World Cup 79 • CREDRAWK • RP Thread

by **Somecoldwetislands** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 3:13 pm

Voiceover: Welcome to SCWITV, for those tuning straight in from the football what a horrible result! But we're here to put some cheer back into you, coming up at 10 pm we have the comedy hour with Daddy Dave's Deluge of Dad Jokes. Coming up right now, it's been named SCWITV's documentary of the year, it's Old Granny Sherry's guide to playing football.

*Theme music*

"Hello there dearies, today I be teaching you the second lesson in playing football!"

OLE

"Last week I told yous how to find a football ground, this week we be moving on at a very rapid pace to one of the key skills in football. Kicking."

*Old Granny Sherry totters across from the sideline of a football pitch towards a ball at the centre circle. Her progress is incredibly slow, the camera pans down from above the side of the pitch to in front of the football. This camera movement appears to be a bit early, Old Granny Sherry is still a decent minute away from reaching the ball. Time passes slowly. OGS stops to have a swig from her bottle before continuing on. Finally she reaches the ball then falls over, the audience wonders if this was deliberate.*

"Someone help me up I tripped"

*Apparently it wasn't, you the audience begin to wonder just how amateur this tv program is. OGS struggles to her feet with the help of the director. She smoothes down her billowy old woman dress and hoofs the ball into the distance.*

"Looks *AUDIBLE WHEEZING AND COUGHING* Looks easy doesn't it? *Splutters*. Well I'm here to tell you it isn't."

*Scene cuts to OGS stood in the penalty box facing out with the ball at her feet.*

"Now dearies, there's even more to kicking than just kicking. You've got to know what your kicking for one thing! Imagine 'ow embarrassing it'd be if you kicked the wrong thing! Oh dearie me! Well, there's also aiming to make sure you kick what yous tryin' to kick and there's a third step. What was it again?"

*From off-screen* "Not falling over after you've kicked"

"Oh right, so it was." *Old Granny Sherry furrows her brow and looks confused before looking back up.*

"Right dearies! Step One, picking something to kick. Now in football yous either be attacking or defending. If yous be attacking yous gots to kick the ball, likes this one at my feet! If yous be defending yous are tryin' to kick the other teams player on the ball, but try to look like tha' weren't what yous were tryin' ta do."

"Now, step two, tha were aimin'. The key is to really look at whats you kicking, don't look at the sky or yous shoes, look directly right at the ball or tha soft flesh of an attacker inner thigh. Now, yous got to kick, swing as 'ard as you think appropriate, tha takes some doin'. This'll depend on whats yous be tryin' ta do me babber. Now, sometimes yous jus' wants to kick the ball/opposition as 'ard as you can, but this ain't always the case! Sometimes yous tryin' to do a short pass or allows yourselves to come back from the kick and tread 'ard on the opponents foot! Short passes 'as the advantages o' bein' more likely ta goes to wheres you intend. Treadin' on a strikers foot is useful cos it looks accidental and yous can break three bones in their feets!"

OLE!

"Nows, the 'ardest part me dears. Not fallin' over. Once yous made a kick the key is ta gets on two legs quick as you like, you be more stable tha' way. This 'elps because the force o' a kick can knock yous off yers feet. 'Specially if the opposing striker thinks yous injured them on purpose an' goes a' it with the elbows! So. Trick is. Get on two feet, n make sure you kick the opponent 'ard enough to knock 'em down." *Old Granny Sherry's eyes turn malovent for a second* "Yeah, likes skittles." *She pauses, her eyes lift and she smiles her old kind woman smile*.

"Right then dearies tha's be all yous need to know abouts kicking, try it for yerselves on any ball/sibling available. Nightie night then babbers, sleep tight, mind the beddie bugaroos don't bes nibbilin yers."

by **Mercedini** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 3:14 pm

Revan State Visit Schedule Released
@ Capo Plaza - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Today Mercedini took another step towards the Echani state visit as the foreign office released a five day schedule for the state visit of Echani leader President Revan, after successful talks last week resulted in the bi-lateral arrangement being declared between the two nations. Since then, developments has been slow but the cogs have began to pick up speed once again as the media and the public saw the schedule for the Echani tour which is said to contain trips to the Sports City Stadium, the cultural hub of Langtree as well as several meetings in Capo Plaza involving the two delegations to discuss potential trade deals and military exercise schedules for the future.

Echani leader President Revan will visit Mercedini at a good time after entering a bit of hot water, after his remarks about rigging elections in South Covello was met with a furious response from both potential leaders of the new republic, so this diplomatic meeting could come as a welcome break from political life at home and in other nations abroad.

Echani State Visit Schedule
Day 1: Official Welcoming Ceremony, Diplomatic Goals Discussion, Theatre Production and Evening Banquet
Day 2: Trade Deal Discussion, Press Conference, Trip to the Sports City Stadium (vs. New Doltania) and Evening Banquet
Day 3: Trade Deal Discussion, Military Exercise Scheduling, Leader Of The Opposition Meeting and Tour of Langtree
Day 4: Tour of Zoloroni, Military Exercise Scheduling, Speech at Zoloroni International University and Evening Banquet
Day 5: Trade Deal Finalisation, Press Conference, Afternoon Banquet and Closing Ceremony

With the Echani delegation yet to comment on the upcoming schedule for their state visit, it is unclear whether or not there will any adjustments and amendments with the current schedule. It will be a developing story from here on out with the arrival of the Echani President to Mercedini imminent. It will undoubtedly be great for both nation with the Echanis getting a true taste of Mercedinian sport and culture while on their short trip.

World Cup 79 Qualification MD13
Mercedini 4-0 Alpine Union @ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Starting XI: Hosset • Aznelik (Di Sansev 72') - Ossun - Dosic - Park • Vaselko - Nymark - Kraljic - Presic • Dostalok (Billic 88') - Chillotov (Spartoni 90+4')
MRC Goalscorers: Chillotov 18', Nymark 49' (P), Presic 54', Spartoni 90+7'

Mercedini keep themselves in the hunt for a qualification spot as they stay in second place following a 4-0 win over Alpine Union. We have to back to matchday four when Mercedini's 100% record was ended by the Unionists following a 1-1 draw away from home, so the Golden Eagles were eager to enact revenge when in the familiar surroundings of the Sports City Stadium.

An enthusiastic crowd knew that points were running out for the teams to get, so any advantage over their main rivals could be telling come the end of the qualification campaign when the group of ten is whittled down to two which will make the trip to Ceni and Drawkland. A quick start was rewarded for the Golden Eagles after Ben Chillotov finished off a blistering counter attack which saw a low cross from Ross Presic being met by the 1860 Azoth striker who tapped in at the back post. After that, it was all Alpine Union at they tried to make a mends of their rather disappointing qualification campaign, however they couldn't force a breakthrough and went into the half time interval 1-0 behind.

The teams were back out shortly after with Cenian manager Elidyr Lyndainium on the edge of his technical area as he tinkered with the Mercedinian formation to better suit the changing state of play. Barely five minutes into the first half, Nymark made it two from the spot after Galacticos nominee Dostalok was brought down in the box. Shortly after, another set piece was the undoing for the Alpine Union team once again as Presic banged in a free-kick from thirty yards out to send the Sports City crowd into ecstacy after that cracking goal they had just witnessed. At this point, the points were safe and both teams were playing for personal goals, Lyndainium took off their main two strikers to the disappointment of the crowd, but the two subs combined to add the cherry on the cake. Billic broke forward after a long ball from Nymark once again, all the Myrmidon man had to do was slot it into the net but he unselfishly squared it to Spartoni who rolled the ball into the net for 4-0. Another comprehensive performance from the squad, their 4-0 win keeps them in a qualificaiton spot with five matches to go.

by **Eura** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:20 pm

Rainy days are always unusual in a city like Directus but gratefully received whatever the time of year, for the Reach region's winters tended to be bone dry. Though the rain had ruined what was allegedly going to be a chilly but visibly clear day at the golf course for a number of key Euran decision makers they at least were able to retreat to the city's assortment of fluorescent colour schemed night time venues. Primrose was a bar of some repute in Euran high culture due to its central location in the Walton District, upper class clientele and soothing, moody jazz music to make the night go away. Two siblings, Bonnie and John, spent their evening catching up over a couple of cocktails and reminiscing about their childhoods after John, who had been part of the party returning from their abandoned golf day, decided to call up on his younger sister while she was in the city. Tomorrow, Bonnie would get on a plane and return to her day job way out west in Harther running clinical trials for Euran pharmaceutical giant EurChem. Her brother would be continuing the role of Euran spymaster, Chairman of the OSI, that he could now scarcely believe had been his for many years.

It felt like yesterday that The Ticker was causing chaos in Eura and abroad, and difficult to imagine that things could get any worse. John gave Bonnie a warm farewell hug that would have felt unnatural all those years ago when he struggled with the PTSD incurred by his involvement in Mytannion. In many ways he almost felt better now. Almost is not the same as being over the finishing line - the evening had brought up painful memories and relieved them in equal measure. She left him in the rain at the airport prompting his return to the Grand Polarian on the river front. The taxi ride did not aid the fight against his general recent relapse into loneliness. John dwelt on what could have been and with whom. Longingly, he pondered what Elita was doing these days. Whether she was still alive even. Anything could happen in that basket case of a country. No matter; he was back at the hotel. Pick up a replacement for that card, grab something to provide energy from the machine and then suddenly the telltale buzz of a text in his pocket from the Director for Esportivan Operations. 'Boss, developments re. former GRG. Need guidance. Can you remote connect?' Shit. Duty calls. His reply was crisp and to the point as had always been his style compared to that loathsome rambling, operatic predecessor who was now enjoying an undeservedly luxurious retirement in a soft touch "prison". 'Yes. Send detail. Discuss actions in 15. CHR.' John pressed send and reluctantly bundled himself into the room which was now for all intents and purposes a mobile office.

Code: Select all: ///LOGGED ON AS: CHR-OSI/// - MAKING CONNECTION - AUTHORISATION: REQUESTED - #33U8***** - PROCESSING...

'Come on.' John had little time for insubordinate technology. 'Load you bastard or I'll replace you with a toaster.' A ping followed emanating from the bottom of the laptop. Success! New text appeared in the window he had loaded up alongside the various files that had been sent on by the his colleague. While it loaded up further he made coffee to stave off the fatigue that was wearing away his capacity to care minute by minute. After that he would join the dedicated channel for remote communications on developments in South Covello and request a user list of who was present. Only a small group of officials were needed, himself (CHR-OSI) and the Director of Esportivan Operations of course (D-EO), but also the Director of External State Intelligence who managed the collection of information from inside non-hostile foreign governments (D-ESI), Deputy Director of Signals Intelligence listening in for information and any orders (DD-SI), a high ranking civil servant attached to the Ministry of Intelligence reporting to the Minister and War Cabinet (MOI) and finally a woman who might have to actually do more than sit at a computer talking theory, a senior Euran Army officer ranking at least as high as Colonel in charge of central government communication with Euran Forces Guayabal (EFGComms)

Code: Select all: - AUTHORISATION: ACCEPTED - CONNECTION MADE - YOU ARE NOW ACCESSING THE OSIOP NETWORK. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR DEVICE IS APPROPRIATELY SECURE AS PER REGULATIONS 14.1 TO 16.1, ACT ON STATE INFORMATION SECURITY (SEE ANNEXES 1-3 FOR POLICY DETAILS) /join ~GRGcatchup - CONNECTED TO THREAD ~GRGcatchup /listusers - USERS ONLINE: CHR-OSI, D-EO, D-ESI, DD-SI, MOI, EFGComms

D-EO: Thank you for joining us CHR, everyone is on. FLEETCOM contact is out of position but can catch up later.
CHR-OSI: I'm hoping this is urgent.
D-EO: Seen the news?
CHR-OSI: No, been out of play but getting up to speed with what you sent me.
MOI: Thanks CHR, trifecta of PRIME MOVER, WARCAB, MILCAB bit jumpy about this. Course of action urgently needed.
CHR-OSI: Highly doubt PRIME MOVER is going to lose cool over this. Any steer from FO or MoD?
MOI: None so far.
D-EO: Gist of the situation is S-COV leadership in waiting have thrown spanner in works. ESHGOV responded badly. ESHPRES talking like a docker. We were set to formalise IFSC at the end of the week but this has called it into question. Reminder, IFSC = International Forces South Covello.
EFGComms: D-EO, ourselves and FLEETCOM need more clarity on this. Are we going to be leading or are we talking foreign leadership?
CHR-OSI: My understanding is, MOI, that EURGOV has agreed internal political imperative is to ensure EURFOR leadership of IFSC. SRGFOR to take deputy duties due to their enlarged presence.
MOI: Yes we agreed that by majority vote. Few dissenters. Expect other countries to accept it given large amount of EURFOR in S-COV.
CHR-OSI: Let's delay that then for another week. D-EO what is the mood on the ground?
D-EO: S-COV are internally all over place central government really has little certain leadership at the moment. But strange that leading candidates seem so unified on this. Either they're paranoid/inexperienced and casting wild aspersions about ESHGOV as a result, or they know something we don't with absolute certainty.
D-ESI: We haven't had penetration of government in this region for a long time. Never would have been possible in former GRG. But it seems inexplicable that they've gone off script like this.
CHR-OSI: Is the ESHPRES response bluster or does he mean it?
D-ESI: Hard to tell. We've got sources deep in ESHGOV, including State Department and Executive. Nothing to suggest any escalation of military activity etc. or change in levels of forces but plenty of indications regime and ESHPRES unhappiness is genuine. Terrible diplomacy on their part though. They've made a lot of allies and investors wobble.
CHR-OSI: More importantly, do S-COV have a point?
D-EO: Not sure that is the more important point CHR-OSI.
MOI: Disagree, CHR-OSI is right, Minister and EURGOV position is to ensure viability of democratic system in S-COV, preferably with us in the driving seat if things go belly up. If ESHGOV is trying to rig the game for strategic interests then we need to call it out.
D-ESI: This is also hard to tell. ESHGOV are claiming they are calling S-COV bluff which suggests they're confident they can prove innocence or haven't left evidence of guilt. Plenty of indications from previous analysis by your lot that ESHPRES could be a SAMPRES in sheep's clothing right?
D-EO: Based on S-COV intervention? No. You will have more info though surely?
CHR-OSI: Its 50/50 based on our assessment. Too early to make the call on whether ESHGOV can be trusted fully. ESHPRES is not a conventional leader, if somewhat predictable at times. Alright, you wanted my feedback - I suggest we play it according to three private principles of EURGOV involvement in S-COV outlined previously - ensuring democratic transition and improvement of living standards and human rights for S-COV people, investing EURGOV and broader EUR political/economic interests in S-COV, and disable any threat to EURGOV interests or EURFOR assets in the region, especially from SAMGOV poaching of CRBN materials. We achieve all three by rising above tone of dispute and urging calm. Rebuke both sides in moderation. Quietly move forward plans for co-operation with S-COV regime regardless of who wins election. Slow down EURFOR withdrawal in case things kick off. D-ESI to keep monitoring what's going on in both regimes. Agreed?
User vote results - 100% YES 0% NO
CHR-OSI: MOI you're happy with this?
MOI: I'll report to PRIME MOVER in tomorrows briefing. Expect EURGOV reply by midday.

