World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

by **Brenecia** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 5:11 am

Brenecia 5 - 0 Cobrio
(4-1-4-1) 1 - Woodgate; 2 - Broxham, 5 - Heneghan, 6 - Szubanski (c), 3 - Quill (19 - Prentice 70'); 23 - Alweather; 7 - Crowther (15 - Garrard 60'), 21 - Case, 13 - Wheeler (8 - Drake 72'), 16 - Keynes; 9 - Riordan
Goals: Quill 22', Wheeler 41', Case 80', Keynes 86', Riordan 89'

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Cobrio Battering Leads To Pleas To Stick With What Works
Laura Mulholland

Jim Reid should probably be happy with his position at the moment. Brenecia has won its last two tournaments, and all its qualifiers so far. It has yet to concede. It just thrashed the Baptism of Fire champions 5-0. So perhaps he had reason to expect a soft, congratulatory line of questioning.

Instead, a Brenecian press faced with the new experience of having gift horses with mouths to look in inquired several times as to why Reid didn't seem to know his best XI, or rotated insistently, especially given how good that the strongest team on paper had done. Reid looked exasperated, with good reason.

For one, his methods had created this lineup in the first place. Tiferet Ashbrown, rested for this break, had lost a touch of pace entering her late 20s and still lacked a second dimension - Cathal Keynes had taken his chances to succeed her with a series of direct, physical performances, culminating in a goal tonight. Broxham, similarly, had needed chances to take, and leapt on them.

Secondly, these methods had lead to the Brenecian side being what it is today. The catchmen is notoriously small, with few obvious stars. If Reid neglected to do everything he could to make the side as good as possible, even if it meant gambling against minnows and scraping unconvincing wins, what chance did it have against the biggest sides?

Third, it kept the players on their toes, certain it was a meritocracy, and ensured a healthy dressing room atmosphere. His fourth point was, more or less, 'shut up'. Which isn't exactly in the spirit of the free press, but he has a point. Reid clearly knows what he's doing, and a rotation policy is what's worked for the team.

And some of the new names have done well, too. Morwen Prentice and Keziah Broxham, the fullbacks, have most obviously impressed, looking assured and capable enough to be eight years their senior while sharing the fearlessness of youth. Niall Bremner is finally starting to come good for the Patriots, Claire Ruskin is growing into her role and Calhoun is assuaging the fears of the doomsayers with every performance.

Mostly, though, the questions weren't so much relevant in their own right. Instead, they were symbols. Brenecia are world champions, and starting to become truly dominant over their region in both club and country. Expectations are finally rising to match.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 3
Goalkeepers: 1 - Mathis Woodgate (Spartangrad, EUR), 12 - Rostyn Calhoun (Wexax United, VAL), 20 - Aidan Hartigan (Metropolis Alligators, VLD)
Defenders: 2 - Keziah Broxham (Mallox, COS), 3 - Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries, EUR), 5 - Cheney Heneghan (Ernesse Stahl, BYN), 6 - Niko Szubanski (1830 Cathair, AUD, c), 18 - Chadwick Beath (Blue Coast 1981, PCR), 19 - Morwen Prentice (Westpike United), 22 - Garwyn Varney (Soldarian FC, VAL)
Midfielders: 4 - Roisin Staunton (Kingsgrove), 7 - Brae Crowther (Chenoworth Harriers, NPH), 8 - Meghan Hartsdown (Kings Park, SCT), 11 - Tiferet Ashbrown (Kings Park, SCT), 13 - Corby Wheeler (Goldstaff City, COS), 14 - Claire Ruskin (Southern Star), 15 - Cu Roi Garrard (Rene Skae, FFD), 16 - Cathal Keynes (Snowden River), 21 - Falcon Case (Goodfeather FC, NPH), 23 - Catsidhe Alweather (Eastal Lunar, VIL)
Forwards: 9 - Griffin Riordan (Klyde, COS), 10 - Vesuvia Carrick (South Laithland, NPH), 17 - Niall Bremner (Westpike United)

SCHEDULE
Cassadaigua 0 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Al-Mumtaz
Oscioru 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 South Libertopia
Colonial Australia 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 5 - 0 Cobrio
Tinhampton vs. Brenecia
Czarna Gora vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Octinstine
Brenecia vs. Cassadaigua
Al-Mumtaz vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Oscioru
South Libertopia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Colonial Australia
Cobrio vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Tinhampton
Brenecia vs. Czarna Gora
Octinstine vs. Brenecia

by **New Lusitania and the Algarves** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 5:40 am

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
World Cup 81 - The Road to FR/Banija

THREE POINTS IN INTRIGUING MATCH
Ndaku 2-4 New Lusitania @ Lumbumbaville

Things were going well after a victory against Jeckland, as the team's morale was back. Lopes started in goal, with Guerreiros, Dalot and Cédric in defence, Neves in defensive midfield, Mário, Fernando, Luz and Gama in Midfield and Silveira and Jota up front. The home side with its traditional 3-2-1-4 formation.
A great first half, with Ndaku eager to get the edge, sadly for them, it was New Lusitania that inaugurated the score board. Silveira received a good ball from Fernando, scoring with a great volley. The second one came at 40', with Gama rushing into the box, passing it to Mário who passed it back with Gama just putting it into the box lightly. In the added time of the first half, a goal by Fabron for Ndaku. Halftime, and a goal between them. At the hour mark, Fernando scored with a long run-up, and an assist by Nevais. At 80 minutes of play, a corner was taken, with a header from Jota scoring the fourth. Cancela and Martins got game time today, to rest players for the next match. In added time, Harden scored the second one for Ndaku just before the whistle blew, Lopes had no chance. Yet another good performance from the Seleção, but the worst is yet to come.
FULL TIME: 2-4

POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS
I: We are once more with the national coach, Santa Cruz, how do you see tonight's performance?
VSC: We played well, at points we seemed to be interlocked in a midfield battle with them but overall we played really well. Uh, the prospect of playing against a more difficult and antiquated system of four forwards was both interesting and complicated, considering that we only have three defenders and usually it's not enough to break down two men attacks, but, hey, we have to play like that for a better Midfield and more positive, free flowing football. To be honest, Ndaku will be harder to beat once they gain more experience.
I: What about the next match, against Truori?
VSC: No doubt, the most complicated opponent we have, and it'll be interesting to see how it goes down at Jamor. We'll be ready, hopefully to take them on.
I: Thanks Victor

RATINGS, AWARDS AND OPINIONS
LUS Ratings : Lopes 7, Guerreiros 8, Dalot 7.5, Cédric Silva 7, Nevais 8 (Cancela 6.

, Mário 7.5 (Martins 6.5), Fernando 9 {MOTM}, Luz 7, Gama 8, Silveira 8.5, Jota 7.5 OVERALL : 7.5

STATS (NDK/LUS)
Goals: 2/4
Shots: 11/13
Shots on Target: 5/7
Corners: 2/4
Fouls: 3/1
Cards - Yellow: 0/0
Cards - Red: 0/0
Possession %: 40/60
(Last 5 Games W-D-L: 2W3L/3W1D1L)

THE HUB
GOAL COUNT : André Silveira (2) Daniel Jota (2), Fransisco Gama (2), Bruno Fernando (2) Nevais (1), André Moreira (1), B.Silva (1).

Assist Count: Bruno Fernando (3), Fransisco Gama (2), André Silveira (2), Jorge Mário (2).

Playmakers' Average Index Top 5: Fransisco Gama (8.35), Rúben Nevais (7.9), Bruno Fernandos (7.5), Patríce (7.5) A.Silveira (7.3).

Injuries: None to report.

Ref's Book: Cédric Silva (yellow - Michine)

-----------------------------------
#stl #forçaselecção #WC81Quals
#NDKLUS
----------------------------------
STL in association with FLF
MMXVIII

by **Turori** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 5:54 am

:: Cocoabo Park : An Overview

Cocoabo Park is the publically accessible portion of the Cocoabo Forest, itself a joint venture between the Cocoabo Preservation Society, Tropicorp and the Island Emirate of Turori to Preserve, Study, Highlight and in some cases improve the existence and appreciation of Turori's Native Cocoabo.

. . . .

. . . .
The entrance to Cocoabo Park

. . . .
. . . .

While the Cocoabo Forest itself is a vast land where Cocoabo flocks are allowed to roam free, at Cocoabo Park visitors from around the multiverse are treated to intimate tours, close encounters and educational experiences all with the Cocoabo at the center. With limited on site lodging and a fully equipped village at the entrance area to the Park, visitors could spend days at Cocoabo Park without even venturing on one of the Park's tours into its different Cocoabo training enclosures or even further into the Cocoabo Forest.

In addition to the commercially driven aspect of the Park, and as a critical part of the relationship with the Cocoabo Preservation Society, the Park also serves as a hub for the team of Scientists and Researchers from both the Cocoabo Preservation Society and Tropicorp many of whom reside full time at the park. While the Cocoabo Preservation Society led efforts are more focused on passive studying and preservation, the Tropicorp team lead the CEEP - the Cocoabo Enrichment & Enhancement Project out of the Park. Beyond just researching and understanding the Cocoabo Genome, the CEEP team are tasked with focused training and enrichment activities to hyper-focus Cocoabo to hone their talents and skills and bring them to the forefront. One of the most popular enclosures on a tour of Cocoabo Park is the CEEP's sporting enclosure where Cocoabo can be found participating in activities such as Footsport and even on a lucky day, Motorsport.

Turori's National Cocoabo Squad can trace its origins to the CEEP project at Cocoabo Park and are still based and trained out of Cocoabo Park when not on the road representing Turori in competition. The Cocoabo Park Arena in the Cocoabo Park regularly plays host to the Turori National Team, particularly when it is being represented by Turori's National Cocoabo Squad.

Cocoabo Park Arena is located at Cocoabo Park in the Cocoabo Forest. The Cocoabo Forest is a Cocoabo Preserve built on Calanian lands formerly held in trust by the Atlantian Oceania Regional Defense Organization (AORDO). With a seating capacity of 71,000 the Arena is used for both sporting events and demonstrations to park visitors as the largest arena on the ground of Cocoabo Park and within the Cocoabo Forest. Cocoabo Park Arena is a sports and demonstration complex created at Cocoabo Park to attract future sporting events to the Tropicorp-CPS collaborative education, enrichment and entertainment destination on the shores of the Cocoabo Forest.

There have been some memorable matches at Cocoabo Park Arena. The Eagle's Cup VI final at Cocoabo Park Arena was a well attended fixture, open to the public with any admission to the Cocoabo Park. Major events at the Cocoabo Park Arena also serve as educational events as visitors are be able to learn about the Cocoabo, ongoing Preservation efforts at the Cocoabo Forest and see Cocoabo in their re-constructed natural habitat. Cocoabo Park Arena has also hosted Cocoabo Squad matches for the Turori National Team as well as being a major venue of the Tropicorp hosted AOCAF LIVe. Most recently, the Cocoabo Park arena hosted a World Cup 80 Matchday 8 top of the table clash between Turori's National Cocoabo Squad and current World Cup 81 host nation Banija.

Cocoabo Park Circuit

The Cocoabo Park Circuit is cut out of the Cocoabo Forest just a few kilometers from Cocoabo Park. Shuttles will run regularly taking fans and guests from the Park to the race track. The Cocoabo Park Circuit was originally designed for the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project (CEEP) where Cocoabo are trained under the leadership of Tropicorp Scientists and the Cocoabo Preservation Society.

When the course is not in use by CEEP or hosting an international race weekend it is occasionally used as part of a driving tour of the Cocoabo Park. Cocoabo can often be seen grazing the hilltops on the Eastern side of the course between turns 1-3 and along the river delta under turns 5 and 6.

As the host of the Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix and the events major sponsor, Cocoabo Park is the publically accessible portion of the Cocoabo Forest, itself a joint venture between the Cocoabo Preservation Society, Tropicorp and the Island Emirate of Turori to Preserve, Study, Highlight and in some cases improve the existence and appreciation of Turori's Native Cocoabo.

Admission to the central areas of Cocoabo Park and its Educational Exhibits are typically included in the cost of admission to the Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix. Guided Tours, Educational Sessions and Childrens events will double in frequency throughout the race weekend up until one hour prior to the start of the grand prix. During the most recent Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix, any patron with a ticket to the race also received a "Cocoabo Passport" book where they can collect stamps for attending various sessions, exhibits and tours throughout the Park. Completed Passports were redeemable for a free Race Programme or can be used for 50% off admission for up to four guests on a return visit to Cocoabo Park.

by **Banija** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:42 am

The Banijan Post
Covering All of Banija, All of our News, All of the Time

Banijan elections are thrown a curveball as Hatabu Danso is granted asylum in Geisenfred

Collective Resistance Union holds large rally in the nation's capitol

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- For the past three years, the country has been rebuilding from the Banijan-Equestrian War. Banija has been paying its war reparations to the Equestrian States, the Kabaka, governing via the Guardian Council as the emergency legislative body, and with many members of the royal family serving in executive positions, has been rebuilding the state. Of course, elections were not only promised, but were necessary- with the world's attention soon to turn to Banija for World Cup 81, the country could not be sitting on an unelected government. Of course, due to the terms of the Banijan Instrument of Surrender, Matthias Mutebi has essentially been restricted to constantly supervised house arrest for what will certainly be the remainder of his lifetime. Interestingly enough, he was given nearly all the blame- many nationalists were able to walk away, scot free.

