Cup of Harmony 77 - everything thread

by **Torisakia** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:41 pm

July 2, 2020
9:27 PM TST

GBN Torisakia receives backlash for production, design choices for soccer broadcast

TOKAI - GBN Torisakia, who recently acquired the broadcasting rights for Torisakia national association football team and TSL matches, has received an assemblage of backlash from fans online about the design of their broadcast of the Torisakia-Huayramarca Cup of Harmony match earlier today. Despite Piwcir Corporation, the owner of GBN Torisakia, allowing TSPN to air the remaining matches of the Cup of Harmony, GBN Torisakia simulcast the match with their own production crew, including commentators and graphics. It was not long into the 1:00pm TST broadcast that viewers took to social media to announce their displeasure at the production and design choices done by GBN Torisakia. A general consensus among the viewers was that the on-screen graphics, such as wipes and scorebugs, looked "low budget" and "overall clunky". Another major complaint was that the scorebug was done vertically, rather than horizontal like TSPN, TCBS, and TBC all have. Viewers stated that this vertical scorebug covered up a good portion of the screen and was "generally an eye sore".

"This score bug looks like it was done by a kindergartener. What gives @GBNTorisakia?" a user said on Twitter.

GBN Torisakia's scorebug
for the Torisakia-Huayramarca match

"Not even a full match in and they've already messed up. Please @TSPN buy the rights back so we don't have to see this garbage all season long." another user said.

The poor design comes as a surprise to many given that Piwcir Corp has been an established telecommunications conglomerate for over 40 years and has been owner of many popular Torisakian television networks such as iON4, Telcove, and DigiDot. All three are well known for their professional grade graphics and production, especially since the rise of digital television in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It would seem that GBN Torisakia's poorly designed graphics and clunky production is very much out of character for a station owned by such a prestigious company.

Example of TSPN's scorebug

It does indeed seem that many of the graphics that GBN Torisakia incorporated into their broadcast of the Torisakia-Huayramarca match were hastily put together. Most notably the scorebug, which looks to have been amateurishly made in Photoshop using default computer fonts. Scorebugs are not known for their flashy text and complex shapes, but compared to TSPN and TBC, GBN Torisakia's is fairly simplistic. One feature that stands out is its vertical orientation. In most cases, the scorebugs are horizontal as to not take up as much of the screen during a broadcast. This is evidenced by both TSPN's and TBC's scorebugs, which run from left to right to tie in with the natural reading direction. While GBN Torisakia's probable plan was to compact the scorebug to take up even less of the screen, they ended up doing the opposite. For the entire match, the scorebug was placed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Due to its opaqueness, it frequently covered up areas on the pitch where the ball was being played. GBN Torisakia seemed to try and fix this by changing camera angles from the wide shot 'broadcast' view to 'wire' view that's commonly seen in TFL games. This still proved to not fix the issue as the scorebug still covered up many portions of the screen where a lot of the action was occurring. The only "good" feature that can be taken away from it is the inclusion of the team's records, which would be handy for TSL matches. Otherwise it's pointless, especially in a tournament such as the Cup of Harmony.

Example of TSPN's scorebug

Piwcir Corporation has not responded to the backlash, but given their track record of punctual public relations we can expect them to release a statement sometime in the morning. Despite the negative feedback, viewers must remember that GBN Torisakia is still in its infancy stages. TSPN, TBC, and TCBS all went through the same phase and it took them a bit to get it right. The chances of the current graphics sticking for GBN Torisakia is slim, even if there was no backlash. It is entirely possible that they wanted to test run a graphics package before they broadcast the upcoming TSL season and figure out all the bugs and glitches so that they can avoid them in the future. Fans can only hope that things go better for the new home of TSL broadcasting, especially one that is not as established as previous television partners. As for national team matches, it's no huge loss for Torisakians if the scorebug blocks the view. The only thing they will miss is another high scoring draw.

by **Electrum** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:44 am

Centralis Herald - Comment - Stewart Faraday

A date with destiny

For The Bolts to keep their dream in advancing to the Cup of Harmony knock-outs, they must win their next match against South Newlandia.

Even in the darkest of hours, a candle shines bright. And that's what The Bolts are to the country at the moment. With the confusion of coming out of a time loop in recent months, how better to unite the country than with a successful campaign at the Cup of Harmony? Expectations have been low, of course, our sixth place finish in qualifying was nothing to be ashamed about, but nothing would lift the spirits of the country more than making it into the knock-outs. It would be a way to announce to the world that we have come back.

And Akarelm knows that. The Vilitan, whose contract has been extended into next season, has had the frankly unenviable task of managing the national team. The task of transitioning a team full with humans to a team that is half-human half-bizarre creatures, with players foisted upon by the ever-benevolent The Computator, is frankly one that no-one would ever want. It is thanks to the generosity and the patience of Akarelm, however, that the national team has regained some modicum of respectability, surpassing all of the debuting teams during qualifying.

Some of Akarelm's ingenious adaptations for the non-human creatures on the team include having Seb (the Sentient Energy Ball) spend an hour before each match inside a de-magnetisation chamber to prevent him from electrifying opponents accidentally, to having Egg start upside down during setpieces in order to generate the momentum of being a bottom-heavy ovoid to generate speed. Frankly, playing against the Electrumite national team sends shivers down the spines of other teams, as they try and manage the panic of facing against 3m tall armoured bear, King Einnarson. With these strange creatures supplementing captain Alan Moore's ability to craft defence into offence and Nindethana's football IQ, it's a recipe for chaos.

The Elephants of South Newlandia have a difficult task ahead of them. How do you face against a robotic android shaped like a flightless bird, given that even accidental contact of its talons will lead to the shedding of blood? How does one face against a flying five-dimensional custard still in its tin? Find out tomorrow as all hell will break loose in the oddly named city of Trink, who are known more for their affinity of fireworks than chess.

by **Tequilo** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:15 am

TAPALUPÉ, Tequilo - So many match days, so little time… don’t worry, when you don’t have time for the big read (and we don’t have time for the big write) let the GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-a!!! Daily take the strain - all your favourite bits, in brief. But first - some editorial business:

[ANOTHER RETRACTION]
We haven’t accidentally left this is from last time like some basic intern copypasta error - this is another real retraction. We apologise for yet another publication on our website of an email from one of our staff writers, which was intended as a private communique to the GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-a!!! Editor. We are investigating this serious breach of protocol (and yes, that is a passive aggressive threat to the culprit - we will find you…) Please note the email does not represent the magazine’s official editorial policy and was removed immediately.¹

And, now on to the business of the day - first, let’s fire up the Copametro and find out how Los Pitxileros did in the Cup of Harmony.

ETHANE BLOWN OUT BY FIERY TEQUILO
Tequilo 2-1 Ethane HT: 0-1

Location: King’s Wharf, Breton [Att: 39,366 ] | Date: Bruming-21.° SB-621
SCORERS: Niño Pinto 57’ Tlacolotl 73’ | Hope 44’

Player of the Match: Callañuapa (Tequilo)
Booked: Bailén | Montoya, Capradossi Sent Off: Tutayan | -

Los Pitxileros hit their target of seven points for group stage respectability with a stunning win over Ethane that keeps them top of the group - unbelievably - with a game remaining. At least one game in the knockout rounds looks a real possibility now as Tequilo came from behind with a fire in their bellies for a superb second half performance to take the points. Winger Tutayan was dismissed with a straight red card for a tackle on Montoya late in the game but the ten men held on well to take the points. With captain Mateo Tafalla out injured, veteran midfielder Callañuapa was the man running things on the night with another outstanding display belying his years, and earned himself another player of the match award. Young Niño Pinto continues to impress with his intermittent appearances, hitting a valuable equaliser close to the hour mark to cancel out Ethane’s lead, taken just before the interval. Tlacolotl, ever the predator, hit what proved to be the winner to give coach Isaac Martí a famous win here against a very decent national side.

After the stunning win over Ethane, the Agave-Blues stand on the brink of qualification to the knock-out stages of their first Cup of Harmony, but Coach Martí will be warning against complacency against the dangerously unpredictable Jovannic. Following his sending off, Tutayan will miss the final group game as Tequilo hope to seal the deal for staying on in Kelssek a bit longer - he will be replaced by Ricardo Bailén on the right flank. Patrick Zambo won’t recover in time following his knock in the game against Ethane and reliable cover comes from Geraitz Minha. Despite warning against complacency, the coach brings in three younger players to start this game, perhaps with one eye on the next round already - Ixtub Tün, Huachalla, and Alexandro Calvoecheaga with his first start for country. Meanwhile captain Mateo Tafalla returns to the advanced midfield and firebrand Isidor Artechevarria lines up alongside him.

Starting Line-Up for TEQUILO vs. The Jovannic:
4-1-3-2: Bienvenida | Minha, Apeiztegui, Huracán, Huachalla | Ixtub Tün | Artechevarria, Tafalla (Capitan), Bailén | Tlacolotl & Calvoecheaga

VENUE: Millenium Park, Redswyth

TRACE AND TRACK
What ever happened to Bobby Restrieu?

As we continue our series of celebrating connections between Tequilo and our various opponents in the Cup of Harmony, we take some time to consider The Empire of The Jovannic. Ask anyone in the city of Jocotulan, in Maranco state, what they know about the Jovannic, and they will gesture with their hands, indicating something of impressively large length, exclaiming ¡manos masivas! - massive hands. It is a common stereotype of the city, whether correct or not, and the origin of such an urban myth does have a logical explanation. Now, Tequiloan society is proudly inclusive - ingrained from the first settlements between the native Índigo kingdoms of Ixta, Huayna and Xico, and the incoming explorers from the Costelloan empire. As the legendary Huayna king Tepi Yacupaicu was reported to have declared to to the intrepid adventurer Uropa ‘Tequilo’ Mérika “now you, a word of warning, we don’t want any of this ‘conquistador’ nonsense that we’ve been reading about in another dimension - this land is your land, and this land is our land, and we are perfectly capable of sharing it” - to which Uropa Mérika was entirely agreeable. This was the first step in the chaotic harmony of modern Tequilo, and generally speaking, it is a diverse and equitable society². One in which a strange foreign Jovannic boy with peculiarly large hands and a genetic fault that led to a quite extraordinary mutation could be celebrated for his deeds in the pitxi - that’s football to you and me - regardless of his unusual physical form. It’s just that, having never heard of anyone else from The Empire of The Jovannic, the good Tequiloa have simply assumed everyone there must be like that gifted young footballer.

Those of you not from Jocotulan will probably wondering, ‘what gifted young footballer is that then?’ - and if I say El Paleta you’ll likely nod and say, “ah, yes, Bobby Restrieu, The Shoveller - that lad at Fortuna Tulan, I remember now! He was Jovannic, was he? I didn’t know that.”

Yes he was, and now you do. Bobby was born in Tequilo of Jovannic parents, and grew up in the city of Jocotulan, and in his early years, it was notable that his paws were significantly outsized. “He’s going to be a big lad!” was the common cry from people who met him. He did grow up tall and strong - but not quite to the dizzy heights one might imagine. He was just your regular big fella. Apart from those hands. Signed for the youth team at the city’s second club, Fortuna, he was a promising young player and they certainly had him pegged for a giant defender of the future. It was during this optimistic phase that someone coined the nickname ‘The Shoveller’ - El Paleta - because he had hands like shovels, and the name stuck. By and by, Bobby turned out for the second team, and then the first team, and became a fixture in the back four. He was a decent, if not remarkable, defender in a non-remarkable team. He grew big but not giantesque, played well, won nothing but a lot of friends on the terraces. He was well liked in the city and at the club. The one - or two - remarkable things were his hands. No-one had ever seen anything like them. They stayed disproportionately large as he grew - and then his genetic condition changed, around the age of 25. It was Servatus Syndrome: thanks to a spot of faulty code in his DNA, Bobby’s body wanted to make more feet. In the latter days of his playing career, one hand looked perfectly like a foot - sparking debates about how he could legally use it in a match. For one season he wore a boot on it and used it freely, even scoring once. There was a moderate outcry - the Pitxi Code had to be changed to define handball as striking ‘the appendage connected to the wrist’ rather than just ‘the hand’.

Contrary to common belief, Bobby Restrieu did not retire after football to become a kickboxing coach. Today he earns his living as a sports cobbler - making specialist handcrafted artisan football boots that are highly prized by the best pitxi players in Tequilo. Rumour has it he has won the contract to supply boots for the next World Cup cycle. The players will be delighted to get a free pair - his boots, so they say, fit like a glove.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Issues That Are Pressing Your Buttons Right Now

The discussion started by L.B who complained that he was having to write to the editor too much, and the subsequent reply by O.G that he should just calm down and write ‘only when he feels like it’ has sparked an avalanche of further letters to the editor. Where to begin?

‘Angry of Yalranza’ writes: I am furious with ‘Orejas Grandes’ - It is all very well O.G suggesting it never did them any harm to write to the editor ‘every now and then’, but as we all know this laissez-faire attitude comes from a position of privilege and many readers do not identify with that, feeling very strong pressure to write in to the editor on a daily basis. A daily basis! It is too much! Our letters will suffer as a consequence, and then the likes of O.G will be dismissive of the content. It is a bitter spiral, I tell you!

