World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[South Covello]

Luisa Benitez Wins Presidential Election in Landslide

Luisa Benitez won the Presidential Election runoff over Tim Scott in a total landslide. Polls closed at 8:00, and by 8:30, all the networks had called the election for Benitez, who will become the third president of South Covello, not counting Carter Redwin, as he was never actually inaugurated. By the time all the votes were counted, Benitez had won 79.1% of the vote, while Scott only won 20.9%. Scott immediately called Benitez to concede the election, avoiding a crisis many feared after Redwin's death.

Benitez was inaugurated immediately, as the Presidency was vacant, although a public ceremony would be scheduled for several weeks in the future. In the meantime, Benitez decided to respond to King Paulus XVI about his speech.

From the Desk of Luisa Benitez

To: King Paulus XVI, Saintland
Mandatory Disclaimer: Under South Covellan law, this letter and any responses to it are public information which can be freely viewed online by anyone inside or outside South Covello. By responding, you grant the right for your response to be released in this manner.

Dear King Paulus,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luisa Benitez, the newly elected President of South Covello. I already have watched your speech and have been briefed on the situation, and now wish to respond to each of your points in turn.

First, you state, and I quote, "Jacob Brackers must be brought to justice and serve a minimum of life imprisonment, if not the death penalty. Either South Covello must alter its laws to ensure that this criminal gets what is coming to him or they must voluntarily deport him to a nation that has law and order." This, simply put, will not happen. Mr. Brackers was acquitted by a jury of his peers, and as such cannot be tried again in South Covello for the same crime per our protections against double jeapordy. Furthermore, South Covello will not extradite individuals to other countries if the prosecution would violate the South Covello constitution if it were to take place in South Covello. This means, among other things, that we will not extradite in cases where the foreign government is seeking the death penalty (or any other punishment which would violate our constitution, such as whipping in the pillory) nor will we extradite in cases where the individual has already been acquitted of the crime in South Covello or elsewhere by a valid court. Therefore, we will not be extraditing Jacob Brackers to Saintland or elsewhere.

Secondly, you state "South Covello must immediately abolish the "necessity" defense." Again, this is simply put not happening. The necessity defense is recognized under the common law by virtually every nation that uses it. We are not going to abolish it just because you say so.

Third, you refer to the man formerly known as Enemy Crusher Krusholli Crushsaintland, and claim he is "probably long dead." As you probably know, we did not experience a time warp like your nation did, therefore only a few years have actually passed since the incident in question. I can assure you that this individual is still alive and well. However, our government now recognizes the vast majority of Gregists, with the exception of high-ranking ones, as victims of brainwashing by the so-called Lord Almighty Gregory and his regime. The individual now recognizes that his actions were criminal and immoral, and that the lies spread by the Gregists about Saintland and other nations, and about the so-called "Lord" himself were blatantly false and patently absurd. However, as he renounced the Gregists during the Revolution, under our laws we view him as a victim of propaganda and brainwashing and he cannot and will not be prosecuted here. As I mentioned above, we do not extradite for any prosecution which could not take place under our laws. Therefore, this individual will not be extradited.

However, this brings me to your next point, on which we are somewhat more amenable. You state, and I quote, "I do demand that the government of South Covello pay reparations to make us whole." To put it bluntly, we were victims of the Gregists too and it is unfair and immoral to make us pay for their sins. However, as you recall, we do not allow the death penalty, and as a result, most of the so-called Lord Almighty Gregory's inner circle is still alive and in prison. A report out of the Free Republics indicated that the so-called Lord Almighty Gregory owns quite a sizeable amount of money in an Acedonian bank account. If you wish to pursue legal action against those actually responsible for these horrific acts, we will cooperate to the best of our ability. However, keep in mind again my earlier point - we will not extradite anyone if their prosecution would violate our laws or our Constitution. THis means that if you want us to hand the Gregists over for trial, you must agree not to subject them to any additional criminal punishment, as they are already sentenced to multiple life sentences in South Covello, plus millions of additional years. Simply put, they will not be getting our of oiur prison, ever. However, we will not turn them over if they face capital punishment, imprisonment in Saintland, or any other cruel and unusual punishment such as whipping or pillory. Simply put, you will return them to us after the civil trial, and we will return them to prison. Alternatively, you can sue them in our courts, or Acedonian ones given that's where the money is, or pursue any other means you wish of gaining access to that money provided it does not violate our laws or our Constitution. Please inform me of how you wish to proceed, and as I said, we will cooperate to the best we are able.

I am awaiting your response.

Sincerely,

Luisa Benitez
President of South Covello

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

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

WHO KNEW?
Bengaliana 1-0 New Lusitania
@undisclosed ground (v o i d)
with reactions and opinions by Ricardo Esposende

Usually we'll start with the teams and and what's going on, but every Lusitanian has suffered enough with this pinnacle of results and we just actually have to say it for the first time: we lost. We bottled an accessible qualification not because we weren't good enough against the big teams but because of losses against the minnows, which only leads us to believe we are the Robin Hood of International football for the time being. This actually leads us to question, at the same time the coach, for the first time since World Cup 79 we have to question the coach's decisions, mainly to put a more balanced tactic compared to the usually more attacking tactic (see World Cups 80-82). However, Victor Santa Cruz can't be completely blamed for this as these tactics along with good flexibility between them, worked for teams like Cassadaigua and previously HUElavia (in friendlies). Did they, for once (or twice) underestimate their opponent? Unlikely as it isn't the philosophy taught here. The team has also shown depth, so there isn't an clear explanation in why. At least in the New Karelograd and the bigger Abaja game, the team played but at certain moments you had to question if the team was there tonight. One thing that can be attributed was the strong rotation as many players hadn't rested in a while. Lopes returned to goal, Carriça joined Leiteiro took Centre-back positions in an unusual 4-4-2 with Cédric taking right back. Eustáquio played for Veiga and Costa played up front. The only players to actually do every single match was Fernando and Silveira. On seventy-four minutes some player that we don't know because a) it's an unranked nations, b) there is no roster provided by the adversary weirdly enough.
The whole insult to injury thing is that now it's all over. The hopes and dreams of a nation are over. A draw would've been enough to take this to the last day, and yet, we didn't even manage that. We needed one point to keep in the fight! Our final game is the reception to Abaja where we got one of our three losses and kick-started their campaign seriously. At the moment, even if anything happens we're only doing the Crystalline Caverns a big favour, if (and that's still a decently sized IF) we win as they only need to win. Victor Santa Cruz, now under a bit of pressure for his next cycle's first games and the rest of this one, has stated he has now intention of letting Abaja just take the win. This, perhaps in part due to the fact that we still might end up in 5th place.
At the moment, our best hope is if- and that too is a major if - the eventual organisers of the Cup of Harmony invite us. Either way, our ranking will suffer already with an average cycle which might finish in 5th and a 4 all (4W, 4D, 4L) record, which we still hope it won't happen. Unless we eventually happen to have a great Cup of Harmony which isn't likely, expect to maybe find New Lusitania back in the third pot. Either way, focusing back in the now, this game, if anything has shown that New Lusitania doesn't work as well in a 4-4-2 tactic as it does on a 3-5-2/3-1-3-1-2. There will still be a lot to think, consider and review in the federation but if anything despite the result the best is to put it behind us and focus on the next game. FULL TIME: 1-0

Here & Around the Grounds
New Lusitania's result may seem like one of the twists the previous article alluded to, but it wasn't intended to be so. Either way, also in the group, the Crystalline Caverns lost to Cassadaigua 1-0, meaning the aforementioned one point would've been enough to keep it a three horse race. Meanwhile, Rakivland had a good result at New Karelograd's final match, with a 0-2 win away which means they can still snatch fourth. New Lusitania can no longer qualify, but Cassadaigua are now confirmed in either Banija or Equestria.
Elsewhere, Sargossa (D), Qusmo (E) and Vilita (X), among others also booked their tickets. In Group A, it'll be an interesting ending as Savojarna lead but are powerless to stop second placed Mriin as they have finished their campaign. With a point between them and Mriin travelling to last placed Zelandia it may be some lost minute drama for the Savojars. The final games of Group Q are Rakivland's reception of Cassadaigua, the Crystalline Caverns hosting Bengaliana and New Lusitania recieving Abaja in Coimbra.

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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MMXIX

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

SOCCER FEVER.... IN NEWMANISTAN?

By Taylor Larson,

In defeat, Newmanistan played one hell of a game against Cosumar. The ending scoreline will always read as a 4-3 loss, but it may have actually been the best game Newmanistan played throughout qualifying. The Dragons (I’ll call them that for now) played a great game. They didn’t take us lightly, and they didn’t play poorly. Cosumar executed well. Somehow, someway, the Rockets were able to match them for 84 minutes. With the Empire still alive to advance to the playoff group stage, Emperor Michael I Stadium in Pocono City was not only sold out, but it was loud. I can’t remember in my lifetime, ever a time that the nation was this excited about soccer. There was a year they had modest success in the Campinato Esportiva, but that was nothing compared to this. It was like it was baseball, stock car racing, or the game we call football (gridiron to many). For this moment, we saw that Newmanistanians do enjoy soccer, they just need a reason to get excited over it. Attendance for all of our qualifying home matches played at various locations throughout the Empire have been strong, with most sell outs. However, those sell outs were the die hards. Every nation has them, and they would support the national team no matter what. They were simply thrilled that we were even attempting to qualify. That fact, alone, would be good enough for them. Midway through qualifying, it was apparent that Newmanistan was holding their own, but as no second team got up on the table to challenge Cosumar, Newmanistanian soccer fans began to dream even larger. Was that second spot in the table really there for the taking? Eshan was there, but was not putting it away. Lochario’s inability to beat us meant that they never got past us. The team seemed to be playing with more confidence, and heading into this final home qualifier, Newmanistan looked to play Cosumar hard, but the fans knew that no matter what happened here, we would control our own destiny in the away finale against Eshan.

Cosumar is a nation that Newmanistanians know. They actively participate in pretty much every sport, and that includes the World Baseball Classic. There isn’t a rivalry between us, but unlike Eshan, who our fans really don’t know, Cosumar is a known commodity. All nations are best in certain sports, and looking at the group table, it is pretty clear that soccer is where Cosumar really thrives. Newmanistanians can respect that, and knew this would be a real test. In the 18th minute, when Jorge Cortez fired home an equalizer to Cosumar’s 10th minute goal, the fans were on fire. Excitement lived. The Rockets were not backing down.

It happened again, coming in the 42nd minute on a Derek Schaefer goal, responding to Cosumar’s 33rd minute score. Heading into the intermission all tied at two, Newmanistan was stepping up and giving the World Cup-bound visitors all they wanted to handle. In the 65th, Newmanistan took the lead for the first time, thanks to Brent Chapman, and that really got the crowd going. Unfortunately, Cosumar responded, just like we did before; this coming in the 72nd. If the game ended as a 3-3 draw, we would still need to beat Eshan in the finale (due to Lochario’s win), so the team pushed for the go ahead goal a little more then they probably would have normally, and that bit them in the 84th minute. The final, 4-3 Cosumar. A tough loss given we played so well, but the team knew that beating Eshan would have been neceessary, either draw or loss. Had we won the match, which is why we pushed for it late, since Lochario defeated Eshan earlier in the day, we would have clinched the second spot right here and now.

This takes us to Eshan. A road contest against the second pot team is not easy, and if they didn’t get the result, we can probably still call this a success. That’s because soccer fever is back in Newmanistan. I never thought I would see the day. If we can beat Eshan, somehow, what an amazing story it would be for this team to reach the playoff group stage. Eshan is 0-2-3 in their last five. While we are ahead of Eshan on the table, a draw would only see us through if Fevhader either defeated or drew with Lochario. This is exciting, for sure!

[Hapilopper]

The locker room, Damukuni Stadium
Just before World Cup Qualifying Match 12: Hapilopper vs. Damukuni
The Hapilopper National Football Team could look at the upcoming match, the final one of the group phase of the qualifiers, in one of several ways. They could look at it as the last match of the qualifying phase. They could look at as the end of the road. Or, more optimistically, they could look at it as a new beginning. They could look at it as the start of a new phase in the team’s history. They could look at it as the start of a glorious phase in Hapiloppian sport.

The fact was, though, was that that glorious phase, later called “The Golden Era of Hapiloppian Sport,” had begun. Regardless of the result on this beautiful evening in Damukuni, a magical era in sport in Hapilopper had started, and would not end any time soon. This time last year, it seemed almost laughable that a Hapiloppian athlete would make it in the realm of international sport. It seemed out of the question that a sport like football would overtake auto racing and baseball, long considered the two kings of sport in the Dominion. But, on this day, stars like Ernie Stevenson were being seriously considered as the next threat of the future.

Ernie, at 26 years old, still had more than enough time to become one of the world’s heroes in sport. He had already captured the imaginations of children and teenagers across the Dominion. Because of his heroic efforts on the pitch, and because of the efforts of his teammates, a generation of Hapiloppians had decided to take up the sport of football, rather than pick up a bat and a ball and try their hand at baseball, or try to find the money to purchase a dirt late model.

Ernie sat there at his locker and contemplated the last few months. It started quite some time ago, when the HNFT played their first matches in the 70th Baptism of Fire. Those first matches had been a roaring success, and the team had gotten off to, quite possibly, one of the greatest starts that a national team had ever experienced. They won their first 15 matches, including all 10 matches in the Baptism of Fire, as well as their first five matches in the World Cup qualifiers. But then the team went up against Damukuni, the very opponents they were set to face.

The Haps got their asses kicked by a stronger Damukunian team the last time they played. There was no other way to put it. Damukuni was on it that day, and Hapilopper simply wasn’t. It started a run of unfortunate luck that, in the next five matches, gave Hapilopper only one victory, that against Polkopia. There were matches that the Haps shouldn’t have lost, or even tied. They tied with Lepolanatnessffiria. They got beat by Islas Aaland. They tied with Bolgano, and with that span of bad luck, the Haps lost the lead in Group N, and lost the automatic qualifying spot.

If they wanted to make that “impossible dream” work, they had to win this match. There were no two ways about it. But they also needed Brenecia to slip up, either with a tie or with a loss. Unfortunately for the Haps, however, Brenecia was taking on Bolgano that night, not one of the top teams in the group, and the Haps were taking on Damukuni, one of the top teams in the group.

But, nothing was impossible. Bolgano was more than capable of putting on a giant-killing effort, and the Haps were more than able to beat a team much higher ranked than they were. They had done it before. There was no reason they couldn’t do it again. They had defeated every other team in the group, why not beat Damukuni?