That included, of course, his deputy- the Deputy Leader of the Defiance Coalition, and the Deputy Katikkiro, Hatabu Danso, Argued by some to be complict, Kabaka Albert III argued that the blame lied at the very top of the government, and with nobody else. "Ultimately, the decision-making under the Mutebi Administration was made by Mattthias Mutebi. Other members of that government were not perfect- however, was it not Matthias Mutebi's government? The terms of our treaty with the Equestrian States, that I signed on that aircraft carrier, specified that Matthias Mutebi was responsible for his own crimes, his own aggression."

And now, of course, these years have passed- and election season is finally hitting Banija, with the World Cup around the corner. Of course, the Defiance Coalition has largely disintegrated- without Matthias Mutebi to lead and fund the party, as one of Banija's richest men, the party's structure fell apart, and with lots of debt, they had to go out. The party that is going to gain now, of course, is the Collective Resistance Union. Firmly on the left of the Banijan political spectrum, they have been junior partners in coalition governments with the center-left Free Justice Party, but never senior. And with the two now former major parties, the Peoples' Protection Movement and Free Justice Party, struggling, the Collective Resistance Union is looking to thrive in this election season.

Banijan politics seems to be continuously turning on its head. The leader of the left-wing Collective Resistance Union, Kizza Makoni, is likely to become Banija's next Katikkiro. The question is, how will he govern? The only party in the elections not associated with the Mutebi Administration or the scandals that brought down Mutebi's predecessors, they are making a strong push to become Banija's first ever party to win a majority on its own in the Lukiiko, since independence in 1906, well over 100 years ago. What is his program? It is a radical social program, even for Banijans. He plans to end Mutebi's remittance tax. He plans to pass legislation regarding funding equality in sports by gender. He plans to pass legislation to bring down the statue of the prophet Moroni from the grounds of the Lukiiko. Of course, he has angered many nationalists, who are currently on the back foot in Banija, with his plans in the aftermath of the Banijan-Equestrian War. He feels many of the rest of the Mutebi Administration, especially the higher-ups, and those involved in drought relief, should be tried for "gross negligence leading to manslaughter." Many left-wing, radical, secular reforms.

And now, of course, back to Hatabu Danso. The Geisenfred government just recently announced that they were granting Hatabu Danso, the former Deputy Katikkiro & Minister of Defense and, therefore, the highest ranked official of the Mutebi Administration not named Matthias Mutebi, asylum. Kizza Makoni, the CRU leader and likely next Katikkiro, heavily criticized the move. "Geisenfred claims to be avoiding acting in our internal affairs by granting Hatabu Danso asylum- however, that is about as false as it gets. Banija must have its own justice moment, and that means trying everybody. The actions of Hatabu Danso cost our country the Busoga Islands, and the lives of many Banijans. If I am elected, I will bring Mutebi's Administration to justice, and that includes bringing Hatabu Danso back to Banija for trial."

The news of Danso being granted asylum, of course, went far across the political spectrum. Ikenne Ebela, the leader of the center-left Free Justice Party, said that Geisenfred's controversial decision was "absolutely unnecessary." Muhoro Mutiga, the leader of the People's Protection Movement, on the center-right, said that the decision was "Geisenfred's to make" and that it was right to let him go so Banija could move on. And Zekulu Beca, the leader of the Christian Patriots League, who were the junior partners in Mutebi's coalition government, and largely sidelined during that whole Administration, declined to comment, saying that the issue "distracted from the important issues in this election."

Of course, while the reaction might have been slightly measured at home, abroad, the reaction was fierce. Banijan emigrant communities within Geisenfred, the largest Banijan emigrant community in Atlantian Oceania were fiercely negative, which isn't surprising, considering Mutebi's blame of Banijan emigrants for the brain drain, and inability of Banija's economy to move to first world status. President Ebrahim Razav, of the Busoga Islands, harshly criticized the move. President Razav said that "Hatabu Danso, alongside Matthias Mutebi and the rest of his Administration, should be on trial for crimes against humanity- not living it up at the invitation of the Geisenfred government. An international tribunal is the only way for all invovled countries to heal as of this."

Interestingly enough, the Isebantu, who is the Waziri(Foreign Minister) by right, declined to comment when asked about it in his press briefing. OF course, this means that storm clouds lie ahead- the election is only in a few days, and if the CRU, as expected, pull off a governing majority... Then we imagine that this is an issue that could cause quite a few problems for the Banijan Geisenfred relationship, two bordering nations separated merely by a river on Banija's eastern land border.

by **Mattijana** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:24 am

MFO SPORT

The Statto-In Reverse Order

In this week's column, the Statto takes on the regular trawl through the gutter to find out which team has been the most abysmal of all so far in qualifying.

Every single cycle of world cup qualifying, there is a long list of teams that are not just bad, but are really, really bad. On this list used to be Mattijana and so my job was simply to list how the team have failed to do very well. However I have been told that our national team have now upgraded themselves to mediocre and so I now have to look elsewhere and perform in-depth analysis to discover who have been the most abject, inept or just plain bad.

1: Points

Points mean prizes, apart from on your driving license. Then they mean lengthy bans. Anyway, for a football team, an inability to win, or even draw matches is a clear sign of badness.

So far a rather large total of 11 teams have failed to get off the mark. That's right, the have played 6 matches, won 0, drawn 0 and lost 6. These are:

-Tasrailia
-Shayla
-Halfdansodal
-Palmeria
-Leodomum
-Penguinland
-South Batoko
-Swibia
-Illahee
-Kwesiland
-Star United States

These sides are all currently in the dark depths of the pit of despair and so all earn themselves something they haven't been able to achieve during the first third of qualifying, 10 points towards the index of incompetence.

In addition, a further 9 sides have failed to secure a win this season and so have either 1 or 2 points. The teams on one point earn themselves 5 points and are:

-Gudalajara
-Mariarty
-Comind New Islands
-Lycrabon
-Raffiah
-Torisakia

The teams on 2 points earn themselves 3 points and are:

-Corindia
-Togonistan
-Nuadh-Alba
-The Hungarian Nation
-Andwell
-Brittany Normandy Aquitaine

2: Goals

Points win prizes, and goals win points that win prizes. As a result, not being able to score goals is one of the key signs of an incompetent outfit.
At this stage of the competition, all 190 sides have managed to get on the scoresheet, however some teams have very rarely troubled the opposition goalkeeper, scoring either 1 or 2 goals.

6 teams have scored just the 1, earning themselves 10 points for the index of incompetence.

-Tanzanique
-Mariarty
-Tarper
-Palmeria
-South Batoko
-Colonial Australia

A further 6 teams have scored 2 goals, earning themselves 5 points:

-Togonistan
-Illahee
-Swibia
-Penguinland
-Nuadh-Alba
-Brittany Normandy Aquitaine

Whilst scoring goals is important in avoiding ineptidude, conceding goals is the true sign of abysmality. Having a bad defence will make your team actually look bad, rather than just looking bad on the scoreboard. Defensive mistakes are the number one thing in football for adding comedic value and your team will be the cruel butt of the joke.

The leaderboard for goals conceded is as follows. Teams earn index of incompetence points in reverse of their position in the table.

1: Halfdansodal 25
2: Carloso 23
=2: Tasrailia 23
4: Nuadh-Alba 22
=4: Torisakia 22
=4: Pink Floyd FC 22
7: South Caleblan 21
=7: Egyptosian 21
9: Anollasia 20
=9: Mattijana 20
=9: Kernovi and Rewgwlas 20
=9: Swibia 20

3: The Final Index

Name                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts  Index points
Palmeria                          6    0   0   6     1   13  −12     0       20
Halfdansodal                      6    0   0   6     8   25  −17     0     20
South Batoko                      6    0   0   6     1   15  −14     0     20
Tasrailia                         6    0   0   6     5   23  −18     0      19
Swibia                            6    0   0   6     2   20  −18     0        17
Illahee                           6    0   0   6     2   13  −11     0        15
Mariarty                          6    0   1   5     1   15  −14     1       15
Penguinland                       6    0   0   6     2   15  −13     0    15
Torisakia                         6    0   1   5    10   22  −12     1      12
Nuadh-Alba                        6    0   2   4     2   22  −20     2     10
Shayla                            6    0   0   6     9   17   −8     0        10
Leodomum                          6    0   0   6     4   17  −13     0    10
Star United States                6    0   0   6     3   14  −11     0   10
Kwesiland                         6    0   0   6     6   19  −13     0      10
Colonial Australia                6    1   0   5     1   15  −14     3    10
Tarper                            6    1   0   5     1    9   −8     3          10
Tanzanique                        6    1   0   5     1   14  −13     3     10
Carloso                           6    1   1   4    16   23   −7     4        9
Togonistan                        6    0   2   4     2   14  −12     2      8
Brittany Normandy Aquitaine       6    0   2   4     2   11   −9     2    8
Pink Floyd FC                     6    2   1   3    20   22   −2     7     7
Comind New Islands                6    0   1   5     3   17  −14     1    5
Gudalajara                        6    0   1   5     6   18  −12     1      5
Raffiah                           6    0   1   5     3   18  −15     1        5
Lycrabon                          6    0   1   5     3   10   −7     1       5
South Caleblan                    6    1   0   5     8   21  −13     3   4
Egyptosian                        6    1   0   5     6   21  −15     3    4
Corindia                          6    0   2   4     3   14  −11     2       3
The Hungarian Nation              6    0   2   4     8   17   −9     2    3
Andwell                           6    0   2   4     4   11   −7     2    3
Mattijana                         6    3   0   3    22   20   +2     9     2
Anollasia                         6    1   0   5    10   20  −10     3    2

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:53 am

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

LATE EDITION -- SPORTS

GOLDHORNS WIN 2, LOSE 1 IN FURTHER QUALIFIERS

Siovanija and Teusland’s national football team played three strong Qualifying matches, defeated Thibaea 3-1 and matching their all-time record victory away to Sangti 5-1. This was followed by a solid performance in defeat, 2-1 against Kita-Hinode.

The match with Thibaea came on the back of the national team’s 4-2 victory over Raffiah, and the players of the national team were quite excited about the opportunity to return to the Nationalstadion in good form. “We had the loss to Sargossa, yes, but overall we have played quite well so far in these qualifiers, and we’re excited to go back in front of our own crowd and hopefully continue that record,” commented Ivo Romanov. “Having the home support behind you is always important, and we think we can put together a little run here,” added Thorsten Kramer.

Alan Dzekov’s lineup for the Thibaea match was quite similar to the team that took on Raffiah. The only change saw Michael Ribbeck start up front in place of Anton Dimitrov, as the Goldhorns continued to use the 4-3-3 formation here. “I’m happy with the way we played against Raffiah, and so I don’t want to switch out too many things. Michael is coming in, we want to give chances to all of our forwards because we have such depth in that position. He was immense for us at the AOCAF Cup, and I’m sure he will continue to perform here as well,” commented Dzekov on the change.

The Goldhorns got off to a flying start in the match, scoring just minutes into the game. A free kick was awarded on the left side, which Viktor Dimitrov hovered over. He swung in a cross, which was met by the head of Raphael Klopfer who was able to direct the ball perfectly into the top left corner. 1-0 to the Goldhorns just minutes in, and Klopfer had his second international goal. Siovanija and Teusland would expand on their lead shortly afterwards, with Ivo Romanov making a great run down the wing before passing into the middle for Thorsten Kramer. Kramer passed forward for Ribbeck, who held the ball before playing it back for Kramer. Kramer blasted a shot that beat Evraid Chapeau in the Thibaean goal, giving the Goldhorns a 2-0 lead just 20 minutes into the match.

After that, Thibaea were playing catch-up all day, and the Goldhorns were eager to secure their lead. Into the second half now, Thibaea actually enjoyed a 5-10 minute period of control over the game, which had to worry Goldhorns fans in attendance. It was here that their goal was scored, with Vincent Desjardins blasting a shot past Julian Fehr in the Goldhorns’ goal. A few substitutions followed for the Goldhorns, Jurgen Stern returned to the national team replacing Viktor Dimitrov, Thorsten Helmke came in for Lutz Daschner, and up front Ludwig Reichwein would make his Goldhorns debut in place of Michael Ribbeck. It was Reichwein who would, just minutes later, score the important 3rd goal of the match. Ivo Romanov put in a cross that met found the TSV Marzig man Reichwein, who took the ball off his chest and then sent a shot past the Thibaean keeper for the goal and match. 3-1 to the Goldhorns was the final score here.