Meanwhile, the calm and helpful Aurora Pozo offers: I sympathise with all writers to the editor, frequent and infrequent; but in any case it was not clear from the original letter from L.B what their letter was about. If they - or anyone else - wanted help to create better letters, perhaps of greater length and content, ought there to be some sort of class that the editor could set up? A Letter To The Editor 101? Where the editor could offer tips and tricks for successful letter to the editor writing?

A third point of view comes from Arador Isleño, of Lancastro: I felt it important to write in to the editor to represent all those who aren’t sure what to write to the editor - because I’m not sure either.

Hmm, food for thought there, Arador. In another world, the hunt for missing goalkeeper García de Corcoles continues. Harkahome Cheyenne cries: Don’t believe that wight from Wight! [T.R - yesterday’s letter; Ed.] García is not dead! García lives! García saves! If you read the last report it is obvious he survived the gunshot wound in Appalaxia - García is immortal! My partner is a doctor in Santa Olaya hospital in Tapalupé and he says he heard it from a visiting consultant ornithologist that García is undergoing specialist therapy in the almost-forgotten medical city state of the Landau Institute. García will return!

Finally, Rubèn Curto from Chanco Cóndor wonders: Is there any point asking about ’Touchdown in Kelssek’?

NEXT TIME
What’s Up In The Next Issue of GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-a!!!

Coming soon - Touchdown in Kelssek: staff writer Cariño Niebla lands in a foreign country to talk to the Agave-Blues about the upcoming Cup of Harmony [Yes, we accept this is a retrograde piece - Ed.] plus, who remembers ‘Oh Seung-Ja, the Quebecois’ - and her famous attempt to infiltrate men’s pitxi? There will be more Rúi de Los Rovas, and more letters too - always more letters, you poor folks feeling under pressure to write to me every day. Keep them coming, to spambox@gola.teq³.

FOOTNOTES
1Screen-grab copy reads:

From: Cariño Niebla <carino.niebla@gola.teq>
To: The Chief <editor@gola.teq>
Cc: The Intern <juan-line.juataguay@gola.teq>
Subject: Wrong Bus

Hello Chief

Thank you for your email and I accept your anger and expletives with humble equanimity, and will pass on your more pertinent observations to my hapless assistant, Todaspartes. Unfortunately this trip is certainly more of a challenge than I was expecting it to be and Todaspartes is driving me entirely loco with his disorganisation. I am sure you will be considering his position when we get back to the office having bungled almost everything so far - it will need my assertive interventions to make sure we can at least complete the first article you have commissioned, ‘Touchdown in Kelssek’, in a timely manner before the first game. Todaspartes has practically told me to forget it and move on, being the defeatist he has turned out to be, claiming I would need a time machine now to get the article out before the first match against Mercedini. Well, we’ll see about that - don’t you worry boss, I have a plan. A very solid plan. Of course, there has been another screw-up, I should warn you now, and we’ll put the blame for it very much at the door of my incapable companion.

After an argument with the hotel in Burnaby about the cost of the minibar, Todaspartes and I headed out to the bus station to get the express to Sherwood, to catch up with the squad at their training camp. We decided to take a cab to the bus station, since I was still feeling a little jet lagged from all the whiskey Todaspartes let me drink the night before, the bumbling fool. As has become increasingly frequent, he got into a flap about bus stations and would not listen to my directions to the cab driver, and then sulked when I insisted we required the Yellowhead Express, for he would have me headed up Route 15 on a wild goose chase. His constant interfering and my jet lag combined to confuse me in the busy bus station and we ended up on the wrong bus entirely and ended up Deerford, about 100km from where we should have been. The blathering idiot. We had to get a taxi to Sherwood and I enclose a receipt for expenses - I know this has blown my budget for the next six months but I took the executive decision it was the only way we would make it to the training camp in time for that Touchdown team meeting.

As you will have gathered from lack of attached article, we didn’t meet the team, and the training complex was empty. The security guard, refusing to come to heel at my command, was most unhelpful and I feel deliberately spoke with a thick accent which I couldn’t understand. Todaspartes said he told me the team had long since gone to Outineau which, despite Todaspartes now familiar protest, I think is a district of Vickery, so they must be having a look round the stadium; and if they have been long gone, they should be back soon. We agreed - well, I had to insist, to be precise - to stop at the Robbing Hoods hotel in Sherwood and await their return to their training base. I feel confident that I have now got Todaspartes under control, just having to tolerate his rolling eyes and judgemental shrugs, and we can get this article done - won’t be long now, Chief. I sit in the lounge window at the Robbing Hoods, and spy on the gateway to the team base, to pounce like the intrepid reporter I am just as soon as the team bus gets back from the stadium inspection.

2There remains a stigma about Pointy-Ears, we readily admit, as is common across the Costelloan Empire. It isn’t a dislike of people with funny shaped ears though. It’s more about the inherent aversion to the snootiness of a being 20,000 years old, who naturally makes for an awful know-it-all.
3Or TG Tequilo - really, do!

by **Kandorith** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 6:30 am

Shinonome Kyoai - International
News From The Empire

Vdara Trashes Into First Place

  Group 4                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vdara                       3   2  0  1   12   9  +3    6
2 Maccian                     2   1  1  0    7   5  +2    4
3 Kandorith                   2   1  1  0    8   7  +1    4
4 Delaclava                   3   0  1  2   10  12  −2    1
5 Filindostan                 2   0  1  1    3   7  −4    1

Kandorith did not have to play on matchday three, but there was no shortage of exciting matches; especially not in group four. Maccian drew Delaclava in a four goal game meanwhile Vdara completely obliterated Filindostan with a whopping five to one scoreline. This could cause implications for the Kandorese team, but Hayabusa is not concerned at all.

"I really want to congratulate Vdara on their amazing win" He said. "They have shown to be a very versatile side and are really a team to watch out for. Their previous game is a real wake up call for us and learns us we should never underestimate them. Of course we played against them in the World Cup qualifiers, so we know what to expect. Even though, I did not expect this myself. Vdara is a team which is quickly growing in these tournaments and certainly an interesting prospect.

"We will play on our best against them in the upcoming match and surely will be looking to try and close down the game as early as possible. Two draws might even be enough to stay alive in the tournament as some people are saying, but we want to win every match. We dropped two points against Filindostan and we need to get back on top of our game. I changed some of the positions around and will make sure we will perform on World Cup level again to show the world and the fans what we are made of."

There are two matches left for Kandorith, who sit third in the group currently with four points. Technically two draws could be enough to stay alive in the group indeed, but it would be a huge risk with Vdara performing like this and Maccian following a close second. The Kandorese team will face both Vdara and Maccian in the upcoming matches to take a shot at advancing from the group phase, something which is absolutely expected for the team to do. One win and a draw would surely do the trick but Hayabusa is going all in to win the remaining two matches. For the fans, they are waiting with anticipation to see their team play better after the slow match and disappointing result against Filindostan.

by **Timuria** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:42 am

Red Wolves Take Control of The Group

Timuria 2–1 Savojarna
Volkan Ayhan (49), Vatan Ercetin (77);Rika Lundell (13)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves came off their bye and continued where they left off against Electrum, needing an energetic second half comeback to secure the three points against a determined and skillful Savojarna side who used their defensive prowess to great effect, but couldn't prevent the Red Wolves offence from breaking through at critical points.

The matche began with the Red Wolves making early offensive moves, with Ismail Burhan getting the first chance, the through ball from Vatan Ercetin left Ismail in acres of space, however his chance creeped just wide of Iiro Pakanen's right post after he got his fingertips to the ball. The counter attack from the ensuing bungled corner allowed Savojarna to get the ball to Rika Lundell who left Kemal Colak in her wake and put the ball through the legs of Iskender Nur in the 13th minute. The Red Wolves would see a yellow card after Berker Balkan had a collision with Arvid Jotansson, which left both with a minor knock that both ran off.

Rika Lundell would get the chance to double her tally in the 34th minute, once again leaving Kemal Colak looking a step off the pace, her well struck effort saved this time by Iskender who tipped it wide. The Savojars would get a chance from the ensuing corner the ball falling to Jotansson after bouncing around the box and his effort was hooked clear of the line by Ozbek Sarikaya. Ozbek would fire off one of his occasional wicked long shots at goal, the swerving shot was palmed wide by Pakanen who looked as if they were taken by surprise by the left back's shot. The sides would go into the break with Savojarna in the lead and looking as if they were on course to take over the group.

The Red Wolves came out swinging in the second half, with a chance virtually from kick off, but Ismail sent the shot well wide in what could only be described as a total collapse in his technique. The Red Wolves wouldn't dwell on that however, with a Caner Turan cross finding its way to Volkan Ayhan, who hit the ball on the half volley and sent it past Pakanen. The Savojars would win a penalty in the 55th minute with Kemal Colak handling the ball to compound the bad day he'd been having up until that point. The penalty was nonetheless saved by Iskender which gave a boost to the Red Wolves.

Volkan Ayhan would see himself in the mix again, playing in Vatan Ercetin for his goal that would put the Red Wolves in front for the first time in the match. Then would come the chance to put the match beyond doubt, but Bayram Tansu sent the ball well over the bar in a shock to everyone in the stadium. Savojarna would have a late chance with Mikhail Jashkin's effort barely saved by Iskender in the 88th minute sealing the three points for the Red Wolves.

The result leaves the Red Wolves in pole position in the group with their toughest opponent out of the way and two wins out of two. This leaves them in position to secure advancement in quick order if results go their way and they get a win their third match against Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom who sit at the bottom of the group after losing their first two matches and coming off a narrow defeat at the hands of Electrum.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "We had the break to prepare for this match and it's paid off, Savojarna are an excellent side and no win can ever be taken for granted no matter how we're seeded or their form coming into this. It's still too soon to declare that we'll be going further in this tournament, it's boring, I hate saying it, you hate hearing it, but we're taking it one match at a time and we're absolutely focused on Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom and we're going to do a professional job against them, even if they're having some trouble in this group that only means we should take them more seriously and be ready for them to come and try to ruin our day."

When asked about his contract: "We're not talking about contracts or any of that, certainly not in the press and you should know by now, that I don't talk about these things here with you. It's nothing personal, but I have to behave in a professional manner as the manager."

Player Ratings:

Iskender Nur 7/10 - Made critical and effective saves that saved the Red Wolves today.

Ozbek Sarikaya 7/10 - Looked ten years younger and put on a good show.

Kemal Colak 5/10 - Nothing went right for him and he was rightly taken off.

Berker Balkan 6/10 - Had an error ridden day, but made up for it with his usual effectiveness.

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10 - Had a solid and quiet day, as per usual for the full back.

Ertan Renda 6/10 - Looked a bit invisible, but wasn't a liability.

Reza Karaduman 6/10 - Had a decent day, with few mistakes.

Caner Turan 7/10 - Caused trouble all day and was a fantastic nuisance.

Vatan Ercetin 7/10 - Got the winning goal and was all around dangerous today.

Volkan Ayhan 8/10 - A stellar day for the winger, who is so often overshadowed

Ismail Burhan 5/10 - Had an abysmal day in front of goal and was rightly taken off.

Substitutes:

Yildiray Sabuktiginoglu 6/10 - Came on and gave the defence just what it needed.

Bayram Tansu 6/10 - Had a dull match, with one bad miss.

Person of the Match: Volkan Ayhan - He got an assist and a very good day today, against a side who appeared to be well set up for neutralising him. His moment in the sun for the Red Wolves.

by **Trolleborg** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:44 am

Greetings, here we are, the TTV crew from Zwangzug. Unfortunately the latest news are bad, and we can tell they are very bad. Although we all, of course, expected that our team would easily take a ticket to the playoff, and even, perhaps, going from the first place in the group. However, everything turned out differently, and, sadly to admit it, the notorious instability of performance is clearly visible again. True, it is possible, and not without substantial reason, to blame what happened this evening on bad luck and the dubious decisions of the referees. However, the fact remains - having played with two opponents below ourselves in the KPB ranking, our team got just one point and now, we have to face the truth, most likely we won’t get into the playoff at all.

It all began in the match with Omerica as usual: with a powerful performance of our fans in the stands,

and then with the powerful attacks of our team. Already in the first half, the Trolleborg team could remove all questions regarding the winner. But, apparently, having decided that a draw in the first game was just an unfortunate accident, our guys relaxed and spent one chance after another, believing that they would score in the next episode. Opponent, meanwhile, although he was not in a hurry to attack, but competently fought back. So went the first half and most of the second.

Then after a free kick by Valgren, the goalkeeper of the opponents take the ball, but didn’t hold it, and after a real mess in the penalty area one of our three players who hurried to the ball put it into the net, but the referee ruled that all three was in offside position.

Almost immediately after a clever pass by Valgren, Kerr came one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and Skaloed came out the winner in a skirmish for the ball, but the referee again saw something. It seemed to us that he did not immediately determine what he find, but, having hesitated, he nevertheless indicated that Kerr was offside right from the beginning.