Waking up the next day, John headed for his own flight back to Bastion, working on the move and catching up on some less exciting administrative duties. Greenway - that's MOI - greeted him back at Blackhall with a grin on his face. 'That was good advice you gave last night, thanks for pitching in.' Pitching in? Greenway sure was a cocky bastard.
'Really? What did you go with in the end?'
'You can see for yourself over there.' The Chairman turned as Greenway departed the lobby they were in to watch a news broadcast on a large plasma screen. 'A Foreign Office spokesperson has urged calm between the government's of South Covello and Eshan after a rapid breakdown in relations between the two countries. Speaking after what had began as a reportedly internal spat over ideology within South Covello had turned into a full blown international incident in its own right, the Euran government's stated position asserted that all sides needed to 'calm down and return to the table with fresh perspective' after the President of Eshan launched a curse-laden tirade at his potential opposite numbers in the newly formed Esportivan democracy. The position did not take sides, but our sources in Bastion indicate that the Euran government is internally unhappy with both the presumptuousness of the South Covellan outburst against Eshan, and the aggressive nature of President Bernat's response. It is suggested that the government has pushed back plans to announce a Euran-led assimilation of international forces in South Covello into a unified command structure to simplify the rebuilding process, and will instead spend the coming days reassuring South Covello of Euran commitment to the region, as well as trying to bring Eshan back into the fold.' John nodded to himself, a self congratulation of sorts. The response was more than adequate for a situation that had not been easy to deal with. All that concerned him was how quickly someone in this government had decided to chatter to journalists about what the Prime Minister might think about it.

by **Ceni** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:56 pm

Cutoff.

by **Chromatika** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 5:51 pm

Matchday 13: Chromatika 5-4 Reuss-Lippe @ The Capitalizt Dome, Chromatik City, Chromatika
Chromatika: Chesser '4, Moon '22, Drea '36, Kelly, M. '68, Victoriane '90+1
Starting Lineup: Joy; McBee - Bozena - Ilya, V.; Etienne - Kuzami - Mora - Han; Drea - Moon - Chesser (C). Subs: Kelly, M. -> Etienne '51, An -> McBee '78, Victoriane -> Drea '88
Summary: Crazy? Crazy. To give up four goals to Reus-Lippe, a team ranked so far below them, and yet escape was a testament to both the team's resiliency as well as some sloppy play in the Capitallizt Dome as Kaytlyn Victoriane, coming in in the eighty-eight minute, scored the game-winner in injury time. It seemed like Chromatika would run away with the game after the first thirty minutes and goals from Alexandria Chesser and Lin Moon; Marcel Shuster and Eli Kiknadze answered for Reuss-Lippe before a Willad Drea strike gave the Chromatiks a one-goal lead at halftime.

After halftime, there was speculation that Joy would be replaced by Justus, Ria, or even Nier; however, Parker decided to just go all out instead. Meagan Kelly's inclusion provided a burst of speed that Laure Etienne doesn't possess; she was responsible for a deep foray into Reuss-Lippe territory. Jonas Gerste answered just two minutes later; it was then that Parker brought in An for McBee to spell the youngster.

The underdogs would then tie it up once more around the seventieth as Shuster would score his second, but then Parker sent in Victoriane to be the finisher, and the Lammerton star did her job, pushing the team just ahead and avoiding an upset that would have been ten times worse than the loss to Banija on the road.

Matchday 14: Eastfield Lodge vs. Chromatika @ Parliament Stadium, Lodgeria City, Eastfield Lodge
Predicted Starting XI: Nier; Morningstar - Aart - Ellen; Kelly, M. (C) - Sybill - Montague - Dragana; Victoriane - Andisori - Niro.
Time for the home stretch - where the matches against Eastfield Lodge, Eshan, and Banija will decide it all. Banija's taking down of Eastfield Lodge has simplified the group a bit so that there are legitimately only three contenders, although Eastfield Lodge isn't mathematically eliminated yet.

First off will be an away fixture against the third seeded team in the group who are holding onto their playoff lives. The predictable Starting XI will be in the game, although it is likely that the youthful speedsters will enter the game either for the midfield or the striking core.

It is time to put away the qualification campaign. It is time to show up. Eastfield Lodge 1-2 Chromatika.

by **South Covello** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:41 pm

Election Night Live Coverage

7:30 PM: "Good evening, and welcome to SCBC's live Election Night in South Covello coverage. I'm Harold Wheaton here in the studio, and we'll be bringing you non-stop coverage of tonight's Presidential election until we have a winner. We'll also bring you the results of Senate races and other matters of interest. Polls are closing in just under 30 minutes now, at the top of the hour, but it will be some time before we are able to announce a winner. Remember, we're all new at this, the poll inspectors, us reporters, and everyone else. This is the first democratic election conducted in this nation after over a thousand years of tyranny, and the whole Multiverse is watching and waiting. We've got three candidate running right now - the first two have been extensively covered in Acting President and former rebel leader John Green, and Louise Bennett, a former medic in the rebel army. These two are both well-liked by the South Covellan people, and it's anyone's guess who will win. Meanwhile, a third candidate, Carter Redwin, has entered the race just a few days ago, with the full-backing of the Echani leader most South Covellans now despise, Revan Bernat. Redwin is extremely unpopular, as most South Covellans believe he will be another tyrant, much like Bernat or Lord Almighty Gregory. Redwin has run a nationalistic campaign in a country that is clearly not nationalistic, and has been booed and heckled everywhere he goes. We went around to several hundred polling places today, talking to people at each one, and not a single person mentioned they were voting for Redwin. The other two, Green and Bennett, are neck and neck, and it looks like the South Covellan people will reject tyranny once again. However, this is a sobering reminder that the battle for freedom is never over, and the best way to fight it is to prevent people like Redwin and Bernat from ever coming to power."

8:00 PM: "Polls are now closed across South Covello, but it will be a little bit before we have any results come in, yet alone enough to project a winner. However, now that polls are closed, we can show you the results of our exit polls. We surveyed approximately 10,000 people at hundreds of polling sites all over the nation, and, would you look at that, the results are nck and neck. John Green leads Louise Bennnett, 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent, and not a single person out of everyone we surveyed said they voted for Redwin. This is certainly a rejection of tyranny and a rejection of nationalists like Devan Bernat and Carter Redwin. We now can confidently say that Carter Redwin will not be our President, but we cannot confidently say who will be, we'll just have to wait and find out."

8:13 PM: "We have the first results now being reported, two precincts out of 24,493. A very small number indeed, but it's something. I have to caution our viewers about making judgments this early, it's practically random at this point. But Louise Bennett has 3,912 votes to 1,413 for John Green, and not a single one for Carter Redwin. This gives Bennett about 73 - oh, and just as I say that, it changes again as we have more votes coming in. Doctor Bennett's lead has narrowed significantly now, she's at about 56 percent to Green's 44, but we've only got 15 precincts reporting. And wow, it just changed again, now John Green is in the lead."

8:34 PM: These two candidates have been going back and forth so far, and with 3.5 percent of precincts reporting, Acting President John Green leads Doctor Louise Bennett, 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent. Exactly six votes have been cast for hyper-nationalist Carter Redwin, so this is certainly a victory for those who fought against this kind of thing, and a defeat for people like Devan Bernat. No matter what happens, all South Covellans have reason to celebrate tonight - they will have elected a good leader who will represent them fairly and justly.

9:03 PM: "With 12 percent of precincts reporting, it's still tight, Louise Bennett leads 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent. Redwin has received just 13 votes this entire night. And turnout so far looks to be above 95 percent - we're getting word that at precincts which have reported so far, the turnout was 97.3 percent, with several precincts experiencing 100 percent turnout - every eligible voter came out and voted. Certainly a victory for freedom and democracy right now. And we're getting word that Carter Redwin is about to speak. Let's get you out there now.

"Good evening, everybody. It is clear that you people do not want me. It is clear that you measly fools do not think yourselves good enough for me. Very well then. If that is the case, then I am too good for you. If you want a leader who will actually Make South Covello Great Again, like it was in our glory days, when our leaders were Great like Revan Bernat, you know where to find me. Until then, I'll be thinking about how great I am and the great things I can do for this country. And I will do those Great things, because I am Great! My hair is Great, my hands are Great, my friend Revan Bernat is Great, and I am Great. But clearly this nation is not ready for Greatness. When the time comes, I'll be back!"

"Back here in the studio now, certainly an interesting speech, and certainly the right decision of our voters to reject him. Let's bring Anna Brainerd into the studio now. She's a professor of political science at Baycoast University , and whose specialty is the rise and fall of tyrants throughout history. Professor Brainerd, how are you this evening?”:

“I’m good Harold, and yourself?”

“I’m doing fine. I take it you just watched Mr. Redwin’s speech?”

“Of course, and I was naturally completely appalled by it.”

“Well, that’s a given, of course, I think we all are. What struck you in particular?”

“Well, he says he’s going to make us great again? Again? So you want to go back to the days when people owned slaves and we were forced to worship a cult leader posing as a deity? Does this guy not think about the words that come out of his mouth or does he actually think that was great? I’m not really sure which one is worse.”

“Well, it’s clear everyone else here shares your views as well. Looking at the numbers you can see on the bottom, Redwin now has 17 votes with 19 percent of precincts reporting. What the hell do you think was going through those seven people’s minds?”

“I honestly have no idea. Maybe they’re still secretly loyal to the Gregists and want to go back to the crazy old days. Or maybe they pressed the wrong button.”

“Now, you, of course came here from the Free Republics to study our Revolution firsthand, and while you never had to live through Lord Almighty Gregory, you had to live through two tyrants of your own in Reino Kulseth and Caleb O’Reilly. And, of course, you studied our country very closely from abroad. What similarities do you see between those tyrants and Carter Redwin?”

“Well, they’re all major nationalists. They all talk about how great they’re going to make this country, they all have tremendous charisma and tremendous bluster, they know how to get people to agree with them. After all, who doesn’t want to live in a great country? That’s how they hook you in, and then they go full on crazed lunatic. It’s the tactic of tyrants everywhere.”

“Much has been made of whether Revan Bernat of Eshan is a tyrant in the making. What’s your take on this?”

“I think it’s clear he knows how to control his people, how to make them think what he thinks, and how to lead them down the wrong path. If you’ll notice, he’s lately started talking about how great he he and how great he’s going to make Eshan. Now where have you heard this before? Carter Redwin literally took a page out of his friend’s playbook, and the people soundly rejected it. Good for them.”

“Well, I thank you for coming on our show. We’ve got to go to commercial now, and when we come back, we’ll have more election night news.”

10:00 PM: “It’s the top of the hour here, two hours after polls closed, and results are coming in fast and furious. We’re now at 47 percent of precincts reporting, with the two candidates neck and neck. John Green is at 50.8 percent, Louise Bennett at 49.2 percent. Carter Redwin, who already conceded in a bizarre speech that seemed to glorify the days of slavery and psychopath false deities, has received just 18 votes in the entire country. A sound rejection of the nationalism we already rejected once. Give the people credit for recognizing that rabbit hole for what it was and not going down there again. And how about the overall turnout so far? 98.3 percent? We’re getting report of a handful of precincts that are actually still open - anyone on line at 8:00 could vote, so the precincts will stay open for them to do so. We’ll continue to report results of course, and no, if you haven’t already voted shame on you but you can’t go out and do so now. Unless you’re watching on the SCBC app while waiting on line, of course. This is amazing - the people are embracing democracy with open arms. Today was declared a national holiday here, in part to celebrate our freedom and in part so people could go cast a vote without worrying about having to go to work. And it’s certainly worked. We’ve been able to project 203 of the 300 Senate winners so far, you can see that on our website and we’ll flash them as we project them - oh, make that 204. We just projected another one. Looks like Sheryl Sillbeam will be the first Senator ever to represent the Equestrabury district in Congress. That district and associated town of course are named in honor of the brave soldiers from the Equestrian States who helped fight for our freedom. But, as I was saying, we reached out to those 204 Senators-elect to ask them if they would support passsing a law to continue that policy permanently. We were unable to reach 31 of them so far, 32 including Ms. Sillbeam, but the other 172 all wholeheartedly agreed. Both candidates have released public statements that they will call on Congress to pass such a law as their first act, fully enshrining this act of freedom and democracy in the national heritage. So it certainly looks like that’s going to happen. For now, though, it’s clear the real winners here tonight are freedom and democracy.

