With just three games to play, two draws earlier in the campaign continued to haunt the Turori National Team who trailed Group 5 leading Eshan by 4 points. Eshan, another Atlantian Oceania regional foe, have been one of qualifyings most prolific teams having averaged over 3 goals per game - finding the back of the net 29 times in 9 matches.

The Eels now travel home to face a Dumnoniia side who's 2-0 victory over Mazurska only makes even more embarassing the Eels unlikely defeat to the Group 5 whipping boys on Matchday 2.

Explorers await Hockey Champions League Fate

International Hockey Commission, Stormguard, Valanora :: The Eelandii Explorers Ice Hockey Team finished a strong 3rd place in the Eastern Conference of the 3rd Vilitan Hockey Championships season - narrowly missing out on the playoffs as well as the guaranteed placement in the Hockey Champions League as a top 4 finisher in the league season. However, the Explorers have applied to take advantage of their status as being certified by the Hockey Association of Turori (HAT) opposed to the Vilitan Hockey Association.

As the only top-level professional club in Turori, the Explorers would be the only Turorian entry in the competition despite the fact that Associations are allowed to put forward up to four clubs. The Hockey Association of Turori has opted against submitting any amateur or mid-level clubs that may weaken their claim to have the Explorers included in the next running of the event.

by **Electrum** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 2:15 am

Still Alive - It's Day 12 of 14. The field is rapidly narrowing -- will your team still be alive after Day 12?

by **Jeruselem** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 7:15 am

Princess Laura and Princess Elsa watching the Cosumar vs Amazonesta live on TV

Elsa: Mum, why are we watching it's evident Cosumar aren't going to lose this game
Laura: I'm hoping Amazonesta can at least get a draw out of it
Elsa: Yeah but Cosumar haven't lost or drawn a game any time recently
Laura: I know
Elsa: Looks like we're gonna be a playoff again Mum, they are going win this one
Laura: At least we know who's gonna be second

Elsa: I can't see them losing the last game
Laura: I guess it's Plan B
Elsa: I guess they have the bye next so we can reduce the deficit back to 2 points
Laura: Yes but we have to win the last two anyway, they have to lose the last game
Elsa: There is still hope
Laura: I guess we haven't done too badly

Elsa: That loss to the bears was a huge setback, turned our 1 point lead to 2 point loss
Laura: Yes, a draw would have been nice for that game. At least. We really should have won it.
Elsa: The Bears are now 3rd!
Laura: With 3 wins from 11 games, they are eliminated. They always were.
Elsa: Looks like Quebec have a chance for direct qualification
Laura: Yes, their record is pretty close to ours too. Except we have an extra loss.

Elsa: This is boring, can we watch something else
Laura: Let's see the Technotica Incorporated vs Second Ndakene Federation game
Elsa: The bottom teams, should be interesting
Laura: Say what, 6-0.
Elsa: Wish we could have a few wins like that
Laura: Technotica Incorporated aren't too bad, they score lots of goals but ... concede a lot more

Elsa: No Quebec game today, a bye just like us.
Laura: Hopefully they can win their next one and take back the lead.
Elsa: Yeah, we can't. Where's Dad?
Laura: I think him and your brother went some Jeru FC thing
Elsa: I assume it involves girls and lots of beer
Laura: And strippers, you know them.

Elsa: Yes, not that they don't see naked women anyway. I mean we don't wear much most of the time.
Laura: Second Ndakene Federation really suck today, look at that defense.
Elsa: I think they've just given up
Laura: I guess we have a 2nd chance in playoffs unless Cosumar manage to lose their last game
Elsa: I guess that's better than not even getting there
Laura: So close last time, I can't take another heartbreaking close call

Elsa: It's been while since we've even qualified
Laura: That was when Mum was alive
Elsa: Far too long between drinks
Laura: You think those two idiots will be back today?
Elsa: Nope
Laura: Probably a good thing

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 8:35 am

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WORLD CUP 76 QUALIFIERS: ABANHFLEFT VS VELDGOUWEN
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's players celebrate their victory over Veldgouwen in the World Cup 76 qualifiers. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

IMGORTUR, VERBERGERKINNH, ABANHFLEFT - Abanhfleft triumphed over Veldgouwen at the Stadion de December 27 by scoring five goals, four of them in the first half, to keep up their challenge for the top spot in Group 3 of the World Cup 76 qualifiers.

Chelsea Stuart was the first to get her name on the scoresheet as her clever turn-around allowed her to bypass Sven Wittouck and tuck the ball into the net just four minutes into the game.

Allison Torres applied the final touch to Bella Maynard's free kick from the right side of the field to double the Lady Revolutionaries' lead, and Stuart converted a penalty that Abanhfleft earned after Gert Stalhof barged into the back of Lea Choi's legs before Lillian Prescott appeared to have finished the game off with a close-range effort in first-half stoppage time.

Piet Masschelin scored a penalty of his own when he was brought down by Amanda Warren, but substitute Regina Mesbros put the finishing touch to Abanhfleft's rout of Veldgouwen in the Stadion de December 27.

Abanhfleft women's team manager Holly Jonasson: "It's simply amazing. When the team is gelling like this, we can produce many moments of magic, and today that meant five goals for us.

"The qualifiers are still far from over. We're only a point behind Pasarga, but they have a game in hand. The game against Taeshan will prove crucial if we are to close the gap on the Wanderers."

Abanhfleft leapfrog Pasarga, who have a bye day today, to take top spot in Qualifying Group 3. Abanhfleft will face Taeshan away in the next round of the qualifiers.

