World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[Balqia]

-If we dra again I will someone.
Narvos Balq was complaining to the bartender, his face was red and he moved very slowly, he was drunk after all. Liene observed the player for three hours, he arrived in the timurian bar at ten o’clock. In the beginning he refused to drink alcohol, but after some time he started with a beer. Balqese people don’t drink regularly, so when they do things become fuzzy very quickly.
At least now she had an opportunity, she got a drink and went in his direction. He was alone in the balcony, the bartender almost gave her a kiss for freeing him from the drunk player.
-So, you are a fellow Balqese?
He turned his face to the beautiful woman in a red dress, his clothes were a bit sloppy, but he had a chance, hasn’t he?
-Oh, hello...Miss…
He surely wasn’t in his best state, how many drinks? Liene saw an empty cup of beer and a cup of whisky left half filled.
-Linda, Linda Kusoviq.
-I don’t know this surname.... from where… are you from the east side?
A very reasonable question, he wasn’t that drunk after all. Surnames varied across the country, generally people from eastern regions had names with an “iq” in the end.
-Actually no, but my fathers came from there, Ausiems.
-Cool…
Well, at least now she could start to ask some questions, she introduced herself after all.
-So, have you seen the match today?
-I played in it. Man, how hard it was, they didn’t stop… they shot balls every time I thought I could rest a bit.
-Oh, I recognize you now, you are Narvos Balq!
-No, I am Kaesar Putiniq after a diet... It’s a pleasure to meet you too.
Well, now she could ask questions about the team. She ordered a juice and he ordered a cup of gin.
-Err… so, how was the game?
-Very bad, we are trying to win something to rise in position… Laqlo is a moron, we are disqualified and yet… he want to drag these...Timu...timurids with us. Very mean.
-Don’t you want to reach a better ranking?
-Of course I want… but… we… we lost. I don’t want to keep training with Mus, he is mean.
-A lot of you complain about him, why he wasn’t replaced yet?
He ordered another drink as he finished his cup of gin.
-Well, you know… thinks move slowly in the bure… boure...bureau...cracy. Bureaucracy! Some new players should've arrived in the Team and others should’ve been retired, but things went too slow and the Cup was almost starting, so we went with people from the Cup of Harmony.
-Wow, I never imagined that things were bureaucratic in the National Team.
-You would be disgusted if you knew what happens in the Sports Ministry…
He tried to order another cup of gin, but after crossing glances with the bartender she had the impression that Mr Balq wasn’t going to see another cup of gin today. The bartender returned after some minutes with a cup with water and ice. Narvos drank it without complaining.
-So, Mr Balq…
-Call me Narvos.
-...Narvos, how things are going in the team?
-Very… normal. Everything is the same, we won some matches, we lost few, we tied a lot… nothing far from expected…
She was thinking in something to say, but he continued.
-The fans at least are more content… we are managing to gain some popularity and people are practicing more sports since the beginning of the cup… I am happy you know?... If I can help people to do stuff and get healthier, well that means I am not just playing to… to… to sell some bad t-shirts. At least I am helping people to improve their lives… and that’s what I wanted all along…
And with that he lowered his head and fell asleep right there. Liene got up, paid her bill and returned to the hotel. “These players are too cheesy, I wonder if this is obligatory in this profession”.

[Darmen]

World Cup 83: The Psephology Edition
Why have just one election when you can have 1093‽

---

Future Decided Now
Election Day Arrives

Voters queue up at a Polling Station following an early morning shower in Liverpool

LIVERPOOL - Queues to enter polling stations began forming around 6am as early morning voters hoped to cast their ballots before heading to work for the day. Election Commission workers opened the doors at polling stations across the country at 7am, and will keep them open until 10pm tonight.

Voters will be electing the 219 Members of Parliament (+53 from 2041) and 2,084 Municipal Councilors (+1,459 from 2041) which will govern Darmen at the national and municipal levels respectively for the next four years. The 2,303 politicians elected will also double as members of the Electoral College that will elect the next President of the Republic.

Incumbent President, Tor Tong Lee, attempted to boost his, and his Republican Party's, chances with a last minute campaign pledge in a speech delivered to Republican supporters at the Scott City Civic Center. Lee's pledge, to not seek reelection to a fourth term if he fails to slash unemployment to below 12% by Christmas 2048, came as a shock to the general public and political commentators alike. It was Lee's only official appearance of the campaign, as he has otherwise kept quiet and allowed the local branches of his party to conduct campaigning.

With Lee and his Republican Party likely to fall well short of a majority in Parliament, a continuation of the present coalition with the United Left looks probable. Opposition will mainly come from the Liberal Party and Fascist and Ultranationalist Union, although cooperation with the Liberal Party on particular issues could be common place as the three major parties join forces to oppose the Fascists. The Progressive Greens and Royalist Party are expected to lose voters, but those losses won't necessarily translate into lost seats. Meanwhile, the Islamic Union, Lista de Valladar and People's Party appear set to repeat their results from four years ago in their traditional areas of support.

One constituency in particular will be watched very closely, New Istria. The newly formed municipality is home to a Banijan immigrant community numbering 36,916, and a unique mix of Darmeni and Banijan political parties are running electoral lists in the municipality. While the Liberal Party is absent, the Republican Party and United Left are operating locally, as is the smaller People's Communist Party and the Islamic Union. Two local parties have ties to parties in Banija; the Mormon affiliated Christian Patriot's League and the Defiance Coalition, which is the party of Banija's ill-fated former Katikkiro, Matthias Mutebi. Mutebi is currently returning to the news in his home country, as he appears headed to trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes and could face the death penalty. Support for any of the parties is incredibly splintered in New Istria, with poll after poll suggesting a different winner each time.

Coverage of the election results will begin at 10pm tonight, with the DBC's General Election 2045 broadcast expected to draw millions of viewers both domestically and abroad.

---

Darmen likely headed to Cup of Harmony
Qualifying Calculus for All Greens looks bleak

Taeshan and Mytanija. Two Rushmori rivals. The highest ranked opponents of Darmen in Group J. The two teams ahead of the All Greens in the table.

Those are the opponents Darmen will face in the final two matchdays of World Cup Qualifying. The Purple Knights have already qualified to the World Cup proper, while Darmen must win both of its matches and hope that Mytanija gets zero points from its two matches if the All Greens are to unseat the Mytanars from second place and earn a spot in the playoffs.

With Mytanija's next opponent being Saint Émelie, at home no less, chances that the Mytanars will lose are highly unlikely and Darmen looks set to head off to the Cup of Harmony. All Greens' Manager Rabbie Travers' first cycle at the helm has not gotten off to a good start and its hard to see him lasting much longer unless Darmen can make a deep run at the Cup of Harmony or the following Copa Rushmori.

[Flavovespia]

Freeport 2–2 Flavovespia

Yet again Flavovespia threw away a winning position, this time in second half injury time. Flavovespians must be wondering how the team can actually get another win in these qualifiers, and question marks are beginning to be raised over the management of Nick Cole.

The only change was David Meehan reinstated to the goalkeeper spot, replacing Conor Harrington as the keeper for Flavovespia. Aside from that, the 3-5-2 formation was retained for this qualifying match.

Little of note occurred in the opening 15 minutes, with Freeport and Flavovespia both having small chances, but none of them particularly threatening in the end. Scott Coleman was probably closest, but drilled his shot straight at Kukiri. A tense game, not least with Freeport still in playoff contention.

Flavovespia got the breakthrough on 25 minutes. James King, often the provider, became the scorer. His quick one-two with Steven Hall gave him space on the edge of the box. With Mason and Coleman being marked, King took the shot on himself, and it curled past Kukiri and into the net. 1-0 to the visitors, who were keen to finally score another win.

3 minutes later and Flavovespia took a second goal. A whipped in corner beat almost everyone for pace, and Maddox at the back post flicked it in from just 4 metres out, getting his first international goal to his delight. The visitors now had a two goal lead, with Freeport desperately looking at a way back into the game.

Flavovespia needed to shut out Freeport at least for the rest of the first half, but conceded just 2 minutes later. Freeport launched a strong and committed attack, and got players into the box. A floated header was met by Torvald Royle, who got it past Meehan and into the net, close to the post. Little the keeper or defence could do, in what was somewhat of a surprisingly committed attack with 60 minutes still on the clock.

Flavovespia ground out the remainder of the first half to take a 1-2 lead at the break, with the visitors probably edging the first half, and were hopeful to secure only their 2nd ever international victory. Freeport meanwhile needed points to try and push for a second spot in the group.

In the second half, the chances slowed up for Flavovespia. Hall, Mason and Coleman found themselves increasingly hounded out of the game by the defence of Freeport, and frustration was growing in the Flavovespia attack. Hall was especially irate with what he thought was a dangerous foul only given a yellow card in the 63rd minute. James King then hit the crossbar from the resulting free kick, and Mason's headed rebound was only just deflected wide.

Freeport pushed on, and forced some good saves out of Meehan, the #1 keen to try and hold down the goalkeeper position, having lost it for much of the qualifiers. At the other end, Jonathan Feld, making a rare appearance coming off the bench, also came close with a cutter across the ground that nearly got through the legs of the Freeport defence.

Sadly for the visitors, all the hard work in defending the lead came to nothing in the third minute of injury time. A corner with everyone in the box, took some deflections, before landing at the feet of Thorn Bristle. 3 metres from goal, the ball was knocked over the line, despite the attempts by Guoliang Fu and Tony Gardner to block the shot with their bodies. Jubilation for the home crowd, but devastation for the visitors, and it was clear Flavovespia's frustrations would continue. Further drama came in the post match press conference, with Nick Cole claiming the referees had got it wrong multiple times, and eventually refusing to answer further questions about his future.

Eura (17*), Freeport (16), Dreamplanet (15) and Torisakia (13*) now all have a chance at that 2nd place spot to make the playoffs. Torisakia vs Freeport is a must win for Torisakia, and Freeport need a win to put pressure on Eura. Eura have to face Ko-oren away next, and the group winners won't want to make it easy for the KPB #7 side to qualify for the World Cup Playoffs. The other game in the penultimate gameday is of course Flavovespia vs Western Bjornaic. In the final matchday, an (admittedly likely) Eura win vs Flavovespia at home, will eliminate Dreamplanet, if Eura haven't already beaten Dreamplanet. Should Eura falter, Freeport vs Dreamplanet could be the decider for the 2nd place spot. Finally, Torisakia finish away to Western Bjornaic, and it isn't impossible for them to take a surprise 2nd place, especially as they could go into the final match day just one point behind Eura and tied with Freeport on points. As for Flavovespia, at least they're not last in the group.

Domestic News

As the transfer market draws to a close, it seems like most of the big sides are done with the major transfer business, negotiations now seem to be filtering downwards, and teams are looking at which youth players to promote vs any potential signings to fill their 25 spot rosters. The free transfer market hasn’t seen any major names enter this year, but there’s still some potentially interesting signings.

Brenton Nugent, defender, now 34, joins an ever growing list of Waldster to Apsbrooke transfers. It seems like a traditional free transfer scenario for veterans keen to stay in the Super League, but Apsbrooke have worked wonders with an ageing squad before.

Croxlich were very active in the free transfer market, signing the veteran John Rae, Matthew Cope, Victor Cooke, Leslie Henry and Ernest Hunter. Newly promoted Binclestead Wood and South Maishop also made no less than 4 free transfer signings.

Not all stay in the Super League, and some will sign for Challenge League sides, and occasionally even lower. A back up and now 3rd choice for several seasons now, Christos Economu at 35 years old says his move to Millsea is a fresh start for him, and is looking to starting off with little pressure again. Mark Rudd, the 35 year old defender, will also return to his first club, Batchingtonwood Rovers for at least 1 season.