10:51 PM: “73 percent of precincts reporting, and John Green starting to pull away, he’s at 51.1 percent to Louise Bennett’s 48.9 percent but still 27 percent left to report. Doctor Bennett has just released a statement. Let’s read it to you now and put it up on screen.”

“Tonight has been a great night for our new democracy. So far, the numbers look to be favoring my good friend John Green, but it’s far from over and I will not concede until the networks tell us it’s over. As of now, they have not. However, one thing is for certain - tonight was a great night for the South Covellan people. I thank Acting President Green for being a great opponent and a great person. Whichever one of us wins, I am sure they will do a fantastic job for our people. And even Carter Redwin - thank you for giving the people an opportunity to reject tyranny, oppression, and nationalism once again, for showing us that the fight for freedom is never fully won. And we may never win the war, but we certainly won the battle tonight by soundly rejecting Mr. Redwin. Thank you to all my supporters and voters for all your help throughout this campaign. May freedom ever by thy watchword.”

12:00 AM: “Folklore tells us that many momentous things happened at midnight. And, as the clock strikes midnight on a new day here in South Covello, we are ready to announce one of those momentous things. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, we are ready to make a projection. The race will stay close, but there simply aren’t enough votes for Louise Bennett to make up. John Green currently has 51.3 percent of the vote, and he will be the first democratically elected President of South Covello. Let’s get you live to Green’s headquarters now, as the newly-titled President Green, no longer acting, is about to give his speech.

“Good evening, or should I now say good morning, everyone. Today is a great victory for us as a people. And when I say ‘us’, I speak of everyone in this country, whether they voted for me or not. I’ve been saying all along both myself and Doctor Bennett would make fine Presidents, and evidently the people thought I would be a little finer than her. Very well then, I am glad for that and I am proud to be the first democratically elected leader in this nation’s history. The events of the last 24 hours were among the most significant in the history of the multiverse. Not because I was elected - this would be true just he same if Doctor Bennett had one, and for that matter if Mr. Redwin had won, though for quite the opposite reason in such a case. Today, the people expressed their right to democratically vote in a free and open election for the first time ever. Over 98 percent of our eligible population, 98 percent of adults in this country, chose to come out and cast their vote. And yes, we had two fine candidates and one not so fine one. I am speaking, of course, of Carter Redwin. Yet with now 98 percent of precincts reporting as you can see on the screen behind me, only 31 votes across the entire country were cast for Mr. Redwin. To those 31 people, i say shame on you! But to the nearly 60 million other people who came out and voted, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, whether you voted for me or for Doctor Bennett. The real winner tonight wasn’t me - it was liberty. And we will continue building our liberty and freedom, forever. I am truly honored to accept this role. Good night, and may freedom ever be thy watchword.”

by **Bojikstan** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:55 pm

Controversy in win as Andrade sits out anthem, warms up away from squad
Bojikstan finally got another win, but Livia Andrade's debut contained political controversy
Posted by Loic Lande, Football Correspondent

Bojikstan finally got a win after their road collapse recently infuriated fans, and like all of their matches this season, there seemed to be another narrative that would dominate the media conversation. Last time, it was the fan protest and the players voicing their displeasure with the BFA. This time, the big story is related to something that one of the players did, splitting the fanbase and giving the supporters something to talk about that has little to nothing to do with football or even with the team. The controversy is about an issue that can be considered a more important one, that’s been dominating the news outside of sport in recent months. However, many aren’t happy with that controversy being brought into the much calmer realm of sports.

Alexy Hesse has been the leader of the team since its inception, but because of a chronic muscle soreness problem, he has been benched for the rest of the qualifying campaign. After all, with Hesse getting older, there’s no reason to risk his future health for the remainder of a campaign that’s already decided in terms of outcome. His replacement, Livia Resendes Andrade, would make her competitive senior team debut against New Jarwel after leading the U-21 team during the Di Bradini Cup and seeing plenty of action during the Eagle’s Cup when Bojikstan played a rotated squad that featured several younger players. There’s a big difference between that competition and this one, and her competitive Azules debut would be met with anticipation and much speculation from the fanbase.

However, Livia wouldn’t do much to endear herself to the crowd in Strasburg. She warmed up separately from the rest of the team after seemingly having a dispute with them in the days before the match. Rumors have been floating around the internet that her hospital stay in Kyrjasmark was because of a drug overdose, but whatever did happen during that away trip, it’s safe to say that it affected Livia enough to separate herself from her teammates and debut a new look. She played in blackout contact lenses and conducted warmups in drab, all black clothes, while not interacting with the press. It’s a change from her usual persona, where she usually is one of the most energetic and social players on the squad.

When the players lined up for the anthems of Bojikstan and New Jarwel, Livia was the only player or staff member not present at midfield or on the sideline with the coaches. Instead, she sat down in front of Horda Azul’s section and removed her shirt to reveal a black tank top underneath, displaying a cross and no text. She would also briefly drape an eastern Bojikstani flag from the stands around her shoulders, before returning to the pitch with her teammates and being whistled by the majority of the Strasburg crowd as she kicked off to Niko Komarov and began the match. They would show hostility to her for the entire match, though the Horda Azul section mostly cheered her because of their largely eastern ancestry.

Despite the hostile reception from the crowd, Andrade put on a good performance in her debut and danced around defenders with good dribbling and command of the attacking midfield. She assisted the game winning goal, when she drew the defense towards herself and then threaded a through ball towards Niko Komarov, who would score from about six yards off of the goal. The two easterners celebrated together, but would be pelted with bottles, caps, and coins after approaching the stand opposite of the Horda Azul one. After the match, Andrade would speak at a media scrum about her sitting during the Bojikstani anthem:

“There’s some people trying to make this out to be about me being from Sameba originally and showing loyalty to my home country, but it’s not about that. I sat down because I consider myself more of an easterner than a westerner and I don’t consider the rebel government that has been in power since the Bojikstani Civil War to be acting in the best interests of its people. It looks democratic from the outside, but this government is suppressing Christianity across the country and I couldn’t stay silent about it. Vorsji is the city that made me the person I am today, and I won’t stand by while the people that I’ve come to love there are suppressed by a government that works to undermine half its population. I’m prepared to face the consequences for my actions.”

by **New Gazi** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:58 pm

Is New Gazi Getting Old?

New Gazi was a more experienced team than they were when they first entered World Cup Qualifiers. Players like Imari Lefisse and Uffe Diya had several seasons under their belt. The team was expected to be closer to qualifying this year than ever before. Offensively, they were off to a hot start. New Gazi was one of the lead offensive teams at the halfway point, with 28 goals on Match Day 9. Although quite a few other teams also had 28 goals, only 3 teams had scored more.

Bonesea, Eshan and The Holy Empire all had 29 goals at the halfway point. Electrum, Eastfield Lodge, and Mercedini all had 28 goals at the halfway point alongside New Gazi. World Cup 79 qualifiers were proving to be full of high scoring matches. New Gazi was on a roll that was soon to regress to the average numbers. For some of these teams, a potent offense did not translate into success. The Gazilians found themselves in draw after draw.

After Match Day 14, they sat at 3rd in Group 12. Their record was 8-4-2.

"It's amazing that we only have two losses", said Head Coach Oli Hausta. "The truth is that, with a little more effort, we could have turned some of those draws into victories".

New Gazi would lose 5-1 to Tumbra on MD12 and to Farfadillis 3-1 on MD9. The Gazilians did have 2 big wins, one against St. Wilhelm 7-2 and most recently on MD14 where they would defeat United Celtic Peoples 5-2.

"We've got to step up our effort", said Team Captain Amare Contee. "It's been a long season. Maybe it's all the scoring, but it feels like we've run 100 miles every night."

Although the offense is running more smoothly, the back field is looking as rough as ever.

Defensive balanced midfielder Imari Lefisse criticized the defense, stopping short of calling out players by name. "We've been getting destroyed in the center of the field", he said. "If the offense scores four goals, things are in the hands of our defenders to win."

A big reason for so many draws has been tough play from the keeper. Talib Mensah is known for his leaping ability, but he's faced quite a few aggressive offenses this season. Without his play and that of the midfielders and forwards on offense, New Gazi's record would include many more losses.

Still, it looked like Qualifying might once again slip just out of reach of the Gazilians.

"We're playing for the spectacle", said Uffe Diya. "For many teams, it's about chasing the cup. That's our long-term goal, but it looks like more changes will have to be made. A lot of us are getting older. It's almost now or never for some players. If nothing else, we could say we were a part of the team that fought through the storm to give the next generation of Gazilian football a fighter's chance."

President Ibori Praises South Covello

With harsh words coming out of Eshan after news of an attempt to meddle with South Covello's sovereign diplomatic elections, President Malcolm Ibori spoke on the developing news.

"This is the reason why we pulled our offer of aid. We had concerns based on the aggressive habits of Eshan in particular. The abusive tone coming from their leader, Bernat, is one that no world leader should imitate.. Nor tolerate."

President Bernat issued a profanity-laden speech, threatening South Covello with war if they attempted to remove their foreign soldiers. "This is an outrage", said President Ibori. "As we rightfully assumed, the Echani mission was little more than a power grab. They appear to have the classic profile of a manipulative abuser. They assume their military might gives them the right to demand a role helping less militant nations. South Covello is not the only nation they've tried to take advantage of."

The President spoke on a place called Ethane. "One Esportivan nation is allowing Eshan's Navy free reign into Esportivan waters. It is irresponsible to bring in such a foreign, aggressive military just because they offered to police your territory. If any conflict springs off, we will know where to point fingers."

"Military intervention on our part is not an option. After speaking with Prime Minister Goodsen of Vangaziland, it sounds like The Empire is also not looking to get involved. We praise South Covello for standing up for their independence and we ask other nations to be careful before allowing foreign soldiers onto your lands."

The Order of the Purple Cross has sent letters of protest to the Vannish government hoping to still send aid. After Bernat's statements, even the OPC released a statement.

"It is not our mission to shy away from violent zones, but without stability in the peacekeeping force, we will have to declare South Covello too dangerous to aid. Our supplies are being gathered and are closer than ever to sail for South Covello. We could provide aid with zero military aspirations. Many other nations and organizations could do the same."

People on the street have also weighed in on the topic. Charles Bibiko, a former Army sergeant spoke on Bernat's speech. "A soldier does not fight to get something in return. It's called selfless service. If you help a nation establish democracy, it's not their job to owe you. At that point, you are not a soldier, but a mercenary. If your military leaders have not instilled this upon you, then they did you a disservice. A soldier should also learn about integrity. Trying to meddle in one's sovereign affairs and then launching into victim blaming shows a dangerous lack of ethics. One may have all the tanks and bombs they want, but if they do not understand these simple, basic concepts, then they cannot claim to be one of the world's top militaries. Discipline is what wins wars and that does not come through fear of your own leadership. You see? I'm just a guy on the street. I'm no general. But I am a veteran. People should be careful... It's an ugly world."

Luckily for the people of New Gazi, Vangaziland and Barnicea (Esportivan Vangaziland) life will go on unaffected by the events in South Covello & Eshan. The Order still hopes to, one day, send aid.

by **United States of Devonta** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:17 pm

Devontan Sports Central

Second Qualifying loss in second half of WCQ
Devonta falls 1-0 to 16th ranked Pasarga in hard fought away battle
Kelly Anne (@Kelly_A)
^{12/09/2017, 7:30 PM | Pasarga}

United States of Devonta 0 - 1 Pasarga
                                 Karpaty (88')

Pasarga
GK: Shalhoub
LD: Friedmann

(62')
CD: Wefel
CD: Oddsson
RD: Sommer
LM: Jurkovic
CM: Hunor
CM: Feierabend
RM: Sigurjónsdóttir
ST: Karpaty
ST: Auðbjörnsson

United States of Devonta
GK: Bradley Cooper
LD: Johnson Brooks
CD: Martin Benton
CD: Daniel Kindred
RD: Brayden Liam

(Mathew Creasmen - 82')
DM: Isaiah Russel
LM: Mohamed Abdullah
RM: DeMonte Edwards

(Julius Washington - 65')
OM: Tyrell Owens
ST: Gerald Johansen

(76')
ST: Lamar Adams

(Noah Hill - 82')

Final Score: 1-0 Pasarga.