And, hell, Bolgano could at least tie Brenecia, and all the Haps needed to do was score more than a handful of goals against Damukuni. It was possible. It was doable, and if they did it, they would make it in on goal differential.

If they lost, however, it would be, for the time being, the end of the road for the HNFT, at least until the Cup of Harmony, provided, of course, they even receive an invite for the event.

The idea of the Cup of Harmony, however, sounded so sickening, so distasteful, so disheartening in the eyes of the HNFT, however, that they refused to even think about it just before this match, the last match of the qualifying phase. There was no other option for them but to qualify. They had come this far, that about the worst thing that could happen at this point would be for them to be relegated to an event such as the Cup of Harmony.

Over the last several days, the Haps appeared energized, motivated and ready to just do the best they could to beat Damukuni, and if the chips fell where they could, qualify for the World Cup on this day. They had come off what they had felt was the very best training they had ever performed. They had practiced, then perfected, a tactical plan that they felt could help them outperform the Damukunians. As the players sat at their lockers, fully dressed and ready to play, there was a certain feeling of calmness that had pervaded in the locker room. They had done all they could.

Thom Perkins, the head coach of the national team, looked around at his players. A lot of them were focused, calm, quiet, but to a man, ready to go.

“Gentlemen, I don’t know how this match will turn out,” he said. “I don’t know what the score will be, and I don’t know who will win, who will lose, or if we’ll end up tied. But I do know, based off what I’ve seen in the last few days, that you, all of you, will play the best you’ve ever played. When we started this whole deal, even from the minute we started our first training sessions, I asked all of you to just play the best you could. If we did that, we might be able to outperform anyone and everyone. I’m confident in all of you, and I’m certain that you have done exactly that. We’ve lost a few times, but when we lost, we went down fighting. There’s no shame in going out fighting and getting your ass kicked, but there’s no honor in not fighting at all.”

Thom stopped for a second and looked at some of his players. Some of them had smiles on their faces.

“You know, we’re fighting for more than ourselves,” Thom said. “We’re going into this for those kids who said they took up football because of us. We’re going into this for our fellow countrymen. I can’t think of a better motivator than all of those people. You know, there’s something I said before the Baptism of Fire final that I hope all of you remembered. We are Hapilopper. We will do this.”

The players shouted in approval, and rushed out to take the field. They didn’t know how it would turn out, but they’d try like hell to stay in contention. And that’s all anyone wanted from them.

[Bliuji]

*Back at the hotel's conference room in Sajnur*

And that was it, Bliuji's hopes of qualifying were over. The team gave it their best effort, all the training, vod review, and pep talks meant nothing now that Bliuji couldn't qualify for the world cup. Bliuji got their asses handed to them in a close game against Sajnur. Once again Sajnur's offense was too powerful for Bliuji's defense to handle. It doesn't matter what happens in the last game this is where the show ends. The only thing Bliuji can hope for now is an invite to the Cup of Harmony; if they get invited.

With times looking tough for Bliuji, this isn't the end of it. Bliuji has proven themselves to potentially be a good soccer team shown in the Baptism of fire. Not to mention that Bliuji's u18 national team having some skilled players as well they can only hope for a brighter future.

Staff knew what this meant because Bliuji did well in the baptism of fire, fans had high expectations heading into the world cup... only to be disappointed.

*Bliuji's staff walked into the conference room one by one only to see the sad look on the player's faces after the tough loss against Sajnur*

"That's it, boys, you gave it your best shot out there and you need to understand we are really proud of the work you did. Sajnur is a highly skilled soccer team and you guys were neck and neck with them till the very end don't be angry. The only thing we can do now is hope to be invited to the COH."

*Team captain Erik Belov stood up and looked around the room*

After all, we have been through in the baptism of fire and world cup, we know what these teams are capable of. I don't know what the future of the team will be like but I do know that with hard work and discipline anything is achievable. Our time is now, let's show the world how great of a team we really are. We are doing this for ourselves and the great nation we live in. Now look, guys, it's not gonna be an easy road to the show... but let's get on the plane tomorrow and finish the world cup off strong with a win over Brusseldorf. I know we can do it, anythings possible.

*All team members got up and started cheering for that amazing speech by Erik.*

*Vitaly Aksakov jumped to the middle of the conference room*

Bring it in gentlemen he shouted

*All team members brought it in*
We will body Brusseldorf on three
1....
2...
3..
We will body Brusseldorf the entire team shouted

*Andriy Shevchenko smiled*
All right boys get some rest we got a flight to catch tomorrow

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Text of the Statement by Head of State Michael Gregson

Madame President Benitez,

On behalf of the people of the Commonwealth of Baker Park, both Prime Minister Rebecca Schoenlein and I congratulate you on you election to the Presidency of South Covello.

We congratulate the citizens of your nation who have shown how constitutional government and the rule of law are meant to function, both in the trial of Jacob Brackers and the recently concluded election.

The Commonwealth is committed to supporting our numerous friends in Esportiva in any way, and we wish you much success during your term.

With greatest regards,
Michael Gregson
Head of State

___________________________________________________________________________________

Office of the Prime Minister, Parliament House, Belle Haven:

Rebecca Schoenlein and Hannah Delaney sat across from one another in the sitting area of the PM's office. "Bec, I know there's a method to your madness, but it would great if you could fill me in on exactly what it is you think a State Visit from Banija is going to accomplish?"

The Prime Minister smiled and fixed her gaze on a point just off to the right of Delaney's head. "From a PR angle, a major visit like that would get huge front page coverage in Banija, and probably across the Southwest as well. The Royal Family is supposed to above politics, which of course is a fiction in any constitutional monarchy. The Crown Prince is also the Foreign Minister, so it's impossible to pull a curtain of separation between Statecraft and Politics. Mwanga has been a great friend to us and we should give the immigrant community here a chance to see their King up close and personal, which is why think that one day should be set aside for a visit to Mansfield. On a more diplomatic level, I think some private time to talk about the Mutebi issue will do both of us some good. He's not supposed to have an influence over the Guardian Council, but his daughter and brother are both members. If Swede's hunch about the eventual outcome is correct, reinforcing that thought can't do any harm."

Hannah nodded at all of the points made. "The Intercontinental say they can give us the top two floors on as short notice as two weeks, The NPS are leery about having any open motorcades downtown, as they like to point out they had over 9 months to figure out the details back in '92."

"I wonder if they would be opposed to a shorter route, like between here and the Palace? A lot less area to have to protect. That's not front burner at this second."

They talked about a couple of other issues and then the PM stood up and walked to her desk.
"Joy, could you call over and see if the Head is available for me to drop in?"

Delaney had stood up as if to make an exit.
"If you don't anything else planned, why don't ride along?" The Secretary shrugged.

The voice came through on the IC. "His office says he can see you in 30 minutes."
"Tell them we'll be there."

[Tamgu]

OFFICIAL: TAMGU ARE OUT!

Tamgu has been officially eliminated in the WC83 qualifiers with their last draw versus Abanhfleft. It is the end of a dream. A dream that 114 million hearts had. However it was almost impossible. Tamgu were placed in a group that was so evenly matched that without the team colors and names, you wouldn't be able to tell which team was which. This however, was seen as an opportunity, by no one else than Albin Nerovod, the manager that made Kroinen, arguably one of the weaker sides of Tamgu win the national cup. The manager that saved a rockbottom side from relegation, one that was capable of giving Tamgu a playoff spot in their first qualification.

The start was an absolute car crash. 3 losses in a row, Nerovod was claimed to be "done" by many pundits. He, and the team persevered. They ignored the negativity, they ignored the fans whistling them at home. Then came an opportunity. The shaky looking Axuva side were visiting Tamgu. There was only one option, WIN. The fans' whistling kept on until the 42nd minute. "...That's some nice moves from Leima, Leima with another one, can he sco-OOOOOHHHH!!!! UNBELIEVABLE STRIKE! TAMGU IN FRONT WITH A BEAUTY!!!..." That was a moment of magic. Everyone had a change of heart. The negativity disappeared immeadiately after that goal. Tamgu were believing.

Tamgu took a major wound in the qualification. Their defender, Han Tekran was murdered. The team knew they had to be strong. He wouldn't have wanted them to grief after him and blow their chances. Tamgu went on the pitch with special-made black kits against Starblaydia, the five-time cup winners and by far the best team in the group. The reception from the Starblaydia fans were outstanding. They had prepared prepared a ceremony to remember him. A miraculous 1-0 victory was achieved. Tamgu kept on believing. And their fight to get earned qualified got whole worlds of meaning. Tamgu were not going down without a fight.

Then came another opportunity. A home game against Devonta. The first step towards closing the gap. It was going so well, 1-0 up, Tamgu were looking sure to win when suddenly, a penalty. The Nepharan referee pointed to the spot immeadiately. ARS called him to watch the position again as they thought there was no penalty. He went up to the stand, looked for a second and quickly pointed to the spot again. The fans were furious. It was so loud that the referee's whistle wasn't being heard. He used his hands to signal the penalty. Penalty taker Adams sent the ball to the opposite side. The entire stadium went silent. They went home distraught. Some fans started burning pictures of th referee and put his face on mannequins and started beating them. Theese protests were stopped by the government and crisis between the two nations was averted. But it was obvious, Tamgu were angry.

Then came the goalless draws. It was obvious, Tamgu's mentality was broken, it was destroyed after that draw. The only thing they were able to do was just close their defense and not concede. The attacks seemed uninspired and done just for the sake of it. The fans weren't even angry anymore, attendance had dropped, the world cup dream was over to them. Tamgu had given up.

Out they went, on their planes back home, to be enemies in the league once again. This World Cup will always be the special one for them. One they will maybe never feel the same way again. They know they will do better next time. The dream has reignited.

[Flavovespia]

Flavovespia 5–1 Western Bjornaic

In a match Flavovespia were always favoured to win, the Hornets put Western Bjornaic to the sword with a thrilling performance at Rovers Arena. The second international win for the nation, and despite the relative struggles of the visitors, Flavovespia will be pleased to have finally got such a convincing performance at home, in the final home qualifier of the campaign.

There was some squad rotation, including a debut for Nicholas Dobson, the Loxthorpe Rovers goalkeeper, at his club home ground. His call up to the starting XI was according to critics somewhat more sentimental than truly based on ability, but at 24 he has the potential to eventually be the Flavovespia #1.

Straight away Flavovespia looked the stronger side, and Ramon Martin came close with an early low shot in the 3rd minute, parried away by the Western Bjornaic goalkeeper. The resulting corner also saw defender Stephen Shepherd head narrowly over the bar from 10 metres out. Western Bjornaic had shown a lot of defensive fragility in these qualifiers, and were being forced to put men behind the ball.

Despite the apparent one-sided affair, Western Bjornaic were defending well in the first half, and even came close in the 28th minute, with Dobson put under a bit of pressure to make a good save. The keeper did so to applause, not least from the Loxthorpe locals. The rotated side certainly didn't look off the pace in this "dead rubber" game.

Western Bjornaic would have felt that their best chance was to get to half time equal, but their resilience was broken in the 34th minute. Ramon Martin got into the box, and picked out Steven Hall. Hall, spotting himself being closed down, flicked the ball through to Scott Coleman. Coleman was left unmarked and had no trouble hitting the target from 9 metres out, beating the goalkeeper. 1-0 to the hosts, and they got the breakthrough. Flavovespia pushed on into the end of the half, but it was just 1-0 at the break.

Western Bjornaic came out guns blazing in the second half, but that was to be their undoing. Caught on the break, James King played Steven Hall clean past the defence. The keeper came far off his line in an attempt to block, but poorly read the situation and a cheeky 20 metre chip over him gave Flavovespia their 2nd goal of the game.

Western Bjornaic resorted to a more defensive approach for the next part of the game, keen to try and avoid a rout. It was succeeding to some extent, but how much of that was down to a lack of putting bodies forward from Flavovespia is a matter of debate. Hall and King both sent long range shots close to the goal, and a little more accurate and the lead would be further extended.

Ramon Martin was subbed off for Thomas McDonald, making only his second international appearance, but in the 70th minute he got his first international goal. Coleman broke into the box, and pulled the centre backs out of position. He then played with his head up, and picked out McDonald coming in at the edge of the box. McDonald placed his shot low and hard, beyond the keeper, to make it 3-0. Flavovespia had stumbled in previous games, but even most of the crowd were beginning to believe this was over.

The rout continued in the final minutes, as Western Bjornaic looked increasingly fatigued. Andrew Mason was subbed on, and made an impact when in the 84th minute, a James King free kick was deflected off the wall. Mason got to the ball first, and although his shot wasn't a thing of beauty, it was enough to get beyond the keeper and make it 4-0 to the hosts.

89th minute, and Flavovespia attacked once again. James King teased up the defence on the edge of the area. Seeing an opening, he hit a curling shot goalbound. The goalkeeper was too slow to react, and could only parry it into the net, although the Flavovespia midfielder was credited with the goal as the shot was on target. It was 5-0, and Flavovespia were going to win, and win big for once.

Western Bjornaic weren't finished. In injury time a quick one two between the strikers caught out the Flavovespia centre backs, and the #10 of Western Bjornaic hit a fierce shot. Dobson was beaten as the shot flew past him above shoulder height, hit the crossbar and bounced in. Nothing more than a consolation, but that didn't stop some celebrations from the visitors, and shouts of frustration by Dobson. 5-1 it finished, a comprehensive win for Flavovespia, as the team now departs for their final match away at Eura.

The final matchday of Group M is upon us, and the Group isn't yet decided. In terms of what to play for, here is what each team are looking at:

Ko-oren: Finished as group winners, the Dragonflies will now be working hard to get ready for World Cup 83

Freeport: With Freeport and Eura drawing both of their games together, the only tiebreakers that matter are points, goal difference and goals scored. Freeport are on 19 points, and Eura on 18 points. Freeport know a win at home to Dreamplanet puts them into the qualifier and eliminates Eura. A draw at home, and Eura must not win. If Freeport lose by more than 2 goals, then Eura must also lose. If Freeport lose by one, then they qualify if Eura lose, or on goals scored if Eura draw and score no more than 3 more goals than Freeport. Eura drawing with 5 more goals scored than Freeport eliminates Freeport in the one goal loss scenario. The most interesting scenario comes in should Freeport lose 1-0 and Eura draw 4-4, a neutral play-off for 2nd is needed.

Eura: Eura play at home to Flavovespia in the final round of matches. They are out no matter what if Freeport win. If Eura win, so to must Freeport to qualify for the playoff. An Eura draw means Freeport most likely need to lose by more than one goal, unless Eura and Flavovespia play out a very high scoring draw. If Eura lose, quite apart from the fact Flavovespia will be delirious with delight, they are out.