[Kita-Hinode]

YOU AND ME AT FIVE
Highly Educated Feud: Explaining the Bow of Artemis' final and its' impact
Written by blogger Kaoru Matsudaira

THE HINODEJIN GATEWAY OF MISEI CITY - While the Hinodejin Empire struggles to remain on the run for a World Cup spot, amidst threats of Eleanor Lindgaard getting the boot from her job since... well, a team that just won a Cup of Harmony shouldn't exactly go on to lose to random minnows like Spensar or the questionable side known as Bongo Johnson; Hinodejin football goes on regardless of whether they're on their way to the World Cup or a repeat of the Cup of Harmony. And with the knowledge that the World Cup qualifiers have been happening for the past couple of weeks, it's seven shades of depressing that fans are more bothered with what happened at Misei City last week in the inaugural season of the Bow of Artemis, the first-ever cup for University sides. But let's start properly, I'm Kaoru Matsudaira and this is You and Me At Five, a column created specifically to introduce the peculiarities of Hinodejin football to foreigners that are willing to read. On this very first edition, we'll cover an event whose reverberations will probably continue all the way into the next years: Miishima Polytechnical Institute versus Mido-Hinode University, The Cauldron at Misei City, the inaugural final of the Bow of Artemis. Go!

POINT 1 - BACKGROUND
The tradition of University sports traces back to the days of the original International University Challenge Championship. Several hotbeds of this sort of variation to the usual tournaments with pizzazz, the UICAs and whatnot were also regulars in the usual popular football scene of the multiverse. Not included among those, however, were the Unified Sunrise Islands. The Sunrisians were big into youth football, either out of convenience (the Sunrisians were usually, at least, charismatic at the youth level, which isn't something you can say about some of their attempts at World Cup football) or due to a sincere lack of interesting youth leagues, they brought in a myriad of youth tournaments into existence. Among those, was the University League, one of the oldest tournaments among those created by the Sunrisians and one of the most notable ones of the bunch. So, yeah, there was some history there.

POINT 2 - THE HINODEJIN BACKGROUND
Once the Hinodejin Empire came into existence, university football had a rough start. Fittingly, few institutions even considered having a team, there was no business advantage in having a football team and the ones that did often witnessed their good name ran into the ground by more competent teams, amateur or professional. The university scene sort of died a death in the 2060s when the few ones that even bothered competing at the state leagues like Burakuriri State and Kawasuki chose to close their programs to focus on other sports like volleyball, basketball and baseball.

But then, someone from Mido-Hinodejin University had to take their team to play in Di Bradini Cup 41, exposing the multiverse to the Hinodejin Empire and vice-versa. This did save a team that had just been revived and was on the way of going out again, but it also ended up reviving the concept of a University league and after some twists and turns, we ended at where we currently are.

POINT 3 - MIDO-HINODEJIN UNIVERSITY AND THE HINODEJIN INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Mido-Hinodejin University is possibly one of the most ubiquitous institutions of Hinodejin sports, a dominating power in ice hockey but also pretty competent in several sports. If the Hinodejin cared about participating in the Olympics (we don't), 75% of the delegation would probably be composed of Mido-Hinodejin alumni and current students. They didn't take part in the Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League from the start since every single Conference was way too far from them and they were better off playing off games against pretty much anyone that interested them. The Hornets were invited to take part in the inaugural season of the top tier and have since been a dominating sight. They have the best player in all of the Empire right now, Ikki Tokei. They brought in the first two foreign players of the League with Zilot-Trenj Miz and Ivica Svok forming the backbone of their back four for a while now.

As for the Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League? They're the disputed top University league. They were established by the Empire's Ministry of Sport, the idea being that it would be easier for the Empire itself to oversee it in order to avoid the possibility of having a myriad of leagues clashing against each other holding tightly to a claim of being the top tier. Thing is, the Ministry of Sports wasn't exactly all that competent, they couldn't really look at the different cases institutions had and they also overlooked competent institutions when shaping up their pyramid. Which leads us to...

POINT 4 - MIISHIMA POLYTECHNICAL INSTITUTE AND THE INSULAR INTERCOLLEGIATE LEAGUE
The Insular Intercollegiate League is a recent creation: this was their first formal season and it featured several institutions from across the main island. It's in their name, Insular Intercollegiate League. The reasoning behind this is simple, the league features smaller institutions that couldn't afford the travelling required to play in an actual Empire-wide system. Not like they don't feature teams that were bumped off the system, some institutions here do have an axe to grind with the Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League and nobody has it worse than Miishima Polytechnical Institute.

They're considered an upstart, a polytechnical institution created from the roots of the Miishima Polytechnical High School. The ball really started to roll once the High School was more-or-less purchased by a Zaibatsu that decided it'd be cheaper to have a sort of breeding ground for new workers that would join them for cheap. Because of this, the institution soon found itself filled with rebellious youth but those were soon put on their place once Heihachi Mishima took over as the headmaster of the school. His approach to things are more physical, hooligans are welcomed to behave poorly but then they have to back it up by facing a group of wild bears after class. This isn't his sole kind of punishment but stuff like this isn't exactly suggested. Yet, whoever studied there seems to love being there anyway. No day at the Miishima grounds is the same, nor are they any way peaceful.

POINT 5 - THE GAME ITSELF
We're in a time of expansion and domination. Galactic conquest is a thing, clubs are trying to make a bigger impression in the international scene, universities and schools try hard to get players from outside of the Empire... it's all geared towards becoming a major stone in the system. And in the middle of all that, the Bow of Artemis was designed to be a secondary title to the Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League. Of course, they then realized that they should invite other teams from the "lower leagues". Of course, this meant that teams from the Insular Intercollegiate League were their go-to guys.

While expectations were low for the Insular sides, a couple of teams decided to spring up but come the Round of 64, only Miishima Polytechnical and "legendary" Tikaru College were on the running. The team from Miishima Poly so happens to have many players that were kicking around in the high school level for Miishima HS and they performed like it as well. This more or less means that they were led by Mii Sadaharu, ever-so-versatile and two really good foreigners for the level they are at, Osarian Emeka Okore and Chromatik Juetta Bélanger.

The game was a fight. Originally, the match was supposed to be in Velestria but political incidents made that trip too difficult and they instead played the game at Misei City. And let it be known that both teams really wanted the title. It was a matter of representation, a matter of league supremacy. Ikki Tokei and his team was certainly older than the Miishima Polytechnical team but still, they were the best team in the HIFL, right?

A last-minute header by Juetta Bélanger ended that.

And that's the story of the Bow of Artemis' first final, the one time the HIFL got slapped across the face by a "rogue" league. See you next time!

[Banija]

Part I l Part 2

Kabaka - King
Luguba - Queen Consort
Sarauniya - Queen Mother
Isebantu - Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba - Prince/Princess
Omulangira/Kyabazinga - Duke/Duchess
Kagere/Kiweewa - Lord/Lady
Katikkiro - Prime Minister
Waziri - Foreign Minister
Lukiiko- Parliament
Kiongozi- Leader of the Opposition

Speech at a full session of the Lukiiko

The Katikkiro, Kizza Makoni, stood to rise for this important announcement. Details about it had leaked, of course- this was the modern era of politics. Leaks had to be expected. And with the Kabaka's decision to contact foreign allies about the proposed course of action, things naturally leaked on the end of the Banijan foreign ministry, and twii.tur was a buzz about the coming speech. The cabinet, however, had stayed quiet- when cabinet ministers, and even backbench Lukiiko members were asked what the speech was going to be about, everyone was silent. Kizza Makoni still commanded great loyalty from among his own MPs for their electoral successes, and he appreciated. But now, of course, was the time to act.

The Speaker of the chamber then rose. "May I present to you, on this fine afternoon, the man who has drawn the confidence of this chamber, Katikkiro Kizza Makoni!" And he was welcomed to thunderous applause from the government benches, with clearly a lot less applause coming from the opposition benches. That was to be expected. Kizza Makoni shook hands with a few members of his cabinet as he walked to the center of the chamber, about to deliver another important Lukiiko speech. He launched the repeal of Banijan sporting gender segregation laws from this box. In that energetic spirit, it would be Katikkiro Makoni who would be making the visit.

"Members of the Lukiiko, Banijans watching at home, and those watching around Atlantian Oceania and the world." Said Kizza Makoni. "I would like to thank you for tuning into this speech. When this government was first elected, and then re-elected, we went on a platform of delivering justice and equality for all Banijans. We have done that. While we have not always had the cooperation of our neighbors in this task, this government has made it a priority to make sure that those who committed crimes against this country, and its people, were going to meet justice. God is the ultimate and only arbitrator of divine justice, but of course, while on this Earth, it is important that we show zero tolerance to those who flaunt human rights and destroy democracy. Those who, in the days of Matthias Mutebi, unnecessarily cost the lives of Banijans, Islanders, Equestrians, and Baker Parkans alike."

"Why? There are a multitude of reasons this makes sense, but there are two primary reasons that we do this. The first, and the overriding one, is to show where Banija stands. Banija stands with its own representative democracy. We don't stand for demagoguery of any sorts of Banijans, of residents and ex-pats alike. Banijans cannot sit here and stand for corruption, with the taxes of hard-working Banijans being siphoned by the state for the wants and needs of the political class. That is why we made it a priority, early in our term, to ensure that those responsible for crimes in the Mutebi era were given justice. WE have been successful in some cases. In some cases, we will still try. Hatabu Danso knows that there is a warrant out for his arrest in Banija, and that if he ever returns to the land of his birth, justice will be delievered to him."

"The other reason, of course, is because politics does not happen in a vacuum. We saw what happened with Matthias Mutebi- because of his disastrous reign, the Busoga Islands became their own country, the Banijan-Equestrian War nearly devastated an already drought-ridden country. But today, in the modern era, we see awfulness rising in foreign countries. We saw the rise of Carter Redwin. We see xenophobia on the rise in places like Qusmo, in places like Darmen, and authoritarianism on the rise elsewhere. We need countries in this world that will take a strong stand against those who exclude and look backwards, and take a strong stand in favor of those who look forward."

Kizza Makoni decided to take a deep breath, and continue onwards. "This is why I have decided it is time to act. As many of you know, it is the time of his sentence when Matthias Mutebi is going to try and plead for a lesser sentence. And, of course, there is almost unanimous agreement in the legal community that, since his sentence is as a result of treaty, it will be dismissed out of hand. But this Government absolutely believes that Banija stands as a beacon. The Kingdom of Banija, of course, is not an economic power. While we are rising economically thanks to our oil, we'll never be an economic juggernaut like Baker Park, or Quebec, or Equestria. But Banija does have influence on the world. The world continously comes to our nation's shores for their biggest events. The World Bowl came back, the World Cup is back- there will be eyes on the actions that we can take, and we can stand as a beacon for freedom."

"That is why this Government is going to appeal the sentence of Matthias Mutebi. Not, of course, to reduce it- as that would violate our international law(via treaty). But no, this government will pursue the death penalty against Matthias Mutebi." He paused for dramatic effect here, as one or two members of the Lukiiko even gasped. "We must remember the crimes that he wrought upon this country. God-awful management of the crisis brought upon by the drought. The bombing and sinking of an aide ship. Coming within inches of starting a war with the Commonwealth of Baker Park, and then actually starting it with the Equestrian States. The deaths of how many thousands can be traced back to Matthias Mutebi? There is no Earthly remedy that can fit the crimes of this man and his Government. We will appeal to the Guardian Council, and do, frankly, what this country should have done long ago- erase the last vestige of the darkest hour of Banijan history."

The Katikkiro then sat down, to thunderous applause from the Government benches. Many on the opposition benches, of course, were in a predicament. But the Kiongozi, of the People's Protection Movement, a center-right party that, after almost two decades in the political wilderness, was building itself back up, rose to speak, as was his right. "Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the Katikkiro of informing this body of the Government's plans. But, of course, I'd like to respond to this issue, and how I very much disagree with the proposed actions of this government.

"This Government, after so many years in power, has ran out of a governing agenda, and now just look to play at pet issues of the Katikkiro. Why was there a need to re-open the wounds caused by Matthias Mutebi? We could have just let this go quietly, into the night, just a blip on the radar, and he would live out the rest of his days, while in peace, away from the political process, while his legacy is reduced. But instead, now the government has irresponsibly brought the issue of Matthias Mutebi to the forefront. Think about what we're doing here. This government is intervening in this process, without necessity, just to do what? Try and send a message to his leftist buddies abroad, so when he retires he has an enriching chapter in his inevitable memoirs? Putting the Guardian Council on the spot? Does he think people in a place like South Covello, or Qusmo, or Darmen, who have movements emerging against people who look like us, are going to care about the 'Katikkiro's brave stand?'?"

