World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[Cheergirls]

Captain Meghan Banks had just returned to her home after the 0-0 draw. She was surprised that there were actually some television crews at the game, and then she was actually interviewed from people who were asking her some weird questions. As a high school athlete, when she is interviewed, it is often by a local reporter who honestly couldn’t care less about their game and was just doing their job. But all of these media people really cared about their questions and really took time to analyze the match. No one analyzes high school games in the way that these people were. Meghan was able to answer those questions, but then they started getting really weird. She was not sure where this one reporter was from, but it didn’t seem as though it was from Cheergirls or the opponent’s (Vlasistan) media representation. After all, their media still hasn’t given a list of the names of the players. The reporter said their name, but Meghan was too focused on the question.

“Do you feel cocoa-bo should be banned?”

Why should Cocoa-bo be banned? What kind of stupid question was that? She enjoyed her cocoa-bo, thanks largely to a trade agreement that exists between Cheergirls and the nation of Cassadaigua. Cocoabo has built up a large presence in the city of Starksville, Cassadaigua, so because of that, it is easy to get your hands on the product within Cheergirls, and the team certainly takes advantage of that. Meghan was therefore very confused by this question. Why was this person asking her this.

“Uh, no.” was all Meghan could say with a long blank stare towards the reporter.

The reporter would not take that as an answer, and asked the 17-year old for her opinion again, “Sir Barsanuphius the Bold believes it should be banned, and thinks it is especially problematic for young people, which pretty much is the team of Cheergirls. I assume you enjoy your cocoa-bo?”

Meghan was really confused now, “Who? Said what?”

“Sir Barsanuphius the Bold, mam. Ban cocoa-bo, he feels!”

Meghan just shook her head, “Who is Sir Barsanuphius the Bold?”

The reporter responded, “You are the captain of a team and you don’t know who Sir Barsanuphius the Bold is? He is the captain of the Holy Empire team. I suggest you learn these things if you want your weak little team to be taken seriously.”

Meghan wanted to scream back, but other reporters in the area did her work for her and told that intrusive person to get out of here. Still, Meghan was done, and went home to research who Sir Barsanuphius the Bold was.

Once realizing it, she couldn’t believe her eyes. This guy plays in a full suit of armor? That’s what should be banned! Meghan soon rounded up all of her friends to launch a campaign that suggested that Sir Barsanuphius the Bold should not be allowed to play in a full suit of armor!

Ban full suits of armor on the pitch!!

[Port Ember]

Port Emberian Times

The Road to World Cup 85 Edition

MATCHDAY 1 MATCH REPORT

Port Ember 1 - 0 Daskel

The Port Emberian National Football Team, nicknamed the Dragons, managed to snatch a victory during their opening match of the World Cup 85 Qualifier Campaign against the Daskel national side during Match Day 1.

This victory was obtained in the first ever match hosted within the Lilly Black Memorial Stadium, nicknamed the "Dragon's Lair" by the locals - the new home stadium constructed specifically to be the new home of our national side.

The match was a very entertaining experience - not really as much due to the match itself - but the spectacle of the stadiums opening itself. Due to this being the first ever match played there - the stadium was opened with a flyby of over 20 fighter jets, compliment of the Port Ember Navy! Once the jets did their thing and whipped the capacity crowd into a frenzy, the Port Emberian national anthem was sung and cheered the loudest it has ever been. The anthem was followed up with a fireworks show which would have broken the bank of poorer nations. Immediately after this, the brand new Port Emberian Cheerleader squad led by the new Komodo Mascot was introduced, providing motivation, entertainment and eye-candy for the remainder of the match. To top off the grand scale of the opening match of the new Stadium- the President of this great Republic himself - President Edward Flint graced the folk with his presence. One thing deserves to be said - Port Emberians sure knows how to party!

The Match

The match was a energetic and fast paced game which saw the Daskel national team dominating possession for the majority of the match, launching a legion of offenses against the Dragon's, which was shut down constantly in a herioc display of defencive football.

Daskel's usually energetic squad managed to keep posession and deny Port Ember attacking oppertunities whilst constantly farming in Port Ember's half, trying to mine for gaps in the defence, which rarely presented itself - Port Ember's famed, albeit rare, 'Iron Wall of Defence' being fully opperational, performing tackles in almost every minute of the suspence riddled match.

The only goal of the match came in minute 78 when Daskel's exhuasted and frustrated squad attempted to launch yet another offense, but overcommitted and pushed too far upfield with the entire squad - springing Port Ember's signature 'Bait Ambush' - captain Reddington stealing posession within the box and launching it down field with a massive volley, striker Leon Moult chasing down hard, outrunning his opposition, slotting the ball hard into the bottom corner - effectively winning the opening match of the Qualifiers and the first ever match at the new stadium.

Player Scores For The Match:

(GK)(#1) Peter Smith: 7/10
(CB)(#2) Josh Richards: 7/10
(CB)(#3) Jason Lee: 8/10
(LB)(#4)Alex Kuhn: 7/10
(RB)(#5)Russel Pierce: 6/10
(AM)(#10): Ray Reddington: 9/10
(DM)(#6): Steven Packard: 8/10
(LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain: 8/10
(RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford: 8/10
(CF)(#7) Leon Moult: 7/10
(CF)(#9)Danny Nicovic: 8/10

Substitutes:

(CF)(#22)Steven Packard: 6/10

Match Stats
Match: Port Ember Vs Daskel
Location: Lilly Black Memorial Stadium; Port Ember Megalopolis; Republic of Port Ember.
Result: 1 - 0 Win for Port Ember
Goals - Port Ember: Danny Nicovic;
Goals - Daskel: N/A
Man of the Match - Port Ember: Ray Reddington

Aftermatch word from the Coach

"We sticked to our old system of play today, and it obviously surprised our opponents, and managed to get the job done in an entertaining fashion. I must however congratulate our opponents as they have put up a insane fight, keeping us on our toes. Well done!" Coach Stuart Baxter

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Article by Erica Davies
Port Ember Times

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Port Emberian Times

The Road to World Cup 85 Edition

MATCHDAY 2 WIND UP

Match Day 2: Mattijana vs Port Ember

It's the second match for our national team as part of the World Cup 85 Qualifiers, Group 8.

Location: The match is to be played at the Mattijana National Stadium situated within the capital of the Socialist Federationof Mattijana. This will be the first encounter between the two teams and is predicted to be in front of a fully packed stadium.

Team Breakdown: Port Ember

- International Ranking: 40.
- Current Standing in Group 8: 2 (Tied)
- Momentum: W
- Formation: 4-4-2
- Playstyle High Octane Offensive Play
- Kit to be used for next match: Main Kit (White & Blue)

What can be said about the Dragons which was not allready said before? Our team is young, hungry and talented. They have tasted qualification during the previous cycle, and have just tasted bronze during the IAC9. They will be looking to steamroll from early on in this competition to build momentum. The first match day win was a good start.

Starting XI
- Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith.
- Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards.
- Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee.
- Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn.
- Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce.
- Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington. (C)
- Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard.
- Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain.
- Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford
- Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult.
- Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic.

Team Breakdown: Mattijana

- International Ranking: 55.
- Current Standing in Group 8: 2 (Tied)
- Momentum: W
- Formation: 4-1-2-2-1
- Playstyle Moderate Offensive Play, Solid Defence, Oppurtunistic Counter Attackers

No starting roster has been made available by the time of print.

The Socialist Federation of Mattijana National Football Team is no stranger to international football, and is considered to be a major player within regional tournaments. They have been struggling to make any meaningful impact in international tournaments however, as they seem to be on a decline from their previous golden years. They can still bring forth dangerous play as they displayed during the previous World Cup Qualifiers,, where although they failed to qualify for the World Cup Proper, they managed to finish 3rd in their group (Group 14) with 11 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses with an impressive run. After failing to qualify for the World Cup proper, the team was at least invited to participate within the prestigious Cup of Harmony 76 tournament. Here they lost momentu, ending their run in the group stages, finishing 5th in their group (of 6 teams), with one win, one draw and three losses. Fast forward to their next international campaign - Group 8 of this very World Cup Qualifier Campaign - where they caused a upset when the defeated heavyweights Ko-oren during Match Day 1 - whom is considered one of the strongest teams in the group.

An Analyst's Input - How do we win this one?!?

'There is no such thing as an easy or given match - this is the sport of upsets afterall! Thus our team needs to come prepared and bring forth our A Game. Our opponents may have had less success when compared to our own team in recent years - but they still maintain a much larger and more successful footballing history and infrastructure when compared to us. Furthermore they managed to slot a victory over heavyweights Ko-oren during the previous match day, which sets off all sorts of alarms. Our opponents plays a slow posession game, launching attacks of oppertunity from a firm base. Thus we need to ensure that we deprive them of possession as much as possible - high octane offense is the answer here." - Gerhard Black, Football Analyst and Journalist for Port Ember Times.

With that all said - I personally wish our lads the best of luck for the upcoming match - Make us Proud!!!

Article By Erica Davies
Port Ember Times

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Port Emberian Times

The Road to World Cup 85 Edition

A Closer Look At Insanity

The Republic of Port Ember as a nation is known to be a bit.. eccentric at times. We are a tropical nation build upon the foundations, history and culture of pirates, smugglers and maritime traders after all. We have a religion based on the tenets of living life to the fullest and earning as much material wealth as possible. Our national past time is making money and engaging in bar brawls. This high level of passion and obsession has always garnered a raised eyebrow or two from the other nations of the world. Yet as if that was not enough, the Port Ember Football Association had to up the ante and show off their wealth to the world in one final hoorah. I present to you - the Port Ember Football Association Ship (PEFAS) Argie SilverPine.

The Ship - Overview

This vessel was constructed by Silverport Dockyards Ltd, the renowned shipbuilder company based within The Free Lands of The Selkie who purposefully modified a Novel-Class Mobile City Ship upon the request of PEFA. The objective was to construct a mobile training camp with traveling capacities and entertainment facilities to allow the national team to travel to and from games easily, without the stress of flight traveling.

Design

The vessel is 270.9 metres long and 66.1 metres wide, with a draught of 10.9 metres at maximum load, which displaces 26,000 tons (for those not familiar with technical statistics - it's a behemoth). The vessel consists out of 20 decks, 15 which are accessible by the passengers, whilst the remaining 5 decks are accessible to the vessel's crew, consisting out of a whopping 250 officers, sailors and crew.

The Ship is powered by diesel generators and solar cells, which provide a total of 9.5 million kilowatt hours per year, sufficient to supply around 8,000 people on dry shore and then some. This energy can also be used to power the engines, two azimuth thruster pods underneath the stern, which allows the Argie SilverPine to attain a maximum speed of 16 knots or 29.6 km/h. However, the cruising speed of the ship is substantially lower, at around 9 knots (or 16.7 km/h).

The five crew decks houses the crew's accommodation, technical decks, housing water purification plants, garbage disposal units and similar city services. The vessel is also specifically adapted to the needs of the team, housing an impressive range of facilities which the team may require to prepare fully for their upcoming matches and to live in complete comfort and luxury. A few examples of these facilities on-board includes;
- Small state-of-the-art Hospital;
- Dentist Office;
- Physiotherapy Office;
- Massage Parlor;
- Sauna;
- Fully Equipped Gymnasium;
- Swimming Pool;
- Nightclub;
- Movie theatre;
- Conventional Theatre;
- Conference room;
- 5 Star Restaurant;
- Entertainment Center;
- Casino;
- Library;
- Deluxe Suites for every team member and staff member.

The bow of the vessel houses a helicopter hangar and flight deck, which is used to transport the team from the vessel to the stadium on game day.

The Sun Deck, is two hundred meters long and sixty wide, only broken by the two funnels. Solar cells, aiding in power generation, cover around half of the space available, as well as the funnels. Between the funnels, around a hundred meters in length and fifty-eight meters wide, a small city park is established, with plants and free spaces to provide a sanctuary of natural peace and tranquility.

The Football Field
One of the most remarkable engineering feats of the Argie is the full-sized football field at the center of the vessel, a 105 by 68 meters pitch with the vaulted glass roof 16 meters above the field. A series of floodlights and speakers allow to simulate the noise and light conditions in various stadiums all over the world or to simply illuminate the pitch for a night training session.

It's clear that PEFA surely made a statement with the commissioning of this vessel - we can only hope that our team manages to perform in a manner which can justify such an addition to the squad.