Dreamplanet: Os Tricores will be disappointed to be out at this stage of the tournament, especially as the Pot 3 team. To finish 3rd, they need a win and an Eura loss, plus a goal difference swing of 3 or more. Dreamplanet and Eura matched on aggregate, so no head to head tiebreakers separate them. They are behind Torisakia on head to head points, so need to win to confirm 4th. A draw or loss needs Torisakia to not win, else Dreamplanet are 5th. Dreamplanet could even fall to 6th, if Torisakia and Flavovespia both win, Dreamplanet lose and there's a swing of 3 or more goals against Dreamplanet relative to Flavovespia.

Torisakia: For 4th place, a win and a failure by Dreamplanet to not do so gets them that position. They will be 5th if Dreamplanet win and Torisakia win. With more head to head points than Flavovespia, a Torisakia loss and Flavovespia draw, or a Torisakia draw and Flavovespia non win keeps them in 5th. Torisakia drop to 6th if they don't win and Flavovespia does. Torisakia will be aided by finishing their campaign away to Western Bjornaic

Flavovespia: Flavovespia are up against it by facing Eura away in their final game. With 2 draws against Dreamplanet, head to head tiebreakers are irrelevant against them, but Flavovespia lose the tiebreaker to Torisakia. To get 4th (joint or solo) needs a win, a Dreamplanet loss and a swing of at 3 goals and Torisakia not to win. Flavovespia can take 5th with a win if Torisakia doesn't and Dreamplanet lose but on a goal difference swing of 2, or don't lose. A draw or loss for Flavovespia, and it's 6th place for them.

Western Bjornaic: Playing at home to Torisakia, they just don't want to be the only 'pointless' team of the whole qualifiers. They have the Group M wooden spoon, and may even get the wooden spoon of the entire qualifying campaign.

Domestic news
With every retirement and transfer opens up a potential roster space for a new youth team product, and Flavovespia has some exciting prospects that have made it into the rosters of Super League sides this year. The FFD looks into just a few of those tipped for glory in future years.

Michael Cole, son of current national team manager Nick Cole, at only 16 years old, is named in the Waldster 25 for the upcoming season. One of the youngest players in a Super League roster, he has big boots to fill. However, with 2 ageing strikers, both of whom with short contract lengths left, there’s every chance Michael Cole could get the opportunity sooner rather than later. Time will see if this talent, compared by some to the former Waldster and Greater Waldster legend Mario Mannetti, will become the all-star player he is believed to have the potential to be.

Croxlich signed Ernest Hunter as their new #1, with Mark Harnden as the mature goalkeeping backup. However Aarif Muhammad, after some impressive performances at youth level, is the new #3 in the goalkeeping depth chart at Croxlich, and some see it as an underestimation. At 18, he has many, many years to reach his goalkeeping peak, and it will be very interesting for Croxlich and the league to see if this young keeper ever pulls on the keepers jersey in a competitive match.

Some other names from their impressive youth performances now in professional Super League rosters include David Lyons, 17, of Binclestead Wood, Stuart Cookson, 16, of Apsbrooke, Lancelot Wray, 17, of Butterfield Rovers, Anthony Hannigan, 18, of Croxlich and Thomas Dennis, 18, of South Maishop.

[The Macabees]

THE WITCH EMELIE, XIV
Previous: I, II. III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII


Manzanar de Gorezca was a backwater compared to the provincial cities of the north. It had, regardless, grown precipitously during the past decade due to its location on the Havenic Frontier. The change in political borders as a result of the War of Golden Succession had turned it into one of the main ports of entry for Havenic immigrants seeking work and living in a post-war empire, and its population consequently swelled from less than half a million to more than ten. Naturally, its landscape had evolved as well and it was no longer the quaint minor urbanity it used to be. The old catedral, as their larger temples were known as here, still stood and around it so did the old buildings, many harking back two or more centuries. But, now Manzanar de Gorezca was so much larger. Of course, its expansion called for hastiness over aesthetics and the new city reflected these new needs.

As their train passed through the northwestern suburbs of the city, all built within the last decade, they saw the rising condominium buildings constructed of brick, concrete, and steel. Built to house a burgeoning population, they looked plain and utilitarian at best, but most were better described as ugly. Thousands of vehicles traveled along broad and endless highways, most sitting atop concrete pillars that suspended them over city streets below. It was an engineering marvel, but engineers were never known as artists. Dario looked out the window as they headed toward Solara, the city's central train station.

When they arrived, they were let into a world that seemed far away from where they had come. There were people of white skin, but most wore the tan and brown of the Havenics. Here, to hear Díenstadi was rare, instead most chatter was in what sounded like Zarbian, although the Havenics spoke their own dialect of it. Still, there were features that distinguished Manzanar de Gorezca as a city of the Golden Throne.

The flag of the empire wove over many a rooftop, as Dario and Janis witnessed when they stepped out of Solara through its western exit. Its technology had come too, including the self-driving rideshares and human-like automatons which attended the ticket booths, help stations, and stores. But, the two runaways had little time to take it all in because they were not the only ones from the north who were there...



...Ineke and Leender arrived by aircraft. The city's airport was far to the northeast, separate from the rest of the metropolis by expansive fields of barley, sunflowers, olive groves, and other foodstuffs. Penzlon Security had no stations here, but headquarters had contacted and liaisoned with Seguridad Alcazar, a local security contractor with which they had a partnership. A car was waiting for them by the time they reached the pick-up zone outside, which took them to Solara. Unlike many of the northern cities, which were already large by the time the necessities of the modern era had come, here everything was built to handle a population of spectacular size. With their security lights twanging and the siren blaring, they moved along one of the overhead highways with surprising ease. It did not take long at all for them to reach the train station.

Twenty-four Seguridad Alcazar assault officers were waiting for them. Organized into four teams, the detective organized them so that each covered one of the station's exits. She and Leender waited to the south, knowing that that was the direction their targets would move toward once they left the building. Once positioned, all they had to do was wait...



...Janis saw the six security officers first and she tugged on Dario's sleeve. He turned to see them and his eyes widened in panic. These were large, armored men, with long rifles on their backs and batons in their hands. And when they saw the two of them, their eyes narrowed and locked on. Those officers were here for them, Dario and Janis realized.

"What do we do?" she whispered to him.

Dario, looking around frantically, said, "Come." He grabbed her by the arm and took off running, heading toward a crowd that was walking on to the main avenue that led further into the city.

"Hey!" one of the officers called out behind them. "Stop right there!"

When Dario turned to look, security was right on their heels. Pushing their way through the crowd, people grunted and stared, soon standing aside on their own as soon as they saw the gargantuan men giving chase to the two strangers. Just as Dario thought their escape to be hopeless, an alleyway appeared and he turned in that direction, taking Janis with him. That's when she tripped...



...the radio crackled to life. "Targets observed. Pursuing westwards on Vía del Sol."

"Let's go," said Ineke, nodding toward Leender. They jumped into their vehicle, she toggled the manual override, and they sped through the parking lot until they were on the main street. A map on the screen in the center console highlighted routes of interception and she took one. The engine revved, the roar filling the inside cabin, as they charged their way through smaller streets, twisting here and turning there. Leender grabbed on to the door handle above him and silently began to pray. He hated when Ineke drove. It always tended to be like this.

Just as they turned another corner, an alleyway appeared on their left. Two dots representing their targets were inside there, somewhere. Ineke pumped on the brakes and the vehicle came to a screeching halt, although neither of them waited for it to come to a complete stop before stepping out and racing into the shadowy space of the alley...



...Dario helped Janis up and they turned to keep running, but that's when they saw the two officers they had seen in Beda Fromm blocking the other side. "Shit," he muttered.

"Shit is right, kid," said the male of the two. The woman, Detective Marissi, if Dario remembered correctly, said nothing but looked the meaner of them.

Dario gulped. "We didn't do anything," he said.

The man, Investigator Zuilek, Dario recalled now, answered, "You don't run if you're innocent, son."

He looked around for another exit, any exit. The investigator said something, but Dario didn't hear him. Janis noticed the local security officers creep toward them and she tugged on his sleeve, but Dario's attention was elsewhere. There, in front of them, was a ladder. Could they make it to the top of the building? And what then?

Janis must have seen what he was thinking, because she said, "Go. Go, Dario. I'll distract them, you get out of here."

"What?" he said back to her. "No!"

"I'm the one who got us in this mess," she answered. "Go, please."

He sighed, looked one last time at the investigator and detective, and then bolted for the stairs. He climbed them with a quickness. Dario didn't look down, but he could hear the commotion below him. There were shouts and then a blood-curdling scream. He hoped Janis was alright. Once at the top, he continued to move. There was a makeshift walkway that led to the top of another building, which he took. There, he took the stairs down to a balcony surrounded by a wrought iron banister. From there, he jumped to another balcony as best as he could, almost slipping and falling down to his death. Each footstep he made came with a loud clang and people on the sidewalk were starting to look up at him.

Relentlessly, he continued to make his way down until his feet hit the pavement. Running across the street, he disappeared into another hallway, caring not to look back to see if anyone was following him. Exiting this alley on to another street, he flagged down rideshare and took it, telling him to take him to the Frontier.

It was the last time for a long time that Dario would see either Janis or the empire again...



...Janis lay lifeless on the ground.

Ineke clicked her tongue. "You didn't have to beat her almost to death!" she admonished.

The assault officer shrugged his broad, heavy shoulders. "She took out a knife," he said. "I did what I had to do."

"Whatever," she replied. Looking at Leender, she said, "Put some cuffs on her. Have these ogres take her to the car. We're flying her back to Beda Fromm as soon as possible."

"What about the kid?" he asked.

She looked at the sky. "He's long gone. Who knows, maybe he'll come back for her. He probably won't. Either way, I don't think he knows what he's getting himself into, crossing the Frontier as he's probably planning to do. If he isn't, we'll catch him eventually. If he does, he'll probably die soon anyway. They don't take well to provincials from what I hear."

"I almost feel sorry for him," the investigator said. "And to think that we know he's innocent." He laughed.

[Saintland]

Royal Palace, St. Petrus, Saintland

King Paulus XVI read the letter from the new South Covellan president with interest. He had not expected any kind of response from them. Now, he'd received a most interesting response refusing to agree to most of his demands but offering to help Saintland obtain reparations from Lord Almighty Gregory's Acedonian bank account. However, this created a conundrum as the official position of the Kingdom of Saintland was that the leaks revealing a number of Bank of Acedonia account holders and their balances were fabrications by agents of Satanas attempting to discredit the True Church and the Sanctii monarchy. The King called for Patriarch Innocentius IV, the current Patriarch of St. Petrus and the leader of the Church to determine his course of action. The Patriarch quickly arrived at the palace with the assistance of the Patriarchmobile. While private ownership

King Paulus XVI - Your Holiness, I've received the following letter from South Covello and request your advice for how to proceed.

The King handed a copy of the letter to the Patriarch who spent a few minutes reading it carefully.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Your Majesty, this is a problem. We should pursue reparations for the murder of your uncle by Gregoryisgodistan but the current government of that nation says they will leak any letters we send to them. We have to be careful to pursue the money in a manner that maintains our position that the Church's Acedonian bank account does not exist.

King Paulus XVI - Is it really worth it to continue the facade of the Salvation Circle being separate from the True Church? Does anybody in the Free Republics still believe the Salvation Circle is independent?

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Well, we are both part of the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality along with a number of other churches that are completely independent from us. However, the records contain there leave no doubt that the Salvation Circle is our subsidiary and that Father Lavallee is storing donations in his own personal account. Its simply too dangerous to acknowledge the accuracy of that report.

King Paulus XVI - But it is accurate, is it not?

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Of course, its accurate. We just can't say so because that could expose the real purpose of the True Church.

King Paulus XVI - Yes, it would be very unwise to openly admit that the True Church is but a Noble Lie to advance the goal of a Worldly Caelum where everybody knows their place.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - The nation of South Covello is really troubling. They've gone from a psychotic regime that had no regard for the human dignity of their subjects to an anarchic regime that has embraced Deadly Truth and become an enemy of Order.

King Paulus XVI - There was hope not too long ago that Carter Redwin would prove malleable and potentially rise to the challenge of guiding their people toward the Greater Good.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - The two most wretched ideas ever dreamt up by mankind are "liberty" and "equality". There's so much misery in this multiverse because people continue to rebel against the Rightful Order of things. But reparations from South Covello would be useful to fund our efforts to spread Order and Good Government.

King Paulus XVI - I imagine it would be possible to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Lord Almighty Gregory in a South Covellan court.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - I am worried that you may be called to testify in such a trial, your Majesty.

King Paulus XVI - Maybe the case could be heard in a third party court.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - What about putting Lord Almighty Gregory on trial in Saintland?

King Paulus XVI - Wouldn't we have to rule out any punishment that would not be allowed in South Covello then return him to South Covello to serve his life sentences?

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Well, it would be possible to say he'd only face a life sentence and then seek the death penalty once he was extradited to our Kingdom.

King Paulus XVI - But that would close off all future diplomatic avenues with them, right?

Patriarch Innocentius IV - I imagine so.

King Paulus XVI - I think I'll stick to suing them for reparations. I do have something else to ask you, Your Holiness.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Go ahead, my King.

King Paulus XVI - My son Andreas will need to be smartened up soon. He needs to be ready to rule should anything ever happen to me.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - I shall ensure that the Prince is informed of the Truth when he turns of age.

King Paulus XVI - However, there is also a more urgent matter with the Prince. I was informed by Sister Flaccus that his deportment has deteriorated of late. The Prince has been prideful, arrogant and disrespectful towards one of the Cantus Virginum singers.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - I will see to it that this is dealt with.

King Paulus XVI - Actually, I think it would be wise to eliminate special treatment for members of the Royal Family in our schools. I'm beginning to believe my father made a mistake when he ordered that after I was suspended for starting that food fight when I was 8 or 9.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Very well. I'll draft a decree for you to sign. But I suspect that signing this decree will likely cause Prince Andreas to be forced to repeat the current year.

King Paulus XVI - Good. If we do nothing, he'll be utterly unfit to rule.

Patriarch Innocentius IV - Then I will do as you ask.

King Paulus XVI - And I will be writing to South Covello's new president. I'll make sure to let you approve the letter before I send it.