Match Statistics:
Possession
Devonta: 45%
Pasarga: 55%
Shots
Devonta: 9 shots (6 on target)
Pasarga: 12 shots (8 on target)
Pass Accuracy
Devonta: 84%
Pasarga: 87%
Corners
Devonta: 3
Pasarga: 7
Offsides
Devonta: 1
Pasarga: 3
Fouls
Devonta: 10
Pasarga: 8

Current Group 4 Standings:

 # Group 4                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                            13    9   3   1    33   17  +16    30
 2 Pasarga                          13    9   3   1    23   10  +13    30
 3 Kel Assuk                        13    8   3   2    38   22  +16    27
 4 Port Christopher                 13    7   4   2    24   15   +9    25
 5 United States of Devonta         13    7   1   5    26   21   +5    22
 6 The Great Pi                     13    6   0   7    25   28   −3    18
 7 Darkmania                        13    3   1   9    23   37  −14    10
 8 Razenthuria                      13    2   2   9     7   19  −12     8
 9 Maryloupe                        13    2   2   9    20   35  −15     8
10 Moorish Land                     13    1   3   9    16   31  −15     6

Friendly Matches:
Devonta 1-0 Savojarna
Equestrian States 1-1 Devonta

World Cup Qualfying: Group 4
MD1: Devonta 2-0 Darkmania
MD2: Great Pie 0-2 Devonta
MD3: Devonta 2-1 Kel Assuk
MD4: Devonta 1-2 Pasarga
MD5: Moorish Land 2-0 Devonta
MD6: Devonta 2-0 Razenthuria
MD7: Mrinn 5-3 Devonta
MD8: Devonta 3-1 Maryloupe
MD9: Port Christopher 1-1 Devonta

Mid-Qual Friendly: Devonta vs Flardania***

MD10: Darkmania 2-3 Devonta
MD11: Devonta 4-2 Great Pie
MD12: Kel Assuk 4-3 Devonta
MD13: Pasarga 1-0 Devonta
MD14: Devonta vs Moorish Land
MD15: Razenthuria vs Devonta
MD16: Devonta vs Mrinn
MD17: Maryloupe vs Devonta
MD18: Devonta vs Port Christopher

Author: Kelly Anne

More top news stories

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Devonta resumes World Cup qualifying with opening victory in the second half 10,543,578 views
Devontan's continue to move up in the standings 8,567,875 views
Devonta hits another WCQ speed bump against Kel Assuk 7,863,684 views

Comments:

By Linda264 - Just now

It's so hard rooting for this team!
1,578 Likes | 76 Dislikes
Reply | Like | Dislike

By Mariah12 - 3 mins Ago

Where can I join the Devonta Sucks Bandwagon?
1,156 Likes | 26 Dislikes
Reply | Like | Dislike

By Diego - 10 min Ago

I still believe. We gotta allot of home games left.
Likes 454 | 72 Dislikes
Reply | Like | Dislike

By Benkovi101 - 28 mins Ago

Kel Assuk, Pasarga, oh my!
167 Likes | 11 Dislikes
Reply | Like | Dislike

by **Flardania** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 10:48 pm

Fracturing of the Kirishinan Right!
Français|日本語|한국어|English
Newsroom Tonight| Kirishinan Broadcasting Corporation

News Intro

Bonsoir et Konbanwa, welcome back to Newsroom Tonight on the KBC Network, I'm Sugiyama Shinya in Imgeum. We are here with developing news as we have reports that Kirishinan Liberty Party will split in the coming days. While disagreements as to what direction the Liberty party should head in have been well noted following their third place finish in last years national elections where they pulled in only 10.8%, this comes as a surprise to some. Others have been predicting this split for sometime considering it was a new a fragile party that sought to unify the right and those who felt that the ruling traditionalist H.E.S.L party was too left. For more on the story we turn to our National Assembly correspondent, Jeon Beom-Ho with the report.

BeomHo: I am here at the National Assembly in Heiwa where things are being turned upside down. With next years legislative elections coming up many political parties held their end of the year conferences to go over party objectives. Historically this is the time of year where parties are born and where they die and just two years ago this is how the Liberty Party was form and this seems to be where the party as we know it will die.

The Liberty Party formed as a way of unifying voices on the right who felt that the HESL Coalition Party was too far to the left despite its traditionalist views. They took the nation by storm when they made it to the final stage of the national election under the campaign of Jacques Tachibana,a former brigadier - general in the Kirishinan Army. They were well funded and well organized and seemingly had a monopoly on the right wing vote over the other three parties involved but failed to account for the Traditionalist aspect of the HESL. The problem seemed to have stemmed from too broad of a voter base with controversial conservative Liberty Party stances on LGBT rights and Prostitution clashing with the Traditionalist views of the HESL coalition party. The ruling party hammered home the fact that the quote so called conservative party end quote, were not being conservative for Kirishinans in social matters but for foreign Judeo-Christian beliefs.

The convention of the Liberty Party essentially broke into major two camps with one camp fervently sticking to many of the social beliefs that were seen in the previous election while the other seeking to pivot closer to the HESL Coalition while focusing on being more right wing economically in comparison to the ruling party. At this point many sources close to the discussion have conceded that the Liberty Party as we know now does not have much longer to live as a unified voice of the right. Jeon Beom-Ho, Heiwa.

Shinya: "Thank You. As previously stated this is still a developing story and we will have more on this split as news continues to break however joining me now is Liberty Party assemblyman and a member of the opposition to Tachibana, Liu Shun-Hua! Liu-san thank you for taking the the time to join us."

ShunHua: "It is my pleasure"

Shinya: "I think one of the main things that many Kirishinan and even more tuning in abroad want to know is why is this split happening?"

ShunHua: "I wish I had a suitable answer for you but it simply comes down to fundamental differences in how our party should move forward going on. We have been trying to work together for the past few days trying to reach a unified platform that we can all unite behind and rally voters to our cause as we seek to make Kirishima as great as it can be. We just had certain differences that we couldn't reconcile and it became apparent that we can't all fit productively under the same umbrella."

Shinya: "You mentioned having differences that couldn't be reconciled could you explain some of those."

ShunHua: "I don't want to get too into it right now but the group I'm apart of feels like some of the platform of the Liberty Party seems out of place in Kirishima so much so that those who would otherwise vote for us, do not as they fear what our victory could mean for them."

Shinya: "Such as?"

ShunHua: "Well the Liberty Party stance against Prostitution and seeking to re-criminalize it was huge. First off we served Kasuga a meatball throughout the entire election that no matter how much we revised parts of our platform, we always kept that in. Our reasoning and facts were skewed and taking from non Kirishinan sources. Despite it's role in the majority religion, Kirishinan culture, and the positive effects that has been seen since it was re-legalize. Now I say re-legalize, which means when was it illegal? That was when we were under a Christian military regime so for us to waste time and try to change the nature of our people in a fashion only done previously by such a hated government, what do we have to gain outside of certain small immigrant and migrant groups...It distracted us from the real issues."

Shinya: "What issues were the Liberty Party suppose to focus on in your view?"

ShunHua: "Economic, such as lowering income taxes, investing more in local agriculture, giving incentives to young new and vibrant families, as they are the bedrock of society. Lowering the corporate tax is another and the establishment of certain protective tariffs. Those are more important than trying to shape Kirishinan traditionalist into western conservatives."

Shinya: "Well we will be looking at the split with close attention and I am sure the nation will be interested to see which group is vindicated in next years legislative elections. Once again thank you for joining us!"

ShunHua: "Anytime!"

We now head on to our next story...

Want more News?
Things to anticipate in Kasuga's Policies for next year! *NEW* 7,600,182 views
National Assembly conventions in session *NEW* 4,398,996 views
KBCnSports: Kirishima going to a rough patch in World Cup Qualifiers *NEW* 2,653,082 views

by **Drawkland** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:16 pm

This isn't where I go to college, but my high school had no problem with stealing this fight song.

by **Turori** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:50 am

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day. Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and the company continues to explore avenues to further increase its image, expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond.

Cocoa-bo has been taking its now-famous marketing campaign, "Everything's Better With Cocoa-bo" on the road along with the Turori National Team, bringing to bus stops, digital screens and social outlets the image of the host countries flag and backstory 'altered' to show how it would be "Better with Cocoabo"...

While they could simply take the Cocoa-bo campaign to the 9 nations that the Turori National Team would be competing against during the World Cup 79 finals, that prospect seemed both overly exclusionary due to the number of potential nations that would be left out in such a campaign, and somewhat fruitless, as some of the marketing dollars would not be well spent in the more uninteresting locales the Turori National Team, through no fault of their own, would end up during the Qualifying Cycle... such as U-62.

So the folks at Cocoa-bo decided to leave it up to a poll to see what the next nation that would be "Better with Cocoa-bo" would be!

The first round of voting permitted participants to put forth as many nations as they wish for selection. Any nations which were not put forth as a future target for being Better with Cocoabo, as well as any nations which only received a single nomination for being Cocoa-bo'd were eliminated from consideration.

The second round of voting contained 24 nations and the number that could be put forth for further consideration was limited. Half of the nations would be eliminated and put forth into a more serious round of voting which would include on-site visits by representatives from Cocoa-bo to begin to piece together a plan should that nation ultimately selected to be betterified by means of Cocoa-bo.

After adding the budding nation of South Covello and the similarly harsdhipped nation of 95X to the proceedings, the third and final round of ballot reduction polling was able to begin. 14 nations were under consideration but just five nations would survive the final cut and move on to the final consideration round.

When considering the three final options - Starblaydia, the Equestrian States and South Covello, it became apparent to the Cocoa-bo team that while a reliable supply of source goods was already available in Starblaydia and the Equestrian States, those staples of the food industry would not be readily available in South Covello, a nation on the very of breaking out of its own dark ages and out of touch with the mainstream pallette.

If Cocoa-bo were going to set up shop in South Covello, even with pop-up shops, they would need to import a full compliment of raw goods. At first, the Cocoa-bo team decided that it would be easier to just rule out South Covello and focus on projects in Starblaydia and the Equestrian States. But then, the economic department stepped in.

Of course, importing only the raw supplies needed to stock Cocoa-bo shops wouldn't be economically viable. However, importing those supplies in bulk could provide a new economic boom by re-selling the product that was not needed by the shops to make Delectables, Drinks, Sandwiches and other foods on sale at Cocoa-bo locations.

Studying the market more, the economic team determined that there was a void in the standard purpose goods market in South Covello. International foods, non-traditional foods, heck - even what most would consider traditional foods and basic staples were not widely available. If Cocoa-bo could enter into an agreement with a Turorian distributor, they could go into a joint venture in South Covello as a Wholesale or Discount retailer. Such a model would also allow a greater margin of error by the Cocoa-bo team in estimating the supplies that would need to be sent to South Covello as any overstock could simply be resold at the retailer location.

The plan got momentum, but the agreements still needed to be put into place and a plan for market entry presented to the new government of South Covello. Of course, retailing overstock goods was one thing, getting them to South Covello was another and so the Cocoa-bo team also had to get in touch with a logistics and energy supplier. Of course, since they were doing that, maybe they could re-sale some of those services in South Covello as well. Pandora's box had been opened and the Marketing and Economics team got busy while the Expansion team began outlining a proposal.

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day. Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and the company continues to further increase its image by expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. A list of locations where either permanent or pop-up Cocoa-bo locations have expanded can be found in the attachment.

:: Coco-Mart

Coco-Mart is envisioned as a large footprint retail location where discount or wholesale goods would be sold to the general public. These goods would primarily be foodstuffs but would also include kitchen ware, household goods and other miscellaneous supplies that may be of use to the population of South Covello

:: CoCoCo / CoBoCo

Energy Supplier and Logistics Company

by **Nephara** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:03 am

Nephara 2-0 Rotztotzka
(4-4-2) 20 - Swoboda; 18 - Brymora (2 - Asante 81'), 5 - Konoval, 22 - Steelhenge, 3 - Jeurissen; 13 - Fanaiyan (7 - Coffey 60'), 4 - Misidjan (23 - Rowland 75'), 15 - Klein, 16 - Aspenwood; 17 - Stavanger, 10 - Kendall
Goals: Kendall 39', Aspenwood 52'

Regatta Aspenwood
A series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround the racing event, and except in the case of boat type (or "class") championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place.

People had told her not to do it.
People had told her not to throw away her chance.
People had told her she was insane.

... Man, people were fucking stupid.

She'd become most noteworthy in the eyes of casual fans for what she hadn't done than what she had - namely, never having played in the Premiership. After starring for Southfell United as they got to the top flight, she'd been subject to a 5.5 million pound bid from SPL high-fliers Handon United.
Imagine that. Not playing in the Premiership.
She'd have to cry on the memories of a fucking Champions Cup final, and maybe dry her eyes with the aid of the SPL trophy. She'd come fourth in the running for Player of the Year and was, as far as internationals go, damn unlucky that she was in the same generation as Rowena Strongbow.
But, hey, guess she missed out on treading water for a season on like, half her current wages. She'll live.

She'd been in every squad to date, and was starting this one. Regatta Aspenwood was in an unfamiliar role right now, a more traditional left midfield berth, wider and pinned further back than she was used to. There was also a gap to her right where normally there was a Konrad Gosforth. This did mean she had more of those pesky 'defensive responsibilities'... and she wasn't a shirker. But the Jeurissen lass seemed steady enough behind her. So, fuck it, she was going in.
See, that was the thing she needed most - goals. She'd not been that prolific until Handon, but in her first season in Schottia she'd netted eighteen league goals. Boom! So that was sort of her Thing. Could Strongbow match a tally like that? Hell, Aspenwood didn't know, or care. What's the point in worry about what other people are doing?
Anyway, she was clearly out in this position to prove herself, a bone from Brandon - hey, Asp, prove you got what it takes! Well, fuck, she had what it took, alright.

Fiftyish minutes in and it didn't seem so much like she had what it took anymore.
Okay, fine, maybe she was struggling a little to stay out wide, and a more defensive leftback in Jeurissen behind her wasn't really helping that so much. Her instincts told her to cut inside, but there were two strikers there now, not one. She needed to cross more this time - hell, the first time she'd sensed the time was right, the tall lass, Kendall, had come flying in to head it home.
But she wanted a goal herself, damn it. Something to prove she had what it took pinned back like this. Anything to keep Naeher or... or... whatever other left winger might exist out of her #16 shirt.
Still, she wasn't expecting too much from this corner. It was just a corner. Usually Gosforth did them here, but, well, he wasn't here now, so it was her or Klein and Klein was taller. And, granted, it was a treat from a certain perspective. They bred 'em big in Nephara. There were a lot of really juicy fucking targets.
Still, she didn't have a particularly good feeling about this one.
She smashed it with power, but she didn't foresee venom.
And she certainly didn't expect it to hook spitefully inside the goalkeeper's near post.
But, hey. When in doubt? Smile to the packed home crowd and pretend for all the world you meant it. And why not? They all fucking counted, didn't they?