Next up for Siovanija and Teusland was a trip to Sangti, the unranked team which had on the first day of Qualifiers claimed major scalp in defeating Kita-Hinode. Dzekov’s team for this match saw change, with Yanko Zhelyaskov coming in at goal, Paul Schorner earning his first cap at left back, Ernst Schoff starting in place of Viktor Dimitrov, and up front the captain Miroslav Dinev making his return to the starting XI. “I’m happy to be back here, it’s always great to wear the blue and gold shirt, and it’s a source of pride for me to captain this team,” commented Dinev, making his first start of the Qualifiers.

Sangti were able to grab an early goal, with Emilio Famidico opening scoring on the 12th minute at the Peipakoa Stadium in Sangti. The Goldhorns, however, were not fazed by this, and seemed to dig down, willing to work harder to get a result here. Miroslav Dinev was of the highest quality on the day, and his 23rd minute effort to even the match will be replayed again and again. He struck the ball on a half-volley from outside the box, hitting the crossbar before falling perfectly into the goal. It was a stunner from the captain, and it gave the Goldhorns the hope they needed to continue building their lead.

A penalty from Dinev and a header off a corner from Vladimir Kostov later, the Goldhorns held a 3-1 lead over Sangti at the half. Going back out for the final 45 minutes, Alan Dzekov instructed his team to keep their performance levels high and not to get complacent. As seen through the two lovely goals scored in the second half, the team clearly listened to his advice. Ivo Romanov and Ernst Schoff stood over a free kick from just outside the box, and in the end it appeared as if Schoff would take. However, he instead played a quick pass to Romanov who curled a perfect shot into the top right corner, giving the Goldhorns a 4-1 lead.

The final goal of the day came off the boot of Miroslav Dinev once again. The captain played a one-two with Kramer before taking the ball past the Sangti defender, allowing him to be one-on-one with the keeper. Dinev was able to use his experience and round the keeper, slotting the ball home for his hat-trick. Dinev’s triple on the day was the first hat-trick ever scored by a member of the national team, and it is quite fitting that the first man to do so was the captain and the man who scored the national team’s first ever goal. Dinev returned to the national team a hero, and the Goldhorns defeated Sangti 5-1.

The next match-up for the Goldhorns was quite tough, a home date with Kita-Hinode. The last time Siovanija and Teusland took on the Hinodejins, at Cup of Harmony 72, it had not ended well: Kita-Hinode ran away with the match, 6-1 winners on the day. The result stands as the Goldhorns’ worst ever defeat. Alan Dzekov’s lineup was changed for this one, with Viktor Venev returning in goal, Dietmar Kleinmann at left back and Viktor Dimitrov back in place at midfield. “Obviously it’ll be a tough match, but we have to be brave, and we have to perform well,” commented Alan Dzekov.

In the end, it was a tough match, but the Goldhorns did show some quality in the game and it was overall a solid performance. Kita-Hinode scored two first-half goals to take the lead, however Siovanija and Teusland did not roll over and die after this like they had at the Cup of Harmony. Instead, they kept competing, always trying to get back into the game. This was so nearly fruitful, as Ivo Romanov scored in the 67th minute to bring the score to 2-1, and Miroslav Dinev had a shot go just wide in a heartbreaking final few minutes.

“We didn’t quit, and I think we can honestly be proud of that performance. Sometimes it’s just inches, and honestly, if Miro’s shot goes in we have a point from that game. We can take a lot from this game, and hopefully come out even stronger to play Soute,” commented Alan Dzekov.

Soute is the team next up for the Goldhorns, an away match against the team who sit 6th in Group 14, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses. The Stelburger Zeitung will be here to cover each and every minute of the Goldhorns’ World Cup Qualifying journey.

Siovanija and Teusland 3-1 Thibaea

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-3-3): Fehr; Kleinmann, Klopfer, Licht, Daschner (Helmke 67’); Kostov, Kramer, V. Dimitrov (Stern 72’); von Bergen, Romanov, Ribbeck (Reichwein 72’)
Goals: Klopfer 4’, Kramer 20’, Reichwein 79’
Match Summary: Another good win for the Goldhorns. Ludwig Reichwein scores on his international debut to add insurance in an all-important win over Thibaea.

Siovanija and Teusland 5-1 Sangti

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-3-3): Zhelyaskov; Schorner, Klopfer, Karapetrov, Daschner; Kostov (Brotzmann 64’), Kramer , Schoff; Leistner (von Bergen 84’), Romanov (Heiden 84’’), Dinev
Goals: Miroslav Dinev 23’, 29’, Vladimir Kostov 42’, Ivo Romanov 62’, Miroslav Dinev 88’
Match Summary: A big win here for the Goldhorns, who match their all-time biggest win in victory. Miroslav Dinev scores the first ever national team hat-trick, his 23rd minute strike the pick of all 5 goals.

Kita-Hinode 2-1 Siovanija and Teusland

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-3-3): Venev; Kleinmann, Klopfer, Karapetrov (Kynev 80’), Daschner; Kostov (Antonov 80’), Kramer, V. Dimitrov; Leistner (A. Dimitrov 86’), Romanov, Dinev
Goals: Ivo Romanov 67’
Match Summary: Kita-Hinode win the day, however the Goldhorns put in a much better performance at home this time than the last fixture between these two. Ivo Romanov scores the only goal, while Miroslav Dinev must be disappointed in his last-minute miss.

by **Free Republics** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:58 am

Designed by 3WD of Vilita

This is your Matchday 7 Cutoff brought to you by Dragon Odyssey XI! Dragon Odyssey XI: The Must-Play RPG of the Decade is finally available in the Free Republics!

Scores

by **Farfadillis** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 9:00 am

"Well, Mallory, what is it then? Do I accept? Do I not? You're not making sense."

Mallory gently placed her palm in her face, then slowly slid it down in exasperation. Marrying for money sometimes wasn't all her parents had played it up to be. She was finding herself increasingly annoyed by her husband's black-and-white thinking.

"Look, honey. I said there are pros and cons. This is not a difficult concept. It's called nuisance. We've been over this." Noirsztin was about to interrupt her when she shushed him. "This is not one of your typical 'profitable or not profitable' deals. You can't just ask one of your accountants to figure things out for you. There are very clear advantages and very clear disadvantages to this decision. You're about to negotiate with possibly the most dangerous man in the country. And this is Farfadillis we're talking about."

"Mally, I know I tend to be, uh, what do you call it again?"

"Dichotomic."

"Yes, that. I know I tend to be whatever that means, but that's why I'm looking for your opinion here. Do I or do I not submit to a Rulandese drug lord in exchange for more money? I find the question to be fairly simple."

The saying goes "behind every great man there's a great woman". She liked the "behind every great man there's a woman rolling her eyes" version more. Noirsztin was a great man, no doubt. Perhaps not so much in the whole "not being a white collar criminal" front, but he had a lot of money and that's obviously more important. However, the original saying was very much true; every important decision ended up being made by her.

"Well, can you let me think for a bit? Trust me, there're a lot of angles to consider."

As far as marrying for money goes, Mallory never really did it the way it is usually done. She was a pro-active woman who pulled her weight properly. She never really liked the passive life, so to speak. So, to someone like her, who finds monotony boring, the idea of entering the drug business, even if indirectly, felt immensely compelling. Who knows what kind of danger they'd have to try and evade because of such an irresponsible decision, should it be one? Yes, it's safe to say the whole "danger" thing didn't, in fact, affect Mallory Fulop's assessment of the situation.

But the decision had some other ramifications. One, Szoirsia, a traditionally drug-free state, would begin to be ravaged by all the harms that come from the drug market. There's a price for everything, though, and such a ramification could be ignored if enough zeroes made it to her bank account. Two, Szoirsia would begin to get a pretty big influx of Rulandese people. "Mostly terrorists" in the words of Ânkîs. She and her husband wondered what he meant to achieve with that, but then again, their heads would turn the other way if the zeroes were plenty. Another thing, they'd be tied to a dangerous drug lord known for being very trigger-happy and having a... complicated temperament. She was pretty sure they wouldn't be traced back to him, though. The Eleonóra family's shady accountants were very good, even with something as complicated as Farf law. They exploited every loophole and stayed away from the law with no repercussions. They could probably legally justify drug trade if they were paid enough.

The one thing that bothered her was the one unpredictable variable in the equation: newly-elected President Alex Terán. His erratic enforcement of the law, coupled with his seemingly arbitrary and absolute judgment were something unprecedented in Farf law. He was also trying his best to destroy the Rulandese terrorists. As much of a wild card as he was, there were hidden depths to him; Mallory could tell. He was an extremely intelligent man who could sway the masses like no other. None of this would be troublesome if Noirsztin hadn't explicitly and very loudly campaigned against him. A personal vendetta from Alex Terán could very well mean a death sentence if he began an investigation.

"Honey, you've been taking a long time. You know I'm a bit impatient. Just tell me, do I go ahead with it?"

"Do we go ahead with it?" She paused for one last second, adrenaline flowing through her veins. "Yes, we do."

A few decisions up to that point had put Farfadillis in danger: the Rulandese genocide, not looking for a peaceful resolution to the Rulandese conflict, Alex Terán being elected president and a new, massive uranium mining project being recently accepted in Ruland were the big four, for varying reasons. All four in and on themselves could've destroyed Farfadillis on their own, but the nation had hanged on, mostly by virtue of sheer luck. Luck can only go that far, though. Mallory's decision would set in motion a sequence of events that would tip the scales.

by **Rakivland** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:47 am

Polkopia 5-3 Rakivland
MANAGER: Encouraging performance, however it is the result that matters, and it gets increasingly frustrating how we don't get them, Overall I would say we were unfortunate, but not quite good enough, Tough opponents coming, We must improve.

Rakivland v Savalen
A team that is 3 places above Rakivland, is Savalen, relatively unknown to Rakivland, but we will still work hard, To be the best you have beat the best, and Points mean Prizes.

Kanievev Saeriva resigns as Rakivland Manager, After addressing how difficult he was finding things, he has made the decision to resign, for the better of the country and him.

Makkai Asztrik named as next Rakivland Manager, Javak Zadstri assistant, Tends to play counter-attack, but makes team happy to keep ball if needed, Welcome Makkai!

by **Rakivland** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:48 am

Kanievev Saeriva resigns as Rakivland Manager, After addressing how difficult he was finding things, he has made the decision to resign, for the better of the country and him.

by **Adab** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:57 am

A Dance with Football
A look into the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them

Chapter 10: Her

Early 2011
Saad Kaykali’s house, Baghdad

Saad could feel the nurses’ eyes darting towards him every step of the way, as he proceeded to what was once his bedroom. None of the people here he recognized, and he felt as though he had never been in this house. For Saad, life as a free man had become nothing more than an outlandish dream, a figment of a past so increasingly distant to him. With each step he analyzed what were once his possessions: the carpet, the table, the chairs, the pictures on the wall, everything that once belonged to him. Seeing them once again felt like a bizarrely new experience, and for a man who had so forcibly dissociated himself from the past this was nothing too strange.

Walking beside him was Walid the old gardener, and one or two feet behind them the policeman. Along the way Walid rattled off a series of names, those who were once at Saad and his wife Maria’s service, and they remained loyal to his wife even as he was sentenced to prison. Saad had heard almost nothing about them over the last few months. “Salim is still with us, sir,” said Walid, referring to the driver. His voice was solemn, tinged with sadness, “but he went home to Sharm El Sheikh like a day or two ago. His mother got sick again and he doesn’t know if he’ll make it this time. So Mrs. Kaykali told him he should go home. So he went home. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

Salim’s mother had been in poor health for quite some time. Six months ago it was pneumonia; it was quite severe and the doctors told the family to prepare for her passing. But it wasn’t her time yet for the next world, so she rallied, and somehow she recovered. Salim had intended to ask Maria for help in covering the medical costs, but between her lack of income and her gradually weakening health she herself needed the money, so she reluctantly directed him to her siblings in the imperial family – on whose generosity she had been depending since Saad went to prison anyway – who covered the costs.

Now the old lady had once again come down with pneumonia, and the prognosis was no better. She was lucky to survive the last time; odds were she wouldn’t be so lucky this time.

“Give him as much time as he needs. His mother would do well to have him by her side,” Saad advised. His face turned at that old clock up on the wall, hanging next to a picture of him and his wife in happier times. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. Why didn’t Maria tell me? Oh, but she’s got her own troubles as well, and I did tell her not to bother with me. And I no longer have the money anyway and I’m in prison. I’m sorry.”

They were now standing before the bedroom door, which was shut. “Mr. Kaykali,” Walid said, watching his former employer scanning the door, “I just want to warn you, you might not… like what you will see inside. Mrs. Kaykali’s condition-”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Saad cut him off. “Let me do the worrying. You’ve all worried enough for a lifetime, and I haven’t been around here for quite a while.”