"The answer is no. It is clear, almost 7 years later, that the Katikkiro never got over Geisenfred giving Hatabu Danso asylum. This is not about justice, my friends. This is about a Katikkiro who has no agenda, has few accomplishments, and instead of focusing on the immediate needs of Banija, focuses on a pet issue for his post-political career at the expense of potentially opening some serious wounds within the country. This is not what responsible government looks like." And the debate within the Lukiiko that ensued largely went along those lines, with those on the left echoing the points of the Katikkiro, and those on the right largely echoing the Kiongozi. The Katikkiro, although resolutely determined here, knew that he'd be in for quite the fight in pursuit of this goal..

[Timuria]

OOC: A special shout out to Starblaydia who helpfully provided the charming Mr Santiago and allowed me to use his country as a handy prop. This will be the final chapter of this particular arc, I hope you've all enjoyed it.

Under Qualified Chapter 11:

Before the match against 95X

Rabia sighed, she always hated dealing with the Starblaydi Inquisition, they were all so tall, charming and irritatingly condescending in their disposition. Though this was the first time she would meet with one face-to-face in her time working for İBKGK or the Ibos as they were called for short, certainly shorter than the full name İşçi Bilgileri ve Koruyucu Güvenlik Kooperatifi. She sat in the room of the safe house they had arranged for the meeting, the front of the building was just one of many tower blocks. She sat at the table, facing the door a hand resting on the file. The electric lock on the door flashed green indicating the arrival of the absurdly pseudonymed "Mr Santiago" an absurd name, fitting the best practises of the Inquisition.

In walked, not a tall, elegant man, but instead a slightly broad, stocky man, with a plainly average face, nothing like what most would imagine when they thought of the Starblaydi Inquisition. He sat in front of Rabia who slid the folder across to him, "That's everything you need to know Mr Santiago. I assume everything has been taken care of on your end?"

The man opened the folder and hardly responded to her as he leafed through the papers, "Of course, we have a nice job in the head office in Jhanna at the Daily Llama set up for her. She'll be receiving the offer officially as we speak. You're certain she's going to accept?"

"Of course." She replied, she recalled that night when she caught her, the girl's fear came to the surface. Even though she should have taken care of her permanently, something in her couldn't bear to do it. She petitioned her superiors to make the arrangement. "To be clear she's only to be... dealt with if she violates any of the conditions in those documents, otherwise she's to be allowed to behave as freely as your society allows."

Mr Santiago rolled his eyes, "Yes yes." Exhaling he stood up and extended a hand to Rabia, he didn't, she noted, even bother to ask for her name. She took his hand firmly and shook it, "We'll be in touch with the details." She noticed as she stood up that she was almost taller than the man the Inquisition had sent. Amusing in any other context, but she decided not to remark upon it.

"Oh another thing Mr Santiago, it's in the documents but I feel it may be relevant that she's currently romantically involved with Iskender Nur, one of our national team's goalkeepers. It would be ideal if direct contact were to be limited due to her work."

Mr Santiago let go of her hand and ran a hand through his thinning salt and pepper hair, like he was trying desperately to hide the fact that he was very clearly going bald at a young age. "That can be taken care of as well. If that's everything." He spun and began to make his way to the door.

"A pleasure Mr Santiago, have a safe trip and please thank your superiors for their cooperation, I'm sure mine will be more than willing to reciprocate." Rabia said as he had already, rather rudely began to left. He swiped the card in the lock and shut the door behind him. It was done. Rabia fell onto the chair and held her head in her hands, this particular weight would no longer be upon her shoulders. However, her superiors had already sent her the next task. To deal with the final loose end.

***

Bekir sat in his living room, he hadn't been back in such a long time. It had begun to feel as if he lived at the training facility. He looked around the cold, sleek, chromed interior of his apartment. He had always wondered why he never really desired to fill his apartment with mementos, after all hadn't he achieved a lot? Even the small gift his players and Senol had got him lived in his office. A small 3D printed model of the team and their two coaches posing for a now famous picture prior to their first ever match. The whole team were so excited, so energetic. It was as if pulses of electricity ran between each player. Except Iskender of course, but he was still the roof skateboarding boy from that infamous video.

There was, despite the spartan nature of his living room, quite an excessive TV and a series of comfortable pieces of furniture. He sat on an armchair and turned on his TV and switched on HRT Haber the news channel and went pale at the headline scrawled across the screen. "Dozens Dead In Fire" He leaned forward and unmuted the screen. "The cause of the fire is suspected to be an electrical fault. We're getting reports of up to 28 deaths and 66 injured so far though that is likely to rise as we get more information. Among the dead is the editor of the daily newspaper Özgürlük, Mr Yasin Batuhan who died alongside his wife." Bekir switched off the TV.

He stood up and began to pace, his breathing becoming shallow and fast. He couldn't believe what an awful person he was. He felt so elated at the news, Yasin was possibly the last person who had any significant suspicions around him. With good reason, he was at the wedding, they were even friends for a long time. Despite the awkwardness of being his brother-in-law. He knew that there was more to what happened than the official story. Bekir marched into the kitchen and poured himself a water, he couldn't believe it.

He processed as he gulped down the water, he felt as if there had to be more to this. There hadn't been an electrical fault that caused a fire in years, certainly not in such a modern apartment block. The possibilities unnerved him. Could Rabia have done this? Or could it truly be a fortunate coincidence? He set down the glass and decided to try to contact her, using the phone she gave him he called. "Hello this is my voicemail, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon a-" He hung up. He planted himself in front of the TV, and switched to another channel, anything to distract him from the awful thoughts that had begun to make their home in his head.

***

Iskender sat in the changing room as the team had just completed their final training before their dreaded rematch against Valanora. Caner put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey. You feeling a bit better?"

Iskender guided his hand away from his shoulder, "Yeah, I'm fine, kind of glad Saban did so well. He deserved a break."

Caner sat down next to him, "No I mean it. How are you really? I know Esin's been gone a while."

"Yeah well I went to that person the coach suggested and she talked me through it all. She's gone." He sighed as he stared into space at nothing in particular as the rest of the team began to file in. He noticed Bekir decided against doing one of his customary speeches before their travels abroad, instead he went into his office, the same haunted look on his paler than usual face. "Hey does the coach seem a bit off to you?"

Caner shrugged, "I don't think so. Maybe he's a bit sick?" He paused for a moment before punching him playfully on the shoulder, "Hey. Don't change the subject. What's up?"

Iskender sighed and began to pack his things, "It's nothing. Really. She clearly didn't want anything to do with me and dwelling on it isn't going to help. So I'm going to just... you know get on with my life."

Caner tapped him on the shoulder, "Well if you need to talk."

"I got it." Iskender said as Bekir stepped out.

Bekir looked out onto the room, he had been reassured by a message he had got from Rabia, "I took care of Iskender's girl. She's fine. You deserve to move on." He felt as if the world had opened up for him, even though this team was in all likelihood not going to go to the World Cup, he was ready to truly be their manager. Of his own volition. "Guys I have an announcement." He had contemplated telling his team, being honest, but what good would that do now? He was for all intents and purposes completely in the clear. "For our final match against Lavize, we're opening up the facility to fans, friends and family. Bring anyone you want."

Iskender sighed as the rest of the team murmured their approval. He collected his bag and began to make his way out of the locker room.

It was as he walked out of the gate, the cool breeze running over him as he closed his eyes he felt his phone vibrate. He looked at the number, he couldn't even begin to imagine who could possibly be calling him from Starblaydia. "Hello?"

"Hey Iskender, it's Esin."

Iskender stopped and looked around, as if expecting her to appear where they had met all that time ago, "Hi..."

"Listen I'm sorry about what happened, I just got a sudden job offer and had to leave."

Iskender snorted incredulously, "Yeah. Nice story."

"No seriously I got this job offer from the Daily Llama and I just couldn't say no. They said I had to be there in a week."

Iskender softened, "Oh. Well that's nice for you I'm really happy."

He heard her sigh, "Listen if you're ever in Jhanna, maybe we could... pick up where we left off?"

Iskender waved at Hasan who walked by him on his way home, "Yeah. I'd like that. Maybe I can come visit for a while over the off-season? You can show me around."

"That sounds great. I've got to go, but... I'm sorry I really am." She paused leaving Iskender on the edge, "Who knows? Maybe you'll end up playing here one day?"

Iskender laughed derisively at the notion, "Yeah. Sure. I told you I want to retire and be a physical education teacher." It was her turn to derisively laugh at him as he began the walk home.

***

Bekir looked out from his apartment window, the Demir skyline which was designed to herald a future of luxury and excess, almost taunted him. He knew she had entered his apartment, he had even set out a drink for her. "You're late."

"Excuse me?" Rabia replied offended as she picked up her glass of whiskey, "I'll have you know I came at the perfect time."

"Oh yeah how's that?"

"Because you were distracted thinking about something."

Bekir sighed and sipped his whiskey temperately "It's just. For the first time I'm basically free. I mean the only loose end that isn't from. You know. You're end is gone. If I satisfy the Football Federation then I'll have nothing to stop me moving on." He turned from the window and sat in an armchair, "It just feels kind of cheap you know? Like those things that happened, the people I hurt and let down. All I had to do was get a bunch of knuckleheads to win a few matches and for an electrical fault to just happen at that building and then I'm in the clear. Unless your bosses decide to ruin me."

Rabia rolled her eyes and drank her whiskey in one go. "Bekir listen to me. You deserve to move on. Stop blaming yourself." She walked in front of him and cradled his chin to compel him to look in her eyes.

"Big talk from someone who called me a killer."

She rolled her eyes and released his chin, "For goodness sake Bekir, I read the file. I know what you did was wrong. You want to know something?"

He stood up and set his drink aside, "What?"

"I forgive you." She said in a small voice.

Bekir looked stunned, the colour drained from his face. He heard the words but couldn't process them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said those magic words again, "I. Forgive. You." He leaned in, wondering if he could ever truly be free, but in this moment he decided, free or not it was at least time to try to live his life as if he were truly free.

[Ouna]

The Ounaian national team have exceeded all expectations in a thrilling qualifying run, their first ever World Cup.

The side, which had never played together competitively before the competition, has showed on the world stage the quality to be found in the Pan-African Republic of Ouna.

Pluim's side have beat highly ranked teams within the qualifying run whilst also battling with conflicting schedules, as the domestic league continues to operate in full swing

As the team go into their last game of qualifying the pressure is off as it is nearly impossible to qualify at this point. The team has however found a structure in recent games and going forward a consistency has been found within the team.

We will follow up with an in depth match report following the final game, and an interview with Head Coach Laurens Pluim to get his views on the successful campaign.

[Sargossa]

SSM | Sargossan State Media

International Edition - Sport



One Last Push, One Last Point


Blanco Borrayo;

It has long been a trait of a Sargossan national side that attacking firepower would at some point be needed to get the team out of a hole bourn from defensive frailties. Against the minnows of the sportiverse it has proven an effective, if somewhat needlessly stressful, endeavour. But from time to time a nation pops up that can’t be rolled over so easily. In this campaign Drawkland’s Elite Eleven arrived in the Sargossan capital and dished out something of a lesson to the Group D top seeds. The 3 – 1 scoreline at the final whistle actually flattered the hosts, for whom the damage could have been a little greater. It was a tough night all around for Sargossa and its fans, one that prompted something of a sea change in the mind of national coach Rodrigo Defederico.

With unbeaten Kelssek leading the group at this stage, Osarius rising above the Corsairs into second and Drawkland moving to within two points after their win in Soluca the top seed’s position was looking a little dicey. Which is probably why Defederico rang the changes for the tough trip to Kirkenes. The experienced José Guerrero joined González and Muñoz in the centre of the defence, Alonzo Zevallos dropped deeper on the right and Saúl Escribano came in on the left. Midfield battler Luís Vazquez came into the centre of the park and Fabián Guzmán and Matías Cáceres made a front two as the formation changed to a more conservative 5-3-2 system. And his charges duly squeezed the life out of Kelssek at Exhibition Place before stealing all three points when Cáceres turned in Zevallos’ drilled cross at the near post.

After ending Kelssek’s unbeaten run, and surviving a bye day relatively unscathed, the coach kept to much the same system for the trip to New Saria. And received much the same result. It may not have been a performance to inspire fear across the qualification groups but three points and a clean sheet at this stage were gratefully received. Just as they were when Togonistan were turned over 2 – 0 in San Marquez. Three clean sheets in a row. Three. The fans had not seen such a thing since the early stages of qualification for World Cup 79.