---

To: Luisa Benitez
From: King Paulus XVI
Encryption: RES-1024
Subject: Your recent letter

Dear President Benitez,

I received your recent letter. While I am disappointed that you will not be taking any steps to address the deficiencies in your nation's legal system that allowed an assassin to be set free by a rogue jury, I am interested in your offer to assist my government in obtaining reparations from Lord Almighty Gregory and his followers for the crimes they committed against my Kingdom, including the murder of my uncle Josephus during a World Cup of Hockey match. I am aware that your laws require you to leak this letter so I would prefer if we could meet privately in a third nation to discuss this matter. Regardless, we are willing to sue Lord Almighty Gregory in your courts, so long as his defense attorneys are barred from asking irrelevant questions about our state secrets, though we would prefer if you would assist us in obtaining reparations without having to go through the formality of a lawsuit. Given that your legal system does a very bad job of convicting murderers, we are concerned about using it to obtain compensation for a murder. How are we supposed to trust that the jury won't be stacked with Enemy Crushers who believe they were perfectly justified in murdering my uncle?

In your letter, you mentioned a report out of the Free Republics. As you know, this report contains false claims about the finances of the Church of Saintland and other religious institutions and religious leaders. Thus, we are skeptical about the claims that Lord Almighty Gregory has a secret bank account. However, if that portion of the report happens to be true, we are interested in pursuing funds from that account. If that account does not exist then I would appreciate your assistance in securing just reparations through some other means. Should we successfully receive reparations for past crimes committed against us by your nationals, we will rescind all sanctions, embargoes and travel bans.

Finally, I just want to express my disappointment at your stated refusal to extradite criminals to my Kingdom should they face punishments other than what they would face under your nation's laws. This is most unfortunate as it is essential that criminals be punished for their crimes. I believe your justice system is excessively lenient and that it would be a grave miscarriage of justice to withhold the proper and deserved punishment from a criminal just to satisfy the leader of a state that coddles criminals. Ultimately though, the fact that you wish for your nation to be crime-infested is not of particular concern to us anymore than the fact that we believe in punishing criminals should be of particular concern to you.

Sincerely,

Paulus XVI, King of Saintland

OOC: RES-1024 is a 1024 bit version of the Republican Encryption Standard. The Republican Encryption Standard is the most secure encryption algorithm invented by Republican cryptography experts. A key was delivered to the South Covellan president by the Sanctii ambassador.

[Mattijana]

Ministry of Sport Headquarters, Central Petrovijanka

"I'm not being negative or anything Julian, but I think we've got a bit of a situation on our hands here."

According to Polona Struna, the head of football at the Mattijanan Ministry of Sport, there had been quite a few situations over the course of the international football season. This time however, she might actually have been onto something, as the crisis management team were now just finding out.

"Look, I don't think this Qusmo bunch have ever particularly liked us, not least after the Statto wrote them off when they were in our qualifying group last cycle. We beat them 5-3 in one of the matches as well which probably didn't help the cause from the diplomatic relations point of view."

"Well I don't know, there seems to be a bit more in it than just general saltiness this time. This blogger person seems to have it properly in for us. 'Crashing and burning', belittling expert statistical analysis, he's even called the entire populace idiots, but without being able to spell 'Mattijana'. I mean it's all very well gloating about scoring 4 goals over two matches last cycle, but that's not even that impressive against our defence."

"Well look. Considering this is one isolated crackpot off the internet, I don't think it'll have too much impact on relations. Why are we even discussing this anyway?" Simona Zelesniska made a rare contribution from her niche management role that didn't leave her particularly qualified to make such a contribution."

"Well Simona, it turns out that this particular isolated crackpot actually has quite a big following over there. Anyway, the Foreign Office started sending us concerned-sounding messages about it and because the whole thing's vaguely football related, they thought they'd send it on to us to see if we could do anything about it."

Minister for Sport Julian Petrov got things back on track.

"Right. So you're telling me that people in Qusmo are actually believing this rubbish and that the Foreign Office expect us to be able to do something about that."

"That's absolutely correct, yes."

"Right. Does anyone have any ideas as to how we're actually going to do that?"

The awkward silence that followed suggested that no-one did. That was until communications officer Dominik Mirje managed to come up with one.

"Well, the only reflection of Mattijana that people in Qusmo have are from this blog thing and one night in Burges where they lost 5-3..."

"Burges? No wonder they don't think much of us..."

"Look Polona" replied Julian. "It's the second-biggest city in the country and has the biggest stadium, we had to put a few matches there even if it is colder, wetter and not as pretty. Besides, the amount of complaints we'd get from people North of KatarinaGrad would be ridiculous if we didn't do something to keep them happy. They should think themselves lucky that they didn't get Snezn in the middle of winter."

Dominik looked around awkwardly before continuing.

"Umm...anyway, I was thinking we could knock out something that says something more positive about Mattijana for Qusm…Qasm...people in Qusmo to read. The embassy out there could distribute them or something like that."

"Hmm... I suppose we could get the TujineBuro to make something, although given they nearly started a major diplomatic crisis with South Covello with their last international publication, that might not be such a great plan. Given how gullible this foil-headed idiot's readers are, it might work"

Simona was determined to make her mark on the meeting too.

"We could send that off to the TujineBuro, but seeing as we're in sport, it makes sense to do something sport-related as well. I don't know if the national team are looking for friendlies, but it looks as if Qusmo are going to qualify, so we could try and get a pre-world cup friendly with them."

"The risk there is that they might make even more of a mockery of our football team" retorted Polona.

"Well what if the match wasn't actually the main event? We could put some Mattijanan music on as halftime entertainment. Have some pretty pictures of the ZentraleAlpe and Izola and that sort of thing up on the big screen. We could even stick the match at the OstOtok so it's right in the middle of central Petrovijanka."

"I see what you're getting at there Simona. That plan might just have some legs..."

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islanders fall 1-0 away to Vartugia and leave World Cup dream dangling by a thread


Busoga Islander fans rally in the streets of Lakiska before the Vartugia match

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLAND- The goal here was simple- get a point, get a single point, against a team far below them in both the rankings and the standings, a team that they had beaten before in Dukuma, and they would clinch their berth in the World Cup Qualification Playoffs. That's all they need to do, and even though they were coming off of a tough 1-0 loss at home to Jeruselem, the confidence was high that they could pull it off. There was watch parties scheduled all around the Busoga Islands, and indeed, the Islander Radicals came to this match in droves, with Busoga Islander fans occupying a big chunk of the stadium. Of course, visiting fans are usually allocated somewhere around 5% of tickets, and Busoga Islander fans seemed to number about 20% or so of the cricket ground that they played (good practice for Matchday 14, eh?). The Islamic Republic was ready to party on this night, if they could keep Vartugia out of the back of the net and keep them on their heels.

The Busoga Islands seemed all out of sorts from the get go. It's hard to pin point what it was, but the team just seemed.. Off.They weren't moving the ball well, they didn't get great opportunities on goal, and their play was all-around sloppy. When you needed most for the Busoga Islands to come out with a focused, precision performance, the pressure on them in this match, with what was at stake in this one, seemed to get to the Busoga Islanders. They did not look like a team that was responding to the pressure well, and even though they had come so far in second place, they had pressure bearing down upon them from the fans, from the media, and the pressure of being big time favorites in this match. They were sloppy with the ball, and they had to pay a price for it. Most unfortunately, they did, early in the second half. Neither team had that many opportunities, but unlike a classic Starfire squad, they didn't seem interested even in taking the ball forward on the counter or anything. Just trying to sit back and absorb the pressure, which, as we noted in our preview of this penultimate matchday, can be quite dangerous.

And now, the Islanders have everything left to play for. Starfire talked about the massive stakes of this matchup with this massive opponent. "Well, of course, we cannot get intimidated by the opponent. Over the past two cycles of World Cup Qualifying, we've had our fair share of matchups with the World Champions, and we have been able to do a solid job of not being intimidated by the badge, as I like to say. We've played them three times, and given them great games each time. Twice, we got a result against Vilita, and the third time, we fell in a tight 3-2 game. So it's not like it's impossible to get a result. But as they say, getting a result 3 out of 4 times against Vilita is not easy to do, and of course, we've never played them on this type of stage, with this type of pressure. But if we think about the pressure, about the stakes, that will be problematic. We've got to focus strictly on the match at hand, as this is the culmination of qualifying. We're going to have a record crowd in that stadium, over 50,000 rabid fans behind us, who believe that we can do it. We must put the last game behind us."

Marie Sonko, the squad's captain, elaborated on the last point by the Equestrian manager. "We are, obviously, in a difficult spot." Said Marie Sonko. "But we've got to think of the opportunity that is at hand here. We've never gotten this far in a World Cup Qualification campaign. Heck, we have set a team record for points in a single World Cup Qualification campaign, even though we've only played 11 matches, compared to 18 in each of the prior two campaigns. So what we've done, for this little nation, is bring us to the brink of success, is bring us to the edge of glory. Can we get over the hump? I think so. But we saw against Vartugia, what we can't do- we let the pressure get to us, were not aggressive or focused, and sat back, trying to get the 0-0 draw. But at this level, if you sit back for 90 minutes you are risking quite a bit, and even more so against a side as talented as Vilita."

She continued. "The best teams aren't the best because they are perfect. Nobody is. Even Vilita didn't qualify last time out until the final day of the campaign, and they won the World Cup again. The best teams are the best not because they have achieved perfection. The best teams are the best because they know how to respond to adversity. Heck, we can look at our opponents for that. In World Cup 82 Qualifying, they had their backs against the wall, and went on quite a run. Even look at this cycle. Brenecia looked out of it, and now they've stormed back. Kita-Hinode looked dead, but they're back to life and can still go to the playoffs. While we haven't needed a run like that, we're going to have to play the game of our lives, because our opponent will demand it of us. And we respect that. If you want to get into the World Cup, you have to beat World Cup caliber sides, and this is what is being asked of us. We control our own destiny here- that's allw ecan ask." Of course, we certainly imagine that will certainly be watching Saintland host Mattijana, rooting anxiously for the struggling Christian supremacists to somehow earn a point and help stave off their group rivals from Mattijana, who are chasing the Islanders and for whom a win, coupled with a Busoga Islands loss, would give them their highest ever World Cup Qualifying finish, and a berth in the playoff as they try and extend regional success to the global stage.

It will be a wild environment. Since, of course, it's the final day of the group stages, all the games are kicking off at the same time. The Busoga Islands Soccer Association reached an agreement with the Busoga Islands Cricket Board to host the match at Lakiska City Cricket Park- which, including the standing room only seating, fits 51,000 for soccer. Quite larger than Lakiska SC's 31,000 and change capacity stadium that the national team usually plays at. It was moved, of course, because everyone knew the stakes. They knew that this might be a huge game, and it is- it is not an understatement to call this the biggest game in the history of the Busoga Islands national team. The only game that would compare would be that Baptism of Fire Round of 32 matchup with Freeport- when the Islanders were slayed by their regional rivals en route to watching Freeport reach the semifinals of that tournament. And that, of course, was the only time the Busoga Islands ever played in the knockout stages of a major tournament.

The extra tickets, of course, sold out in just a matter of days, and after the Busoga Islands surprising away loss to Vartugia, there will be plenty of eyes on this one. We are sure that plenty of television sets will be tuned into this one, at least out of the corner of their eye- they need the Busoga Islands to slip and fall to overtake them, and with Vilita as the opponent, that is certainly possible. But there is plenty of fan energy in the city, and in the country, for this one. The Islander Radicals said that there are more watch parties planned for this match 'than they've ever had for a match before', and the streets of Lakiska are expected to turn into a wild party if the Busoga Islands can get the required result. Of course, it would just be to make the playoffs, but still- what an accomplishment that would be. They would be heavy underdogs in any World Cup Qualification group, but even getting there would be a massive status improvement for the Islanders.

It'll be a sea of red and white at Lakiska City Cricket Park. Can the Islanders make their fans wildest dreams come true? Or will the celebrations come not on these islands, but from visiting fans in Saintland and fans throughout Mattijana, as their team celebrates a trip to the World Cup Qualification playoffs? We'll find out tonight, live on television, if we can find that success.

[South Covello]

From the Desk of Luisa Benitez

To: King Paulis XVI, Saintland
CC: Chairman of the Bank of Acedonia
CC: Lawry Opal, South Covello Ambassador to Acedonia

Dear King Paulus,

I have received your message and consulted with my Cabinet and the Legislature and believe I have a solution that can work for everyone. I have attached a sworn affidavit from a man who was forced to work as an accountant slave for Lord Almighty Gregory certifying that his account with the Bank of Acedonia is legitimate. Obviously, he cannot speak for the legitimacy of the rest of the leak one way or the other, but I can confirm, at least, that this aspect is. Therefore, I am, in coordination with our embassy in Acedonia, requesting that the Bank of Acedonia turn over the full balance of the bank account to our government. Assuming they cooperate, and I cannot guarantee they will, we will place the money in a designated fund for which victims of the Gregists can file claims. Please keep in mind your people and your government were far from the only victims of the Gregists, so they will not be getting the full balance. However, if they file a claim, or several claims given the multiple incidents in which your people and/or government were targeted, they should be approved. All of this can be done in writing or in person and should not subject you to cross-examination from the Gregists or their legal counsel. We will also be opening this up to all other victims of the Gregists, both foreign and domestic.

Additionally, our Legislature is in the process of passing a law that would require any future income the Gregists should make while in prison to be paid into the Victims' Fund until such time as all claims are exhausted, likely never. You may be wondering how the Gregists could possibly make money while in prison, but under our laws they can make money from book deals or sale of personal items, provided those personal items were not illigimately obtained. (More on what if they are later.) I am told a tissue used by the so-called LAG while in prison recently sold to a collector for 50,000 liberos. We will be seizing that money as well, once the law passes and I sign it. While I do not understand who would pay that kind of money for a tissue, apparently some people do.

As for the property that was illigimately obtained, such as his mansion and the items in it, those have been in our government's custody since the Revolution, and we will soon be selling them and placing the money in the Victims' Fund as well. Keep in mind that under South Covello law, Lord Almighty Gregory' menangerie of animals will not be sold and instead will stay in the animal refuge where they are currently. However, a portion of donations to the animal refuge will also be put into the Victims' Fund unless the donors explicitly opt out. Understand that we care about the welfare of these animals and need to make sure they are OK as well, so we will not simply shut down the refuge and sell off all the animals to their deaths. But they were a small minority of LAG's property in terms of value.

I am copying the Chairman of the Bank of Acedonia on this message so he can inform me if his Bank will cooperate. If they do not, we will pursue action in Acedonian Court to obtain it, but this may require you to testimony and be subject to cross-examination, not from the Gregists but from the Counsel of the Bank of Acedonia. It is my understanding that your government has a close relationship with the Bank of Acedonia. If they do not cooperate initially, I suggest you use your influence to make sure they do.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I await your response and the response of the Bank Chairman.