Article By Jason Knight
Port Ember Times

[Adyatin]

AdyatinInternational

Royal Prime Minister Vasily Svetanov to speak for the first time since libel campaign

Adyatyagrad/ATA -- Three weeks after sites from Savojarna have flouted unfounded allegations of corruption against Prime Minister Vasily Svetanov, the minister is about to speak for the first time since the revelation of the allegedly condemning documents (likely a forgery by the Savojar intelligence service or the Adyati Internal Front) that claim that FK Staraya Vetry transfer sums do not lign up with reported sums. This, it was claimed by the libellous sources, was a sign of Svetanov taking money for himself. Svetanov has since not appeared in public, but will be present in the National Stadium tonight to open the Adyati football national team’s first international home game, a match against The Sarian.

Svetanov’s speech is planned to occur shortly before the match officially starts, welcoming the side on the pitch and thanking the Adyati national team for their strong showing in the Baptism of Fire, where only luck could stop them against the team of When U Die. The team emerged victorious from their group stage, not dropping a single match before being drawn into their qualification group from Pot 8 and sharing a group with our Northern neighbours. While the occasion has led to multiple Adyati cabinet members appearing in public, including sports minister Vyacheslav Magulin stating that it would be a great chance to clear the unfairly slandered name of Adyati football in front of the enemy, Svetanov’s appearance has been hotly expected by the media and popular audience.

There have been some reports of unrest in multiple cities of the country since the revelations by the Savojar slanderers. In Varinsk, it has been reported by multiple media spontaneous manifestations in favour of King and Prime Minister have manifested and marched towards hills near the border, which has been taken to be a move against the Savojars, but they have not crossed the border and have not been acting on Adyati Armed Force mandate. However, they have fought out some street duels with Frontists and Savojar elements, which have been outnumbered and summarily beaten by the Adyatinians. In Adyatyagrad and Staraya Vetry, there have been similar demonstrations, but there have also been clashes between hooligan groups of ZSKA and Olimpik Yautarograd with FK Staraya Vetry support groups, both of which have been swiftly brought under control by police forces.

When asked about the riots and demonstrations, interior minister Dmitri Lvyov said that manifestations of Adyati patriotism were always welcome in his country, and that the police were present in Varinsk and Staraya Vetry in order to secure the peace and show support for the country, but that it was necessary to ensure that there would not be any clashes with Frontists or other illegal troublemakers. There had, according to Lvyov, not been any trouble in most places, but some Frontist demonstrations in the North and in Yautarograd, but also ensured that peace and order is restored and visitors from the Sarian would be safe and encouraged in visiting Adyatin, and celebrate a festival of football tonight.

For the match, scheduled to be taking part in the National Stadium in Adyatyagrad, it is expected that the full capacity of 97’000 people will be reached, with the standing grounds reserved to Adyati fans but all other parts of the stadium free for the general public, with exception of the Honours Stand open only to the official guests of the King Ivan II. It is planned that the game will be officially opened with a performance of the Adyati National Choir singing a choral for the national team at 19:15, followed by Prime Minister Svetanov’s speech at 19:40, including a short ceremony of welcoming our Sarian guests. At 20:00, it is planned that the teams will enter the pitch, with the anthems of the countries sung by two solo singers of the National Choir of Adyatin, lead tenor Roman Vyatov performing the Adyati anthem, and the anthem of the Sarian performed by the Choir’s baritone Mikhail Yovchenko. Kick-off, following the ceremonials of the World Cup Council, is scheduled to take place at 20:10 local time.

1) ATA (the Adyatin Telegraph Agency) is the national, state-sponsored news agency of Adyatin, with AdyatinInternational its English arm.
2) The corruption allegations will be forthcoming in a Savojar RP - apologies for fudging timelines a bit, but time didn't really permit me to write that part yet.

[Hapilopper]

SANKT KONRAD 3-3 HAPILOPPER
SNK: Lavo 15’, 72’ (PEN) (Yellow card for Rede in 65’)
HAP: Stevenson 2’, 6’, Randall 41’, Peterson 85’ (OG) (Yellow card for Ellis in 71’)

Der Hafen, Wilhelmstadt, Sankt Konrad
World Cup 85 Qualifying Match 1: Hapilopper v. Sankt Konrad
A famous race car driver once lived and thrived by the phrase “Don’t beat yourself.” Unfortunately, the Hapilopper National Football Team lost sight of that on a brisk evening in Sankt Konrad, when they lost a 3-3 tie to the Sankt Konrad national squad, better known as the reindeer. It wasn’t the fact that the Sankt Konrad team was outclassed – and in fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Reindeer more than held their own against the Haps. The problem, was, however, was that the Haps lost sight of why they were there in the first place.

In the first seven minutes of the match, the Haps held a 2-0 lead, on the strength of two quick goals from Ernie Stevenson, the absolute star of the HNFT. At the fifteen-minute mark, Lavo from Sankt Konrad made it 2-1 on the strength of a lovely fake-out shot that caught out goalkeeper Rod Hughes. Hughes was frustrated with letting one in, but there was nothing he could have done about this one.

In the 41st minute, Claire Randall made it 3-1 in favor of the Haps with a line drive shot over the heads of Rede and Simon Husch and past the waiting hands of goalkeeper Fretterat. Had the Haps stayed focused, it is possible that’s how the match would have ended. 3-1, Hapilopper gets three points to start off their World Cup 85 qualifying campaign.

Some suggested the trouble began in the 65th minute when Fernie Fairburn and Sankt Konrad midfielder Rede were jostling for position at midfield, and jostling for the ball. It wasn’t anything dirty by any means, rather the nature of football as one tries to get the ball and start an effort for a hopeful goal. Either way, an errant elbow went into Fairburn’s stomach, he went down, and Rede got a yellow card. Replays showed the elbow was not intentional by any means, and even Venerable Television commentators suggested the referee might have been a little too trigger-happy with throwing a card.

Nathan Ellis did not see it that way. He felt one of his teammates had been cheap-shotted, and it was time to issue a little payback. Unfortunately, said payback happened in Hapilopper’s 18-yard box. Nate ran straight at Lavo, who was on his way towards goalkeeper Rod Hughes, and tripped him. He had no intention of getting the ball. He just had intentions of settling what was, in his head, a score that needed to be settled. (And it didn’t.)

Nate got a yellow card and Lavo got to shoot a penalty kick, which, once again, saw Rod zig when he should have zagged. Lavo fired it into the right side of the goal while Rod went towards the left.

SANKT KONRAD BEATS HAPS 3-3

-H-Sports headline

It seemed like the momentum of the match shifted entirely with that moment. The Reindeer started winning control of the ball more, and the Haps were struggling to regain possession. It was almost as if the team from Sankt Konrad could foresee a result coming if they just made one solid move. And unfortunately for the Haps, that move came in the form of an own goal from Carl Peterson. Carl attempted to kick the ball to Rod Hughes so Rod could clear it towards the other side of the pitch, where Ernie Stevenson and Beautiful Bobby East were waiting. Unfortunately, the move caught Rod off guard and the ball lazily rolled into the back of the net.

Head coach Buddy Martinez was, as you would expect, incensed after the match. He was pissed off at Nate Ellis for the retaliation (when it very obviously was not necessary), and he was pissed off at Rod Hughes for that mental lapse near the end of the match. Carl Peterson got off light, as Buddy rightly understood that what he did was something that happens multiple times in a match, and Carl didn’t expect his goalkeeper to have a mental lapse at that very moment.

“So obviously we need to get our heads out of our asses. All of us,” Buddy snapped. “I am NOT going back to Hapilopper City and we make those kinds of mental lapses there! All of you need to pull it together, or we’re not going to stand a chance in hell against the rest of the group!”

When the team got back to Hapilopper City the next day, it was off to training – and serious training at that. The Haps had Mercedini next, a team that could prove to be one hell of a challenge for them. During the training, the HNFT’s coaching staff drilled home the importance of keeping their heads in the game for the full 90 minutes, and not let up when they seemed like they had the match in hand. That’s how they would lose.

The takeaway from those sessions? “Don’t beat yourself.”

(Starting Lineup for Match 2)
Lineup: GK #1 - HUGHES; DEF #2 - AYERS, #3 - McLAIN, #4 - PETERSON, #5 - ELLIS; MID #6 - FAIRBURN, #7 - BURTON, #8 - HUNNISETT, #9 - EAST; FWD #10 - RANDALL, #11 - STEVENSON
Subs: GK #60 - HARRIS; DEF #24 - DIBBLE, #26 - BLACKBURN; MID #21 - ERICKSON, #25 - BRANTLEY; FWD #14 - CORNETT, #12 - MORRIS

[Sarzonia]

The round of applause at Dave Wilson Stadium threatened to shake the enormous, historic structure to the ground.

Fifteen minutes before the opening kickoff of World Cup 85 qualifying, the sold out crowd of 105,900 were on their feet, cheering wildly. Never in the thirty previous World Cup qualifying cycles the Sarzonian national football team competed in have the Stars ever heard a home crowd cheer so loudly.

That lengthy history included a World Cup title. It included four consecutive trips to the World Cup semifinals. It included the first ever Triple Crown. It included The Miracle at Marshall. It included The Brenecia Beatdown. And the riotous applause had nothing whatsoever to do with football.

The scientists, medical professionals, and other Delaclavs who were involved with the research and development of the vaccine and cure for the SARS 2 novel Coronavirus were standing on the pitch as the announcer described the work the Delaclavs did to research the cure and the treatment of the virus that claimed nearly 28,000 Sarzonian lives and shattered thousands more.

"Fans of Sarzonia, please give a warm round of applause to our neighbours, our friends, our brethren from The United Republic of Delaclava!"

The Stars players standing on their sidelines and on the pitch were all joining in on the applause. Stars manager Kevin Connelly was visibly moved by the tribute, this one mixing the pure elation of a country that could finally enjoy the freedom to get out of the house and enjoy activities many took for granted with the sombre remembrance of those who didn't make it.

"This is much bigger than football," Connelly said. "This is a commemoration of the harmony that exists between our countries. It's a memorial to the people we lost. It's an acknowledgment of those who were left behind by the loss of people they love and care about. And it's a celebration of the spirit of Cyanea and the wonderful people who make up this continent."

The ovation continued more modestly for Sarzonian President Grant Haffner, whose executive orders mandating the preparation of PPE for frontline medical professionals and the activation of the retirement reserves helped slow the spread of the virus. So, too, did the fact that Haffner took decisive action as soon as he put down the receiver on the phone after speaking to Dr. Christine Hunt, the director of Sarzonia's Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Management and Prevention to institute stay-at-home orders and only allowing essential travel outside the home.

However, Haffner was too busy admiring the applause for the Delaclavs than he was concerned that the reaction to him wasn't as enthusiastic. He was thinking about the memorial plaque that was about to be unveiled listing the names of all the Sarzonians who lost their lives.

Eventually, though, the game itself had to start, and a Sarzonian team that played a mixture of tough defence and opportunistic offence was caught somewhat unprepared for the onslaught at the hands of a Delaclav side that was playing all out attack-oriented football. The Phoenixes jumped out to a 4-1 lead before Connelly made his first substitution, sending on Carlton Sandt, the younger brother of Stars legendary goalkeeper Horace Sandt to relieve starting goalie Paolo Gomes in the 36th minute.

The move galvanised an otherwise shellshocked Stars team and they rallied behind Jake Campos, who scored three of the five unanswered goals that followed in Sarzonia's come from behind 6-4 victory over their southern neighbours and closest friends.

Following the final whistle, the Stars and Phoenixes celebrated with each other and celebrated each other, both immensely grateful for the special relationship that existed between the two countries. One side might have walked off the pitch with a loss in the Group 7 table, but someone could be excused for saying that only winners occupied Dave Wilson Stadium on a day that celebrated something far more meaningful than a football match.

[TJUN-ia]

Arena Kirola in Cathair, Audioslavia was the venue for the start of TJUN-ia's World Cup 85 journey as the Jaguars played against a Bulls team that looked to shake off the doubts of their new 5-5-0 formation in front of the home crowd.

The Bulls, in green and red, looked quite defensive at the start against the Jags in its new orange and blue away kits, but they took that defensive mindset and countered effectively. Kyran Knudsen scored first with the counter in the 15th minute and that was the score heading into half time.

The Jags tried to be cautious when it came to attacking in the 2nd half but the power of Kontrapuntzeka was just too much. The 2nd Audioslavian goal also came via the counter, this time from Rickson Marañón in the 67th.

After that, the Bulls let their foot off the gas and allowed the Jags to play some good football. Substitute Prince Carter scored the first TJUN-ian goal of this tournament, a nice finish from outside the box to squeeze it past Luca Zanardi in the 81st minute. After that, however, the defence of the Bulls halted any attempt at a Jaguar comeback.

So nothing from this game but we did see some of David Seems' tactics come into the spotlight. That Carter goal came because of some good marking play from the usual front 3 (Podolov, Green and Ulawaya), which gave the Galarian enough space to shoot the ball past Zanardi. Maybe this is a sign of things to come from the playbook of Seems.

