World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[Baggieland]

The Daily Boing

Cosumar 5 – 2 Baggieland FT (3 – 0 HT)

Baggieland had a bad day at the office as they were soundly beaten by Cosumar. Although two spectacular goals from Captain Fantastic ensured that it wasn’t a complete walkover.

The less said about the first half, the better really. Almost the entire half was played in Baggielandian territory and when we did have the ball, we found it difficult to create any chances of note. There were a couple of half chances in the first period, the most notable of which fell to Regis. A delightful cross from Brunt left Regis with only the keeper to beat, but his poor effort sailed way over the crossbar. As the ref ended the half, Cosumar were already three goals to the good and things were looking ominous for the Throstles.

Whatever Fred Buckingham said to his players during the break certainly had some effect. Baggieland came out for the second half with an attacking nerve that had definitely been missing in the first half. The Throstles were probing and crossing and causing all sorts of problems for the Cosumarian defence. Their efforts were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Dawson went on an amazing run into the opposition half, then he produced a pin-point cross to Bomber on the edge of the penalty box. Bomber then produced a sublime move to evade his marker and slammed the ball into the back of the net. Baggieland didn’t give up though and kept on looking for more goals. Regis had a shot that was well saved and Moore headed inches wide from one of Brunt’s corners. Then in the 78th minute, some patient build-up play that involved first Livermore, then Bassett, eventually found its way to Bomber. He drifted past two defenders, then coolly slotted the ball past the advancing keeper. With the score now at 3 – 2, a comeback that seemed highly unlikely at half time was now on the cards. Baggieland pushed on, looking for the equaliser, but became undone when Cosumar broke away to score their fourth goal. That seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Baggielandians and Cosumar finished the game by netting one more time, the final score of 5 – 2 was definitely harsh, especially after the second half display.

Baggieland stats:

Scorers:
Bomber Robson: (52’, 78’).

Possession: 45%.
Corners: 4.

Tournament scorers:
Jeff Richardson: 2.
Bomber Robson: 2
Ray Brunt: 1.

International goals:
Jeff Richardson: 6.
Ray Brunt: 3.
Bomber Robson: 2
Ronnie Regis: 1.
Jonas McAuley: 1.
Chris Barlow: 1.

[The Sarian]

De Telegraaf Sport presents...

ON LEFT FLANK
The Rolling Football Blog

Full Transcript of Miccal Druiven's Angry Rant
Transcription by Lucie Goudsmid

Context: following The Sarian's loss to Adyatin, Head Coach Miccal Druiven attended to a gaggle of Saari press outside the stadium. After answering number of questions, he took offense to a question about squad selection asked by De BondSaari Vandaag and went on a three and a half minute long rant. LegaSaari, who administer the national team, have subsequently announced an investigation Below is the full transcript.

What do you even fucking mean by that? What a daft fucking question. No offense Pauls [Paula Magwyr, De Nationaal Vandaag reporter] but I've heard some crap in my time and that just tops it. Get rid of... why would you even suggest that. What clapped up trap of a paper are you even writing for now to suggest that shit? Do you- I don't care. I'm talking now. Do you know how hard this job is? You sit around for two years doing fuck all and then you have a bunch of players turn up. Half of them are in a mood because their friends aren't there. Do you know how many fucking favours I get asked on the first day back? Ooooh do you mind just considering... fuck off.

Then you have their clubs on the phone asking me for a favour to keep their players fit because that's where the money is. Forget the national team, all you people care about is Ping-fucking-stand Football Club. Pingstand! It's a complete joke. The players then bring those club rivalries onto the pitch like it's anyone's business. You'd think merging the best teams in the country would be a good thing, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you? Look at you a bunch of nodding fucking donkeys. But no, they don't know how to play together. It's like I'm asking them to don fucking ice skates and figure skate. You think they're bad on the pitch you should try seeing them in training. Clichier than my nieces school friends. No offense to her but they're bitches as well. Though not as much of a bitch than if you ask a professional footballer - and professional footballer - to mix with someone not on his team at lunch time.

Do you know how many stupid team building exercises I've done in the last fortnight. Owdee [Oodel Duotzin] having to catch Lach Houten like he isn't still bitter that he didn't put two past him in a stupid football league. But hey, at least he fucking caught him. More than today isn't it? Why are you laughing? Yeah, I asked a question. Why? Why? You lot big him up, call him best Saari keeper of his generation and laugh now? Hissing fucking snakes the lot of you. Big him up and laugh when his manger brings up back to earth. Especially you Stefan [Struik, De Telegraaf reporter]. Don't turn your back on him lest you want a knife shoved there. Fucking two faced piece of shit. If you want to know what's going on in football, fucking lock him in his house and find the gag collection his mistress left round.

What results do you expect me to get? Have ever heard of Adrian [Adyatin]? Piece of shit nowhere country. Didn't know what stadium we were playing in. Didn't know who we were up against. They didn't even have the common decency to do that. How do you expect me to prepare in those conditions. Didn't even know what their kit looked like until the wanking national anthems. Didn't know whether to send the team out in green or black. Ridiculous. How do you plan for that? How? And then how do you plan for the best players from a country to be so remarkably shit. Two teams with ranks less than two hundred. We didn't even give the last lot Sanctimonious [Sanctanus] the decency of playing at De Stadionnational and they still nicked points off of us.

I mean, I say nicked. We gifted it to them. Wrapped it up. Even sprayed it with a bit of fucking perfume to make it smell nice. One point. We have one point. If the players actually gave a shit they would have six. And why don't they? Because of you fucking parasites who don't even give the national game a second of your thought. Doting on the cricket team, acting like international cricket is unimportant- don't get me wrong, I love cricket. I'm a member of Oostelund [cricket] club. I go to every domestic game I can. And that's what it is - a domestic game! Who gives a shit about the international team! Football on the other hand is global! And we only care about the comings and goings on ten stupid fucking clubs. I regret every single part I had to play in making that league successful. Every single bit.

But what can I do? Ain't like we have any better players. They're gonna play, and they're gonna hope to god they redeem themselves before I get rid of the lot of them and replace them with me and Ghaun [Rejn] doing some training exercises against Eura. I'm sixty seven years old, f- fuck sake. That's what they want is it? Me having a heart attack whilst tracking back? It's fucking ridiculous.

Oh, and ban cucky boo [Cocoa-bo] or whatever the fuck it's called. I'm going home.

The Sarian line-up versus The Jovannic (4-5-1): Oodel Duoztiun / Walt Beunaad, Jaxon Pieuz, Zej Zamuuol, Ceutiz Maazden / Wictor Buul, Mohammad Islam, Luc Bisop, Jodi Lauri, Maeri Beniut / Lach Houten

[Electrum]

The Turnip: The unofficial officially unofficial guide to the World Cup qualifiers, Part Deux
by Ezekiel Starlight III

Hello everyone before you begin this article, and to ensure more award winning articles like these, please like, comment and subscribe. You know the drill, in this part two of the preview, we are going to monetise your lust for mechanical previews of Electrum's World Cup qualifying and you're just going to sit there and you're going to eat it all up yum yum yum yum yum. Also, it would help if you clicked on some of those ads above and below so that we can get that sweet click-through rates. And please ignore the haters saying this is fake news. Everyone knows we are very good with the news. We know a lot about these things. We are very educated, maybe the best. I don't know. It's just sad that the Turnip-haters would accuse us of such things. Again, we've placed the teams below in the order of likelihood to love turnips just as much as we do.

The Commuinist republic of chinatown
The country's full title is The Rogue Nation of The Commuinist republic of chinatown. That title has to be a frontrunner in being the world record holder for the longest title that any nation has ever had. Their national currency is the 'meme' (pronounced 'maymay' surely) and their national animal is the red panda, which is the most adorable national animal we've heard so far. I mean, it's better than Electrum's koala. We don't know much about the nation, because again, they've not posted a roster, but judging from their title, they are Commuinists, who are Communists that like to keep things spicy by switching the 'i' and the 'n'. They seem to have created their own country in a Chinatown, a kind of oriental space in many cities across the multiverse, where turnips are turned into delicious turnip cakes! Not expected to be a huge threat.

When U Die
This country's name just screams turnip-eaters. Their flag is entirely and completely Farf black (by golly, using Farf that way gives me goosebumps). We don't know much about them, but we do know that their nation must be some twisted place if their founders willingly named it 'When U Die.' I mean, it's a really clever way to sneak a threat every time you talking about the nation. Imagine hearing on the news: "Electrum faces their next opponent, When U Die" or, "We will be playing When U Die." The two examples sentences just sounds like Electrum faces their next opponent when you, the reader, dies. Perhaps the nation's founders were onto something by naming their nation 'When U Die.' Perhaps we should rename ourselves 'When You Lose.' The psychological damage we would inflict on opposing teams would be incalculable. Not expected to be a huge threat.

St Saratoga
St Saratoga are not a new nation - they debuted in World Cup 83, then took a break during World Cup 84 because they couldn't be arsed playing, and are now playing in World Cup 85 qualification. Again, we don't know much about this team because they've not posted a skerrick of information about the team, so our expectations surrounding them are just going to be based on guesswork. They are a very neutrally and inoffensively named nation, who seems to enjoy lacrosse more than football. Lacrosse just sounds so fancy schmancy compared to football, because football is a perfectly functional word combining two words in English, whereas Lacrosse just sounds like combining two words in French, and is therefore automatically fancier. Anyways. Not expected to be a huge threat.

Abanhfleft
Finally, a nation we do know. The Fleftic have also not posted a roster for this World Cup, much like all the other teams on the list, but also they are middling in terms of the how much love they have for the turnip. Turnips are the one true root vegetable - pale imitations like kohlrabi, parsnips, beets and the dreaded not-turnip rutabaga. They eat a lot of rutabaga in Abanhfleft, where its illegitimately called the 'white turnip' despite it not being a true turnip. These heretics must be exorcised from the World Cup competition. Despite these things, the one bright side about the Abanhfleft national football team is that their nation name rhymes with intergluteal cleft, which really opens the door to some wonderful taunts. Perhaps one could remark that their football team are full of callipygian players. Not expected to be a huge threat.

Free Republics
Free Republics are one of the most freedom-loving countries in the world. Known for their love of fatty fast food, guns and for watching the naked news network, they would definitely hate the fulsome goodness of the humble turnip, which is why they've been ranked so lowly in our power rankings. Their national team, run more like a money-hungry business, has its own 81-player strong cheerleading team full of women - none of whom don't even like turnip very much. The country has been wracked in civil war, political shenanigans and the like for so long (who remembers the Holy Republican Empire? because Turnip Farms remembers), it's a bit difficult to remember who on the football team is the Republican consul's half-brother in law, and who are the truly important ones are. Not expected to be a huge threat.

Ethane
Ahh Ethane, you cheeky little so-and-so. If Ethane's goal was to flirt with this publication, then plainly it is working because we've only very recently had access to Ethane's roster, and the wait made us doubly desperate! As a result, we've placed them in the sin bin (last place in today's guide) to send a message about their shenanigans. The Red Kites are looking for redemption as they failed to qualify in the last cycle. Ethane and Electrum have some interesting parallels: they are named after a gas, we are named after an alloy. Our nations both start with E, which is objectively the best letter in the alphabet. But that's where the comparisons end. Ethane is also the name for a flammable gas whereas Electrum isn't - metals aren't flammable. Ethane is also the name for an asphyxiation-inducing gas whereas Electrum isn't - in fact, people gasp for air in excitement when they see gold and silver. Because of these reasons they are not expected to be a huge threat.

[Sarzonia]

Sarzonia national football team manager Kevin Connelly knew the danger that arose from his team's performance in the previous World Cup qualifying cycle. He knew that teams would not take three points for granted against the Stars.

It was a message he drilled into his team at every training session. Don't believe your press clippings. These teams will take their best shots against you.

In case the 6-4 comeback win against unranked Delaclava at Dave Wilson Stadium in front of a delirious home crowd even though Sarzonia were designated the away side didn't remind the Stars to put in the work for a full 90 minutes, their 2-0 loss to Acronius, the Group 7 team ranked immediately below them in the current KPB rankings should do the trick.

It was a match that saw the visitors win the possession battle, controlling the ball in the Sarzonian defensive end for a full 49 minutes. They managed to win nine corners to Sarzonia's four and fired 14 shots to Sarzonia's nine. Stars goalkeeper Carlton Sandt made six saves, but was responsible for a soft goal in the 18th minute that gave Acronius a 1-0 lead that forced the Stars to chase the match.

"I don't think we were ready to play," Connelly said. "I'll take the blame for that. The Delaclava match was emotionally intense and I get that, but we have 22 more matches left. We don't have much time to stop and breathe here."

For their parts, the Stars defence blamed themselves and not Sandt for the two goals he conceded. Defender Charlie King said he missed a tackle on the Acronius goal in the 83rd minute that essentially closed the door on Sarzonia's chances to earn a point in the table.

"That directly allowed their striker to have a go," King said, shaking his head as he looked at the assembled media. "I make that tackle and we're still in it."

For his part, midfielder Brady Reynolds said there were "at least three touches" he'd like to have back, saying that if he completed them, "we might be having a different conversation right now."

Striker Jake Campos said he wished he pinched back more on defence and won a couple of balls that the Acronians were able to control and start the counterattack. Even though Connelly doesn't operate the same "total football on steroids" approach favoured by Sarzonian teams of the past, Campos still felt that he could have contributed more even if it didn't result in goals or assists.

Sarzonia will play their first true away fixture against a Simpralia side making its World Cup qualifying debut with this edition. The Simps were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Baptism of Fire Cup.

Connelly said he would make sure his team would be ready to play when the match kicks off at Glory Park at 4:35 p.m. Sarzonian standard time.

"I'm sure dropping three points in front of our supporters is going to be the wakeup call we needed," he said. "If not, we might not be in trouble since this [qualifying campaign] is a long slog, but we certainly would have to battle back."

Notes: Former Stars starting goalkeeper Mateo Sandoval has been admitted to a mental health facility in Corcorran after he was found by Woodstock Police standing on The Overpass in an apparent suicide attempt.

Sandoval was expelled from the team after he was found to have lied about his age in order to win the job. He'd reported his age as 31, but really just turned 36 yesterday.

Sandoval is currently barred from playing for a Sarzonian football team for three years, and any team that chooses to employ him must submit show-cause documentation to sign him.

Reports circulating out of Catherina suggest that the Delaclava Football Association is getting set to send feelers to the Incorporated Football Federation about resuming the Cyanea Joint League, a move that would once again relegate the Sarzonian Football Confederation to second division status. However, SFC Commissioner Jim Brophy said he's "all in favour."

"Our teams get better with the spirit of competition against our Delaclav brethren," he said. "You'd have to be a complete idiot to not see that."