Slowly he reached for the handle, grasping it as softly as he could, for a moment unsure if he had the stomach to see what was behind the door. He ran his fingers along the handle, breathing deeply, turning his face to the right. “There’s a nurse inside, I think, maybe two,” Walid said. “I saw them entering the room just before you arrived. And Alulim the imam, if you remember him, he’s also inside. And Aida too, of course.”

“Good,” said Saad simply, quietly bowing his head against the door. His hand was still on the handle, unmoving. “She needs all the help she can find. You’ve all taken care of her so well. Thank you for that.”

The gardener managed a smile. Next to him the policeman was silent, his face almost expressionless, landing his gaze on the two men with him and the various amenities in the house. Saad noticed the revolver resting on the policeman’s hip. “If it doesn’t trouble you, and I really mean no offense with this,” Saad turned to him, “don’t let my wife see you. Try hiding behind the door, or just standing somewhere that my wife can’t see but you can still see me. She’s really had her own share of troubles. She doesn’t need to see her husband in the room with a policeman behind him, holding a gun or something. She doesn’t need to see a gun in the room.”

The policeman was silent for a while, but then nodded. “I understand, sir,” he replied, his tone slightly flat and his gaze now squarely at the prisoner he had been tasked to watch. He stepped back and behind Walid.

“You can just come in if you want to, Mr. Kaykali,” informed the gardener. “I just thought you might like to know that.”

Saad smiled at the gardener, and though it was brief it was the broadest smile he had managed the entire day, as if saying “thank you” with his mind to the loyal gardener. His hand slid along the handle but didn’t establish a firm hold on it. His head was still resting on the door, his eyes slammed shut. “I don’t know if I want to see this.” His voice was suddenly reduced to a barely discernible half-whisper. “I… just imagining Maria in her current state. I don’t know, I’m not sure I can do this… especially after everything.”

He raised his head, only to again lower it on the door. His voice became slightly stronger. He was facing Walid and the policeman. “Walid, do you know I sued for divorce from Maria?”

Walid was silent, but then nodded. “Your lawyers have been here a few times, Mr. Kaykali. That’s how we know.”

“Do you think Maria will forgive me for suing for divorce?” The voice had returned to a half-whisper; Saad was hoping none of the nurses running around the place or the people behind the door could hear him. “I just wanted the best for all of us, you know. I didn’t mean to make it even more difficult for her. I just felt like I had to give her the opportunity to get away from me, get away from this all, start anew with her life, and take Aida with her, since I’m in prison and I’ve become too much of a liability.”

Walid and the policeman inched closer to hear him; his whisper had taken on a more solemn tone, but it was just as barely hearable as before.

“But I didn’t know that she was already ill at the time. No one at prison informed me until later. Trust me, if I had known what was going on her, if I had the full information at the time, I wouldn’t have sued for divorce. Trust me, I wouldn’t have done that. Now she’s dying and I feel like I’ve done everything wrong and I’ve hurt her in the process. It’s not even doing things the wrong way that bothers me, it’s that I might have hurt her. And I never wanted to hurt her.”

The two men with him listened intently to each and every one of his words, even as they felt the beginnings of boredom by the end of the speech. “Mr. Kaykali, if I might make a suggestion,” said Walid, as behind him the policeman stood, stoic, “this could be the time to… clear up those things, clear up the misunderstandings. I’m sure you understand this much better than I do, sir. This is just my suggestion.”

“You’re right,” Saad replied, almost tonelessly. For a moment he took his hand off the handle, only to then return it there. This time he held on to the handle firmly. As he was about to open the door, a thought came to him to knock first, in the name of politeness if not for anything else. That way his entry wouldn’t be a complete shock to everyone in the room, including the patient.

So he knocked on the door, but he didn’t wait for anyone inside to open it for him, nor for any response at all. With his gentle touch the door inched open. Walid stood behind him, while the policeman removed himself behind the door, peeking to the other side, revolver on hip, as Saad stood quietly where he had opened the door. Behind him, Walid, too, was quiet. Another nurse was about to enter the room, only to see the ongoing scene, and stood still in her position.

Not a word was spoken, no greeting was exchanged, and no laughter was heard in the place. A few feet right in front of Saad was his wife. If a conversation was carried out at this moment, then it was probably done with their minds. Still, Saad had once again seen his wife, and for him that was a triumph.

by **Taeshan** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 1:21 pm

For their inability to finish the job against the teams close to them in rank, the Purple Knights have managed to impress in their matches against the lower seeds in their group. Another road trip this time to another, once again shockingly unknown, opponent in Timmy's Tigers. A rather interesting matchup for the Knights and with Darmen beating Coldfield they could return themselves to third place in the group with a win. Baker Park and Darmen still play so winning out will give the Knights their only chance of catching, the two teams who they now sit 8 points behind after another steady win over a weaker opponent.

At this point the qualification chances of many are practically over. 8 points is a large hill to climb, even with 12 matches remaining. It would likely require a win in Baker Park, a win at home against a Darmen side who has won in Taeshan within the last two months, and not losing elsewhere even another road test in Coldfield. For their parts the Knights have handled the rest of their business including this 2-0 victory over Coldfield including goals from Miles Snavely and Geoffrey Klingenberg.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 2:00 pm

The Tale of the Fluffy Bunnies and the Super Happy Apox Fun Time

The football match between the fluffy bunnies and Apox turned out to the the most super happy fun time that any of the bunnies had ever had.

Apox had already been the bunnies' favoritist team, something which Muffin's secret attempts to bite the head off a voodoo doll made out of carrots and representing the national coach had done nothing to change.

All of the fluffy bunnies - even Muffin - thought of Apox as a fine bunch of chaps who would play football in the same sort of cuddly spirit as the bunnies.

And gosh, they were right.

Once the football match started, both teams wanted to give each other lots of hugs and cuddles.

Apox were so kind and considerate that they let the fluffy bunnies go 3-0 up in the first 11 minutes.

Hurrah for Apox!

Then there was an ever so unfortunate misunderstanding when Snuggles tried to give Wizzard Mormentor an extra big cuddle, but the mean and nasty referee man misinterpreted this as a 'dirty tackle' and showed Snuggles a red card.

Boo for the mean and nasty referee man!

Next there even more boos for the mean and nasty referee man when Benjy Bunny tried to give Lucan Palmisano love and hugs and cuddles, but the referee claimed it was 'a brutally cynical hack inside the box' and gave Lucky Lucan a penalty - and he scored.

Goodness, that referee just didn't understand super bunny love.

Then both teams got together super excitedly and tried to give each other cuddles using the soft and gentle ends of their fists. Bogart and Imriel Townsend were particularly friendly during this playful fisticuff cuddle fight, and would you believe that the referee sent them both off for ~~punching each other into groggy oblivion~~ their friendly fun-time frolics.

This was obviously the meanest and stinkiest referee in the history of mean and nasty referees!

After the match, with the bunnies winning 5-2, the bunnies decided to show their gratitude to the lovely people from Apox for the supper happy fun time play during the match, and went over to the Apox dressing room - and then both teams gave each other even more playful friendly fun-time fisticuff frolics, with Apox giving as good as they got, and Patches having to be carried away on a stretcher.

Once their sprains and cuts and bruises had all been treated, and Patches had been fed some lovely carrots to ease his recovery, the fluffy bunnies agreed that this has been their funnest match ever, and that they were really looking forward to the return leg in Apox, and hoped that both teams could give each other even more love and cuddles.

The bunnies were so happy that they won their next match against Halfdansodal 4-0 away from home; though without any love and hugs and cuddles or red cards, it somehow lacked a certain excitement in comparison.

Hippity hop, hippity hop, into the burrow.

by **Mercedini** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 2:24 pm

#WV67 MERCEDINI
Daniel Alishkaerni & Alienna - "Heart's Desire"
Tune: Sam Tinnesz ft. Yacht Money - "Play With Fire"
Music: Daniel Alishkaerni • Lyrics: Daniel Alishkaerni, Ali Ennaia

After a rather respectable 10th place finish for the nation in the previous edition in Britonisea, Mercedini are back for another crack at the WorldVision crown, with time quickly approaching the twentieth edition since Mercedini debuted at the 48th edition in Talvezout. With public opinion of the contest fading due to favourable yet disappointing results in recent editions, the host broadcaster, ENM, have gone all out to get the public and music producers onside by sending one of the most popular Mercedinian pop/indie artists to grace the stage of international song contests in recent memory. Many hope that this could be a turning point for the nation in WorldVision, with the nation still seeking their first victory after a plethora of near misses across the years.

You would have to cast your mind way back to the 34th World Hit Festival when a young indie artist took to the stage in Izmedu, in a performance that would captivate an audience in the millions and would kick start a three-edition streak where Mercedini wouldn't drop out of the top two, capping it off with a second win in the 36th edition, also in Izmedu. Since then, many have been wondering whether Alishkaerni will make a return to the stage to help and rescue to a declining Mercedinian record in the WorldVision Song Contest. After many months of discussions between ENM executives and the World Hit Festival champion, he finally agreed to head to Orkemdrem for the 67th edition of WorldVision. This time, he's bought a friend with him.

Alishkaerni will be accompanied by Mercedinian rap-sung artist Alienna in Darkmania, with her online covers of well known WorldVision and World Hit songs capturing the attention of Alishkaerni, resulting in the young Mercedinian being drafted into the song, adding a verse to the final submitted entry which will be performed live in Darkmania. Around a thousand Mercedinians will be expected to make the trip to Darkmania to see the pair in action, with ENM claiming the performance will be the "spectacle of the year", with Mercedinian-WorldVision viewing records expected to be broken on the night given the high profile of the perforers involved.

It could be Mercedini's final chance at claiming the WorldVision title, with public opinion of the contest beginning to wain after many editions of sustained growth. Mercedinians are proud of their music scene given their sustained good performances at the World Hit Festival, but mixed results in this contest has left a sour taste in the mouths of many viewers with allegations of tactical voting in respect to joke acts, bloc voting and many regular participants voting for nations rather than songs, all leading to dissatisfaction in a contest which is becoming heavily saturated with generic songs. Dan & Ali will perform 31st in the final, becoming the latest Mercedinian song performed at the contest

The song begins with a wide shot of a the darkened stage, with the camera slowly sweeping in over the first catwalk, over the heads of the separated audience at the front and over the final inner catwalk before sweeping over the stage floor and to a waiting figure in the centre. A spotlight is lit up to reveal Daniel in a black jumper and black jeans, blending in with the darkness at the moment. Daniel is leaning on the side of a matte black carcass of a Lamborghini with the microphone in his hand as he stares at the camera while it approaches him. Sharp white lights permeate through the ribs at the back of the stage with dim red lights shining down onto the audience from the two halos of light circling above the stage. Daniel walks forward to the front of the stage in time with the drum beats of the song, with strobe light flashing in the back as the rippled bass effect becomes present in the song. The camera angle changes as Daniel says the final line before the first instrumental chorus happens.

This bed, we lie. Let’s do this one more time
I share my prayers, your heaven is my hell.
Conducting electricity
Your golden touch can set me free

I guess that’s just my heart’s desire

The carcass of the black Lamborghini is set ablaze in the centre of the stage, with a raging fire that seems unsafe to the average viewer, but the performers are safely away from the fire as the car roof contains most of the blaze in the background. The fire bathes the stage in an orange hue which is absorbed off the back of the jumper Daniel is wearing to give the illusion the Mercedinian vocalist is glowing orange. The lights around the arena circle the stage and audience in a rather erratic fashion with an abundance of flags being waved in the front portions of the stadium, which is captured by the camera. Daniel stands motionless as the camera makes a series of sweeping shots around the stadium, taking in the expanse of the stadium plus the individual pieces of the performance. The flames die down to make way for the second part of the performance.

Heart’s desire
I guess that’s just my heart’s desire

The lights at the back of the stage glow in bright white as a female figure reveals itself, the figure is silhouetted in the background as Daniel sings into the camera for the second verse. With the vocals added, the figure is obviously Alienna as she walks past the charred remains of the Lamborghini and towards Daniel as he sings his solo for the second verse. Alienna catches up with Daniel and begins to place her arm on her shoulder. The two share a quick glance at each other before looking at the camera to say the song's tagline in unison with each other, which returns a small cheer from the crowd, especially from the Mercedinian and Britonish portions of the crowd, to which they are both familiar with.

No lies (no lies), she said (I said). As feelings spin in my head
I love (I love) these games (these games), want you to feel the same
Can’t wait to see the tables turn
Your golden touch leaves me to yearn

I guess that’s just my heart’s desire

The flames return from the Lamborghini as the two split and go onto each of the steps of the inner catwalk, the lights move around the stadium to add to the chaos as the pairing meet up together after Daniel walks from the camera's left to the centre with Alienna walking from the camera's right to the centre, with flags waving manically in time with the song as the white and red lights combine with the intensity of the song to deliver the best performance the could have, but there is still a good minute to go in the song, with song slowing to a halt as the two split once again before the Alienna solo in the song.