Our second game in what many are calling the "Marathon Cup" will be our first home game of the campaign. It will be in TJUN-ia City and up against the 84th ranked Euran Oceania Territories, a team that is the complete opposite of the Bulls we just played as the Exiles are known for their attacking play. The man to watch from the EOT is their manager, Skorji Oslograd, who many people from that area described as "one of the craziest managers" they had ever seen. It will be an interesting game for sure, no matter the final score...

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SCHEDULE (Updates on stadiums will occur as soon as we get them)
MD1: @Audioslavia (22) - Arena Kirola, Cathair L 2-1 (T-9th)
MD2: vs Euran Oceania Territories (84) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD3: @Porticalia (330)
MD4: vs Sajnur (57) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD5: @Jeckland (UR) - Jecken Stadium, Rack City
MD6: vs Natanians and Nosts (131) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD7: @Villablanca (235)
MD8: BYE
MD9: vs New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD10: @Necosia (341)
MD11: vs Turori (12) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD12: @Astograth (303) - Castle Hill, Gesterlake
MD13: vs Muradil (212) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
-----------------------Off Day---------------------------
MD14: vs Audioslavia (22) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD15: @Euran Oceania Territories (84) - Flynn Arena, Fligsive
MD16: vs Porticalia (330) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD17: @Sajnur (57) - ?
MD18: vs Jeckland (UR) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD19: @Natanians and Nosts (131) - Stadion Nacional (?)
MD20: vs Villablanca (235) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD21: BYE
MD22: @New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Estádio Dom Dinis, Leiria
MD23: vs Necosia (341) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD24: @Turori (12)
MD25: vs Astograth (303) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD26: @Muradil (212)

[Barunia]

Barunia football has changed. A massive legal stoush between players and management saw the team miss out on World Cup 84, an event which would have been the nation’s 20th World Cup Cycle. Instead, as the nation dropped outside the top 100 for the first time since WC65, the battle in the courts went nuclear.

Ultimately, as is so often the case, it was all about money. The Barunian Football Association (then the governing body) changed the way players in the nation’s domestic league were paid. This upset the player’s association, who organised industrial action. The BFA responded by banning any player who participated in the industrial action. As almost all of Barunia’s national team players are drawn from the national leagues, it could effectively cripple the national team. The Player’s Association immediately lodged a complaint with the courts, citing the move as an attempt to blackmail players into not taking industrial action. Barunia has strong laws protecting such actions, and bullying or harassment by employers to stop any action is illegal.

The move backfired spectacularly, with most players joining in the action in protest at the heavy-handed tactics. The BFA’s actions turned a squabble over a domestic pay structure into a scenario where Barunia missed a World Cup for the first time in their history. The fallout was brutal. The Department of Sport and Leisure, the government body that oversees the BFA, immediately fired the entire board. After an investigation, the BFA itself would be wound up, and a new body, the National Football Board, was established. The NFB operates with a different structure, governance, and policies to the BFA.

Also on the chopping block was national team head coach Adam Johnson. Johnson was already under fire for a lousy performance in his last two World Cup qualifiers, and his siding with the Player’s Association was the last straw for the BFA, who dismissed him. The NFB elected not to reappoint him, and instead have shown their willingness to forge a different path, by appointing the first foreign coach in the nation’s history. Roland Barrios, a Sargossan and former coach of that country’s national team, has been given the role of leading Barunia out of the hole it has found itself in.

Barrios will have to do it without some of the Suns’ best players. Captain Hannah Miller-Brown has decided to step away from the national team, along with her wife Sarah, as they focus on their new life in the Equestrian States. Others have been so hurt by the situation with the BFA that they have either refused national team selection or have retired from football altogether. Yet others have been dropped by the NFB, as they look to distance themselves from the processes of the BFA.

Who exactly will represent Barunia is not exactly clear. The team plane left Porthaven with 40 players on board, but only 23 will make Barrios’ final squad. So far, the Suns’ camp is keeping details of the team a secret. One thing is certain though: what ever the team that lines up for Barunia, it will be very different to anything we’ve ever seen before.

[Emastalia]

Matchday 1 - Group 15
Match report
Emastalia 2--------1 Shokpos
Willem Alden⚽
‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 53' Denor Masn⚽
‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎
Elijah Obinna⚽
‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎
What a nice 2-1 victory for a debut in the NSWC Qualifiers, hope our boys in blue and yellow keep up the good work.

[Trolleborg]

Previous part here

Even strong people, accustomed to regular flights, trip with two transfers, which takes almost a day, may well unsettle a lot. Why is international air traffic in the world so poorly developed? Is it really such a big problems to start your own airline and open the gate to the wide world?
Naomi and Wesley was already in exhausted state, when arrive at the place, where, judging by the tickets, the penultimate stage of the trip was supposed to begin. The place was Ur International Airport in Reino do Brazil.

According to the map, it’s not the country's main airport, and it’s not immediately clear, why everyone has a connection here, but it all became clear when the plane go to landing and the travelers saw what the place looked like

Travelers looked at each other and in unison said:
“We must come here again! Such a beauty cannot be missed!”

But here we are in the main terminal and in front of the gate where the "Trolleborg Wings" insignia is blinking invitingly. But there is no one next to it, and even no queue, only gray frame approximately three meters high.

“Maybe check-in hasn't begun yet?” Naomi asked herself aloud when she was not far from the frame.
“The check-in has already begun,” a kind voice said, as if from the air. Before the travelers did have enough time to be scared, a pretty female face appeared right in front of them. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am the artificial intelligence that serves the Trolleborg Wings flights, my name is Keithss. Judging by the moment you arrived, are you two travelers from Zwangzug who have just arrived for a connecting flight to our country? Right?”
“Probably yes. Where's the check-in and all that?”
“Your check-in will be carried out in automated mode as soon as you pass this frame. We do not see the need to carry out this strange ritual to make people queing in long lines and make them wait for entering the plane as if give them a favor. Your luggage is already on board, as far as I know”.
“Wait a minute,” - Naomi said, somehow recovering from surprise. – “Before boarding I would also like to find out something at the local tourist office”.
“You arrived here in the bright day, your aircraft go from the seaside, so, I think, what you need is the tourist office, right? Apparently you want to know how to get here on vacation? It’s easy to do without going around, here is, a link to a local travel agency, make your device remember it, and you can solve all things whenever you want.
“Ahem” – stumbled Naomi for a second, being definitely overwhelmed by all this virtual reality and answers before questions.

Some serious citizen passed them, going through the frame without even losing a step and without taking his eyes off his smartphone, and went into the airbridge tunnel.
“So do whatever you want, - add Keithss, probably, intepreting silence by her own way. - We are waiting for you inside, but try not to be late. The airspace here is heavily loaded, we would not want to be late and interfere with the rest”.
“No, perhaps I can do as you suggest, and clarify unclear questions on the way back”.
“Well then, as I said, go into the frame” - and when they passed, Keithss added: - “You’re successfully checking in, your places are 17A and 18A. Your right to stay in Trolleborg is confirmed. We are glad that you will be able to share with us the pleasure of watching a national football team match. Welcome aboard. The flight will take more than five hours, but our entertainment system will be at your service, and we are pleased to offer you three meals while at flight. Hope you find the flight with us interesting and exciting enough.

Inside guests found, as usual, a business class section.

They already saw two of them on this journey, because you usually can’t get to the economy class without going through the business class ... but this one is especially large. So Wesley and Naomi were very surprised when they got to their 17th and 18th rows and found that they were still in this business class area. But maybe there are two floors, and each of them has its 17th row, or is there a 17th row of a business class and a 17th row of an economy class, which was located somewhere far at the end of aircraft?

“Dear citizens and guests of Trolleborg!” - Said the same female voice. “Do not stay idle in the aisle when you have seats for seating. Think about the needs of other passengers!”
“We will immediately begin to take seats in the chairs when we understand where ours are,” Wesley replied.
“They are right in front of you” - with a tint that is hard to pinpoint, Keitess replied. “ There can be no doubt, I registered you myself”.
“But this is a business class!”
“No, it's ordinary. Sit down, finally, please” – said she as if really annoyed – “because on the way is a citizen of big build, he will need the whole passage!”

And in fact, at the entrance to the plane a man of truly gigantic proportions appeared. Without more debates, Zwangzug tourists settled in their now-exactly-their-own-chairs, and by the time the giant walked past, they were already completely immersed in what the entertainment system was offering.

Wesley was just choosing between computer baseball, computer basketball, computer hockey, watching a basketball game on the ice of the sea and a selection of the "100 best moments of the Trolleborg football championship" when the plane ascended over the endless beaches and jungle of the Reino do Brasil on the way to the Trolleborg.

[Hampton Island]

Phone Conversation between Stafford City CEO and manager Hannah Sanders

CEO: Good morning, congratulations on the victory last night.

Sanders: Thank you, it’s always good to win.

CEO: I knew you could get that team of gray hairs to come together. It was a great defensive effort.

Sanders: Well that is like the only way we are going to win games.

CEO: Ratings were pretty high for the game, and since we won, that will only increase for the next one.

Sanders: Good to hear it.

CEO: Are you enjoying your time in Bunkaiia or however the hell that is pronounced. That second syllable is awful.

Sanders: The win was the only good thing about this place. I don’t like it here, but at least we won the game. The old guys keep hitting on me though. Not like really hitting on me but like telling me I look like their daughter and it gets annoying.

CEO: They are old. Old men like to do that.

Sanders: Yeah like I don’t know if I can survive with these people.

CEO: The home games will be easier, you don’t have to be around them as much.

Sanders: Can’t wait to go home and like rest. Bye day already but whatever.

CEO: I love having the bye day now. It’s our big NSSCRA race day in Stafford City. No conflict of interest. Means fans don’t have to choose. Spend money at the track today, spend money at the home opener tomorrow.

Sanders: That worked out nicely for you.

CEO: It’s as if I had the foresight to request it and they agreed to do it. Now, you can watch the race with me.

Sanders: With you?

CEO: Sure, sweetie, you can watch from my suite with me and we can talk about everything.

Sanders: Sure that sounds really good.

CEO: Great, see you then, have a safe flight home!

[Jeckland]

FAMILIAR FAILINGS AS JECKLAND SUCCUMB TO SAJNUR

Jeckland fell to a 5-3 defeat in Sajnur in their opening World Cup Qualifier with a performance that showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the team in stark form.

Anticipation was high ahead of the match, the first for Jeckland in World Cup Qualifying in some time. The Jeckish fans were making themselves heard in the stadium, but would quickly be silenced by yet another slow start by their team. This time Lovell was to blame. The Rack City defender was caught off guard by a run by Naulo, playing the dangerous striker onside as he latched onto a ball from Siafik before clipping the ball over an onrushing Clemens. Naulo almost had a second just minutes after, but this time the Jeckland keeper came off best, tipping a shot low to his left around the corner.

Jeckland seemed unable to figure out the Sajnur style of play, with an attacking onslaught by their opponents in the first 15 minutes which they struggled to handle. It only takes one moment to get back into a football match though, and that came for Jeckland in the 21st minute. A first time pass from Sanderson found Graves in space on the edge of the box, and his clean strike sailed into the top left hand corner of the goal. Celebrations were muted, as Jeckland knew they were lucky to be level and had to get a handle on the game.

Instead of buckling down and trying to keep things tight at the back, Ross had his Spuds going for a second goal, a brave strategy away from home against strong opposition. Perhaps he knew that he had to legislate for defensive errors from his inexperienced side, which led to the hosts taking the lead again before half time. Nazar was a nuisance to Grey down the Sajnur left all game, but this was the lowlight for the Jeckish right back, losing his footing as his man danced inside him and slotted a finish into the bottom right corner.

The half time whistle came after further pressure by Sajnur on the Jeckland goal, often finding space created by the fullbacks bursting forward. Ross had taken a gamble here, but couldn’t back down now with his team behind.

The second half began on a brighter note for Jeckland, with Stack, who had barely touched the ball prior, forcing a save from Khadur with a snapshot. The Spuds were feeding the ball to Dane and Martel well on the wings, but unlike their opposite numbers they were struggling to find the men in the middle with their crosses. Meanwhile, errors continued at the back, with Pain committing a needless and reckless challenge on Siafik which earned him a yellow card and gave away a free kick in a good position. The Sajnur skipper chipped the ball into the box where Vuierev nodded home to create a two goal cushion.

Jeckland have been known to bounce back well from conceding goals, but this was not the case today. Nazar and Naulo were combining well for Sajnur and the defence was unable to handle them, both firing wide from outside the box within five minutes of the last goal. It felt like a matter of time before the fourth would go in and sure enough it was, Nazar fizzing a low ball across goal which Naulo tapped past a static Clemens.