SCHEDULE:
MD 1: @ Delaclava^ W, 6-4
MD 2: v. Acronius L, 0-2
MD 3: @ Simpralia (Glory Park, capacity 122,000)
MD 4: v. Welzat
MD 5: @ Nephara (Farham Arena, Sabrefell, capacity 88,046)
MD 6: v. Great Lausitz
MD 7: @ Huayamarca (Estadio Olímpico del Oriente, Sechura, capacity 26,000)
MD 8: BYE
MD 9: v. Competitive Solitaire
MD 10: @ South Charlia
MD 11: v. Darmen
MD 12: @ Aimena
MD 13: v. Jeruselem
OFF DAY
MD 14: v. Delaclava (game played at Pride of Manchester, capacity 110,000)
MD 15: @ Acronius
MD 16: v. Simpalia
MD 17: @ Welzat (Sir James Tretol Memorial Stadium, capacity 19,595)
MD 18: v. Nephara
MD 19: @ Great Lausitz
MD 20: v. Huayramarca
MD 21: BYE
MD 22: @Competitive Solitaire
MD 23: v. South Charlia
MD 24: @ Darmen (Stadio Rushmore, Johnho, capacity 70,000)
MD 25: v. Aimena
MD 26: @ Jeruselem (Dazza Dallas Stadium)

^Match was played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock.

Note: Except for the match in Manchester, Delaclava, all of Sarzonia's home matches will be played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, capacity 105,900.

[Brenecia]

Brenecia 2 - 3 Poafmersia
(4-3-3) 20 - Wright; 18 - Lonergan, 22 - Leadbetter, 6 - Mathers, 19 - Prentice; 14 - Caitiff (8 - Matheson 60'), 4 - Townsend (9 - White 86'), 13 - Wheeler; 7 - Cheney, 10 - Ciogach, 11 - Pace (16 - Fletcher 60')
Goals: Ciogach 37', Fletcher 84'

Shokpos 1 - 2 Brenecia
(4-3-3) 20 - Wright; 2 - Shepherd, 22 - Leadbetter, 6 - Mathers, 19 - Prentice (3 - Watermark 61'); 14 - Caitiff, 23 - Fallon (4 - Townsend 76'), 13 - Wheeler (21 - Parker 71'); 7 - Cheney, 9 - White, 16 - Fletcher
Goals: Cheney 16', White 40'

The house of cards was collapsing.
Six anti-surveillance protesters killed as police lose discipline in North Hall. Approval rating plummets for CPP after new corruption allegations. Debt skyrockets without end in sight. The bad headlines kept coming. Margravine Carrick announces new sanctions on Brenecian beef. Have you ever tried a trade war with a country with eleven times your population? The shag bastards lost their taste for red meat out of spite, and for all her security and all her bluster...
The honourable Prime Minister of Brenecia, Clarisse Ward, sipped her sherry. She was calm, now. Deadly calm, even as the CPP she'd built haemorrhaged seats. There went the supposed stronghold of Lastcreek. There went her last foothold in Falkner. Oh, there went her treasurer. Even her own safe seat in central Marque saw her lead cut into.
It was a nice view from here. She peered down at the empty streets. Yes, of course; everyone was at bars or at their homes, staring into their screens, no doubt trying to believe what their eyes were telling them. She flattered herself to believe a few might be crying.
They'd miss her when she was gone, and she wasn't the monster they thought she was, either. Either the they out there or those in her inner circle. Her clandestine Minister for Intelligence, Kerr, had talked about rigging the election; she'd shut him down flat. She understood he'd tried for it anyway, judging by hushed reports of her agents skirmishing with those of NSIA, Nephara's fingers infesting Bardsley's campaign. And more power to her.
The major news stations were both now projecting an LDR majority. Catherine Bardsley's League for Democratic Renewal: ninety seats. Her own Conservative People's Party: seventy-two seats. Progressives: a distant glimmer of relevance. Fifteen would be a victory for them. Their day as the party of the centre-left was through. That mandate was Bardsley's, now. A hard-bitten independent slipped through the cracks in Finbar.
Nothing for it, then. She picked up the phone.

Catherine Bardsley couldn't tear her eyes away. It was happening. Oh, God, it was really happening.
She was 68. She'd been through torture in Sameba and, worse, two spells in charge of the Brenecian national team. Her last election campaign had been derailed by an assassination attempt. She didn't really 'do' excitement. And yet...
She jumped when the phone rang. What? Answered before she could second-guess it. "I-"
Ward's sturdy legs were crossed over her desk, now. If phones still had cords, she'd have been coiling it around her twirling finger. "Well. The Prime Minister in waiting answers her own phone. How truly... accessible."
And it was... the Prime Minister. The one she'd virulently and publically opposed for years now? The one she'd just dethroned? She regained her composure. "Mm," she hedged.
""Well, it is traditional for me to offer my congratulations. Or so I'm told. You never did give me yours."
Bardsley stuck to the facts as she understood them. Such as: "You tried to have me killed."
"No, not I. Someone did. Perhaps it was Kerr. He tried to fix the election for me, you know? I'm hearing reports of a lot of dead agents out there." Ward stretched out her arms behind her back. "He could be of use to you, but I expect you'll have him discarded. If you're the woman I think you are."
"I... aspire to be the woman everyone thinks I am."
"Hm. That's not such an easy thing."
There was silence, for a moment.
"This country would have been lost without me," murmured Ward, faint enough Bardsley wondered if she'd even consciously said it aloud. There was such resignation in that that she felt the need, absurdly, to break out the old managerial instinct and wrap an arm around the shoulder.
"You did what you felt you had to do." And more. So much more.
"It was not a time for velvet gloves. There had to be order. At least... at first. Perhaps, after these past three years... given the people's verdict..."
Another pause for thought.
"It is a terrible thing, Catherine, for the country you serve - love! - to outgrow you. To fall out of love with you. Your pitch has always been that the nation is ready to move past me. Last time, it was not. This time..." Ward swallowed.
Was she drunk? "Well. Let us both hope for the sake of the nation that it was the right verdict," said Bardsley, levelly.
"I expect your co-conspirators in Corvistone will be delighted. That should mean a return to trade, no more bluster about reclamation--"
"Goodnight, Clarisse. Sober up. The media will expect a concession speech."
Bardsley hung up and sat back in her chair. She had a slick media operation of their own outside. Soon someone would call for her, to give a team talk for nine million instead of twenty-three. Admittedly, nine million with about the same net worth as those twenty-three, but...
No, no time for doubts now. She'd chosen her talking points well in advance, rehearsed them. She could improvise a concession speech, where it wouldn't really matter. This was her pitch to the 100%, not the 55 who carried her to victory. She would be strong, but a different kind of strength. Cooperation could be strength. Compassion could be strength. And everyone wanted peace, and economic revival, and all sorts of things she had plans for and budgets that could wait 'til after the celebration. And, yes, her co-conspirators in Corvistone would be delighted. But what did that matter in the greater scheme of things? They were a means to an end for one another, nothing more.
She unfolded from her seat, dusted herself off. She had a country to run.

[Ziwana]

Ziwana held to surprise draw by Patistan in World Cup Qualifiers

By Chosadziwa Botolo

The match against Patistan was expected to be an easy win for the Akambuku. Being unranked and lacking experience, the Ziwani National teams was expected to easily beat this side. In the first qualifying match 2 goals from Casimir and a goal from Bayaram gave Ziwana a win against unranked team Olastor. Although Ziwana would be travelling to the poor Patistan nation, the players and stuff were not worried as they had experienced this in the previous World Cup Qualifiers in which the Akambuku performed above expectations. Travelling to backwater Patistan would not be a problem. Ziwani fans would not be travelling to Patistan due to safety concerns as the country is a fragile state on the brink of collapse according to the Ziwana Imperial Government. This would however not affect the Ziwani squad, in fact this would prove the superiority of the Akambuku squad against the Patistan squad. The Ziwani squad were escorted to Patistan by private security. The players who travelled to Patistan are shown below;

Bayaram replaced Wilder as starting striker due to the captains injury but he was put on bench to motivate the other players, Casimir seems to have gotten his starting position back from Haqawi on the right wing were he plays as an inside foward. On the day of the match against Patistan the backwater country's ultra's light up flares all over the small 3000 field of death that had the worst pitch a person can imagine. The boys were in good spirits singing and dancing as they warmed up before the game. They were confident in their abilities to win the game. When the game started this confidence allowed Bayaram to cancel out a Patistan pass before passing the ball to Casimir who run with the ball down the right wing. Patistan centre backs and leftback came out of position to push off the inside foward off the ball but he out matched them by dribbling through them, crossing the ball into the box were box to box midfielder Al-Dossari headed the ball into the net. Suprisingly this goal did not shut up the rowdy Patistan ultra, they seemed to grow louder. The Ziwani players kept their composure, passing the ball around gradually in their traditional 'umodzi,umodzi' style. They avoided recycling the ball and had a few attacks, however playing with a high defencive line and overconfidence led to a goal in the 35th minute after the Ziwani defense was caught asleep on the counter. In the 41st minute a fight broke out between Ziwani Defencive midfielder Gopaul and patistan Striker, this led to the Ziwani player earning himself a yellow card. The Patistan captain stepped up to take a free kick from 15 yards out and shot it right into the top left corner past Mitraille the Ziwani goalkeeper. Patistan were 2 and Ziwana 1.

After the half time break, the Patistan players started to play more dirty but they were unable to keep up with Ziwani pace and flair. In the 54th minute, Aristide who replaced Charles Payen and was putting on the Captains arm band was able to dance around the Patistan defence before chipping the ball over the keeper to level up for Ziwana. In the 64th minute Bayaram converted a Jonathan Boi cornerkick into a goal to put Ziwana a goal up. The aggressive playing style seemed to tire the Ziwani side but they kept their composure. However, in the final minutes tempers flared and boiled over after a goalmouth scramble in which Gopaul punched the Patistan striker he had fought with earlier in the match. This got him a red card and a penalty given which was easily put in to level up.

After the game our sources reported that, Patistan players knew about Gopauls temper so they targeted him to have an advantage over Ziwana. However, this was not confirmed, after the game since the Ziwani squad had to be rushed out of the stadium as Patistan Ultras attacked the dressing rooms and the hotel the Ziwani players had been staying in. The squad and stuff had to dress like teddy bears to sneak into the airport to fly off. This was sure a crazy and tense affair for the boys. luckily the boys have enough time to recover as the next game is a home game agaisnt the Mann Clan, which by the way sound like a micronation someone named after their video game nerd group. Watch the next game on Zcommsports.com by clicking on Zplayer.

[Zwangzug]

An international-standard association football pitch needed to be fully rectangular, with goal lines seventy to eighty yards long, and sidelines one hundred ten to a hundred twenty yards long, with allowances for federations that preferred the metric system. This was one of the things that the World Cup Committee, as well as IFCF and its predecessor, had sort of gotten around to standardizing and sort of shrugged their shoulders at helplessly. As far as Niels was concerned, there were a lot of things in that "sort of" area.

Niels, who was a left attacker in the Rovers' boisterous (1)-3-4-3, ran several miles (or kilometers) during a typical game according to the high-tech graphics that accompanied broadcasts. Now, however, he was acquiring a more prosaic familiarity with the dimensions of the pitch, by pacing them. Back and forth. Back and forth.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked.

"As okay as I was yesterday," said Niels. "Just fidgety."

"You scored like eight goals in the five-a-side this morning."

"Seven," said Niels, "and two of those would have been offsides against anyone who actually knew how to defend, Bridget was just standing there." Niels hesitated. In the morning he had been caught up in the rush of the game, small as it was, just because it was something to do. "Bridget isn't sick, is she?"

"She said she was tired and wanted to rest," said Ryan. "But that could be anything."

"I don't want to look over my shoulder all the time. I mean, am I just tired or sick of being cooped up, or am I sick sick?" Ryan really looked like he was planning to spend weeks there.

"Well," he said, "presumably if one of us gets sick-sick, you'll know what it looks like."

"Not helping."

"Just try not to fall asleep on the pitch, okay? Jill says the carpet up in the press box is not too bad."

"How did Jill get into the--never mind."

"Mimmo's up there charging his brick." Mimmo, Tim's understudy at left-back, held the position technically known as Big Lad What Hoofs It About. More importantly, he held a NAKA cell phone from Savojarna, the kind that looked like it came from a prior millennium by anyone's time dilation system. Unlike newer and allegedly shinier models, however, it held a charge in the middle of the Rackham Range, when the stadium was not configured for use. The Rovers had packed for a short friendly, not a lockdown. But if all else failed, someone could get word to Mimmo of when it was safe to leave. That was what Ryan told everyone, anyway.

They were going to have the run of the place, hopefully not for weeks, but days anyway. Niels could do better than reinternalizing the dimensions of the pitch.

But, he found, he didn't really want to.

(Blum 22 and 82, Sibal 54)

[Cassadaigua]

The Royal Family- Princess Caitlyn
by Hannah McCarthy, Concord Heights Times Historian

In the first edition of our series about getting a closer look at the ruling family of Cassadaigua, we focused on Queen Courtney I, and the smooth transition of power that existed between Queen Cassie I and Courtney I. There was a lot that was promised by Courtney I, and things were great in the early years. Then, there was a period under her rule where in the minds of many people, Cassadaigua simply ceased to exist. In terms of foreign affairs, it most certainly did, and in the world of sports, most definitely. It may have been considered weird to many that this nation that had won the title in all five of the biggest sports that are contested would no longer participate in anything, but the problems were deeper at home.

There would become a lot of scrutiny by people about sports teams getting too much attention by the Royal Palace, and many people were not happy with the whole incident that surrounded Meghan Kinson, Ashley Stokes, and the tragic death of Seth Johnson at Grande Mountain University. It seemed as though that situation was eventually resolved with Meghan Kinson eventually sentenced to death, and her two main cohorts receiving lengthy prison sentences. Ashley Stokes had been murdered by Kinson when Stokes threatened to go to the police, so the needed punishments has been handed out. However, there was still criticism by people who mentioned the many years that Kinson and Stokes were able to play sports at the professional level and accumulate millions upon millions of dollars well after the death of Seth Johnson. Neither of those estates provided any kind of financial support towards the estate of Seth Johnson, and many people felt as though they should have done something. Those dollars remained in the estates of those two, so full justice for Johnson was never attained. Male Equality Now (MEN) was very active during this period, with some of the largest protests that we had ever seen from them. Queen Courtney I listened to these criticisms, and began a campaign of pulling the nation out of any kind of international spotlight. To many then, Cassadaigua would cease to exist, even though the days were going by normally, otherwise, in the country.