Heart’s desire
Heart’s desire
‘sire, ‘sire
I guess that’s just my heart’s desire

The two split with Daniel walking to his left as the camera follows him, with Ali walking to the camera's right off screen with Daniel singing his part before hand it over to the female Mercedinian performer. Daniel steps up onto the left bridge and sings into the aerial camera as it sweeps towards him, he sings the final line of the song before looking over to Ali as she take over the song with her solo.

Oh, wishing you could stoke my fire
Oh, I guess that’s my heart’s des-

The stage goes dark with a single spotlight is placed on Ali's head, there are pulses of red with flickers of a darker red wine colour as she stands tall on top of the right-hand bridge, the change in light level and the sudden deep bass entrances the crowd as they clap along, with the claps faintly being heard on the arena microphones. The right aerial camera sweeps in similar to how the left hand camera sweeped into Daniel before. There is the added effect of glitches which pulse on the screen for the people are home, with the prevalent effect being red pixilation around the edges. Ali walks off the other end of the bridge to the outer catwalk where a waiting camera picks her up where the aerial left off. She struts along the catwalk, walking forward as the manned camera moves in front of her, creating a two person train.

Mmm, work your magic. Grab me, have me.
Say you won’t forget that, ooo I’m lovestruck.
We’re chemicals, mixing in the universe (uh huh, more)

The manned camera moves away from the catwalk as the aerial camera takes over once more, Ali offers her hand up to the camera before floating it back to her side as she approaches the middle of the outer catwalk. Another manned camera tracks the footsteps of Daniel as the both walk to the centre before meeting in the middle. Ali then says the main tagline of the song once more, this time on her own before the song kicks back into life for the final time.

Casual essence, we're moving forward as a team
Can’t you feel it here in your conscience
Deafened by the silence
I know you like it
I guess that’s just my heart’s desire

The flaming Lamborghini returns to the stage once more, but this time it's accompanied by flame jets from the stage floor back on the main stage. Meanwhile, on the main stage the performers bounce off each other and sing their remaining lines at each other before turning to face the audience, urging them to join in with the performance, which many do. The lights and the flames all add to the intensity of the song with a couple of backing singers off-stage accompanying with the parts that aren't being visually sun by the performance (the parts in brackets). For the final line, the final two join as one with Ali standing in front of the male performer, as Daniel places her arm around Ali as a final stance before the end of the performance. The light's cut out as a faint lighter sound is briefly heard. The lights around centre stand all converge onto the pairing with the car fire the only thing lighting up the rest of the stage.

Heart’s desire (I guess that’s just my heart’s desire)
Heart’s desire (I guess that’s just my heart’s desire)
‘sire, ‘sire (I guess that’s just my heart’s desire)
(Guess that’s just my heart’s desire) I guess that’s just my heart’s des-

The central aerial camera slowly moves forward, capturing the car fire as it disappears behind the pairing, giving the illusion the flickers of flame are coming from the pairing, before the fire goes out and the main design of the contest returns to the screen. A deafening cheer sounds out around the arena as the two wave to all corners of the stadium, with thousands of Mercedinians in the crowd and undoubtedly millions if not tens of millions at home in what could potentially be the biggest Mercedinian performance in WorldVision history. Their performance is over, but it would be up to all of the other nations to decide whether those three minutes or so have made their mark. "Tusen takk! Grazij, thank you Darkmania" Ali says with a faint Mercedinian accent. "We love you!" Daniel says as the two hold hands and walk off stage, undoubtedly with their fingers crossed. A brief transition is made before the next postcard begins.

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 3:49 pm

Kahe Island: The Resort

Shell left the boat on the ferry dock, as he exited the dinghy. The large wave-shaped building seemed to be standing. During the boat ride, he was warned of the martydom weapons that the FKF were using, including being reminded after several soldiers from the nation gotten blown up by a rigged RPG launcher while near Sol Sun Plaza. Passing by several pools with empty wet bars and a fountain, Shell decided to enter by climbing over the wooden railing of the sun deck and entering into the lobby by the lounge. The hotel seemed like the typical 4 to 5 star luxury experience, made for tourists from Main Nation Ministry. Entering into the main lobby, Shell noticed that one of the glass elevator had stopped on the 3rd floor balcony. Shell entered the other glass elevator to the 3rd floor with him drawing his gun again, knowing there was a human presence.

The hotel seemed empty, at first, until there was the chatter and several conversations belonging to several men and secretaries coming from the spa area. Shell naturally kicked down the door to the spa, where he discovered several TrenchSea executives using the spa as their improvised boardroom. "All of you don't move a muscle." Shell demanded, as the executives raised their ones, including the secretaries. "Who are you? Why would a kid with a freaking gun be here!?" one executive nervously said. "I think he's from the Ministry. Maybe he can help us." another executive, more calm and relaxed said to everyone. "Explain on why you all should be helpful. Technically, I'm looking for a smuggler who has been using your technology to help them take over the island almost." Shell said.

"Uhh.. Aw crap. He knows?" an executive asks.
"Someone within us snitched! That's for sure!"
"Are we going to die now or when we get captured?"

"Jeez, everyone calm down!" the calm executive turned briefly demanding to get everyone on track. "Look, TrenchSea is, of course, not just a NGO getting oil or biofuel or whatever you think! Most of our profits are from oil-based exchanges towards several other independent islands near Main Nation Ministry, but we are responsible for developing military technology. But, all of this isn't our fault! It's that scientist guy from your nation, who did this!" "What are you talking about?" Shell said, not having a clue on what they were talking about. "The scientist guy..Who's name is..what was it..Gilbert! Gilbert Samo! He's the one who bombed the oil rig!"

"Wait. Take it from the beginning."
"Ok. So this scientist guy-"
"You don't have to use guy to describe him, just tell me what happened."
"So our oil rig that caused this oil spill and got the locals pissed, we did our own investigation. The oil rig was able to withstand any tidal occurrences, however we had reason to believe that the oil spill was caused by sabotage. There was an actual explosion, so we knew that whoever did it used an explosive charge. Now, we dug some digging into some of the locals after that happened, where one of our men found a random man in a lab coat who seemed to be unconcerned about the whole thing that's going on. So, when we got to the hotel, one of our boats containing Ben Mitsuyoshi was hit by a depth charge, we believe. And...we found Ben's pager. Take a listen." the executive said, motioning towards a secretary in high heels to hand him a pager, where it was playing a recorded message.

"Oh god. Oh god. This wasn't supposed to happen. There are more than just militia here! We are talking about actual mercenaries here! Look I need to get out of here! I'm in the jungle. Maybe if I find the main road, I can-"
"Mr. Mitsuyoshi. Please, may you come with us?"
"Oh thank the gods of the many moons! I didn't expect rescue to come early."
"Actually.. (several heavy footsteps can be heard) I have other plans."
"Wait, what are you doing?! Get your hands off me!" (the pager can be heard being dropped before the tape ends)

"You see? That was Samo's voice! He was the one who kidnapped him!" the executive explained, where Shell didn't believe a word of him, before he started to radio mission control for intel. "Mission control, I have reason to believe there is a certain POI on this island. Look up information on a Mr. Gilbert Samo. Occuption: Ministry of Science."
"Stay on hold...Ah. We are currently looking up information. What we do have to tell you is that Samo was fired from the Ministry of Science due to an experiment killing off a rare and endangered species of plants that only bloom in Kahe Island. He still resides on the island, but his whereabouts are unknown."
"Tell any other operatives that Gilbert Samo is the prime suspect in the disappearance of VIP Ben Mitsuyoshi. If you have any sightings of him, radio me back intel. I found a bunch of TrenchSea civilians on the third floor of the resort. Check the spa area."
"Copy. Wait hold up. We are now getting more intel about the areas near the resort. Shell, you need to get away from the resort immediately, otherwise you will be caught between two forces. Both FKF and several squads from the nation are reaching the resort at the same time. A major bullet storm will happen, meaning we can't have you getting caught in it."

"All of you stay here! Troops will be here to extract you on this floor!" Shell said, as he started to run back to the lobby, where a TrenchSea executive grinned behind me, surprised that he was able to not tell the whole truth on the matter. Shell didn't have time to delay. He needed to get off the resort and find Mitsuyoshi. Otherwise, he won't last long as a hostage. Shell used the glass elevator again, before running through the front doors, towards the boat at the ferry dock. Several other boats can be seen in the distance, possibly from FKF arriving to clear house. Shell managed to drive the boat away from the scene, before the enemy boats arrived.

Ben Mitsuyoshi woke up, handcuffed to a folding chair with a black bag over his head, along with duct tape over his mouth. A man wearing a black and yellow combat armor vest took off the bag and forced Ben to look at scientist Gilbert Samo, who walked in with a beaker of some sort of glowing green chemical and a syringe. "Relax. Just several last minute tests before I have this cork of a volcano popped." Samo said, transferring some of the chemical into the syringe, planning to inject it into Mitsuyoshi.

by **Beepee** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 4:05 pm

Beepee 1–0 Gudalajara

Scorer: Bolt (33')

In wild and stormy conditions at Norfolk Pinewoods Stadium, Beepee overcame the weather and a resolute Guadalajara defence to win by a goal to nil.

The storm recorded over 1000 lightning strikes per hour in the metropolitan Norfolk Pinewoods area in the lead up to the match, and the match was delayed by an hour to remove some standing water on the pitch.

A further 62mm of rain fell during the match.

Groundskeeper Woody said "aye, it wis an awfy thing. The rain wis plashin' it doon, an ah cannae believe we were aw drookit".

The quality of football was dictated by the conditions, with the Guadalajara side clearly not enjoying the occasion.

In the 33rd minute, Dirk Bolt shot from the left which skidded through the water, floating past the Guadalajaran keeper.

From that moment, Beepee sat back and the rest of the match became a turgid affair.

Claude Boles was presented with the Beepee player of the match award for Match day 6.

Beepee now head to Central Shaneville with the hopes for a further victory.

by **Tinhampton** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 4:14 pm

TFA MATCH STATPACK: Tinhampton 0-1 Brenecia
Venue: Tin Park, Tinhampton, Tinhampton

STARTING LINEUPS and their USED SUBSTITUTES:

Tinhampton (4-2-3-1): 1. Josh SMITH (GK), 2. William POTTER, 3. Harry PORTER, 4. Jamie VALLEY, 5. Peter WRIGHT, 6. Michael YOUNG, 19. Aihlo VATUNSKA, 7. Ian JONES (C), 20. Reece FORD, 9. Fred BALL, 11. Ian GRAHAM
Brenecia (4-1-4-1): [I will leave this for Brenecia to complete when she posts the lineup in her RP]
Unable to play: none

GOALS: [I will also leave this at Brenecia's discretion] 57'07'' (BRE)
CARDS: Yellow: Aihlo VATUNSKA 45'+1' (TIN), Reece FORD 57' (TIN). Red: Jamie VALLEY 56' (TIN)
INJURIES: None.
OTHER INCIDENTS: None.

Forays of Folly
Season 1, Episode 8: 08/09/2018

TODAY'S TOP THREE STORIES ON THE HERALD:

OUTRAGE OVER OUTRAGEOUS OUTRAGE: PRICE CONDEMNED BY VOTERS

Mayor's "don't speak" demand to Saffron Howard sparks furore in Assembly chambers, public square

An unnamed source within the Tinhamptonian government have revealed to The Herald that sparks flew between Mayor John Price and Military Minister Saffron Howard in a "reduced cabinet meeting" yesterday concerning recent Mayoral actions. We can exclusively reveal this source's threats of arrest, and subsequently ordering her "don't speak to me or risk pissing me off," after her seemingly threatening him in return with "a few orders from the local mason".

The meeting had no other significant interruptions, perhaps owing to the little time that was actually spent on the meeting, although the source did claim that several other allegations concerning the Mayor will continue to be revealed over the following few weeks until he resigns as Mayor. Mr Price "fervently" denies the allegations levied against him. Tina Carpenter, the Commissioner of the Tinhampton Constabulary, has confirmed that there is not currently enough evidence to bring charges against either party.

This is not the first run-in that Price has had with Howard, with her presuming consent for direct engagement in the recent war proving to be the tipping-point for this conflict, and having had been allegedly challenged for leadership by her and several others in a prior meeting. As lately as December last year, Price staved off a leadership challenge by 2000s-era Foreign Minister Chris Vassell by a two-to-one majority. Vassell has since counted himself among the fans of the Military Minister's own supposed challenge, and has threatened to lead a cabinet walkout the day before the budget if "otherwise irredeemable issues" are not dealt with by then.