But the Karelan bubble would burst with a vengeance during a crazy five goal half in Burningham. 3 – 2 down to Osarius the coach switched to his 3-4-3 at the interval and the side responded with three unanswered goals in the second half. They stuck with the attacking system and struck five more against rock bottom Copper Cuprum in Mercada. On a night that nearest challengers Kelssek and Drawkland helpfully drew 1 – 1. A sequence of results that left Sargossa sitting almost pretty at the top of Group D.

  Group D                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Sargossa                          10    8   0   2    30   16  +14    24
2 Kelssek                           11    6   3   2    22   15   +7    21
3 Drawkland                         10    5   3   2    27   20   +7    18
4 Osarius                           11    4   4   3    26   23   +3    16
5 New Saria                         10    3   2   5     9   15   −6    11
6 Togonistan                        10    2   2   6    13   15   −2     8
7 Copper Cuprum                     10    0   2   8    13   36  −23     2

The maths at this stage is very simple. One point from the remaining two fixtures will see Sargossa through to the World Cup finals. The fixtures involved are somewhat less simple, with a trip to Drawkland and then entertaining visiting Kelssek at the Independiente in Goza in the final round of matches. Given the success of the system in Kirkenes coach Defederico is widely expected to once again to ditch his attacking 3-4-3 in favour of the more circumspect 5-3-2. And perhaps sacrifice a rubber chicken just for good measure.

Formation vs Drawkland

[Mercedini]

The Last Hurrah
Group G Round-Up
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to Mercedini Sports Daily's coverage of qualification for the 83rd World Cup, hosted by Banija and the Equestrian States. After all the ups and downs throughout the qualification campaign, we are finally down to the final match of the qualification cycle after what has been a interesting qualification campaign for many, especially for Mercedini who will likely have their qualification campaign expended somewhat with the results all pointing to a qualification playoff for one of the final spots at the World Cup. A second draw against the San Carlos Islands was all it took for Mercedini to secure at least a playoff place from Group G, they will tussle for the automatic qualifying spot with Krytenia, who sit two points ahead of Mercedini with their BYE match coinciding with Dini's final game against Sinyal. Then, it's all eyes on the Cyan Army as Mercedini sit out of the final group matchday for their BYE match, with only a draw or a win likely to be needed for Krytenia to return to the promised land and send Mercedini into another World Cup playoff (and we all know what happened during the last playoff we were involved in).

Dini's point couples with Schottia's surprise win over playoff-chasers HUElavia snuffed out any chance of the visitors claiming a top two spot in the group, which left Krytenia and Mercedini and the two teams left standing to go on to further endeavours. However, those two dropped points put the destiny of both nations firmly in the hands of the Krytenians as they would likely need a single point to qualify directly, providing Mercedini pick up all three points against Sinyal the day before. Mercedini have avoided the disastrous scenario of missing out on the top two entirely, as looked the case as the start of the group stages. But, a steady set of results against the group's lower ranked opposition gave Dini a platform to secure a top two spot with a game to spare and hold onto the top spot for a while, especially during the midway point in the group.

..Group G                           Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts   H    A 
1 Krytenia                          11    8   1   2    34   25   +9    25  2-0  1-3
2 Mercedini                         11    7   2   2    25   17   +8    23
E HUElavia                          10    4   3   3    23   14   +9    15  2-4  2-1
E San Carlos Islands                10    2   5   3    16   22   −6    11  1-1  1-1
E Sinyal                            10    2   4   4    14   16   −2    10   -   1-0
E Schottia                          10    2   3   5    12   15   −3     9  2-1  4-3
E Aurevbush                         10    1   2   7     9   24  −15     5  5-2  4-1

In the end, a playoff against another second placed team is looking the likely scenario for Mercedini and their fans, which will bring back memories of the team's 3-0 defeat in Quebec against Banija in the first leg of the only other playoff Mercedini has contested during their time as a World Cup nation. While a 3-2 win in Zoloroni saved the blushes of the Mercedinians to push the score up to 5-3 on aggregate, it wasn't the result many had wanted, even if it did result in a complete performance in the Cup of Harmony which resulted in the nation's first WCC Trophy. Since then, nations have risen and nations have fallen, and Mercedini are still to make their maiden appearance in a World Cup Knockout Round, despite qualifying in both of the previous two editions.

Indeed, Mercedini's only ever World Cup win came in their first appearance at the tournament with a 3-1 win against Flardania. Combining World Cup records of 1-0-2, 0-0-3 and 0-2-1 means Dini have picked up one win and two draws for a total of five points in nine games. Something which many teams achieve within a single group stage appearance. The Cup of Harmony win was thought to have been the turning point for Mercedinain football, but appearances on the world's biggest stage have been lacking, meaning Mercedini have become a perennial qualifier, but have always lacked that edge to see past three games at the World Cup. With many other top seeds falling by the wayside in their respective groups, this cycle may just the cycle to break the mould and put Dini on the map as a respected football playing nation. At the same time, a stacked playoff bracket may see Dini pit against another international juggernaut vying for a return to the big time, which could prove a step too far in itself. We figure it all out when the final whistle has been blown on all twenty four groups, in just a couple of days time.

Group G is coming to an end, and as the dust settles, we are assured that Mercedini and Krytenia will return to fight another day at least. Unfortunately, we will have to leave it there for now as the Golden Eagles prepare themselves for a big home fixture against Sinyal which will determine the mindset of the Krytenians for the following day. Mercedini must win their match at home if they are to stand any chance of claiming that automatic spot in Group G, as a draw or loss will keep the Cyans at the top with no games left for Dini to make up the difference. Both nations will have to sit out at least once during these final two games, taking turns to state their case for the top spot. We will have coverage of both matches on both days, and giving their importance, packed out crowds in Emberton and Zoloroni will be expected for the occasion. We hope you have a good night and wish both teams the best of luck, Andiamo!

[Ancherion]

After a nailbiting match against Starblaydia happened at Paradisia North Park, Boring Paradise, the Starblaydian were triumphant with a 5-4 win, meaning that getting a chance to get into the playoff stage is much harder and the gap for it is closing fast for the Paradisians. In this 9 goal extravaganza, we had a lot of action, very excited fans, a full stadium and the greatest TV and online viewership experienced in this qualifier.

Agostinho de Mequites in the pre match conference stated that this would be a tough match in which the match could go either way but it all depends on how the player's play on the pitch and not anything to do with tactics. He has fielded his best eleven players for this after resting most of them in the match against Saciu. But it wasn't just him, but the Starblaydian manager, Fëanáro, also fielded their best eleven players. On paper, the Starblaydian team outmatches us by a long distance, however after the first leg performance, which was a 3-3 draw, proves that it doesn't always comes out that way.

At kick off, the Ancherion team were immediately on the offensive, where all but the two centre backs were playing the ball forward at kick off, the ball was intercepted on the edge of the box by Sigismund. It was then Starblaydia on the counter with the ball being pushed forward with Krakowski dribbling the ball along the wing with Sato, Cole and McCloud running forward as well. Since the whole team had pushed forward bar the two defenders, this made the counter attack very easy for the Starblaydian team and Cole had took it past Miles and into the goal and it was 1-0 within the first 5 minutes. It wasn't long after that, Cole had scored a second after he volleyed the ball right between the keeper's hand. This match wasn't going well the Ancherion, however they began to regain their grip and held their ground.

For the next 20 minutes, the match was in a stalemate as both defenses became penetrable, which was then broken down when Indin Salivlo passed the ball to Fuller who had found space past the defence, and scored in a one versus one situation and he took the ball between the legs of the keeper. Later on in the 37th minute, Viipuri made an attempt to get the ball but challenged Leech unsuccessfully and Ancherion got awarded the free kick from 23 yards away. Simon Ado came up and took the ball on the right side, he kicked the ball into the Starblaydian box where Lander Garcia headed the ball into the net for the equalizer. In stoppage time of the first half, Sikim Arts conceded a penalty was a unruly tackle from behind, which saw him get a red right on the spot by the referee. Cole took this opportunity to score his hat-trick and to take the lead going into the second half.

In the second half, both teams were still in the game even with Ancherion being a man down. De Mequites had decided to take off Colley and Leech for Fabiano Moon and Larin Brynestrad, whilst also switching to the diamond formation in midfield so it was 4-4-1. Starblaydia were the first one to break the deadlock in the second half with McCloud to score a goal as in took a shot from 22 yards away past the defenders and the goalkeeper in the 52nd minute to make it 4-2 in favour to the opposition. Salivlo came back pouncing after kick off and had taken the Starblaydian's lack of concentration at kick off to get past into the defence where he offloaded the ball to Simon Ado on the wing where there no defenders near him, from there he came into the box and chipped the keeper. However this was in vain when the Starblaydian captain, Capodanno, secured another goal from a corner kick taken by Krakwoski. After this, the Starblaydian team took a very defensive approach by subbing on Apollo for Apelles, and kept the scoreline to what it was to the very end. Until, in stoppage time, Joris Fuller broke from the defence whilst being onside and took the ball straight past the keeper to make the final score 5-4 to Starblaydia.

Group T:
Abanhfleft (39), Ancherion (144), Saciu (329), Starblaydia (11), Devonta (52), Tamgu (UR), Axuva (253)

MD1: Axuva @Home Pred: Win | Actual: 1-1
MD2: Abanhfleft @Away Pred: Lose | Actual: 3-4
Break
MD3: BYE
MD4: Saciu @Home Pred: Win | Actual: 1-1
MD5: Starblaydia @Away Pred: Lose | Actual: 3-3
Break
MD6: Devonta @Home Pred: Draw | Actual: 0-3
Break
MD7: Tamgu @Away Pred: Win | Actual: 3-1
Break
MD8: Axuva @Away Pred: Win | Actual: 2-0
MD9: Abanhfleft @Home Pred: Lose | Actual: 2-3
MD10: BYE
Break
MD11: Saciu @Away Pred: Win | Actual: 2-1
MD12: Starblaydia @Home Pred: Lose | Actual: 4-5
Break
MD13: Devonta @Away Pred: Lose
Break
MD14: Tamgu @Home Pred: Win

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
World Cup 83 | 83º Mundial

SURPRISES FOR BOTH SIDES
New Lusitania 5-1 Cassadaigua
@Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Jamor (Att: 68 523)
This week with comments by STL's Jornada trio: Pedro Ferreira, António Soares and Rui Lourosa

Back at the National Olympic Complex in Jamor, Cassadaigua would be hosted in the renovated Estádio Nacional for what could be the end of a fighting journey. New Lusitania brought back Patríce, with Guerreiros, Leiteiro and Cancela in the back three. Nevais, Mário, Fernando, Gama and Veiga meaning midfield was at full strength. Silveira and Jota would be the partnership up front. For Cassadaigua, Sweeney chose the usual as well, for what would the ranking would say was their most important game. These are Morgan in goal, Curran, Shanley, Enriquez and Crocker in defence. Brenner, Mattison, Martin and Pierce as well as Ranucci and Schanke.
The game started well for both sides but within six minutes things started to get weird with the refereeing. André Silveira was awarded a penalty.
PF: "Correct call?"
AS: "No, I don't think so. I mean if you look at the footage from one particular angle, you see that he actually, quite embarrassingly, trips one leg on the other and falls, only then making minimal contact with Curran, which was what the referee could see from where he was."
RL: "Yeah, I mean I've seen them not given for much worse. Also, Curran was going for the ball and honestly a red seems harsh here"
Either way, Silveira put it on the spot and struck it down well, into the top left corner. The home crowd cheered, it was, either way, an important goal. New Lusitania would use the gap to their advantage with Fernando passing the ball to Jota who shot the ball into the net to make the second goal on the thirteenth minute of play. The game would then take a slower approach as instructed by the Lusitanian coach. Just before halftime, a second incident happened. Mattison also got sent off, to the incredulous eyes of both benches.
PF: "What about the second red card?"
RL:" I'm not too sure what happened there. Cassadaigua had just managed to get a shot in, the ball went back and then went out. The ref pointed for a goal kick. "
PF: "Nothing official has been released yet by the world federation. We only know that there was an appeal to the decision. Although we're still trying to ascertain the exact reason why, though one or two rumours now going into the end of the day point that things may of gotten heated, but without either the match report or a statement we will not know"
Just before the end of the first period, Gama crossed the ball into Fernando which headed the ball into the net.
Halftime and Sweeney did not look happy... and rightfully so, as the game was going completely against her. It was like swimming against the current for various reasons, besides the 3-0 margin. On the 52nd minute, Veiga crossed the ball in and Silveira volleyed it in. A ninth goal for the striker in this Qualification period. Finally, on the 59th minute, Fernando made a straight pass to Gama with the right midfielder scoring the final Lusitanian goal. Finally, on the 83rd minute, substitute McKee scored a consolation goal for the Fillies. The game would finish 5-1 and the Lusitanians would chant and sing as they exited the city. Sweeney brought the the bad officiating into light noting she hadn't seen it "that bad in a long time". She also called out the two yellows commenting the Lusitanian players of diving saying "neither yellow was deserved"
PF: "Now, on those statements."
RL: "The ref was terrible, yes. We were benefitiaries this time but with these refs it's always a case of luck. As for the two yellows, I think one of the two was a dive. Gama's was in fact a dive. As for Nevais, I think she did go for the ball, but left the foot in."
AS:" Well... I don't know. We don't have the best of angles available, so I'm not to sure but still. From the hour mark,.o think one or two did think they could get away with it more."
PF: "As for the whole match, any takeaways?"
AS: Cassadaigua has brought the best of us, on the attacking front, maybe because we like the challenge. Either way, I think it was a good match, one or two dives were a bit negative.
PF: "I'd agree and also our defence was decent this time around, at defending and not just at supporting runs."
A boost of morale in this win, but nothing is certain and there's still a long climb ahead if they want to make the playoffs."
FULL TIME: 5-1.