During this period, Princess Caitlyn, as the oldest daughter of Queen Courtney I was next in line to take over the throne. Caitlyn was 21 years of age at the time of her coronation, and there were starting to become some red flags about the Princess. In high school, which is an elite private private school in Concord Heights that only members of the Royal Family and the sons and daughters of Cassadaigua’s richest citizens are able to attend, Caitlyn was described as “unfocused” by her teachers. At this school, teachers do teach the members of the royal family in a normal manner, however, with lessons plans that must be approved by the Queen. In her freshman year of high school, Caitlyn was involved in a bullying incident of another student concerning the physical appearance of that student. Caitlyn was not the main perpetrator in the incident, but made a quote to the responding school official that, “I am going to be the Queen so I order you not to punish anyone for this or you will regret it one day.” That quote somehow went public, and while many people were able to dismiss it as an immature 15-year old, it officially began the concerns that she might not have the personality for the job. Queen Courtney I assured the populace that she would address the matter with her daughter. The nation hoped that it would be handled.

Things did not get better with Caitlyn and her using her eventual coronation to be the Queen to her advantage. As a sophomore and while playing soccer for the team, she was issued a red card by the referee in a match for a brutal tackle on an opposing player, a play that injured the knee of the other girl so badly that she would never play another sporting game again. Caitlyn argued and the referee put the card back in her pocket and decided not to book Caitlyn. This led to a lot of criticism of the referee, who later came out and said that Princess Caitlyn had threatened to find her and make her regret the red card when she became Queen if the referee did not wave off the card. Caitlyn denied that she ever made the comment, so since it was impossible to prove one way or the other, it became another incident about Princess Caitlyn that people would be ready to remember. Her grades were enough to pass, but poor for someone who was in line to become the Queen, and these concerns were raised to Courtney I, who at that time was still a Princess herself.

Caitlyn I was initially denied admission by Concord Heights Beauty School, something that garnered a lot of attention by national press, especially since Courtney I had been so active with the school herself. However, CHBS said that, when pressed for comment, (because you’re going to be questioned when you decline the application of the future Queen), “All applicants are evaluated on their academic achievements. We give no preferential treatment to anyone, and the Princess did not meet the standards we require of applicants.” The University of Concord Heights would also reject her, using similar reasoning. Caitlyn eventually settled on South Granby College, a smaller school far from Concord Heights.

At South Granby College, Princess Caitlyn began to grow up a little bit as it was in this time that the eventual hand over the crown from her grandmother, Cassie I, to her mother, Courtney I, was being planned for and taking place. She was starting to also become aware that her younger sister, Cassie II, was impressing the school administration for her overall maturity, even though Cassie II was still a young teenager at the time. There were no questionable school-related incidents that were raised about Caitlyn during her time at South Granby, and when she graduated, her mother had become the Queen. It is custom for the children to get a region to govern after college, and since Caitlyn had become familiar with the north-central portion of Cassadaigua where South Granby is located, Caitlyn would be assigned that area of the nation. This was still a tough time for the nation, because as mentioned in the beginning of this article, the criticisms of many things were in the spotlight.

Princess Caitlyn I tried to become more influential and public with comments that she made, but she took an aggressive stand against Male Equality Now (MEN), at one time telling them to, “shut up and work on your abs”. Caitlyn herself never had a steady relationship at this time, and was known to play the field. She had gotten pregnant once when she was 19, but would get an abortion, something that was widely criticized by some since the child could have been the next proper child in line, and Caitlyn’s reasoning of, “if we don’t know who the father is, they can’t rule the nation,” really sparked the flames of many, but Queen Courtney I did go on record to remind people that abortion is legal in the country, and that her daughter had the right to have one.

Things were rolling downhill for the Princess, but the big incident would happen when she was 29 years old, and had two kids with unknown fathers. Her oldest kid was five and in kindergarten at the elite private school in the South Granby area. Princess Caitlyn I had an argument with one of the teachers and punched her in the face, then kicked her several times while she was down. The teacher pressed assault charges, and the whole thing was captured on video, leading to an easy case for the teacher. For Queen Courtney I, once her daughter was officially convicted of assault, she now had a the right, in accordance to the rules of the crown, to declare that her second in line, Princess Cassie II, would now be next in line to become the Queen of Cassadaigua. This angered Princess Caitlyn, who was expecting to be pardoned by her mother. Instead, Queen Courtney I came out said, “As a potential Queen, you have not shown that you have the character needed to lead our country and I have an oath that I will always follow that says to put the needs of this great nation first. As your mother, I will be there for you, but what is right for the country is to steer the nation in the direction of your sister, Cassie.” Princess Caitlyn was never pardoned by her mother, and was sentenced to the full eight years in prison that anyone would receive if they committed the same crime. She was released after serving five years thanks to good behavior. The teacher was given a large sum of money by the Royal Palace for her suffering without the need of a civil lawsuit to be made.

As time has moved on, Caitlyn has seemed to learn from her time in jail, and did appeal to her mother to be re-established as the next in line to be Queen. However, by this time, Princess Cassie had already grabbed the attention of everyone for her maturity level and overall character, there would be no turning back. Today, Princess Caitlyn is 65 years of age, and is married. She continues to govern the South Granby area, and has matured to a level to where people have accepted that she is not the same person that she used to be. She was spiteful, at times, towards her sister, now Queen Cassie II, but those feelings have been mended. Her two children, Brianna and Steven (she bucked the trend of giving her kids “C” names), serve in leadership roles now, and their fathers, who were eventually figured out with paternity tests, have minor governing roles. There are some that feel that Brianna should be next in line for the crown, something that could cause controversy in the future.

Next, we’ll look at Queen Cassie II. In the meantime, how about you check out Chelsea Dufresne’s excellent recap of the 3-2 win over Timuria elsewhere on our website. Or you could even read an excellent account of the game from Timuria’s Tufan Nursultan.

Cassadagan goal scorers: Schanke (37'), Malone (55', 79')

[Sharktail]

Kieran Haziq resting in his living room.He seem bored but dont know what to do.He is the sport reporter work for Sultan post.He take his phone and reading some post and news on the internet.

(Sharktail atract almost 3000 tourist last year).Kieran continue reading another post.(Two security guard arrested for investigation of the harrasment case)."Surely they will just dirty the name of all the officer and make people dont trust them anymore.I will punch them if i get them.Just making other security guard a hard life".Kieran a bit angry about the news.

Kieran click on the economy issues.(Sharktail order less import food from outside).This surely a good news for farmer.It can motivate them to improve their productivity.It also can help sharktail not having a food problem in the future after not demand for import thing.Kieran think it may be hard and harsh decision.This nation not focussing to much on farming.This nation lack of the expert and dont have to much skill in farming sector.Kieran move to the next one.(Ministry of finance sure this country finance is ok).Kieran refer to the past,Sharktail have facing a financial problem.They have to cut the education fund and sport fund.It also the cause for the cancelled of Sharktail National Cup season 4.

Kieran close the economy section.He click on sport section.(The man suppossed to have a connection to syndicate trick fans collect money said as donation for the club have been arrested).Some news last year,a report from the fans about some advertisment asking them to donate some money for the club.Surely all the club in Sharktail mostly poor so some people take advantage posting some donation request to the people.All 16 club president already come out and stated that they never requested any donation.After 3 month investigation,5 man arrested to help solve the case.Police stated they may some more out there and there may continue doing it in secret.Just another think that can make people lost their interest in Sport.Kieran sighed.He close the site.Suddenly he got a call from his supervisor.

Sultan Post(SP):Hello kieran.Are you there?

Kieran:Hello boss.Yes,it me.Anything you need to call me now?

SP:Yes,I want you to be in Kota Lama National Arena tomorrow.You have to make an interview with manager and player after the game so make sure you be there.

Kieran:What.Wait sir,isnt my job to report about tennis.Why i have to report about football?

SP:We short of staff right now.So we need you to back up.Dont worry we will assign another person for tennis.Just please cover for us tomorrow.

Kieran:Fine.I have to prepare and depart to Kota Lama now.Thank you but inform me early next time.

Kieran hang up.He dont have any other option now.He quickly packing some clothes and go to the airport.Some staff already waiting there and there depart to Kota Lama

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Edges Out 3 Points in Home Opener!

HUElavia 3-2 Ancherion
(Rossi 13', Hierro 62', Leblanc 90+3' | Taylor 28', Gracie 78')

Finally, the day came where HUElavia would play a Qualifier at home, in front of a sellout crowd. This time, it was at the recently opened Nuevo Estadio del Rio, at a capacity of 80,000 that replaced the old Estadio del Rio that was at 74,000. The stadium was adorn with thousands upon thousands of HUElavians, being in yellow jersies (with some blue mixed in), along with banners and flags adorning the stands as well. Both teams fielded their best XI, in hopes of gaining a point or even a victory- something that the National Team was determined to bring in for the match.

The first half kicked off and both teams were going on the attack, especially Ancherion. Despite the shots taken from both teams, in the 13th minute, Aydin lost the ball to Cristiano, who began a counterattack that had it 3 versus 2, and once arriving to the box, he slid it past to Rossi, who blasted it past Zenin to make it 1-0. Rossi celebrated with the team where he got mobbed, while the crowd went crazy, cheering and jumping with passion that the stadium rumbled. Ancherion then began a series of attacks that had them determined to tie the match, only to be blocked by either Lobato or any of the defenders. The equalizer would fall in the 28th minute, when a pass by Leech met the right foot of Taylor, who slid it past Lobato to make it 1-1, with Taylor getting mobbed by his teammates, while the crowd was silenced. Both teams tried to score with some opportunities afterwards but to no avail as the half ended 1-1.

The second half came and both teams picked up where they left off, going at it against each other in waves of attacks. HUElavia won a corner in the 62nd minute, where substitute Leblanc took a cross into the box, which an unmarked Captain Hierro headed the ball into the goal, making it 2-1. Hierro was mobbed by the team and bench, while the fans went crazy with the cheeky play to score, jumping and cheering while making the stadium rumble. Ancherion went on the attack once again, in what would be an agonizing period for both the team and the fans. All of this attacking culminated into a counterattack where a ball loss by Coelho allowed Moon to attack and he sent a pass to Gracie, who blasted it past Lobato to make it 2-2, silencing the HUElavian crowd while the visiting Ancherites were celebrating. HUElavia went on the attack once again and this time they wanted to get the goal, but shots were being blocked or going wide left and right, as additional time came and only 3 minutes were added. All seemed like the game was going to end in a draw, when in the final minute, Leblanc let out a violent shot from 35 yards out, which blasted past Zenin to make it 3-2 with 20 seconds left. The crowd jumped up in joy and cheered, making the stadium rumble once more, while Leblanc was mobbed by the team, bench and staff as they took an opening home win once again. The referee decided to blow the whistle and call the game at 3-2, giving HUElavia an important victory.

With the victory, HUElavia maintain in 2nd Place after Equestria and Xanneria won their matches against Jamestownnnn and Vdara respectively, having Equestria at 1st, HUElavia in 2nd and Xanneria in 3rd, all with 6 points. Los Amarillos will travel to South Concepthuania, where they will use the new Away Alternative Uniform, all while the B-Team will be used. HUElavia has high hopes that they can continue the good run and get either a win or draw. Los Amarillos are starting out strong and look forward to continuing the good run in these qualifiers.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Cheergirls]

Meghan Banks was still confused about the whole cocoa-bo thing. It did not make any sense to her, and she asked her parents at home what they thought about it. Each of them said they enjoyed it as well and that whoever wanted it banned had probably just never taken the time to have some. She also asked them if it was appropriate for someone to wear a full suit of armor on the pitch, and they said that it was not.

The days went by, and she was preparing to go to Devonta. She had never been there before, and was excited to have the chance to visit the nation. In looking at the game film, she saw Sir Barsanuphius the Bold of the Holy Empire, and how the Devontans were able to contain him. However, she still felt that no one should be able to wear that on the field. By the time she arrived in Devonta, she saw that Sir Barsanuphius the Bold had responded to her criticism by claiming that he is a clean player. So, she added to her own campaign:

“Hello, Sir Barsanuphius the Bold, the problem is not that you are not dirty. The problem is that people can’t play physical against you because they will hurt themselves by making contact with all of that you have on! I realize you have a tradition you want to honor, we do the same thing but our cheer uniforms do not have all those shiny and potentially pointy things that can hurt us!”

She continued to campaign to have his full suit of armor banned, and attached a photo of herself eating a cocoa-bo bar along with it.

[Barunia]

The Scarlet Standard

Woohoo, we are back! Finally, it’s World Cup football time and the Suns are in it! The Scarlet Standard is back too, some of you may have noticed we disappeared. I got into trouble for an article where I mentioned the BFA commissioner, a red hot poker, and a power drill. I do apologise for those comments, inciting violence is not acceptable. However, the BFA has fucked off into oblivion, so who gets the last laugh, sucker?

Back to the football, group 9, and the groups here are fucking massive. 13 teams each. Oh, and still double round robin. I mean, seriously? That’s bigger than some leagues. This is going to be one hell of a slog. On the plus side, a loss isn’t going to mean much, like Barunia’s two-nil loss to Kelssek. Hey, they’re a strong side, and these Suns, well half of them are new, and even the coach is learning. Yep, we have a brand new coach who has never heard of the double diamond or the Barunian Classic, terms every other Barunian coach has heard since childhood. That’s because he’s from Sargossa. Guess who we else is in our group? That’s right, Sargossa. That will be a fun match. ( Btw, I have a good feeling about Barrios. More on that later)

Who else? Next game is against Audiasania. Newbies, small fry, easy 3. Then onto Timuria. Now I no fuck all about them, but it seems they popped up in 83. Doing research I found an article from their media stating they would beat us easily. You know what? I don’t care if we lose every other game, as long as we smash these cocky little bastards. It’s like taking your well-earned long service leave, and showing back up to work to find some fresh out of school, pimple faced little shit is telling you how to do your job. They are actually ranked higher than us, which basically means that they are doing exactly the same thing we were doing, about 17 cycles ago. Tearing up the world rankings and almost qualifying in our first (and second) attempt.

Who else? Olastor and Patistan. Always around, never any good. Not really else to say is there? Then there’s the crazy ladies of Cassadaigua. When they’re not busy ranting about how evil penises are, they’ve established a strong team. Yeah, they’re going to be tough, but let’s take the fight to them. Stand up for “human right and human gain” as the song goes, and show them what gender equality actually looks like. I could say more on the topic, but I’ve just got the site back after the fucking lawsuit and really don’t want another from some thin-skinned feminist who thinks that calling for genocide is somehow promoting equality. Fucking idiots.

The rest of the group? No fucking clue. Could be the dross from this year’s Baptism of Fire, could be from last cycle. Hell, they could be from 5 cycles ago and just have been shit. I don’t know, and quite frankly, don’t care. We’ve done well to avoid the really big names: Kelssek, Cassadaigua are big threats, although Sargossa is likely the main danger.

That’s all from me. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog, and sign up with your email to get the Scarlet Standard straight to your inbox. Until next time, stay safe and go Suns!