"PUNCH THIS!" MILITARY MINISTER HOWARD ALREADY PLANNING HER REVENGE

Saffron Howard appears likely to send 5kg of Stalinium to Mayoral Office

Fast Facts about Stalinium
source: Gopnikean stalinium storefront
Turns into a liquid at 125*C
Lightweight but strong: one tonne as large as a skyscraper
Can only be penetrated by a select few tanks
Useful for armour... and passive-aggressive political statements

Military Minister Saffron Howard has confirmed allegations that she has ordered five kilograms of the metal stalinium towards the Mayoral headquarters, she has confirmed in a EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with The Herald.

The order, which cost 20 Gopnik blins (or 0.38 Tinhampton dollars), is widely understood to have come with an explanatory note on the benefits and usage of the metal, which has been summarised to the right. In the interview, Howard clarified that the order was a response to John Price's already-infamous response towards her comments, themselves "not intended to be entirely serious, regardless of what certain people might claim."

In the interview, she also claimed that the Tinhamptonian Army would continue fighting the conflict that has - by some accounts - not been officially authorised, whilst neither explicitly confirming nor denying that it would use military force to remove the three captive Tinhamptonians from King Bon Halal's palace in the capital of Transarid, who have been held for the past 25 days. Neither would the 43-year-old comment on the verisimilitude of "unfortunately classified" claims that Stalinium would actually be used for future military applications, rather than to make domestic political points.

Mr Price was unavailable for comment on the issue. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Military has gone on record as stating "I think you'd like talking to Saffy for an hour or two. She has a remarkably dry sense of humour... which, to be honest, is better than I could ever do." It is not believed that this statement and the blows that preceded it, however, will culminate in the Tinhamptonian football team being prohibited from heading to the Cup of Harmony or even the World Cup.

TINHAMPTON 0-1 BRENECIA - ANALYSIS: A DEFEAT ONE YEAR IN THE MAKING

With Tinhampton slumping to the end of their eight-game winning streak in fiery fashion, James Pearson finds out where it all went wrong for the Miners
Tinhampton 0 --- Brenecia 1 (Riordan 58' pen.)

The first rule of playing 4-2-3-1 in Tinhampton is that you don't play 4-2-3-1. The second rule of playing 4-2-3-1 in Tinhampton, as Clive Turnbull found out to his peril and perhaps disgust yesterday, is that you don't play 4-2-3-1. Our general wisdom here in Tinhampton has always been that four at the back, four in midfield - however it works, as Clive Turnbull found out to his delight over these past few games - and two up front is the single best and only truly-accepted ways to go

National records when comparing and contrasting our staple formations can almost act as an atlas to our football history: 4-4-2 the staple for the experimentation of World Cup 77, subsequent heartbreak, everything inbetween and a bit beyond before Ian Jones left upon the IndyCup shootout loss to Aggrey-Fynn Land. After hitherton (and since) unknown interim #1 Rachel Coltfield resigned after the televised shame that was a 3-2 beating at the hands of U-62, epitomised forever by the Herald in the front cover to your right - the same eleven Tinhamptonians who had defeated Audioslavia a year earlier - interim number two Paul Winner binned her diamond in favour of 5-3-2, living up to his name by securing two victories and a draw over Turori before being "relieved of his duties."

Our third interim, Henry Bannister, led us through our IndyCup group with good old 4-4-2 before resigning after a loss to the Free Republics, ironically co-hosts of the World Cup that the entire city expects us to qualify for. Interim number four David Wright fielded 4-2-3-1 during their tragic capitulations against the lowly likes of the Cereal Isle and Dalmat before his much more explicit axing, upon which interim number five and current gaffer Clive Turnbull has converted his 4-1-3-2 system into a win against Flardania, a draw against the Bulls again, and - until recently - eight consecutive victories, highly impressive for a team that had only ever gone eight games unbeaten before.

Turnbull's strategies have not, however, been without their caveats - in this eight-game streak, having played a lineup identical to that we saw today against South Libertopia and Czarna Gora, two games against minnows even smaller than Tinhampton that we should have won by a margin much larger than 3-0 on aggregate. This was an audacious, if not barely-calculated, gamble made in the anticipation of halting the Patriots of Brenecia, one which ultimately failed to pay off and could see him replaced by Winner, Coltfield, or even somebody completely different.

Whether cultural or situational, it was clearly a lack of geospatial co-ordination between Young, Vatunska and - more obviously - Porter that saw the only and only Brenecian strike of the game, and were to blame for many more near-misses. Even had those gone in, not only would Tinhampton have been defeated but annihilated, owing to our inability to thrust anything more than a suspiciously speculative 30-yard effort from Jones on target. Given the consistency of the Tinhamptonian team, we would be entirely unsurprised if Turnbull's stand-in system proves to be anything other than ineffective in the future.

This problem is not simply an issue of nationality - even before Vatunska had earned his call-up for Tinhampton, Samantha Jackson's placement in what is now his role during the chaos of the World Cup 80 qualifiers turned out to be particularly fatal in the cases of Nephara and Dalmat - nor is it one of systems, for David Wright's past (pub league, admittedly, owing to Tinhampton's status) form over two decades could do very little to ensure success against any but the smallest minnows. This problem is one that needs to be weeded out immediately in the form of a completely professional team with an aspirational work ethic, which the Tinhamptonian FA has regrettable ruled out time after time after time.

Perhaps we would be world-beaters had anybody other than the by-now solid and reliable presence of Michael Young scored their penalty against the Wavy Ones; perhaps we would be a punching bag had he not stood alone. Regardless, I'm saying it loud and I'm saying it clear - getting Lydia Morrison booked for diving is the only worthwhile thing that 4-2-3-1 has ever brought us.

by **The Macabees** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 4:50 pm

LOLITA, CH. 8

She returned to her apartment after midnight, although below ground it was hard to tell day and night apart. The building's front door closed and locked behind her. A minute later, the light in her apartment building turned on. She stepped up to the windows facing the street and closed the blinds, leaving nothing but her silhouette to see. Lolita began to undress.

"Let's go," said Henrrek.

Bernie had been dreading this moment since he was told what the purpose of this stakeout was. He was part of a generation that had narrowly missed military service, coming to age at the end of conscription after the end of the War of Golden Succession. Conscription had been reimplemented in recent years, the war in Gholgoth requiring its price in blood, but it was the territorials who suffered this burden the most. Suffice to say, Bernie was not a killer and he had never been one. Morality aside, this was beyond the scope of his skill set. Morality considered, the whole idea made his skin crawl.

"Don't you think there's another way?" he asked before Henrrek was able to step out of the vehicle. "This seems a little crazy, and all because I decided to hook up with a random girl at the nightclub. Where is the sense in all of this? Maybe she'll drop the charges if we just threaten her."

The big man returned a flat stare. "There is no other option. Now, follow me."

Bernie didn't want to move, but he also didn't want to get beaten to a pulp by a man who looked as if he could hammer him into the asphalt street like a tent peg with his bare fists. That's he figured Henrrek would do. So he rose and stepped out of the car as well, falling in step behind Henrrek as they climbed the short staircase to the front door. The big man, who Bernie now recognized as a hitman, tested the door handle but it stood rigid, locked electronically. Henrrek leaned back and lifted his leg, snapping the door off of its hinges with a thunderous kick. Inside, the lobby was empty.

"She's on the fifth floor," said the hitman. "You take the lift, I'll take the stairs."

Bernie scratched his head, his other hand only loosely holding the handgun Henrrek had given to him in the car earlier that day. "We could just turn back," he started to say, but the hitman was already climbing the staircase which wrapped around the lobby, rising to the several floors above. He pressed the clear call button and waited.

Finally, after about twenty seconds, something dinged, the light atop the elevator door turned on, and the single door unlocked to open forward. It was a small space and, right there in the middle, stood the beautiful, but obviously insane Lolita. It was a miracle that Bernie did not drop his gun, although this just barely and he hardly remembered he held the thing.

"Well, well, well," she said. "Didn't think you'd have to balls to try to kill me. Big mistake, by the way."

"No, no, no. "Y-y-you need to go," he stammered.

"Oh, do I?" she replied. "I can take you, gun or not." From her hand opened a knife, a switchblade the size of a large man's palm.

Bernie shook his head frantically, overpowered by fear. But his mouth froze. With great effort, he used his free hand to point upwards, up toward the ceiling. Slowly, he said, "He-He- Henrrik. Hi-Hi-Hitman. You n-n-need to go, please. Go now, b-b-before he hears us."

The slow, heavy steps up the stairs, above, suddenly stopped. Everything went silent. Then, "Bernie, who are you talking to?"

Lolita's eyes rolled upwards. She held the switchblade straight out at Bernie, inching around him, as silently as possible. She mouthed, 'say something.'

"Nobody," replied Bernie.

The deep, loud voice boomed again. "Why aren't you in the elevator yet?"

"I'm scared," Bernie said. Couldn't he think of a better answer than that? Despite it all, he was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that he was coming off as a complete coward in front of Lolita. She was even looking at him plainly, clearly unimpressed by his wit. But at this stage, he had bigger problems anyway.

It was silent again for a few seconds as if someone was trying to hear something, something they expected. But, then, Henrrik said, "Son, if you don't get in that damn elevator right now I'm going to go down there and throw you in myself, extorting my toll in the currency of pain for the ride up. I may have promised Lakén I wouldn't kill you, but he never said I couldn't beat some sense into you."

"Yea, yea, I'm going," answered Bernie. To Lolita, trying to put on a brave face — as pointless as it was by now —, he whispered, "Get out of here. Now."

Her eyes narrowed, looking at him suspiciously. She continued to tip-toe around him, although the knife was coming down, and finally, she rounded him, turned, and ran out the front. Bernie let out a long breath, then quickly jumped into the elevator before Henrrik fulfilled his threat. He couldn't image what it felt like to get beat by a man with arms as big as Bernie's legs, but it couldn't feel good. The elevator ride didn't last long enough, the door opening again when the lift jolted firmly into place. The big man, the hitman, was waiting there for him, his face looking lacking of patience.

But the look lasted only a moment, for the hitman wasted no time in stepping up to Lolita's front door and kicking it in. He liked the move, it seemed. At this point, Bernie wasn't about to criticize the man. This time Henrrik did not wait for Bernie to follow him, the big man pulled him by his shirt in with him.

The big man did most of the work anyway, quickly moving room to room, looking for his target. Lolita, of course, was nowhere to be found. When the hitman was finished looking, he stormed the living room where Bernie was waiting. "Think about your answer carefully, boy. Did you see Lolita Arakna downstairs?"

Bernie shook his head.

"Are you sure?" asked Henrrik. "Be honest with me. It doesn't matter, I understand you're scared. You can tell me the truth."

He did look calm enough, Bernie supposed. Still. He said nothing in response.

The hitman moved too fast for Bernie to stop him. Henrrik pushed him up against the wall and held him by the throat against the wall. Bernie could hardly breathe and it felt like his larynx was about to collapse. "I'm only going to say this once," said the big man. His eyes were aflame with rage. "If you ever, ever impede me from doing my job again I will kill you. I will tell your friend Lakén Yori that you were killed by her, or maybe a jealous boyfriend, or some pimp. I can say anything because you're nothing. Remember that next time you have the bright idea of letting the woman who's blackmailing your buddy for two million r-k go. You won't get another warning, I'll just do what I have to do."

Bernie looked at him, not able to say anything or move his head.

"Well?" asked the big man. "Are you going to answer me?"

Slowly, Bernie nodded despite the crushing pain of Henrrik's tightening grip on his neck.

"Good," said Henrrik. "Let's go, we'll have to try it again."

by **South Covello** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 5:47 pm

Goat Clippers To Become Official Grounds Crew of Riverview Stadium

Ruth Bleater Goatsburg, one of the goats from Goat Clippers, does her job while Bleaty Boo Boo looks on adoringly behind her.

The South Covello Soccer Federation (SCSF) in conjunction with the Riverview Stadium Group, announced a partnership today with leading goatscaping company Goat Clippers, announced a partnership today which will see Goat Clippers become the official grounds crew at Riverview Stadium, home of the South Covello national team. As part of the deal, a team of goats provided by Goat Clippers will trim the field every day by doing what they do best - eating lots of grass. Watering will be done through sprinklers, which the goats will turn on by headbutting a button. They have been trained to headbutt the button on and off at designated times to make sure the field gets just the right amount of water. They have also been trained to eat just the right amount of grass. They will do their job every day between 10 AM and 2 PM, and families, adults, and children of all ages will be invited to come out and watch. TIckets to the goat show will be just five liberos, or free with a match ticket on matchday. Get there early to get a pass to go on the field and pet the goats. Everyone loves goats, especially in South Covello where goat adoration was one of the few liberties the Gregist government offered. And the people have retained their adoation for goats even into the freedom days of the present.

Goat Clippers President and CEO Frank Uliburi said "I hope that this will be a strong and lasting partnership with the SCSF. Currently, we are seeking to be the official grounds crew and landscaping company of the World Cup as well. It would be a dream come true to send our beloved goats to Banija and the Free Republics, where they could work their magic on and around the stadiums there. For now, they'll work here on the banks of the Goldenrod, eating the grass on the field, and trimming the plants, shrubbery, and decorations around the stadium. Our goats are the best in the Multiverse, just as South Covellan fans are truly the best in the Multiverse and the World Cup is tbe best sporting tournament in the Multiverse. Truly it is a perfect partnership."