NEPHARIM NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 8
Goalkeepers: 1 - Apostolos Tsattalios (Falourr, EUR), 12 - Gideon Fletcher (AFC Treason), 20 - Andreas Swoboda (1830 Azoth, CEN)
Defenders: 2 - Talisca Sorrell (Coret Hawks), 3 - Sieglinde Lohengrin (Crisisbless), 5 - Dieter Konoval (KT Moreazerua, AUD), 6 - Malachite Scharner (Jungle Strike, VIL), 18 - Danijel Brymora (Brinemouth), 19 - Lux Vicelich (Sabrefell Moths), 22 - Ryan Theuer (Falourr, EUR)
Midfielders: 4 - Servet Misidjan (AFC Treason), 7 - Adnan Szalai (Ulsa, EUR), 8 - Vedran Tarashaj (AFC Treason), 11 - Rowena Strongbow (Avenida Leal, FFD), 13 - Ishtar Fanaiyan (Eastweald, COS), 14 - Ursula Rowan (Cassandra City, COS), 15 - Rusalka Klein (Crawford City FC, COS), 16 - Regatta Aspenwood (Handon United, SCT), 21 - Konrad Gosforth (Mâ Âlâmëómë, FFD, c), 23 - Monica Rowland (Parrhesia United)
Forwards: 9 - Estrella Hawke (Sabrefell Athletic), 10 - Heron Kendall (Port Sebastian, SCT), 17 - Dragan Stavanger (Tannenberg FC, VLD)

SCHEDULE
Thibaea 0 - 1 Nephara
Nephara 4 - 2 Natanians and Nosts @ Godswatch (Crisisbless)
Al Qurija 2 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 4 - 0 Taeshan @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Rotztotzka 1 - 5 Nephara
Akatsurai 0 - 1 Nephara
Nephara 2 - 1 Apox @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Ko-oren 0 - 1 Nephara
Nephara 3 - 0 Eura @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Nephara 6 - 4 Thibaea @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Natanians and Nosts 0 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 2 - 0 Al Qurija @ The Iron Hill (Vermillion)
Taeshan 1 - 3 Nephara
Nephara 2 - 0 Rotztotzka @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Nephara vs. Akatsurai @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Apox vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Ko-oren @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Eura vs. Nephara

by **Brenecia** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:37 am

Brenecia 2 - 0 West Angola
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Woodgate (vc); 2 - Carrack, 5 - Scrivener (18 - Heneghan 76'), 6 - Szubanski, 22 - Lovelock; 4 - Gryphon (c, Alweather 50'), 21 - Skorupska; 7 - Trevelyan, 11 - Balliol (16 - Drover 62'), 10 - Ashbrown; 9 - Riordan
Goals: Riordan 18', Ashbrown 49'

Yuezhou 0 - 1 Brenecia
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Woodgate (c); 2 - Carrack (19 - Hamilton 79'), 5 - Scrivener (18 - Heneghan 79'), 6 - Szubanski, 3 - Quill; 4 - Gryphon (c), 8 - Hartsdown (16 - Drover 73'); 15 - Crowther, 11 - Balliol, 13 - Keohane; 9 - Riordan
Goal: Crowther 73'

Fionn Lynch
From Irish fionn (older Irish finn) meaning "fair" or "white". Fionn mac Cumhail was a legendary Gaelic hero who became all-wise by eating an enchanted salmon. He fought against the giant Fomors with his son Oisín and grandson Oscar.

Sure, there were four games to go - but Garifunya aside, it was against dross. Four games, and nine points clear of Krytenia. It would take a spectacular collapse for Brenecia not to make it.
Brenecia had qualified at a canter, and they'd done it without him.

Fionn Lynch wasn't under any illusions of grandeur. He knew he was a pretty good striker at a time that Brenecia had needed strikers. He knew that he'd scored 16 goals for his country, and some of them had been really important. He'd played in a couple of World Cups. Hadn't scored in one, so that was the final bucket list item still to be chalked off.
He'd also turned 30 a couple of weeks ago, he could feel himself slowing down just a crucial touch and had been overlooked throughout literally all of qualifying. He wasn't surprised it came at the end, and the rest of the list revealed his suspicions. Bardsley was resting basically all her best players, letting a string of seasoned B-listers come in to help guys like Cu Roi Garrard - Lynch had geniunely never heard of him (?) in his life - get the job done. Garifunya away was a credible opponent, at least. It'd feel good to sink his teeth into them. Unless Bannion got the chance instead.
Still. It wasn't entirely a sham. The place of third striker, at least, was very much in the balance - and Lynch knew he could still outsprint any of them but Northstead, and Northstead couldn't finish for the life of her. Besides, she wasn't in this squad. He was. Surely that meant something.
Surely that meant he was here to be used. They wouldn't call someone up out of pity.
And given a platform, given a foot in the door, if he impressed enough... they'd have to take him up, surely. Surely to God.
And then he'd have his swing at the World Cup again. Surely for the last time, but he only needed the one goal to tell his children about.
There was life in the old dog yet. He'd show them. They'd see.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 8
Goalkeepers: 1 - Mathis Woodgate (Myrmidon, CEN, c), 12 - Rostyn Calhoun (Cenial United, CEN), 20 - Rosalind Buchanan (Lunas FC, PAS)
Defenders: 2 - Czeslawa Szukala (Phalanx AF, CEN), 3 - Brigid Levein (Marque), 5 - Garwyn Varney (Soldarian FC, VAL), 6 - Eoin Cascarine (Peynol-Lunas, PAS), 18 - Cheney Heneghan (Ernesse Stahl, BYN), 19 - Vaila Hamilton (Lotus Park), 22 - Siri Cattalock (Sardin United, PAS)
Midfielders: 4 - Matt Ruffan (Holdenberg City, EUR), 7 - Caitriona Hamilton (Westpike United), 8 - Meghan Hartsdown (Kings Park, SCT), 10 - Tiferet Ashbrown (Kings Park, SCT), 11 - Corby Wheeler (Rozelle United), 13 - Adelina Macbeth (Club Stein-Los, PAS), 15 - Cu Roi Garrard (Snowden River), 16 - Harper Conroy (Rozelle United), 21 - Aleksandra Skorupska (Northern Stallions), 23 - Catsidhe Alweather (Eastal Lunar, VIL)
Forwards: 9 - Fionn Lynch (SC Rinaldi, VAL), 14 - Fox Charnwood (Hellinic-Rouge, PAS), 17 - Aelfwynn Bannion (North Hall)

SCHEDULE
Brenecia 3 - 1 Krytenia
Pridnestrovia 3 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 Damukuni
West Angola 1 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Yuezhou
Empire of Donner Land 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 Garifunya
Brenecia 2 - 0 Gangnam
EEC 0 - 1 Brenecia
Krytenia 1 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Pridnestrovia
Damukuni 2 - 0 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 West Angola
Yuezhou 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenedia vs. Empire of Donner Land
Garifunya vs. Brenecia
Gangnam vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. EEC

by **Filindostan** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:55 am

OOC Note: I will keep referring Manyakol as 'Manyakol' until the end of qualifying.

Now that King has returned to the national team, who failed to win their last two matches, the question now is whether he will coexist with the new central attacking midfielder, Manyakol. The two are known as hot-headed and they usually clash during training. First, when King noticed that Manyakol was looking perverted to his girlfirend, Yish, and then having two different philosophies in midfield - the aggressive, kamikaze style of Manyakol versus the calm, possession-based style of King.

Over the qualifying matches, it would already seem that Manyakol can rival King on set pieces, just not on corner ones or free kicks at the side of the park. One of the goals of Manyakol against Jabok as well as a goal in the 3-4 loss to Savojarna came from direct free kicks. With his aggressive style, the Perseuno midfielder was given the reins just at the back of the forwards, while King resumes his ever-so-great partnership with Mohd Safri, with Siharto dropping to the bench.

The other sacrifice made by King's return and Willy's persistence to run the 3-5-2 formation is Alex Jampang dropping to the bench, with Mila Khalifa, Dina Satyawan, and Enzo starting in the trip to The Steel Coast, with the manager now preferring their regular starters in a bid to snatch the second qualifying spot from the Starblaydi, who retook second spot after their win last matchday.

However, Owen Miles will be the happier of the two managers by the start of the match, when Lindsay Lester scored the opening goal in the away match, after exploiting the lack of defenders in the back, as well as having only one natural centerback in the lineup, and factoring in the extra fatigue the team took when the officials of the SCFA failed to inform the Filindostani delegation immediately of where the match will take place. Six minutes in, and it was looking like that the World Cup hopes for the Pula Garuda will be ended by the only team to beat them in the Baptism of Fire tournament, which they won.

However, things turn for better for the Filindostanis, which saw chance after chance, getting closer to their first goal of the match, and oh, boy, it came. In a direct free kick scenario, King and Manyakol were standing near the ball, deciding who will take the shot. "I'll take it.", the midfielder from New Llama Capitals said, wanting to impress after a long absence. When the referee blew his whistle for the free kick, he was stunned to see Manyakol running to the ball, kicking it, taking the Steel Tusks defense by surprise, and blasting the ball past through Thaddeus Archie to level the match. King was obviously not amused with Manyakol's antics, not joining the team in celebrations.

Filindostan had a chance to take the lead halfway through the first half when Bienvenido was brought down by a rushing Hiram Sells inside the box. However there was a delay in the match when King and Manyakol debated on who will take the penalty kick. Both were booked for time-wasting, with Willy's hands all over his head and face for the farsical child's quarrel between the two. Eventually, it was King who took the penalty, and sent Archie the wrong way to give the Pula Garuda the two-one lead. It was Manyakol's turn this time to ignore the team in the celebrations.

Dina noticed the quiet but growing squabble between the two. When Domo delivered a deadly corner in thr 41st minute, Dina rose among the Steel Tusks' defense and headed the ball into the net, giving them a two-goal cushion. What did she do? She put her right arm over King's left shoulder, ran towards Manyakol, and put her left arm over his left shoulder, giving them a good old headbutt.

"Hey, you two. cut it out. Now carry me like an empress."

The two preceeded to carry the Fortunas defender, and the two looked eye to eye. It sitll looked to be that they still have disdain for each other, so obvious that they forgot to keep Dina up and the Empress of Defense fell to the ground. The away fans section saw this as a comedic stunt, and laughed their hearts out. The coaching staff also laughed.

"You two prepare for a spanking." She sarcastically said.

When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the two midfielders were walking to the tunnel from opposite sides, still showing the disdain between the two. This time, Dina let it go, as they were leading 3-1 by halftime.

When Harrison Farias was brought on for the Steel Tusks, the complexion of the match changed in the second half. This time, it was the Steelish who were the aggressors, and was duly rewarded in the 67th when Farias struck low beyond Gerry's reach, giving the Steel Tusks the lifeline and a chance to duly spoil the chances of the Filindostanis.

But all their efforts went into naught. An erratic pass from Sol Barela had the Steelish's defense caught napping, and a run featuring Mohd Safri and Manyakol ensued, When the Steelish recovered in defense and Manyakol holding the ball, the latter became stuck and in danger of losing the ball. He saw the players defended by the Steel Tusks, bar one. King. Despite his hesitation, he passed the ball back to the former Venividicci talisman, and with the rushing Sells leaving the substitute Yish open, he flicked the ball to his girlfriend who was onside, and scored a low drive.

In the goal celebrations, the two midfielders stared blank at each other, and with King raising his hand as if he was ready to hit Manyakol hard, it was only for the assistor to rub Manyakol's head. "Great pass. Thanks!", he said.

Manyakol, surprised at what he heard, though reluctantly, gave King a high-five. Dina then hit both players' backs. "Aww, it hurts!" both said. "That's for the fall you caused me earlier." She said with her tongue out. The visiting crowd laughed again, and the coaching staff were relieved.

"They can co-exist after all." Willy said to his assistant just before the referee blew his final whistle.

Starting Lineup vs Starblaydia:
Gerry; Casimir, Alex Jampang, Dina Satyawan; Mila Khalifa, King, Manyakol, Mohd Safri, Domo; Bienvenido, Yish (Subs: Abram; Enzo, Buknoy; Damaris, Siharto, MMM; Bochog)

by **Buyan** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:28 am

Seven games. Six victories. Twenty goals scored and only four against. If football had been a game of figures, you would reckon that the Hedgehogs were a side able to challenge for the World Cup proper but that ship had already sailed ages ago with Chromatika and Eshan each getting streaks off their own which by far eclipsed the Buyanese effort. And nonetheless, there was a hint of nerves amongst the crowd as the eleven lined up for what – at the surface – was a dead rubber. A mediocre run had caused a rift between their ambitions and reality as well.

In a way, it was this shared sentiment of having little left which added a touch to the confrontation. Both sides had enough history to go around to know that they were allowed to fail to secure a ticket for the World Cup – but not to lose their dignity. And the Buyanese knew how close they had been to that. From the stands, one could sense a certain crispy electricity roll all the way down to the pitch. It was the melting pot of beer sips, poorly-executed songs and out-of-rhythm clapping, larded with that peculiar sound of seats clipping up.

With a well-condensed mixture of confidence and excitement, Pawlo Marciak looked into the crowd. Usually, it would tick him off a little that the merch department still had failed to create some sort of consistency in the dreary sea of blue and red shades – it just didn’t leave the same impression as the massive deep blue wall from the Heelers. But now, even he couldn’t get away without a bit of a smile, seeing something he had never seen before. It quite often frustrated him if people around him simply accepted their destiny, their faith, as a given and decided to live like it – instead of the other way around. In a way, it was bonkers that some bloke had to come all the way from Farfadillis to get that sentiment around but hey, he did get the trick done and brought it seemingly across to the whole nation.