          ABANHFLEFT 5 - 1 VELDGOUWEN
STUART (4', 39' pen)       MASSCHELIN (56' pen)
        TORRES (20')
    PRESCOTT (45+2')
       MESBROS (67')

VELDGOUWEN
GK: 01 Vandermarliere
RB: 02 Breydels
RCB: 03 Deferme
LCB: 04 Wittouck
LB: 05 Maes
RDM: 06 Vreysen
LDM: 08 Decubber
RM: 07 Snoeks (Meganck - 64')
CAM: 19 Stalhof █
LM: 11 Van Baekel
ST: 09 Masschelin (Schaepdryver - 89')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Carter
RB: 14 Warren █ (Osgood - 59')
RCB: 15 Hannibal
LCB: 18 Samaniego
LB: 16 Heaton
RM: 05 Maynard
LM: 06 Choi
RW: 07 Prescott (Rousseau - 83')
CAM: 10 Torres (Mesbros - 65')
LW: 08 Singh
ST: 09 Stuart

STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 67%
Veldgouwen: 33%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 17 (8 on target)
Veldgouwen: 5 (2 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 7
Veldgouwen: 2
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 18
Veldgouwen: 10

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WORLD CUP 76 QUALIFIERS: TAESHAN VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah

Taeshan's Landon van Neymar celebrates his second goal to equalize against Abanhfleft. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

TAESHAN - Landon van Neymar scored twice in both halves to deny Abanhfleft a chance to secure the top spot in Group 3 of World Cup 76 qualifying.

Van Neymar surprised everyone, even himself, when he managed to break through the Fleftic defense and score his first of the game just 87 seconds after the start.

Adelaide Singh completed a Fleftic counterattack to equalize for the Lady Revolutionaries in the 20th minute, and Allison Torres was there to tap in the ball after the post had denied Chelsea Stuart a goal.

But van Neymar broke through the Fleftic defense once again to draw the Purple Knights level and deny Abanhfleft all three points.

Abanhfleft women's team manager Holly Jonasson: "Dropping points is not good. It's never good in any context but it hurts more especially when we could have had a chance to go to the top of the group over Pasarga, but that's the deal you get with football. We lost the chance, but we're still in the running. There's no sense giving up just like that."

Abanhfleft are back in second place in Qualifying Group 3 after Pasarga won against Banija 3-2. Abanhfleft will face Korizland at Oubie Park in Xemlice next month as the Lady Revolutionaries aim to keep the pace going.

               TAESHAN 2 - 2 ABANHFLEFT
VAN NEYMAR (2', 90+2')       SINGH (20')
                             TORRES (66')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Carter
RB: 02 Osgood (Warren - 64')
RCB: 15 Hannibal █
LCB: 18 Samaniego
LB: 16 Heaton
RM: 05 Maynard
LM: 06 Choi
RW: 07 Prescott
CAM: 10 Torres (Mesbros - 82')
LW: 08 Singh
ST: 09 Stuart (Rousseau - 72')

TAESHAN
GK: 01 Troubador
RB: 05 Nguyen
RCB: 04 Lafitte (Abigail - 68')
LCB: 03 Chesnut
LB: 02 Bombay
CDM: 06 McMichael
RM: 11 Vader
LM: 09 Eskandarian
CAM: 19 Fuegahita
RS: 07 van Neymar
LS: 08 Snavely (von Houten - 65')

STATISTICS
Possession
Taeshan: 51%
Abanhfleft: 49%
Shots
Taeshan: 7 (4 on target)
Abanhfleft: 8 (3 on target)
Corners
Taeshan: 4
Abanhfleft: 3
Fouls
Taeshan: 9
Abanhfleft: 20

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WORLD CUP 76 QUALIFIERS: ABANHFLEFT VS KORIZLAND
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's players celebrate Karen Villegas' late goal to give the Lady Revolutionaries over . (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

XEMLICE, ABANHFLEFT - Karen Villegas' late goal ensured that Abanhfleft remained in the running for qualification to the World Cup.

Chelsea Stuart handed Abanhfleft a deserved lead as she broke past the Korizian defense to poke the ball past Stuart Shelton, but Claudine Samaniego should have done better to prevent Clay Fuller from sneaking the ball between Victoria Carter and the near post.

Villegas, who is making her first appearance for the Lady Revolutionaries since a bye day friendly against Fhulghamous Peninsula, then thumped home from a tight angle to give Abanhfleft three points and keep up the pressure on Pasarga, who also won against Veldgouwen 3-0 at the same match day.

Confident and composed Karen
After a few appearances at the tail end of matches for Abanhfleft, Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies striker Villegas seems to have been forgotten by Holly Jonasson, but when she came on for Chelsea Stuart, she quickly made a case for herself for more minutes as she reinvigorated Abanhfleft's stagnating attack with clever runs into good scoring positions.

And when she struck the ball into the roof of the net past Stuart Shelton, the skill and composure she displayed was simply world class.

Abanhfleft women's team manager Holly Jonasson: "We are keeping the pressure, we are still in the game, and that's always a good thing. I know that I will be criticized for not playing [Karen] more, seeing as how she performed today, but the team is just stacked. We are not lacking in players that are dedicated to winning everything for the country. It's hard to fit in so many good and talented players in just eleven spots."

Abanhfleft are still second in Group 3 behind Pasarga. They have a bye day before they come up against Takrashia away.