Our players loudly disputed this decision, but achieved nothing. It is not clear to the end what the set of factors that led to what happened afterwards, but it is obvious that big football sometimes does not forgive relaxation on the field. This lesson has not yet been fully learned by our players, and here is a reason to learn it, a really masterful shot from the opponents' forward in the 88th minute.

0:1, and all of our bright hopes crashed against the cold stones of reality. Rather unfortunate defeat, but defeat nevertheless. News that we share place at the bottom of the group table with Squorshelans, whom we considered the main opponents, is really small consolation.

by **Mercedini** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 11:47 am

77th Cup of Harmony MD3 Review
Mercedini vs. Euran Oceanian Territories
@ Stade De La Pacifique - Langlois, Kelssek

Bonour, Guten Tag, Bienvenida. Welcome one and all to Mercedini Sports Daily for more coverage of the 77th Cup of Harmony coming to you from Zwangzud and Kelssek. The action will undoubtedly heat up today with Mercedini beginning their first of three consecutive days in action, with their first match today against the Euran Oceanian Territories in Langlois. Tequilo and Ethane have set the early pace in the group, securing wins in their opening series of games, meaning Dini must find a result here to keep pace with the leading pack and make their group stage a bit more comfortable. Today's opponent are yet to pick up a point in their campaign and desperately need to pick up something from their remaining two games if they want to avoid an early elimination. Hype when playing the top team in the group is something Mercedini have seen in the past couple of cycles, they must perform well if they are to avoid another repeat of tournaments past.

Cup of Harmony: Sigh Of Relief

FULL TIME
COH | MD3
MERCEDINI 3
Chillotov 41', Karlovic 67', Talisky 70'
EURAN OCEANIAN TERRIROTIES 0
Langlois, Kelssek
Attendance - 28,497

It was one of the most feel-good results of the cycle so far, as Mercedini absorbed the pressure from themselves and the rest of the group, by pulling out a comprehensive 3-0 win against EOT in Langlois. That, combined with Tequilo stunning Ethane, means Mercedini and Tequilo are in a commanding position to qualify directly from the group, with Mercedini holding four points from two games, while Tequilo races away with seven points from three. Ethane remains in third, and sit a point behind the Golden Eagles, with both holding their games in hand. Crucially for the group, Ethane would still qualify by merit of being one of the best third placed sides, giving hope to the teams not yet in the top two that they can clinch that third spot and qualify anyway.

Everything seemed to work for the Golden Eagles on the day, with the attackers and the midfielders pulling the strings to create chances and pull the game entirely in their favour from the start. EOT were giving as good as they got in the opening exchanges of the game, with the shots raining in from both sides of the pitch, it really took your breath away. The limited Mercedinian areas of the crowd were making noise and making themselves heard, but they were outnumbered by the Oceanians and the local fans who were looking for an upset in their own stadium. EOT battled hard, but the pressure finally told as Mercedini took the lead just before half-time. It was a long goal kick from Hosset which was flicked on by Dostalok for Chillotov who was making in-roads past the back line. There was a sniff at offside as he collected the ball but he carried on to slot the ball underneath the sprawling body of Ross for what would eventually be the opening goal. There was a long pause following the goal as VAR was consulted, but the check was concluded and the goal stood. 1-0 Dini.

That was all she wrote for the first half, with the Golden Eagles a goal to the good and yet to concede at the tournament so far. For EOT, it was s*** or bust for a side which needed something from the match to keep them alive in the short term and increase their World Ranking in the long term. Oslograd surprised everyone by not surprising everyone, opting for a much more conventional game style to counteract the rather normal 4-4-2 formation which is a Mercedinian staple at this point. The energetic enthusiasm was also something which matched the speed at which Dini plays at, it was a mastermind performance in tactics from the Oceanians, but whether it works in practice remains to be seen.

Mercedini all but put the tie to bed with a second goal, this time from Karlovic. It came from a Garzallo corner which was whipped in with pace from the far side, it was punched out by Ross but only into the body of an Oceanian. The ball fell loose in the box and Karlovic was there to poke the ball home from the edge of the six yard box. It was an opportunistic goal, but he will accept it nonetheless, Mercedini now 2-0 up with just over twenty minutes to go in the game.

The clock was ticking down shortly after kick-off, with Adrian Talisky coming on to replace Chillotov who was likely rested for future games. He made an instant impact on the pitch as a rapid counter attack ensued, it was the first play he was involved with as Di Sansev carried the ball down the sideline. He weaved his way into the box and squared the ball to an arriving Talisky as the goalkeeper came to cut down the angle. Talisky took a touch with a defender arriving but still had enough time to roll the ball into the empty net for his first and Mercedini's third. If the points weren't safe before, they were now.

A clinical performance which was probably more than Dini deserved, but they have set out their stall for another Cup of Harmony title. In a cycle where good performances were hard to come by and good runs of form were barely found, this was one of the first times that Mercedini have found their footing in a tournament. A goalless draw wasn't ideal, but it was against a team who has gone on to beat all those who have crossed them. Couple that up with a 3-0 win and two clean sheets out of two to claim a top-two spot with a game in hand, and you have a team that could be returning to form at the right time. Nothing else worth of note in the match for either side, EOT's Duffy was denied by the skin of the crossbar in added time, but Mercedini's kept their clean sheet intact to claim their first win of the tournament. In Langlois, it finished Mercedini 3, Euran Oceanian Territories 0.

That's all from us in Kelssek, we will be back with action from Ethane vs. Mercedini, a match which could confirm Mercedini's passage into the knockout rounds with a game to spare. We hope you will be able to join us for that, and we wish you a good night and good health!

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:17 pm

Here We are Again

Salwan Mynhier

Ok, sure, mathematically speaking, it's not quite as bad as last time. We earned a point from our first match of CoH77, as opposed to losing through the first three matchdays of CoH76, but the effect is pretty much the same. With just 1 point from two matches over three matchdays, the Black-and-Reds are somehow among the third-placed teams. To be clear, we are tied for worst among third placed teams with fellow underachieving groupmates Trolleborg. Two years ago, we were dead last at this stage, with no points, and already effectively eliminated. In both cases though, we have the same task before us: win.

Anything short of two wins from the team's last two matches will most likely see them eliminated. Considering current group standings and the table of third-placed teams, four or five points seems very unlikely to be enough to advance. The full seven points still possible for the Black-and-Reds might even be enough to raise them to second in the group, depending on results elsewhere, but should be enough to climb high enough in the third-place rankings to advance. As I discussed previously, our team is not one that does well in this situation. With that in mind, it may be time to take a long, hard look at some of the players who have been mainstays on the team for years without much real success. Is it perhaps time for them to move over and make room for younger, hungrier footballers? Is it time to give Storsjo and Kazarov a chance at fullback? Should Tamela look to Marrish to give the midfield a wakeup call? Speaking against players like Ulcviecel, Dzarkhin, and Takala is heresy, I know, but what good are our veteran leaders if they can't help this team deliver when the chips are down? I can't imagine Tamela will stick around if the team fails to advance, and she might even step down if they do, as her joint status as Manager and board member seems to be a growing distraction for the SCFA. I hope whoever is found to take over the team heading into IAC 10 is bold enough to overahaul the roster, and force some players who've been coasting to re-earn their roster spots.

Those players (I won't name names here) can take a first step toward proving they still belong on the national team against Baggieland. A respectable performer in the most recent Baptism of Fire and World Cup Qualifying, they are nonetheless the lowest seed in the group, and an opponent this team should absolutely be capable of beating. A loss will surely mean elimination, while a draw might leave a slim hope, but would push us to the brink, needing a lot of help from other results to advance. They have followed up a matchday one draw against Trolleborg with a pair of losses to Twicetagria and Omerica, and are facing what is almost certainly their final match of the cycle. This could make for an easier match, with a discouraged, all-but eliminated team perhaps less likely to put forth their full effort. Tamela and her players will need to keep on their guard though, as an opponent with nothing to lose is always dangerous. One thing that's certain is that if this team suffers another upset tonight, people will start losing their jobs, and they will deserve it.

Elsewhere in the group, leaders Omerica are idle. Second-place Twicetagria will face off with Trolleborg, who suffered a loss of their own after their opening draw with Baggieland. The Trolls will be our opponents in a desperation match for both sides in matchday five, while Omerica and Twicetagria will meet in a match that will likely decide the group winner. Most prognosticators, myself included, predicted things to be the other way around. Of course, it's entirely possible for our match against Trolleborg to be entirely meaningless if both teams fail to win tonight. Isn't that a cheerful thought?

SRS Schedule

MD1:  SRS 3-3 OME @ Eglantine Park, Merano, ZWZ
MD2:  TWC 2-1 SRS @ Pallaci Pagoda Park, Bangkok, ZWZ
MD3:  BYE
MD4:  SRS v BAG @ Pallaci Pagoda Park, Bangkok, ZWZ
MD5:  TRL v SRS @ Eglantine Park, Merano, ZWZ

by **Newmanistan** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:23 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

TEAM TO GO ALL FEMALE?

By Brianne Henry,

It was something that we touched upon in a previous article in The Rocket Report, and it now appears as though the idea is gaining some traction. That is, whether or not Newmanistan will move to an all-female roster in soccer. It is something that will make the male soccer athletes very uneasy, but with a recent comment by Michael Starre saying that, “We will look at what has not worked in the past and stop trying to think that it can eventually work. Newmanistan has a lot going for it, and perhaps the approach needs to be a lot different when composing a soccer team.” Certainly, we can say that what has not worked for this team has been putting together rosters of men, or mostly men. Going back in the older days of this team, there have been women who have had important roles, but make no mistake, soccer has been a men’s sport.

The idea of using women stems for the successes of the baseball team. Ever since Newmanistan first attempted the World Baseball Classic, the all-female rosters have been extremely successful, and have won six titles. In no other sport has the Empire gone this route, and other then basketball, we have not seen any championships in them either. That said, there have been some championships in soccer. After all, the men are the reigning Campionato Esportiva champions. That should mean something, right? Teams of men have won the Cup of Harmony three times and even the Baptism of Fire. Qualifying for the World Cup has been the achilles heel over and over and over again of this program.

Nicole Parker, commissioner of the Empire of Newmanistan Women’s Soccer League, believes that it is time for the Empire to at least go 50-50 with men and women in soccer. “The big problem with this team is that they are not considering all of the potential players that are available to them. I am glad that a couple of women have shown up on the team, but none have played a major role. That needs to change. Michael Starre is coming in here and says he is going to ensure that the team has the best possible roster for World Cup 86, well that starts with fully giving some of the great athletes of the ENWSL a fair chance.”

Not everyone is on board with giving women a greater chance, and perhaps an exclusive chance on the roster. The players of the current Cup of Harmony team are the first candidates of it, but none of them should be feeling secure. They had their chance, and blew it. Blew it by losing twice to a team of drunks, allowing one of the teams who were the worst ultimate performers in the group stage of the World Cup. In fact, Qasden, as you might have saw, even lost to Hampton Island on the final matchday to be one of the worst performers overall. That result will not quite have us begin to consider players who are fifty years of age or over, but it is another example of why the Rockets qualification is a massive failure. In the Cup of Harmony, the team’s loss to West Pocono was even more unsettling and may have been one of the final straws. Now, it appears as though if the players of the current Cup of Harmony squad ever want to see international play again, then they better have more results like the recent 2-1 win over Geektopia, and finally get on the type of run like they should at least be having here. Otherwise, all female starts to look even more appealing.

by **Flavovespia** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:28 pm

With Flavovespia on a bye, let’s take a look at the 12 groups of the Cup of Harmony, and how things are standing just over halfway through the group stages:

Group 1

7 points means Tequilo have a very strong chance of making the Round of 32. They’ve carried over good form from the BoF 72 and WCQ 85, and should be into the knockout stages. A win over The Jovannic would confirm it. Mercedini in 2nd have key matches against Ethane and The Jovannic, and those will most likely decide the automatic qualifier in 2nd, the team in the mix in 3rd, and the team going home in 4th. Euran Oceania Territories, bottom on no points, will be looking at their last game against Ethane to try and salvage something from this tournament.

Group 2

2 wins for Krytenia have set themselves up nicely for qualifying to the knockout stages, although with their Pot 2 status, would’ve been hopeful anyway. However Chromatika, ranked 30th in the world, took a surprise loss to Talamia, some 92 places below them. With Krytenia still to play, their route to the knockout stages could be bumpy. Northwest Kalactin play Chromatika, in a match that will have a big say in who goes through. Talamia have matches against Krytenia and the eliminated Bluman Empire, and will likely see the latter as the best opportunity to get the points needed to go through.

Group 3

South Covello came into the Cup of Harmony ranked as the favourites on paper, being 15th in the world, and may were surprised by their draw against The Sarian. Matches against Legalese and then Oberour Ar Moro give them a high chance of qualifying, but it’s not guaranteed. Squornshelous got the two wins against the lower 2 ranked sides in the group, but were comprehensively beaten 2-5 by South Covello. 73rd plays 71st, but if there is a winner, they’ll have a high chance of making the Round of 32. Oberour Ar Moro are on the list of early eliminations.