All fans are invited to visit the goats for a special free session tomorrow at 10 AM as they make their Riverview Stadium debut. And in a special treat, all fans will be able to pet the goats tomorrow, no matter how long it takes. It should truly be a remarkable event as the goat-tastic voyage into the future begins.

by **Cassadaigua** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:03 pm

(Prior to the match)

Zack Pierce seeks out the other striker, Caitlyn Mayer, who has assisted on both of his goals to this point, to discuss things.

“Hey Caitlyn, good to see you. How is everything?” Pierce asked.

“Pretty good, tired of going over game tape of an opponent we should be able to beat with our eyes closed. You ready for the match?” Mayer replied.

“Yeah, I am ready for the match. Should be a great chance for us to have a big game. Brenecia and Tinhampton go head to head today, as strange as it sounds, we want the Patriots to win, huh.” Pierce asked.

“Yeah. I mean no one’s beating Brenecia in this group. I mean, no one has even beaten their keeper once yet. Look at how he robbed Hannah Ranucci in the opener. He is incredible. So, we’ll see how good Tinhampton really is over the next few games. Schedule favored them to get off to a good start.” Mayer replied.

“Caitlyn, I have to get into the real reason why I am wanting to talk to you.” Pierce replied.

“I’m taken,” Mayer joked, trying to keep it lighthearted.

Pierce laughed, “Bummer. No, that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to ask you if you think I belong on the team, and if I should be starting?”

Mayer looked at him, confused, “Why wouldn’t I think you belonged on the team? You’ve been on it for two Cups now.”

“Yeah, I know, but I was only a reserve last time. Do you think I should be starting? Because I feel like some people on this team don’t.” Pierce asked.

“I think you earned it, you were our MVP in that Cup you won. The Baker Cup, right?” Mayer asked.

“The Baker Park Open Cup. Yes. It was a great experience, thanks for thinking that way. I am not sure Hannah feels that way. She never gives me good scoring chances. You will, she won’t. She says it’s her strategy to use me as a decoy, but obviously teams will start to learn that about us, don’t you think?” Pierce asked.

“Maybe, but Hannah is smart, Zack. It could all be part of her plan. Let the opponents think you are always a decoy, and then when we play someone like Tinhampton, who studied that trend, she starts setting you up to catch them off guard.” Mayer replied.

“That sounds good. Good enough to be true, but I don’t think it is.” Pierce answered.

“Just worry about your game, and doing what you need to do to help us win, Zack. We don’t need any drama on this team. We’re a team, I don’t really care who is what gender or why someone is starting over someone else. Play your game, we got work to do in this group.” Mayer insisted.

Pierce nodded, thanked Caitlyn, and they went their separate ways.

A little later, Caitlyn and Hannah Ranucci discuss things,

“Hannah, I was talking to Zack Pierce, and he was saying some pretty weird things.” Mayer began, wasting no time.

“What did he say?” Ranucci asked.

“Telling me that you don’t think certain people here should be starting, and also wondering why you always use him as a decoy. I told him it was probably just your plan, so that in a future game, you can have the opponent thinking that, and then using him good.” Mayer replied.

“Good idea, Caitlyn!” Ranucci replied, “Maybe I don’t feel certain people should be starting. I am sure you had a starting eleven in mind before the Cup started, and I bet that its not the starting eleven that Sweeney named, so it’s the same thing.”

“I suppose.” Mayer said with a grin.

“Was Zach and Carlos Martinez in that starting eleven you drew up in your head?” Ranucci asked.

“I didn’t really know who Martinez even was, so no. I thought it would be Hannah Shanley. Zack isn’t a big surprise, though.” Mayer replied.

“See, you think it should have been Shanley, too,” Ranucci replied, “Honestly, I don’t really mind Zack in the starting lineup. He’s got skill.”

Mayer nods, as Ranucci continues, “How about this is the game we give him great chances? Both of us. That’ll get him to stop thinking this nonsense.”

Mayer nodded again, “Sure!”

(Following the match)

Dagans Score Five, Win Streak at Five,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Cassadaigua’s seventh match of qualifying sent them on the road to Colonial Australia, a nation that is really struggling right now. It needed to be three points, without question, and in the end, that’s what it would be. As the team expected to get the win, coach Sweeney used the opportunity to fiddle around with the starting lineup for the match, an announcement that was not made until gameday. Kristen Speller still started in goal, but Sweeney declared that the team would experiment with a 3-4-3 in the match. It was the second straight game that the team used a formation that they are not known for. Therefore, this lead to the three defenders being Jessica Curran, Chelsea Blake, and Carlos Martinez. Lupe Enriquez was declared a substitute. In the middle, Zack Pierce and Sierra Mattison would start as usual, but be joined by Taylor Southwick and Emma McKee. Up front, it was Hannah Ranucci, Caitlyn Mayer, and 17-year old Rachel Schanke getting the start.

Schanke, wearing #71, was the shocker. The granddaughter of the legendary Jessica Schanke, who’s #17 is retired and displayed on monumental wall at Concord Heights Stadium, was only expected to be on the team to get experience and not actually play, but here she was, starting, and doing so up front with the likes of Ranucci and Mayer. Rachel made the most of her opportunity, and just eight minutes into the match, she got a golden shot opportunity, which was stopped by the keeper. This set up a corner kick, and off of it, Taylor Southwick scored her first ever goal at this level, to make it 1-0 in favor of the Fillies. Nine minutes later, fittingly in minute 17, Schanke, off a brilliant feed from Hannah Ranucci, would find the back of the net, getting her first ever goal and becoming one of the youngest in our history to score in qualifying, to make it 2-0. In the 39th minute, Caitlyn Mayer and Zack Pierce worked a nice give and go, leading to Pierce’s third of qualifying, making it 3-0 at halftime.

Colonial Australia got one back in the 51st, but did not get any momentum off of the strike, and soon the opportunities favored Cassadaigua again. In the 64th, Hannah Ranucci kept her goal streak going, getting her 8th; and six minutes later, it was Sierra Mattison registering her fourth to make it 5-1. That would not be the final though, as in the 83rd minute, Colonial Australia got one back. The game ends 5-2, and the story of the match will surely be Schanke.

The next match for Cassadaigua is Cobrio, known also as the defending Baptism of Fire champions. Despite that win, their media has gone very silent. It should be another three points, therefore. Hopefully, this hot streak will continue.

by **Kita-Hinode** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 8:15 pm

Translated from Hinodejin Japanese to Common English.
[A logo with the words Igaco Mission shows up on the screen for a second or two with a brief spark-like sound.]

The camera pans around a museum wall. Several jerseys of famous footballers lay, hung like paintings, pieces of art to be admired. At the very end of the wall, however, is a man on a karate gi, trying to hang a white and black jersey with the number 99 and the name Igako at the back. It's Igaco's mascot for their new console, the Igaco Mission, a gentleman known as Igako Misshu. He then looks at the camera with a rather embarrassed look.

[Igako Misshu] - International Football!

Footage of the new Igaco football game based after the engine used for the last World Cup's official video game show up, featuring the very same players that had their jerseys hung on that wall earlier on but all fairly different, looking pretty new. A voiceover denotes how the intention of the game is to not only relive the present but also the past and reimagine the future. The footage ends, returning to the man chuckling as he sneaks out of the museum, proudly pronouncing the console's name.

[Igako Misshu] - Igaco Mission!

by **Omerica** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 9:43 pm

Édition anglaise — English edition

A La Romainbourgeoise Exclusive: Democracy for Dictators
Article the First: Outlining Your Constitution

In this exclusive series, Omerican Federal University political science professor Georges-Édouard Robert will explore the pitfalls of building a democratic state, from the structural aspects to the social means of exercising—and abusing—power. You can read the prologue to this series here.

Let’s start with the obvious: you need a constitution.

Many democrats think of a constitution as a foundation on which the house of democracy rests, but we all know that it is a mere scrap of paper unless people are actually dedicated to upholding it. This is all the more reason to build your constitution correctly, though, as a constitution that permits your average citizen to demand meaningful accountability for your government would spell political disaster. With the right structure, you can easily avoid that problem and even convince people that a structure which concentrates power into your hands is a good thing.

Your first instinct may well be to draft a constitution that establishes what we call a “parliamentary system”. You will reason that with the right kind of electoral system that is rigged in your favour, you can effectively elevate yourself into a one-man legislature and do whatever the hell you want. A solid, perpetual majority combined with a system of unforgiving partisan discipline would ensure that your power is never seriously under threat. Add in a dash of scientific opinion polling plus the power to call fresh elections at will and you can feasibly be Prime Minister For Life.

This is a mistake on a number of levels.

First, legislators are not robots. Even your closest confidants and most loyal partisans cannot be completely trusted. If you lose their support, you can easily find yourself losing the support of the parliament you’ve created and—ultimately—out of a job. Parliamentary politics also demand that you balance many competing interests that will constrain your benevolence: your party, the parliament and—most importantly—the voters can all kick you to the kerb if they perceive that you are not serving their interests.

This is related to one of the key rules of maintaining power: minimise the number of people and institutions necessary to maintain your power. Parliamentary politics create a web of actors who must all independently and simultaneously assent to your rule. Take one rung out of this triangle of power and the entire structure collapses. This is definitely not what we want.

Second, accountability to the voters is clear. If you cock up, there is nowhere to deflect responsibility to. Voters will know exactly how to get rid of you: elect that pesky opposition to a majority in the parliament. This is also bad. You need to make your removal as difficult and painstaking as possible and have lackeys that you can deflect blame to if shit metaphorically hits the fan. True accountability is not what we want.

Finally, you have to contend with an executive power that is fractured and divided. Your goal should be to centralise power in your own office, but parliamentary politics do the exact opposite by spreading it out. Your power to make unilateral decisions is severely curtailed by the necessity of answering to parliament. Remember that the linchpin of a parliamentary system is the political responsibility of the executive to parliament, which necessarily implies the ability for parliament to overturn your decisions. The possibility of being reversed by parliament becomes ever more likely if you opt for an inclusive proportional voting system (more on this later, though), which undercuts your authority even further. This is certainly not what we want.

Your best bet is to establish what we call a “presidential system”. This system has the key advantage of connecting your mandate directly to the voters, rather than using parliament as an intermediary. The more directly you are connected to the people, the more convincing you can make your mandate seem to those pesky international bodies and the harder it will be for the legislature and the courts to stifle your ambitions. Its purported “separation of powers” may seem like a pesky impediment to your ambitions, but these can easily be effaced under even the worst of circumstances for you. Laws you don’t like from the parliament can be vetoed; convictions you disagree with can be fixed by pardons.

Additionally, separation of powers allows you to deflect blame when things start to look bad for you. A terrible law is parliament’s fault, after all; you can always claim that you weren’t the one drafting it. Ministers are hired and fired at your whim, with parliament having limited say over who does and does not get a place in the cabinet. The judiciary is a little trickier to manage due to its greater independence, but you as head of state will have some say over who gets to sit on the bench, so you can stack the benches with loyalists who won’t seriously threaten your agenda.

And because powers are separated, voters can elect your opposition to a majority in parliament, but that doesn’t do anything to your mandate: you still remain in power for the full length of your term. Sure, most presidential systems have a pesky thing called “impeachment”, but this generally requires a supermajority to be approved, rather than the simple majority a motion of no confidence needs. Therefore, as long as you keep a minimum number of legislators on your side, your power is not seriously threatened. Again: minimise the number of actors necessary to maintain your power.

At this point, with your separate powers implemented, the only thing you really need to do is keep the military on your side to avoid the one actual active threat to your power: a coup d’état. But since you’re already in power, we can assume that that shouldn’t be much of a problem and we can therefore move on to the specifics of what not to put in your constitution.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Scott: "All Business, No Worries"

Frank Armitage
Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Reporting from Brham, Darmen:

Manager Pam Scott said she has no worries ahead of the showdown with Group 17 co-leaders Darmen here at the Brham Stadium.

"It's a match. It's the second to last match of this phase of qualifying. We're both unbeaten and neither of us is going to lose a position regardless of the outcome."

The hosts are a clear favorite; after dropping the first two matches in qualifying Group 6 for World Cup 80 (the second loss coming against Baker Park at Sportsmen's Park), they proceeded to win the automatic berth while not losing another match, and with their perfect start to this campaign they have now gone 23 WCQ matches in a row without defeat.

"So what you've got is a great matchup. One side has gone 23 qualifying games in a row without a defeat, the other has won 7 straight and gone unbeaten in 10 this calendar year," explained Scott. "I'm not going to come here and decide that a point apiece is what we are doing this for. We're all business and we'll play to win, and surely hope that Darmen will have the same outlook."