With a three goal lead, the hosts opted to keep their shape defensively, looking to launch counters where they could. They were made to work hard in defence as Jeckland didn’t give up the ghost, Stack scoring on the half volley from a chipped through ball by Gibbs before hitting the post after a goalmouth scramble. With such a potent attack against a shaky looking Jeckish defence it was always likely Sajnur would have the chance to add to their total. That chance came on 85 minutes, with a counterattack following a Spuds corner leading to Maktar coming up with a fine finish to make it five. Graves slotted home during stoppage time, but it was too little to late as the Spuds crashed to defeat.

Jeckland have a bye in the next round of qualifiers, giving them some much needed time to prepare for their first game in front of their home fans. The Spuds take on Natanians and Nosts, a team they beat in Filindostan, at the newly renamed Jecken Stadium on Matchday 3.

Kayden Ross
“I think there were some positives out there today, but it’s clear that we also have a lot to work on. Our slow starting is a clear issue that needs to be addressed, as do some of the defensive areas. But I prefer to be positive - we’ve got a bit of a break now before a home game. Win that and we’ll be on the up again.”

SAJNUR 5 - (Naulo 5, 67 - Nazar 35 - Vuierev 57 - Maktar 85)
JECKLAND 3 - (Graves 21, 90+1 - Stack 72)

ELSEWHERE IN GROUP 1…

Audioslavia began their qualifying campaign with a victory over TJUN-ia. Astograth showed they are a force to be reckoned with in this group with a 3-0 defeat of Nicosia. Perhaps the most surprising result saw Muradill continue from their impressive Baptism of Fire, holding New Lusitana to a draw. Villablanca also provided a shock, winning 4-3 away at Euran Oceania Territories. Porticalia and Natianians and Nosts played out a goalless draw, with top seeds Turori not playing until next matchday.

GROUP 1 RESULTS

Astograth 3–0 Necosia
Muradil 1–1 New Lusitania
Audioslavia 2–1 TJUN-ia
Euran Oceania Territories 3–4 Villablanca
Porticalia 0–0 Natanians and Nosts
Sajnur 5–3 Jeckland

TABLE

-  Group 1                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Astograth                                     1    1   0   0     3    0   +3     3
 2 Sajnur                                        1    1   0   0     5    3   +2     3
 3 Audioslavia                                   1    1   0   0     2    1   +1     3
   Villablanca                                   1    1   0   0     4    3   +1     3
 5 Muradil                                       1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
   Natanians and Nosts                           1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
   New Lusitania                                 1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
   Porticalia                                    1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
 9 Euran Oceania Territories                     1    0   0   1     3    4   −1     0
   TJUN-ia                                       1    0   0   1     1    2   −1     0
11 Jeckland                                      1    0   0   1     3    5   −2     0
12 Necosia                                       1    0   0   1     0    3   −3     0

GROUP 1 FIXTURES (MATCHDAY 2)

Natanians and Nosts vs. Sajnur
Villablanca vs. Porticalia
TJUN-ia vs. Euran Oceania Territories
New Lusitania vs. Audioslavia
Necosia vs. Muradil
Turori vs. Astograth

---

One

“Harman, Harman. Let me see” the teacher murmured under his breath. “Here!” He found a yellow envelope and passed it to me.

This was the last year that exam results would be handed out physically in Jeckland. Generally a very digitised country, this was one of the last great traditions not lost to the machines. Probably better the new way, then I wouldn’t have had that nerve jangling wait in the car. Just log in, see the results, then map out the rest of your life.

The Jeckish grading system for EOSAs (End Of School Assesment) goes from A to F, with the top three grades ‘passing’ and the other three ‘failing’. I needed three Bs or equivalent to get to Lingham University to study Economics, which had been my dream ever since - okay, that’s bullshit. But I liked Economics and I liked the look of Lingham, plus I didn’t have a backup plan at all. So there was a lot riding on this.

I didn’t want to open the envelope with Mum there. I know that may sound harsh, but this was my achievement, or lack thereof. Of course she had done so much to support me through all this, particularly with Dad dying ten months ago and having to look after my younger sister Esmee as well. But this was my moment. I opened up the envelope

JEKCISH END OF SCHOOL ASSESMENT RESULTS

WAYNE HARMAN

ENGLISH LITERATURE B
ECONOMICS B
MATHEMATICS B

Thank fuck, thank fuck for that. Relief was the first emotion, not excitement, but that came soon after. I guess that's just the way I was. I walked out towards the car, wanting to wait to show Mum the paper with the results on it. But the beam on my face gave it away and she ran towards me and hugged me tightly. Usually I’d be embarrassed by such a public display of affection, but after everything we’d been through in the past ten months I didn’t care one bit.

“So it’s Lingham!” she said.

“Yeah” I beamed back

“You’re 100% sure? Because once you click accept there’s no going back.”

“Of course I am” I said. Another motherly question - but a fair one. This was what I wanted though. What I wanted to do after university I simply didn’t know, but that was a problem to be dealt with three years down the line. Three years ago I hadn’t even done an economics lesson. Three years ago I was still playing football. Three years ago Dad was still alive.

Nope, not today, I thought. Those thoughts shrouded in sadness that came to me to slam me down to earth had plagued me for so long. But not today. Today I was flying in the stars, and Dad was right alongside me. And he was proud.

[Northwest Kalactin]

5 Kalactanian U-18 National Team Players Involved in Armed Robbery and Murder
It was headline news today that the Kalactanian national team U-18 players Harry Phillips, Thomas Hill, Brandon Smith, Fred Anderson and Nicholas James Where all involved in an armed robbery and murder case outside of a general store in Coffs Harbour. All of the players play for the Fountain of Youth Coffs Academy and all 5 also play on the Kalactanian U-21 National Team.

It is reported that the robbery was done by 8 men all between the ages of 15 and 21. The robbery took place outside of a small gogreen general store at 22:30 on a Friday night in Coffs. The exact details of the robbery are sketchy but it is reported that a store clerk at the store was shot and killed by one of the theifs. It is reported that over 15,000 Kalactanian dollars worth of goods where stolen from the store. 2 more people where also assaulted and robbed by the men.

Every one of the suspects has been arrested and a court date is set for 1 month in advance. Fountain of Youth has agreed to use the contract money that was meant for the 5 members of the team will all go to the go green company and the family of those involved. The Kalactanian FA has issued a public apology to those involved on behalf of the players that committed the robbery that night. It is not certain, but it is reported that they could be sentenced to 40+ years of prison if convicted of the crime. It is believed that it may have been Thomas Hill who committed the assault and murder and he could possibly be sentenced to life in prison.

All of the players involved had promising careers ahead of them. Phillips was a goalkeeper for FoY that was a backup for the under 18 team. Hill was a very athletic striker that led FoY in goals this past season. Smith and Anderson where both defenders for FoY that had good careers ahead of them. James was a 16 year old attacking midfielder that was very young but a very strong player.

But what does this mean from a football perspective? Well it is possible that FoY Coffs Harbour may struggle this upcoming season after they lost 5 of their starters and most experienced players. Many of these men where also up and coming players that could’ve played on the senior national team when they where older. Nevertheless, this loss will hurt both FoY and the Kalactanian team but it is believed that they will recover from it.

The family of Thomas Hill said this about the reports:
“I don’t wanna believe that he did it. He may or may not have but I don’t wanna believe it. Our son is one of the best people that I know and I don’t think that he would murder or assault and person.”

A motive is not known yet but the investigation department of the Nova Corps reports that all men where under the influence of drugs the time that the crime was committed. It is also reported that 3 of the players where also seen at a nightclub in Gold Coast 2 hours before the robbery was committed.

Northwest Kalactin 7–4 Wanarpu
In the 7-4 win against Wanarpu the Northwest Kalactanians offense was there to score 7 goals. 2 where scored by Jimmy McCarthy who also had an assist to Luke Dillan. Wendell Jakerein also had a bit of trouble against Wanarpu today as he gave up 4 goals against a team that he should’ve easily been able to limit their goals.

[North Quadana]

"I still can't believe that we met out here." Robert said. They were standing outside the Hotel "Promenade", which is truly a great art noveau masterpiece right in the heart of Wagedaal. What hasn't it gone through? It almost burnt to the ground in the 60s, during the dictatorship times*, had a massive gunfight in it's lobby when the mafia decided to settle their business with a well known racketeer in the city, and many more hassles.

"So, what brings you to Wagedaal?" Robert asked his friend. "Could say the same thing about you. I'm just here for the qualifiers. Got a game against Taeshan tomorrow." Ashkif answered.

"I've been living here for 3 years now. Moved here after Hengvoorde got too small for business. Now I deal here. Bigger pastures." Robert answered. You could easily see that Robert was living the best life out here. He had a platinum watch wrapped around his wrist, a designer leather jacket complimenting it. Not too bad for a seasoned criminal. Ashkif didn't feel to comfortable around the old acquaintance. After all, Robert's way of living almost put a stop to Ashkif's promising career.

"Anyway, how about a drink?" Robert asked. "I really don't know, I mean I've got a game tomorrow, so I shouldn't really be drinking."

"Come on, it's just one drink." Robert kept insisting. And that evening, Ashkif and Robert went down to The Sockeye in downtown.

---

*North Quadana was controlled by a dictator for 58 years (1930-1988)

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
World Cup 85

THE RACE IS ON
World Cup Qualifications Preview


As New Lusitania hopes to continue the peak of their history, it's worth noting that it's the peak of this generation of footballers. Victor Santa Cruz, decided against leaving the Selecção following their Cup win, being retained for World Cup 85, what he believes to be "finally it". The format consists of 15 groups of thirteen with twenty-four matches and two bye-matchdays. Only the top two qualify, as has been in recent Qualifications. Whilst the minimal objective is the Cup of Harmony, everyone knows that the all-round objective is the World Cup itself.
The draw conducted the other day, we now know that the group is quite complicated with two clear favourites to go on - Turori and Audioslavia. A mountain to climb, these two are staples of the finals' list but a hopeful Selecção looks with an outside chance. Despite never playing Audioslavia, Turori has been encountered back in World Cup 80, "the first good qualifiers" in which a 0-0 draw and a 5-3 loss means it's going to be a good one for sure. The Euran dependencies in Atlantian Oceania are also someone to look out for, having qualified along with Sajnur and Muradil to the Cup of Harmony. After disappearing for a cycle or so, it's also worth pointing out the inclusion of Natanians and Nosts, a historic side in the lower pots, which definitely means trouble for their opponents. Looking to get back on the high horse, they're willing to give it all, with Astograth in the same situation. Back in HUElavia, TJUN-ia managed to reach the Quarters before being knocked out by New Lusitania, meaning they can also provide trouble when they want to. Jeckland has played the Selecção also back in World Cup 80 so it will be a few familiar faces all-around after also being absent for a cycle or two. Muradil, Villablanca, Porticalia and Necosia are all question marks being the group of smaller sides, even if the first two have shown some talent in recent games. This skim through all the teams shows clearly that there will be no "easy games" and that every point is vital to reach those tournaments.

The Selecção

High morale, higher hopes - is all that can be said as most of the Independent Associations Cup squad is retained for this venture. Rui Patríce will be looking for yet another good world cup so that he can he finally see the Finals even if breaking the establishment of the first thirty or so teams is complicated. As back up, António Lopes at Belém, which seems to be looking for a move following a poor campaign last season, is one of the lads who saves the club from being in the relegation race. A few chances are always given to him along the cycle so it'll be interesting to see what he can do with them as Elvas' Ramos entering the fold after Virginia's injury puts him out.
Left-backs remain the same as Beira-Ria Guerreiros and OF Academica's Vinagrete fight for a Now contested position. For centre-backs, Diogo Leiteiro has shown promise but new boy Ferradura has yet to get a good crack at the spot as José Nogueira from SCUT as Right-backs remain Cancela and Pedralva, two extremely capable players which will also be fighting for that position. Further up defensive midfield had two options as usual, Rúben Nevais which remains the starter and Sérgio Azinheira, which has been doing well at the league's Runners-Up Porto. On the left side, Mário attempts to complete what could be his last tour as his young substitute Horta fills in the back-up position. Bruno Fernando, team captain was at the top of his game and continues to fill his position in the middle of the park, supported by young Moreira which recently switched to Elvas ensuring their great first run in the modern league. Right midfielders for this one is staple name and star Francisco Gama of Sevilha and SCUT's Pedro Santos. The one attacking midfielder is Bernardo Veiga which hopes to supplement the attack, to forwards André Silveira and Daniel Jota which have been a great double for a while now. Guilherme Paciência and Trinca are backups after good seasons over in the Minho region. The backups include Vilaça (SCUT) and Armando Nogueira from Real Bragança with Guerra and Armilar occupying their usual reserve areas in midfield. Ivo Cavalariça has fell out of favour for a while but still occupies the reserve spot which he hopes to be needed.
The coach himself is particularly optimistic with this cycle. “Despite a tough group, I know we’ve discovered some interesting tactics we can deploy and that we have a great 23-man squad which will give it all on the pitch”. The fact that we can in fact enjoy a good pool, beyond that Is also something pretty good. I believe this is a unique moment in our country’s football history where if we play in that way we know how, doors can open for us” - he said, on his press conference a few days before leaving for that first game in Muradil. The calendar itself should provide some excitement, particularly with the bye-weeks in this format. The final two matchdays of the first round will almost be played in the space of a week, something some players aren’t too keen on when June rolls around. Plenty too look forward then, in the road to four very unique nations.