Sincerely,

Luisa Benitez

[Darmen]

10:00pm
DD: Hello and welcome to the DBC's coverage of General Election 2045. The polling locations are now closing, only those voters currently in the queue will be allowed to vote now. I'm David Dinglebottom and I'm joined tonight by Antony Snow who will help me break down the results as they come in. Say hello Antony.

AS: Hello.

DD: I'll also be joined throughout the night by political commentators and spokespersons from the political parties themselves. Now, we don't expect the first results to come in for another twenty to thirty minutes, so to fill in that time I'm joined by Political Analyst from the Darmen Times, Davis Milburn, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Darmen City, Lynn Ayers. Welcome to the both of you.

DM: Good Evening.

LA: Thanks for having me.

DD: Please share with the audience at home who the two of you believe will win this election. Davis, lets start with you.

DM: This election is truly up for grabs between the two coalition partners, the Republicans and United Left. While both the Liberals and Fascists have been touted to make large gains and I think they will, the two governing parties will no doubt remain the largest following tonight. Which one will emerge on top will be determined by how they do in Scott City. If either the Republicans or United Left can win a majority of the seats there, they'll be in for a big night. If they split evenly however, it'll be a much closer contest.

LA: I actually think the election will be decided in the smaller municipalities, not in Scott City. I don't expect either party to win a majority in Parliament and some sort of coalition is to be expected. But what could be settled tonight, something that in the past has taken time to work out, is who will win the Presidency. And with the new majoritarian system implemented for the municipal councils, if the Republican Party can win a majority of the councils in smaller cities, I expect Tor Tong Lee will earn enough electoral votes to win his third term as President.

DD: That's interesting Lisa. So you expect that the Republicans will win many of the elections in the less populous municipalities? Many analysts have predicted that those contests will be split roughly evenly between the Republicans and United Left.

LA: That's not what my computer predictions show. My predictions show the United Left will come out on top in the large cities, but the Republicans will dominate elsewhere and it will be that propels them into governance for a third term.

DD: Very well. Let's go now to Corinne Massey, she's at the counting location in Hugh Town, in the Northwest. We expect our first result of the night to come from there. Corinne, how are things looking in Hugh Town?

* * * * *

10:23pm
DD: ...I'll have to stop you there Foster, I've just received word that we have our first result from Hugh Town. Let's go there now.

"...I, Louisa Harlow, the returning officer for Hugh Town, hereby give notice that the total number of votes given for each party at the election of May 12th, 2045, is as follows: the Anarchist Group, one; the Campaign for Wizarding Action, one; the Capitalism Party, one; the Christianity First Party, one; the Darmen Libertarian Party, two; the Death Eaters, one; Direct Democracy Now!, one; the Fascist & Ultranationalist Union, 23 [the results are interrupted by thunderous cheers and an equal number of boos] ... Supremacy Party, one; the Islamic Union, one; the Liberal Party, 33 [an even larger cheer than the earlier one goes up] ... de Valladar, one; the Marxist Alliance For The Advancement Of Agrarian Libertarianism, one; the People's Communist Party, one; the People's Party, one; the Progressive Greens, ten; the Republican Party, 41 [light applause] ... Royalist Party, two; the Society of Internationalist Liberal Localist Yuppies, one; the Temperance League, one; and the United Left, 66 [loud applause and cheers]...

DD: And there you have, the United Left has won a plurality in Hugh Town, claiming its lone MP and majority in the municipal council. The Republicans finished second and will form the minority.

* * * * *

10:36pm
DD: We’ve missed out on the announcement, but we can now show you our second set of results from the night, as the municipality of Rushmore has been won by the Republicans.

Party Votes Percent
REP   87    31.2%
UL    72    25.8%
LIB   42    15.1%
ROY   31    11.1%
F&UU  25     9.0%
OTH   22     7.9%
Turnout: 60.26%

DD: So, after two results, we’ve seen a 50-50 split between the Republicans and United Left. Let’s return to our analysts, Davis and Lisa. Lisa, would you say your predictions are still in play, or have the results proven your predictions wrong.

LA: Oh, they’re absolutely still in play. The northwest has been a very strong area for the United Left in the past, so they’re win in Hugh Town was to be expected. I still anticipate that the Republicans will win a fair amount of the smaller municipalities, as they just did in Rushmore.

DD: Davis, do these results tell us anything about the larger cities?

DM: Perhaps a little. The result in Hugh Town would seem to indicate that the United Left is still the strongest party in the northwest, so I expect them to do well in Liverpool.

DD: How about you Antony Snow? Any insights?

AS: Yes. So far we’re seeing a two percent swing to the Liberals and a 3.2% swing to the Fascists. Applied nationally, we expect gains for both of those parties both in MP’s and Municipal Councilors. Surprisingly, we’re also seeing a 2.5% swing to the Royalists, but I’m not sure that will hold up as we progress through the night. United Left is down almost eight percent, tough going for them. And the Republicans are down just half a percent, but if Lisa is correct and the Republicans do win pluralities in most of the smaller municipalities, as they did in Rushmore, they shouldn’t be hurt too much.

* * * * *

11:28pm
DD: Almost an hour and a half since the polls closed and we’ve had a smattering of results come in so far from the smaller municipalities. Antony, I’m told we have an interesting one to look at now?

AS: That we do David. So far we’ve had results from twelve municipalities. It’s 11-1 to the Republicans, they’re looking good despite a drop in their vote share. But the latest result, Cadott, has produced a surprise winner. The Liberals have emerged in first place ahead of the Republicans, a majority of just 17 votes there. A slimmest of margins. But the victory could point to even larger gains elsewhere by the Liberals than we expected. And the Left needs to pick up some of these smaller municipalities if they want to come away from tonight with something to be proud of.

* * * * *

12:03am
DD: Any viewers we have at this time from Banija should pay attention. The results of the New Istria contest have been announced... and... my god. Am I reading that right Antony?

AS: You sure are David. The Defiance Coalition, former ruling party in Banija, led by the disgraced former Katikkiro, Matthias Mutebi, has won a plurality in New Istria and will have a seat in Parliament and govern the locality. The small People's Communist Party finished second, with the Christian Patriot's League following closely behind in third.

DD: A most interesting result. We’ll have to see in the coming days how that result is reacted to both by our own government and the Banijan one as well.

* * * * *

1:01am
DD: We’re receiving news of the result in Rigerata, the Republicans have finished first and the Fascists second in the two seat constituency, splitting the seats between them. That’s the first MP for the Fascists, we do expect more as the night continues.

* * * * *

1:58am
DD: We’ve gotten some significant results from Brham and Chuckio to tell you about. Antony?

AS: Yes David. Chuckio and Brham, both constituencies returning five Members to Parliament. As one of our guest analysts pointed out earlier in the night, the United Left is expected to do better in the large constituencies. Not so, according to the results - which will appear on your screen shortly if this gadget will work properly - err - well, it’s not a real election night broadcast on the DBC if something technological doesn’t work properly, is it? Anyways, the Republicans have won in both municipalities, claiming three seats in each. Meanwhile, the United Left - ah, there it is, thanks producers - have picked up just three seats in total, two in Chuckio and one in Brham, as the Liberals snagged one there. At this point the United Left must be real worried. I suspect the Republicans will still fall short of a majority in Parliament, but if this trend continues, I don’t think the United Left will be coalition partners for much longer. It’ll all come down to Scott City in the end.

* * * * *

2:35am

Party Seats
REP    76
UL     21
LIB    13
F&UU    7
OTH     7

DD: That’s the seat totals for each party as we are now down to waiting for the final results for the three remaining municipalities: Rogerton, Liverpool and Scott City. All three of those cities were won by the United Left four years ago, but we have some reason to believe that won’t be the case tonight, as so far the Republicans have dominated throughout the country and look set to have a sizable plurality in Parliament while still falling short of the 110 seats needed for a majority. The United Left’s morale has been boosted by the most recent result, from Tempala, where they finished first. Antony, can you tell us more?

AS: I’m not sure there morale’s been boosted all that much David. Yes they claimed a plurality, but with only 32.3% of the vote, that’s a thirteen and a half percent negative swing away from the party, much of that support going to the Republicans, they’re up over fourteen percent. Interestingly, the Liberals also experienced a drop of support in Tempala, down 11.8 percent, while the Fascists are up 11.1%. So there’s a whole lot of voter movement all over the place, but the one thing I think we can take away for certain is that support for the United Left is much weaker than it was in 2041 and that we’re headed towards a Republican victory tonight.

DD: It will certainly take a miracle in the final three municipalities for the United Left to turn things around tonight.

* * * * *

2:43am
DD: Quickly now, we turn our attention to Rogerton, where they’ve just announced.

....Party   Votes  Percent MP's
UL    54,762 35.17%  3
LdV   44,399 28.51%  3
REP   15,226  9.78%  1
....F&UU   15,105  9.70%  1  
LIB   12,438  7.99%  0
PG     9,080  5.83%  0
OTH    4,701  3.02%  0
Turnout: 56.34%

AS: The United Left with the plurality, but they lost considerable support compared to four years ago, down an astounding 15.3%. That’s a loss of two seats, while Lista de Valladar picks up one for a total of three. Interestingly, a strong showing from the Fascists, remember, they’re very anti-Valladar. The Fascists have an MP and three seats on the Municipal Council now, strong showing from them.

* * * * *

3:16am
DD: A reminder now of the results in Liverpool. The United Left, as they did in Rogerton and Tempala, finished first with a plurality. That’s an important change with regards to Liverpool, as the United Left had claimed 67 percent of the vote last election, compared to just 49 and a quarter tonight. They still pick up six seats, with the Republicans and Fascists winning two seats each and the Liberals and Greens one each. We now await the final results of this late night, the 75 parliamentary seats from Scott City. I’m told there is a limited recount of certain ballot boxes going on, which could indicate a close result. A look at the seat total so far shows the following:

Party Seats
REP   79
UL    30
LIB   14
F&UU  10
OTH   11

DD: The Republicans are just 31 seats short of the total needed for a majority, certainly doable if they can win around two-fifths of the votes in the capital. United Left will be absolutely desperate to hang on to their own two-fifths vote total from four years ago, to deny their coalition partners an outright majority and force another four years of governance in partnership with the Republicans.

* * * * *

3:43am
DD: We have the results now! The Republicans have not won the 31 seats needed for an outright majority, winning just 21 to end on a round 100 seats in total, ten short of what they needed and what certainly no one expected they would do even if they came o’ so close. The United Left has finished ahead of them, they’ll lead the local government in the capital, but there’s only nine-tenths of a percent separating them from the Republicans. Trailing both of them, the Liberals and Fascists have each won thirteen seats, while the Royalists have picked up their first and only seats, winning four. The Progressive Greens finish in a disappointing sixth, winning a further two seats to add to their one from Liverpool for three in total.

Party  Votes   Percent MP's
UL    383,600 27.72%  22
REP   371,090 26.82%  21
LIB   234,296 16.93%  13
F&UU  233,598 16.88%  13
ROY    69,474  5.02%   4
PG     50,117  3.62%   2
OTH    41,443  3.00%   0
Turnout: 51.4%

DD: So, as it stands, the Republicans have 100 seats, United Left 52, the Liberals 27, the Fascists 23, and the minor parties 17. We can now confirm, I’m being told, that the Republicans have also amassed 2,738 electoral votes; that’s 106 more than is needed to secure a majority. That means that when the Electoral College assembles on Tuesday to elect the President of the Republic, the Republicans and their candidate, Tor Tong Lee, will be able to claim victory on the very first ballot, something that’s never been accomplished previously. Antony, any last thoughts before we leave for the night?

AS: This will certainly be a historic election. The Republicans have no doubt won the election despite two very important facts. Firstly, they finished second in total votes behind the United Left and secondly, they’ve experienced a negative swing of -1.32%. In any other country, that’d go down as a loss. I suspect you’ll be hearing a lot from the other parties about electoral reform come tomorrow.

DD: Well, there you have it. We’ll all be talking about this election for the days, weeks and even years to come. On behalf of the DBC and all of us here in the studio, I’d like to thank all of our viewers for watching and wish you all a good night. Over to Molly Morrison for the news.

* * * * *

[Omerica]

blogdefootball.co.om
All the football news that’s fit to print!

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Inside the manager’s press conference: three key things we learned
By Christine Halleran

Managerial press conferences are rarely as interesting as the one we were treated to ahead of Omerica’s winner-take-all trip to Eraman. The drama has been boiling up for a while thanks to a playoff race that has run exceptionally close, with Omerica nearly throwing away an eminently winnable second-place finish in the second half of this qualifying campaign. Yet we’re still in it and, thanks to the machinations of the random schedule sort and of a Sherpa team that appears to have no desire to do anything save mess things up for everyone else, we hold our own fate in our own hands.

And naturally, the manager spills all before heading to Christiana Just Cartier Memorial Airport for a flight out to hostile climes. So what did we learn?

Valentine Augustin is out for the rest of qualification and the Cup of Harmony
(Or the World Cup in the admittedly unlikely event Omerica can defeat Eraman and win a playoff group…)

After all, it all nearly went so wrong in Éternare. After stuffing up the game in Brigantii and failing to beat the Sherpa Empire at all, the Rue de la Victoire winced and gritted teeth as Valentine Augustin sat in goal, clearly unwell. As it turns out, after having a fairly ugly run-in with Anthorian captain Jason Rigsby, Augustin was sitting in goal concussed.

Not that anyone actually blames any of the Anthorian players, mind. Thorvald Padmore was brilliant on the night and certainly didn’t need any help getting a hat trick to flatter himself, not to mention that the incident that started this whole fiasco was quite evidently an accident. In fact, the most shameful part of the whole ordeal is the fact Augustin wasn’t pulled earlier. “Valentine should have been taken off earlier, I admit,” Groothuis copped. “It’s perhaps the gravest mistake of our campaign so far and one of the things I am most embarrassed by in my career.”

The heartbreaking tragedy nearly torpedoed Omerica’s qualifying campaign, with the Incorrigibles saved only by the mercy of a Sherpa team that has otherwise been absolutely horrendous this campaign. The only reason Groothuis will dare take a first-string side to Eraman is because Omerica still has a narrow glimmer of hope and the injury will see Augustin pulled from rotation on doctor’s orders, giving Frédérique Acardi her place in the main rotation back after skipping the last Independents Cup. Acardi, however, will be sitting on the bench, with Drew Durant starting between the sticks in Eraman.