Here & Around the Grounds
Victor Santa Cruz only said he was "extremely pleased with the result, despite not agreeing with some decisions" and that they "still need to focus on the work at hand". Elsewhere, the Crystalline Caverns beat New Karelograd 1-0 at home, with Abaja beating Bengaliana 3-0. This means New Lusitania remain fourth, four points off the playoffs meaning it's extremely complicated for them to make it. This matchday, Audioslavia (B), The Holy Empire (H), South Covello (K), Ko-oren (M) on their magic run, Cosumar (P), Valanora (R), Starbladyia (T) and The Free Republics (V) have all confirmed their presences in the World Cup. Group G has also confirmed their top two, Krytenia and Mercedini will go head to head to see who goes automatically, with the same occuring in Group I (Baker Park and Saltstead), O (Nephara and Ethane) and W (The Maccabees and Turori) following Terre Septentrionale to Pratapgadh (4-3). In the next set of matches in Group Q, the Selecção travel to Bengaliana as Cassadaigua hope to bounce back against the Crystalline Caverns at Concord Heights. Rakivland play New Karelograd as Abaja sit the week out. All still to play for as the Lustianians aren't in the clear yet, with some twists and turns in all groups yet to come.


THE HUB
GOALS: Silveira (9), Gama (4), Fernando (3), Jota (2), Cavalariça (1), Veiga (1), Nevais (1)
ASSISTS: Fernando (7), Veiga (4), Gama (4), Guerreiros (1), Silveira (1), Breu (1), Mário (1)
CARDS: Nevais (1Y), Cancela (1Y)

LATEST STATS
World Cup 82 Quals
Top Goalscorers: Silveira (9)
Assists: Fernando (8)
Cup of Harmony 74
Top Goalscorer: Silveira (4)
Assists: Fernando (3)
-------------------------------------
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The best of the action on STL, your National Broadcaster.
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MMXIX

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Die Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

One To Go

Siovanija and Teusland’s national football team has just 1 more match to play in the Qualification phase of World Cup 83, and it could be one of the biggest matches in the history of the team.

The Draistadion in St. Jakob will see a sell-out 60,000 crowd when the Goldhorns take to the field against Quakmybush later on tonight, and the players have called for a great atmosphere: “We know how great our fans are, and tonight we’ll need that most of all. We’ll feed off the atmosphere tonight, and hopefully that helps us get the result we want,” said Thorsten Kramer just moments ago.

Kramer will be, of course, part of the starting XI against the visitors from Quakmybush. Joining him will be Yanko Zhelyaskov in goal, with a backline of Edgar Steimle, Raphael Klopfer, Karl-Heinz Jager and Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere. Ivo Romanov, Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov and Mario Kogler link up in the middle of the park, with Michael Ribbeck and Krasimir Kynev up top. It’s a bold 11 from Gavin Hughes; the manager has usually preferred a holding option in midfield beside either Kramer or Dimitrov. Both men starting together is a statement: “I think that tells you a bit about our plans tonight. We intend to control this match, and to play it on our terms,” the gaffer told the Zeitung from the tunnel.

The situation is clear for the Goldhorns: we have to win tonight. The match is as close to a mathematical must-win as there can be: level on points with the Squornshelan Remnant States, however the Black and Reds hold one game in hand on the Goldhorns. While this match goes ahead at the Draistadion, the Confederates will play host to Anollasia. Anollasia are a tricky side: they managed to take points off Siovanija and Teusland in an away draw in the first half of Qualifiers, and it was only a late Miro Dinev winner at the Energija-Arena that saved a 1-0 win at home for the Goldhorns. They did not, however, fare so well against the Black and Reds: a 5-1 defeat in their own stadium. The Goldhorns cannot rely on any help, however, and all focus has to be on the Quakmybush match.

Quakmybush are another side with an interesting story these Qualifiers. Siovanija and Teusland had a relatively comfortable 2-0 win on the road earlier in Qualifiers, goals from Ribbeck and Kramer in that one. However, Quakmybush also took a massive 1-0 win over the Squornshelan Remnant States away earlier in the Qualifying campaign. They were also the only Group H team, as of Matchday 12, to have taken points off The Holy Empire in a 1-1 draw earlier in the campaign. It is unclear which Quakmybush side will show up: the team that gave the Goldhorns’ rivals trouble, or the team that the Goldhorns had little trouble with. Both Anollasia and Quakmybush have nothing to play for on Matchday 13: both have been eliminated from any contention. The only thing they can be now are the spoiler. Assuming that both the Goldhorns and the Confederates, however, as home teams win their matches on MD13, that leaves things entirely in the hands of the Squornshelan Remnant States on Matchday 14.

Perhaps, however, that is exactly where the Goldhorns would like to leave them. The Confederates would then have to go to The Holy Empire and get either a draw or a win to step ahead of the Goldhorns and advance to the Playoff stage. As the Goldhorns themselves learned last week, that might be one of the toughest tasks in world football. The Holy Empire’s last defeat in World Cup Qualifiers came on Matchday 2 of World Cup 81, as they lost 1-0 on the road to Romaian. The last home loss for the Empire came on Matchday 12 of World Cup 80, a 4-2 loss to Yuezhou. The Confederates, however, are the second-highest ranked team in Group H behind only the Empire. On paper, they would have the best chance of pulling off the upset of the ages.

The main conclusion from all of this is that there is only one option in tonight’s match for Siovanija and Teusland: win. “The stakes are obvious, I think, we all know that. It’s basically a knockout match for us, and we’re going to have to play with that intensity,” commented Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere. Lotbiniere has earned plenty of plaudits for his play in these qualifiers, and seems to have made the right back spot his own. Raphael Klopfer added his thoughts on the match: “Of course it’s important, and of course there’s pressure. We can’t get caught thinking ahead, though: we need to understand that we’ve got 90 minutes to play the game of our lives, and hopefully get some luck from other places as well.”

Kickoff for Siovanija and Teusland v Quakmybush is within the hour, and every sports fan in the country has their fingers crossed. One more match to play for the Goldhorns, and it’s the most important yet. Come on you Goldhorns!

Match Report
Siovanija and Teusland 2-5 The Holy Empire, @ Imperial Hippodrome

Lineup: Zhelyaskov; L. Dimitrov, Klopfer, Jager, Daschner; Romanov, V. Dimitrov, Kostov (Kramer 55’), Kruger (Kogler 70’); Ribbeck, Kynev (Reichwein 70’)
Goals: Ivo Romanov 34’, 71
Stelburger Zeitung Man of the Match: Ivo Romanov

[Krytenia]

Lie Back And Think Of Sinyal
By Rami Niblick in Zoloroni, Mercedini

AFTER more twists and turns than the Crossport Raceway, Group G is about to reach its thrilling climax. With Krytenia not playing on Matchday Thirteen, all eyes turn to Mercedini for the next chapter in the story as the Golden Eagles face Sinyal. The Dragons have the chance to qualify without kicking a ball thanks to their win a couple of weeks ago against Aurevbush coupled with Mercedini's continued inability to beat the San Carlos Islands.

For the home side in today's game, it's simply must win. Anything less, and Krytenia sew up top spot with their final game to play. Think it's impossible? Don't forget that Sinyal were the other side to register a victory against the men in sky and white during the campaign.

The atmosphere in the build-up to the game in Zoloroni is tense. The fans here know that direct qualification, even if they win tonight, is out of their hands as they sit out the final matchday.

If Mercedini do win, though, then it sets up an almost destined matchup for the Dragons' final game. A must win match, with three points being the difference between the World Cup and the playoffs...and said match would be against Schottia.

It wouldn't be the first time. This time, though, Krytenia will want to make sure history doesn't repeat - or better yet, that Sinyal get a result here and it doesn't have to. Onward!

[Euran Oceania Territories]

The Expats had failed again to make an impression on World Cup qualifying and needless to say, Skorji Oslograd was not happy. He had good reason to be the exact opposite in fact. Two cycles of mediocrity had not been substantially improved upon although his side currently resided third in their group with two games to go. Qusmo and the returning Chromatika were miles ahead in first and second respectively while Oslograd's side topped "the rest", and only by the absolute thinnest of margins. They had dropped points in crucial matches such as the home game against Port Ember, failed to beat either of the top two to date (although they gave Qusmo a run for their money away from home), and had played poorly in most of the games to boot. Once again, Oslograd was faced with existential doubt about his whole system and style. Did "Skorjiball" actually work? Sure, they could score goals for fun and always looked competitive against the big teams. Yet a litany of missed opportunities and dropped points in other games, and their ageing squad, gave the impression of a team that would never break through a limited ceiling.

It wasn't the first time an Endemian team that wasn't Eura had suffered this problem. Sameba knocked on the door for years unsuccessfully before circumstances deprived them of international football forever more. Great players like Huele, Pablo Dohi and Alan Dabix never appeared at the World Cup despite coming close to qualifying once or twice, because the squad depth simply wasn't there. The smaller Endemian countries - Euran protectorates and dominions like Helving and Daera - had never gone beyond regional friendlies. Nevertheless a sense of disappointment had set in as soon as it became clear that the Expats would get nowhere close to qualifying let alone the playoffs. This cycle had been unanimously agreed upon as the last serious chance for the first generation of top "Expats", literal Euran expatriates who had left home for an international career, to achieve something. Leading Gold League players could be found at the back, in midfield and up front. And what did they have to show for all that untapped pedigree? Very little by the standards of a man like Oslograd.

For the first time this sometimes whimsical and always outrageous leader of men had been forced to confront the hard reality of having a limited pool of players to choose from and his innovations were not enough to overcome it. His unorthodox methods aside, they simply were not good enough as a unit to achieve what he had in mind for them. As long as the side had lower league players in the starting eleven, particularly in the case of Bart Jones in goal, there could be no progress. In spite of all of this, Oslograd didn't feel in danger; if anything the FA of the Euran Oceania Territories had reassured him that he could stay indefinitely as long as his wage demands were low, despite the disappointing results. This was a criminal lack of ambition on their part but even a loose cannon like Oslograd wouldn't want to persuade himself out of a job with his employers. Knowing that he was never going to be sacked meant that he could focus on something he'd never given much thought to before. This was the development of real homegrown talent for the Territories.