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[Riennic Isles]

The Riena Sentinel

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Three Points - Riena 3-5 Legalese
Legalites prove class is permanent as they turn Wavelets over in eight-goal thriller

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• Riena: Haneda (45', 85'), Steiner (60')
• Legalese: Osofsky (15'), Mandella (27', 38'), Everet (69'), Kaai (79')

On the first matchday of qualifying for the 85th World Cup, Riena slipped to a disappointing 3-5 reverse against slumbering giants Legalese, who showed their enduring footballing pedigree with a ruthless performance to put our callow Wavelets to the sword. Here are three points from Riena's opening day defeat against Legalese.

• Riena's first-choice midfield three is severely unbalanced

Against Legalese, Riena were outclassed and outfought in midfield for the better part of the match by the Legalite quartet of Ree, Osofsky, Kaai, and Shill. A number of factors contributed to theirs losing the battle for the middle of the park, not least the fact that the team have had to contend with several punishing extra-time games in the Baptism of Fire, but throughout the ninety minutes against Legalese, it was painfully evident that there was a serious problem with the balance of the team in midfield. The midfield trio of Sakuranami, Kirimiya, and Nakiri are all decent enough players in their own right, but on the evidence of this match, they are failing to form a coherent and effective partnership in midfield. Part of this may be due to the fact that none of the three are natural playmakers in their own right; Sakuranami and Kirimiya both lack the passing range to serve as conduits when the team is transitioning into attacking phases, while Nakiri is often too advanced to be able to exert any sort of influence in midfield. From a defensive perspective, the inability of the midfield three to consistently retain possession meant that the Riena defence was constantly subject to severe pressure, and two Legalite goals stemmed directly from possession turnovers in midfield. The fact that Riena played better when Ishibashi, a pure playmaker, was introduced from the bench midway through the second half, should not go unremarked upon.

Quite exactly how manager Kanata Shiranami would go about solving this problem, however, is a mystery. Ishibashi lost her place in the starting XI after a series of indifferent performances in the Baptism of Fire; furthermore, her positional issues are well-documented, and there is an argument to be made that reintegrating Ishibashi into the starting XI would simply open up even more gaps in midfield. Apart from Ishibashi, however, the only other creative midfielder in the team is Meru Matsukai, whose favoured position is further forward in the hole. Rie Akamatsu or Mishiro Kawakaze could possibly fill a creative role in a pinch, but neither of the two are specialist playmakers, and there is no evidence to suggest that forcing a square peg into a round hole will solve Riena's issues in midfield. One potential solution would be for Nakiri to drop deeper into midfield, curbing her natural attacking instincts in favour of turning provider for her teammates, but it remains to be seen if Shiranami is prepared to sacrifice one of her most potent attacking threats by asking her to fill an unfamiliar deeper role.

• The central defenders need to step up their game

Throughout the Baptism of Fire, the Riena defence has looked extremely vulnerable when up against opposition of a decent calibre. The Wavelets defence let in a shocking number of goals in the knockout stages of the Baptism; three against EGM, four against Villablanca, four against the Grearish Union, two against Mavinet, and three against Tequilo, for a total of sixteen goals conceded in just five matches, an average of just over three over the course of a single match. Granted, four of those matches in the Baptism went to extra time, but the fact that the Riena defenders were unable to afford their goalkeeper any sort of meaningful protection must have concerned the manager and her coaching team heading into the World Cup qualifiers. And so it proved; despite Shiranami shuffling her pack by replacing Narita with Tsukamoto, the same old defensive frailties within the team were once again exposed in ruthless fashion. The thinking behind Tsukamoto's inclusion ahead of the more erratic Narita was that her more physical presence would help to shore up the Riena defence, but against Legalese, she looked just as vulnerable as her predecessor had been, if not more.

While part of the defensive collapse against Legalese can be attributed to Riena's underwhelming performance in the middle of the park, much of the individual defending on the day left a lot to be desired. The central defensive pairing of Tsukamoto and Amemiya often failed to react to danger in a timely manner - a particularly glaring issue was their lack of awareness when dealing with through balls delivered behind the defensive line. It should be noted, however, that the two have not regularly partnered each other in defence for Riena, and hopefully in time they will be able to develop a firm understanding in the heart of defence. Individually, both Tsukamoto and Amemiya have shown glimpses of real quality, especially in the Baptism of Fire, and there is no reason to believe that they will not develop into the world class defenders that they have the potential to be. But for now, there remains room for serious improvement from both defenders. They will have to do much, much better - and soon - if they are to forge a long-lasting partnership as Riena's first-choice central defensive pairing.

• Cocoa Haneda is a serious contender for a starting spot

Whisper it quietly, but the left winger Cocoa Haneda looked like a real talent on her debut for the senior team. On a day when highlights were few and far between for the Wavelets, Haneda's effervescent performance on the left wing at least gave Riennese fans something to cheer about. On the rare occasions when she had the ball at her feet and was able to run at the Legalite defence, Haneda's forays down the left flank were direct and penetrating, often giving the opposition defenders pause for thought. She was Riena's top performer on the day, scoring two well-taken goals and providing a delicately weighted assist for Flare Steiner on the opposite flank, before being replaced by Tsumugi Suenaga for the final minutes of the second half.

Originally called up to the squad to address a lack of depth in the forward positions, Haneda's first-team chances seemed remote at the beginning of these World Cup qualifiers. The fact that Shiranami chose to play her from the start against Legalese, however, reflected the manager's faith in her undoubted ability, as well as her willingness to give unheralded players a chance to impress over the course of the qualifiers. Haneda's case for a starting spot will also be boosted by the indifferent form of first-choice left winger Suenaga, who has been struggling to hit the heights she is capable of ever since sustaining a minor hamstring injury in Riena's Baptism of Fire semifinal against Mavinet. Whether Shiranami is prepared to give Haneda the chance to stake her claim over the next few matches of qualifying remains to be seen; but if she keeps on playing like she did against Legalese, it won't be long before Haneda displaces Suenaga in the manager's plans.

Riena (4-3-3): Minato; Igarashi, Tsukamoto, Amemiya, Kagura; Sakuranami, Kirimiya, Nakiri; Haneda, Kanzaki, Steiner
Substitutes: Kugimiya, Uruha, Ishibashi (63'), Kawakaze, Akamatsu (63'), Suenaga (88'), Samukawa

Legalese (4-4-2): Lindamood; Cestero, Everet, Cauthon, Flett; Ree, Osofsky, Kaai, Shill; Mandella, Charlot
Substitutes: Heckaman, Tade (75'), Mcgilvery, Senechal (75'), Oyston, Coursey (80'), Borgella

• Projected team versus Saintland

Riena (4-3-3): Minato; Igarashi, Tsukamoto, Amemiya, Himemori; Matsukai, Kirimiya, Nakiri; Suenaga, Kanzaki, Steiner
Substitutes: Kugimiya, Uruha, Narita, Akamatsu, Kawakaze, Samukawa, Haneda

[Bolgano]

DELETE

[Flavovespia]

Marthorpe City

The First Kit

The circumstances of the formation of Marthorpe City will always be a source of controversy, but in 9BU they made their debut in the GWNFA Challenge League. Their first kit was a relatively basic yet well liked design, unlike many kits of that era. A simple all-black affair was adorned with a yellow sash across the body, and the words “Marthorpe City” included in the sash. For their first kit, Marthorpe City certainly did well. A nice kit, and some were disappointed it lasted for just one season, especially given the kit that followed it.

Celebrated Classic

The 9BU Kit would have been chosen, had it not been for its inclusion in the first kit category. Instead it’s the 7BU-6BU kit that makes it in as The Celebrated Classic. Not a particularly noteworthy kit in the grand scheme of things, one of the Marthorpe City Kits where they were experimenting a bit with designs. The blocky trim with an outline was certainly not a common trend in kits yet, but Marthorpe City were early improvisers of a look that would go on to become more common in the years afterwards. The kit also contains a shadow pattern, not uncommon in that era although a bit later to the trend. The overall design is decent enough, although this kit does feel like it won due to a lack of much competition.

Modern Marvel

The current Marthorpe City kit won this vote. The city outline of the logo was turned into a patter across the entire body, creating a striking “City Nights” effect. The gold of the skyline fades to black on the bottom of the shirt, and the kit is topped off with a grid like effect on the rest of the torso. The away versions are equally as spectacular with their vibrant colours. One of the boldest kits seem for a while, it will certainly be well remembered by many, not least the Marthorpe City fans.

Colour of Success

There’s not a definitive season where Marthorpe City had their best ever year, however we’ve chosen 15AU, the 3rd of their modern era titles and in the middle of their “halcyon era”. A relatively plain shirt, in the well known black and gold associated with the club. The whole kit is largely black, but gold piping exists down the sides and along the sleeves. It’s nothing particularly fancy, but it is a tidy look. It definitely avoided the business of some of the kits cropping up in and around that decade, including a few of Marthorpe City's.

Fashion Disaster

Marthorpe City don’t have one stand out bad kit, but their early efforts in the classic era didn’t always amount to much. Their second kit in 8AU featured an “M” effect on the upper body. Usually this type of attempt to incorporate club identity into its is celebrated but here it just doesn’t work. The addition of white to the kit as well, when it doesn’t really fit, doesn’t help at all and the kit just comes across as too busy. It was dropped one season later, replaced by the kit shown in the "Celebrated Classic" section. That said, some fans of Marthorpe City do like the design, as it got a fair number of votes in the “Celebrated Classic” category, and it’s not the worst of the “Fashion Disaster” category.

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom Federativna Republika Zeta Reka i Hügeltaldom
World Cup 85 Web Report Issue 2

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Playing in front of a sizable crowd, set peices and offensive trickery won the Rekans their first qualifying match. The victory came with bitter controversy, but all three points were no less sweet. New challenges await in the remaining, and fans hope the head start is essential.

The team got a massive head start thanks to three goals in the half. Rybki slammed in another free kick goal for the national team. Yante Skatezzo earned a few Rekan fans from his perfomance. The Talamia defender scored an own goal and has a hand or foot in every other Rekan goal. After a solid first half sore legs began to show their wears. Talamia scored two goals before the defence was replenished. An equalizer was disallowed thanks to a foul against Bosko Nowak. A tussle broke out between the sides, prompting red cards from officials. Coach Dusan was "substantially angered," with penalizing Bogdanić for the brawl, shifting blame to the visiting team. Even with a suspended starter, the back line's depth should absorb the blow. Hopefully any damage to the defence heals before the nation's bye.

The next oppoent for the Zeta Reka is Geektopia. They put up a fight in the cup of harmony durring their last world cup camapign. However before that Geektopia had a lot of toruble in qualifying, finishing eighth place out of eleven. Geektopia's 3-4-3 puts a lot of pressure on Zeta Rekas behind the line player, and we thus expect a very low block. The team will likley be playing with some solid players. Stanko Yakowić and Miloš Simeoniwić are expected to return to the field. The pair have experience in the low block and should compliment their partners. Even so some players could still sit out. Coach Dusan feels a well rested team could outright defeat the prestigous team from Cosumar. Will that expectation gain points, or lose them?

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Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 3–2 Talamia
GK 01: Bosko Nowak
LB 04: Janko Yakowić: v83’
CB 13: Jan Thimig: v67’
CB 03: Wladmir Bogdanić: 89’
RB 05: Bartolomej Wladmirowić
DM 06: Mullow Dorboslawić
LW 07: Jad
RW 19: Stojan Heiden
CM 10: Rybki (c): 10’
CM 21: David Dix
ST 20: Bogdan Rawić: 44’
Subs
CB 14: Wuk Koziwier: ^67’
LB: 15: Wladmir Zuzkoff: ^83’

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Rank: 3rd
Goals: 3
Possession: 48%
Shots: 10
On Goal: 6
Saves: 4
Fouls: 14
Corners: 7
Offsides: 1
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 1

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Yellow Cards
N/A
Red Cards
Wladmir Bogdanić: 1

[Newmanistan]

At his home in suburban Dover City, Nick Sheldon found himself bored and looking for something to do. He had recently fallen upon hard times, as he was outed as the Vice President for a large financial firm due to what he perceived as age discrimination. He was 48, and unwilling to accept that the struggles of the company were due to poor decision that he made. There was, in fact, no such discrimination. Sheldon made several bad investment decisions in regards to the company’s funds, and he was let go. His wife, Cynthia, was a hairdresser, and ten years younger then he was. They had three kids, all in high school or junior high, so Nick was not used to this free time of doing nothing while his wife was at work and the kids were in school. He did the work around the house that needed to be done.