Troggs out.

[Hampton Island]

(Setting: Stafford City Speedway, CEO’s Suite During The Golden Bear 400)

CEO: I am so happy that you decided to be up here, sweetheart.

Sanders: Yeah, thank you.

CEO: Have you ever been to a NSSCRA race?

Sanders: No, I don’t really like car racing. It’s kinda boring.

CEO: Yes, it can be to some, but see all the people out there in those stands? They love this stuff. And when they love this stuff, they give me money to watch this stuff.

Sanders: I guess that makes you happy.

CEO: We serve a lot of drinks up here, Hannah, is there anything you would like in particular?

Sanders: Uhm, not right now. Like, a bottled water is fine.

CEO: Well, if you change your mind, we can get exactly what you want.

Sanders: Yeah, like so which one is Lexi?

CEO: The 30, hopefully someone wrecks her. She betrayed me. I don’t like people who betray me. You never will, I know that.

Sanders: Never, why would I do that?

CEO: You’re a smart girl. Lexi, on the other hand, did not appreciate all I did for her. You have been able to do that. It’s why I continue to tell everyone how great of a soccer coach you are. There are people who think that a 21-year old should not be the coach of a World Cup soccer team, but I believe in you. I believed in Lexi too, but she backstabbed me. That really hurt me, emotionally, Hannah.

Sanders: I’m sorry. I will never do that.

CEO: That’s why it is really important for us to do decently in qualifying. The old guys don’t betray me. They appreciate the privilege of representing their country. Sure, they do not do some things as well as they used too, but it makes them feel special and important. It makes them feel like that we are not backstabbing them just because the glory years of their playing careers are over.

Sanders: Yeah I guess they are like totally enjoying this.

CEO: They should be. They were great players, but that does not have to be past tense. They have won one game already. No one expects them to make the World Cup, but if they can do respectfully, it means a lot to them. It’s why I have set the goal for you that I have.

Sanders: Are you still going to fire me if we finish 8th or worse?

CEO: I don’t think you will. Here, have a shot of fine Hamptonian vodka.

Sanders: Ok.

CEO: Maybe I will not fire you, I will just re-assign you.

Sanders: To what?

CEO: We can figure something out, sweetie. Let’s enjoy the race. Plenty more of that vodka available, too.

Sanders: Cool!

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead Barely Beat Donnacona

After a 4-4 draw versus The Bisons, Kohnhead would host their home opener in Orange Bull Stadium and it was at full capacity with all 23,000 people in attendance. Donnacona is ranked 325th in the World where as Kohnhead is ranked 243rd and The Brains were coming off a great game against The Bisons. What Kohnhead needed was for the defense to step up and they did allowing only one goal.

Coach Kohnhead had talked to his players about starting out better and gaining early momentum. They did just that in this game with an early shot from Audrey Henderson rocketing off the woodwork and the rebound shot from Charles Laker narrowly missing wide left. If Henderson can continue to play well than it will soften the injury to Ida Cogginter. In the 9th Hannah Horsfod had a long range shot narrowly miss going right over the crossbar. Horsford scored one from about that range in the first game and she is good from back there, expect more of the same kind of shots from her.

Despite how well Kohnhead was playing early on having 65% possession and 4 shots on target in the first half an hour Donnacona would get on the board first as Kylian Lacroix would notch a goal, the young speedster just blew by Nicholas Radison and Radison is pretty fast. Newcastle didn't cover the goal well and allowed another goal.

Kohnhead would not be down heading into halftime again as Aaron Korkson the captain would get his second goal of the tournament as he put in a brilliant shot to the top right corner. The Donnaconan keeper had no shot at getting it. Korkson made sure to get in Israel Kaur's face after this goal as the two of them had been going at it all game. This upset Kaur and later in the game he would draw a yellow for dangerously tackling Korkson. Late in the game the two of them would explode at each other with Korkson saying he couldn't stand the trash talk, and Kaur saying Korkson getting into his face after the goal started it.

Korkson and Kaur both have fiery tempers and while Korkson is passionate and a good leader sometimes he gets too passionate and his emotions get the best of him especially on such a big stage. The halftime whistle blew and it was 1-1. Kohnhead felt they should have gotten more, but knew they were lucky not to be down 1-0.

The second half started much like the first except this time Kohnhead were able to capitalize on their chances. Kohnhead won a corner after Alarie was forced to clear the ball out leading to a Kohnhead corner. Rallyton swung the ball into the box and Miranda Atkinson this time out jumped everyone. Remember on a corner for The Bisons in the last game she was responsible for the opposition scoring because she didn't jump high enough. This time the tables were turned.

Remember the emotions getting heated between Korkson and Kaur earlier, well they got to a breaking point after Kaur's dangerous tackle on Korkson only got him a yellow. A fight broke out and while different sides claim who started it, Korkson started it no doubt. In the end Korkson would get a red and will be suspended for the next match and because it was deemed he attacked Kaur first, Kaur was not penalized but may face a fine for his tackle on Korkson. Despite Kohnhead playing with only 10 players they were able to hold the game at 2-1 and capture their first win of the World Cup 85 qualifiers.

Kohnhead is currently two points behind the leaders Busoga Islands and Drawkland who both have 6 points having won their first two matches. Kohnhead's next match will be against Kita-Hinode and they will travel to Tentai City to do so. Kita-Hinode sit in 5th with three points as they have one win and had a bye in the last game day. Hopefully Kohnhead can get some more points and continue to run the underdog story, but considering Kita-Hinode are ranked number 10 in the World, I am doubtful of Kohnhead's abilities to do something. We will see though.

-Lillian Barter

[Xanneria]

Close victory nearly falls apart for Maroons
By Steve Stevenson

DOMINICA CITY - The WCQ home debut for the Maroons took on a thrilling finish as a surprise star broke out. With a talented but over-exuberant Vdara team that many in footballing press of Xanneria think are worthy dark horses, coming home to National II. Evan Jefferson was the starting GK as coach Rhule has already said he'll put in more variety with the starters. Jefferson was put in goal and ol' Petey Saigon was put in at RW when Eddy Peralta was forced out after being involved in a minor auto accident the day of the game. The game belonged to Pete Saigon though, a usual substitute on the team he stole the show with a 4 goal performance and singlehandedly lifted the Maroons over an ambitious Vdara team looking for revenge over a shock upset. The game got out to a great start for the Maroons, but even with a 3-1, soft play can cause disaster. It's been noted there are many difference in playstyles of Xannerian football compared to international football, and we're not even getting into the part of the comparison dealing with the rules of substitution, where it is noted that Xannerian rules are close to that of basketball where as you only have a limited amount substitutes in the WCQs. But Alas the issue came down to a play Vdara committed to that was perfectly fine by Xannerian standards, but because the referee was Damukunian (And probably sponsored by five different companies), a card was called and the game winner by Saigon was a Penalty Kick.

In the end Coach Rhule had the following to say about

A BS victory is still a BS victory guys! We won by their rules and they would have gotten points off of us by our rules, it all washes out in the end. Hey as I have heard many times before in this industry, a BS win is still a win. I mean we are in Xanneria so I do think maybe Giannakos probably thought he could do that here and get away with it but we are being refereed by foreigners so I think he might have a bit to ballsy there. I'm glad Pete stepped up in such dire circumstances, I did briefly talk to Eddie and he is fine and will be ready to play at the Kandorith game. We will have to go car shopping together before the flight though.

[TJUN-ia]

When it is your first game at home then it will always be a special occasion. When your first home game is against a team in the Top 100, then that adds to the spectacle. When your first game is up against a Top 100 team managed by Skorji Oslograd, then you might as well grab the popcorn and enjoy then show.

That was the many feeling at the National Stadium tonight as TJUN-ia hosted the 84th ranked Exiles from the Euran Oceania Terrirories. Both nations starting with a loss and both looking to get something to from this game. Skorji made it clear how bemusing this game would be before the teams had even come out for the anthems. He rode onto the field on a white horse, shirtless, and did a few laps around the athletics track to the delight of the crowd. The stewards eventually diverted him and his steed onto the pitch before he dismounted and shook hands with David Seems. I told you that you needed popcorn for tonight.

Once the game actually began, Skorjiball took effect: aggressive, fluid attacking play that was suddenly halted by Skorji doing something that made many in the crowd question the man's sanity. However, the peculiar behaviour of the manager didn't stop Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier from scoring one of the best goals I have ever seen in my life in the 23rd minute. He shot from outside the box with so much curve that it could have orbited Le T. I don't know why Gylfisson tried to save it: as soon as the ball left the foot of Le T, it was going in the net.

The EOT managed a second before half time: a simple tap in by Kurt Strong after he was left unmarked for a 42nd-minute corner. As the whistle blew for half time, many in the crowd didn't know what to think: their team was down by 2 but Oslograd's antics had been so enjoyable that it didn't matter.

The Jaguars in their home Blue and Orange woke up in the 2nd half as they started to distance themselves from the antics of Skorji. The 63rd minute saw the Jags finally get on the board with Peliniho connecting with Vladimir Podolov. The 72nd saw the game tied as substitute Ruben Gibson took advantage of a defeltion off Exile GK Charlie Ross. The final minutes would see both teams have great chances to win this game but in the end the whistle blew and a draw was the result.

Skorji exited the arena the way he came in: on horseback. The crowd applauded the weird man as he round the track a few more times before leaving to go to his team. The Jags have a point, but we still have a long way to go. Our third match is in Porticalia against a team that has drawn both of its opening games. GO JAGS!

---

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 D 2-2 (T-9th)
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 da Anta do Dragão, Porto
MD23: vs Necosia (341) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD24: @Turori (12)
MD25: vs Astograth (303) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD26: @Muradil (212)

[Maccian]

Chapter 2: The Rising Sun

Chapter 1


Ruitawa sat leisurely in the seat, scrolling the latest sports news regarding Maccian's 1-0 victory in the World Cup Qualifiers. A decent start. Then Timofeé kicked the ball in the direction of Ruitawa, narrowly missing him. Sprinting, he pulled himself up to the stands and found himself in front of his old friend. It had been a long time since the pair saw each other, before the collapse of South Toronto.

Well, I'll be damned! Timofeé Karcermarskásagusson is alive! I thought you perished along with the rest when South Toronto collapsed. Who would've thought we'd both be here in Maccian?" remarked Ruitawa.

Timofeé nodded in appreciation yet remained silent. He then went in for a handshake but Ruitawa ignored it and instead embraced Timofeé tightly like an anaconda. How the hell was Timofeé here? How the hell was Ruitawa there? Both were assumed dead by each of them. However, it no longer mattered as they both were seeking a common goal. The return of South Toronto by all means necessary. Ruitawa gestured for Timofeé to sit down in the seat next to him. New Lambridge was completely dark at night with measly streetlights being the only source of light, making it perfect to have secret meetings without any rude interruptions.

"Alright Timofeé, let's cut right to the chase. Ashton Worber told me that-"

"Who? I don't recall this guy 'cause I know he isn't South Toronton. I bet he's one of these Maccian self loathing cunts who would sell their grandmother in a flash just to be recognised by the elite. Bootlicking at its finest."

"First of all, he doesn't hate Maccians, he just wants change. He is clearly acting in his nations' best interests so that it can be the greatest it can be. Secondly, South Toronto doesn't exist and it never will, you fool. I think you forgot the reason why I'm getting in touch today. And it's the huge man with that deep voice. You should know him."

"Oh, him! Yeah, because I knew I recognised him from somewhere. Anyways, spill the beans. We both want the, uh, power. The authority. Our own little colony. Technically not since our homeland is either underwater or being ravaged by some barbaric backwards nation."

"Yes, I realise that Timofeé. So basically Mr Worber reported to me yesterday right in this stadium about that daft Sierra Millo blabbering info to her son, playing right in our cards as now she's focused on Petchre Mackay instead of us. Phase 1 is complete. Phase 2 is the overthrowing of the Maccian New Order party and ensuring they win to move onto Phase 3. However, there is a slight issue," said Ruitawa. He scratched his head and grimaced which indicated to Timofeé that he had at the very least a major problem at hand.

"Oh, Ruitawa. Let me guess. You do all the dirty work whilst I make the connections. So now in order to do that dirty work, you need me to what, find some more funding?"

"Precisely. But you see, I'm already one step ahead of you!" teased Ruitawa. His hand dove into the suitcase and pulled out an envelope. Slowly, he opened the envelope and shone his phone's flashlight at the document, revealing its contents.

"What's this? Actually, the question I should be asking is who is this? Why? I could ask you so many damn questions right now, and you better have a reply to all of them!"

"Hear me out on this, Timofeé. The Commonwealth of Baker Park is helping out. So here's the-"

"Holy shit! You've actually been the brains for once! Go on, I won't steal any more of the spotlight from you because you are fully deserving of it."

"For fuck's sake, let me speak!" shouted Ruitwawa, clearly frustrated by Timofeé interrupting him."Before I was rudely disrupted, I was saying that Baker Park has agreed to help us with the whole money thing with an agent from their CIS. The CIS agents use companies as a cover so it is likely he'll be here under the guise of a businessman trying to make a fortune in this nation."

"So far so good. Hijacking the Maccian New Order and winning the elections will soon be a cakewalk. We would simply have to kill off the puppet and make ourselves the rulers," began Timofeé. Pause. How'd he know who the agent was? Timofeé took this up with Ruitawa, confused.
"How do you know it's a he? Isn't this guy, I don't know, supposed to be a fucking secret agent? Such as, not having a fucking whole file on him? If we can gather all of this, the Polizei won't even have to break a sweat hunting all of us down like we're goddamn game."

"Calm your fucking tits! Baker Park sent me this when I asked for assistance. Now as for the guy, his name is James Knight, an agent working for the CIS. He's experienced in this shit as well, he went over Banija during their civil war and did some stuff over there. He went by the alias of, er... Let me find it," said Ruitawa. For a moment, he traced letters across the page looking for the name until he finally found it and then put on his reading glasses.

"You still have those?"

"Yeah. I'll have these Jozy Dembele signed glasses until I'm on my deathbed. Ah, there it is, I found it. So apparently this guy's alias was Gabriel Ndume. There's no picture so there's no telling what he looks like. If I was to base it solely off his name, I'd say he's a goddamn good agent if he can blend in into a nation where it is obvious who's the outsider is without his cover being blown. Anyways I invited him over, he should be here any minute now."

"You what?"

"I invited him over."

"You just told him to come along without any second thought? What if he's been compromised?" asked Timofeé. At that moment, thundering footsteps up the stairs rumbled and a man in a trench coat and black sunglasses appeared and looked at the pair. The sunglasses were overkill, let's be honest here. They made him look like the stereotypical agent you would see in TV dramas that were terminated after one season because the plot was paper-thin. An oddly specific example.