Group 4

A group that seemed fairly open when the draw was made, and there’s been no shortage of action here. Vdara recovered from an early loss to post 2 wins. A matchup against Kandorith awaits them, and a win puts them through. A draw or loss, and they could be in the bubble for qualifying or missing out. Filindostan were Pot 1, but a draw against Kandorith ranked 3 below them, then a 5-1 drubbing by Vdara puts them in a tough position to advance, they could be a surprise early exit. Delaclava have no problems scoring, but have problems not conceding. With 1 from 3, qualifying looks tough for them, and with the way the sides have been playing, a high scoring thriller against Filindostan is on the cards.

Group 5

You’d have to be living a life of isolation in the woods here in Flavovespia to not know that they top the table. Flavovespia and Kohnhead both have a perfect 6 points from 2 games. The respective games against New Lusitania and Alba and Cymru will be seen by both sides as the matches to try and guarantee qualification in. Eastfield Lodge will hpe they can squeak through to the knockouts if they win against Alba and Cymru, in their crucial final match. Alba and Cymru and New Lusitania haven’t yet found the net, both will be hopeful of that. Sadly for New Lusitania, qualification looks all but over for them, a surprise early exit from Pot 1. They’ll hope to at least get a goal in the match against Flavovespia, although the Flavovespian defence aren’t going to be that sympathetic to their plight.

Group 6

Jeruselem lead, but their loss against TJUN-ia means they still need to get it done against Sharktail to make sure they progress. Sharktail played out a 5-5 against Eraman in the tournament, but a win over Garifunya leaves them with 4 from 2. Being statistical underdogs against TJUN-ia and Jeruselem means they’ll have to give it their all to make it through. The group is still relatively open however, and even Garifunya at the bottom aren’t out of it yet it seems.

Group 7

There’s nobody running away with group at the moment. Astrograth and Poafmersia (Potato Farmers) on 4 from 2, probably both feel they have the best chances to go through, and with them facing off in the final Matchday, it’s reasonable to think at least one of them will. Port Ember are another big name who haven’t quite found their feet in the Cup of Harmony 77. Huayramarca, ranked 110 places below them, is a must win if they are to stand a chance of not being a Pot 1 exit. Torisakia with only 2 points from 3 will have a mammoth task to make it through, but won't give up until it's all over.

Group 8

Darmen are the only 9 pointers so far, and are assured of qualification. Behind them it’s still fairly close. Riena will see their match against Cheergirls as the opportunity to move to 7 points, which is a likely cut-off point for qualifying. Cheergirls will however want to see the opposite, to set themselves up with a key final match up against Jeckland. Balqia have only 1 from 3, and even a win over Jeckland probably eliminates them anyway. Jeckland are still looking for a point, but their last 2 games are definitely places they could pick one up, or even three.

Group 9

Omerica have 7 from 3, and without a loss to Twicetagria (Twicetagrium and Jype) in their last game, will more than likely qualify. Twicetagria however have a perfect record so far, including a win over Pot 1 Squornshelan Remnant States, and will fancy their chances of a knockout place. Squornshelan Remnant States and Trolleborg, each 1 from 2, face off in the final Matchday, that match could decide if either of those qualify for the knockout stages. As the 2 aforementioned teams play each other, it’s hard to see Baggieland making the Top 3, let alone qualifying with a maximum 4 points achievable for them now.

Group 10

A perfect start puts the Busoga Islands on course to qualify for the knockout stages, especially as they have the lowest ranked side in the tournament Sylestone yet to play. Behind them it’s all to play for. Xanneria lost to Mavinet, and although they beat Sylestone, still have Pot 3 Independent Athletes from Quebec and Pot 2 Busoga Islands to play. Sylestone still have a good chance of a knockout stage appearance in their debut Cup of Harmony, if they can get a win over either Busoga Islands or Mavinet. Mavinet still have a good chance of 6 points, playing Sylestone last. Independent Athletes from Quebec will have to hope for a bit of a surprise against Xanneria to keep their dreams alive.

Group 11

Timuria have a perfect 6 points from the first 2, and have negotiated their trickiest fixture on paper against Savojarna. They’ll be hoping for at least one more win, which should set them on the way to the knockouts. South Newlandia have 4 from 2, and will hope a win vs Electrum and/or Timuria can set them up for a place in the final 32. Savojarna are still in with a chance, but if Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom upset them, it’s almost certainly all over. Electrum need a win over South Newlandia at all costs. Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom will be hoping to start scoring soon, and to at least come away with some points from the Cup of Harmony.

Group 12

A surprise at the top, with West Pocono on 6 points from their first 3 games. The Pot 5 team got the better of Newmanistan, over 100 places better in the rankings, and Barunia. Anything against Valladares, and West Pocono are almost certain to have an impressive knockout stage berth. Valladares are Pot 4, but have 4 from 2, including a 5-5 draw over Newmanistan. With West Pocono and Barunia to play, their chances of qualifying look good. Only 4 from 3 for Newmanistan, and their final match against Barunia is a must win if they’re to avoid joining a collection of underperforming high seeds in this Cup of Harmony. Geektopia are still in with a shout, especially as they face 2 lower ranked sides compared to them, in Barunia and Valladares. Although Barunia aren’t completely out of it, they’ve lost to the 2 lower ranked sides to them, and now must look for results against the two higher ranked sides.

by **Northwest Kalactin** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:44 pm

by **Mavinet** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:47 pm

© Dai Hoa Times
Cup of Harmony 77: Mavinet left pointless after late-game heartbreak
by Vu The An, Associate Sports Editor

Mavinet disappointingly dropped all 3 points in another defeat against Busoga Islands in the Cup of Harmony 77. The Water Buffaloes came off strong and came close to keeping 1 point from the game, but the Islanders persevered and shone at the right moments to secure 3 points on the City Athletic Venue in Zwangzug.

The Cup of Harmony third round of the group stage saw some crucial matches being played as teams vied for points to either consolidate their lead or to keep their hope alive. The Water Buffaloes belonged to the latter group of teams, hoping to recover and get a positive result after their defeat at the hand of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The task was not easy, however, when the opponent was the second-seeded team in the group. Busoga Islands ended their World Cup qualifying campaign 6th in their group with 40 points. Despite favoring defensive approaches to games, the Islanders still managed to score 43 goals over 24 matchs. Their journey in the Cup of Harmony had been advantageous, winning the first game against the Quebecois and had a bye day in the second round. They were certainly fresh and raring to go ahead of the game with our Water Buffaloes.

Head Coach Nguyen Minh Quan made a few changes to his 4-2-3-1 formation, obviously for rotation purpose. Ho Vu Thanh Hoang, Nguyen Huu Nghia and Ho Hung Dung were rested on the bench with Le Trung Tuyen, Lam Tri Thong and Mai Van Be starting in their places. Nguyen Quang Khai suffered a right ankle injury after the match with Quebec and would be forced out of the rest of the competition. Lam Tri Thong would now be the regular starter in the central defender position. On the other side, Busoga Islands started in a 4-3-3 formation. Kamu Jacobs, Ikshu Amitabh and Ibrahim Fatah are the ones to watch up front, with Kamu Jacobs being one of the most important players on their lineup.

Vu Tien Linh capped off a superb team play in the 16th minute with a calm finish into Hibbaan al-Shareef's goal. The quick passing between the Mavinese attackers caught the Busoga Islanders' defense off-guard and Vu Tien Linh, with his clever movement off the ball, slipped pass the back four and defeat the 34-year-old goalkeeper.

The 53rd-ranked team did not waver after the first setback. Their defense was tightened and attacks were organized in a very efficient manner, taking very few passes to get close to Mavinet's goal. In the 29th minute, Channeh Jarju blasted a shot from 18 meters out that goalkeeper Nguyen Hoang Trung failed to reach in time to keep out. The score was equalized for Busoga Islands.

Ikshu Amitabh then doubled the opponent's tally 2 minutes to halftime with an accurate header at close range after Tran Quoc Anh conceded a freekick in a dangerous area. Mavinet's defense switched off for a moment and let Amitabh infiltrate the box 6 yard box to score their second goal.

Head Coach Nguyen Minh Quan ordered a more aggressive approach in the second half to regain control of the game. Two creative players, Tran Hoang Minh and Tran Le Nguyen Vu, orchestrated multiple promising attacks from midfield to pile up pressure on Busoga Islands. If it wasn't for Hibbaan al-Shareef's excellent performance in front of the goal, the Water Buffaloes could have got their equalizer a lot sooner. But our efforts paid off in the 81st minute when Vo Thanh Hai, the ever-reliable striker, pulled off a wonderful dribble before defeating the goalkeeper with an accurate inside foot finish.

When Mavinet fans thought the team would leave the match with at least 1 point in hand against a strong opponent, Busoga Islands proved why they are the 53rd-ranked team of the multiverse. In a 87th minute corner, the late substitue Hassan Thiaw defeated Nguyen Huu Nghia in the box to score the winner for Busoga Islands. In a crucial match, how the result comes out will almost always depend on who can keep their heads until the last second. Unfortunate for us, Busoga Islands were the more focused team in this occasion and got the most out of the match.

Mavinet once again failed to get a positive result to put us in a stronger position before the last match. After 3 rounds, Mavinet now drop to fourth in the group. In the other matchup of the round, Sylestone staged an upset against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec with an 4-3 win. With this surprise result, Group 10 became a lot more unpredictable as there is now a 4-way tie in the lower 4 spots. All 4 teams have 3 points, with Mavinet and Quebec at a slight disadvantage due to playing 1 match more than the other two. The Water Buffaloes can still make it to knockout stage if they can get a win against Sylestone, the lowest-ranked team in the group, and results elsewhere go their way. Although Mavinet may have the rank advantage, Sylestone is not a team to underestimate, especially after their win against Quebec. If any team should understand how upset works, it should be Mavinet. There must be no complacency in this must-win match.

Mavinet will have its bye day in the fourth round of the group stage. This will provide much-needed rest for the team and Head Coach Minh Quan will have more time to prepare his squad for a very important match.

MAVINET - 2
16' Vu Tien Linh
81' Vo Thanh Hai

BUSOGA ISLANDS - 3
29' Channeh Jarju
43' Ikshu Amitabh
87' Hassan Thiaw

by **Vdara** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:28 pm

Vdara 5-1 Filindostan: Social Media Edition

Just like the previous two matches, fans of Vdara and Filindostan took to Twitter and Instagram to voice their thoughts - good or bad - about the match between the two nations.

The game was indeed fantastic, and by halftime many Vdarans were enjoying themselves.

Amazingly, it got even better for Vdara, to the dismay of fans of Filindostan.

With that result, Vdara needed to beat Kandorith, who have done quite well so far, to reach the knockout rounds of the Cup of Harmony. As the table stands, they sit 2 points behind Vdara with a game in hand, but they sit behind Maccian on goal difference, as they also sit 2 points behind with a game in hand. Whatever the result against Kandorith is, Vdarans can take pride in the fact that Vdara equalled their largest win this tournament with that 5-1 victory.

by **South Newlandia** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:44 pm

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports -> Soccer
South Newlandia has time to relax, to face interesting opponent

The Elephants had time to spare in Trink during their bye day ahead of their third match. Along with training, they also tried the local’s favourite game, Hanabi, and found some time to relax. They hope to have a physical advantage over the Electrumite squad coming from three games in a row. Today, we have some time to talk about the scores of Matchday 3, about the World Cup, talk about the implications for the South Newlandian group in light of the knockouts, and we will interview Manuel O’Neill.

Results for Group 11, Matchday 3

Electrum (128) 1-0 Zeta Reka and Hügeltadom (98)
After two losses, Electrum is back with an important win. If the Bolts want to keep any chances to qualify, the need the win against the Elephants. Zeta Reka finds themselves in deep trouble after two games, as they remain on zero points. They will probably need two wins against Timuria and Savojarna now, or at least start scoring any goals.

Timuria (44) 2-1 Savojarna (59)
Timuria is looking great after two games with six scored points already, and they proved why they are the favourites. Savojarna, meanwhile, have only four points after three games, which isn’t terrible, but they probably hoped for more. In the remaining game against Zeta Reka, they will look to secure their advancement to the knockouts.