The Territories had a booming population approaching forty million without being an utter mess, making the extremely rapid growth of the country both a socio-economic marvel and something of an oddity. Millions of Euran's and a variety of others had poured into this quasi-colonial melting pot and cities were now popping up out of nowhere, with the guiding hand of the Euran state proper of course. However there was no professional domestic footballing infrastructure to speak of beyond the national team, other than a token league and a few hangover continuity teams from the Syndicatian era such as Fligsive FC. This meant that millions of young people were being brought up as Euran Oceanian without any footballing infrastructure to capture them and turn them into home grown players. Oslograd wanted to change this and had realised it was necessary not long after taking the job, even if realistically he might not see the fruits of his labour while he was in charge. For that reason it was him who set the wheels in motion for change. He made the proposal to the EOTFA of a new professional league and a national footballing academy. Naturally, him being international football's biggest egotist, it had to be named after the one and only.

His speech at the opening ceremony had been as chaotic as usual but had gone down surprisingly well with the punters. The impressive Skorji Oslograd National Footbal Academy, SONFA for short, would be the starting point for a generation of Euran Oceanian born talent in the Expats ranks. Its construction had taken advantage of the vast tracts of land available in this new country, with enough room allowed for an entire campus to develop with dozens of pitches. Assembly had been rapid, completed in under a year since the initial proposals and planning had commenced. The Euran government development fund for their dominion in Atlantian Oceania had contributed a handsome sum towards construction after Oslograd pulled a few strings at the EFA. It wasn't just the facilities themselves that were impressive - Oslograd had played a key role in crafting a plan for the hiring and training of thousands of coaches to build a domestic coaching system that was not entirely reliant on expatriates. Cumulatively these changes would take years to have their full effect, but it was a start.

Meanwhile, the EOTFA had brought together the existing teams within the territory and rapidly concluded that the existing semi-professional league was not fit for purpose. It would be replaced by a new league inspired by the Euran domestic system, called simply the Euran Oceania Football League initially. The plan was that it would be made up of three divisions of twelve teams (there weren't enough clubs to sustain bigger divisions yet), and taking a cue from Eura's "Gold/Silver/Bronze" naming scheme, the tiers would be known as the Primary League, Secondary League and Tertiary League. These were hardly awe inspiring names but they sort of made sense. The Primary League would host the twelve biggest teams, the Secondary League the next twelve biggest, and then the Tertiary League would serve as an entry point onto the professional ladder for smaller teams. It would take a while for this league to balance out and fully professionalise. As a result imbalanced results were anticipated for the first season, especially with Fligsive FC having a massive starting advantage over their opponents and comfortably the biggest stadium. This was just one of many challenges ahead. As Oslograd sagely pointed out to rather dismissive critics in the press, every new endeavour has to start somewhere.

[Brusseldorf]

News

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FFB unveils league expansion bid
January 12th

Four months after the new-look Primera Liga was instigated, the FFB have announced that two bids from regional clubs have been successful, and will join the existing 7 teams at the beginning of the next season. The two lucky clubs are Sale United and Fez FC.

Competition for the bid was reportedly fierce, with teams across North and South Algeria, and Morocco all in competition for the spot. Several last-minute deals and big name signings pushed the two successful teams across the line, with Sale United scoring a lucrative deal with national airline Garmillas ImperAir. Fez FC was able to attract a big name in the form of Simon D’Aguilar; hoping to bring a crowd for big home days.

Kits for the new teams are viewable here

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Please note, in character this post is from the beginning of the year

[Mriin]

aroundthehorn.mrn

Woop-woop, that’s the sound of da Popo

We all knew coming into this cycle that it was just a matter of time until Malia had to take the backseat. While everyone always focuses in on how the Reaver defense sucks wind in a myriad of ways, Brennan noticed the moment she took over that the midfield was about to have a gaping hole rip open. She’ll play a few years more, for sure, riding out her career in the MNL--but at thirty-eight, still being the first choice for the NT? Something went wrong. In hindsight it’s obvious Don screwed the pooch in developing the next generation. A team of our caliber shouldn’t be scrambling to find talent, but that’s exactly what the new gaffer had to do.

Now don’t get me wrong, Varyn is a fine player, and I’ve no qualms with him riding the pine with the occasional appearance. But let’s face it; a future NT starter isn’t going to elect to play in the Crystal Empire. Malia was (and still is, bless her heart) a force of nature on the field and a big personality off it, and a worthy replacement is critical for the squad to move forward. That the hand-off has to happen now, in the midst of a do-or-die catfight for qualification, is just the Great Narrative laughing at us. But alak, the rigours of a stressful campaign have finally forced her off the pitch, and we’ve got to make do. Enter a surprise candidate, Popo Tevainen of the Skewers. When his call-up was announced it was like a bolt of lightning down my spine--it makes so much sense. He doesn’t quite have Malia’s creative edge but trades that for a truly indomitable will and a nigh-infinite font of energy. It’s the perfect skillset to compliment Brennan’s penchant for counterattacking, never running out of breath tracking back and being just as explosive darting forward in the eightieth minute as he is in the tenth.

It’s still weird getting used to the fact that people “in the industry” respect me, but I remembered in time to wrangle an interview with Popo following the draw with Natanians and Nosts. The match itself left us in an extremely awkward spot, a scant point ahead of them and three behind Savojarna with just one auto-qual and one playoff spot to split. Because I’ve been a lazy asshole in getting this article out we now know the best result happened during our bye, the other two drawing each other. That leaves the Reavers’ fate firmly in their hands--beat Savojarna away, and avoid dropping points to Zealandiana (again…) and we’re in. Here’s hoping Popo’s got what it takes to grind the frigid Rushmoris into a fine dusting of snow.

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ATH: Thanks for making the time for this, and congrats on your first start!

Popo: Thank you, thank you. It’s all I’ve dreamed of, being out here in front of everyone.

ATH: This was a rough result for us at home; do you have an idea where things got rocky, or are you leaving the autopsy to the nerds?

Popo: Hah, coaches always tell me I should be watching my play back more. I definitely will for this match, though--I’m always gonna push as hard as I can, but with the style we’re running I need to play smarter than I’m used to. I don’t think I fucked up royally anywhere, but who knows what could have happened if I was just a little better?

ATH: Football’s a fickle game like that. Looking forward, you’ve got a bye before the big headliner in Sjoedrhavn. Any plans to stay warm in the meantime?

Popo: I’m actually gonna stay chilled! I don’t know how cold Savojarna is this time of year, but it’s always a lot colder than Bruul. So I’m taking a working vacation up in Quebec to get some climate-controlled reps in.

ATH: Clever! Of course, everything is going to hang in the balance for that match--without giving too much away, what do you think your role will be against the Savojars?

Popo: I know they’ve got some speedy wingers, and I gotta make sure they know I’m never gonna to leave them the fuck alone. When they’ve got “an eye for the goal” that just means they’re willing to get greedy, and when they do I’ll be on them like gravy on hashbrowns.

ATH: Shit, now I’m hungry.

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islanders with 'everything to play for' in massive game away to Vartugia


Busoga Islands players celebrating a goal against Vartugia on Matchday 6 of World Cup Qualifying

VARTUGIA- To say that this is the biggest match in the history of the sport in the Busoga Islands, at least for the national team, is not an understatement. Now, of course, they've had more famous moments. And a match against a team ranked 213th in the multiverse would not usually be known for being so massive. But on this matchday, it is. Unfortunately for the Busoga Islands, they had a chance to clinch a spot in the top 2 of Group X on the previous matchday, but could not over Jeruselem, falling 1-0 at Lakiska City Field. Princess Bianca Dallas for Jeruselem made save after save after save, and the Busoga Islands could not break them down and get that point at home, against the 35th ranked side in the multiverse. Their goals, however, remain clearly in front of them. Thanks to Mattijana's bruising 5-1 loss to the world champions, a draw for the Islanders in Vartugia would be enough to put them into the World Cup Qualifying groups. A victory for the Islanders would set up a tantilizing showdown between Vilita and Busoga Islands at the Lakiska City Cricket Park, who have played three close matches during the past two cycles of World Cup Qualifying, in a winner-takes-all match for the group's sole automatic berth in the World Cup Finals. But a loss would be devastating, with such a promising campaign coming down to a nerve wracking finale with Vilita, needing only a point, but against the two-time defending world champions, to advance to the next stage.

So the pressure for this game, considering the opponent that looms overhead, is through the roof. Starfire, the Equestrian manager of this national team, said that her team was taking it in stride. "Of course, nobody even expected us to be in this spot. This is our third World Cup Qualifying cycle- but did anyone think we'd be more than just fodder this time around for Group X? But this team, this beautiful set of 23, has believed in themselves and in each other. They are fearless and play like that, with nothing to lose, and have the tremendous supporter of the nation. However, nothing has been accomplished at this point, and there is still a lot of work to be done. But still- to this point, to be in complete control of your own destiny with two games remaining, needing to earn one massive point over the next two matchdays to get to the next stage of World Cup Qualifying? This is something that we absolutely would have taken at the beginning of World Cup Qualifying, and it is something that we will take today."

At home, the Busoga Islands and Vartugia played a tight, competitive match, with the Busoga Islands coming out as 1-0 victors. But now, away from home, this is the biggest match that the team has ever faced. They know what they need to do- go out there and get at least a draw. If they do that, they will punch their ticket to the next stage of World Cup Qualifying with a game remaining. And if they can go out here and get the full three points, they will remain in contention for the group's automatic berth into the World Cup Finals. Do the Busoga Islands have what it takes to deal with the incredible amount of pressure that they will face in this game, and have the mental strength to not get caught up in the moment?

This team is going to have to look towards its veterans to lead them. And that starts with the skipper, Marie Sonko. The long-time center back for the national team, Marie Sonko is the anchor and back bone of one of the strongest defenses in World Cup Qualifying. They've conceded just 8 goals across 10 games so far- good for the best mark in Group X, and one of the best marks in all of qualifying so far. Their defense isn't as tight as Reçueçn's, of course, who have allowed just 4 goals over that same stretch, but they do a good job of shutting things down in the back. They will be key- if they don't concede in Vartugia, then no matters what happens on the other end, they'll get their draw.

But it's always dangerous to play down to your opponent when playing for a draw. Vartugia will try to win this one. It's their final home game of the cycle, and already being eliminated, there's no pressure on the squad. They won't play for a draw- they would like to spoil the Busoga Islands. There's nothing like watching another side celebrate their biggest accomplishment on your own home soil, and they don't want Vartugia to become the field where dreams come true. Instead, they'd like to have Vartugia be the house of horrors for this national team. If the Islanders sit back too much and don't go forward, and Vartugia has a particulary piece of skill to beat the defense and score first, the Islanders will be in real trouble.

The challenge of this one is clear. The last true road game of World Cup Qualifying for the Busoga Islands, they'll have to be strong. The path to winning a match like this one is clear. Take the crowd out of it, take control of the pace of the match early, and, as always, be clinical. On paper, the Busoga Islands are clearly the better side. Vartugia is ranked 213th while the Islanders are ranked 92nd; Vartugia has earned 12 points across this campaign while the Islanders have earned 20. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up, and the Islanders know it. This newspaper predicts a 1-1 draw- just enough to get into the playoffs, but we think that Vartugia will play well enough to earn at least a point, and end the home stretch of qualifying on a high note.

As always, but this time, far more than ever, GO BUSOGA!

[Chromatika]

Recap of Matchday 12: Qusmo 3–1 Chromatika
Goals: Victoriane ('45+2)
Starting XI: Nier; An - de Aea - Ibex - Ilya; Thorben - Montague - Mora - Dragana; Andisori, K. (C) - Victoriane.
Substitutes: Anderson -> Ibex ('49), Conrad -> Dragana ('64), Vidal -> Victoriane ('71)
Recap: Second time around, the Qusmi'y had the upper hand. Overwhelming the Chromatik defense time and time again, the Qusmi'y took control of the game early and dominated for most of the match. Kaytlyn Victoriane was able to slide in a goal before halftime, but that was all that the Chromatiks could muster. The loss basically guarantees the Chromatiks the second place in the group, as they'd need Qusmo to drop both upcoming matches and win them both to overtake them in first place.

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Preview of Matchday 13: Chromatika vs. Far Wor Eryunce @ The Capitalizt Dome, Chromatik City, Chromatika (Cap. 144,000)
Starting XI: Nier; Ruth - de Aea - Ibex - Damjana; Kelly - Mora - Kuzami - Conrad; Andisori, K. (C) - Vidal.
Preview: Parker hasn't fully let his foot off the gas pedal; Jillian Nier returns to the starting lineup after a rough match away at Qusmo. This will be the last home match of the cycle, so the crowd will be out in full force; Keira Andisori looks to capitalize.