"The name's James Knight. I work in the CIS. I heard you got an issue regarding your government. Now, we're not always so keen on intervening in other nation's business, especially ones on out the back door. But we do intervene only if the government is corrupt. I'm quite unsure the corruptedness of this government justifies a coup based off of what 2B briefed me on," said James cooly.

"So Timofeé to put it shortly, their Chief of Security Chris McGee notified their Prime Minister Rebecca Schoenlein and she was understandably wary of the whole situation as she said she didn't want to get into any disputes with countries within such close proximity. But she approved it and then their counterintelligence department with 2B on their turf to pre-confirm if this was legitimate. Once they gave the green light they sent Mr Knight over here and here we are. You ask me, he'll fit right into place because this guy has perfected the Maccian accent so much that it would be hard to suspect him as a foreigner, let alone a secret agent" mentioned Ruitawa.

"Alright, I got all that. Would you like to continue, Mr Knight?"

"Certainly. I assume we're all up to date, or at least I should hope. So no dilly-dallying. Just three men ironing out the details before Baker Park helps you. To be honest, I don't even know why my government's funding this coup, you guys must be promising the whole entire galaxy for them to do this. I'm here to hold up our end of the bargain, and I should hope you will do the same in the future when Baker Park requests a favour or two," stated James.

He stared to the pitch which was expectedly practically invisible in the dark. "New Lambridge. I do believe your team won here against The Appraisal To The Allmighty MR TAYTO. 1-0 if I remember correctly? Rather impressive for semi-professional footballers and teenagers. And a decent. 1-1 draw against Sylestone We thumped Sharktail 6-3 at home and won 2-1 against Khazajamal. It seems both our nations are getting off to food starts!"

"I agree, I do believe that this year will be prosperous for Maccian in all areas, especially at football. I would have watched the Baker Park game but obviously Maccian was playing so I'd watch this nation's football before any other, even if I'm South Toronton by origin. I do wish this fortune on your nation as well but I'd argue you don't really need it seeing how you qualified for the World Cup coming straight out of the Baptism of Fire as newbies," replied Timofeé.

"Why thank you. Alright so moving on, here's how this is going to work. You guys already have a candidate who is South Toronton running for president. That's good because it makes my job easier. So 2B told me prior to flying over here that political parties here in Maccian have a set budget across all parties of NS $100,000. I'm going to step in as a businessman just trying to ply his trade in the free market and I will establish my own company. Then I will make the candidate CEO of that company through him buying it outright. Ya'll do have enough funds for that right?"

"Yup, no need to worry. I just got two questions. One, are you going to remain here in Maccian and oversee our coup? And two, how are you going to do this without suspicion from the authorities?" asked Ruitawa

James chuckled momentarily before he stopped and answered the questions. "First question. The answer to that is unknown. I work according to the CIS' needs so if they feel my abilities are best spent here, then I will remain in Maccian. But, looking at the number of people involved with this coupled with the fact you had to ask for foreign funding. I think it is understandable that I am quite wary of how well this coup will go along with the potential backlash we could face in the international community. If I had to bet, I'd be staying here for the short term and helping you guys move this along faster."

"Well, the elections are only three weeks away, so near the end of the qualifiers, we will have hopefully executed all phases and complete our takeover. You're probably staying for a month if I had to give an approximation based off of where we are at right now," claimed Timofeé

"I think that's agreeable to all parties. The sooner we get this road on the show, the better! Now for the second question, the company I will be using as cover BCEL Beverage, which is in soft drinks/alcohol production and distribution. I chose this given that if Maccians can drink beer that lights your intestines on fire, they'd at least be able to appreciate a drink or two to ease the hotness. From there I'll set up an independent licence to funnel in that money with no problem. Now obviously I'll have to have an alias. Something believable. Do you know any common Maccian names?" inquired James. Ruitawa and Timofeé looked at each other in confusion, probably trying to work out the most basic name before shrugging their shoulders.

"Erm...Uh..." began Ruitawa. "Oh! Erm, George Anpoise?" replied Ruitawa unconvincingly.

"George Anpoise? That'll do. I've already set up shop here in Audoti, I must say the city is absolutely stunning! Green everywhere, with skyscrapers as well. I think it's to do with the lack of petrol cars here in Maccian. Nothing but electric. It's a breath of fresh air and the city has a nice balance between mankind and nature. Anyways I will be heading to my apartment so I can help ya'll out and move this phase along quickly. Oh, and before I go, I need to inform you of something. You are solely responsible for your actions, and I'm responsible for mine. I won't be doing anything more than the job I was assigned, which is setting up a business and funnelling money into to Maccian to fund your South Toronton coup. And make no mistake, any fuckup will result in us pulling out completely and denying any involvement in this affair should shit hit the fan. I'm heading out now. Goodbye and good luck!" said James Knight as he exited the stadium as promptly as he entered.

"Ruitawa, work on finding more henchmen to join our new revolution. We have the puppet already so continue putting your foot on him and keeping him on a leash. I will contact the president's kid, Eries Kizerain I believe, and have a 'chat' with him. I hope his national team won't miss him too much!"

"Alright I got that. We're going to rule this nation soon, I can just feel it..."

[Valanora]

Everyone and their mother knows that when it comes to teams that the Marauders want to actually beat, not just merely win the match or get a result but to actually beat a team, then it has to be none other than Starblaydia that is the team that comes to mind. After all, there is an entire era of the history of the World Cup dedicated to when the Empire and Starblaydia were the two giants of the game that it seemed no one else could even touch. Given that the two nations are seen as something of political and economic allies, why is there such a hostility between the two nations when it comes to playing football for ninety minutes out of the pitch? Replays of games past will show crunching tackles, out of character taunts and bragging from players who normally conduct themselves in a far more professional manner, and even officials from the associations gleefully enjoying their team defeat the other in a manner more fitting for lifting a trophy than merely winning a single match of football. For this match up between two titans of the World Cup history, there has to be a catalyst for all of it, the question is what was that sparked that ignited the flame of this rivalry?

If you ask the Starblaydi, it will likely be a response of the desire to be the first team to get that sixth World Cup trophy, a feat that would distinguish them above any other contender who would lay claim to being the best team in all of World Cup history. To their credit, the Starblaydi were the first team to five stars on the crest, a feat that no one will ever be able to strip away from them. In a first past the post system, the Starblaydia national team would be the best team in the history of the World Cup, getting to what is currently the pinnacle of success before anyone else before them could achieve such massive heights. However their ascent into that great height is not one of sustained success, of something that has stretched across decades or even centuries, for it has been over thirty-five cycles of the World Cup since the purple clad team has hoisted that trophy aloft and declared to all of the footballing community that they are the best. They are a bright and illuminating candle that burns vividly but only for a burst of moments and not one that might be a little less bright but lasts for a greater duration.

For those in the Empire, it is a matter of professional pride, with the Starblaydi grabbing that coveted fifth title on our home soil in the forty-seventh edition, an edition that many would consider the start of the modern era of the World Cup. Not only did the Starblaydi win that title in the Empire but they played the Marauders in the Final of that edition as well and took the title from their hands on their home soil, even if the side would later win their fourth and fifth titles to tie their rivals. This was also the end of act that the Starblaydi claim very loudly that they prevented elven hegemony in prevent a historic five-peat of the Marauders, being the only thing keeping the Marauders having won World Cups 40 through 44. That instance back in World Cup 47, the boastful nature of the Starblaydi on how they were the saviors of the tournament, and then just the sheer amount of times that the two teams have played one another has lead to that hostility. Especially when a lot of those matches have title implications or qualification on the line, it has naturally made the tension of the football teams one of the most historic in the game.

[Banija]

Part I

Part II

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 a Banijan cabinet meeting

"This will be a fun one, won't it?" Said Kobe Azizi to his chief of staff, outside of the cabinet room. They were about to have another cabinet meeting. He was two weeks into having been invested in power. He had his Coalition agreement approved by the Lukiiko, and then of course, the Speaker made the call. He made the trip to Mujaguzo Palace, alongside the 11 year Katikkiro, Kizza Makoni, and was formally invested in power as the highest ranking elected official within the entire Kingdom of Banija.

What a moment it was, of course. And now, of course, he was getting a little used to the routine of being Katikkiro. But here would be his first big initiative as Katikkiro. The People's Protection Movement had quite a few initiatives they wanted to take care of- of course, that would happen when you are out of power for as long as they were. But this first one would be one of the biggest. A priority of many members of the Government, in both parts of the Coalition, it would be one that, if done well, would have long lasting effects both in Banija, and in Atlantian Oceania in general.

"It will, sir!" Responded the Chief of Staff to the Katikkiro's original question. "But is fun the right word? Extremely important. Will go down in history. This would be a big change in policy for us- finally getting away from the inadequate work of Kizza Makoni."

"Yes, you're right." Kobe Azizi replied. "Well, let's get this started." And Kobe Azizi walked into the room, where the rest of the cabinet was already waiting for him. Everybody turned and acknowledged him. He would be running the meeting himself, of course. The cabinet members always stood for the highest ranking person at a meeting, and that would technically be the representative from the Palace. Not the Kabaka himself, of course- or else they'd be meeting at Mujaguzo Palace. His Majesty, by tradition, never came to the Katikkiro's office. Separation of powers and all that. Isebantu Mutungi, of course, would be here on behalf of the Palace. This would concern them, of course.

The Isebantu walked in, and everybody, including the Katikkiro himself, rose. The two men, the royal and the Katikkiro, shook hands, briefly exchanged pleasantries, and then sat down. "Well, all of us are busy people." Kobe Azizi said. "Let's get down to business. Most of us know why we are here today. We're here today, to discuss the National Defense Review. Usually conducted at the beginning of a new Lukiiko, this will be the first time it wasn't done by Kizza Makoni in so many years. He did a, well, a half-decent job of rebuilding our military. A lot of credit goes to the Palace here, of course, as on their own initiative they established a vital partnership with Siovanija & Teusland to rebuild our military back to our capabilities before the Banijan-Equestrian War, 13 years ago. It has been vital for the rebirth of our forces, working closely with our subregional allies on the issue."

Kobe Azizi paused, and then continued. "But, of course, we all know the position of this Government. You saw the election campaign. Kizza Makoni, even if he was a "progressive", was content to look backwards on these key issues. Now, we aren't here to rag on the Makoni Government- we all know its failures, and why the people chose to go on a different direction. But we must set the scene as to why we are going in that direction. The circumstances are much different.than they were before that war. Even before Makoni came into office. We have never been a major military power. Of course, the Glorious Southwest is full of them- The Eternal Empire and Equestria, both to the west. SIovanija & Teusland, to the south. But we must strive to continue to move up."

"We all know what changed. The discovery of oil has, over the course of the last decade, fundamentally transformed the entire economy. We weren't desolate, but we were certainly poor before. But now? Now we are a nation that strong. We are quickly rising up economic rankings to become an economy that we've always been capable of becoming. We've been ramping up oil production, and bringing well-paying jobs to plenty of Banijans. We're putting a major plug on the country's brain drain, as all these jobs in the oil industry, both jobs that require a higher education, and jobs that don't, available, especially in Hangaza. And it's an effect that trickles across the country. The oil that lies underneath Hangaza and Aksum is wide-ranging and plentiful. It will last generations. And, of course, it has effects everywhere.

Tax revenue has shot up since then. All the government revenue coming in since the Government takeover of PetroBan. And we've spent years building a true middle-class in this country. Our job as a Government? Continue to allow opportunities for Banijans to take advantage of this wealth, both inside and outside the industry. But what we need to do as a country? We need to think beyond, we need to think bigger. That is where the Makoni Government's fundamental problem was- they were always thinking small. They thought about the problems of yesterday, not the solutions for tomorrow."

"This is an issue we campaigned on. This is an issue where we expect to succeed. And now, we get to the meat of this meeting- the National Defense Review. Now, of course, I think we need to think ambitiously. Why settle for simply replacing the old infrastructure of old? We can think bigger! And this is important. As Banijan oil shoots across the region in those massive ships, we need to have a Navy capable of protecting those ships should anything happen. Piracy isn't a huge problem, but securing Banija's waters isn't a bad plan. Doing things like improving our air force, improving our military equipment. This is something that we can take to the Lukiiko, and get support for."

"Now, of course, there is one place in my own suggestions that wasn't exactly on the manifesto, but that I think we should push heavily for. We've always wanted to go out there and guarantee Banija's national security. Nothing is more important than permanent security. Forget about the past- we need to look toward the future. We have no idea what the future holds, do we? We can set reasonable expectations, but you don't truly know. You can do what it takes, however, to secure your future, no matter what."

Kobe Azizi paused. This would be the big moment. "I'll need everyone to turn to page 37 of the Policy Review." And everybody turned. There it was- Banija's Nuclear-Free Zone policy. "And now you see my proposal, right there in red ink. This is a policy that has held for over 50 years, strong within this country. The banning of nuclear weapons within this country. The banning of nuclear power plants, nuclear energy, and all that within the Kingdom. It's a policy that has stood, from left and right. But I tell you today, this Government is meant to be bold. We're here to fundamentally transform the country. And this policy, my friends, is one that needs to go."

The rest of the room looked at him, shocked. And then, of course, they started furiously debating with each other. The PPM ministers were mostly on board, he had told his own party members about the proposal before hand. The junior coalition partners in the CPL, however, were more hesitant. As the room threatened to devolve into further arguing, one of the CPL ministers then spoke the question that was on everybody's minds. "Does that mean a decision of this Government, to reverse longstanding Banijan policy on nuclear weapons and nuclear power, would be an endorsement of nuclear weapons in Banija?"

Kobe Azizi let the question hang in the air. "Yes." He said. "This is a coalition government, of course. Let's hammer out an agreement in this room. It will be a tough one to pass through the Lukiiko- but our parties have 304 combined seats together." And the ministers from both parties worked, long and hard, on hammering home the agreement. Then, Kobe Azizi dismissed everyone once the cabinet had agreed on something that they liked. They asked the Isebantu to inform the Kabaka of their plans, as Azizi planned to hold a press conference on the issue first thing in the morning. This would certainly burst the honeymoon period- but we'll see if he could use this period just after an election to pass this surely controversial policy through the Lukiiko...

[Siovanija and Teusland]

2:00PM - Borograd, Siovanija

The conference room at the National Chancellery building in Borograd was filled with some of the most important people in the country at the moment for the meeting of the State Security Council. The SSC, a creation of the National Emergencies Act which was signed just after unification, was a 6-member committee made up of the President, the Chancellor, the Defence Minister, as well as the Chiefs of Staff of each of the military branches. This group would be the ultimate decision-making body in a time of war.