It contrasted heavily with the eleven at his opposite side. They too must have seen how we had ploughed through Reuss-Lippe, making the most of an early goal which came off a Stromberg header to dominate the match with even a bit of attitude. The Eastfielders, on the contrary, had experienced how everything went pear-shaped since facing the unfancied red lantern of the group. Since that eventful evening, their ten-point lead over Buyan had melted like snow for the sun. As their anthem reverberated through the stadium, you could see they were shocked by the chanting from the Buyanese fans that cut straight through the chorus.

It stood against every sort of sportsmanship they believed in and somehow, Pawlo kept grinning throughout the first Welcome, welcome, welcome to your loss! Take it on the chin, get beaten by the boss! After all, there was a reason why the Corinthians hadn’t won a World Cup up to today and it had been ages since Buyan showcased something that vaguely reminded one of a set of balls. His smile only dwindled when he saw Tuzzio, looking in the stands with some sort of disappointment on his face. It was really more… Disapproval. But it looked a hint like doubt and spread like the common cold on an elementary school. By the last time the chorus was bound to be repeated by the startled Eastfielders and their away fans, the home ones sounding brawlier than ever, Pawlo knew that there was little time to make decisions – even if the captain’s ribbon seemed to cut off any blood stream to his head…

by **Kita-Hinode** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 9:43 am

CHAPTER XIII - BRIGADE

Whitney Hills
Friday, 1:10 PM

[Nephara] - Sir, I don't think we really need to hide like this.
[Eura] - Nonsense, Recruit Nephara! We're on a covert mission, we need to stay unnoticeable at all costs.
Two boxes crawled through the streets.
One notably had "TOTALLY NOT A PERSON HIDING INSIDE" written on it.
[Nephara] - Well, sir. Is there anyone else on the street?
Eura peeked from under the box, finding nobody around besides Nephara.
[Eura] - O... OK, Recruit Nephara, I think we're on the clean.
The two got out of the boxes, hiding them in their inventory.
[Nephara] - After all, sir, we have to take into consideration that many are either on vacation or hiding.
[Eura] - And it would make sense for such a rich neighbourhood to be evacuated to some extent.
[Nephara] - Maybe they'd be the first targets, sir?
[Eura] - Possible. We don't have much to work with.
[Nephara] - To be fair, sir, maybe we should... I don't know, wait for them to strike first.
[Eura] - Are you insane, Recruit Nephara?
[Nephara] - Sir, it'd be a way to possibly figure out their stance, although I'm not sure it's worth the price.
[Eura] - It clearly isn't. We just need to work with what we have, that's all.
[Nephara] - Hey... Look at this!
Nephara picked up a flyer with the words "Xtreme Destroyers meeting" and a little map.
[Eura] - A-ha! We found our men!
[Nephara] - ...I thought we weren't supposed to be Mounties, sir.
[Eura] - And we're not! But we do have our clue here. We should be able to follow this map to their location.
[Nephara] - This sounds very... sketchy, though. To find a proper map for a meeting and whatnot.
[Eura] - Nonsense! Time to bring out the box again.
Nephara sighed.

The two finally arrived at where would be the meeting.
[Nephara] - Uh, sir.
[Eura] - What is it?
[Nephara] - What do we do now?
A pan out shows the two were caught in a net by the Xtreme Destroyers.
[Eura] - If someone kept their box down all the time...
[Nephara] - I said I was sorry, sir!
[Eura] - Look, we just need to get out of this thing.
[???] - I believe you won't need that.
The net dropped, the two fell down to the ground.
[Eura] - Ugh...
[Nephara] - Thanks... The landing was a bit rough though.
[???] - I don't know why you're thanking me.
[Nephara] - Huh?
The person that released them finally could look them in the eyes.
[Eura] - Wait... Who are you?
It was a girl with red hair, wearing a black coat, long dark pants and with a snowboard tied to her back.
[Zoe] - Name's Zoe. I'm one of the XDs admins and you apparently showed up at my little birthday party.
[Nephara] - A party?
[Zoe] - Why, yes! My birthday party!
[Eura] - Happy Birthday.
[Nephara] - Yeah.
[Zoe] - Why, thank you.
[Eura] - Still... Why did you steal those Z-Crystals?
[Zoe] - Are you familiar with the beauty of radical sports?
[Nephara] - I always thought they were quite rubbish myself.
[Zoe] - You got a part of that right.
She opened a window, revealing what for the two seemed like a bunch of trash.
[Zoe] - I present you the first ever Skate Ranch in Sportsville.
[Nephara] - That's a... lot of trash.
[Zoe] - That's beautiful trash. Useful trash. Now imagine the entire city like this.
She turned back, looking at the roof with glee.
[Zoe] - Being able to skate through museums, slide down a huge library slide... imagine the possibilities!
[Eura] - Couldn't you just have one or two of these?
[Zoe] - No!
[Nephara] - Or maybe do it somewhere else? Somewhere emptier?
[Zoe] - It's a shame your city is the emptier place around, then.
[Nephara] - I beg your pardon?
[Zoe] - Nobody cares about this city of yours. It's why we specifically eyed it out, the easier one to take down.
[Eura] - You'll never get away with that!
[Zoe] - I doubt it. Who's gonna save you?
[Nephara] - We don't need saving, miss.
Nephara took out a Pokéball.
A smirk formed.
[Nephara] - I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!
She laughed.
[Zoe] - You're cute. Let's do this, I'll let you go if you beat me in a Pokémon battle.
She herself pulled out a Pokéball from her pocket.
[Zoe] - But beware. I'm pretty good a trainer myself.

XDs ADMIN ZOE challenges you to a battle!

[Nephara] - Alright. My best two against your best two.
[Eura] - If we win, you call off this entire operation!
[Zoe] - No can do, cowboy. I'm only an admin.
[Eura] - ...Well, then you surrender to us?
[Zoe] - Psh. I got you caged.
[Eura] - Fine. If we win, we get to leave this facility without any sort of repercussion.
[Zoe] - And if I win?
[Eura] - ...
[Zoe] - Guess I'll just have to take you on a date then.
[Eura] - Well, miss, I-
[Zoe] - Not you, pasta hair. The other guy.
[Eura] - You wo-
[Nephara] - Pffft. Miss, you're not going to take my concentration out like that.
[Zoe] - If you say so.
[Nephara] - Let's go, Vespiqueen!
Vespiqueen left the Pokéball, taking flight on the somewhat tight room.
[Eura] - Not the brightest choice, Recruit Nephara...
[Nephara] - Don't worry, sir. I know what I'm doing.
[Zoe] - Let's take this guy out, Ninetales...
An Alolan Ninetales leaped out of the Pokéball, standing seemingly effortless in front of her trainer.
[Zoe] - Attack his Vespiqueen with an Ice Beam!
[Nephara] - Vespiqueen, make her aim at the window!
The Vespiqueen flew fast, being followed by Ninetales' powerful Ice Beam.
The Ice Beam would soon clash against the window, breaking it up.
[Zoe] - Agh! My window!
[Nephara] - Let's go, Vespiqueen!
The Vespiqueen flew close to her trainer, allowing Nephara to hold on to her with Eura doing the same.
The three tried to flee, only for another Ice Beam to take them down.
Nephara was dazed, struggling but surely getting up.
As he looked on, Zoe leaped from the room, landing perfectly on a ramp made out of used wood on top of her snowboard that so happened to have been hit by an Ice Beam as well.
[Zoe] - You can't outwit me, boy.
[Nephara] - ...Well, I guess I should just beat you outright then!
[Eura] - Mother... give me... crackers and tea... in the morning...

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 9:54 am

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

WORLD CUP 79 QUALIFIERS: THE HOLY EMPIRE VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's national football team walk off the pitch after suffering defeat against the Holy Empire in the World Cup 79 qualifiers. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

THE DREAMED REALM - Abanhfleft let slip a chance to gain a secure foothold at the top of Group 1 of the World Cup 79 qualifiers following defeat at the hands of the Holy Empire and their squad of intergalactic space pirate zombies in the Imperial Hippodrome in the Dreamed Realm, with one of the last remaining un-zombified members of the squad Alexander "Space Steel" Dalzeel netting himself all of the Holy Empire's four goals.

Although Imperial authorities assured the Fleftic players, staff and fans traveling to the Dreamed Realm that the chances of their being bitten and zombified were little to none, the fact that Imperial head coach Juan Tzimisces ordered the zombified members of his squad to be chained to wooden stakes hammered into the pitch in some sort of extremely static formation did not give the visitors the sense of confidence and optimism that their hosts felt with regards to their ability to contain their own players.

Yet these wooden stakes would appear to actually benefit the Imperial cause as the difficulty caused in getting past these markers was what allowed the Holy Empire to sit back and absorb some of the early Fleftic pressure until they could finally burst out on the counter (at least those members of the squad who weren't yet infected or else fully zombified) and Alexander Dalzeel finished off the first proper Imperial attack of the game with a run past some of his own staked zombified defenders before striking home past the confused Carlos Cohen.

Rory Edwards was able to equalize just a few minutes after when Dalzeel had to avoid being bitten by his own teammate Benjamin Hornigold and the younger Edwards ran with the ball towards the Imperial goal as close as he dared to get with the zombie Calico Sirius Rackham smelling blood but Rory was able to easily dispatch the Fleftic equalizer.

Right from the kickoff though, Dalzeel displayed his cheeky impetuousness by kicking straight for goal right at the halfway line, and with Cohen fending off the masticating interests of zombie Blue Shift Bart, the ball had a clear path towards the back of the net, giving the Imperials the lead back with only barely a minute passed since the Fleftic equalizer.

Abanhfleft kept up the pressure all throughout the fist half and were finally rewarded for their efforts with the ever-reliable Kareem Dagen nailing a shot into the top right corner to equalize for the Revolutionaries once again, and Vitaly Zima finally managed to net Abanhfleft's third of the game to give them the lead. It would be gone too quickly from the perspective of Fleftic fans.

Alexander Dalzeel kept using his chained and zombified teammates to his advantage by using them as distractions against the Fleftic players, and it was thanks to a run along the line of zombified intergalactic space pirate zombies, similar to his first goal early in the first half, that the Holy Empire equalized, and while Dalzeel was already going home with the match ball at that point, he was not satisfied with just the draw, and the Holy Empire had good reason not to.

Dalzeel capped off an incredibly fine personal display with his and the Imperials' fourth goal of the night once again by using the zombified Imperial pirate players to disguise his run before sending a snappy shot to Carlos Cohen's top left corner. As Dalzeel wheeled off to celebrate with the Imperial bench, he was bitten by one of his own players and had to be taken off for observation, and he is expected to join the ranks of the undead within the week, if not the day.

Abanhfleft's late substitute Charles Viger also fell victim to the rotten jaws of Quasar Beard Teach and also had to be carted off the field, leaving Abanhfleft with only ten men while the medical staff worked to immediately immobilize Viger and inject him with the Halloween vaccine to prevent his own zombification.

Abanhfleft manager Ranulph Bustamante: It's a very disappointing loss whichever way you look at it

Abanhfleft manager Ranulph Bustamante: "It's a very, very disappointing loss no matter which way you look at it. Yes, the Holy Empire is one of the top squads in the multiverse but when they're playing against you with a bunch of zombies, even if they used to be intergalactic space pirates, you still expect to win against that squad one way or another. But we've been playing poorly in this game, and we didn't take the chances we were given, although the scoreline surely wouldn't reflect that."

On the effect of this loss on the qualification race: "It certainly make things very interesting. We've now got a three-way tie for first place and the automatic qualifier. It means everything is still to play for and if we suffer any sort of setback in the next few games, we can kiss our chances of qualifying goodbye. We simply cannot afford any more mistakes from this point on."

             THE HOLY EMPIRE 4 - 3 ABANHFLEFT
DALZEEL (10', 18', 55', 74')       R. EDWARDS (17')
                                   DAGEN (27')
                                   V. ZIMA (39')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Cohen
RB: 2 Afolayan
RCB: 4 L. Edwards (Viger - 85')
LCB: 5 Gibson (Wayne - 55')
LB: 3 Ogigayatsu
RM: 6 Pearson
CM: 7 Zolnerov
LM: 8 Marilungo
CAM: 10 R. Edwards
RS: 11 V. Zima (Lee - 70')
LS: 9 Dagen

THE HOLY EMPIRE
GK: 1 Rackham
RB: 2 Bart █
CB: 3 Exterminator █
LB: 4 Sam █
RM: 5 Hornigold
RCM: 6 Greaves (Handz - 68')
CM: 7 Kiddddddddd'd
LCM: 8 Ashworth
LM: 10 de Roberval (l'Olonnais - 79')
RS: 11 Teach
LS: 9 Dalzeel

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
The Holy Empire: 53%
Abanhfleft: 47%
Shots
The Holy Empire: 10 (5 on target)
Abanhfleft: 10 (3 on target)
Corners
The Holy Empire: 2
Abanhfleft: 2
Fouls
The Holy Empire: 30
Abanhfleft: 15

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:02 am

IT'S...

THE WORLD CUP SHOW!

With World Cup Hall of Fame Hosts Basil and Theo

'...and now with us in the studio is the goalscoring hero of the Holy Empire's victory over Abanhfleft; he scored all four goals earlier today, he's Alexander "Space Steel" Dalzeel. Welcome to the studio, Space Steel.'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'You became a zombie in the immediate aftermath of tonight's match following an unfortunate accident in the immediate aftermath of your fourth goal; how are you feeling?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'I see. If we could talk to you about the match....'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'You finished off the first proper Imperial attack of the game with a run past some of his own staked zombified defenders before striking home past the confused Carlos Cohen; do you feel in any way frustrated that your brilliant slaloming to escape our own defence was for nothing given your current newly zombified status?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'Fleftic media have described your second goal as "cheeky impetuousness", as you brilliantly took advantage of some zombie-initiated panic in the opposition defence to score straight from the kick-off; is that the finest goal of your career?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'There must have been some concern on the Imperial bench when Zima scored the Fleftic third, giving the visitors the lead - not least given our poor performance in the away leg....