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Somewhere in the Sky
Atlantian Oceania

It had been a rough match away at Qusmo, leading to the very first loss of the cycle for the Chromatiks. Honestly, if they finished second, it'd be due to the draws versus Port Ember and Competitive Solitaire, but losing always felt horrible to Keira Andisori.

Sitting next to her was her close friend and prodigy, Kaytlyn Victoriane. Though Keira played in the Nepharim Premiership and Kaytlyn played in the Schottic Premier League, and Keira lived with Alyss Montague, the two Chromatik strikers were good friends, always chatting with each other via social media and giving each other support and pointers through the long seasons. Keira had also played a huge role in helping Kaytlyn understand all that was going on with the Chromatik political system. Victoriane wasn't quite as emboldened as the elder Andisori, but she still shared the sentiment with the rest of the team that what Franscesca Cortes and Luuk Aart had accomplished in the Rainbow Revolution was not going to go to waste.

A lot of the team, while not playing football, was spending a lot of time scouring the news and the net for any signs of where Jordan Lawless and Trenn Rien were being held; formal inquiries by the Premier Alina Krasnikova was not answered by the Checkers Party, and it was becoming apparent that this cold war wasn't that cold any longer.

Right before the match, they'd received news that a slew of signs of a green snake's head were appearing on the dark net; it was also becoming clear that Venom was going to be more active this time around.

Was it distracting the players from the matches to come? Perhaps so, but some things were more important than football, and fate had it so that this team had a direct impact on the Chromatik political picture in ways that other teams did not have to worry about.

Why was that?

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; so what is the reaction to Venom?

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Qualifying - Match Day 13 Cutoff

Today's MLP cutoff is Face the Future.

As always, some alternate cutoff tunes.

Results

[The Authoritarian Republic of Lochario]

WE'VE WON!! ANOTHER GAME LIKE THAT COULD GUARANTEE US THE QUALIFICATION!

The national team is on the rise after another win against Eshan, this time at home. Locharians have beaten them 1:0 and are hoping to win against Fevhader to have some hope to qualify for the 1st ever world cup.

[Timuria]

National Team Earn Credible Draw As Dream Ends

by Tufan Nursultan

Valanora 2–2 Timuria
Laborious Hawk (27, 61);Tayyar Ozel (16), Caner Turan (77)

What many of us suspected to be the case was confirmed as the national team earned a credible draw and confirmed their elimination from contention for qualification. With third place confirmed in the group, the team will begin the process of looking back at the qualification campaign a match earlier than they'd hoped.

Both teams began the match with a positive outlook with both teams carving the other open for chances that were dealt with by their respective goalkeepers. Though the Red Wolves' defence has been suspect over the course of this qualification campaign in the opening phase of the game they showed a level of organisation that they haven't produced so far in the tournament as the obviously fitter Vanorian side struggled to make their way past them. Tayyar Ozel opened the scoring with a long range effort that curled viciously beyond the fingertips of Sean Smørdal.

The brilliant Laborious Hawk showed off his superior quality as he carved through the defence and placed a shot past Saban Inekci to equalise. This was followed by a Marie Skaar shot being saved onto the post by Saban. The defence began to come under pressure now that the hosts had opened their scoring account, but they managed to survive until halftime despite the pressure they were under.

The hosts continued their pressure with Saban forced into making more saves from long range as the defensive play became less sloppy. Despite this, the national team found themselves down 2-1 as Laborious Hawk yet again engaged in a display of individual talent that left the defenders scratching their heads as he weaved his way past them for a goal. This prompted a more reckless approach from the Red Wolves who began to throw men forward in numbers in an attempt to stress the Vanorian defence.

This strategy would pay off as Caner Turan scored with a powerful effort from a narrow angle, leaving Sean Smørdal completely helpless. The final chances of the match would fall to the national team as the hosts began to attempt to preserve their unbeaten record rather than seek to win. The final chance of the match fell to Vatan Ercetin whose shot cannoned off the crossbar as the final whistle was blown.

Elsewhere in the group, Lavize confirmed that they will not finish bottom of the group with a solid 2-0 victory over Kiryu-shi who will be the group's bottom team. Balqia completed their qualification campaign with a tight 3-2 defeat at home to 95X who will be the group's representative in the playoffs.

What they said after the match:

Bekir Altingunes: "It's a rather bittersweet day, obviously coming here and getting the draw is spectacular. It's more than I could have dreamed of at the beginning of the qualification campaign. But we have to face the reality that the dream is over for us for this cycle. We'll look back and assess what we think went right and what we think went wrong. But the players should be very proud, no one would have given us a chance of finishing third in this group at the start and that's what we've done."

Saban Inekci: "I'm happy that the coach seems to have figured out what was going wrong with the defence. I'm grateful that when the time came that he gave me the chance to show I could be a team player, because behind closed doors that's what I was, but I don't think the public or the press quite understood that. Even if we get frustrated with each other, at the end of the day we're on the same side and that's something I think everyone will keep in mind."

Player Ratings:

Saban Inekci 7/10 - Put in an excellent performance as he seemed to settle in behind the defence properly.

Ozbek Sarikaya 7/10 - Another strong performance for the full back.

Osman Hasanoglu 7/10 - Seems to have shaken off any rust and is now at 100%

Eyup Mustafa 7/10 - Played with his typical poise and put in a good performance.

Gokdeniz Dag 7/10 - Shined next to a defensive unit that had a good day.

Atilla Acar 6/10 - His effort was outstanding, but he really failed to produce any kind of quality in midfield.

Yusuf Ihsanoglu 7/10 - He showed off his ability as a screen for the defence and some of his attacking capabilities. Will not have harmed his reputation today.

Tayyar Ozel 8/10 - Got the first goal of the match and was generally able to be nuisance all match long.

Ertan Renda 6/10 - Was invisible for a lot of the match which was uncharacteristic for him.

Caner Turan 7/10 - Got himself a goal and kept the pressure up on the flanks.

Vatan Ercetin 5/10 - While he's normally a very efficient goalscorer he seemed to struggle to produce in this match. He topped off a mediocre at best performance with a bad miss at the death of the match.

Substitutes:

Hakan Diren 7/10 - Came on and showed he still had a lot to offer in terms of his intangibles and leadership.

Tekin Yavuz 6/10 - Was brought on to provide a spark, but struggled to cut through.

Man of the match: Laborious Hawk - He put in a sublime performance that was worthy of his talents. Easily the best player on the pitch.

Player of the match for Timuria: Tayyar Ozel - He put in an amazing performance befitting his talent. He's often found himself invisible for a lot of national team matches but showed he can be a force to be reckoned with when he wants to be.

Yet again our editors failed to even get the result of this match correctly with the national team consistently overperforming. This will teach them a lesson for underestimating the national team's capabilities.

Schedule and editor's predictions with the results so far:
MD1: vs Kavagrad, Manat School Sports Centre, L 0-2, Result: D 1-1
MD2: @ Kiryu-shi, W 1-0, Result: W 4-3
MD3: Bye
MD4: vs 95X, Tim-Enerji Park, L 0-3, Result: L 2-3
MD5: @ Balqia D 2-2, Result: D 3-3
MD6: vs Valanora, Hisar School Field of Excellence, L 1-4, Result: L 3-5
MD7: @ Lavize D 1-1, Result W: 4-3
MD8: @ Kavagrad L 1-3, Result W 3-2
MD9: vs Kiryu-shi, Maden-Is Stadium W 2-0, Result W 3-1
MD10: Bye
MD11: @ 95X L 0-4, Result D 4-4
MD12: vs Balqia, Manat School Sports Centre D 1-1, Result D 1-1
MD13: @ Valanora L 0-4, Result D 2-2
MD14: vs Lavize, Belediye Park W 1-0

Total points won: 15

The next match: The national team's final match will be against Lavize. Despite it being a meaningless match, the national team will want to put on a show for the fans at Belediye Park who will want to celebrate the team's achievements up to this point.

[Mattijana]

World Cup 83: Who Could Replace Dusan Vukoja

MFO SPORT

With Mattijana's chances of qualification for World Cup 83 hanging by a thread after a crushing 5-1 defeat to Vilita, speculation has once again begun over whether head coach Dusan Vukoja will be replaced for the Cup of Harmony and more importantly, who he will be replaced by.

As per usual, there are some names being floated around, but with the MattijanaFussBand known to enjoy a left-field pick, those names may not be anywhere near the job. Still, we like some gossip in Mattijana and so we're going to run through the favourites and outside picks for the job if Vukoja does go.

Top Picks:

Max Juremchuk:

Juremchuk has twice been overlooked for the Mattijana job with both Vukoja and former boss Matej Ljubanik both preferred in previous years. The Revinka coach has consolidated his team's place in the top five of the league since he took over and has done it with a scintillating brand of football featuring some of Mattijana's key players, most notably winger Jessika Struna and goalkeeper Lucija Handanovic.
His defensive record is probably the only thing between him and a certain job offer, but may be a big con in the current climate. Mattijana's defense has once again been inconsistent, conceding 5 goals in two of their games and to top it off, captain and star centre-back Katija Burnisovic may not be around for a whole lot longer.
Juremchuk would be desperately unlucky not to get the nod, but now may be even less his time than before.

Ameli Kurnic:

Dinamo Petrovijanka manager Kurnic is the top-order alternative to Juremchuk. She has also impressed domestically with her Dinamo Petrovijanka team recently earning back to back PrvaLiga titles with an equally eye-catching style of play.
Kurnic's teams defend from the front, executing a high-press that requires her forwards and midfielders to have top-fitness levels. It is slightly more secure at the back than Juremchuk's brand, but can be incohesive going forward at times and against good-quality opposition with players that don't get to see each other too often, things could get messy.

Given the impatience of the Mattijanan fans and management to get results quickly, having to wait for Kurnic to build a team may not go down well.

Dusan Vukoja:

Of course there are no guarantees that Vukoja will lose his job. Even if the Marmots do fail to qualify, they have played the best and most consistent football in their history and have been rewarded with their best finishing position in their history. The squad is a young one, but still one which one man knows the most about and that man is Dusan Vukoja.

The football has somehow picked up too. There have been morale boosting victories against Vilita and Jeruselem whilst, putting the Asdia defeat aside, they have avoided the catastrophic defeats against lower-ranked opponents that have been so common in qualifying campaigns so far.

On the other hand, the MattijanaFussBand may stick to their guns and Vukoja himself might want to leave on a high note like former boss Matej Ljubanik did following his sides first Campionato Esportiva medal.

Outside Chancers:

Marko Wladic:

If the MattijanaFussBand are looking for something a little different, from somewhere different, Marko Wladic may be the man for the job. The FK Snezn manager has orchestrated one of the most reliable defensive units in the PrvaLiga and despite a lack of real personalities, aside perhaps from the Mattijana midfielder Katarina Jakupovic, has built a solid and successful team unit.

Those are eye-catching qualities for the MFB at the moment and given the somewhat loose defensive records of the favourites, Wladic may find himself higher up the list than many think.

Ekatarina Iljana:

Former Mattijana coach Matej Ljubanik oversaw FK SavaFluss' meteoric rise into the PrvaLiga's mid-table, but it is his successor who might be in with an outside look now. Ekatarina Iljana has preserved SavaFluss' position in the lower-reaches of the top 10 and has established a settled team on the outskirts of Petrovijanka.
Iljana plays a flowing, possession-based style of football not dissimilar to that of Ljubanik and Vukoja, which may go for or against her depending what mood the MFB are in. What does go in her favour is longevity. Her style is sustainable and Iljana will probably hang around for as long as you want her to.

Daria Makic:

Matbirjke manager Daria Makic is another manager with a good track-record at a PrvaLiga club, having taken FK Matbirjke into the top 10 with the added bonuses of young stars Kevin Krychowiak and Kara Lorenzic coming to the fore. Given that Lorenzic looks to be the future of the Mattijanan forward line, that connection may be seen as highly valuable.

Tactically however, there are concerns. Makic's largely kick-and-run philosophy works to excellent effect in the zippy mountain air and the players' fitness levels can pull it off at sea level in the PrvaLiga, but it is not a style that lends itself particularly well to international football.