Chancellor Dominik Meier glanced out the window. The afternoon sun was high in the Borograd sky, shining down on the buildings that made up the historic capital district. Republic Square was in full view, and its various cafes - there were, after all, a lot of Teus working in the capital city, and they needed their Stelburg-style coffee - and shops were full of people coming and going. It was a lovely day out, and Meier was looking forward to perhaps a road hockey game with his son that evening. For now, however, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

“Welcome, gentlemen,” began President Joachim Fleiss, seated opposite Meier at the table. Around the table were the members of the council: Field Marshal Reinhard Drachmann, Marshal Viktor Kroupal, Sergey Sedlacek, the Minister of Defence. And of course, Grand Admiral Alfred Reinmann and Dr. Vaclav Zacpal of the State Strategic Weapons Institute. Dr. Zacpal was not technically part of the council, but due to the contents of the meeting his presence was absolutely necessary. The President continued.

“Of course, we’ve all followed the briefings of the Lokke project from the very beginning, and I think we were all able to see the strategic importance it brings us. Thank you, Grand Admiral Reinmann, and Dr. Zacpal, for the presentation yesterday, which truly encapsulates the importance of the program. And looking again through the briefing book which we’ve all been given, the scale of the innovation here is certainly great.”

Meier could agree with that. The SSC members had each been given a more detailed booklet following the presentation, with more design blueprints and specifications involved. It truly was a massive achievement for the national program.

“There are a few questions, of course, that we need to ask of Grand Admiral Reinmann and Dr. Zacpal. My first question, Grand Admiral, is how many of these submarines does the navy currently plan on building?”

Grand Admiral Reinmann nodded as he began to answer. “Mr. President, the navy currently has 8 of the Schwertfisch class submarines in service, and current plans are to build 10 of the Facherfisch class in the first stage of the project. Of course, this production would be ramped up in the case of a war. I should also note, the designation system for the submarines will be the usual U prefix, as well as an L to denote the nuclear capability. So, for example, the first boat in Vrnovo will be the UL-1.”

President Fleiss considered the answer, and then turned to the men at his side. “Now, Dr. Zacpal, I’m sure that Field Marshal Drachmann and Marshal Kroupal have a great deal of questions for you as well and are excited to work closer with the SSWI. Gentlemen, would you care to interject?”

Field Marshal Drachmann was the first to speak up. A career military officer, he had served very capably in his position as Chief of Staff and was always an advocate for technological advancement. “It’s a very exciting development, of course. Now, Dr. Zacpal, I did have a question. The military has always maintained a nuclear triad, and naturally the Army are quite excited about the Lokke-1 missile. Will we need to make any major changes to the systems in place at the launch sites on Dobrava?”

“Field Marshal, only the usual changes when updating to a new weapons system. A team of our scientists will be happy to meet with the Army Engineers to work on the exact specification of the design.”

Marshal Kroupal was next in the order for questions. “We at the air force are also very excited about the latest development. It is perfect timing for us as well, considering that the current generation of Vyr-04 stealth bombers are just about to end their life cycle. They will be replaced by the Vyr-30, which is currently in the later stages of development. How far into the development of gravity bombs for the Lokke project are we?”

“Marshal, obviously we’ve primarily been focused on the ballistic missile project and Lokke-1, however, the first generation of gravity bomb under the new phase is coming along quite well. I’m eager to work closer with you regarding the design for the V-30 as well, I’ve seen some of the blueprints and it’s quite a step forward for the air force.”

“Thank you, Dr. Zacpal - and yes, it’s an important step indeed. We’re also working on the next generation of fighter jets, although that is in a relatively early stage in comparison to the V-30 project. My next question for you, Doctor, is a different concern. Given the technological advancements here, how soon should we expect updates in our early warning systems?”

“Again, Marshal, that’s something that our team has been working on, and we should have a final answer at the same time the first L1 missiles are prepared. I can tell you that the systems will continue to have a 5000km range, and we’ve put a lot of effort into the continued modernization of the radar program.”

President Fleiss now took the initiative again. “And Grand Admiral, how long is the construction of the Facherfisch class submarine expected to take?”

“The first Facherfisch class submarines will be ready for service within 2 years, Mr. President.”

The President now looked across the table at his Chancellor. “Dominik, any comments?”

“Yes, of course. I echo the overall sentiment that this is a great advance for our defence forces, and it’s excellent to see such innovation happening at the SSWI and in our armed services. It’s good to see the faith and investment our government has made rewarded. Now, my question deals more with the decommissioning of the Helle era weaponry. When will this project be expected to begin, and who will be the leaders of the project?”

The room again turned to Dr. Zapal. “Chancellor Meier, the decommissioning will begin as the new weapons gradually come into service. The overall expectation is that the phase-in of the first generation of Lokke era weapons will take place over a 10 year period, beginning, as the Grand Admiral said, with the introduction of the first nuclear submarines. During this time, our research will also continue, naturally, and we have already taken the earliest steps to identify what developments we can make by the time the Lokke-2 missiles eventually come into production. To answer the second part of your question, we are lucky enough at the SSWI to have an excellent young core of nuclear physicists coming through. They have been absolutely vital to the development of the Lokke project, and to further their growth within the division, I believe they will be perfectly suited to the task of overseeing the decommissioning.”

Meier nodded, and answered. “I expect that we’ll be able to make preliminary funding available for that within the next budget, which will be tabled in the spring. While we’re here, Doctor, are there any other concerns or other matters you’d like to discuss?”

“Chancellor, I think we’ve covered most of the important topics for now. My final commentary would be that I hope that every man in this room is aware of the power that is available with this new system, and the devastation it can cause. We must all strive to do everything in our own power to ensure that we never, ever, need to use these weapons. Knowing and having worked with each of you, I am confident that all of you will live up to that idea.”

The men in the room solemnly nodded. Chancellor Meier again looked out the window towards the city of Borograd. It was sobering to read in the briefing that one of the L1 missiles would have the capacity to wipe out the entire city and its surrounding area. President Fleiss spoke up. “Agreed, Doctor. This country was born out of the ashes of the Civil War with the vow that we, united together, could always defend our people and build a free, democratic, prosperous nation to be enjoyed by all, Siovanijan or Teus. Using these weapons would mean we have failed to uphold that vow, and I assure you, Doctor, that everyone in this room is committed to never having to use these weapons.”

There was a bit of a silence in the room after that, as the men considered the statements. The silence was finally broken by Grand Admiral Reinmann. “Gentlemen, of course we all echo the President and Doctor’s comments. Now, just one more piece of business today - I’ll need the signatures of President Fleiss and Chancellor Meier to fully approve the start of construction in Vrnovo.” Reinamnn produced a document from his briefcase, and the President and Chancellor got up to sign it. With the document signed, the three men shook hands.

President Fleiss turned to the room to speak one more time. “Gentlemen, the Lokke program has officially begun.” With that, the meeting adjourned. There would need to be a press conference in a few days, and first a meeting of the Chancellery Committee on National Defence to brief them of the new project. The Chancellor and President would handle much of that, as well as Dr. Zacpal. For Grand Admiral Reinmann, his next step was to travel to Vrnovo to oversee the beginning of construction.

Siovanija & Teusland 4-2 Bolgano, @ Nationalstadion, Stelburg

Starting XI: Sveteikov; L. Dimitrov, Thierse (Niedermayer 86’), Jager, Vesele; Mihailov, Bahr (Brotzmann 75’), Witzel; Gaspersie, Kogler (Kokalj 65’), Ilev
Goals: Stanimir Ilev 12’, 73’ Kurt Witzel 40’, Sinisa Gaspersie 42’
Man of the Match: Sinisa Gaspersie
Report: Siovanija & Teusland opened up World Cup 85 Qualifying with a 4-2 win over Bolgano at the Nationalstadion. The Goldhorns took control of the match early on with a great goal by Stanimir Ilev in the 12th minute to give them a 1-0 lead. Bolgano would respond to the early deficit well, however, and did an especially good job moving the ball in midfield. Tom Evans would equalize for the visitors on the half hour mark, but this time it was the Goldhorns’ turn to respond. A free kick just outside the penalty area was taken excellently by Kurt Witzel as he found the top left corner to make it 2-1, and just moments later an incisive run by Sinisa Gaspersie would finish with a great strike that curled into the right corner to make it 3-1. Gaspersie has made an excellent start to life in the national team shirt, and he would also provide an assist on Ilev’s second goal in the 73rd minute that made it 4-2 after Ryan McShane had given Bolgano some hope with a long drive that beat Anatoli Sveteikov. The Goldhorns, however, saw out the match well to take the 3 points. Next up is a trip for Abanhfleft, which will be a very important match early in group 10 - the home side have defeated the Free Republics and Ethane in their first two matches without even conceding a goal, and will be looking to continue their excellent start against the Goldhorns. It will be a massive test for this team.

[Filindostan]

OOC Note: This article is written prior to the MD1 loss against Quebec.

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FOOTBALL - WORLD CUP 85 QUALIFYING
The Marathon: Filindostan's qualifying campaign in the 85th World Cup qualifying

SAN MARCO - Filindostan's quest for a maiden World Cup finals appearance took to a marathon, as 12 other teams will try to book themselves one of the two available spots for the main event. The resulting group causes one of the lengthiest qualifying stages in the history of the World Cup, with 26 matchdays slated to determine the 2 deserving nations to qualify for the finals. Will the Pula Garudas have any chance to qualify for the World Cup finals? Let's take a look at each of their opponents.

Opponent #1: Quebec
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 1 at Quebec City (The Reneegrad), Matchday 14 at San Marco (GSNP)

Quebec, currently participating as the 'Independent Athletes from Quebec', and collectively known as The Grim Reapers, are the Filindos' first opponents. Despite meeting the Quebecois for the first time in football history, they had already a history of sporting matchups, especially in basketball. When Quebec visited the archipelago for the International Basketball Championships 25 where the two nations were grouped together, Filindostan swept both games, but the latter reached the finals, only to be defeated by Drawkland in the final. Recently they were grouped together again in the 29th edition, but this time, the Grim Reapers suffocated the Filindostani offense, taking a series sweep both in Quebec and in Filindostan.

Media outlets have said that their football counterparts have the opposite strategy - an all-out attack. Despite just returning to the football stage and performing anonymously at the preceding Baptism of Fire (BoF) tournament (eliminated in the group stages after losing to The Veiled Islands), the Grim Reapers should not be taken lightly as their current rank suggest. A tough opening match at The Reneegrad could give some problems to the Pula Garudas if they are not careful. Hopefully the corresponding fixture would give the Filindos the boost they need to overcome Roderick Yi and the rest of the Quebecois.

Prediction: A draw in the first matchday, but Filindostan will beat them in the reverse fixture.

Opponent #2: Qvardax
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 2 at San Rafael (Wardogs Ground), Matchday 15 TBC

Another of the bunch who participated in the largest BoF field ever, there is not muck known information about Qvardax, but given the roster information provided during the tournament, they seem to play a defensive strategy with a 4-5-1 formation. It is also to worth noting that the starters played for Qvardax are either at their late teens or at their early-twenties - a very young squad in current football standards, although no age information was provided for their reserves. Quebec is no stranger to this nation, as they were grouped together in the tournament, along with another nation grouped into Group 15 as well, which we'll cover later. Despite advancing from the group stages, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by eventual runners-up, Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom.

Filindostan should have no troubles taking six points from this opponent. After all, if their formation is too defensive, the Filindos should be able to punish their lack of attacking opportunities.

Prediction: Six points from this opponent after matchday 15.

Opponent #3: Damukuni
Previous meetings:

Damukuni 1-0 Filindostan - World Cup 80 Qualifiers(in Damukuni)
Filindostan 1-0 Damukuni - World Cup 80 Qualifiers(in Filindostan)
Damukuni 2-3 Filindostan - Friendly (in Damukuni)
Filindostan 0-3 Damukuni - Campionato Esportiva 26 (in Filindostan)*

* - Match was abandoned with Damukuni leading 1-0, deemed as forfeiture to Filindostan due to lack of players

Schedule: Matchday 3 in Atarashii-Damushuto (Atarashii-Damushuto International Stadium), Matchday 16 TBC

The first of three Esportivan opponents in this edition of the qualifying phase. The two nations have a bit of history with each other, having been drawn together in World Cup 80 qualification. The younger King, Yakob, Tonyo, and the now old guards exchanged 1-0 wins over their near neighbors that time. Damukuni went to qualify for World Cup 80 finals, while Filindostan went to the Cup of Harmony 72 and had the first of their quarterfinals runs. After a friendly in Damukuni after World Cup 72 qualifying that Filindostan won 3-2, the next match was the infamous match at GSNP where Filindostan had forfeited after their players had received too many red cards while trailing their neighbors, 0-1. The forfeiture immediately triggered Filindo fans-initiated riots around the capital which forced several participating nations to condemn and criticize the federation's handling of the ordeal, while Damukuni and Newmanistan proceeded to put sanctions to Filindos (such as directly punishing a club in Uto that is owned by Grupo Venividicci, as well as initially restriciting Filindo fans to purchase tickets to the NSSCRA 9 finale at Tundra Falls, which was later retracted). The incident also led to the government (not the federation) ordering the team to play the first three home matches of their qualifying campaign in an empty stadium.

With the Pula Garudas going to Damukuni for their Matchday 3 outing, the reverse fixture will be a point of concern for the team, as Damukunians still do not have any stand yet if they will allow their team to play in San Marco after the sequence of events. We could see the same scorelines as with the WC80Q, but given Filindostan's position as a fourth seed, they really need to beat the teams directly above them (i.e. Damukuni and Reçueçn) to have any chance of qualifying for the big stage.

Prediction: Realistically speaking, they would trade wins again, but optimistically, Filindostan can do the double here.

Opponent #4: Reçueçn
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 4 in San Marco (GSNP), Matchday 17 in Reçueçn (The National Stadium)

Reçueçn is one of the fastest rising nations in terms of KPB ranks, having made the World Cup after making their return having been several editions away in World Cup 83, reaching the Round of 16 in that occasion. The feat, which they almost duplicated the next edition, have made the nation climb the KPB ranks as high as 28th coming into the qualification stages. The Unicorns, as they are known, plays a more defensive style, slightly more defensive than Qvardax, and certainly more effective style of defense.

On order to win, they have to make the most of their chances, while thwarting the opposition's attempts on their periodic attacks. Certainly the home match is very important, but the players have to do it without their 12th player, having to play the second of three matches behind closed doors.

Prediction: A possible upset on Matchday 17? Matchday 4 looks to be out of the question here. A split would be the most optimistic result, but also expect to get nil points here.

Opponent #5: The Grearish Union
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 5 in Plibury (Dream Games Arena), Matchday 18 in Bandarito (Stadium Petrofilindo)

The last of the trio of groupmates in the recently concluded BoF tournament, and the most successful of the three in that regard. The Black Dolphins as they are known, qualified as the 2nd best placed team in Group H, above Qvardax and Quebec, and they would have placed fourth or better if they would not have to face Riena, let alone lose 3-1 in the penalty shootout. Another one of the Esportivan contingent in this group, Filindostan needs to contain the potent striker duo of Avery McAuley and Willis Kline. Unlike Qvardax and Reçueçn, they play a slightly attacking style of football, something Krisna Hendra Sudirman should take note in the matches between the two.