Interview with Manuel O'Neill

Our reporter: Good afternoon Manuel O’Neill, thank you for making this interview possible and taking your time.
Manuel O’Neill: My pleasure.
OR: While their national team has just secured their advancement, Zwangzug is also busy hosting half of the Cup of Harmony. The Elephants are playing in the eastern part, and right now, we are in Trink, where the game between South Newlandia and Electrum will be played. How do you like Zwangzug and Trink?
MON: It is quite nice here, I like it. It also resembles home in some ways, but it’s just so much bigger. Trink, I am not so sure about. No offense, but it’s not my personal favourite. I can’t even point to why.
OR: We have heard that the South Newlandian team also tried Hanabi, the most common card game played here. How was it?
MON: To be honest, it didn’t go too great. The whole theme of seeing everyone’s cards but your own isn’t bad, but it’s extremely weird to me and most of the team. In the beginning, it didn’t only feel like we played a children’s game, but it felt like we were bad at a children’s game. Maybe that’s just me. Anyways, we will stick to soccer and chess, with some baseball maybe. We just prefer our stuff sometimes.
OR: During the World Cup Qualifiers, you temporarely lost your spot to Tommy Anderson, but you fought back and are now back in the first 11. How was this time for you?
MON: In South Newlandia, the fight for the first eleven is always open. I like Jack, Tommy and Karl, and all of them are good Centre Backs as well. No position is ever set in stone here, no one has a save starting spot, not even Mikhail. It wasn’t a removal of me, it was rotation, and that’s common in our team. I had played a few weaker games, so it was fair and expected.
(To be continued)

Meanwhile, at the World Cup

The World Cup is currently underway in Farfadillis and Mriin, and there were already some interesting results after the Group Stage just ended, with the Round of 16 to come. Some favourites went out already, among them the reigning champions from Farfadillis, the best offense from the WQC in Cassadaigua, and Equestria and Kita-Hinode already out is a surprise too. Some unexpected teams qualified for the Round of 16, among them our current CoH hosts Zwangzug and Kelssek. Nephara surprised everyone by still qualifying after losing the first two games. Valanora and Pasarga, the South Newlandian group opponents from the Qualifiers, are also done in their groups; Valanora is one of the teams winning all three games along with The Holy Empire and Turori. Pasarga has been eliminated with two points.

Starters for the game against Electrum

Only one change was made before this game, as Brandon Irving will be replaced by Michael Glossman. The new player in the team will be playing only his second game of his career for South Newlandia.

Current standings

* Group 11                            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Timuria                               2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 South Newlandia                       2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Savojarna                             3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
4 Electrum                              3   1  0  2    1   3  −2    3
5 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom             2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Schedule for Group 11, Matchday 4

Zeta Reka and Hügeltadom (98) vs. Timuria (44)
While this is a must-win game for Zeta Reka, Timuria can probably lean back a little, as they should already be more or less through at this point.

Electrum (128) vs. South Newlandia (101)
We don’t exactly know how the Electrumite roster works. There seems to be some sort of sentient energy ball and multiple more non-human players. The current squad of the winners of the 78th World Cup is full of surprises, and we don’t know if the Elephants can overcome this challenge. Looking at the standings, a win is probably very important for both teams. Without one, Electrum will probably be eliminated without one, while South Newlandia might already qualify for the knockouts with a win. In any case, this is going to be a crucial game, and both sides will be fighting for the win.

by **Chromatika** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:45 pm

Chromatik City Courier
Jordan Lawless, Sports Columnist

Cup of Harmony Matchday 2: Chromatika 2-3 Talamia @ Stade de la Pacifique, Langlois, Kelssek
Chromatik Scorers: Andisori, K. ('19), Dias ('49)
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ria; Xiao - de Aea - Will - Ilya; Armageddon - Dias; Victoriane - Mora - Dragana; Andisori, K. (C).
Substitutes: Friedman -> Will ('54), Conrad -> Dragana ('73), Kuzami -> Mora ('81)

Stade de la Pacifique, Langois, KELSSEK -

After this latest upset at the hands of Talamia - a last-minute gaffe - Konrad Evans and Kathleen Everdeen are really in the danger of being fired from their position as the Manager and Assistant Manager of the Chromatik National Team.

After posting a 15-3-5 record in the previous World Cup (including the Proper Group Stage where the team finished third), the team sank into the worst qualifying campaign of Chromatika's history with a 12-3-9 record this previous marathon of a cycle.

Now, after posting a victory and a defeat in the first two games of the Cup of Harmony group stage, Chromatika must post results in their matches against Northwest Kalactin and Krytenia to avoid crashing out in the Group Stage in a tournament that they are the third highest seed at. Also of note is that there will be 32 teams in the knockout stages this time around, meaning not making it to the knockouts would place Chromatika in the worst eighteen teams at the tournament.

When asked about the pressures that they are facing, Evans was the first to state that he is focusing on the immediate task at hand - taking down a Northwest Kalactin squad that the team has played to a draw and a loss during the qualifying campaign already.

"We can talk about that once we've actually made an impact on this tournament," the Nepharim Manager was quoted as saying, "Please do not distract the squad."

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:49 pm

By Peter Davis

TJUN-ia is at a crossroads. After beating Jeruselem 2-0 on MD1, it suffered a 2-0 defeat to Eraman on MD3. The same scoreline, just totally different games. In MD1, TJUN-ia was strong and calculated. In MD3, TJUN-ia looked weak and a pushover. David Seems needs to find a balance between these two TJUN-ia before we default to the one we hate the most.

The crossroads are at the Community Stadium in Arvika, Kelssek. Not far from the arctic circle, many expect the aurora borealis to be in the sky on a night where we decide our fate. The team that is the deciding factor is bottom of the group, 157th ranked Garifunya - the puppet of current WBC champions Nova Anglicana. De Dolfijnen play in a 3-4-3 diamond and they finished 9th in their WCQ group, like the Jaguars. This team might be cut entirely if they don't perform at this tournament, so you can expect Stefan Schuurmans to rally his men into getting points on the board and fast.

TJUN-ia must decide where its fate lies at the CoH. Does it want to enter MD5 still in the hunt for qualifying for the knockouts for only the 3rd time in history? Or does it crumble against de Dolfijnen and assures that the nation will have more attention on the upcoming World Bowl? David Seems and his men must decide the fate of this campaign. No matter what happens, I hope you all watch with intent. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE
MD1: vs Jeruselem (42) - Griffin Park, Novonaya (39,200) W 2-0 (1st)
MD2: BYE (2nd)
MD3: vs Eraman (60) - Canada Stadium, Neorvins (66,300) L 0-2 (4th)
MD4: vs Garifunya (157) - Community Stadium, Arvika (34,700)
MD5: vs Sharktail (109) - Macquarie Docklands, Latrobe (cap. 55,700)

by **Valladares** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:23 pm

The Grand Debate ahead of the next Valladar General Election was scheduled for a hot Thursday night at one of the most recognizable landmarks of Canalave, the iconic Tower Castle complex, where the Mackarin Tower that appears on both the state and city flags is located. There came the leaders of all the main political parties in Valladares, vying to become the nation's new Prime Minister, to present their views on the current topics in Valladares: the current turmoil in the eastern zones of the Mountbatten state brought by the approval of the Law of Secession by the recently dissolved Royal Parliament, and the international repercussions derived from the test of the Mega Bomba in Terra Henrius. With the Conservative, Liberal, Labour, Catholic, and Green candidates all arriving in time, the debate began at 19:00 broadcast live and live on the main television channels. TVV News anchor Patrick Hollander, who was going to be the event's moderator, welcomed everyone by presenting the five candidates.

Patrick Hollander: And welcome everyone to the Grand Debate for the 23rd Valladar General Election, broadcast by an alliance of domestic TV channels, in which the citizens will have the chance to listen to the views of our candidates for Prime Minister and the ones of the parties they represent, who will be hoping to be represented in the Royal Parliament. I would like to thank all candidates for accepting this invitation, starting with Alana Michel, representing the Green Party.

Alana Michel: Good evening, it's a pleasure to be here.

PH: We'll continue with the Father Pierre de Roux, representing the Catholic League of Valladares.

Pierre de Roux: Good evening, Patrick and everyone. For me it's also a pleasure.

PH: Representing the Labour Party, former mayor of Fontvielle Florent Philippe.

Florent Philippe: Bonsoir, Patrick. Bonsoir everyone. I hope we have a productive discussion and exchange of ideas tonight.

PH: Allow me to greet next the Liberal Party candidate, Édouard Berthier. Welcome, Mr. Berthier.

Édouarde Berthier: Good evening, and thanks for the invitation.

PH: And last but not least, the candidate for the Conservative Party, Maxime Gerrard.

Maxime Gerrard: Bonsoir à tous.

PH: With all candidates ready, let's begin with the debate. Tonight we will have two critical current topics: the situation at Mountbatten state and the Mega Bomba tested by the last Royal Government. The debate will be divided into two sections. In each of these, I will give the floor to each one to present their point of view for a maximum of 3 minutes. At the end, when everyone has made their respective presentations, candidates will have the right to one reply to some other candidate, who in turn will have two minutes to answer. If everything is clear, we will start with the domestic section and Alana Michel's presentation. Mrs. Michel, you may begin now.

And so, the debate started with the five candidates explaining their parties' stance on the Law of Secession and the current situation in Columbus and the Mountbatten state. Whilst the Green candidate expressed her concern that the Supreme Court was taking too long to decide on the legality of the law, she confirmed that the Green Party would agree to the creation of the Angostura state since it was approved by its own citizens in a referendum. Philippe and Berthier both agreed that, in order to restore peace in Columbus and the other towns in eastern Mountbatten, the law should be rendered null and void and the status quo restored, although the Liberal candidate was open to a potential federalization of Columbus. On the other hand, Father de Roux said that while the Catholic League would wait for the Supreme Court to decide on the matter and abide whatever was to be decided, they would promote "talks of reconciliation" between the Hispanic and Anglophone communities in the entire Mountbatten state regardless of the outcome, a position to which the Conservative candidate adhered. And then, the moment for the replies came...

PH: Now that we've listened to the stances of all the candidates, we will start with the replies with the Green Party candidate. Mrs. Michel, who would you like to direct your reply to?

AM: I would like to reply to Mr. Gerrard. I must say that, (addressing the Conservative candidate) after the inept handling of the Columbus riots by Jefferson Pratt, your wish to lead talks between the Hispanophone and Anglophone communities is confusing and misleading. How are you going to restore the trust of the linguistic communities of Mountbatten in your party when first, your party leaders were accussed of doing illegal maneuvers to get the law voted by the Parliament by no less than Your Highnesses the Kings, and second, your leader did nothing else but further fanning the flames with that insulting speech the day after the first riots?

MG: Well Mrs. Michel, the Conservative Party has already acknowledged its share of responsibility on the events leading up to the current situation and we would like to reassure our voters in the Mountbatten state as well as in the rest of the nation who might feel alienated from us by those events that the Conservative Party will always strive for a peaceful convivence between the four linguistic communities of Valladares. Because of that, it's important that the involved parties talk to each other and try to reach agreements, and the party I'm representing today is open to moderate those spaces and help both sides reach an understanding. If my party is elected to hold the Prime Minister office, I'll be more than willing to lead those efforts. On the other hand, the Conservative Party always considers the will of the people, that is the reason why we supported the Law of Secession...the people from Angostura asked for it! What we won't accept is that some people, who are in their right to disagree with that decision, choose to express their discontent through actions outside the law and encourage others to do the same...and in line with that, I would like to make a reply...

PH: Fair enough, Mr. Gerrard. Who would you like to direct your reply at?

MG: If I am allowed, I would like to make a reply at both the Liberal and Labour candidates...since both parties have been so close to each other during this entire crisis that it's like if they both had the same brain (boos and jeers are heard from both the Liberal and Labour retinues). To continue with the last part of my response to the Green candidate, should the Supreme Court declare the Law of Secession legal, will you once again be inciting people to go to the streets and supporting acts of arson like you did after the vote at the Royal Parliament took place? (the boos and jeers intensified)

PH: I ask the public to remain silent, please! Candidates Philippe and Berthier, which one of the two would like to answer this reply?

EB: I would like to do it, Patrick. To address my fellow rival, I would like to clarify to everyone that the Liberal Party of Valladares was not behind the rioting in Columbus and the turmoil in Los Chorros and other towns of eastern Mountbatten and Greater Metropolis. The Liberal Party is against any and all expressions of violence, unlike some Conservative elements, who actually found no trouble to further ignite the situation...(boos and jeers now coming from the Conservative entourage)

That statement was enough to frown the Conservative candidate, who vigorously protested what his Liberal counterpart had just said and categorically denied that the Conservatives were fomenting further unrest. Gerrard's retinue followed up by yelling at Berthier, which led to another call for order by the moderator.

PH: Quiet, please! Mr. Berthier, you may now continue.

EB: Thank you, Patrick. As I was saying, we had nothing to do with the unrest, and instead we called for both sides to reach an understanding. Now to answer the reply, the Liberal Party is convinced that the approval of the Law of Secession had serious procedural errors, which should be apparent and sufficient for the Supreme Court to declare that law illegal. However, if they declare it legal, we'll express our opposition through respectful and legal means, not by inciting revolutions nor anything of the sort as our Conservative rival implies with such accusation...

MG: And what about that boycott of the Royal Parliament's joint session you did!? Isn't that illegal!?

PH: Mr. Gerrard, you already used your right to make a reply!

EB: The boycott was not illegal! But the attempt by your Speaker to deprive Liberal and Labourist MPs of their condition and erase them from the Parliament for the vote wasn't legal at all! (hysterical cries coming from the Conservative retinue, with Liberals and Labourists jeering back at them)

PH: Candidates, let's please respect each other's turn to speak! Everyone else, please stay quiet!