    ABANHFLEFT 2 - 1 KORIZLAND
  STUART (25')       FULLER (35')
VILLEGAS (88')

KORIZLAND
GK: 01 Shelton
RB: 06 Salazar
CB: 14 Griffith
LB: 02 Wood (Higgins - 70')
RM: 04 Andrews
CM: 15 Bradley (Larson - 80')
LM: 18 Holland
RW: 08 Jefferson
LW: 05 Peterson
RS: 23 Hughes
LS: 09 Fuller

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Carter
RB: 14 Warren
RCB: 15 Hannibal
LCB: 18 Samaniego
LB: 16 Heaton (Valentine - 75')
RM: 05 Maynard (Vance - 75')
LM: 06 Choi
RW: 07 Prescott
CAM: 10 Torres
LW: 08 Singh
ST: 09 Stuart (Villegas - 80')

STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 56%
Korizland: 44%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 9 (4 on target)
Korizland: 5 (2 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 6
Korizland: 3
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 14
Korizland: 7

by **Audioslavia** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:43 am

There it was. The 'nod' from the manager. Roddy jumped up out of his seat and ripped off his tracksuit top, revealing FRASER and the number 18 on the back. He stepped out of one trouser leg, kicked his boot free of the other, and made his way to the touchline.

In front of him, a pained Jose-Luis Aurrekoetxea was hobbling off the field. Jose-Luis had been thrown on early in the second half to search for the equalising goal, which he'd found at the end of a sixtieth minute inswinger of a corner kick that he'd diverted into the roof of the net from close range. Aurrekoetxea had lasted just twenty-five more minutes, however, before another header - or rather, the mis-timed landing after it - ended his input into the game, to the tune of a sickening 'crack' of the ligaments of his left ankle.

Roddy Fraser, third-choice striker, was going to make his debut up front for the Audioslavian national team alongside an increasingly tired Frankie Apexarena.

Roddy and Jose-Luis high-fived. Roddy touched down on the turf and, as he always knew he would in his debut game, hit <save>.

Barely forty seconds would pass before Roddy touched the ball for the first time, a slight miscontrol that he accounted for by sliding forwards and sweeping the loose ball out to Besoitagoena on the wing. Fraser trotted forward as the ball was recycled back to the defenders and up the left wing. Mariezkurrena cut inside and played a one-two with Ruisheart Wight. Lagorio made a darting run forward which captured Blackilan defender Clement Marckéhiller's attention for just long enough to open up a gap into which Fraser bounded. The ball reached him at a pace, but the Audioslavian trapped this one expertly and spun on a sixpence. He allowed himself a quick glance upwards as Van der Héensen bounded towards him.

To his right was Frankie Apexarena, in space, just inside the area, being played onside by a poorly positioned Rodriguinho, Red Blackiland's substitute full-back. A short pass just in front of the striker - one Frankie could run onto and hit first time - would surely yield a goal, assuming the 32 year-old could stave off the fatigue for those vital few split seconds.

In front of him was Van der Heensen, the big blond defender, while the sound of Marckehiller's size twelve boots on the hard turf were growing ever louder. His second option, therefore, was to come forward, shield the ball from Marckehiller, and find a way to beat Van der Heensen before trying a shot.

Roddy Fraser chose the former.

Roddy opened his body up to face Apexarena in a movement that simultaneously made it easier to make the pass and also made it impossible for Marckehiller to dive into a challenge without conceding a free-kick, and passed the ball firmly towards where the striker was travelling to. Apexarena grimaced as he bounced towards the ball, keeping both eyes on it until it arrived. He'd have space, here, for a snapshot, but instead the Audioslavian striker tried to control the ball first in order to ensure he could use his favoured right foot, and the delay proved long enough for Rodriguinho to make up the ground and stick a foot in, sending the ball towards the keeper. Hargreaves booted the ball quickly, Carmona beat Wight in the air, and all of a sudden the counter attack was on.

Felipinho got to Carmona's pass before Caceres really had time to react, and his second-touch pass to Behckestander took Marquez out of the game completely, giving the big striker a free run at goal with the white-and-red clad defenders scrambling to make up the ground.

Behckestander steadied himself, glanced up at Ozuna, making his way out of the Audioslavian goal to meet him, and picked his spot. He curled the ball round the goalie before Ozuna could even react, and watched as the ball nestled in the back corner.

Red Blackiland 2-1 Audioslavia
Carmona (32), Behckestander (89) - Aurrekoetxea (61)

Horror of horrors. If Audioslavia were going to qualify now, it would have to be via the playoffs.

"No" thought Fraser. "Not having this."

<load>

Barely forty seconds would pass before Roddy touched the ball for the first time for the second time. Expertly predicting the movement of the ball along the hard turf, he controlled the ball, hesitated for a second, and flicked it towards the wing with the outside of the boot, to where Besoitagoena was making a run.

Fraser trotted forward as the ball was recycled back to the defenders and up the left wing. Mariezkurrena cut inside and played a one-two with Ruisheart Wight. Lagorio made a darting run forward which captured Blackilan defender Clement Marckéhiller's attention for just long enough to open up a gap into which Fraser bounded. The ball reached him at a pace, but the Audioslavian trapped this one expertly and spun on a sixpence. He allowed himself a quick glance upwards as Van der Héensen bounded towards him.

To his right was Frankie Apexarena, in space, just inside the area, being played onside by a poorly positioned Rodriguinho, Red Blackiland's substitute full-back. A short pass just in front of the striker - one Frankie could run onto and hit first time - would surely yield a goal, assuming the 32 year-old could stave off the fatigue for those vital few split seconds.