Filindostan will travel southeast to Plibury to visit The Black Dolphins, with the return fixture played at the northwest island of Pelita Raya, at Stadium Petrofilindo where the Pula Garudas will await them.

Prediction: Has upset potential, but Filindostan should take at least 4 points from the pair of matches. Any haul lower than that would be a massive disappointment.

Opponent #6: Poafmersia
Previous meetings:

Poafmersia 2-2 Filindostan - Friendly (in Poafmersia)
Filindostan 4-2 Poafmersia - Friendly (in Filindostan)

Schedule: Matchday 7 in San Marco (GSNP), Matchday 20 in Fiskadaha City (Libira National Stadium)

Another team which Filindostan already have match history with. The only exception is that they have not faced each other in an official match. Debuted last edition and participated in the recent Cup of Harmony tournament, Poafmersia is a promising 5th seed that Filindostan have to be wary about. Despite winning 4-2 in an artificial pitch in San Rafael, the Red Panijas seem to be a match for the Pula Garudas, and with an playing style that emphasizes more on attacking, the Filindos will have one matchday worth of rest, but they may be planning to use the break on Matchday 6 to face Appalachia in a friendly, and host Gergary in San Marco on Matchday 19, Filindostan's bye days.

Prediction: Looking more to take points away from Filindostan, but hoping for a six-point haul for this one.

Opponent #7: Shokpos
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 8 TBC, Matchday 21 in San Rafael (Wardogs Ground)

The fourth of five BoF participants in the group. While they participated in that tournament, they only placed last in Group E, and their roster have not been released to the public. With no information available, only their match performances from the tournament can only provide insights. Conceding 16 goals in six games tells the story that they have a tendency to leak goals - conceding four goals against eventual winners Mavinet, and a whopping five goals against Villablanca. However, they have one win in the bounce, and that is against one of the known nations in Donnacona, which effectively dashed the hopes of their opponents in advancing out of the group stages.

Prediction: Six points, easy as pie. Filindostan is expected to put at least three goals past in each of the matches.

Opponent #8: The Andromeda Islands
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 9 in Jakulta (Jakulta Esportiva Stadium), Matchday 22 TBC

The Andromeda Islands is more known in basketball than they are in football these days. They were the IBC's team to beat in the IBC 10's generation, along with Cassadaigua, and Saintland. Aside from being a fellow Baptism of Fire winner (they won in BoF 41, 25 editions before Filindostan won theirs), they just haven't translated their success from basketball (which they recently did in the current edition of the IBC) to football.

With this, Filindostan should have no trouble getting six points from this opponent.

Prediction: If this were basketball, wins would be more contested that it is in football. Six points.

Opponent #9: Revatnagar
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 10 TBC, Matchday 23 in Jakulta (Jakulta Esportiva Stadium)

If Shokpos was an unknown quantity, then Revatnagar would be the nation with the most unknown information to even the hosts of the competition. Fared worse than Shokpos despite both of them placing dead last in the group stages, as evident from their pot placing. They were at the wrong end of a 7-2 loss to Tequilo, and was the only nation expected not to perform well. They did get a point against Baggieland so there's that.

We shouldn't waste time elaborating more than the fact that it will be an easy six points for Filindostan.

Prediction: Six points, easy as pie. If they can put eight goals past them, the better.

Opponent #10: Crystalline Caverns
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 11 in San Marco (GSNP), Matchday 24 TBC

The Cavernites have not been as well known as the other nations in this group, but the Frostic Wolves and their mostly defensive formation have participated in the previous editions of World Cup qualifying and several regional tournaments, but results have not gone their way. The last time they participated in a tournament, the Rushmori nation placed fourth in their group in the 34th Copa Rushmori hosted by Eastfield Lodge. Maybe the ban on alcohol prevented them from coping up with their mediocrity. If there's one name to remember in their roster, it would be Dan Castellini, who played for Venividicci for some seasons before the time warp issues halted the FFL for some time.

Castellini would be a thorn in Filindostan side as he played against several players in the national team during his stay in the league, but the Pula Garudas should be fine.

Prediction: The former Venividicci player would be an x-factor, but other factors point to a six-point harvest against the Cavernites.

Opponent #11: Emastalia
Previous meetings: None
Schedule: Matchday 12 in Amsterdam (Lotus Stadium), Matchday 25 in Bandarito (Stadium Petrofilindo)

The Peacocks as they are known in their submitted roster, Emastalia enters the World Cup qualification stage, skipping the Baptism of Fire tournament. While other teams got valuable experience from entering the tournament, the Peacocks decided that it would get the experience they need even if they would not enter the tournament. Sporting one of the most interesting mascots in the multiverse in Luuk the Peacock, there is no other thing to note for this team, other than their inability to post a well-formatted roster. But their crest looks good, maybe they can send an application to the NNS storefront to make their kits.

Prediction: Six points for an unranked team. Unless we get shades of Tveidalen or Britaen for that part. Filindostan would lose in the battle of the mascots though - they do not have any so far.

Opponent #12: Brenecia
Previous meetings:

Filindostan 2-3 Brenecia - Campionato Esportiva 22 (in The Golden Lotus)

Schedule: Matchday 13 in San Marco (GSNP), Matchday 26 in Rozelle (Kingsgarden)

Finally, the big bad boss of Esportivan football.

Brenecia has been the domestic football powerhouse of the region, winning consecutive Campionato Esportivano di Campeones (CEdC), until Filindostani club Venividicci ended that dominance in CEdC 31. Their domestic relevance often translate to national team success at regional level, winning five Campionatos and being in the podium for some more editions, with their latest win at the 25th edition of the tournament.

The top seeds of the group and a former World Cup winner, Brenecia provides the toughest roadblock for the Filindos if they want to qualify for the World Cup. Not only that they will have the away game at the second half of the campaign - they get to face them at the last matchday of the qualification phase, and chances are Filindostan would be the one with the highest odds of qualifying if there are places still to fight for, given that their only meeting ended Filindostan's hopes of a consecutive finals appearances at the Campionato Esportiva 22.

Prediction: A big fat 0 points await the Pula Garudas. Either the spots have to be settled at the last matchday, otherwise, Filindostan would not stand a chance of qualification in that circumstance.
Written by FSNA Staff.

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The Filindo government led by Dorigo Dutete has advised the Filindo public not to go to Atarashii-Damushuto for Filindostan's matchday 3 game against Damukuni. This is in line with the national team serving their punishment of having at least three games in Filindostan with no crowd whatsoever. People intending to cause unrest at the ADIS shall be deported immediately to Filindostan and face criminal charges. The government will cooperate with the Damukuni counterparts to ensure that the Filindo citizens would not cause any ruckus at the football match.

The Filindo public has gradually observed that the federation are not doing their part since the tumultuous hosting of Filindostan in the 26th Campionato, other than to delegate their work in releasing the lineups to their PR and media teams. Below is the latest graphic of the lineup to be used by Sudirman 12 hours before the match. From the looks of it, he has put the strongest lineup possible for the match, and the same could be used several days later at the game against Reçueçn.

[Darmen]

Earo Declares Environmental Disaster
Meeting of the SEU Council
A Civil Servant's Idea
A Letter Asking for Help
The Vasilyev Crime Family Strikes!

From the Office of the President of the Republic

In Response to the Letter Received Monday, October 8th, 2046

With regards to the request made by the Southern Esportivan Union for assistance

Mr. Aston West
Chairman of the Southern Esportivan Union

Dear Mr. West,

I have received your letter to me requesting assistance from the Republic of Darmen to aid your nation, the Southern Esportivan Union, in its time of need. Let me being by stating how flattered I am that you chose us to request assistance from, when indeed you had any number of other nations and organizations to potentially ask instead. I am glad to see that you hold my nation in such a high regard; my administration strives every day to achieve excellence both here in Darmen and in our dealings abroad in an effort to maximize our standing in the multiverse. Your choice to ask us for help only confirms that we are indeed doing a good job and that our efforts are not in vain.

Before I go any further however, I must be very blunt about something which has been brought to my attention and which is related to your request. Your letter made no mention of it, but in the limited communication we have had with some of your diplomats and civil servants, it would appear that not only do you want our assistance, but you would like us to assume sovereignty over your nation through annexation‽

Is this true?

I must admit, that while I am more than willing to offer your nation assistance, annexing far away islands in Esportiva is a major decision in the realms of foreign policy and one which I am not convinced I am willing to make. Is the situation truly that desperate that the Southern Esportivan Union will cease to function?

I am sending a representative of my government to you to assess the situation and prepare a report for review by myself and my administration. Until then, I am afraid I can only offer you the promise of assistance to come in the future, the exact specifics of which will have to be decided at a future date.

Sincerely,

Tor Tong Lee
President of the Republic of Darmen

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Group 7: The All Green Perspective

Nephara - Rank: #4 - Record vs. Darmen: 6 matches, 4 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses - Home Match Venue: Northumberland Stadium, Scott City (62,100)

A Rushmori rival we've yet to defeat. Without a doubt, the two matches against the Cormorants will be the biggest challenge — and spectacle — for the All Greens and their fans. The latest match in the series ended in defeat for Darmen, by the score of 2-5, during the rather dismal 32nd Copa Rushmori which saw Godefroy Abascal's reign as Darmeni manager come to an end.

Jeruselem - Rank: #41 - Record vs. Darmen: 4 matches, 3 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses - Home Match Venue: Brham Stadium, Brham (54,000)

It's funny, the last time we played Jeruselem, the match was also held in Brham. It ended in a 1-2 loss for Darmen. Another set of tough matchups for the Darmenis, finishing in the top two and advancing to the finals is looking like it will be a rather difficult task this time 'round.

Sarzonia - Rank: #65 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Stadio Rushmore, Johnho (70,000)

We haven't played them in the Modern Era, but we're certain we faced them at least once "back in the day." The match in Sarzonia is sure to be a tough one, while any points dropped in Johnho will be a major disappointment.

Acronius - Rank: #75 - Record vs. Darmen: 2 matches, 1 win, 0 draws, 1 loss - Home Match Venue: Augusta Stadium, Augusta (45,000)

It's been 15 years since the last match against Acronius, a 1-0 win in the 67th Cup of Harmony. Repeating results like that will help get the job done and see Darmen into its 9th World Cup finals.

Competitive Solitaire - Rank: #90 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Estadio Monumental Ernesto Chavarría, Rogerton (37,500)

We prefer Poker.

Aimena - Rank: #160 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: City Stadium, Scott City (37,100)
Welzat - Rank: #186 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Stadion Hungaria, Kingsville (36,343)
Simpralia - Rank: #242 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Warren Park, Chuckio (35,000)
Great Lausitz - Rank: #271 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: King’s Park, Scott City (35,000)
South Charlia - Rank: #317 - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: The Valley, Chippewa Valley (32,000)
Huayramarca - Unranked - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Tyger Stadium, Darmen City (40,000)

The lower ranked sides. For the most part, easy points for the All Greens to win. On the other hand, dangerous, dangerous, underdogs. At least one of them will beat us.

Delaclava - Unranked - Record vs. Darmen: No meetings in the Modern Era - Home Match Venue: Kalenda Stadium, Rogerton (45,000)

Similar to Sarzonia, we haven't played Delaclava yet in the Modern Era but do seem to vaguely recall a friendly or World Cup qualifier between the two of us having taken place several decades ago. Of all of the unranked and low-ranked sides, the Phoenixes are the ones that concern us most.

[South Covello]

SoCo Goes Loco - A South Covello Soccer Podcast

Bozo Bryant: Yo ho ho, everyone, I'm Bozo Bryant, joined as always by Shawn Burst, Jason St. Pierre, and Christine Archuleta, and we're here to bring you SoCo Goes Loco, the South Covello soccer podcast that's sweeping the nation!

Shawn Burst: Hey guys.

Jason St. Pierre: Hey hey

Christina Archuleta: Kumquats.

Bozo Bryant: Anyway, we've got an exciting feature here, it's called Know Your Foe. Where we discuss one of the nations in our group in more detail than normal. The nation of the day shall be, are you ready, Jason, you want to announce it?

Jason St. Pierre: Main Nation Ministry!

Christina Archuleta: Main Nation Ministry? Is that some kind of coconut?

Shawn Burst: No, Christina, it's a nation led by a cruel, evil man known as The Leader. And we have been told by our podcast company that we are allowed to tell the truth about him, so we will. The Leader is a cruel, evil man who hates everyone except one Princess Keller Harrington.

Christina Archuleta: Princess Keller Harrington? She's a piece of kumquat fried cake, right?

Bozo Bryant: No, what even is kumquat fried cake?

Christina Archuleta: I don't know, but I'm eating it now.

Shawn Burst: Christina, you're eating a pillow.

Christina Archuleta: Well poopy doody! This is a delicious kumquat fried cake! Am I eating Princess Keller Harrington?

Shawn Burst: No, Christina, just no.

Christina Archuleta: I ate a princess! Yay, I ate a princess!

Bozo Bryant: Well anyway, we're going to talk some more about this The Leader. He once committed mass murder at a newspaper in the Free Republics.

Shawn Burst: Yeah, guess their super duper legal gun everything laws worked against them.

Christina Archuleta: What? It's illegal to chew gum in the Peewee Pub Blintz?

Jason St. Pierre: I don't even know how to respond to that.

Christina Archuleta: But what if I want a grown-up pub blintz?

Bozo Bryant: Then go to a combination pub/Jewish deli or something, I don't know. You're impossible.

Shawn Burst: Don't say that, nothing's impossible, the fact that Christina's still alive despite her stupidity proves that.

Christina Archuleta: Hey, don't call me stupid. I only stuck a fork in an outlet three times yesterday!

Jason St. Pierre: How are you not dead?

Christina Archuleta: Because I ate a poison coconut to confer immortality on myself five years ago and now I can't die. It was a kumquat.

Shawn Burst: I don't know if that's true or what you're saying so I'm just going to ignore it.

Bozo Bryant: Does The Leader have slaves like Lord Almighty Gregory did? Or concubines? Or 16 personal pancake chefs who didn't even have names?

Jason St. Pierre: I don't think he's quite as evil as the Gregists were. He's basically an LAG wannabee. He doesn't even have enemy crushers!

Christina Archuleta: Enema Gushers? Is that like a dessert that you use as an - ewwww, that's disgusting. That's completely disgusting. I think I'm going to be sick.

Shawn Burst: Well I suppose the truth isn't much more pleasant, so let's move on.

Christina Archuleta: Pheasants? Peasants? Where? Are those the same thing? Yes they are, oh I'm so smart I know that now because my rich neighbor goes and hunts peasants and I call the police but they haven't arrested him yet for murder.