The next IAC won’t be in the United Republics, after all
Sure, this is the least interesting of all the developments coming out of the Omerican camp, but it’s the one that may have the most historic impact. Not since Bonesea at IAC 3 have the holders of the Independents Cup attempted to retain the trophy in a foreign land. Schottia (twice!), the Free Republics, Mercedini and Drawkland have all waged their title defence campaigns at home, creating an informal expectation that the Championship winners play the next edition of the tournament at home.

So when the Incorrigibles defeated the Kick Corps in a thrilling back-and-forth final—matching the record for most goals in an IAC final set in the tournament's very first staging—it was expected that the United Republican Soccer Federation would step up and start planning for the next Independent Associations Championship. Instead, manager Anne-Sophie Groothuis shocked the world by effectively saying that Omerica were preparing to defend the trophy abroad. “We’ve won a trophy on hostile territory before. Forget the next IAC, this game against Eraman is a final for us.”

Groothuis’s statement led to a flurry of speculation as to whether Omerica would actually be going abroad after the URSF had expressed a preliminary interest in bidding for IAC-8 before the final of IAC-7 had kicked off, leading the URSF to confirm that they had put their initial plans to bid on ice. “We did not expect to win the championship, to say the least,” URSF General Secretary Jean-Pierre Castejon said in an interview after Groothuis’s accidental announcement. “We were intending to bid for the next IAC to provide associations a choice and to challenge the next hosts to treat the IAC not as an automatic privilege or a price that must be paid for victory, but as a proper tournament that deserves love and respect.”

“We have our traditions here in Omerica,” Castejon stated in response to an objection that the URSF were disrespecting the traditions of the tournament. “We are not a nation that is averse to tradition, but we are also not a nation that is averse to abandoning traditions that are not fit for purpose. Just because something is tradition doesn’t mean it’s automatically worth preserving.”

Whatever happens, though, it’ll be a much nicer holiday for everyone involved. You’re welcome, world. You can thank us later.

Anne-Sophie is not on her way out… and no-one is complaining
After agreeing to extend her contract, Anne-Sophie Groothuis has confirmed she’s not going anywhere. And at this point, not even the Seafoam Islanders and New Guernésiais football heads who wanted to get rid of her two years ago will be arguing with her desire to stick around.

Having already led the national team for longer than anyone else—the upcoming game in Eraman will be her 81st at the helm, twenty more than Jean-Baptiste Archambault—a rumour that she was beginning to tire of the role was persistent. However, it transpires that she has some unfinished business to attend to before she can consider packing her things in and, in stark contrast with the historic relationships between managers and these United Republics, we’re all content to let her get on with it.

The most decorated manager in Omerican history (admittedly a title with incredibly flattered competition) has already stated that she wants to match Ryan Pritchard’s achievement of guiding Omerica to the World Cup finals—though it’s hard to see why anyone would want to not qualify for the World Cup finals. Having already bested Omerica’s most persistent superstitions, Anne-Sophie’s Omerica could very well be the one that breaks this long, painful, mostly-bleak run of miserable qualification failures.

And even if the streak doesn’t end here—and given the circumstances, that’s not an unreasonable assumption—the Incorrigibles could actually shape up to be a possible outside contender for the Cup of Harmony title. And there’s the distinct possibility of an Independents Cup title defence which, given that such a feat has yet to be pulled off in the IAC’s (admittedly brief) history, would write the Incorrigibles’ names into the history books.

So whatever happens, may God have mercy on our souls. And maybe mercy would be ending our campaign before the playoffs, sparing us of a potential humiliation conga in what are sure to be ruthless and unforgiving groups. In success, in failure and in managerial press conferences, there’s always a lesson or three to be learned. ◇

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Uniting Omerican sport fans across the United Republics — blogdefootball: a proud member of the Gryphon Pride network

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United Republican Soccer Federation
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port Alexandre, AM 18-A40
UNITED REPUBLICS OF OMERICA

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South Covello 1-0 Omerica
World Cup 83 qualifying group stage — Matchday Twelve
Revolution Stadium, Riverview, South Covello
Goalscorers: Coconut Charles 14’
Omerica line-up: Valentine Augustin; Julie Boulos – Aristide de Felice – Charity Kayode – Fernand Michelakakis; John Soares – Elise Bianchi; Clemente Affini – Red Bolton (captain) – Maria Nelissen; Édouard Bouchard
Substitutions: Michelakakis > Marine Roldan (46’) – Nelissen > Martin la Rouge (51’) – Boulos > Jet Sneyders (67’)

Omerica v Anthor
World Cup 83 qualifying group stage — Matchday Thirteen
Rue de la Victoire, Éternare, Alleos
Omerica line-up: Valentine Augustin; Julie Boulos – Aristide de Felice – Charity Kayode – Fernand Michelakakis; John Soares – Elise Bianchi; Clemente Affini – Red Bolton (captain) – Maria Nelissen; Édouard Bouchard

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United Republican Soccer Federation
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port Alexandre, AM 18-A40
UNITED REPUBLICS OF OMERICA

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Omerica 1–3 Anthor
World Cup 83 qualifying group stage — Matchday Thirteen
Rue de la Victoire, Éternare, Alleos
Goalscorers: Clemente Affini 38’ ; Thorvald Padmore 44’, 64’, 77’
Omerica line-up: Valentine Augustin (+); Julie Boulos – Aristide de Felice – Charity Kayode – Fernand Michelakakis; John Soares – Elise Bianchi; Clemente Affini – Red Bolton (captain) – Maria Nelissen; Édouard Bouchard
Substitutions: Bianchi > Sean Tester (46’) – Augustin > Drew Durant (62’) – Soares > Alex Rodrigues (77’)

Eraman v Omerica
World Cup 83 qualifying group stage — Matchday Fourteen
Old Sample, Sampleville, Eraman
Omerica line-up: Drew Durant; Julie Boulos – Aristide de Felice – Charity Kayode – Fernand Michelakakis; John Soares – Elise Bianchi; Clemente Affini – Red Bolton (captain) – Maria Nelissen; Édouard Bouchard

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[Bolgano]

The end of the dream

The dream that every man, woman and child had since the Baptism of Fire and the World Cup was extinguished by the latest results, from hating against Hapilopper to a friendship in his last game, defeats against the 2 powers of the group, thrashed Polkopia and everything took away the dream of seeing us in the World Cup but it is only the past now they must prepare for the Harmonia Cup and the next AOCAF.

I'm sorry I haven't had time for the RP

[Kita-Hinode]

THE GENERAL SCOUT
University fruits: five underrated names going out on a free soon
Written by scout and journalist Hidenobu Kojima

MASHU, SOMEI-YOSHINO -So, you're probably waiting for the Transfer Window. Now, fair enough, we're actually currently watching the World Cup qualifiers so you're probably not contemplating the odds of your team (yes, your team) scoring a potential superstar in the window. Maybe you heard about some star that was disgruntled at their hot club and figured they'd be better off moving out. Or maybe it's about some player that, tired of playing at home, decided to give a foreign club a shot? Or maybe you're witnessing a team forming itself from the ground up like a new Interdimensional Misei. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Hidenobu Kojima, a scout with twenty years of experience that worked for several clubs across the Empire, usually minnows looking for a boost and now I'm working for the Sunrise Club's Digest. Tonight, I'll tell you about five players that should be really good but might be overlooked because they weren't in some Fantastico, Galactico or whatever list and they also weren't in teams that went on to win the top titles. Maybe they just didn't have the best of careers at the youth level. For whatever reason, they're names that were overlooked and I'm here to fix that mistake.

#1 - Chewbacca Matsuda-Kwobe - CB/DM/CM/OM - Minaduki University (Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League)
Plus: Versatile, Handles pressure pretty well - Cons: It's a catgirl, some people hate that sort of stuff
There's a reality out there where this girl, this Nekojin girl (yes, Nekojin, human/cat hybrid, fun folks to drink tea with) has taken the Minaduki University to the top of Hinodejin football in the University level. There's only one problem: this isn't that reality. This is the reality where Chewbacca Matsuda-Kwobe had to carry an entire team through a season that saw them bottom out, play the Selective Tournament (a sort of play-in for the following season) and then get themselves eliminated really early on to Royal Academy. Minaduki brought players from all parts of the Empire to serve as coadjuvants to this fantastic player but they also turned out to be a bit problematic and found themselves going down again. Chewbacca is a great player, she's versatile, towering, smart and has a good bag of tricks. It's just that her team wasn't suited for her.

And after three seasons, Chewbacca Matsuda-Kwobe is down to her final year at school but should be able to finish her papers abroad while trying her hand at a football career. She's your girl for a team that reached levels of suckitude. Hell, you could say she's getting used to it, she helped her team get out of the bottom tier, after all.

#2 - Jimmy McCarthy - CF - Project Olimpo Jutsii (All-Hinodejin Youth Football League)
Pros: "Clutch", Hard Worker - Cons: Nimble, not good physically
Normally, I wouldn't add a player from Project Olimpo Jutsii to a list of names that won't be noted quickly. I mean, let's be honest here: in the earlier seasons, being a member of Project Olimpo Jutsii meant that you were playing in a league that was mostly made up of some challengers but nothing too nerve-wracking. Of course, if things kept as they were, you wouldn't be seeing Jimmy McCarthy in this list. Thing is, McCarthy is what they call a clutch player but he's also in a team that really took hit after hit during their lifetime. Things got worse when they lost Gitonga Kahara. Then they lost Donaldson. The team kept bleeding players without adding a major replacement if any replacement at all.

Last season, McCarthy was literal window dressing for Project Olimpo in what was determined by their own administration as their "annus horribilis" as they underperformed and found themselves in a mediocre 11th place. He also scored nine goals... and then gave away the ball in a play that would end up with Crimson Academy scoring and winning the game, eliminating them from the Hinodejin Youth Cup at the Round of 64. Let's just say that McCarthy has the ghost of a country that flops between existing and not and the ghost of last season to push back. Still, he was good enough to push Olimpo to win a title. Should get signed early on.

#3 - Kalle Hattunen - RM/CM/OM/CF/RW - Lan Xang University (Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League)
Pros: Fantastic player for his level - Cons: Fantastic player for his level
Say, kids, have you ever heard about Lan Xang? The Land of the Million Elephants? The guys with the white parasols? Well, just in case you didn't, Lan Xang was an old kingdom back in the day that fell down to the Hinodejin Empire's expansion. It's not uncommon for some institutions to borrow the name of old lands, which is what happened with this University at the sunny lands of Kobani. Now, for Kalle Hattunen, he's one of the many players to come out from the scouting sessions one Chaolan Zaibatsu ran on nearby lands to Mido-Hinode. Of course, these sessions have been since deemed failures for the Zaibatsu but they did find the eventual good player like Hattunen, they just... didn't sign them up. Hattunen was brought in as a surprise player for Lan Xang and turned out to be pretty productive. During his career, he had some fantastic games for Lan Xang: scoring, creating opportunities and overall being a pain for pretty much any defence. Last season, Hattunen scored a goal against the Mido-Hinode University at The Bow of Artemis. Despite losing the game in the end, that's something a forward can always proudly claim to have done.

The thing about Hattunen and why he probably won't be such a quick pick is that his career consisted of playing at the Intercollegiate Advance League since Lan Xang started out as a third-tier school and never exactly improved from that. I do expect him to be signed eventually, probably by a league with a team deemed mediocre enough that signing a player of his calibre would be considered good. Still, considering how good he was at the level he played, we might actually see Hattunen playing as a national team player soon enough.

#4 - Sammie Slade - RM/CM/LM/OM - Sophitia University (Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League)
Pros: Smart player, creative - Cons: Can fall deep into her own ego at times
Sammie Slade is the first-ever notable player to come out of Misei. The daughter of two Licentian teachers that immigrated to live at Misei during the wilderness years of the territory (ergo when Misei wasn't a Hinodejin territory but rather a land without actual power, in more ways than one), she was registered as a Hinodejin citizen as a sign of goodwill towards the inhabitants of the formerly lawless lands. By that point, she was already kicking a ball for amateur teams and Sophitia University saw that it'd be in their best interests to bring the girl in. It did work but they soon found a little problem with her, she believes a lot on her own hype, although every failure she ever meets seems to put her back down a bit.

Do I suggest anyone give a chance to Sammie Slade? To some extent. I think she can be a pretty solid player all things considered and should get pretty good if you pair her up with a psychiatrist. Seriously, girl, get some help.

#5 - Oh Dae-Sung - CB/DM - Tobukoku University (Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League)
Pros: Smart defender, competent, workhorse - Cons: Nervous around girls... yeah, I'm not joking
Oh Dae-Sung is a good hometown hero to the students of Tobukoku University, a solid captain, a respectable leader. He just had a small problem, a problem that opponents would definitively abuse on the wild, wacky world that is the Advance League, he can't look at a girl's eyes. It's not as ridiculous as it used to be, however. His first game saw him be distracted by a forward from the Cannis Canem College while she passed the ball to Anssi Rissanen (another guy that people should take a look at) for their first and sole goal that day. Because of that, he struggled to lead his team anywhere, they hit the bar three times in getting themselves promoted anywhere above the Advance League, it got to the point where they ended up at the fifth place one season where the top four got promoted.

If a team can knock him out of that tick? He should be a great defender, considering his resumée. So eh, why not? Low-risk investment, folks.

These are my five picks. Now to see where they'll end up... probably the second tier of the Hinodejin Empire, I dunno.

[Turori]

Tastes of the Multiverse coming to your local Cocoa-bo Soon

Cocoa-bo World Headquarters, Mliona, Turori :: While some may now consider Cocoa-bo a household name and a staple of the multiversal delectables market, it was actually not long ago that very few outside the Vilitan Cove had ever experienced or even heard of Cocoa-bo. In fact, prior to the grass roots "Everything is better with Cocoa-bo" campaign that began somewhere around the World Cup 78 Qualifying campaign, Cocoa-bo itself had rarely ever attempted to market or expand its products outside of the Island Emirate of Turori.

That would all change when Cocoa-bo was acquired by the Turorian multinational Logistics and Holdings company that would eventually be known as CoCoCo. The outside investments allowed Cocoa-bo to turn their grass roots marketing strategy into a full blown internationstatal promotional event. Cocoa-bo took their "Everything's better with Cocoa-bo" marketing campaign on tour with the Turori National Team during World Cup 79 qualifying setting up tents with free samples and applying their grass roots marketing techniques to each and every country the Turori National Team would visit during the campaign. The Cocoa-bo shops were only in town a few days, however, and then they would move on to another city. The word was getting out but the means of getting the product there full time was not.