In front of him was Van der Heensen, the big blond defender, while the sound of Marckehiller's size twelve boots on the hard turf were growing ever louder. His second option, therefore, was to come forward, shield the ball from Marckehiller, and find a way to beat Van der Heensen before trying a shot.

Roddy Fraser chose the latter.

Roddy opened his body up to face Apexarena in a movement that simultaneously made it easier to make the pass and also made it impossible for Marckehiller to dive into a challenge without conceding a free-kick, and feinted a pass to the striker in space. The dummy was just enough to trick Van der Héensen, who struggled to readjust himself as Fraser, instead, took the ball to the outside, onto his left foot.

"Hope this was worth it" thought Fraser. He swung an artless left foot at the ball.

Van der Héensen had had enough pace to adjust his position and dive forward, but the nick that the ball took off his outstretched leg only succeeded in diverting Roddy's weak shot even further from Martin Hargreaves in the Red Blackiland goal. A forlorn dive by the goalkeeper was no use, as ball curled and dipped and swirled inside his near post.

Red Blackiland 1-2 Audioslavia
Carmona (32) - Aurrekoetxea (61), Fraser (87)

That was better. A good use of the day's save rations.

by **Kaboomlandia** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:47 am

McEachern records fifth straight shutout as Phoenix steam towards playoff spot

It has now been more than 450 minutes - or almost six hours of gameplay - since someone scored on Duncan McEAchern. The star goalie, who along with Rene Allad is one of the few superstar players on a Kaboomlandian team that plays defense by committee, shut out Hirvania 4-0 last night in a game that was otherwise notable for being the first game at home after Cyclone Abdul made landfall in Ralia. The Category 4 storm has just 81 confirmed fatalities thanks to a speedy evacuation, mostly from flooding of the Bluebell River and people who foolishly refused to leave. However, preliminary estimates of damage are indicating a possible $2 billion in damage. The Phoenix released a statement through Twitter after the Starblaydia game:

Kaboomlandia Phoenix
@KBMPhoenixFootball

Our prayers go out to all those displaced from Ralia as a result of Cyclone Abdul, as well as to the families of the 81 confirmed casualties. Please keep them in your hearts and minds.

The Phoenix will have donation boxes set up for local food banks to donate to the victims of Cyclone Abdul.

The Kaboomlandians are now second in Group 18 and just one point behind Chromatika thanks to a shocking scoreless draw between Chromatika and Tidal Wake. The team will now wait anxiously to see where they will finish. Chromatika finishes up their schedule tomorrow against The New Telangana Rajj, so if they win that game the Anomalies have the group. However, if the Rajj can tie or defeat Chromatika, the upstart Phoenix may have a chance at winning the group. Looking over their shoulder, the Phoenix have Starblaydia, who is three points back thanks to the shock win, and HUElavia, who were flattened 5-1 by Starblaydia. Starblaydia finishes off their schedule against the guppies in Group 18 in Tidal Wake and the New Telangana Rajj, but remember that Tidal Wake did tie Chromatika 0-0. Meanwhile, HUElavia finishes out their schedule against Hirvania and Kaboomlandia. HUElavia defeated Hirvania 2-0 in their other matchup. It's going to be a night of scoreboard-watching for the Phoenix tonight; because of the draws with Starblaydia and HUElavia in the group's front half, Kaboomlandia will advance if they beat HUElavia or if Starblaydia loses one of their final two games and if HUElavia loses one of their final two games. The Phoenix have the tiebreaker on both Starblaydia (H2H record) and on HUElavia (total goal difference).

# Group 18                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Chromatika                                    11    6   5   0    27    9  +18    23
2 Kaboomlandia                                  11    6   4   1    15    4  +11    22
3 Starblaydia                                   10    5   4   1    21    7  +14    19
4 HUElavia                                      10    5   1   4    18   20   −2    16
5 The New Telengana Rajj                        10    3   0   7    13   23  −10     9
6 Hirvania                                      10    1   3   6     5   23  −18     6
7 Tidal Wake                                    10    1   1   8     7   20  −13     4

by **Mercedini** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 10:16 am

Preview: Mercedinian Premier League

While the golden eagles are busy with their World Cup Qualification campaign, the Mercedinian Football Association (MFA) announced the sixteen teams that will compete in the inaugural Mercedinian Premier League which is set to start when this cycle's transfer window closes. There will be no doubt that the transfer window will be very busy for the MPL as teams try to attract top talent to ensure the first MPL season is a great one.
MFA spokesperson Lisa Navelenti said at the launch press conference "We are very happy at the calibre of teams chosen for the first season of our Premier League. We already have tremendous infrastructure available so we think it will be great for people to get involved with the sport. We hope all teams grab the chance to excel in this league and we hope to bring top players to play in Mercedini and to excite the crowds that we will bring to the sport."

Acoflosa United
AFC Langtree
Alton Swifts
Brampton United
Carvi Albion
Coral Island FC
East Kilbride United
Elspachia
Hoventon & Corlington Town
Langtree United
Mercedini Armed Forces FC
Orga City
Plympton Town
Zholvi Athletic
Zoloroni City
Zoloroni Metropolitan

As stated before, the league will kick off at the end of the transfer window but a solid date hasn't been set for the first day. Notable mentions will be Zoloroni City and Langtree United whose money and influence will likely mean they can bring in the players they want and challenge for the title. However, others teams such as Mercedini Armed Forces FC and Hoventon & Corlington Town have star players currently involved in qualification. So, there is plenty of anticipation for the league to kick off. Teams have already made provisional bids for players abroad, so expect plenty of action when the window rolls around.