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'...yet another slaloming run along the line of zombified intergalactic space pirates, similar to your first goal, seems to have righted the space pirate footballing ship. It was another fine effort in what must have been the match of your now sadly ceased life. Can you perhaps talk us through the footage here?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'You capped off an incredibly fine personal display with your fourth goal of the night by once again using the zombified pirate players to disguise your run before sending a snappy shot to the visiting goalkeeper's top left corner. Is this staking down of the zombies a deliberate tactic on Tzimisces' part to intimidate the opposition and conceal the play of the non-zombified players? Is it something you practiced?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'And what about the future? With group 10 so tight, are you confident of fighting your way through to qualification despite the recent setbacks over team health?'

'BRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!'

'Thank you, Alexander "Space Steel" Dalzeel; by far the most articulate player we've had in the studio for some time, don't you think, Basil?'

'Absolutely, Theo. Most players are stultifyingly boring, but you sense a real passion and drive in Space Steel's hunger for brains.'

'Will it be enough to drive the Holy Empire forward to qualification, though?'

'It's a good question, Theo; but if the team prove as hungry for goals as they are for brains, then I think Tzimisces and the lads can have real hope...'

by **Darmen** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:29 am

Streets of capital patrolled by Soldiers

Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Brigade walk down a quite street in Scott City's Jazz District

SCOTT CITY - Following yesterday's Declaration of a State of Emergency in Scott City, the city has grown eerily quite. Morning rush hour traffic was nonexistent, commutes which normally take a half hour to an hour took less than ten minutes. Most residents of the nation's capital decided to spend the day at home, and most businesses closed for the day.

While police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department have ended their strike and returned to work, none will resume patrol duty for another seven days. In the meantime, soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Military Police Regiment and 1st Gendarmerie Regiment will assume the policing duties in the city. Several checkpoints have been set up around the city: mainly in downtown near national and municipal government buildings, as well as on key roads in and out of the city. The 3,600 soldiers and gendarmes have had a relatively easy time, making only 48 arrests since they assumed their role, nearly half of the number of arrests the Metropolitan PD would normally make in the same period of time.

Among those 48 arrests are some big names in municipal government. Mayor Gundisalvus Kruse, District Attorney Alexander McCune and Councilor for Public Safety Vernon Nathans are all in custody, as are 13 other members of the Scott City Municipal Council. All 16 councilors are of the same political party as President of the Republic Tor Tong Lee, the Movement for a New Darmen (MND). As chairman of the party, it will be Lee who will decide the 16 replacements for the now vacant seats in the Municipal Council.

The State of Emergency has been received by local residents with mixed feelings, however, only limited push back from opposition politicians has surfaced. Most opposition parties see this saga as political suicide for Lee and his MND coalition, internal squabbling resolved only through the use of force, and are therefore happy to see it played out. With elections now less than a year away (Friday, May 17, 2041 has been selected as the date), it will take some time for Lee and his MND to win back votes they have certainly lost with the farce that was the previous MND leadership of the Municipal Council and the subsequent State of Emergency.

Other Headlines

Stock Market continues decline following declaration of State of Emergency
Sanitation Department will begin long process of removing two months worth of trash next Tuesday
United Left rises in recent polls, may win majority in Scott City Municipal Council if trend holds until election
23 car pileup clogs major roadway in Johnho

by **Ethane** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:32 am

A press release by Prime Minister Howell of Ethane

I promised that there would be no military intervention in the Gregoryisgodistan/South Covello conflict, and I have kept to my word. Our nation has not directly intervened in the conflict. I know my peoples love peace, and I intend to try to keep all situations peaceful; military and conflict are only to be used as a tool where peace and diplomacy will not work. So far I have kept that promise, and I hope to keep that promise into the future.

There have been some criticisms about the opening of a military base on Ilwes Island by our allies, Eshan. Much of this criticism has come from those who advocate for peace in any circumstance. However, we must realise that peace in every circumstance is not possible. I hope the day never comes when we have to use military force either to attack or defend against other nations, but we must be prepared for any eventuality. One of our greatest allies, Eshan, have been allowed to utilise Ilwes Island as a military base for the stationing of their troops and a number of other military activities. This base is crucial not only for the expansion of their own military power in defending their own interests, and aiding such nations as South Covello in their fight for freedom, but also for our own defensive measures. The military presence nearby enhances the protection of our own regional and global interests, as well as providing protection against potential foreign threats. The Echani military has access to some technologies which we don't have and the same in reverse, and the peaceful exchange between our two nations is crucial to our cooperative actions and measures.

There has been a lot of criticism lately against Eshan for being aggressive, particularly against Revan. In particular, criticism has emerged from New Gazi and South Covello themselves. I must ask why? Did Eshan just not aid your nation in it's fight for freedom? Was it not Echani troops fighting on the ground against the tyrannous rule of the loyal supporters of Gregory? Would you be where you are today without Eshan? President Revan merely asked if you wished for support in your general election; this is not something that should be seen as fixing an election, nor is it a dictatorial move. It is the work of an ally helping a newfound nation. Yet you deny this and go against this, instead arguing that Revan is a dictator and aggressive - a threat.

The same to New Gazi. They accused Eshan's involvement in South Covello as being a power grab. If it were a power grab, surely they would actually be fighting for power within South Covello. Instead, they have offered to withdraw all their troops, even though they were reaching out a hand of friendship and support to the fledgeling nation and their potential political leaders. This was not Revan being manipulative and power-hungry. This was Eshan offering a hand of support and friendship while South Covello recovers from the tyrannous rule of Gregory and his loyal supporters. These overblown accusations are power-grabs in themselves; New Gazi and South Covello are engaging in an unjustified war of words. It needs to stop. Eshan did nothing wrong. They did everything right.

I also wish to flag up President Ibori's statements in regards to our own nation. They are inflammatory and unneeded. It is common for other nations to allow military bases on their own lands and seas. It is our own decision as to what occurs within our own waters, and everyone has free reign to an extent in international waters. This is a normal exchange of services between two allied nations, nothing else. Where has Eshan been aggressive recently? Not South Covello.

The suggestion that the Echani people bring conflict with them is ludicrous, and I will not put up with nations who obviously have no clue of the situation accusing our allies of something they are obviously not. I advise that New Gazi and President Ibori backs off and withdraws their statements in regards to Eshan and our own beloved nation.

by **Banija** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:39 am

Banija world cup qualification hopes 'all but dead' after 4-2 away loss to Eshan

Banijans react to devastating Eshan clincher that all but ends their dreams of world cup qualification

ESHAN- Banija needed to get all 3 points from this match if they wanted a serious chance to qualify for the World Cup. While Eshan would control their own destiny after this match no matter what the result, a Banijan victory would have ramped the pressure up on Eshan to perform over their last 4 qualifiers. Any slip-up could be taken advantage of by the Kadongo Kamu. However, the reverse happened. Eshan was able to do enough to get all 3 points for themselves, and now, find themselves 7 points clear of Banija with only 4 games remaining. Their victory has all but confirmed that the two members from this qualification group going to the World Cup Finals are the top two seeds, Chromatika with Eshan right behind them.

Considering the stakes for Banija, they were always going to come out and try to chase this game, do whatever it took to take the lead. This was a prolific offense, and the Kadongo Kamu had only kept one clean sheet during the entire qualification campaign, though they have scored in every single game. They weren't about to win 1-0 over anybody in this tournament, especially a team with the quality of Eshan, and especially on their home field. Banija came out attack, and these 45 minutes were just as good as the opening 45 against Chromatika.

Eshan seemed stunned when the Banijans went for goal early. It was convention wisdom that Banija would sit deep, try to absorb the game, and then try to blitz their opponents on the counter- but Randolf Cherry was not about to do something like that. He went after his opponents early, and was handsomely rewarded. Isaac Georgiadis, who plays in Abahfleft with teammates that have a solid chance of making the World Cup Finals, shockingly scored on a counter-attack to give his side a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. Elias Abate scored in the 42nd minute, and they were up 2-0 at halftime.

Was this seriously happening? Was this possible? Could Banija possibly run rampant in Eshan, in what was undoubtedly the biggest world cup qualifying match this team had ever played? At the very least, the qualifier with the highest stakes? That, however, was far too good to be true. Eshan was far too strong, far too talented, and this campaign, they were on a singular mission to get all the way to the World Cup Finals. They weren't going to be stopped by the Kadongo Kamu, and certainly were not going to be beaten on their home field in this fashion.

Who did Eshan turn to in their moment of need, when Banija looked set to break Group 3 wide open? It was Eshan's veterans. Eshan has a wide array of talented players, trying to get to the world Cup Finals, and they stepped up in this huge game to make sure that they went there. Veteran midfielder Jean-Marie Bentacur was not going to be denied. He wanted a place in the World Cup Finals, and he was going to do whatever it took to get there. He scored a sensational volley in the 62nd minute, and then the floodgates were opened.

It was Anthony Baudelio who would draw the game level. The 25 year old is a special talent, who already has 67 career goals for the national team entering World Cup Qualification. He headed home a corner in the 67th minute that would draw this game level, and the stadium was deafening. The band of 5,000 or so travelling Banijans were completely silent, while the rest of the crowd was at a fever pitch. They could sense World Cup Qualification around the corner.

Banija had shown a surprising amount of mental strength throughout this campaign. Finding the will to beat Boring Paradise away from home. Finding a way to defeat Eastfield Lodge by a score of 3-1. Holding the line at home against Eshan. Weathering the second half storm after shockingly taking a 2-0 lead over Chromatika, on home soil. But, of course, it was not to be. Eshan burst onto the international scene the same time as Banija- they both entered the 60th Baptism of Fire. But it was clear that Eshan had used their resources far more wisely, to build a better squad over the years than the RBSA had.

The RBSA was closing the gap quickly, but the gap was still very apparent. It was superstar Marco van Ciavatinni, however, that would finish off the Banijans. He has reached 150 international caps before the age of 27, and has 76 international goals to go alongside 67 international assists. He has been producing for the national team for 10 years, and Eshan did well to call upon him in their hour of need. He wanted to go to the World Cup Finals, and he was not going to be denied.

First, of course, the Banijans were doing their best. While their defenders had basically been under siege for the entirety of the second half, they had one golden opportunity to regain the lead. They earned a free kick from 32 yards in the 75th in one of their seemingly few forays into the attacking third in the second half, and Georgiadis lined up for the long free kick. He struck the ball beautifully, and the entire 7 foot+ wingspan of Aurélian Gautier could not reach the ball. Whistling just past his outstretched fingertips, the ball hit the inside of the far post, and bounced back into the field of play, where center back Eric Bambic cleared the ball out of play for a throw in. So agonizingly close, and it was an inch that kept Banija from regaining the lead.

Who knows what would have happened if that had gone in? Nobody really knows. But we do know what happened in reality. This was going to be the game changer. Marco van Ciavatinni seemed destined to win it, and he indeed was the man who would make the difference for Eshan. He beat three different defenders on the dribble in the 82nd, and a beautiful chip made the score 3-2 and sent the crowd into a frenzy. He added an 87th minute free kick for a second goal as the "World Cup Finals" chants started.

Their dominance in the second half showed that the hosts were deserved winners. Banija, while still technically in contention, has too tall of a hill to climb to catch Eshan. That said, not all is lost. We need to put this in perspective. Banija has struggled in world cup qualification campaigns throughout the years. We even had an all-time awful effort, going 0-12 in our first attempt! Following that campaign, we finished 5th out of 7 teams for three qualification campaigns in a row- 74, 75, and 76.

We finished fourth out of 10 in World Cup 77 Qualifiers, where the top two qualified directly, which is definitely an improvement in the table. However, we never really threatened to qualify for the World Cup Finals, finishing 15 points behind the last qualification spot. However, we did not qualify for the ensuing Cup of Harmony, nor did we qualify for the Cup of Harmony after World Cup 76 Qualifiers. This qualification campaign, no matter how the rest plays out(though we hope it will certainly play out fairly well) will easily be considered the best qualification campaign in Banijan history.

This team has accomplished much that they can be proud of. They set a Banijan record for number of goals scored in a qualification campaign through 12 games, scoring 33 goals. Of course, they scored 5 in WCQ73, 11 in WCQ74, 24 in WCQ75, and 23 in WCQ76. All those campaigns were only 12 matches. The WCQ77 campaign was 18 matches, and they scored 29 total goals then. They are at 38 now, and we estimate they'll be in the upper 40s when all is said and done.

There is more than that. They've already accomplished the Banijan record for wins in a world cup qualification cycle- 9. In the previous 3 12 game campaigns, they had won 4 games each time around, and in WCQ77, they had won 8. But their win against Eastfield Lodge broke the record, and they're likely to go into double digits for the first time at home to the Kiaser Colonies, blowing that record out of the water. Most importantly, this team showed a fight and spirit unknown to previous Banijan teams in this sport.

Banijan teams of old would've given up after losing three of their first four. But not this team. They kept focused, and they played fearlessly. They played fearlessly against much higher ranked opponents, and the home win against #4 Chromatika will go down in Banijan sporting history and be remembered for a very long time. They beat all four top 60 opponents once in this qualification campaign. In fact, with a home win against Buyan on the final day of qualifying, Banija will be able to accomplish a very unique feat- achieving victory over every single team in their qualification group, which is the tallest of orders.