There is one thing that Nick Sheldon always loved, and that was sports. He was a season ticket holder for the Dover City Mountaineers in baseball, but was a big fan of the Mountaineers in soccer as well. He went to some games, but had a hard time getting into the games in person in soccer then he would for baseball. Money, at this time, was not an issue though he would not be considered wealthy. Upper middle class was more like it. Looking for new websites to read or explore instead of looking for a new job, Sheldon found himself landing on an interesting site:

“Welcome to the Dover City Sportsbook. It is here where you can place wagers on all kind of things pertaining to the World of Sports. Right now, there is a lot of excitement concerning the qualifications for World Cup 85. Would you like to make some wagers on this competition?”

Sheldon shook his head no. He had heard about what those websites did to people and was well aware of the dangers of gambling, especially on sports. Just as he was about to leave the website, he got a text on his phone, and he stopped to take a look at what it was about. It was from his wife, reminding him to do a chore that he had already just completed. That did not make Nick made, but it was annoying to him, since he had been good about doing all of the things that he was supposed to be doing. After replying that he had done, he was still annoyed by the nag, and looked back at his computer screen. He had not yet closed out of the website. “Fine, maybe one.”

Sheldon clicked the button to proceed, and it was there that he saw this large screen letting him know that if one were to sign up now and deposit $100, they would get a free $100 with in which to bet. Completely risk-free. Sheldon shook his head, he knew better. “That’s how these people get you in. They sucker you in with that offer, and either you lose that money quickly or you win and get confident and start betting more and more.” But he could not turn it off. He remembered that final meeting with his boss, telling him about how he poorly used the company’s funds to invest, and that he was simply not someone to be trusted with major financial decisions. Sheldon did not feel that he made poor decisions, the market was just not right for him at this time. That angered him, because they were things out of his control that eventually had him lose his job. Now, he started thinking about this website much more. He was not bad with money, he was smart with it, and here, he was going to show everyone, or at least this website, that he was good with money. In went the personal details and the credit card information. Deposit $100? “Screw that!” Sheldon thought, and he added $1,000. Because of that deposit, he got an additional $500 in which to bet with.

He was hungry now to win. All thoughts of reason were gone as he looked for games in which to play. There was one that required a minimum wager of $1,500. Perfect!

“Welcome to the Blue-chip Group Challenge. In this, you take on another fan and wager $100 per group out of the World Cup 85 groups. This can be done on every matchday. It’s really simple, you pick one team in each group, and you get three points if they win, and one point if they draw. If they lose, you lose two points. Score more points then the fan you are paired up with, and you win their money. Ties are determined by the overall goal differential. Now, you may only pick up two “pot 1 teams”. Would you like to play?”

Nick was excited and clicked yes!

The website introduced him to his first fan opponent. You have been drawn against Sascha, a 23-year old woman from Dover City. Accept this opponent?

Nick laughed. A 23-year old woman? He couldn’t click accept fast enough. After making his picks, he went about his day thinking about the competition. After the games, he checked his score.

Your Picks of:
Sajnur (3), Drawkland (3), The Sarian (1), South Covello (1), Valladares (1), Hapilopper (1), Jeruselem (3), Cheergirls (1), Sargossa (3), Free Republics (-2), Ethane (3), Xanneria (3), 95X (3), Pasarga (-2), Newmanistan (3) and Andromeda Island Group (3) earned 28 points!

Sascha’s Picks of:
Astograth (3), Kita-Hinode (3), Savojarna (3), Main Nation Ministry (1), Zwangzug (3), Hampton Island (3), Sarzonia (3), The Holy Empire (-2), Sargossa (3), Trolleborg (1), Noooooooooooo (1), Havynwilde (-2), South Newlandia (3), Newmanistan (3), and Recuecn (3) earned 29 points!

Sorry, Nick. Sascha has won this duel and has been awarded the $1,500.

Sascha has offered you a chance to play her again. Would you like to do so?

Nick punched the desk he was on. How the hell could Free Republics and Pasarga have blown their games? He felt his picks were smarter. He knew he should say no. But another $1,500 was deposited and he accepted the challenge. He’d eventually beat this person, he knew it. He’s win matchday two, then offer her the rematch and win the money back!

His wife saw him take out the credit card and enter it into the computer, but for now, would think nothing more of it.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

1:25PM - Chernovets, Siovanija

Grand Admiral Alfred Reinmann walked up the steps of the State Strategic Weapons Institute building in Chernovets with purpose. The Chief of Staff of the Siovanija & Teusland Marine Force, he was about to give a presentation that would help shape the future of the navy. A young soldier welcomed him at the gate, and requested to see his ID.

As Reinmann waited for the young man to verify his army ID card, he looked up at the building in front of him. A boring, concrete slab was perhaps the nicest way to put it. When the city of Chernovets had been declared the country’s new capital of scientific and military research in the mid-1940s, it was turned into a closed city. You could enter only if you had a certain level of security clearance, and the focus had been to put buildings up quickly and get to work. That’s why the city looked like something out of a dystopia on its best day, famously called the ‘Gray City.’ An old Siovanijan joke was that the city was a closed city because no-one wanted to visit anyways.

Things were changing now, though, Reinmann thought to himself. Certainly since the first time he’d visited the city as a junior officer in the mid-1980s, when it was just beginning to open up. Now he could turn around and see a park with trees, and the Ljubica River looked much clearer now. It was becoming a city you might actually want to be in for more than 5 minutes. The guard handed back Reinmann’s ID, saluted him, and the Grand Admiral entered the steel door of the building, where a man in a suit was waiting for him.

“Grand Admiral, welcome back to Chernovets!” said the warm voice.

“Dr. Zacpal, it’s always a pleasure.” This was Dr. Vaclav Zacpal, one of the country’s leading experts on nuclear weaponry and the Director of the Nuclear Weapons Division of the SSWI. The two men had worked quite closely on this latest project.

“Alfred, I’m very much looking forward to this presentation today. I must say, it will be a massive moment in the history of our program. Thank you for all the work you’ve done.”

“Dr. Zacpal, it’s your brilliance that has gotten us to this point. I should be thanking you.”

The two men embraced as they headed down the hallway to the conference room. Dr. Zacpal opened the door and the two men entered, seeing a large number of people in either military uniform or suits. There was Field Marshal Reinhard Drachmann, Army chief of staff, and Marshal Viktor Kroupal, the Air Force chief of staff. Grand Admiral Reinmann smiled as he walked over to the men, who were in conversation with President Joachim Fleiss. In another corner, Chancellor Dominik Meier was holding court with the Minister of Defence, Sergey Sedlacek, and representatives of some of the arms manufacturing companies of the country. A great number of naval, air force and army officers had also been invited to the presentation as well as many scientists from the SSWI.

After a few minutes of conversation, Grand Admiral Reinmann took to the podium, and the delegates filed into their seats. Scanning the room, he began his presentation.

“Good afternoon. Welcome to our several honoured guests today, including the President and Chancellor of the United Republics, Mr. Fleiss and Mr. Meier. In addition, we have the Chiefs of Staff of our other service branches, Field Marshal Drachmann and Marshal Viktor Kroupal. I’d also like to welcome the many officers of our Armed Forces, and the many representatives of our scientific and industrial communities to Chernovets today.”

There was a brief applause as Reinmann paused for effect.

“It was in this very conference room in 1949 that President Milan Dimitrov spoke to members of the military and scientific communities and announced the beginning of a nuclear weaponry program in our nation. That first program, the Woden phase, saw our country develop its first nuclear weapons. In the years since, our ballistic missile program has continued to grow, and in phases such as the Tyr and the most recent phase, Helle we have continued to be at the forefront of nuclear innovation.”

There was more applause as images flashed on the screen behind Reinmann, images of some of the first tests of nuclear weaponry in the nation. Developments through the years, including improved ballistic missile capabilities and nuclear submarines, were also seen.

“And today, in partnership with Dr. Vaclav Zacpal of the State Strategic Weapons Institute, we are pleased to announce today the beginning of the next phase of our program. The lifespan of the Helle program, including its Schwertfisch-class nuclear submarines, will soon be coming to an end. While refurbishment of many of the weapons has already been approved, extending the lifespan of some systems, new innovations allow us to announce a new era for our nuclear program.”

More applause now, as modern weapons systems appeared on the screen. The Schwertfisch-class subs had been a great innovation at the time of their development, and the Marine felt it had a new innovation on its hands now.

“Ladies and gentlemen. In the past, our nuclear phases have taken their names from the gods of old Teus pagan religion. I recall to you now the story of Lokke, the son of Woden, the trickster God who used speed and deception in his adventures. And I introduce to you now, the Lokke phase of our nuclear program.”

Blueprints now appeared on the screen behind him, as Reinmann stepped aside to allow the audience to see clearly the new development. Chancellor Meier appeared particularly impressed, as did Field Marshal Drachmann and Marshal Kroupal.

“The Marine has worked day and night with our friends at the SSWI in preparation for the implementation of the first level of Lokke. While naturally, this program will soon be expanded to our friends at the Army and Air Force, we in the Marine have taken the lead on this one.”

Reinmann looked over to where Drachmann and Kroupal were sitting. There were of course some small competitive intra-branch rivalries in the Defence Force, but overall, due to the nature of national military doctrine, they were close allies. In this case, the Marine had been given the go-ahead by both the government and the overall command to work with the SSWI on the development of the next phase.

“The Schwertfisch-class submarine was a technological innovation for its time. It was key to helping carry out the Marine’s duty of being the first line of defence for the United Republics. And today, we unveil the next step. The Facherfisch-class submarine. Compared to the previous class, it has a far greater speed. It has been tested to ensure ‘acoustic superiority,’ meaning it is incredibly difficult for sonar-based detection systems to discover. The new silent propulsion system adds to the difficulty of detection as well as saves hull space. The Facherfisch can operate in any body of water with secrecy. I’d now like to invite Dr. Zacpal to the stage to discuss the weaponry system.”

There was great applause as blueprints of the Facherfisch were seen on stage. Reinmann smiled as Dr. Zacpal took to the stage.

“I’d like to thank Grand Admiral Reinmann for his assistance on this project. The Facherfisch-class submarines will be outfitted with 16 ballistic missile launch tubes. These missiles will be the new L1 missiles, or Lokke-1. The range of the Facherfish-class is also increased compared to the Schwertfisch, giving it more of a strategic advantage. Certainly the most important development of the L1 missile, however, is its stealth capabilities. The missile has an unpredictable flight path, which makes it difficult for anti-ballistic missile stations to detect it, and difficult for anti-missile batteries to shoot it down. The L1 can travel at hypersonic speeds, making it even harder to detect. The L1 is truly the biggest breakthrough in national nuclear weaponry research since the beginning of the program.”

Applause continued as a video was shown on screen, a model of the capabilities of the L1 missile when launched from both a submarine and from the ground. Grand Admiral Reinmann returned to the screen.

“Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. This is an important day in the history of our program. The Lokke class is the future of the defence of the United Republics. The first Facherfisch class ships will be laid down at the shipyard in Vrnovo upon final confirmation of the design. I look forward to further discussions with President Fleiss, Chancellor Meier, Field Marshal Drachmann and Marshal Kroupal, alongside Dr. Zacpal, as we move forward on this matter. I’m sure all of you are interested in the possibilities of the project. That concludes the presentation today. Thank you very much for your attendance.”

There was once again massive applause as Grand Admiral Reinmann stepped away from the podium, as the aforementioned men made a beeline towards him. Field Marshall Drachmann and Marshal Kroupal offered congratulations, and expressed great interest in how the project could benefit the Army and Air Force. Chancellor Meier, who had been taking in the event, spoke up.

“Gentlemen, this is obviously massive news for our defence forces. While we’ve all seen the strategic reports from the beginning of the development of this project, it’s great to see it ready to continue into production. I think we’d all like to know more about the project and its capabilities. Grand Admiral, Doctor, can you be in Borograd tomorrow? I’d like to have a State Security Council meeting to continue these discussions.”

“Of course, Dominik. I was planning to visit the Defence Forces headquarters in the city this week anyways, so that works perfectly for me,” responded Reinmann.