Bozo Bryant: Does he hunt peasants or pheasants?

Christina Archuleta: Both. They're the same thing. Also there are dead bodies on his lawn.

Shawn Burst: Are these bodies human or pheasant?

Christina Archuleta: They are pheasant peasants. I made that quite clear.

Jason St. Pierre: Oh never mind. I bet The Leader kills peasants.

Christina Archuleta: And pheasants?

Shawn Burst: I don't know, maybe. Sure, let's go with that.

Bozo Bryant: Anyway, that's all the time we have for today. We'll be back to review the game against Melbergia and preview the game against Freeport, although it will be very boring since we know nothing about either team and maybe we'll just do something else.

Christina Archuleta: Mmmm, Mel Burger.

[Riennic Isles]

Keisuke Sasaki was a man who took pride in the fact that he had strong likes and dislikes. There was nothing he enjoyed more than a cup of black coffee of a morning, preferably of a variety that tasted like a clobbering from a raging black bull with hatred in its heart. In the same vein, he harboured a seething enmity for anything that forced him to go without his morning cup of joe. However, there was one thing that Sasaki despised from the bottom of his heart, and that was being turfed out of his comfortable office cubicle by his slave driver of an editor before he'd had a chance to get at his coffee.

So Sasaki was suitably pissed when his editor ambushed him while he was pottering around his cluttered cubicle, barely fifteen minutes after he'd clocked in for the day. The fact that the son of a bitch didn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge the steaming mug of black coffee Sasaki was clutching between his hands only served to darken Sasaki's mood even further. Gritting his teeth, Sasaki slammed his mug down on his desk, splattering the plastic surface with drops of his favourite brew, and gave his editor the evil eye as he started prattling. If Sasaki knew anything about his editor - and he should, having spent a good decade of his career as a journalist working under the sadistic bastard - he was about to get viciously backhanded with a dog's dinner of an assignment.

'... sorry to spring this on you so early in the day, Keisuke, but we just got an urgent call. There's been a smash-up out on route 50, out in the hills north of Nagato. My source in the force tells me it's a bad one - glass and sheared metal littered all across the road, and about as much blood as you'd expect. Doesn't look like there are any survivors. We need someone in the field to cover the story, so I was rather wondering if you could do the department a solid ... '

Sasaki scowled darkly and imagined punching his editor right in the gob. The fact that he couldn't do a damned thing to the insufferably smug bastard only served to rile Sasaki up even more.

'I'm the fucking crime correspondent, not a wannabe rookie journo you can order about whenever you feel like it. And bloody route 50 ... that's at least an hour's drive out from the office. May I respectfully suggest you find someone else to do your dirty work for you?'

Sasaki's editor flashed him a thousand-watt smile that was about as fake as his plastic personality.

'Now, now, Keisuke, no need to get all worked up. You know I wouldn't send a senior correspondent like you out into the field unless absolutely necessary. The fact of the matter is there's been a spate of newsworthy stories to cover today, so much so that none of the regular field journos are at hand at the moment. And you'll agree that time is of the essence in covering these incidents. It wouldn't do the paper much good if we showed up while they were cleaning up the scene, would it now? It would be a real ... bloodbath for the paper's reputation, ha-ha-ha!'

The beginnings of a throbbing migraine ate away at Sasaki's sanity as he listened to his editor go on and on and on. If he spent too much longer going back and forth with this idiot of an editor, it was only a matter of time before he'd lose his shit and start whaling on the man. For a brief moment, Sasaki idly pondered the irony of a seasoned crime correspondent being hauled before a judge and jury to be charged - if not for first-degree murder, then aggravated assault at the very least. It might be worth a life sentence just to be rid of the cunt once and for fucking all.

'Fine, I'll do it, you fucking imbecile! Anything to stop your interminable yammering. Now get the hell out of my face and piss off back to your office before I knock your fucking teeth out.'

Having succeeded in his mission to thoroughly ruin Sasaki's morning, his editor grinned delightedly and retreated from the cubicle. Grimacing to himself, Sasaki grabbed a thermos flask off his desk, unscrewed the top, and emptied the still-steaming contents of his mug into the flask. He had a feeling he was going to need more than his usual dose of caffeine today.

---

It took Sasaki a tedious hour of navigating rainy, windswept roads, carefully wending his way into the hilly northern reaches of Nagato, before he spotted the first police vehicle parked across the road, forming an impromptu roadblock of sorts. Sasaki had to suppress a shudder as he pulled over to the side of the road and killed his engine. The familiar fluorescent police lights, flashing blue and red at regular intervals, lent the desolate surroundings an almost ghostly aura. It was a sight that never failed to arouse a primal reaction in Sasaki. He had spent the better part of twenty years reporting on crime, and one of the first things he had learned on the job was that a police vehicle stopped with its lights on always meant bad news.

Sasaki took a swig of the hot coffee from his flask to fortify himself against the chill of the inclement morning, replaced the flask, and stepped out of his car. He approached the police vehicle, hoping to find someone who he could press for some information, and was not disappointed to spy a weary-looking officer sitting behind the wheel. He rapped smartly on the window and produced his press pass from his jacket pocket.

'Morning, officer. My name is Keisuke Sasaki, and I'm a journalist with the Riena Sentinel. I understand that there's been a traffic accident further along this route, and I'm here to cover it for my paper. Can you give me any details as to what exactly happened? Every little bit you can tell me would be an immense help.'

The heavyset officer shot Sasaki a look of disgust, which he answered with a nonchalant shrug. The two men sized each other up for a few seconds before the officer relented and began talking in a slow drawl.

'Crash's just 'round that there corner. Happened in the wee hours o' t'morning. It were raining cats and dogs, sedan lost control and smashed into the rear end o' a heavy truck. The truck's still there, but there ain't much left o' t'bloody car. Our guys managed to pry a couple o' poor bastards out of the car, dead as fuckin' doornails the pair of 'em, but they're lookin' for survivors just in case. Any road, it's a real bad job, but I reckon you buggers in the Mass Media'll have a field day with it.'

Sasaki nodded gravely in acknowledgement, thanked the officer, and set off jogging down the road. Sure enough, just as he turned the corner of the road, he saw a white truck stopped on the side of the road, encircled by several police vehicles, a fire engine, and an ambulance, all with their lights flashing intermittently. The scene itself was a blur of frenzied activity; officers were buzzing around the place, some busy setting up a police cordon, while a second batch of officers, armed with flashlights, carefully made their way down into the ravine on the far side. Sasaki presumed those were the officers responsible for the search and rescue effort. For their part, the firefighters were operating some sort of hydraulic mechanism as they worked on the truck. It looked to Sasaki like they were trying to extricate a mass of horribly mangled metal wedged beneath the rear end of the truck.

'It certainly doesn't look promising at first blush ...'

Shards of glass crunched beneath Sasaki's feet as he sidled to the edge of the police cordon, flashing his press pass at a passing officer who merely grunted his disapproval. The morning drizzle hadn't quite managed to wash away the spatters of blood across the road, leaving the distinctive scent of iron hanging in the chilly air. Sasaki spied several paramedics peering over the side of the ravine, their white overalls liberally stained with crimson streaks, and took note of the grim expressions they were wearing. After seeing the mangled state of the two corpses that had been retrieved, the paramedics clearly weren't holding out much hope for the discovery of another survivor. Bit by bit, the article began to write itself in Sasaki's mind - fatal accident ... adverse weather conditions ... loss of control ... no survivors. He had written more than his fair share about accidents and deaths over the course of his professional career, but Sasaki would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a pang every time he had to report on a grisly mishap or a macabre murder. This was no different from the rest.

Just as Sasaki had resigned himself to writing yet another morbidly matter-of-fact report on the accident, a great shout went up from within the ravine. Sasaki frowned and put his hands on the rain-slicked guardrail, leaning over the steel barrier to get a closer look at what was happening. He saw the paramedics from before leap into action, hurriedly clambering into the ravine and into the foliage as members of the search and rescue team gestured furiously at them. Sasaki swallowed painfully, praying that his instincts had been wrong, and that there had indeed been a survivor, a faint silver lining to a nightmarish accident.

It was several minutes before the white-clad figures of the paramedics emerged from the ravine. The gloom of the morning made it hard for Sasaki to tell, but they appeared to be bearing a figure on a stretcher across their broad shoulders.

So there was a survivor after all!

As the paramedics made their way to the waiting ambulance, a sudden, inexplicable impulse took hold of Sasaki. He hurdled the police cordon and ran as he had never run before, dodging several burly officers as he dashed towards the paramedics and their patient. A waiting paramedic swung the doors of the ambulance open, and for the most fleeting of moments, the brilliant fluorescent lights within lifted the gloom and illuminated the mangled face of the victim.

Sasaki fell to his knees, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as the paramedic team disappeared into the back of the ambulance. The powerful roar of a diesel engine was punctuated by a flurry of approaching footsteps, and the long arm of the law clamped down on Sasaki's shoulder as the ambulance sirens began wailing.

'We can't have a civilian breaking a police cordon, sir. Please remove yourself from the cordoned area right now, or I'll have to place you under arrest for obstructing a police officer.'

The journalist's breath came in short, sharp bursts as he staggered to his feet, stumbled over the cordon, and collapsed on the grass lining the side of the road. Sasaki coughed and retched, acid burning the back of his throat, as the ghastly sight of the victim's horribly mutilated features seared itself into his mind. He had been fervently hoping that someone had survived the accident just minutes before, but now Sasaki cursed his own misguided naivety with all the bile he could muster.

She ... she shouldn't have been left alive to suffer.

---

1 • 2

[Newmanistan]

Sascha Nikolayeva was not just a random person logging into a website and competing for these prizes. The Dover City Sportsbook seemed to the general person to be a normal gambling website in a nation that has one of the top gambling industries in the world. It specialized in “Fan Battles”, competitions that would seem to pair up a fan with someone at random, with that person also putting in their own funds. However, that is not really what was going on at the Dover City Sportsbook. The people on the other end were not just fans, but members of the Dover Bloodhounds, a long-lived illegal gambling ring that many thought had become eradicated. Truth is, it has been able to keep a very low profile, staying out of trouble, and doing most of its dirty work in the casinos.

The organization was run by refugees of a “Russian” nation that is now long forgotten, and the initial founders have long since passed on. While most of the refugees proved to be good people, there were masterminds of the organization, and what they would do is promise a better way of life towards other refugees who may have had better intentions. Some went along with the plan, and as the Bloodhounds made more and more money, they were able to deliver on their promises. After a very active period in an early edition of the International Basketball Championships, which included kidnapping members of The Rocket Report who were simply trying to cover games, they got greater national notoriety. Ultimately, key members of the group were apprehended, but what law enforcement would never know is just how large the Dover Bloodhounds were. They were smart, and realized they could not have a high profile to succeed in their mission, so for the longest time focused on casino gambling as well as hacking operations.

The Dover City Sportsbook was a new project for the group that began in the International Basketball Championships 29 on a smaller trial run, with the major launch planned for the World Cup 85 qualifying campaign. Alexei Komissarov was the leader of the Bloodhounds, and responsible for putting together the website. He would employ several people, mostly younger women, to serve as his staff. The website had several different competitions on it, with the opportunity to make money on many different things. Komissarov didn’t care about the low rollers. There was a budget set aside for the people who were just putting in a little bit of money and having success on smaller bets. It would his hope that any of these low rollers would take more and more chances if their confidence grew, and then they could graduate into the bigger competitions.

The focus was on the higher spenders, the people like Nick Sheldon. Luring them onto the website was half the battle, because now all of their personal information was on the website, as well as at least one of their credit cards. The team of hackers would have a field day with that information when it was time for them to strike, but they were going to be very smart about when they started using that information. Wait, and be patient. Most people do not have the patience that they would, and by the time they would strike with that personal information, these people would not be thinking it was the Dover City Sportsbook website that stole their information, and would think about more recent websites they were on. Komissarov had used an alter ego when he signed up for the website, so if authorities ever got onto him, he’d either be long gone, or he’d just be one caught fish, much like what happened before, with the police not realizing how large the operation really was.

Sascha Nikolayeva was one of 24 people staffed by Komissarov to enter the picks that Alexei and his buddies told her to enter. Alexei’s group analyzed all the matches for the Blue Chip Group Challenge and made what they felt were educated picks and included one or two silly picks designed to make the fan at the other end think that they were clueless. They would not win all of the time, but Komissarov felt that they would win more then they would lose, and even when the did lose, people would just get more and more confident, and lose in the long run. Nikolayeva realized she was doing something that was illegal, but had no idea on the size of the operation that she was a part of. She was compensated very well, as were all of the other staffers. Alexei’s group that did the analysis of the World Cup games created a fun and lively workplace for them, so they enjoyed their time there. Bonuses were promised, and would be paid if the goals were met.

The instructions by Komissarov towards his staff for matchday 2 were that those who defeated most of their opposition on matchday 1 would make extra silly picks if they were having a “revenge” contest. After all, if someone lost two matchdays in a row, they might not keep coming back. But if they won on matchday 2, and saw extra poor picks, then they would be back for matchday 3, and at that point, most are locked in for a while.


Meanwhile, at his home, Nick Sheldon made his picks, having no idea what was going on. He thought he had a good day and checked the results:

Your Picks of:
Audioslavia (3), Busoga Islands (3), Chromatika (-2), Taeshan (3), Zwangzug (3), Mercedini (3), Sarzonia (-2), Tequilo (1), Kelssek (3), Free Republics (3), Xanneria (3), Cosumar (3), Valanora (3), Newmanistan (1), and Damukuni (3) earned 31 points!

Sascha’s Picks of:
TJUN-ia (1), Kohnhead (3), Terre Septentrionale (3), Main Nation Ministry (3), Mkabia (-2), Valentine Z (-2), Darmen (3), Port Ember (-2), Kelssek (3), Abanhfleft (3), Noooooooooooo (3), HUElavia (3), Starblaydia (1), Mavinet (-2), Vilita (3), and Poafmersia (-2) earned 21 points!

Congratulations! $1,500 has been added to your account.

Would you like to challenge Sascha to a best two out of three?

Nick laughed. He knew Sascha had to have just gotten lucky in the first day. Beat her by 10 here? He couldn’t make that challenge fast enough.

He kept refreshing the website over and over, waiting to see if Sascha would accept. His wife wondered why he kept doing this, and when Sascha didn’t accept before he went to bed, it was the only thing on his mind. His wife could tell something was bothering him, and he knew it, so he lied and said it was about a possible job interview. In the morning, while his wife was making coffee and getting ready to go about her day, he saw that Sascha accepted.

“Yessssssssssss!” he exclaimed louder then he thought he was.

“Got the interview?” his wife asked.

Nick knew there was no way out of that. “Yes, hun. Yes I did!” he replied.