In stepped the CoCoCo and the "Better with Cocoa-bo" promotion where fans themselves got to decide where Cocoa-bo would undergo a full scale expansion. The timing of the poll happened to coincide with the fall of Lord Gregory in the region of Esportiva. As a result, untold number of Lord Gregory's former subjects who would never have previously been permitted to participate in such a contest, all stuffed the ballot in favor of their reformed nation now known as South Covello.

The CoCoCo saw the opportunity to profit from a developing nation with minimal modern infrastructure. In order to bring Cocoa-bo with them to South Covello the needed to set up the supply chains, the warehouses, the infrastructure even making a robust energy grid to power its new storefronts. Naturally, the CoCoCo commercialized what they could and it is rumored that their presence in South Covello would ultimately pay for itself within two cycles.

It was a very stressful time for the Cocoa-bo marketing team however as they had not bargained for a side of politics and commercialism with their first ever expansion. So once the team was settled in South Covello they were exciting to 'try again' in the next two nations on the list - perhaps the ones that didn't stuff the ballot as much, Starblaydia and the Equestrian States.

Cocoa-bo's Equestria's better with Cocoa-bo! marketing banner

While setting up shop in Starblaydia and the Equestrian States, all within the same region and not too difficult logistically, the Cocoa-bo team finally had the expansion they had invisioned. Not a lifeline for a famine-induced population digging themselves out from the grasp of a maniacal dictator but a simple moment of joy best served cold for friends, family and co-workers to enjoy in a social environment to make their day just a tiny bit better. While there were many competing shops throughout Jhanna City and Starblaydia, Cocoa-bo was an instant hit inside the Equestrian States and growth of the brand was fast and furious.

Now, just three cycles on from expansion to what is now known as Equestria, two of the top five performing Cocoa-bo locations in the multiverse are found in Equestria including the top grossing location in the heart of Manehattan where a wall of Cocoa-ssociates help keep customers moving through the store and out the door on with their day as many forgoe some of the social interactions just to get their kick of their regular delectable or perhaps try the flavor of the week, while there is also the more quintessential Cocoa-bo shop in old town Canterlot that is often used in marketing material due to its unique, inviting design and the always busy courtyard attached to the location with filled tables dotted with Cocoa-bo and even an activity area for customers to entertain themselves.

As Cocoa-bo has continued to expand its brand throughout the multiverse it has begun to also get influenced by the great places it has expanded. Now, for the first time ever, Cocoa-bo is looking to take some of the unique flavors that have been concocted at popular locations such as Old Town Canterlot and its Evening-only specialty "Magic Rain-bo" Flavored Treats or the "Cocoa-pinana" out of South Covello and bringing those selections to Cocoa-bo locations multiverse-wide for a limited time so all Cocoa-bo patrons can experience the joy and comfort that Cocoa-bo brings to fellow Cocoa-boers multiverse wide.

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day.

Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and Cocoa-bo has opened temporary locations during major internationstatal events such as the World Cup Finals with past locations appearing in Drawkland and Cosumar. Cocoa-bo has a permanent presence in South Covello and is also continuing to grow its presence in Starblaydia, the Equestrian States and the Free Republics. The company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. Cocoa-bo are also the kit sponsor for Mliona-Lpaka AFC in the Vilitan League.

Cocoa-bo's largest current markets are, in order, Turori; South Covello, the Equestrian States, Vilita and the Free Republics

[95X]

(OOC: Today's RP brought to you by an old phone with a data plan on a very inexpensive MVNO. I knew I wanted service on it just in case of power surges/brownouts.)

On the surface, 95X had very little to play for. They'd already qualified for a playoff round abhorred by the upper echelons of 95X National Team management. And 95X was playing Valanora, who already qualified and soundly defeated the 95Xers 4-1 in a previous qualifying game.

But there's more than the final scoreline and standings. Rumors were circulating that the 95X NT might head in a new direction, and Katelynn State might be replacced. State, despite a 'work hard, play harder' mentality was a former player herself and deep down was a player's coach. The type that understood that sometimes good players make bad plays, and sometimes good players have great games.

[Eura]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Opal Wells Links
South Bastion, Eura

Golf is not Eura’s most popular sport by any means. However, it had one big fan in the Prime Minister. Not many knew it but Amy Yarley took great pleasure in the opportunity for solitary reflection and clear thinking it gave her. She kept the interest on the down low, her security services secretly hiring out a course for the day so she could play without any need to worry about security. This didn’t amount to a day off though. If anything the course was like an extension of her workspace, somewhere to mull things over, and occasionally to court an important ally or have deniable conversations. This was one of those occasions. She was joined at the tee of the 16th hole by the Chairman of the OSI, a long term colleague, and once - quite scandalously - a lover. He’d decided to take early retirement not too long ago making this one of his last meetings with her in a professional capacity.

The Chairman, or John Doyley as the civilian world knew him, was a man of simple pleasures. He didn’t particularly care for a sport seen by most Euran’s as the territory of aging middle class men, even though that’s exactly what he was. Doyley was much more comfortable on the terraces of a football stadium than out here. He wasn’t here for the sport either way. ‘I’ve been thinking about your offer.’ Yarley was setting up the tee and didn’t look at him as she responded. ‘And?’
‘I can’t do it.’ Now she lifted her head. He continued apologetically. ‘I appreciate the offer, I really do, it’s just not for me. Nothing personal and all that.’
‘John, you’ve been working for three decades. You’ve fought from Sameba to Mytannion and run our intelligence services ever since you laid down the rifle. Surely you’re not going to can it all? I can’t imagine you doing nothing.’
‘Never said I won’t do anything. Just not that.’ She was disappointed but understood.

The offer had been to make Doyley a parliamentary candidate for her Liberal Party. He’d be parachuted in to a seat at the next available by-election and fast tracked up the party. He wasn’t too old, extremely well qualified, a war hero and all around likable guy. To boot the former intelligence officer and soldier had overcome many of the mental and physical health issues that had plagued him when he first got put behind a desk. Nevertheless, he wasn’t keen. ‘I think I’m going to do something relaxed. Not politics or the current trade. Get out of the whole thing entirely, maybe travel somewhere.’ He wistfully stared up at the sky and thought of the opportunities. ‘Fine. Well, if I can’t offer you a job, perhaps we can return to you carrying out your current one?’ She was referring to the real reason he had been summoned here.

OSI operatives had launched an off the books black op in Mareibat to obtain intelligence on the Bellight People’s Army, following its apparently random attack on a Euran warship passing the eponymous island they occupied. The operation consisted of a series of small scale Marine Commando raids in the aftermath of limited Euran reprisal strikes against the island’s capital. Only one raid had proved useful but what they had got was real top shelf level intelligence. A glut of organisational information had been gleaned from items of interest seized at the raid target. This intelligence had been assessed rapidly and now Doyley was reporting back to Yarley on what they had found. He went through it in the highest level detail possible, avoiding an overly granular description of what had been found.

She was grateful for the work done and pleased that the raid’s had succeeded without any serious casualties, in comparison to the airstrikes; a Euran jet had been shot down by the BPA and the young, photogenic female pilot murdered by a gang of BPA thugs, providing the newspapers with plenty of ammunition to question yet another Amy Yarley overseas adventure. ‘I take it that this data can be passed to the Apoxian’s without too much need for redaction?’
‘Absolutely. Everything in there is being prepared now for transferal to Apox and its armed forces. It should give them a head start on working out how best to tackle the BPA when they inevitably take the island back. But there’s another thing.’
‘I don’t like the word “but”, John. We’ve discussed this.’
‘You won’t mind it on this occasion. The raid turned up intel on the source of the missile that hit our ship. In short, the BPA have a Sameban on their payroll.’
‘Anyone famous?’
‘Cain.’

Yarley had been about to put a swing through the ball. Instead she stopped in her tracks. ‘As in, General Cain?’
‘The one and only.’
‘Well then. Fuck.’ She set herself, focused, and hit a glorious drive right down the middle of the fairway. ‘How high up is he on the warrants list?’
‘The nation’s third most wanted, ma’am. The King of Spades!’ Doyley was referring to a specially commissioned series of playing cards given out to Euran service personnel after Sameba’s capitulation. They listed the fifty highest ranking remaining Sameban military leaders, including even a fair few Beranists. After Gallo and one other, Cain had been the highest ranking survivor, and had to be the highest ranking living member of the hard liner faction. ‘He was with Gallo when the old bastard blew his brains out. One of Gartanzo’s old reliable guys back in the day. It seems he decamped to Bellight just as things went south, made a deal with the BPA for protection, and has spent recent months getting hold of high power weaponry on their behalf. I can go into further detail if you wish?’ Doyley pulled out a folder from under his jacket, the OSI’s logo embossed on the front.

The pair walked down the course to find the balls landing spot. As they walked Yarley asked questions – what kind of condition was he in? How much money did he have? Was he a formal part of the BPA leadership? Doyley answered them all. She really would miss him. ‘Where is he then?’
‘This is the interesting part. One thing we’ve been lacking in Mareibat is human assets, what with the conflict not having been much of a priority until the last couple of weeks. I’m pleased to inform you that we have now got a human asset inside the BPA.’
‘And they’re senior enough to verify what we’ve learned?’
‘I wouldn’t call them senior.’ Yarley raised a sceptical eyebrow, prompting Doyley to hurriedly rush towards reassurances. ‘But they are extremely well positioned, in a role where they directly serve the inner circle. We’ll lose them when we turn over the intel to Apox but in the meantime we can-‘
‘Hold on.’ She cut him off at the mention of “losing” a source. ‘That’s not acceptable if we need this source to get a clear idea of Cain’s location. We find Cain first, then Apox can have your little puppet.’
‘That’s pretty risky. It could piss them off.’
‘They’ll get over it.’ She found her ball again. The same routine she’d practiced a thousand times was run through with cool efficiency. She launched it perfectly towards the green.

‘What are our options then?’
‘Depends what kind of state you want Cain in. Dead or alive?’
‘Either will suffice. I’d be curious what your preference is though John .You are the expert after all.’
‘I couldn’t possibly comment. A bullet might not be the worst solution though.’ He pulled a print of a satellite photograph from the folder and handed it to her for examination. ‘What am I looking at then? It looks like one of those gun-cam’s the MoD insist on plastering over social media.’
‘This is a site in rural Bellight, southwest of the port of Floricon. It’s comprised of three large buildings in an even larger compound, with a camp of some kind surrounding it. It’s disguised as some kind of business but our drones and satellites have verified a claim by our source that this is a BPA camp. In the source’s opinion, this is where Cain is now or will be soon. They say he’s been moved from Bellight city itself.’
‘I assume we’ve got a plan to find out. Hopefully one that’s more sophisticated than blowing this place sky high.’

Doyley took some offence at the implication. ‘Obviously not. No, there’s three options. The first is do nothing – let nature take its course. When the BPA eventually lose, we’ll have to hope he gets turned over.’
‘That’s a terrible option.’
‘Hey, you asked for the lot, so that’s what you’re getting! Second option is a targeted elimination. Drone, sniper team, there’s various ways of doing it but essentially it’ll mean killing him from a distance. Our source will need to get in close and confirm he’s there. Then there’s option three.’
‘Send in the Commandos.’
‘Yes, more or less. We’ve identified a few teams who are suitable for the job. We fly them in with appropriate cover, hit the facility, and get Cain as well as any other high value targets who happen to be there at the time. This is a high risk option in terms of failure and casualties. We’ll be absolutely sure of getting him though if it comes off.’ Yarley mulled over the choice in front of her as she reached the green.

The ball was a good ten feet from the hole. Not an easy putt for an amateur. She steadied herself, took a couple of practice swings, then went for it. The ball teased by running extremely close to the target. Unfortunately it missed the hole by a matter of centimetres. ‘Damn! Ok, well, I think option three is the best. It needs one modification though.’
‘I see. What would that be?’
‘It needs to be an event.’ Doyley experienced a double take. He wondered if he’d misheard her. ‘I’m sorry, a what?’
‘An event! Look, the people will never get enough of catharsis borne out of revenge against Sameban regime figures. It’s a good source of good news for this government. I want Cain either bundled into the back of a helicopter or blown away, and I want it done on camera. Rig the Commando’s up with the right equipment, I thought they carried cameras on their helmets anyway. Meanwhile, we will observe from the distance, and I will make a statement when the job is done. My polling needs the boost.’
‘That’s one way of doing things. Are you really sure though Amy? You’re staking a lot on this succeeding.’
‘I’m certain. Get it done.’ She holed the final putt to make par. Yarley whistled to herself without a care in the world, like she hadn’t just authorised a highly dangerous and definitely lethal military operation. Doyley shook his head and took his leave. He was glad to be retiring sooner rather than later.

[Chromatika]

Recap of Matchday 13: Chromatka 3-1 Far Wor Eryunce
Goals: Andisori, K. '12, Conrad '64, '81
Starting XI: Nier; Ruth - de Aea - Ibex - Damjana; Kelly - Mora - Kuzami - Conrad; Andisori, K. (C) - Vidal.
Substitutes: McBee -> Ruth ('52), Thorben -> Kelly ('66), Sierra -> Vidal ('83)
Recap: Retta Conrad continues to make a name for herself. In a game that didn't turn out to mean much due to Qusmo taking care of business against Competitive Solitaire, it was Retta Conrad that truly shined.

---

Preview of Matchday 14: Chromatika @ Euran Oceanic Territories
Starting XI: Ria; McBee - Anderson - Ibex - Damjana; Thorben - Limones - Dias - Conrad; Sierra (C) - Bird.
Preview: One last chance for the bench players to get some experience before Playoff Groups appear.

---

Hotel Mer
Chromatik City, Chromatika
After Matchday 13

It'd been a beautiful game by the Chromatiks, especially by one Retta Conrad, but it was all for moot as soon as it came through that Qusmo had defeated Competitive Solitaire, pushing the Chromatiks to the Playoff Groups. It reminded one Keira Andisori of the beginning years of Chromatik football when they were still trying to vie for relevance.

It had been a warm night in the stadium, and Keira was exhausted, leading to a somewhat rare instance of falling asleep almost instantly; her partner Alyss Montague let her be, having had an off night herself.

It was the warm glow of ambient light that stirred Keira awake. She was lying on her stomach, something that she almost never did when she slept; as her eyes fluttered open, she noticed she was in a field of grass.

This realization snapped Keira awake. She was clad in a simple white dress, sleeveless and ending right above her knees, with no socks. She was in what would be best described as a glen, the sound of birds chirping, sunlight streaming through the clouds, some trees in the distance.

As she got her bearings, a light shone directly toward her, and descending through the clouds came a being clad in pure white, radiating light. The being was about six feet tall, their hair wasn't quite visible - the light was what was on their head, and they had eyes that were glowing like hot ember coals. Keira tried to speak, but no noise came out of her mouth.