The other men in the group agreed, and the meeting was set. That evening, Grand Admiral Reinmann traveled to Borograd and prepared for one of the most important meetings of his career, as well as the history of the United Republics Defence Forces.

Siovanija & Teusland 0-0 Eura, @ Nationalstadion, Stelburg

Starting XI: Heuser; Steimle (Helmke 84’), Klopfer, Jager, Lotbiniere (Vesele 68’); Mihailov (Brotzmann 75’), Kramer, V. Dimitrov; Kogler, Tauscher, Ribbeck
Goals: N/A
Man of the Match: Karl-Heinz Jager
Report: Siovanija & Teusland welcomed the world’s third ranked side to the Nationalstadion last night, as Eura faced the Goldhorns in a friendly. Siovanija & Teusland were clear underdogs, but they put in a brave performance on the night as they kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw. Brian Bond, one of the greatest forwards in the world, was kept off the scoresheet, and the excellent performances of Raphael Klopfer and Karl-Heinz Jager at the back cannot be overstated. Up front, the Goldhorns lacked a clinical edge in this one, but they didn’t get too many opportunities as Eura controlled the flow of play. The Goldhorns will see this as a mostly positive result, and would like to take the defensive fortitude into the Qualifiers, which start soon as Siovanija & Teusland host Bolgano at the Nationalstadion in the first game of the campaign.

[Banija]

Part I

Kabaka - King
Luguba - Queen Consort
Sarauniya - Queen Mother
Isebantu - Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba - Prince/Princess
Omulangira/Kyabazinga - Duke/Duchess
Kagere/Kiweewa - Lord/Lady
Katikkiro - Prime Minister
Waziri - Foreign Minister
Kiongozi- Leader of the Opposition
Lukiiko- Parliament
Mkiiko- Member of the Lukiiko(Banijan equivalent of the term MP)
Mukegara- Small minority tribe of 50,000 in Northeastern Banija. They are very isolated, and are not Mormon. They get their own Mkiiko.
CRU- Collective Resistance Union(left-wing/social democratic, out of power for the first time after 11 consecutive years in office)
FJP- Free Justice Party(center-left, the former junior coalition partners)
PPM- People's Protection Movement(center-right, lead coalition government, just ascended into power for the first time in 15 years)
CPL- Christian Patriots League(religious right, new junior coalition partners)

Setting is the People's Protection Movement party offices, three days after Banija's General Elections, and the day after Matchday 1 of World Cup 85 Qualifying.

"Man, I'm ready for this meeting." Said Kobe Azizi. He was the brand new leader of the People's Protection Movement, moving up from his role as Deputy Leader. It had been a chaotic few days for him. Hell, it had been a chaotic 42 days, with six full weeks being the Banijan election period. Everything had been kinda crazy- although kinda didn't even begin to describe what kind of a nutters six weeks that Banijan politics had went through.

It all started when, on the very first day of the campaign period, scandal showed up at the front door of the PPM. It came out on the first day of the election period, that Bwanbale Loros, the leader of the opposition and the overwhelming favorite to become the Katikkiro in six weeks time, had an enormous scandal come out about him. It had turned out that he was caught up in a serious corruption scandal. Not as bad as the RTC ones from 2 decades ago that brought down both the PPM and FJP, and ushered in the Matthias Mutebi era, but still problematic. It had turned out that he had millions of dollars, not Banijan shillings but NSDs, stashed away at Delahousse Bank in Recuecn.

Of course, it was a quick political firestorm. Now, of course, Loros wasn't particularly liked within the party, even if he had just become leader- he was charismatic, which got him the support of the membership, but he didn't play that well with others. And so, even within the party, it was shocking at what speed the knives came out. Many backbenchers, and candidates in swing seats, up and down the party list, started immediately calling for his resignation. Kizza Makoni, the CRU Katikkiro at the time, accused Delahousse Bank of refusing to work with the Government on this investigation. The timing was deadly, but the accusations stuck.

The PPM, considering how they had been knocked into 15 years of opposition by a prior corruption scandal, was watching their best chance to get back into Government vanish with a corruption scandal right before their eyes. The accusations? Likely true. The man was actually the Chief Financial Officer for PetroBan, the Banijan oil company established right after World Cup 82, before entering politics. It had turned out that he had siphoned millions from PetroBan, and threw it all abroad in a bank he knew wouldn't work with foreign authorities. The expose hit hard. Loros denied it, but Kobe Azizi, the Deputy Leader, saw an opportunity to take action.

Azizi had been in contact with various members of the shadow cabinet. They all said the same thing- Loros must prove his innocence, or he must go. You've never seen a party turn on their leader so fast. But when Azizi visited Loros two nights after the scandal, he had a note hand-signed by every single member of the shadow cabinet. With campaign season just beginning, most were still in Busukuma, so it was easy to do. He delivered the note, personally, to Loros- resign immediately, or have the entire front bench resign. Loros saw he had been outmanuevered by his Deputy, and cornered, threw in the towel.

Azizi quickly replaced him as the interim Party Leader, with the condition that if he were to win the election, he'd become the full-time party leader. And, quite surprisingly, the scandal only briefly sunk the PPM. The speed at which the party abandoned Loros, and coalesced around Azizi, must've played well to the voters. By the time they got to the debates, both Kizza Makoni and Kobe Azizi were parroting the same lines about Loros, that he must be investigated, that he must face charges. Azizi somehow had managed to distance the entire party from the scandal. And, just three days prior, they won at the polls- 55 pickups to go from the Opposition to government, winning 237 out of 500 seats, just shy of a working majority.

Three days ago? Election Day. Two days ago? Count day. And ever since, they had their team negotiating with the Christian Patriots League, which would form a coalition that would have over 300 members on the Government benches- which would give him a clean, and strong, majority. They had enough seats to possibly even run a minority Government if they wanted to, working with the FJP, CRU, and the CPL on a case-by-case basis, but they would be a government on edge, only destined to last a few years. Azizi wanted a five year term, and his men had just finished negotiating the deal right at halftime of the Mercedini v. Banija game.

He had actually spent the latter part of the night watching the second half of the game. And he talked about it briefly with an aide. "Man, that was one hell of a second half last night, wasn't it?" Kobe Azizi said to his Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff simply looked up at him.

"It was, Kobe!" She said. "Man, what a crazy game. 3-0, the goals just pouring through in the second half. Ilman Jawara going two for two from the spot is absolutely tough, but yet he stepped up twice and buried home. When was the last time you saw an international devolve into 11 on 9?" Kobe Azizi simply shook his head as she went on. "But Kahara- oh, did you know I went to High School with him? Just for a year, before he left for Kita-Hinode. But yea, we were neighbors. I've seen him chip countless people in the schoolyard, but yesterday's was just beautiful. "
She paused, and then continued. "But sir, you know it sucks that the stadium was empty. What was the official attendance?"

"137." Kobe Azizi replied. "Have you ever seen a stadium like that? I mean, for a secondary school match maybe- but for a professional international? And a Big one at that, Pot 2 hosting Pot 1? You could hear the ball every time it was kicked, it sounded like a boom. Hearing all those voices. Just hearing players very clearly, so eery."

"Well, thankfully we don't have whatever they have." The Chief of Staff replied. "We'll have to remember, once we're in office- we'll need some sort of special arrangement for Mercedini players when they travel here. It's not for a few months, of course, but we'll make sure the Embassy keeps an eye on the situation. Travel ban from Mercedini except for essential personnel? Of course, their team and other essential personnel can travel, but we'll have to ban them from bringing their families, or bringing fans or anything of the sort."

"Eh, we'll cross that bridge when it comes." And just then, Kobe Azizi got the call he had been waiting for, from his counterpart at the Christian Patriots League. Their Mkiikos had overwhelmingly approved the Coaliiton. Now, it was up to his Parliamentarians. They were all waiting in the room ahead, Azizi just waiting to be called.

And then the knock came. "This is your moment Kobe," the Chief of Staff said. "I invited cameras into the room- the whips are saying that there's virtually no oppositiion- Go get em!" Kobe took a deep breath, and got up from his office, to walk down to the mess hall. He saw the television cameras, and he was applauded vigorously by this new, and loud, group of Mkiikos. A freshman class that was 72 members strong- 55 of them flipping seats that hadn't been won by the PPM in forever, some of them in opposition hands for decades. He gave a rousing speech, saying that with the deal, they were on the precipice of having their opportunity to change Banija.

The votes came in. Azizi, of course, abstained. 234 votes for, 3 abstentions. He didn't know who the abstentions were, but who cared? He'd make arrangements to see His Majesty tomorrow, and 24 hours from now, he would be where his life's ambitions had always taken him- accepting his congratulations from Kizza Makoni, and becoming the highest-ranking non-Royal in the country.

Short-Form Election Results

Party	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage	Total Seats	Seat Percentage
Collective Resistance Union	16,668,000	33.32%	172	34.40%
People's Protection Movement	19,157,000	38.29%	237	47.40%
Free Justice Party	3,064,700	6.13%	22	4.40%
Christian Patriots League	8,295,000	16.58%	67	13.40%
Independents	N/A	N/A	2	0.4%

Mini-Explainer:One Independent is the Speaker, who is non-Partisan. The other Independent is from the special seat reserved for the Mukegara Tribe, whose parties do not compete on a national level. Election results in a PPM/CPL majority Coalition, which gives them 304 seats, which is good for a simple parliamentary majority of 108, and a working majority of 111. the Speaker does not vote unless it is to tiebreak, and cast a tiebreaker vote for the Government, and the Independent Mukegara Mkiiko is informally allied with the PPM).

Detailed Election Results
*OOC Note, the above sheet shows the last three elections. Six IC years ago is Election One, two IC years ago is Election Two, and the election three IC days ago, the most recent election, is Election Three. The results are broken down by region, for both the proportional vote portions and the First Past the Post Constituency portions, for each party.

[West Pocono]

THUNDER STRIKES SOUTH COVELLO

As the top seed in the group, many expect that South Covello will have an easy time qualifying for the World Cup. In the end, they probably still will. It seemed like an impossible team for the Poconi to defeat, especially in their first ever game since last participating in World Cup 51. What we did know is that the Thunder had planned to use a highly defensive strategy not only for this match, but for all of the games in the competition. South Covello thrives on excellent defensive play, demonstrating a level of prowess that has made them successful for many World Cup. You have to wonder if they bothered to do any scouting of our team, however.

It may true that teams that debut in the World Cup look to assert themselves by scoring goals, and have goal scorers that they want to develop as being their national icon. South Covello has seen that throughout time, and seemed as though they were sitting back in their defensive shell, waiting for the Thunder to have those overly ambitious forwards that want to make an impact, and then score in the counter attack. That never happened, and in the early minutes of the match, fans had to be wondering if anyone actually was going to try and score goals. Thunder players sat back in their own defensive shell, getting ready for the Rebels to make their moves, but the Rebels were doing the same thing. Minutes continued to tick away, and after fifteen minutes of play, there had not been a single shot thrown on net by either side. Eventually, maybe, someone was going to try and score something? South Covello was not ready for this. How could a nation that has not played a game since World Cup 51, playing at home, be so conservative? After half an hour of actions, the fans began making noise, but not the noise the Rebels thought. They weren’t getting on the Thunder’s case, but calling out their players for not taking any chances. Only one weak shot, from each side, had been taken at that point. Eventually, the teams went to intermission in a game that completely lacked any form of excitement, but the fans realized that this was the intention of the team.

In the second half, we saw more of the same. It seemed now that the Rebels thought that the Poconi would change their game plan, but that would not be the case. Eventually, after about the 60th minute, South Covello seemed to get the memo that it would have to be they who initiated offense and not look to score in the counter attack. After all, they are the top seed, we are not. We’re just fine with taking the draw to open things up. They on the other hand, are expected to leave here with three points. With more challenges coming, the West Pocono defense was up to the task time and time again. You could clearly see, however, that South Covello was not used to having to do this, and they were a little rusty in implementing it. In the end, the final whistle would blow, with West Pocono picking up the point. South Covello players seemed a little confused by this, but can only leave questioning their game planning for the match. Someone needed to try and score goals today, and the underdog didn’t need to be the team that pushed. The Rebels weren’t ready for what they faced here today. Poconi fans can’t get a big head over this, because now that the book is out on how we’re going to be playing, other teams will be much more prepared and ready for it.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Press Conference
Ban Cocoa-bo!!!!

Broadcast live across the Multiverse by ImperialVision

Hello.

I'm Sir Barsanuphius the Bold, captain of the Holy Empire football team; you might know me for wearing a full suit of armour on the pitch, but I'm also the leader of the international crusade against the insidious substance known as 'Cocoa-bo'.

As you may know, the team suffered a deeply disappointing home loss to Devonta last night.