Quick Review of MDs 8-10

MD8
Mercedini 1 - 5 Osarius
Chillotov 33' | Johnson 26', 53', Laccona 60', Mitchell 77', Watson 83'

MD9
TNN African Republic 1 - 4 Mercedini
unidentified 55' | Billic 2', Tranev 37', Pujanic 86', Nymark 90+5' (P)

MD10
Mercedini 4 - 2 Boring Paradise
Aznelik 40', Crasic 67', Billic 72', Chillotov 80' | unidentified 29', unidentified 88'

Mercedini's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup hang in the balance after losing their reverse fixture to Osarius, who lay in second place at the time. The result put them 9 points behind Osarius who are essentially battling it out for second place after Barunia was guaranteed of at least a playoff place. Osarius then lost their match against Barunia to bring them in within touching distance of Mercedini who found vengeance against TNN African Republic with an emphatic 4-1 victory away from home to the delight of the manager and the travelling fans.
It was plain sailing for Mercedini on match day 10 as the Golden Eagles got a result against their bogey team, Boring Paradise infront of the home crowd at the Sports City Stadium, a 4-2 victory with four different Mercedinian goal scorers saw them power through the third seed in the group and eliminate them from proceedings. As Osarius were resting due to their BYE, Mercedini's win saw them close the gap once again and caused them to be within three points of a playoff place. The final match days will see a duel between the two teams for one playoff place as Barunia are likely to clinch the automatic place.

# Group 16                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Barunia                                       11    9   2   0    27   12  +15    29
2 Osarius                                       10    7   2   1    31   14  +17    23
3 Mercedini                                     10    6   2   2    30   18  +12    20
4 Boring Paradise                               10    3   3   4    17   21   −4    12
5 95X                                           10    3   1   6    21   21    0    10
6 The New North African Republic                11    2   1   8    13   30  −17     7
7 Erathore                                      10    0   1   9     5   28  −23     1

So, with two matches left for the teams let's see who they have to beat to get to the promised land. Mercedini will have to play against winless Erathore before having a second attempt to crack the top seed Barunia in their final match of qualification. Meanwhile, Osarius only need four points against TNN African Republic and Boring Paradise to secure their spot in the playoffs. Cross your fingers, it's gonna be a wild ride!

by **Fluvique** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 10:51 am

THE CURSE IS OVER

Sixth time's the charm. After five consecutive defeats, Fluvique defeated its bogey team as visitors. Now, three points separate the national side from the first place. Gonza and Auze, the authors of the heroic performance.

It is the end of the match in Nova Anglicana, the exact time when this team made history. A couple of players kneel in the grass. Others shout, celebrate and create a human mountain of hugs, of emotion. Fluvique achieved the first victory over the home team, by 2-0, with goals of Sam Gonza and Nick Auze. It is the biggest feat of the White Foxes in the qualifiers. The national side has on its hands the big opportunity to fulfill its dream with only two matches until the end.

Sam Gonza is excited, everybody seek him, they want to shout with him. Sam is playing the qualifiers he wanted, with decisive performances, being the leader, surpassing rivals, confirming its key role. He runs towards his teammates, but he can not walk due to so many who try to hug him. The players celebrate with the public. The victory is a reality: on Sunday (mother's day), against Vekaiyu in Mevosa, is the date with the history.

Les tricolores will try to overcome two more thresholds, an experience completely new for this group of players. There are two more matches for a team with some doubts, but which made its best match in the tournament. Today, in Londinium, with a lot of Fluviquean fans in the stands and with a growing illusion from the hand of Gonza. The number 10 is playing at his best, as everyone wanted. Destabilizing, decisive, with goals, sharp passes, is the only Fluviquean player who always is there in the qualifiers. Today, he had a great first half and, in the second, paid the consequences of wear, of a constant local mark on him. Even he was vital to recover the ball, like in the second goal. He was very involved. The good news is that he is not alone. Today, and in some past matches, the team also appeared. Committed, forceful, intelligent, with physical deployment.

At 4', Gonza passes the ball to Auze, who runs alone, he avoids Matt Wells and shoots and the ball hit the crossbar. Carusso falls to the grass, lamenting the bad luck. He had to be helped by the fourth official. However, when he stood again, De La Mesea threw a long ball, which surpassed the midfield until reach Topolsky alone in the right side. He left Henry behind and passed to Auze, who was alone in the area. He controlled the ball and tried to surpass Vincent, but the goalkeeper deflected the ball outisde the area. Like if it was magic or fate's plan, Gonza appeared behind and directly shot and the ball hit the net. Without stopping, he ran towards the substitutes and all the bench joined in a mountain of players, while Carusso entered in the pitch to give some indications to the defence.

Fluvique was controlling the match and Di Angello was a nightmare every time he ran with free spaces. And, at 28', he had a clear chance: Escarrà stole the ball and faced the local defence. He passed to Di Angello, but the number 7 missed the big opportunity, after that his shot went over.

Nova Anglicana, which did not generated game, could have had a red card at 29': Brendan Cook, who was cautioned, cut Henry Mhago with a violent foul, but the referee forgave him, despite the fury of the Fluviquean players. They quickly surrounded him in the center circle, shouting. Even Carusso ran towards the linesman to complain.