The previous match against Kwesiland at the Salisbury Stadium was another solidly dominant performance. The teams who are at the pinnacle of the sport in the multiverse have shown time & again that they are able to get results they need in situations where there are plenty of opportunities to slip up. The current national team setup utilizing evenly balanced squads has shown to not be an impediment to consistent performance.

Details of the final group match of the first half at Old College Park have been kept close to the vest, as some have speculated that there may be a "best-of" combination of the two squads.

by **Qusmo** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:11 pm

SPON QUSMA MAGAZINE-DIGEST

Avarn-Oxolt Ban plays scared in the biggest matches. … It just goes to show what Avarn-Oxolt truly thinks of their team, behind the facade.

On one touchline stood Qusmo’s elder statesman, the tried & tested manager, Avarn-Oxolt Ban. They had been through countless trials. They presided over Qusmo’s first-ever international match, which they managed to win, & have been at the helm for every match Qusmo has played so far. Qusmo has yet to reach into the elite echelons of the sport, but they seem much improved from where they were on that first match against Wolves Clans.

On the opposite side stood another manager making their debut for their new side. They did not have especially high expectations surrounding them, either, as they brought a resume that was a bit underwhelming to their new job. However, they were confident in themself, & they brought not only new tactics, but a new confidence, to the team that previously had been lacking. They seemed to be boosting their players on the pitch. Their name was Cralt-Nirlo Fox, &, like their fellow Qusmi, they would win their first match in charge.

Cralt-Nirlo Fox has enjoyed tremendous success in the early days serving in their new post as manager of Qasden’s national team, & they are drawing many comparisons to the other Qusmi serving as a national team manager: Avarn-Oxolt Ban, in charge of their home nation of Qusmo. Those comparisons are painting Cralt-Nirlo in a very favourable light - & beginning to make some people second-guess Avarn-Oxolt.

Like it or not, Cralt-Nirlo Fox will always be tied to the role of manager of Qusmo’s national team. They are Qusma, of course, & began their career in Pug Qusmyra. In the league’s inaugural season - the only one in which either Cralt-Nirlo or Avarn-Oxolt managed there - Cralt-Nirlo’s KF Estraj finished seventh, while Avarn-Oxolt’s KF Zwac finished thirteenth. Avarn-Oxolt finished third in the Manager of the Year balloting; the winner of the award that year was none other than Cralt-Nirlo. Cralt-Nirlo is believed to be the first manager offered the helm of Qusmo’s national team, but after they declined, Avarn-Oxolt was the manager who eventually accepted.

Qusmo & Qasden have had a bit of a history together on the pitch, too. Qasden is one of only three opponents Qusmo has faced thrice; Qusmo has never played a single nation four times or more. Qusmo has beaten Omerica in all three of its matches, while Qusmo was beaten by Ceni each of the three times the two teams met. However, the series between Qusmo & Qasden is much more close. The two teams drew at the Cup of Harmony in their first meeting, & Qusmo won over Qasden in a friendly to warm up for the two teams’ respective regional tournaments. However, it took a Qusmi for Qasden to beat Qusmo for the first time & settle the score in the battle of the Qs - &, of course, that match will go down as Cralt-Nirlo’s first in charge of a national team.

It also marked the start of what is, so far, an impressive tenure. In their first eight matches leading the national team of Qasden, Cralt-Nirlo Fox has seven wins, one draw, & no losses. That adds up to a total of twenty-two points from their first eight matches at the helm - a mark that took Qusma national team manager Avarn-Oxolt Ban the entire World Cup 81 Qualifying campaign of eighteen matches to attain. It has not gotten a whole lot better for Avarn-Oxolt’s side since then, either; over the past eighteen matches, Qusmo has earned only twenty-one points.

However, the past two matchdays have truly brought a focus on the two managers’ differing levels of success so far most of all. On Matchday Six, Qasden hosted eleventh-ranked Pasarga & stunned them by the tune of 3-0, allowing Qasden to hurdle the former World Cup champions to retake first place in Group 15. On the same matchday, Qusmo could only manage a scoreless draw against Eastfield Lodge, ranked forty places lower than Pasarga, causing them to be overtaken atop the Group 9 table by New Gazi.

The difference now is especially stark between the two Qusma managers’ positions. Cralt-Nirlo’s Qasden continued rolling, with a 3-1 win over fiftieth-ranked 95X not only allowing the Vans to continue to pace their group, but giving them a six-point margin over the two teams sitting closest behind Pasarga, tied on points for third in Group 15 - & head-to-head wins over both. On the other hand, Qusmo fell precipitously, down to fifth, a low for this cycle, after falling to thirteenth-ranked Valanora 1-0.

When Qasden faced the fiftieth-ranked team in the multiverse, they were able to win 3-1; Qusmo could only muster a scoreless draw against the team ranked fifty-first. When Qasden faced the eleventh-ranked team in the multiverse, they soared to a 3-0 performance; Qusmo lost 1-0 to the team ranked thirteenth. That is why Qasden has moved up the table & currently sits in first, & that is why Qusmo has fell sharply to fifth.

There is a clear difference in the two team’s fortunes so far, especially recently. Could this be explained in part by a difference in the managers or their styles? We talked to an expert to get their opinion, & they did like what they were seeing from Cralt-Nirlo more than what Avarn-Oxolt was doing for Qusmo. However, they did caution that, although Cralt-Nirlo was performing extremely well, they would have a lot of football yet to come.

“They’ve done fine recently against some of the bottom teams, but the fact remains that Avarn-Oxolt Ban plays scared in the biggest matches. Avarn-Oxolt pays all their attention to preventing a concession instead of focussing on putting the ball in the other team’s net. They’re worried that, if the match were open & free-flowing, Qusmo would be at a disadvantage - so, above all, they try to make sure things don’t get out of hand or embarrassing. They may talk a lot about how they have confidence in the players they have available, but until they actually back up that talk with their decisions on the touchline, it just goes to show what Avarn-Oxolt truly thinks of their team, behind the facade.”

“On the other hand, Cralt-Nirlo Fox has the player pool of Qasden to rely on. They have World Cup qualifiers & Cup of Harmony champions in their player pool, & that experience & talent is something that Qusmo simply does not have. That is one of the reasons that Cralt-Nirlo has felt free to play a form of open, attacking football with the Vans. In direct contrast to Avarn-Oxolt, Cralt-Nirlo seems to have great faith in their players in the most pivotal moments, & that faith has been validated time & time again throughout this cycle. It would be a mistake to compare the two managers’ situations as identical, or to fail to recognize that Cralt-Nirlo has not been the boss for very long yet. However, it’s still extremely impressive what they have accomplished so far, & it will be exciting to see if they can keep it up in the future. If they can, surely, more than just Qusmi’y will know the name Cralt-Nirlo Fox.”

Manager           Nation    P    W    D    L   GF/M  GC/M   W%   PT/M
Avarn-Oxolt Ban   Qusmo    46   17    9   20    1.2   1.4  37%   1.30
Cralt-Nirlo Fox   Qasden    8    7    1    0    2.8   0.6  88%   2.75

Best & Worst

Biggest Win
Avarn-Oxolt Ban: Qusmo 4–0 Beepee
Cralt-Nirlo Fox: Qasden 4–0 The South Falls

Biggest Lost
Avarn-Oxolt Ban: Qusmo 0–3 Ceni
Cralt-Nirlo Fox: Qasden 0–0 Geisenfried

Most Impressive Win
Avarn-Oxolt Ban: Qusmo 1–0 Tumbra (ranked 24th)
Cralt-Nirlo Fox: Qasden 3–0 Pasarga (ranked 11th)

Most Embarrassing Loss
Avarn-Oxolt Ban: Qusmo 0–2 Gopnikea (unranked)
Cralt-Nirlo Fox: Has never lost as Qasden national team manager

Group 9
Karulicja 5–3 Savalen
Eastfield Lodge 4–1 New Gazi
Valanora 1–0 Qusmo
Nuadh-Alba 2–2 Axuva
Polkopia 5–3 Rakivland

   Group 9                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eastfield Lodge                   7    4   3   0    15    7   +8    15
 2 New Gazi                          7    5   0   2    14    8   +6    15
 3 Polkopia                          7    4   1   2    13   10   +3    13
 4 Valanora                          7    4   1   2    19   11   +8    13
 5 Qusmo                             7    4   1   2    12    4   +8    13
 6 Karulicja                         7    3   0   4    16   14   +2     9
 7 Savalen                           7    3   0   4    13   13    0     9
 8 Axuva                             7    2   1   4    10   21  −11     7
 9 Rakivland                         7    1   0   6    17   21   −4     3
10 Nuadh-Alba                        7    0   3   4     4   24  −20     3

QNT falls far in table after loss to Valanora
Valanora 1–0 Qusmo
Hatire Memorial, Capri, Valanora (cap. 60 000)

GK  Xynat-Evela Cuf
CB  Cunix-Betva Tla
CB  Zenon-Gerol Kal
CB  Yelto-Alfan Ono
DM  Yamaj-Blonz Jok
CM  Ilinx-Kepex Zev
AM  Ilinx-Vulav Ixi
78’ Ozolx-Mazur Guv
LM  Helek-Nenzi Ono
RM  Ilinx-Iblix Tla
SS  Paliv-Xilit Max
78’ Jralv-Nexev Pec
ST  Xilit-Zaxac Yol
61’ Prant-Pertz Gor

by **Adab** » Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:55 pm

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

NEWS | WORLD CUP
By: Elymur Amwan

Adab secures 2-0 victory against Melbergia to continue Group 5 revival

The Melbergia national team proved no match for the Adabians as they cruised to a largely unspectacular 2-0 victory in their latest World Cup Group 5 match, their second triumph in a row following two successive defeats, which had fans once again hoping that they would be able to at least make the playoffs.

With this victory, Adab now sits on second place in the group with thirteen points, three points behind its next opponent Starblaydia. Third place is occupied by Kalumba with twelve points, edging out Audioslavia on goal difference following the former's resounding 3-0 triumph over Brittany Normandy Aquitaine and Audioslavia concluding a goalless match against Guriguay.

Away from home, the Adabian team played in a noticeably slower pace than in its previous match against Guriguay, content to spend much of the first half with a mixture of short and long passes, testing out the Melbergians' defense. Adanirari Uhwan nearly scored for the visitors in the 27th minute, but the ball flew just to the right of the goal. The Melbergians themselves found it dificult to penetrate Adab's solid midfield, with Malik Aminuddin, Salman al-Muntar, and Ephraim Orlev often wresting the ball from them just as it seemed they were finally able to penetrate far into the other half of the field.

The Adabians were finally rewarded for their efforts in the 44th minute, as Orlev traveled across Melbergia's half with the ball, zigzagging his way past three Melbergian players in the process. With the Melbergian defense suddenly thrown into chaos, Orlev appeared about to pass to Enlilbani Yargab behind him, only to turn and fire the ball into the top left of the net. Buoyed by their newfound lead, the Adabians launched another attack in the 45th minute, only to be stopped by the whistle.

The second half went more or less the same as it did in the first. Adab held back from launching quick, large-scale attacks, with the players content on analyzing their opponents and focusing on cautious passes around the middle of the field and their own half. The Melbergians were more aggressive and at times seemed on the cusp of finally endangering the Adabian goal, however their attacks were often canceled out by the valiant effort of the Adabian defenders and midfielders, who formed solid lines of resistance against the Melbergians who kept on coming to them.

Eventually it was Adab which managed to find the opponents' net, with a counterattack in the 79th minute striking deep into the heart of the Melbergian defense and culminating in a superb goal by Yargab, courtesy of a corner kick by Shamsuiluna Zambiya which Yargab converted into a header past the Melbergian keeper. The Adabians spent the rest of the match protecting their half of the field, with the Melbergians trying to figure out the defense but again not succeeding.

Kaykali unavailable due to 'family business'

Adabian manager Saad Kaykali was not in the stadium to watch his team's triumph, having taken an red-eye flight back to Adab City to attend to unspecified 'family business'. Assistant manager Inimabakesh Thulus took his place in the dugout and was seen actively shouting directions to his players during the course of the match.

Nevertheless, he was quick to emphasize that he was merely carrying out Kaykali's tactics.

"Saad devised the tactics. We've agreed on them, Saad and me and the players. I was really just making sure that his ideas were being executed," Thulus said at the post-match press conference. "Everyone knew what they had to do, and indeed they actually did it, and it resulted in victory. I was just making sure that everything we agreed on was actually being done on the field. I'm proud of everyone for their efforts."

The assistant manager admitted that he did not know when Kaykali would come back and refused to elaborate on the 'family business' he was attending to, but said that he expected Kaykali to be back in 'about three matches'.

"Hopefully it will all work out for him," Thulus said. "Until then I'm here to lead the team and carry out his instructions."

World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

Turori WC 81 - Cocoabo Park overview

HINODEJIN TV AD ~ IGACO

Who is online