However, it's my sad duty to report that, when the grounds staff were cleaning the away dressing room after the match, they discovered that the visiting team had been liberally consuming Cocoa-bo both before the match and at half-time. We also discovered these Cocoa-bo-branded T-shirts, and an order slip for several more crates of Cocoa-bo for delivery to their home nation after the match.

I'm aware that no captain wants to make it sound as if he's making excuses for his team's poor performance, but I put it to you that it cannot be mere coincidence that we lost to a team that was actively consuming this performance-enhancing substance in what appear to be prodigious quantities.

I ask - no, demand - that the World Cup Committee launch an immediate investigation of Devonta's use of Cocoa-bo alongside the no-doubt imminent investigation we are all expecting into Turori's production of this dangerous narcotic, and Vilita's 'coincidental' rise to first in the rankings following Cocoa-bo's rise to prominence in the multiverse.

In the meantime, it's my sad duty to report that - effective immediately - Cocoa-bo is banned at the Imperial Hippodrome, whether for consumption by visiting teams or visiting fans.

I'm willing to take questions.

Anna Comneno, Holy Empire Herald: Do you feel in any way discouraged over the lack of interest from other nations in joining your campaign?

Early days yet, Anna; this was just the first matchday. I'm sure that shock over this Devonta result - and the clear evidence of Cocoa-bo abuse by the visiting team - will help to focus minds. I still very much welcome telegrammes of interest in joining my anti-Cocoa-bo crusade; and in helping to find a catchy acronym for that crusade. I sense some latent interest in Omerica; others will soon join.

Joshua Trépanier, New Montreal States Review: What's your reaction to Cheergirls captain Meghan Banks calling for a ban on players wearing full suits of armour on the pitch?

I understand Miss Banks' concern. I can look intimidating. I would simply note that I haven't received a single yellow or red card in my playing career, nor have I ever injured another player. I would simply stress that the multiverse as a whole is in far more danger from the insidious presence of Cocoa-bo than it is from me taking pride in my national culture by incorporating elements of traditional dress into my playing kit. One more question.

Thor Sønsteby, Raynor City Post, Valanora: Are elves susceptible to the alleged impact of Cocoa-bo.

Well, I can see that you're a human yourself, Mr Sønsteby; I would urge you to discuss this point with Mr Hawk; he's a Vanorian whose opinion on this matter we would all respect.

Nephara Brenecia, and I'm a drunk person from the local tavern; no really. That's what I am. How did I get in here anyway?

Did you have a question, Mr Brenecia?

Errrrr yes; it's like this. I was thinking that what you said some other time is that this chocolaty stuff was only, like, a performance-enhanshing shubstance for Vilita <hic>. So, like, how can it also be a performance-enhanshing shubstance for this Devonta lot? CanIhaz a drink?

So long as it's not Cocoa-bo, you can drink whatever you like! As to your other question, rest assured that top imperial oneirologists are likely looking into this issue at this very moment; I hope so, anyway.

[Valladares]

Note: This RP is the continuation of the storyline started with this post, and further extended in these subsequent posts.

---

The Drummond restaurant, located on the terrace of one of the tallest buildings in the city of Metropolis, is one of the places most frequented by the elite, businessmen, wealthy tourists, and of course, politicians in the federal capital, and not only because of the exquisite food served there or the amazing views of the rest of the city and the suburbs of Greater Metropolis. The restaurant has also served as a place to reach business deals, hold parties and celebrations by socialites, and seal political agreements or even alliances, all of this amid a casual environment imbued with camaraderie. And precisely one of those was about to be negotiated at tables 10 and 11 of said establishment, in front of a dozen dishes of seafood soup, salmon with garlic, and the same number of glasses of red wine.

Both tables, next to each other had been reserved for lunch by members of the Valladar Conservative Party, led by the Honourable MP Stéphane Bertrand, Head of the Royal Parliament for a special working lunch. Their guests were members of the Partido Hispánico de Mountbatten, led by the speaker of the Mountbatten State Assembly Álvaro Montillo, who had come to Metropolis to submit their main political project to the Royal Parliament: a bill aimed to separate from Mountbatten state all cities and towns east from the Aguablanca river, into a new state on account of the Hispanic predominance in those zones of a state historically dominated by the Anglophone politicians based in Carloburgo and nearby zones in the west. This meeting with representatives of the largest party in Valladares was intended to lobby support for the bill, now that it was entering its most crucial battle as it had to be put to discussion at the federal legislative bodies, therefore reaching an agreement with the Conservatives was considered by Montillo pivotal to the success of the Bill of Secession, which had already been passed by the State Assembly despite countless efforts from the Labourist-Liberal coalition in Mountbatten to shoot it down.

The 10 people involved in the meeting, five per side, arrived to the restaurant a few minutes after noon and proceeded to sit down. Then the lunch and the discussion started. Montillo took his time to try and explain carefully every aspect of the bill, from the motivations that led to its formulation to the possible aftermath of its passing and implementation. Bertrand listened to his interlocutor with interest, but without appearing to be totally convinced of giving his support, and suddenly posed a question for Montillo:

"Mr. Montillo, I understand that the legal basis for your bill is Article 25 of the Royal Constitution of 1910, which advocates for self-determination of the linguistic communities within the federal state, as it has been achieved in, for example, the Iliria region with the Francophone and Lusophone communities, which have each their own states. While we admit that is something ideal and desirable, what would be the main incentive for the Conservative Party to accept this proposed alteration to the status quo in Mountbatten?"

The Hispanic leader, predicting that the Conservatives would start by throwing that exact question, replied:

"We acknowledge our situation as a minority, and the fact that your party's leading position in Valladar politics doesn't really move you to look for more support than you currently have. However, this minority has just came to power in the country's biggest state and is firmly determined to correct some misdoings and wrongs against the Hispanics of Mountbatten since 1910 and up to our days. The fact that our party won the most recent elections there, and managed to land some MPs in the Parliament should not be unnoticed..." Montillo stopped to sip his drink and then continued. "What we are willing to offer you is an invitation to collaborate with us, because even if the Bill is approved by the Royal Parliament and sanctioned by His Royal Highness the King, the status quo will remain in place until at least the end of our term in four years, while the institutions for the new state are built. The prospect of having an ally leading a state where your political rivals used to be the strongest forces and willing to help your party with your projects there should be enticing enough for your party, and you would also solidify your standing among the Hispanic population for future elections."

"Fair enough. Have you already tried to reach out to other parties for their support?"

Montillo took another sip of wine before replying. "We attempted to reach some kind of consensus with Labourists and Liberals in Mountbatten, but we ended up realizing that trying to agree with them is just the same as asking the elm for pears. And they must be moving their machinery with their own MPs right now so we're not dealing with them anymore. However, we already reached agreements with your fellow Conservative state MPs as well as the Catholic ones. We hope them to help us with the Catholic force at the Parliament. Next, we would like to meet with Green representatives, as well as others from minor regional parties which fared very well in the elections to present our project to them, just like we are doing right now with you."

"The Catholic League will support anything that does not clash with the supremacy and privileges the Catholic Church has in Valladares. So as long as you don't propose anything that meddles with priests and church stuff you should be fine."

"I've got one more question, sir", said the Columbus-native MP Albert Torrent, "as you may already know, the city of Columbus is a special case, since by being located on both banks of the Aguablanca river, the linguistic Anglo-Hispanic divide practically cuts it in two halves. In fact, if I remember correctly, the referendum votes there were split by nearly half. How are you planning to deal with it should your project come into fruition? Will you be dividing the city between Mountbatten and the new state? Will you claim the entirety of the city for the new state? Or will you leave it in Mountbatten?"

Montillo then replied. "Gentlemen, the Bill contemplates, initially, that the new state be established on the right bank of the Aguablanca river, adopting the borders of the colony of Valladares as originally established in the 17th century but excluding the District of Metropolis for obvious reasons. I'm not going to deny the fact that we want to have the former capital as the capital city of this proposed state, and that includes the Anglophone-majority zones of Columbus, which we hope to convince to join us. Also, we are not going to force any other Anglophone-majority towns that are left within the borders of this new state to join if they don't want it. Conversely, if there are any Spanish-speaking towns located to the west of the river, we will be inviting them to join. Our idea is to have, not one, but two cohesive states, based on the principle of language self-determination which I already stated, and obviously living along each other in peace."

Upon hearing this last answer, Betrand spoke once again. "Alright, looks like we now have enough information on the matter. We'll take some days to discuss and deliberate within our party and once we reach a decision we'll get back to you, Mr. Montillo. Please keep negotiating with other parties and, when the time comes, we will meet again to inform you of any updates."

"Pleased to talk to you, esteemed MPs."

The men then finished their lunch, talked about some miscellaneous stuff, and paid the bill before parting their respective ways, which involved more meetings on the subject in question...for both sides.

Mkabia 3-3 Valladares
(??? 23', ??? 67', ??? 73'; Baume 19', Alexandre 41' (pen.), Benezet 85')

Starting XI: Gaviria - Pedretti, Delgado, Rueda - Rojas, O'Brien, Mickel, Barrios - Baume, Alexandre, Fortin
Yellow Cards: Delgado 35', O'Brien 76'
Subbed Out: Mickel 66', Delgado 72', Fortin 83'
Subbed In: Lachlant 66', Matheus 72', Benezet 83'
Unused Subs: Dussan, Marrugo, Waldo, Castillo, Malicki, Padilla, Núñez, Pearson, Cross
Manager: Paulo Oliveira

[Donnacona]

Alexandre Faille's press conference after Donnacona 0 x 2 Kita-Hinode

(Donnacona 0 x 2 Kita-Hinode, Ishimoda 15', Saitou 50')

Question from Elias Fleury, Sport+, Thanks for talking with us, how do you feel after this match?

AF: Well, I'm not thrilled- I know winning this match in particular and qualifying in general are long shots but I wouldn't be very inspirational or a very good manager if I just rolled over, no? We lost today at the debut of this beautiful new stadium that represents our beautiful nation, and that's on me. I tried to prepare us for Kita-Hinode's tactical shifts and their positionless football but when they're actually out there they're just such a marvel to watch. The Hinodejin team has been very successful historically and some of it is due to this positional innovation, but they're also so talented, so organised, they really were phenomenal today.

Question from Rose Drouin-Viresic, La République, Who impressed you most today?

AF: Heh, my opposite number, Eleanor Lingard, she has them in tremendous fitness, as a well oiled machine. She outmanaged me today for sure. I thought their right side in particular, Kisame and Matsumono-Gide, they are just constantly moving, and that first goal was the result of us giving too much attention to Kisame and letting Matsumono have a lot of open space on the flank that he used to put that perfect ball in for Ishimoda.

Follow up from Rose Drouin-Viresic, What about of your players?

AF: Abdallah (Lajeunesse, who came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute) has been one of the best players in the league this season and he put in a performance like that today. He's certainly going to make things hard on me going forward, he wants to be in the lineup so badly. The workrate of George (t'Son d'Haxli) is always phenomenal. Honestly I think everyone performed very well, I let us down with my tactic and my preparation. We'll do better next time.

Question from Alexandre Beckett-Vézina, TMD Sports, What will your strategy be against Kohnhead?

AF: We do not know them especially well. I'll be watching a lot of tape over the next few days for sure, we want to know everything we can to prepare. I obviously won't be revealing too much though, they can see this too. *Smiles*

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

There are seemingly a million administrative offices in Marianopolis, a massive global city of 9 million. Were there a way to export bureaucracy, it would likely supplant apples as Donnacona's main export. Bureaucracy is a nice way to give people the dignity of work and ensure everyone gets what they need whilst not involving our nation in things like weaponry. Donnacona has one of the multiverse's most open citizenship policies, so long as you're willing to fill out an excruciating amount of paperwork, strictly in Joual or Agostini. You can still go through the process in English, but that requires the semi-Autonomous Hudsonian Immigration Department, whose protocol is much more rigorous and you'd be required to live on Hudson Islands.

One such bureaucrat, let's call him Marc, lives in the hip Sainte-Isabelle neighbourhood of the city. He very recently traveled to Reçuecn for the Donnacona-Reçuecn football friendly, which required interdimensional travel. Very few people Marc knew had ever partaken in interdimensional travel, and was surprised to learn once he arrived in Europe how...not different it was. Specifically, how when he got there they spoke a very similar language, which apparently came from a place called "France". He had always learned that the Cotdelapomais Joual had originated in Azerty, and assumed the same of the other nations who spoke similar languages, often referred to as "French". When he got home, he wanted to learn more, and was surprised to find out how little information was available in Donnacona about Europe and this other dimension. Travel was seemingly readily available, he just took a regular flight (although now that I think of it, it had to be booked through the Donnaconan Football Federation- he'd never seen flights to Europe or the other dimension before...