Radical Picks:

Nadia RösKopf:

Nadia RösKopf has a CV to rival many of her rivals. She has taken Weststrand FK to solid top-10 finishes in the PrvaLiga and has also overseen the development of young midfielder Juliana Kjoffman, who looks like a useful talent for the future.
Based on that information, you might be surprised that RösKopf is not higher up the list of candidates. However, her style of football is agricultural at best, something that suits the swirling winds of the west coast and a physical team, but not the national side.
Add to that allegations of overly brutal player-management and it would be hugely surprising if RösKopf got anywhere near the Mattijana setup.

Zala Stefanidi:

Stefanidi is the manager at South-Eastern club FK Shalkar and improved their fortunes after a fairly miserable season in which they were beaten by both their regional rivals Konja and Antalja. Her style of football is defensively-focused and largely counter-attacking, but also highly radical. Stefanidi has at times adopted a sweeper to cover for her centre-backs and has also played with no recognised striker on multiple occasions during the year.
Her appointment would certainly be entertaining, although whether it would be successful is another matter entirely. Either way, it is pretty unlikely to happen.

Matej Ljubanik:

Surely not?

Having been sacked as Mattijana manager five cycles ago after some turgid results and even more turgid football, Matej Ljubanik became the Huelavia U18s coach and took some time out of the spotlight, only coming back into it when he was surprisingly appointed manager of the Lochario national team earlier this cycle.
Since then, he has completely changed the fortunes of the side, with a recent win over Eshan putting them well in the mix for a playoff place, perhaps showing he wasn't that bad a manager after all.
The MFB probably feel their bridges with Ljubanik are not just burned, but a charred mess at the bottom of the river and Lochario would almost certainly not allow Mattijana to poach their now-beloved manager, but it's a nice story isn't it?

[Juvencus]

Paratan 0-4 Juvencus

Squadra casually net 4 past Paratan in an impressive showing


The team is celebrating getting a step closer to the world cup

Paratan XI:
11 nameless creatures entered the pitch, we have no information about them.

Juvencus XI:
GK:Taddeo Bulgari
CB:Dudu Madeiros
CB:Nicolò Bassi
CB:Izotz Ibarra(Assist 82')
CDM:Nino Russo
CDM:Clovis Bret
RM:Ekain Zuñiga
LM:Tore Christian(Subbed for Angelino Alberighi, 62')(Angelino Alberighi: Goal, 82')
LF:Joaquim Martell(Goal, 33', Assists, 15', 50')
RF:Patxi Etxeberria
CF:Santo Silvestri(Goals 15', 50')

The gli attaccanti exchibited an incredible showcase of teamwork as well as effective, yet aggressive play. A very one-sided game, however really action packed and important as a game, with the Squadra climbing to 2nd place, ahead of Acronius on goals difference and head to head results. A particularly impressive showing by Martell, who not only managed to net a goal but also serve 2 for his teammates.

It was obvious from the first few minutes of the first half that the Juven side was getting into this game more seriously than usual. With a more concrete plan in mind, it started playing its usual greedy and possessive play early on with a chance taking place only when an opportunity arises. That opportunity didn't fail to come and by the 8th minute, a shot from Silvestri was saved by the Paratanic goalkeeper. Soon afterwards, however, the Paratanic side wouldn't be so lucky, as Martell would manage to get through a bunch of defenders giving the ball to Silvestri with the latter capitalising on the defence's inability to stop him. Later on, Martell's another attempt at a solo effort was a success, after being able to find holes in the Paratanic defence and scoring another one for his team. The first half ended in a Paratanic forward's shot ending wide.

However the 2nd half was even more one-sided. Firstly, it started raining, giving the Juven side the advantadge, as most players are used to playing in the rain. Secondly, with a 2-goal lead by their side, they had their morale up and as such their energy was still pretty high. The engines started working with the plan going ahead. Quickly enough, Silvestri was able to score an unbelievable screamer from the 27-yard range, in what could be described as one of the goals of the year. In the 62nd minute, a Paratanic player was sent off after harshly tackling then punching Tore Christian, with the latter retaliating from the ground but being stopped before anything could escalate, he was subbed off for Angelino Alberighi. Alberighi proved to be the one to seal the deal by the end of the game, scoring a header after an Ibarra cross. After that sweet 4-goal lead gave a safety pillow to the gli attaccanti they decided to shut down the engines and get back to the possessive play, much to the disdain of the remaining Paratanic fans. With that victory, the Squadra is tied for 2nd with Acronius, but are ahead due to goal difference and head-to-head results. Next game is against lowly Koyoland, in what could be the team's opportunity to seal the deal and qualify for the world cup's playoff stage.

[Zwangzug]

The Eagles Club had been built to mark Zwangzug's victory in the sixth Eagles Cup, and to give it a location to host future editions of the tournament (at least their own team's games). Forbridge attracted a heady mix of college kids and AI pundits, more of the latter these days given the transformations the economy went through, as well as football historians who marvelled at the nearby lake and carefully stayed out of reach of Sydney Stefred. (She had been benched for this particular occasion, to avoid a repeat of the away leg; Schiavonia having somewhat fewer substitutes than Zwangzug, it was considered important to avoid injuring the visitors and keep her eligible for subsequent games.)

Perhaps thirty degrees above the horizon, a gray morass descended to fill the sky. Dark clouds, not so much a sign of foreshadowing as a natural part of the weather. But still ominous.

So the lights came on early, and stayed on through the first half. Ramona scored the first goal, off a pass from Kurt; Schiavonia equalized through Knobjockey. Jonah almost injured Geisenfried Dice, and there was a brief stoppage of play while the referee tried to establish whether them changing their top-facing side counted as a numerical substitution, but eventually found that they could play on. Not that it really mattered, given Schiavonia's aforementioned lack of substitutes.

That meant that there were several minutes added on at the end of the first half, which mostly consisted of Isla Llewelyn dribbling slowly and keeping the ball away from a daring Sophie. Shortly after both sides made it off the field for halftime, however, the skies opened up, and a harsh rain arrived.

Fans hid in the hallways to stay dry, cramping together and swapping sophisticated econometric algorithms to pass the time. Distant thunderbolts carried, with the corresponding time delay, from campus and beyond. With a potential qualifying spot on the line, the officials were under pressure to wait it out and resume the game, but they were generally unimpressed at hobnobbing with the crowd. There was not much in the way of Schiavone travelling support for them to mingle with in an attempt to remain unbiased, so they mostly wound up gorging themselves on breakfast food at the Peak'n'Break concession stand, prompting a few fans to start into cheers about "who ate all the muffins."

Even once the rain let up, they did their diligence in waiting, briefly, for the field to dry somewhat. The lights still bright, the game resumed.

Ione's winning goal was less a matter of individual brilliance, more a matter of the opposing defense getting stuck in the mud, but it was more than anything the visitors could muster in the ensuing twenty-plus minutes. On to Pasarga, then, and all the scoreboard watching they outwardly promised each other it wouldn't entail.

[Krytenia]

14:30 - Hello! As we gear up for Krytenia's must-win final qualifier against Schottia, we've got an as-live text replay of that fateful day when these two sides met in similar circumstances. Well, similar for our lot, anyway. Don't worry, we'll keep you abreast of any news from this afternoon in the meantime here as well. "Coverage" starts at 14:45.

14:45 - TEAM SHEETS IN - No surprises for the visitors, who keep faith in the team that has given them a chance to make it to the World Cup.
For Krytenia, it's also an unchanged side despite a late scare when Alfie Xousa pulled up in training. He's passed a fitness test, and Rami Niblick's happy to put him in the starting eleven.

14:46 - SCHOTTIA TEAM - D'Araby - O'Brian, Okywä, Hanlon, Watt - Fotan, Seggerson - Avelione, Killanen, Coultan - Allen
Mark Allen is expected to be the dangerman; the middle five, meanwhile, will be looking to crowd out Sam Alinas and the lads. Speaking of which...

14:46 - KRYTENIA TEAM - Heaton - Barcali, Xousa, J Davis, Demetrius - Angelo, Alinas, Larsson - Ortega - Valrauncion, van Rijn
Looks like Joel Scott will have to wait to get his place back. That top three is going to have the home fans salivating, though I'm sure they'd prefer a Kennedy in the line-up given we're in Stanton. Ah well, maybe one day...

14:53 - Players and coaches emerging from the tunnel. Rami's wearing an almost-conservative navy suit. I say almost conservative, as the shirt underneath is a rather radioactive looking shade of yellow. Shades on, lads.

14:58 - The small number of Schottia fans gamely belt out their national anthem, with complete and almost disdainful silence from the home supporters. Celesta, meanwhile, is a wall of noise as it should be.

15:00 - KICK-OFF - We're underway at the Harbour Stadium. Schottia's goal difference advantage here means they can play for a draw. Armando Ortega's off on one though - until a good tackle from Chris Okywä.

15:07 - BACK TO THE PRESENT - News from Handon: Joshua Coquelin will start on the bench after picking up a knock in training. Freddie Hames takes his place in the starting line-up.

15:11 - CLOSE! - Early sighter from Ronnie van Rijn but it's always drifting wide. Lucas D'Araby dives to cover just in case, but he needn't worry.

15:17 - YELLOW CARD - Now Sam, was that really needed? Alinas upends Alfred Seggerson, and goes in the book for his troubles. Pointless really, the Soessch man was going up a cul-de-sac.

15:28 - CLOSE! - Schottia getting back into the game here as Mark Allen finds some space. Shot is straight at David "Safe Hands" Heaton though.

15:31 - PANIC TIME - Schottia are very nearly gifted one as Xousa plays a complete hospital ball of a backpass. Heaton manages to get something on it and it's a corner.
Set-piece comes to nothing as Jason Davis thumps a header away.

15:37 - YELLOW CARD - Valrauncion of all people. It's a clumsy challenge on Darren Hanlon, and he immediately puts his hands up to it. Doesn't make the ref any more lenient though.

15:45 - CLOSE! - van Rijn rattles the crossbar; keeper didn't have a chance to move. Would have been a screamer that.

15:47 - HALF-TIME - We're on tenterhooks here. Result as it stands sends Schottia through, but there's still all to play for.

16:02 - SECOND HALF - Schottia start us back underway. Remember, Krytenia need to score.

16:03 - GOAL - Correction. Krytenia need to score twice. Xousa mis-steps and Eoin Killanen grabs the loose ball. Heaton's not a miracle worker...this time, anyway.

16:04 - SUBSTITUTION - There goes Alfie Xousa, replaced by...Mark Ellisham. Methinks Joel Scott's international career may be over.

16:11 - HANDBAGS - Darren Hanlon takes down Valrauncion with a scything tackle, and the two square up. It's all shouting and wagged fingers. Oh, and a yellow for Hanlon for the tackle.
The referee also has a word with the elf. Needs to be careful, he's already in the book.

16:18 - CALL OFF THE FAT LADY! Armando unloads a thunderbolt from the edge of the box from an absolutely nothing ball. Scenes.

16:24 - RED CARD! - Darren Hanlon is off! Another bad foul on Valrauncion, who is nettled. He berates the Schottia defender all the way to the touchline. Rami Niblick's on the edge of his technical area screaming at the elf to calm down.

16:26 - SUBSTITUTION - The gaffer's had enough of Valrauncion's temper; he's coming off to be replaced by some teenager called Alex Sampson. This seems oddly familiar somehow.

16:31 - CLOSE! Hey, this Sampson kid's not half bad! He latches on to a nice Ortega ball, but just drags his shot inches wide. Positive though.

16:39 - OH CRAPWEASELS - Sampson and van Rijn linking up well, attack gets broken up, big long ball...and it lands at the feet of Mark Allen, who of course scores. Hello playoffs.

16:43 - GOAL! - Ortega slips another to Sampson, who beats the offside trap and levels it! Two-all, grandstand finish with four minutes to...oh.

16:43 - OFFSIDE - It's chalked off; apparently, Sampson didn't beat the trap. Where's Tejai when you need him?

16:48 - FULL TIME - That's it! Schottia go to the seventy-third World Cup Finals, while Krytenia will have to go the long way round. Somewhere in Cathair, some creaky geezer in a trenchcoat is doubled over laughing. Bastard.