The being - still humanoid at least - commanded respect by their presence. It lifted its left hand and raised a finger.

Welcome, ambassador of the Rainbow, came a clear toned-voice inside Keira's head, We have been waiting to meet you for a while now. For the longest time, it was forbidden; however, as The Black Mark has made his presence known to you, it has been decreed that more direct intervention than just ideas whispered into your mind will be necessary.

When Keira tried to respond vocally, she found that she still was not able to speak; the being noticed this and shook its head.

We are afraid that in order for us to communicate with you, you cannot communicate back with us; if we ever meet you in person, it will be a different story. Let us tell you what has transpired.

Keira nodded, and motioned for the being to continue.

We are The Enlightened, and we have had an interest in your nation for a long time ever since one of our most feared criminals escaped our realm and went down to the place that you refer to Eyrods. When The Black Mark turned Eyrods into a laboratory for his nefarious means, we intervened to turn it into a temperate jungle that does not quite befit your weather systems; it is through The Enlightened's magic that the place you now call The Eyrodii Jungle exists.

The being looked contemplative as it paused for a second, almost as if it was giving Keira time to process. She motioned for the being to proceed.

A few years ago, it came to The Enlightened's attention that The Black Mark had used its influence to corrupt your nation's political and cultural system. It was decreed by The Three that intervention was necessary; two of us succeeded in starting what your histories call The Rainbow Revolution; it was powerful enough to stop the machinations of The Black Mark, but it was not successful in catching The Black Mark himself.

Now, the being looked apologetic.

With the Checkers Party now coming into power, and the disappearance of the beings known as Trenn Rien and Jordan Lawless, it has now been decided by The Enlightened with the blessings from The Three that direct intervention is necessary. Twenty-four hours after you awake, look for a white door near the end of the hall of this room. Help is now here.

The being started to fly back into the sky.

You will remember this as a dream, but dreams are fragments of reality itself; this meeting did actually happen. Oh, we've been very rude, haven't we? This unit can be referred to as The Messenger. We will be back in touch.

With that, the being vanished, and Keira felt her astral(?) form get heavy with sleep.

That night, Keira Andisori had one of the best nights of sleep she'd had in years. When she awoke, though, she remembered every detail, and had a hell of a story to tell those interested...

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
See Part 4 in particular for info on some of the other characters found in this post.

Change of Seasons, 8

A few hours following the penultimate match of qualifying for the Black-and-Reds, Ailen Koirala and the SCFA board assembled in a conference room borrowed from the hosting Jaglan Royals Football Club, located in the office complex immediately adjacent to the stadium. Joining them was team manager Bethany Donnell, along with Koirala's predecessor as SCFA president, Rijkhard Provorov. Taking her place at the head of the table, Ailen addressed the meeting.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming. As you will all be aware, there are three items on our agenda for today. First, the Confederacy's nomination for our Most Valuable Player of qualifying. I hope you have all had a chance to look over Ms. Donnell's shortlist of candidates. Second, the time has come for us to make a decision regarding the Imperial situation. After a final discussion, we will hold a vote on the matter to decide whether or not to relinquish our claim to Squornshelan footballing records from World Cup 5 to World Cup 41. Finally, and hopefully much easier to decide on, we must ratify the agenda for our next meeting, to take place after the conclusion of the World Cup and Cup of Harmony, which has been proposed as a final debate and vote on the issue of altering the revenue sharing structure of SCFA leagues to incentivize greater playing time for women."

She paused for a moment. "I would like to thank Mr. Provorov for agreeing to attend and lend his perspective to these proceedings. Is there anything before we begin?"

"Personally, it concerns me that all of the potential nominees are men," Kornelie Tamela began.

"It is regrettable, I agree," Koirala cut her off before the comment could become a lecture, "but as there was no woman who played a significant number of minutes, it would not have been sound to consider someone like Naqvi or Teklu to have diversity for diversity's own sake. Our goal should always be to nominate the most deserving player, regardless of other considerations."

"Perhaps Naqvi and Teklu might have been more deserving given more of an opportunity," Tamela made meaningful eye contact with Donnell, who did not take the bait.

"Kornelie, your point on the playing time situation for women is well taken, and we will have an opportunity to potentially take action on the matter at our next meeting. For now, let's please keep to the task at hand, and move on with our discussion." Koirala glanced briefly at the list of five candidates for the Team of the Tournament nomination. Not much in the way of surprises. As anticipated, team captain, midfielder Arlo Damot appeared, along with vice captain center back Tervi Oleb, star striker Demkjo Jzvanic, and first-choice goalkeeper Istaro Munib, with the final inclusion being right midfielder Vrenz Tambura.

"Viordar, perhaps you'd like to start us off?"

Having always been fond of the sound of his own voice, the board's elder statesman Viordar Cervkle was only too happy to begin by taking up the case of fellow Molvanian, Jzvanic. "All players are deserving, yes, but Demkjo is scoring nearly 30% of goals for the team. Without him we are drawing maybe most every match."

Fidal Ellani, always ready to argue a point about sports, quickly volunteered a rebuttal, "Jzvanic wouldn't score half his goals without Damot setting the table. Every attack we've launched goes through Damot."

"You insult a great striker. Jzvanic creates! This is not some poacher waiting at the goal line. Fidal, you were great player, but you like too much the midfielder like yourself."

"Jzvanic is the arrow, and a damn fine one, Viordar, but Damot is the bow that fires him."

"You speak nonsense."

"Fidal, Viordar, please. Let's keep this civil," Koirala longed for the day when one, or better yet both of the board's most contentious members would be happily retired.

Gustloff Tunder was next to voice an opinion, "It's true that the contributions from Jzvanic and Damot have been important, but the fact is, this is not a team that has won its victories by scoring goals. So many of our victories have been decided by a single goal. We should be looking to our defense for this team's most valuable player. After all, this is a defense currently ranked 1st in Group H and tied for 16th overall for goals allowed. When your defense performs so admirably, where else can you look than to your goaltender? Munib should be our nominee."

"But Munib played in two of our losses, Krieven's statistics are quite a bit better."

"Against inferior opposition. There's a reason Munib has been the one to face Siovanija & Teusland, and The Holy Empire."

"If I may interrupt, gentlement," Silja Tolmaren leaned forward, "Krieven and Munib have both played well, and been important players, but it is difficult to separate the two. If we had relied only on Munib, or seen a significant drop off when he did not play, that would be one thing, but we have not. We should be looking to the player with the most appearances, and who has had the most continual influence on our defense and its success. Judging by those criteria the choice is clear."

"So you'd nominate Oleb?"

"As I said, the choice is clear. Apart from on the field considerations, with Munib and Damot getting older, it will be a smart move to designate an heir-apparent of sorts. Oleb is vice captain, and the obvious candidate to succeed Damot. Nominating him for the award puts a feather in his cap, and clearly anoints the new face of the team."

"How well-considered of you, Silja."

"Easy, Gustloff." Eldon Prandel, who had been oddly quiet thus far, spoke up. "I am inclined to agree with Silja on both counts. Not only is Oleb the most deserving candidate, but his nomination is a good move for the future of the SCFA and national team. He has been a quietly superb player for years now, and we have yet to recognize him appropriately. This is a perfect opportunity."

"I think I have to agree as well," Tamela added, "Oleb is as deserving a player as we could pick, if perhaps not the most glamorous. He's a perfect example of a player who is just utterly reliable, and not only takes care of his own job, but makes everyone around him better. With Oleb in at center back, you know that your keeper is going to have an easier time of it, you know your back four are going to be well-coordinated, everything is going to be orderly at the back."

A few minutes more of debate passed, but it didn't take long for all the original points to be stated. As things began to turn circular, Koirala stepped in again.

"It seems we have exhausted lines of debate on this topic, so in the interests of time, I'd like to call things to a vote immediately."
After a quick tally, the decision was clear. No votes for either Tambura or Munib, one each for Jzvanic and Damot, and four for Oleb.

"Very well, the SCFA will nominate Tervi Oleb as its candidate for team of the tournament. Now, let us proceed to discuss the second matter for today. . ."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

90 minutes later

"Very well, we are decided on a course of action. I will make the announcement at a press conference following our match in the Dreamed Realm. I will ask all of you to have statements prepared, Fidal do try not to speak to any journalists next time you're out with your famous friends."

"Oh you don't need to worry about me."

"I worry about you a great deal Fidal, but enough, this meeting is adjourned. We will reconvene following the World Cup and Cup of Harmony."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Squornshelan Confederate Football Association
Official Press Release

The SCFA formally announces that it will, for the first time, name a most valuable player for a qualifying campaign. The inaugural award, as voted by the SCFA board, goes to center back Tervi Oleb. The 31-year-old is anticipated to earn his 60th cap for the Black-and-Reds against The Holy Empire in the final match of qualifying, and is an exemplar of defensive excellence.

Oleb should be considered the team's best performer these past several months, and any publications wishing to highlight the best players of the qualifying campaign would do well to include him.

- - - - - - - - - -

SRS Qualifying Schedule and Results:

MD1: Quakmybush 0-1 SRS
MD2: SRS 1-2 Siovanija & Teusland @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD3: Lashnakia 0-1 SRS
MD4: Bye
MD5: SRS 1-0 New North Carolina @ Eichlen Stadium (cap. 37,500), Rudlit, East Flania, SRS
MD6: Anollasia 1-5 SRS
MD7: SRS 0-2 The Holy Empire @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD8: SRS 0-1 Quakmybush @ Pheldagrif Stadium (cap 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD9: Siovanija & Teusland 2-2 SRS @ Olimpski-Stadion (cap. 60,000), Borograd, STL
MD10: SRS 2-0 Lashnakia @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD11: Bye
MD12: New North Carolina 1-2 SRS
MD13: SRS 1-0 Anollasia @ Castle Street (cap. 57,300), Jaglan, Algolia, SRS
MD14: The Holy Empire v SRS @ Imperial Hippodrome

[Brusseldorf]

Mario Sánchez’ eyes were stinging. He stared at the TV, which glowed like a small sun in the unlit room. Streaks of tears on his cheeks showed whenever the screen flicked, though no one was there to see him like this. He sat alone in his friends house, watching the game alone in the pitch black.

It was the most important match in Brusseldorf’s history to date, but fate was partially out of Los Alrededores hands. Win tonight, and Filindostan still had to beat Tornado Queendom. All Mario could do was watch as the referee blew the whistle.

---

Interview with Teddy Wolfenden

“Yeah, I’ll be honest, I didn’t read the fine print for this round, so I was surprised when I saw how far down we were on the leaderboard. I thought, this can’t be right surely. But yeah, according to the hosts that’s how they’re running this one. It’s really gonna sting if we don’t qualify because of those tiebreaker rules. I didn’t even think to check, I just thought it would be the same as always. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m surprised the bid was chosen. I think maybe the voters skimmed over that bit of the fine print too. I’ve had a chat with the CEO of the FFB and he’s looking to take a more active role in the voting in the future, so hopefully we can prevent odd tiebreaker rules like this from happening again.”

---

Interview with Craig Foster

Look the only thing anyone can hope of us tonight is for the lass’ y lads to come home with a win. The outcome of the other match is out of our hands. Of course I’ve sent a bit of encouragement Filindostan’s way. I hope Bliuji put up a good fight tonight. Of course I could say, you know, it’s us or Tornado, you know, let us win. But that’s never in the spirit of the game no matter how much I dislike the tiebreaker rules. So I hope Bliuji bring the heat, and that we get a good match.”

[Pasarga]

It seemed so strange that just under a year ago, the Wanderers were celebrating what was a complete shock victory in the Copa Rushmori. It was a shock as this was the same group that had failed to live up to expectations for the past six year, with World Cup and Copa glory always just outside of their grasp, and yet in one of the most uncovered tournaments of the era, the squad was able to come together and lift a trophy. Now a year later, they were on the brink of being eliminated from the World Cup, but not in the knockouts or even the Finals of themselves, but from the qualifying process itself. It had been decades since the last time a Wanderers side had failed to make the final thirty-two nations and yet that was the reality that was staring the Wanderers in the face if they could not come together once more like they had a year prior and put on a performance in front of their home fans that would leave them in the position to at least play in the playoffs, which was the last hope that was left for the green, scarlet, and gold.

Four shock results, including two against opponents that any supporter would say that the squad should have at least gotten a draw if not the full three points from, had left the squad in this precious position. Dropping points to the likes of Cheetahs & Reptiles Coalison, the squad that was propping up the rest of the table and had been doing so for the majority of the qualifying campaign, was quite the stinging sensation and unfortunately reminded many of the supporters of the squads from the late 50s and early 60s. Those squads were full of individual talent and on any given matchday could look like world beaters in their own right, but they were far too inconsistent and that lack of consistency saw the Wanderers struggle for many years to become a proper footballing power, both in the region and beyond. A look up and down the line up that now took the field for the Wanderers and you would see talent that was producing like no other on the domestic side of things and could do so for the national team shirt, but they lacked a certain quality when it came to being a professional and seeing through results.

The final match of the group was going to see the Wanderers playing host to Zwangzug, who had already qualified, while Barunia was in second. Barunia was there in part due to their win in Barunia at the end of the first half of the qualifiers, edging out the Wanderers 4-3 in a seven goal thriller that soured the mood for many of the players of the squad going into the second half of qualifiers. In that match, Barunia showed that they would be in the race for the long haul, having grabbed a victory from a match where even the most optimistic of betting houses had only given them decent hands at managing a draw. Results like that could change the entirety mentality of a squad and a nation, as had been seen with the fans switching off during some of the Wanderers matches.

Ninety thousand Pasargans will fill the stadium to its capacity, their songs and chants will echo for miles beyond the stadium itself and even shake the stadium with the ferocity of their support. It has always been that the Wanderers were able to feed off the energy of that home support and pull through in moments where some had written them off for broke, could this be another one of those moments, where a bit of home magic will see the squad through despite its missteps in the lead up to it? Everyone can remember eight years ago when it was a very young Jörg Feierabend whose brace in this stadium had righted a sinking ship and seen the Wanderers turn a lackluster first half of qualifying into an unbeaten second half and easily qualify. Moments like that and more have occurred in this old majestic stadium in the heart of the nations capitol, and it needs at the very least at least one more if this group is going to be able to show their true mettle.

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Qualifying - Match Day 14 Cutoff

The final MLP cutoff for qualifying is Ponies: The Anthology, a multi-creator project composed of dozens of short comedic pony-centric clips.

Plus an alternative for the non-pony fans out there.

Results