With World Cup Qualification dreams extinguished, at least for this tournament, what is there left to play for? Well, there is plenty at stake. First, of course, is ranking. While Banija wants to go to the Cup of Harmony, they want to do well while they are there. They should get a nice rankings boost after this campaign, and want to pad that. Going there with momentum from the last few qualifiers will be very big for this squad as well. Secondly, they want to achieve 3rd place in this group. They are 4 points clear in third place, and while 7 short of second, they control their own destiny to 3rd place, even if they fall, as expected, on a visit to a Chromatika team that is seeking revenge.

World Cup Qualification won't happen this time around, but it is not over. These players are going to do all they can to set themselves up for future successes. Maybe they'll get to the knockouts of a WCC-sanctioned tournament for the first time in the Cup of Harmony. They will look to build on their record and leave a mark, and be the foundation of the next set of teams that will eventually make the World Cup Finals. The WCQ77 was the peak of Jan Cassallerus- solid performances, bringing Banijan soccer from disaster to respectability. Not many coaches would have taken on the responsibilities of managing a team that went 0-14-1 in their first 15 matches, but Cassallerus did, and without him, we wouldn't be where we are today. He deserves full credit for his accomplishments.

And now, the torch has been passed to Randolf Cherry. His task, over the next few cycles, will be to bring this team to new heights. Thanks to Cassallerus, the Kadongo Kamu have garnered respect. They are not the laughingstock they were during World Cup 73 Qualifiers. It is up to Cherry to bring them from respectability to achieving ambition, to achieve glory. And it has been made clear during his debut cycle, that he is more than up to the challenge.

by **Schottia** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:50 am

SBCNEWS Online...
Football special - The Road to Ceni and Drawkland. Part Two

After a slightly sluggish start, Schottia managed to pull away from the rest of the pack in Group Six, even reeling in surprise package, Tobiasia, to reach the half way point with a three point cushion over second place. The challenge facing Schottia as they prepared to meet the return fixtures was going to be guarding against that old foe, complacency, while making sure they put as much clear air between themselves and chasing pack as possible.

Eighteen matchdays is a long qualifying campaign, and for a team who have historically found themselves stretched, this was going to be a big test. Many of the new recruits, brought in to beef up the playing pool, were going to be called upon to step up to the plate if Schottia were to avoid any more upsets.

Schottia 3–0 95X
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Doig, Souter, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, Stenberg (J.Ünterhausen), Coultan (Alan), Rudden, Soria-Luna, Curren (Martel-Burns)
Goals: Curren (pen), Coultan, Martel-Burns

Schottia would've had not-too-fond memories of the opening match of the campaign in 95X, where they only just managed to scrape through a fierce battle with the Atlantian Oceanian side. The Auks' job as made slightly easier in the return leg, however, after Sam Seventyfifth's sending off midway through the first half. Lucy Curren, back in the starting line up, tucked away the resulting penalty for 1-0, before Kim Coultan doubled Schottia's lead.

With ten players, the visitors understandable struggled, and the forward runs of Rudden and Hordern began to hurt them in the wide areas. In a second half where Schottia clearly dominated (the 95X press claiming that the home side may have had as much as 33 minutes of possession) their opponents were reduced to nine men. Alexander Alan went very close with a long-range effort, before Soria-Luna played substitute Connie Martel-Burns through for the third.

Tobiasia 2–7 Schottia
Line-up: McNott, Watt, Doig, Souter, Paul, Bánach, Stenberg (McDonald), E.Killanen (Alan), Rudden, Coultan, Martel-Burns (Renshaw)
Goals: Martel-Burns (3), Killanen, Coultan, Stenberg, Renshaw

The trip to Tobiasia was a key match for Schottia, if they wanted to top the group, given the form Liz Sheffield's players had been on thus far. Schottia had sold out their allocation at the 120,000 seater The Ark of Tobiasia, highlighting just how much the media back home had bigged up this match. Connie Martel-Burns was back in the starting eleven, as was the experienced Eoin Killanen. A blow for Schottia, however, was the loss of midfield star, Evelyn Conjure, who pulled up injured in training. Handon United's Dilon Bánach was her replacement, and partnered Line Stenberg in the centre.

The opening forty-five minutes was without a doubt Schottia's best period of football in the tournament so far, with goals from Martel-Burns (2), Killanen, and Kim Coultan putting them in a commanding position. The ability of the Schottia midfield to get forward and support the attack in numbers was clearly causing major problems the home defence, with keeper, Percy Matthews, called into action often.

At the start of the second half there were slightly more promising signs for Tobiasia, as Rosa Uzele converted at the near post to give the side a life line. Schottia put their foot back firmly on the pedal though, and after Martel-Burns secured her hattrick, Stenberg added a sixth from the edge of the area. A Fraser Philips header eased some of the home side's suffering ten minutes from the end, but a stoppage time goal from Ross Renshaw meant that Schottia recorded their most impressive win of the tournament so far.

Schottia 3–0 Britonisea
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, M.Killanen, Carlin, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, Stenberg (Adams), E.Killanen, Vaught, Coultan (Soria-Luna), Martel-Burns (Curren)
Goals: Vaught, Coultan, Curren

Schottia were homing in on one of the two automatic qualification spots by the time the welcomed Britonisea to Harbour Hill Stadium, with Lionel Mah no doubt keen to get things wrapped up as quickly as possible. There was a first Schottia start for Whitehaven Triump wonderkid, Isaiah Vaught, who slotted in on the left wing; as well as a rare appearance for rising defensive star Grant Carlin, who filled in for the injured Gareth Souter. Evelyn Conjure was also back in the starting line-up, meaning Dilon Bánach had to be content with a spot on the bench.

Once again, Schottia showed some good movement in the opening period, with Martel-Burns coming close to breaking the deadlock on a number of occasions. It didn't take too long for Schottia to get their noses in front though, as a rapid attacking move involving Eoin Killanen and Conjure, set Vaught free to tuck away his first international goal. The Schottia attack had their tails up by this stage, with Stenberg really showing her metal in the midfield battle up against Jourdain Amédée. Vaught came very close to making it two with a stinging drive, before Kim Coultan expertly rounded North Quinton to give Schottia a commanding lead. Lucy Curren entered the fray with twenty minutes left on the clock, and the striker on red-hot form made an instant impact, beating Quinton with an accurate strike to move Schottia to the brink of booking their flights for next summer.

Vangaziland 0–3 Schottia
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Doig, Souter, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, J.Ünterhausen (Bánach), Alan, Vaught (Rexmont), Soria-Luna (Curren), Martel-Burns s/o
Goals: Martel-Burns, Soria-Luna, Alan

A suspension to Line Stenberg meant a start for Cornellians' Johannas Ünterhausen in the midfield, as Schottia travelled to face unranked Vangaziland. The Vannish national team were a little untested in WCC competition, and given Schottia's consistent form, they would have been hoping for a straightforward win. Alexander Alan came into the side on the right wing, while Isaiah Vaught kept his place on the opposite flank, meaning Schottia were clearly going for pace.

The first half saw the best and the worst of Martel-Burns, who after opening the scoring with a pinpoint header, went on to receive a straight red card for her provocative celebration. Schottia were a goal up, but they were down to ten players, with Johannas Ünterhausen thrown up front as a makeshift striker. The visitors did battle hard though, and finally managed to lever themselves a little elbow room on the stroke of half time, with a goal from Camila Soria Luna. In the second half the introduction of Lucy Curren saw the return to a more familiar shape for Schottia, and the Hondo striker was instrumental in setting up their third. A pass infield from Louis Hordern found Alan on the under lap; the Port Sebastian winger then played a clever one-two with Curren, before finding the bottom corner of the net.

Schottia 4–0 New Lusitania and the Algarves
Line-up: Gould, Abner, Doig, Souter, Koller, Adams, Bánach (Morham), Alan, Stenberg (Rudden), Coultan, Renshaw (Killanen)
Goals: Renshaw, Stenberg (2), Adams

There was an air of expectation around Harbour Hill Stadium, as the vast majority of the 55,000 fans gathered on that cold winter evening, clearly expected to go home with qualification in the bag. There was no Corinne Martel-Burns who was serving a one-match suspension, and Lionel Mah was forced to rest star player, Evelyn Conjure once again. As a result, we got to see Handon United's central midfield combo, Bánach and Adams in action together, with the versatile Stenberg shifted to the left. Alexander Alan kept his place after a highly impressive display in the last match, and Michael Koller won his second cap in the centre of defence.

There might have been some nerves amongst a few of the players, but they did their best not to let it show, as Ross Renshaw tapped in an Envy Adams pass to given them the lead. Meanwhile, Stenberg was showing no signs of rust on the left wing, and she gave Sporting CL star, Cédric, the run around before converting the side's second. The Kingsgrove star then produced another outstanding run to score her second of the game just after the restart, meaning that Lionel Mah could probably start thinking ahead to the finals. In the closing stages Krista Morham nearly slammed in a spectacular effort from 25 metres out, before Adams added a fourth with a side footed effort.
...

Qualification might be wrapped up early, but we are unlikely to see to much tinkering in terms of personnel. There are still some big matches yet to play, and there will be plenty of opportunity for the players to stake their claim for a seat on the plane. Particularly in the midfield, there is stiff competition, for what is likely to be only four central places. Lionel Mah will have been given much food for thought so far, and final selection may come down to whether or not he goes with youth or experience. Of course the balance must be struck, and the challenge facing the younger players in the remaining matches is proving that they are worth the gamble. Thirty-six to twenty-three is a big shift, and there will undoubtedly be a few disappointed faces come the squad announcement early this summer.

by **Mercedini** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:12 pm

Mercedini Offered NSTT Tour Finals
@ Cortex Centre - Zoloroni, Mercedini

In a twist of fate regarding Mercedinian tennis, the NSTT surprisingly offered Mercedini the chance to host the NSTT World Tour Finals come the end of the year, following a period of inactivity from the Mercedinian Tennis Association. An administration failure meant Mercedinian players missed out on the final tournament of the year, putting potential Tour Final spots for Almeronovic in the singles and Parminus & Stratesimov in the doubles in jeopardy. Last year, Mercedini lost the Tour Finals bid to Kannap in a narrow 3-2 decision which saw the MRC.CUBE miss out on hosting the tournament, but they have another life line this year.

There is one major problem to the situation. The MRC.CUBE will be unavailable for the time around the Tour Finals due to the venue already committing to host the 4th Junior World Hit Festival, meaning the Mercedinian Tennis Association (MTA) will need to find another venue to host the tournament if it accepts hosting rights which were rumoured to be offered to them. Potentially, there are several multi-purpose arenas outside of the nation's capital to host the tournament, the most notable being the Shebnatsiya Ice Palace in Shebchetsik, primarily used for hockey although can be modified to host tennis and other sports. Nevertheless, the Cortex Centre remains the best prospect for the Tour Finals considering it has already hosted two Mercedinian Opens with the most recent coming earlier this year.

The move comes as a big surprise to the MTA, considering an open bidding process has been implemented for at least the past couple of years, but many are optimistic that the nation can undo the wrongs of last year and put on a successful contest for the multiverse's best tennis players over the past year. Of course, with the announcement made yesterday, there is abound to be developments down the line, including a potential fallout after Britonisea made a declaration to bid for the tournament themselves. But for now, announcements are few and far between regarding the breaking story.

World Cup 79 Qualification MD14
South Toronto 0-2 Mercedini @ Cilimintaro-Killerich Memorial Ground - New Philli, South Toronto

Starting XI: Polasic • Kuznetsov - Patenkov - Toivonen - Catessic • Crasic - Kraljic - Jackic - Pujanic • Alotic - Billic
MRC Goalscorers: Alotic 79', Crasic 90'

Four games to go and Mercedini go top of the group once again in a tight and tense 10th Group. Three teams now sit on 37 points after Mercedini beat South Toronto 2-0 away from home and The Holy Empire overcame top of the group Abanhfleft to reel the Fleftic team in, which put the Golden Eagle top on goal difference. Despite having the slimmest of advantages, Mercedini still have a small chance of qualification overall as they still have to pay the rest of the top four plus New Doltania to complete their qualification campaign. It is almost baked in that the group will go down to the final day where Abanhfleft will host Mercedini in the blockbuster final match in the group.

As for the match, the Golden Eagles were made to wait for their three points, but in the end the match was fairly comprehensive as late goals from Alotic and Crasic made a fair reflection of the state of play in the match, where Mercedini dominated the possession and the chances but could only open the scoring ten minutes from time against a stubborn and well-disciplined Torontan defence. Up next, it's Equestrian States who will be fighting for their World Cup lives in the Sports City Stadium, a loss could see the ponies eliminated with three matches to spare which will make it a three horse race for the remaining two spaces at the World Cup

by **Greater vakolicci haven** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:24 pm

Greater Vakolicci Haven 4-0 Mixonistan

After a terrible start to the qualification season, the Haven find themselves sitting only 2 points from the qualification places thanks to a string of victories largely due to their free-scoring Captain, king Blacksen.

Blacksen was true to form this week as he provided the pace required to defeat struggling Mixonistan, netting all 4 goals in the Haven's emphatic 4-0 victory which leaves them just 2 points off the qualification places heading into the match with high-flying Gregoryisgodistan.
The Gregoryisgodistan game, which is expected to be a test of the Haven's newfound strength will prove vital if the Haven wishes to have any chance of qualification for the world cup in Drawkland and Ceni is likely to be a violent affair, with the traditionally firy crowd at the Fortress given more reason to fight given the opposition. The line-up will be unchanged from the previous week, with all players ready and fresh after receiving exclusions from their teams premier league fixtures at the weekend.

((sorry for the pitifully short rp post, best I could do on a phone.))

World Cup 79 • CREDRAWK • RP Thread

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