Anyway, the locals tried to reach Fluviquean area using centers and they had a chance to equalize at the end of the first half. However, Mathieu Garçon's header went straight to where Andy Paribas was. They even started with a high pressure at the start of the second half and, again in the head of Garçon they had the chance of tie the match: after a great movement and center of Alec Chapin, the striker headed the ball near the penalty spot and again Paribas denied the goal with a very good jump.

By centers Nova Anglicana tried in all that second half in which Fluvique bet for the counterattacks. but neither goals were in danger for almost the entire half. The local lacked of clear ideas and the visitors withstood well the difference. Until Gonza decided to end the match. The number ten took the ball in the left side, in front of Nova Anglicana's bench, and ran avoiding kicks, fouls and jostles. It seemed that the entire country tried to catch that genious in shorts, but they could not. Sam passed to Auze, who was alone entering from the right side and only had to touch the ball into the net. It was the 2-0. It was the seal to the biggest feat of this group of players. What seemed more than unlikely. A punch to the history and statistics.

The first half of the national side was good. It started very well with Gonza's goal. In only eight minutes, the team was playing in the way they most want, with spaces to counterattack thanks to the speed of its strikers. Each encounter between Gona and Di Angello was an illusion. The second half seemed perfect for Fluvique, but the team did not took advantage of its many chances. They could score the second before those last five minutes of suffering. But it was at 87' when Auze ended the game.

Fluvique took another step in its World Cup dream. The team could have a lot of flaws which could hurt its many strenghts. But they play with their hearts. They know that no one gave them nothing. If they are there it's only because of them. With only two matches in the schedule, Les Tricolores will host Vekaiyu at Mevosa, dreaming about reaching 25 points and maybe a misstep of its rivals.

The national side will try to realize a bigger feat. It is more than difficult. But they are convinced of an idea, an style and they are ready to die for their teammates. And we also have Sam Gonza. He is decided to fulfill his dream. And he has fun doing the imposible. Let's believe in our dreams.

Fluvique 2
GK 1 Andy Paribas
DF: 3 Gabriel Varelovsky
DF: 2 Rodrigo De la Mesea 72'

DF: 13 Dennis Castanginnet
DF: 15 Teo Calmwater
MF: 8 Lucas Topolsky
MF: 5 Henry Mhago 21'

78'

(Ted Apparicio)
MF: 30 Hamilton Escarrà 24'

FW: 10 Sam Gonza 8'

FW: 11 Nick Auze 87'

89'

(Julien Kaleshko)
FW: 7 Paul Di Angello 68'

(Fede)

Nova Anglicana 0
GK: 1 Jerome Vincent
DF: 4 Matt Wells
DF: 2 Casey Bowman
DF: 3 Aaron Bowen
DF: 5 Cory Henry
MF: 8 Brendan Cook 24'

45'

(Cesar Martinez)
MF: 6 Brendan McBride 39'

MF: 9 Alec Chapin 85'

MF: 7 Jake Rhodes 54'

(Jimmy Kelly)
FW 10 Emmanuel Moga 67'

(Jacques Baptiste)
FW: 11 Mathieu Garçon

by **The Republic of Kaboomlandia** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 11:54 am

Dragons manager remaining patient despite losing streak

It's tough to be optimistic when your team drops four straight games by a combined score of 12-4, but that's what the Republic of Kaboomlandia's football brass is going through right now. The team has simply been outmatched in a Group 4 that includes 11th-ranked Valanora and 42nd-ranked Kandorith. "Our team is still finding their way internationally, and while we're still at the bottom of the table, this is great experience for us, as we can go into the next tournament with a better rank and more experience," commented Gunther Alexander, head of RBK Football, the governing body for football in the Republic of Kaboomlandia. "At least we're not totally at the bottom - nine teams are winless and 13 have fewer points than we do. THere's always a bright side," he joked. The Dragons have two games left, and this is a chance for them to at least put up a good show. The finale, against Oisinistan, has already sold out. What a story it would be if the fledgling nation could close out their qualifying campaign with a win on home soil.

by **Port Christopher** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:04 pm

Port Christopher find themselves one win away from the World Cup play-offs, following a 2-0 win away to The Republic of Kaboomlandia. The born again Sea Lions team remain unbeaten in the second half of qualifying, and now go into their final game with the group's second seeds Kandorith, knowing that a win would be enough to secure second in the group, regardless of Nuevo Caracas' results, after their rivals lost 3-0 in Valanora.

We all knew drill by this stage, as Port Christopher travelled to the Independence Stadium to take on the side who were playing their first international tournament following a split from Kaboomlandia. Jim Reid went with the same group of eleven players he has put his faith in since matchday three. There was nothing fancy about it, they just set up to absorb as much pressure as possible, and hit on the counter attack if they could. This was obviously a far cry from the Valanoran side they had played in the previous fixture, and I don't think even the most loyal Dragons fan would try to claim that the Republic were of the same standard. However, true to form, Port Christopher didn't try to do anything fancy. There was no effort to outplay their much lower ranked opponents, they just stuck to their game plan, and rode the result out.

We have seen the Sea Lions wait very patently this tournament, even holding their nerve till the last minutes, as in the match with Dabblslyvokia. However here, they were lucky enough to get their noses in front early, thanks to a well take goal from Tim Maitfield. Picking up the ball deep inside his own half, captain Diego Bandos did well to turn Tomas Ahlgren, before launching a forty-meter pass the length of the pitch. Tony Uist jumped with Henrik Alberts for the ball, and while he was unsuccessful, it allowed the pass to trickle through unchecked into a dangerous area between the keeper and the last defender. Port Christopher might not be the best footballing side in the competition, but Polaris captain Maitfield is certainly someone who can play a bit, and he wasted no time in picking up the loose ball, slamming it home from the edge of the area. Sami Marnaren had no chance, as Maitfield found the bottom corner of the net to put his side one up.