FP: Excuse me Patrick, but these accusations by the Conservative candidate are preposterous, to say the least, and I would also like to deny any involvement from the Labour Party in any capacity in those riots. In fact, the Labourist movement condemned the rioting at the time and also called for a dialogue between both sides. The fact that we, along with the Liberal party, consider that the split of the Mountbatten state is not the best way to address the concerns of the Hispanic population in eastern Mountbatten doesn't mean that we support violent uprisings and the like. As for the alleged boycott, freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are fundamental rights enshrined in the Royal Constitution of 1910, whose validity you defended to great lenghts to approve that law. We only exercised our right to not be present at a place where our voice was not guaranteed to be heard. And if that law is deemed legal by the Supreme Court, regardless of the many and evident legal vices that surrounded its approval, the Labour Party will not doubt to uphold the territorial integrity of the Mountbatten state and will pursue other actions, again, within the framework of legality, such as requesting Royal Intervention on the matter...

PH: Time's up! Mr. Philippe, you may now use your right to reply.

FP: Alright. I am going to reply to the Catholic candidate. Father, it's not a secret for anyone that the Catholic League have allied with the Conservatives for nearly the entire history of Valladar democracy to carry out your political projects. With the situation of discredit the Conservatives are currently going through as a result of the lousy handling of the crisis by their former Prime Minister Pratt, is your party really willing to back the Conservative approach to this situation?

PdR: Thanks for your question, Mr. Philippe. You are right that the Catholic League of Valladares and the Conservative Party have been coalition partners for such a long time, and that we share the same views in most issues. However, and this is irrespective of political stance or ideology, we consider that the best way to solve any and all discrepancy that might arise in any situation of life is dialogue. If the Conservatives or anyone else in this place believe in this tool as the way to start defusing this bomb, we'll be more than glad to support their efforts. Once again, I would like to state that those talks of reconciliation are the best way to close wounds and start improving the relations between both communities, be it in a state or in two of them. The Catholic League will support whatever decision the Supreme Court makes on the matter, and will also support whoever wishes to go ahead with those talks, because Christ always wanted those of us in a conflict to hear each other and, most important of all, to forgive our fellow.

PH: Thank you, Father. Do you wish to make a reply to any of your fellow rivals here?

PdR: Yes, I would like to direct a reply at Mrs. Michel. It's clear that the Green agenda mostly turns around environment and social issues, but we haven't heard much about domestic and foreign matters. Now, as far as internal affairs are concerned, you stated that the Greens would support the legality of the Law of Secession, but what would be your stance if the Law is deemed illegal by the Supreme Court?

AM: Thanks for your reply, Father. I would like to declare that the Green Party is respectful of the decisions made by the Judicial Power of Valladares, and in that line we'll accept whatever course of action the Supreme Court decides to take on the matter of the Law of Succession. We are convinced that it is the intention of the people of eastern Mountbatten to be in a state of their own, and we support their struggle. If the Supreme Court decides to declare the law illegal, we would like to invite the Hispanic leaders to submit a new bill to the Royal Parliament so it can be discussed more throughly and the concerns of the Anglophone population can be properly addressed. We are also supportive of any possibility that allows talks to be held to bring those two communities to a compromise that allows both sides to live at peace with each other, whether together or separated, because in the end, we are all Valladars!

PH: Okay, thank you for your intervention Mrs. Michel. And with this we conclude the first section of this Debate. We'll be right back for the international section, please stay tuned!

And so, after an hour of hot discussion between the five candidates to become the new Prime Minister of Valladares, the debate was going to a much necessary intermission to cool everyone's heads off ahead of the other hot topic still remaining in the agenda: the future of Valladares' international relations post-Mega Bomba.

by **Port Ember** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:05 pm

Top Score Magazine: Exclusive Online Article
A Look At The Clubs of the New Port Ember Football Association Premier League

As discussed during the article ”The Launch of the New Port Ember Football Association Premier League, thirteen new Football Clubs have been established and registered, whom will form part of the brand shiny new Port Ember Football Association Premier League this year directly following the conclusion of the 77th Cup of Harmony. As promised, we will release an article to introduce each new Club with every issue of Top Score Magazine (Online).

Just to serve as a reminder, each club who is now registered within the Port Ember Football Association Premier League has met the following requirements:

1. The applying club must appoint a Head Coach who has passed a International Accredited Coaching Clinic.

2. The applying club must own a stadium which can seat at minimum 50 000 spectators.

3. The applying club must ensure that this stadium maintains all utilities which would be considered up to international standard.

4. The applying club must establish and maintain training facilities which adheres to international standards.

5. The applying club must establish and maintain medical facilities which adhere to international standards.

6. The applying club must establish and maintain a merchandising and equipment factory which adheres to international standards.

7. The applying club must establish and maintain a Youth Academy which adheres to international standards.

Without further ado - the introduction of the next club...

Black Lake FC

Geographical Center of the Club: Port Ember Megalopolis; Black Lake Borough.
Home Stadium of the Club: Black Lake Stadium
Team Colors: Black
Main Sponsor: Aurentius Technologies Ltd
Team Manager: Tàmhas Herbert

Signed Players:
Goalkeeper: Korey Lawrence
Goalkeeper: Aylmer Houtkooper
Defender: Dominick McLean
Defender: Herbert Adcock
Defender: Lyall Bristow
Defender: Tracy Paddon
Defender: Memphis Jardine
Defender: Goodwin Ó Dubhghaill
Defender: Glen Woodham
Defender: Florry Beck
Midfielder: Kennedy Evanson
Midfielder: John Swift
Midfielder: Corbin Nash
Midfielder: Jaxon Lucas
Midfielder: Somhairle Jack
Midfielder: Conway Castle
Midfielder: Lucas Gage
Midfielder: Geffrey Whitney
Forward: Collin Cockburn
Forward: Danny Nicovic
Forward: Albert Penny
Forward: Conall Stevens

Star Players signed:
Midfielder: John Swift
Forward: Danny Nicovic

This Club managed to sign two Star Players ahead of the first season – and what a signing it was! Most important of this signings by far was the acquisition of the one and only striker Danny Nicovic. Danny is a Starting XI Striker for the national squad, and has been a part of the national squad since its inception in the form of the Port Ember Youth Development Program. Simply put, there is no other striker which can hold a candle to Nicovic at this moment. Not only is Nicovic the greatest living Port Emberian striker today, he is arguably one of the greatest strikers on the entire international scene. What a signing! Next up is Attacking Midfielder John Swift. Swift is a bench Attacking Midfielder for the national squad (also since its inception day, and although he is only a bencher, do not underestimate this young man’s abilities! He is regularly used in the national squad as a late game impact player. An added bonus would be the great chemistry that these two signed star talents appears to have on field, working together like a absolute machine when trying to pressure the opposition and exploiting gaps and scoring opportunities.

A Word

This club seems to have a strategy to place some emphasis on boosting a sort of offensive play, evident with the signing of Star Striker Danny Nicovic and Offensive Midfielder John Swift. The team managed to sign Aurentius Technologies Ltd as their head sponsor, which is a great sign that there is potential in this squad’s ability to rise to the top. For this team, I personally hope that the amazing, exciting and high octane offense which Nicovic and Swift possesses, rubs off onto this entire squad. This has the potential to develop new attacking legends, which would make for some exciting games, and most importantly grow the potential talent pool for the national squad in the long run. High Octane, fast paced, crazy risky attacking football is the very definition of Port Emberian football after all.
Lastly, interesting to note, is the fact that Midfielder Kennedy Evanson also hails from this Club. Although Evanson is not a Star Player (yet?), he is forming part of the national squad for the current Cup of Harmony, called up due to the death of Ray Redington. Thus although he is not a star talent yet, someone has seen enough potential in him to draft him for the national squad on short notice.

About the Home Town

The Black Lake Borough of Port Ember Megalopolis is situated on the northwestern edge of the super city, its borders touching the vast tropical jungle of Ember Rainforest. The Borough garners its name from the Ember Black Lake, situated roughly in the center of the area, as the borough was constructed with the lake at its heart. This Borough is known as the technological heart of both the city and the nation as a whole, possessing world renowned academic, technological and cultural institutions, playing host to some of the largest, most successful and pioneering universities, think tanks, laboratories and technological companies. This Borough has an interesting mixture of wealthy but casual professionals and young energetic rowdy students.

About the Stadium

The Black Lake Stadium is a modern grass & luxury stadium which seats 80 000 spectators. This stadium is a very large, modern an luxurious with many Executive Suites, reflecting the wealthy upper class nature of the geographical area. This stadium is also known for hosting science and technology conventions throughout the year.

Kit Revealed

Accepted Clubs of the PEFA Premier League:

- Waterstad Pirates FC (Covered in Issue 1)
- Lilly Black Kings FC (Covered in Issue 2)
- Gold Coast Raiders FC (Covered in Issue 3)
- Blacklake FC
- Greenfields Bulls FC
- Nirvana FC
- Eden FC
- Thurston FC
- Thurston Bergians FC
- Amanaki FC
- Amanaki Coast FC
- Beras City FC
- Real Beras FC

by **Squornshelous** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:39 pm

Recollection, Chapter 10
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Back in his hotel room, Markkus sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes stared, unseeing, at the faded blue carpet. From the room's TV, sports commentary harping on ad nauseum about the abysmal start by the Confederate national team drifted unheeded past his ears.

Somehow I knew she would be here, but how?.

I think you'll find Markkus, that how is not the most important question to ask yourself. The real question is, what are you going to do now?

For once he agreed with Melkochuk's insistent voice. It worried him. Somehow, his subconscious had navigated him to the one place in the entire multiverse where he could find the vanished Squornshelan footballer who had disappeared at some point during the blank space in his memory. he was convinced, now more than ever, that she was involved in whatever had happened leading up to his injury.

Do I try to meet her? I don't even know how, let alone what benefit it would have. Why would she agree to see me?

She was always a canny girl, Markkus. I'm sure your reappearance in her life will be intriguing to her.

Intriguing? She hated me, and I hated her too. I shouldn't have to tell you, the way you played us against each other.

Oh come now. Are you really going to tell me you never harbored the slightest liking for her? She's quite a striking woman after all.

Oh Zarquon, really Kiril? Do you think me showing up out of the blue and threatening her family was some kind of meet-cute? I don't have designs on every woman I've ever worked with Kiril, I'm not you.

Pity.

Markkus was too angry for any coherent response. That lecherous, arrogant, self-important . . .

I'm still here, you know Markkus.

I'll find a way to get rid of you Kiril. I'll fucking kill you, if it's the last thing I do.

I rather expect it will be.

Mentally turning away from the inane conversation that he knew in his mind was only with himself, Markkus returned to the issue of trying to meet Vang. He wasn't sure what might happen, but he knew he had to try. There was no way her disappearance, the onset of his amnesia, and Melkochuk's death could have all happened on the same night without being connected. She had to know what had happened, or at least some of it. If he could talk to her, persuade her to talk about that night, that could be what he needed to truly recover his memory. He couldn't go the rest of his life with his unconscious somehow knowing what had happened, but be unable to grasp it himself. He couldn't go the rest of his life with Melkochuk's voice in the back of his mind. If he learned what had really happened, maybe he could close the door on this whole sordid mess.

She must know at least something, and if there's even a chance hearing her side of things can spark my memory, I have to see her.

Despair flitted around the fringes of his mind, and the thought became a mantra he repeated until it faded.

Vang knows what happened. She'll tell me, and I'll remember. Vang knows what happened. She'll tell me, and I'll remember

I do hope so, Markkus, for your sake.

by **Legalese** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:48 pm

“Hello, sports fans! Joel Dondlinger here from Latrobe, the Culture Capital of Kelssek! With me is my partner in crime and football, Gabe Salomon.”

“Thanks, Joel. Just a quick correction for our viewers back at home. Latrobe, while the 5th Largest City in Kelssek and the home of many a fine museum, is not officially billed as the Culture Captial of Kelssek, but it is a fine place, indeed.”

“Thank you for revoking my dramatic license, Gabe. Though speaking of drama, it seems that a bit of a kerfuffle may have been started by Legalese assistant Myles Woodworth, who after a 3-2 victory a few days ago, called out the South Covellan side as having ‘no heart’ and not caring enough about the Cup of Harmony. It may be the first time in my life, Gabe, that I’ve seen someone proverbially poke a bear. That said, the last time I saw someone actually poke a real bear, it did not end well for them -- I don’t even think they would air the audio of the tape, just the reactions of the listeners.”

“I was surprised by his reaction, Joel. Before joining the National Team, Woodworth was director of training over at Comunas Cougars, and was prided for his level head, and ability to make cold, calculated decisions. Perhaps he’s trying to show that he can play mind games, in a bid for his next job after the Cup of Harmony?”

“Perhaps, but as the saying goes, Gabe, sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, the bear eats you. We’ll see how the Legalites come out today and if this drives them onto victory. Do you think it’ll work?”

“I don’t know, Joel. Even if the country isn’t paying attention, reports are that South Covello manager Richard Hawkins will likely be out if they don’t win the Cup, which you imagine should put some pressure on to succeed. Even though he’s already had a long tenure with seven cycles as their manager, one usually would rather plan their own exit, rather than have the trap door pulled on them.”