It has been a characteristic of Port Christopher this tournament, that once they get their noses in front that they can make things exceptionally difficult for the opposition. Breaking sides down is often their problem, but defending leads on the other hand, is far more conducive to their style of play. Getting the Sea Lions dug out, when they have the likes of Bandos and James Del Vertio sitting in front of the back four is no mean feat, and as you would expect, the visitors defended their lead valiantly.

With things all square as we approached the final quarter of an our, Port Christopher put the result beyond any doubt, as Rachel Del Arro bagged her sixth qualifying goal. While the home side had failed to seriously test Carius Laxium in the match so far, they had nonetheless done a decent job of stopping the Christopherans from getting forward. To address this, Jim Reid had brought on Blue Coast 1981 teenager Caroline Bensborg as a speedier option to goal scorer Maitfield. It was to prove a shrewd move, as Bensborg was able to exploit the narrower back-three formation, to get in behind the Dragons, and cut the ball back across the face of goal for Samaj attacker Del Arro to stab home.

The fact that Bensborg looks like the kind of player who can come on and make a difference will be a welcome relief to Reid, as he at least has another player he can bring on to make an impact. While the Coast youngster is still a bit rough around the edges, her pace is definitely another string to the Christopheran bow.

Another two goals, and aclean sheet, will be a huge confidence boost going into another difficult match up with Kandorith, a game they could really do with winning. The formula is clearly working for the time being, but were they to do what seemed impossible at the start of the tournament, and make the play-offs, there will undoubtedly be tougher challenges lying in wait. For the time being however, the need to focus on the job in hand, and that is finishing this round of qualifying off with a win. Either way, it will have been Port Christopher's best run of form in international football to date.

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:24 pm

Rasmussen the Hero as Tigers Avoid Collapse, Vault into Second
Super-Llamaland 4 - 3 Sameba

Starting Lineup: Bernholm; Lindberg, Ynoa, Reichart, Sorenson (Myers-Briggs 57); Velasquez (Mandelbrot 72), Candelario (Rinaldi 75), Vesely, Vorobyov; Penbrooke, Rasmussen
Goals: Penbrooke 15, Vorobyov 33, Lindberg 45+1, Rasmussen 87

At the half, everything looked perfect - Super-Llamaland, fueled by three goals and the midfield's excellent play, were up three-nil and cruising. Sameba, being thoroughly destroyed, were tired and disorganized. The thought of a comeback grew smaller in fans' minds with each Llamanean goal - Ansel Penbrooke getting on the board early off a well-taken set-piece, Miro Vorobyov making a run down the right flank and considering a cross before going "nah, screw it" and curling a twenty-yard shot in, and Adrian Lindberg sealing things off with his first goal of the qualifiers. Sameba managed to make it three-one - a respectable scoreline, but Reichart threw on defensively superior Chris Myers-Briggs for Michael Sorenson and most expected the score to stay that way.

Sameba proceeded to score two goals in the span of five minutes, leaving the game tied with just twenty to play and sending the entirety of New Llama City into panic mode. This included Jurgen Reichart, who immediately threw on Francis Mandelbrot onto the right wing for Velasquez and bringing on the attack-minded Stefan Rinaldi for Candelario. The defense quickly righted the ship and pushed forwards, but neither side could find a goal. Enter Felix Rasmussen.

Ansel Penbrooke made a short run into the penalty box before being stopped. The striker spun to avoid the threat, but, cognizant that he wouldn't be able to dribble out of this, fired a short pass to Rasmussen - who somehow dribbled through every Sameban defender before rolling it past the goalkeeper. Four-three, and the Tigers' campaign is saved. A win against the Amberian Islands would all but assure their passage to the playoffs.

LINEUP TO PLAY AMBERIAN ISLANDS: Matthewson; Sorenson, Reichart, Wagner, Rodrigues; Vorobyov, Santana, Karjalainen, Mandelbrot; Penbrooke, Rinaldi

Jurgen Reichart continues to develop his hybrid 4-2-4/4-2-3-1 plan, but with a new support striker-slash-attacking midfielder in Stefan Rinaldi. Ephraim Wagner will get one last shot to convince the manager he belongs on the final twenty-three over Chris Myers-Briggs, while Georgia Rodrigues is tried again at right-back and Sorenson slid over to the left side. Jason Santana and Harry Karjalainen once again are paired in the middle, while Francis Mandelbrot, formerly the presumptive second striker, shows up at right wing for just his third start, pushing Miro Vorobyov over to the left wing. The same system that worked so well for sixty minutes yesterday, but with a lot of new faces. If the Llamaneans can pull off a win here, their seventh in nine matches, they'll need just one point out of their final match against Quakmybush - and, if Sameba doesn't win both their remaining matches, they could even get away with a loss.

by **Acronius** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:37 pm

THE BLUE BOYS - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SQUAD
Episode 1: David Pascale - The Finisher

"Here's my solution to a Titus Blackett-sized hole."
- Russ Reucassel

At first glance, David Pascale would just be your average unassuming eleventh-grader - exactly why the whole of the Free Union collectively uttered "...?" at Russ Reucassel after the latter's decision to play him in the boots of Titus Blackett - the team's last captain, and legendary all-time goalscorer who had developed something of a national cult status over his three shots at World Cup qualification, two Emperor's Cups, two Cups of Harmony, and a myriad of friendlies. David Pascale, on the other hand, was some blond 16 year old who had never been capped at any international level and had never played in a top-flight football league. The youngster was introduced to Acronius in a pre-WC76Q press conference at Union Park, Liongate, where Russ Reucassel also revealed that he had ridded the Blue Boys of ten of their eleven WC75Q starters.

The son of Charles Pascale, an Olloix native, and Ingrid Pacale (née Collins), of Lionsgate, Pascale was born and raised in Willow Point, a quiet and reserved commune on Laurel Island, where his parents had settled down after a honeymoon on the island. Pascale's first taste of the world of football came on his seventh birthday, when he made his way into the academy system of Olympus FC - the main source of Laurel Island footballing exponents. The youngster impressed at an early age, with his former Olympus coaches noting that Pascale was "a child who always stood out from his comrades". David was forced to bid farewell to his hometown and his club just after his twelfth birthday, when Charles Pascale decided on moving the family, which had since come to include two more children, Madeleine and Frances. Calvin, meanwhile, who would prove to be David's last sibling, was born shortly after the family's move to Defense, a sprawling metropolis in the north and the Free Union's largest city.

After settling in Axess, an affluent and reputable seaside neighborhood in Defense's western streches, David immediately signed for the youth academy of Axess FC, a team in Union League Three. Gradually losing confidence in the club's unexciting status as a third-tier team, sunny horizons soon peaked into David's youth years when top-flight team AFC Defense offered him a tryout in his first year in Defense, but a young Pascale failed to impress AFC's staff and further attempts to reach Pascale were dropped. Disappointed at his missed opportunity, Pascale sought a quick exit from Axess FC, and his wish was granted in the form of an admission into the youth ranks of Stade Défense, after only 8 months with Axess. Now in a Union League Two team playing in the same flight as his hometown club, Olympus FC, Pascale quickly brought his enormous reserves of untapped potential to fruition, but was never called up at a national youth level despite becoming one of the most sought-after youngsters in the Free Union.

In the three seasons David spent in Stade's academy system, he was the frontman in an exciting youth squad featuring the likes of fellow international Marin Trésor, as well as other prospects including Papiss Tilani, who now plays alongside Pascale in Stade's starting eleven. While Trésor signed for Llamenean club Emerald City Harmony upon his graduation, Pascale, along with Tilani, remained in SD following his graduation despite numerous offers from several Union League One teams, including Scunthorpe FC, Delancey Gunners, as well as a second offer from AFC Defense. SD thusly selected him as their first-choice striker, making Pascale the youngest player in domestic Acronian football history, at 15 years and 156 days of age upon his Union League Two debut on 5 September 2209. Replacing a retiring Axel Jameson, Pascale kicked his senior career off to one of Acronian football's most explosive debuts - scoring 21 goals in his first 5 league matches.

Stade Défense easily outshone every other team in Union League Two combined - finishing with an undefeated 28-2-0 record and the Union League Two crown, as well as a monstrous 163 goals - 8 of which were Pascale's, making the youngster who had just blown out his sixteen birthday's candles the highest goalscorer of the season by miles. Despite the superhuman achievement, Pascale was somehow still unknown by most of the Free Union, as Union League One was virtually the only domestic football flight that was aired on television or reported on by the news. However, people eventually caught on to the phenomenon, who had since been dubbed "David the Kid", after Stade Défense advanced to the round of 16 of the Union Cup. A little digging into the relatively unknown side's record so far unveiled the beginnings of a prodigy, a certain David Pascale.

One would naturally expect a player of this calibre to be nationally renowned by the time WC76Q squad selection rolled around, but every journalist, cameraman, official, and spokesperson leered at Russ Reucassel in confusion as the Nepharan named the 16 year old. Many were backing the likes of André Traëger or Oren Roze to inherit Titus Blackett's throne atop the Blue Boys' squad, and weren't even expecting someone like Pascale to have a spot on the bench. Yet, Traëger only barely made it to the substitutes and Roze wasn't named at all. However, any doubts about Reucassel or Pascale were rapidly dispelled when qualification actually rolled around, when the 16 year old beat back pressure and criticism and pulled off a string of impressive performances alongside a fresh, new-look Acronian side, and stands today at 10 goals in his 11 appearances in the WCQ. The Kid has since come to be beloved by the fans and supporters Blue Boys, who watch as Acronius sit at third in Group 20 with two more matchdays to go.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 2:30 pm

Tales of the Fog-Thing

The Fog-Thing spoke
With one that saw Bendicion lose: who did report
That very frankly they confess'd their inferiority,
Implored its Antiqueness' pardon and set forth
A deep repentance: nothing in their life
Became them like the losing of the match; they lost
As a team that had been studied in their death
To throw away the dearest thing they owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

Was this a football which the Fog-Thing sees before me,
The sphere towards its feet? Come, let it clutch thee.
Bendicion have thee not, and the Fog-Thing has thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A football of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the football-obsessed brain?
The Fog-Thing sees thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
It marshall'st the match the way that it was going;
And such an instrument it was to use
To defeat naive Bendicion
The Fog-Things eyes (if eyes it can be said to have)
Are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest; it sees thee still,
And on thy leather panels gouts of blood,
Which was not so before.
We go, and it is done; the bell invites us.
Hear it not, Bendicion; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.

The Fog-Thing would have won hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a victory over Bendicion.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all the Fog-Thing's yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Except the inevitability of the Fog-Thing's triumph.

World Cup 76 - RP Thread

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