“Right you are, Gabe, speaking as someone who has had the trap door pulled on them. But one thing’s for sure: the consequences will be less dire for Hawkins than they would have been back when he was Prune Farmer 3818F under the old regime. Did you know that back then, when they fired a manager, it was literal?”

“Brutal way to go, but one that certainly meant they cared about the results.”

“That’s what I’m saying, Gabe. This is the generation of the revolution, and the revolution is over, no wonder they’ve taken the time to rest on their laurels, and care more about silly lawsuits and comedy programs. They’ve earned it, even if it means they just don’t care about the Cup of Harmony.”
“Joel, as I’m looking out into the crowd, I have to say: it looks like we’ve traveled well. Expectations are low, but hopes are certainly high, as I’m seeing a healthy contingent of Legalites and/or Legalese supporters in the Black and Red over on the South End of the Dock.”

“And wait a second. Gabe, I do believe they are… singing? I’m going to do something I never do, folks, and that is be silent, and see if we can hear the crowd, because yes, I do believe the Legalite supporters section is singing something, so let’s take a quick listen.”

Moneybags is our King,
He’ll sue you for everything!
That’s why the Legalites all sing
Moneybags is our King.

“It sounds like they are singing about South Covellan incarcerate and litigator extraordinaire, Jonathan Lee Moneybags, who declared himself the King of Legalese in a recent filing. What do you make of this, Gabe?”

He sits in South Covell’ jail,
Files lawsuits without fail.
When it comes to billing hours,
Moneybags is our King.

“After that second verse, that we should see the chant pick up pace and increase fervour, Joel.”

Moneybags is our King!
Moneybags is our King!
To Covellans it’s their only thing,
Moneybags is our King!

Moneybags is our King!
Moneybags is our King...

“And there you have it folks, apparently Moneybags is our King, so say the Legalite fans. This is setting up to either be an epic victory, or a defeat that makes the Great Trash Fire of 127 look like a minor flare-up in comparison, but either way, it should be fun. We’ll be back in a couple of moments with the kickoff.”

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:58 pm

Maccian 2-2 Delaclava

MAC, Kriessman (Kizerain) 16'. DEL, Durbridge (pen) 78'. DEL, Meyer (Girardi) 85'. MAC, Kiyle (Kizerain) 90+3'.

DEL - Ross; Cicak, Gusev, Joseph; Ingram, Girardi, Campbell (Zaitsev 46'), Albert (Rogers 69'), Durbridge; Kohut (Howard 78'), Meyer.

It's been a rough match here at the Macquarie Docklands in Latrobe. Who wants to get away? I certainly do. Let's take a trip.

They call the rail system the Velocit. Velocit-raptor. Could you imagine a transit system of flying dinosaurs? That would be mighty cool.

Latrobe Polaris. Polaris, the North Star. The guiding light, supposedly, and yet I have no idea where I'm going. Can you help me, stranger? I seem to be lost. No, I know where I am, but I'm not quite sure why. Can you help me? No? Well, thank you anyway.

Latrobe Frankstone. Disrobe, Frankenstein, for you are a freak, as is your monster. I can barely stand to look at you, and yet there is something about you, exotic one, I can't explain it. Why did I leave you behind to come here? I am on a high-speed train to run away from my problems. I even packed a suitcase, a few clothes, a handful of thalers... but apparently, I packed you too. That's unfortunate. You'd think two hundred miles an hour would be enough to get away from you, and yet my mind keeps returning to you at even greater speeds.

Kardinia. Yellow kard. That's a warning, madam, you really should not trifle with me. I myself learned that lesson, years ago, on a boat to Vestibule Island. It had set sail from Mariana. There was a beautiful green sunset to the north, but we were headed south. There was no guiding light for us, and it was dark, and dolphins chirped first with the sound of love, but then of danger, and oh how we should have listened to them, for they have a wisdom which transcends the earthly bounds, they say that they came from Sonnel itself, but that was of no use to us as we could not understand what lay before us...

Killarney-Emerson. Anyway, as I was saying, stress is the silent killer. No, that's salt. No, that's Tim, actually. Tim's a good fellow, and he means well. He's just... a bit of an odd little duckling. I really don't think he'd hurt anyone, but what would I know, I've never checked his attic. That's for the people to decide.

St. David. David's not an odd little duckling. Oh, he's a good egg. He's a better saint than Margaret, that's for sure. But it's Margaret who makes sinners of us all. We can only do our penance, pray for forgiveness, and hope to draw a favorable lot. Ultimately, when it's all said and done, we will be judged not by saints and sinners, for God is in the eye of the beholder. We will be assessed by idiots and old boys and new babies who are innocent, ignorant to the world around them, who fail to understand that fame is a fickle mistress; do not miss your turn to dance with her.

Wynleth. We can get off here, choose a different destination. Will I? Let me check with my master. I apparently will not. Okay then, moving on.

Balymagon. You know, it's a funny thing about polygons, for they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but ultimately they are reduced to a matrix of measurements, lengths and angles. They may travel around and around, but not deviate from their course, or if they must, only in a very specific manner. How do you think a polygon feels? Perhaps it feels the way I feel now. For I only travel in a straight line, not deviating from course, except for a calculated margin from the previously traced line. Is it possible to travel in anything besides a straight line? Curves are an illusion; they are only a convergence of infinitely smaller straight lines. In theory, they are indistinguishable; in practice, they are gradations we can neither mentally comprehend nor physically execute. Circles are a fraud then, and surely you should be able to square the circle, because the circle is not a circle, but rather an aggregation of increasingly smaller rectangles - which remember, at some point we cannot comprehend anyway. Circles are lazy.

Wentonweakes. In fifteen weeks, I will be sitting in a cabana on the beaches of Cleopatrana, sipping on a virgin Mai Tai. Or perhaps I will be holed up in a cabin in Kalinin, shivering with cold and fear, wondering if the wolves will come knocking. Or perhaps I will travel the world, and meet everyone who has ever existed, experience infinite love, and make closure with my sins, only to wake up with a jolt and realize that it has only been fifteen minutes, and I am still sitting on this train. Yes, that's it.

Saint-Remy. Oh, now I think I must leave, otherwise I will go back where I came from, and surely I do not want that. You are either moving forward or backward, upward or regressing. The entire rainbow of possibilities exists for me, and what is the point of rainbows if you are going to turn them grey? Hmm... blue, blue, green. Blue, blue, green. Eenie, meenie, minie, mo. Catch a tiger by its toe. Have you ever tried to do that? It's harder than it looks! And apparently, they don't like it very much. That's why I only have eight. So I will stop messing around and pick the second one. Who knows it's a right choice, but there's a lot more to see than what is simply behind the door.

Outineau. Ah, the Olympic city of old. I cry for the disrupted legacy of so many Delaclav Olympians, all-time greats who were permanently brought back home, all for men and women who did not have the nation's best interest at heart, and for even more men and women who called them stupid, silenced them without listening, and festered even more anger. But the Olympic order is also an illusion. How can you build a legacy once every ten years? It is madness. Human greatness happens every day of every year. You must look for it at every opportunity you get. It's overwhelming, the amount of beauty in the world. You walk down the streets of Beliri, and a pigeon pecks at a foil wrapper, muddy tents stir on the sidewalk and the men inside wake up at noon, hefty short-haired women in crop tops break wind as they walk by, the construction workers wail away at yet another building replacing the tower they built five years ago. You look around, and it is brown and hazy and gorgeous. Truly the best we have to offer.

Miramich. The bell rings and the two combatants walk to the center. Everyone is booing and hissing, for they are already bored. They scrap, and one gets the best of the other. The crowd chants, "Bleed! Bleed! Bleed!" and the loser obliges as the assailant piles on the punishment. That has nothing at all to do with Miramich - which I'm sure is lovely. But there's simply no time to stop. I am in a rush to do something, and I'm not sure what it is.

Sackville. Sackville.

Ah, so we have arrived in Breton. It's a grand and beautiful city. Perhaps we can do better. This little excursion has done wonders for my optimism, for I think change can be possible.

The only problem is, this excursion is in my head, and I am still at Latrobe, holding a map in my trembling hand, too terrified to go anywhere.

That is the reality for many, for we can take all the journeys of the world in our mind while sitting absolutely still, and plenty of people can make a life living entirely in these virtual journeys. Perhaps that all ends with peace and satisfaction, or perhaps the realization of the fiction slips in at the last gasp, just when it is too late to do anything...

Let me tell you a story. A man buys a loaf of bread and walks to the lake. He sits on the edge, and a duck smiles and swims up to him. The man also smiles and offers the loaf of bread, but the duck sharply says, "Hey!" The man is shocked, because, well, it's a duck.

by **Huayramarca** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:58 pm

OOC: Rewinding a past event, from ÑÑ Group perspective - Occurs before Part 9.

Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6.
Part 7.
Part 8.
Part 9.

Rewind.

Part 10.
Part 11.
Part 12.
Part 13.

Ñucanchi Ñan - Part 14-A.

Llacuabamba, Parcoy Department - 04/04/1980 - 11:30 A.M.

Hugo Mina had approved the so dreadful and undesired bill that was compromising the Illimani Natural Park some days ago, Marta took the newspaper while receiving a message from the National Pediatric Hospital at E-Quipu “Good Morning, your son Juan is now recovered, tomorrow will be released, since he’ll be on close monitoring for the next 24 hours to see if his health remains consistent with the healing process.” Marta had a huge victory with said news, she had been busy during the last weeks organizing multiple ÑÑ rallies across Huayramarca, but this meeting would be quite special, hence, there was a lot of secretive attitude on her, friends and the persons invited for the meeting. The location chosen for said meeting said how “private” was going to be, Huancaspata is, perhaps, one of the remotest villages on all of Huayramarca, the Parcoy Department is one of the less populated and difficult ones to access due to the fact of being incrusted on the Andes, it was a 10 hours trip from Sopocachi to there, where she was prepared to meet with… Hotel owners.

It was a bit weird to see a social movement with communist orientation meeting with oligarchs, hotel owners trying to earn more capital for their ideas, still, Mina was pushing hard with his plan, to the point that it mattered only to have Serranos on your side, your region-mates in order to struggle against the disgruntled Costeño trying to perturb their peace up in the highlands. They had, at least, 8 hours on the road, they were reaching the village of Llacuabamba to eat while travelling the last 60 kilometers to Huancaspata, the harshest road was now gone, being on Llacuabamba was a victory for those cars who were thirsty for water, for resting their engines after strong efforts made, lots of combustion and lack of oxygen for said process due to the Huayramarcan heights. Kevin and Walter spotted the bodyguards of Buendía, the major of Tulcán and then a convoy of 30 4x4 SUV’s arriving to the village, Llacuabambans were surprised by the sudden influx of people, children screamed “Tourists, tourists are arriving!” Their parents were out, preparing food to sell for a couple of Intis and use that chance to earn some extra income for their daily needs.

Llacuabamba is one of those remote villages that barely has any information on the encyclopedias or GPS systems, according to the last ones, Llacuabamba is only a village with one street, but the reality is that said city has at least 10 streets and a skyscraper, which holds a rural cooperative which decided to build a megalomaniac building to show the prosperity on said place, indeed, a prosper place where children are driving their own vans, going to neighboring Cajamarca in order to buy stuff for their families or some others. The major of Llacuabamba was surprised while seeing Buendía walking through the dusty streets of his village, Pancracio Quispe rushed towards Buendía and shook his hands “It’s a pleasure to have you here with us.” Said while Buendía patted his shoulder “Nice looking building.” Said Buendía while pointing to the Manco Cápac Indigenous Cooperative building “A surprise to have a 350 meters tall building in the middle of the Andes” Quispe inflated his chest with pride and said “That’s the best proof that we, Serranos, can do a lot of big things and turn dreams into reality if we cooperate between us.” Buendía said “It’s right, and that’s why we are here, driving to Huancaspata, we need to gather with those other brothers, so we defend what belongs us.” Quispe’s mind was fast enough to interrupt and say “Illimani, right. We need to save our legacy, we need to protect our beliefs, we need to show them (Costeño oligarchy) that Serranos does matter as much as they think they matter, we all are Huayramarcans.” Both majors walked down to Quispe’s house, his son was preparing lamb and potatoes, one of the best dishes out there and an Andean specialty.

Marta decided to talk with some of the landowners, the hotel owners, in order to build some ground for the talks, since they were trying to get something decent to talk for when they arrive to the ranch located on Huancaspata. “So, which ones are your concerns?” Said Marta while asking Walter to take his “Note Phablet” to get some ideas on what they were going to talk for that moment. “Well, we take advantage of the environment near Illimani, we only make money from the spot, hence we need to keep it lush and as virgin as possible in order to attract tourists, to keep it clean and well-balanced for more tourism.” Said one of the hotel owners while Walter said “But you want to keep our sacred mountain well protected, do you?” “Of course, we take benefit from keeping ‘him’ (Illimani’s known as the Guardian Angel of Huayramarca’s Metropolitan District) protected, also, some of us are Serranos who still believes and respects the condition of the mountain, hence, it’s our first and foremost priority to protect him.” Marta was somewhat surprised, since she expected that they would exploit to some extent the place, a method of exploitation such as water reservoir drilling or more of the like of it, but she was proved wrong.

One of the hotel owners took out a folder with some future projects that were thought for the area, which included mostly the construction of signals for paths crossing the mountain from its base towards the summit, alpinism was a common sight for people across Huayramarca for the weekends and holidays; also, some of those included some sight-seeing spots across the paths, made with concrete and wood protection to keep people away from the potentially mortal gorges near the spots. They reviewed the information with complete detail, they founded it as environmentally sustainable, hence, something that the ‘Pachamama’ would love to see, since the tourists would contemplate her creation, would compromise themselves to protect and take care of it for the future generations of Huayramarcan and tourists that decide to visit it. Consensus was clear, stopping Mina wasn’t a should, was a must for the group gathered there.

by **Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:00 pm

Part 11

“It’s the same Miloš Antonić.” Nikola said over the phone, “I saw some people from that ‘union’ you were talking about.” “It’s not a union,” Helmutov interrupted over the phone, “It’s a bunch of phony left wingers. We’ve arrested a few of them for selling drugs at political rallies.” Nikola waited for Helmutov to stop ranting. “Well they hang out here,” he asked into his device. “You need someone to look out for him, sir?” Nikola waited for a response, “No.” Helmutov said, “If he’s got goons around him in some club, You know, I saw manuscripts at his office. They all seemed pretty suspicious for some government employee to have. You get back here and we can go over together.” The two men exchanged goodbyes and Helmutov hung up.

“He seems a bit excited” Helmutov said, pouring coffee in his study. He filled one glass, and then a second. “He has the spirit of a detective.” his guest said in a slow, monotone voice. The guest was Luka. Helmutov had been spending a small amount of time with him. “You know, it is a bit interesting that the investigation keeps tying itself back into my past.” Luka sipped his drink, “Well,” he spoke, “You were connected and had special encouragement to pursue the case. I had a suspicion you could be useful. Your reputation for heroics are also useful.” Helmutov , “I don’t know. You’re dragging an old man into a pretty dangerous world. Against his will to boot.” Luka smiled, “You are doing what is best for the country.” he said. Helmutov continue to write notes, “I should be focusing on the government.” “You are.” Luka said before the front door opened. It was Nikola. Helmutov was relived to get away from the creepy man and keep looking into this rabbit hole of a case.

As the darkness settled in, two men arrived at the same building Helmutov had been at days before. They had some swagger with the intent of solving this case. “You sure you can get in?” Nikola asked to a nodding Helmutov. The pair walked up to a guard, and Helmutov handed over paperwork, “You’re going great work.” Helmutov said to the guard, “Don’t flatter me.” the guard replied, letting both men into police headquarters. The building was large, housing offices for federal law enforcement. Most police worked at a regional level, but some officers and agents did work for the federal government. Helmutov knew they were looking for an office on the ground floor. His clearance papers couldn’t pick a lock though. That’s why Nikola was around. They got the door, a small pick in hand. “Security here is pretty crappy,” Helmutov said, looking over his shoulder, “just get in quick.”

It turned out being aquatinted with people who spy on cops and criminals has its perks, because Nikola was able to get the door open quickly. But it might not have the best idea to come into the office. Inside was Miloš, “Maria?” he said with his back turned. He turned around, brandishing a blade, “I knew whoever took my things would be back.” Nikola stepped forward, looking for something to protect himself with. “We just want to know who you’re working for.” Helmutov said, “I’m not talking to you, not after what you’ve done.” Miloš said, “The thievery?” Helmutov asked before being told to “buzz off.” Miloš moved to his left, “stay back,” he said. Nikola stepped forward slightly, “You shouldn't move any more. We just want to talk."

Miloš walked to his open window. “You know what you did to me and my kin. You won’t find anything here that ties me to that riot.” “Perhaps we’ll find something somewhere else.” Helmutov said as Miloš jumped out the window. Helmutov and Nikola looked at each other for a moment. To Helmutov, that denial proved Miloš was in on what happened. The lightbulb affixed a foot above Helmutov’s mind light up brightly, “We’re going after him.” Helmutov said. Helmutov went out of the window first, “We’ll need backup,” Nikola said as they exited the building, “Call some, kid.” Nikola was bit surprised the old man wanted to spring into action. “I was told you were ‘skeevy,’ not “adventurous.” he said, “Well they didn’t tell you all about me.” Helmutov said short of breath.

The three men all had parked in the same lot. It was easy for Miloš to get a head start. He pulled out, and the two men pursued. “You better track him for me” Nikola said behind the wheel handing Helmutov cell phone. “Yeah we’re on the main road.” Helmutov said, “We’re past the garden.” the chase went back protestors, “We’re past protestors. They have an inflatable rubber duck. That’s gonna be a story tomorrow.” “Shut it, we turned twice.” Nikola said with a snappy tone, “Sorry” Helmutov said, “Yes, yes we turned on something like South Street 3.” “Four!” Nikola yelled out as the pair cut into an alley. The vehicle moved onto the highway, as Hulmutov read out the distance markings, he put down the phone. “He said, ‘if we are on going north, he thinks he can intercept.’” Helmutov told Nikola. The low speed chase went on for a few hours. “We’re out of the capital.” Helmutov said, Miloš pulled off the road and slowed down, before turning around taking an exit. The road had no major intersections, save a fork to the right. They cars took this fork. and went through some woodlands. “We’re really off the beaten path now.”

by **Ethane** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:00 pm

Words spoken to the team by the manager following the loss to Tequilo.

"We've won one. We've lost one. That's where we stand right now. I know that you tried, but I felt like you never gave it your all. Remember, this is the team we hosted in Ethane in the Baptism of Fire. They were strong contenders, but we all knew that if it ever came to us playing them, theoretically we should beat them. But here we are. We let them get away.

I'm not disappointed. They played well, they wanted that win. This is a team that really means business, it has to be said. They showed their intentions in the Baptism of Fire, and then put in a strong performance in the world cup qualifying campaign. To see them doing well in the Cup of Harmony too is not a surprise. But I told you all, at the start of the match, that this was a crucial game. It was a must-win game; the team that won the game, wins the group. I fully expect Tequilo to win the group now.

Remember, don't get too disheartened. We still have opportunities to rectify our mistakes made in this match. To be more clinical in front of goal. And to step up, dominate that midfield, and keep them away from the net. We have tough game coming up. Mercedini is not a team to be taken lightly. They are highly ranked, they are dangerous. But we can face them, and bring the game to them. Step up, and make a difference. Or rely on the gamble of finishing third, hoping we have a better record than other third placed teams in the Cup of Harmony. That's not a place I want to be in; I want destiny to be firmly under our control. That means beating Mercedini.

Training starts at 6am sharp tomorrow, don't be late."

The lights shine down on us like rays of sunlight,
Blinding us as we step out on to the field
Cheers everywhere.
Disoriented. Panic.

Breathe.

We shake the hands of the opponents.
There's one guy with his eyes on me.
He's intimidating. He's out for me.
Close my eyes. Count.

Breathe.

The national anthems pass like nothing happened;
This is all so surreal. Every time I step out on to a field to play for Ethane,
I get this feeling. Joy, panic, peace, all-encompassing noise.
It won't stop, but do I want it to?

Breathe.

We take our positions.
I'm to kickoff for the Red Kites.
A quick break is the plan.

Breathe.

The referee looks at his watch.
It's almost time. He looks up.

Breathe.

The whistle blows.

Breathe.
Kick.
Run.

And we start.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:01 pm

OOC : I would like to thank various members of the community who had read through various parts of this storyline at times, and my partner for the collaborative RP series, Cassadaigua. Without all your support, this RP series would not have been possible.

The Royal Wedding of the century. What a fucking term.

That was the very thought Queen Christine II, the Queen of Quebec and the Commander of the Quebecois Commonwealth of Nations, had on her mind, as she looked into the Choir and Aisles of the Royal Cathedral. She knew this was a bit too overstaged for her liking, and it was already fairly downsized wedding compared to her father's wedding in 2019. Still, she also knew that's just as much on her and the change of perspective; the late Jacques IX's love of ceremonies came partly from his prep school days of incessant partying and all that pomp and circumstance came with it, but also came from watching his father, the short-reigned Pierre Henri IV, who enjoyed social events and had succeeded in grooming all four children of his into that lifestyle.

Her, on the other hand, was a fairly inexperienced person with the ceremonies, and had preferred to stay more homely with her choices. Sure, Christine has been to Royal Weddings before, but none in the home soil were so important as her own- She clearly remembered the wedding of then-Prince Cyrus of Valladares and his auntie, then-Princess Alexandrine, when she was seven. The Catholic ceremony, held in St. Peter's Cathedral at heart of Metropolis, was one of her earliest memories being a royal. It was filled with blue, white and green, the very Valladar tricolour, partly due to the relative recency of the Valladar monarchy and whatnot, and the easeness of the blue and the green to the eye had likely framed her mind with certain shape of a major royal event.

Unfortunately, she knew she had to deal with something entirely different here, and it was going to be entirely different matter of pomp and circumstance with lots of REDand YELLOW, both colours bad for a Quebecois eye. The Queen and her groom, Prince Caspian of Cassadaigua (and the Duke of Halifax,) stood in front of the Archbishop of Quebec City, before turning around for an important oath to take. For the entire morning, they had gone through the processional route all the way from Palais Royale to the Royal Cathedral, surrounded by millions of people celebrating with the Tricolour Taeguk flag and lots of flowers thrown as confettis. If she thought the coronation procession were busy enough, the Royal Wedding procession took even longer (aided by coach drivers and members of the Quebecois Forces who had agreed to take a detour just short of crossing the Fleuve-Saint-Laurent to Levis), and it was to finally culminate at the very moment here.

Here we go again. She thought to herself, as she heard the Archbishop ask an obligatory flag. ‘FIRST, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.’ The Cathedral remained silent. Of course, there were many who were either outside on the eventual processional route or in front of their laptops, who would have wished that Christine II picked somebody else. But their vague opinions mattered little for those inside the Royal Cathedral, and the procession went ahead as expected.

That was all that the people could, at this point, handle the rising gauge of excitement in the air for the Royal Wedding. Of course, she had to go through it once before, with her own coronation six months ago. But the circumstances were certainly different than six months ago: she looked once more at the Archbishop of Quebec City and gave him a light smile. She knew the God was in her hands and faith. The lord high above has already given her the permission to govern, when her father passed on so early from the earth. But somehow, through the heavy and hurry, the new monarch had stuck with her original plans (that the parliament and her own secretary had carefully written out the blueprint for her), and the past ten months had been successes after successes. The Coronation, the Parliament functioning fine enough with minority government and without requiring for another election, the Quebecois-Krytenian Summit that went very well in Bromham, and now the nation could celebrate with the first Royal Wedding to a foreign royal in 106 years- to a prince whom nobody had expected, from a country where Quebec had always enjoyed positive relations with but was not always on top of the priorities list. What a busy ten months it had been in her reign so far, and she knew whom to thank for.

Now, let’s go back to the actual Cathedral. The Royal Cathedral, housing 2,840 per the building requirements, was full of the royal family members, hereditary and lifelong peers, Catholic clergy and lucky children of the Saint-Paul Choral School. Outside, millions of Quebecois and foreigners had gathered around on their city squares, ranches, trains, planes and wherever else that could watch the Wedding, and it was a beautiful sight. In this day and age where all too many nations were too unstable, and nobody knew what was going to happen with the pace of life, this was a good departure from it.

The crowd inside, in some ways, were good examples of the Quebecois Society and those abroad. Various heads of state and government, from those nearby or of the Commonwealth, or of the Royal connections, were present at various parts of the row. As expected, the Cassadaiguan Royal House was there in great members- the likewise was the case with the Banijan Royal House who were there for official and personal reasons. And of course, don’t forget her auntie Alexandrine, now the co-Queen Consort of Valladares, and many members of the nobility and the royalty who had been around all her life and that of her father’s, and will be for years to come.

And now it was their turn to crack the cap. First, it was the Cassadaiguan Prince, who recited the very lines of the Marriage Oath in Latin as rehearsed; the Parliament had discussed this practice, held in the last Royal Wedding held under the Catholic tradition here (it was, of course, between then-Prince Henri VII and Princess Ana Maria or Valladares, back in 1938), to continue for this occasion, especially as this eliminates the problem of which of French or English to be chosen for the ceremony.

Then, it was her turn to say the very same words with the Archbishop. ‘I,’ Catherine slowly recited in Korean, her mother tongue. ‘Christine Catherine Nathalie of the Royal House of Jeongs, take thee, Caspian Charles of Cassadaigua, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my divinely life.’

Then the rest is history.

Cup of Harmony 77 - everything thread

CoH-77 RP-4 MD-3

CoH77 MD2/3

Boot It!: Crucial Match in the Land of the Ice and Snow

CoH77 Part 3

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