World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

[Squidroidia]

The Squidroidian Football Association

Official Statement

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To all of those who love the Beautiful Game:

As many of you know, over the past few weeks and months, the world of Atlantian Oceania was rocked with news that many of its member nations, hailing from the northeast of the region, were breaking away and forming a brand new region named Anaia. While we're Independent now and Independent for the entirety of our existence as a football association, there was talks of us moving to a new region due to fixture congestion regarding the FFI. Have we known that the northeast of AO was going to splinter off and create a 4th region down the line, we wouldn't have considered going over to the "best" of the then 3 sporting regions.

Like the many voices you have heard over these past several weeks, either from the Anaian, Atlantian Oceanian or non-AO, non Anaian points of view, everybody feels a little bit of something - Joy, happiness, anger, frustration, confusion, bewilderment, and everything in between. Here at the SFA, we get it. It's almost like the joy felt like those who splintered off from AO is like a happy 3 year old Inkopolis FC fan when their club lifted the Squidroidian Shield for the first time. To others, manly those from Atlantian Oceania who felt betrayed, their soul has been falling down to the lower levels of grief, their team being relegated down with no chance of going back up. To others, you may be thinking what the hell is going to change here in Squidroidia?

To put it lightly and shortly here, Nothing will change about the game we love in the nation we love. A player from Anaia will be treated as equally as a player from Atlantean Oceania or Rushmore or Esportiva or any other nation outside of Squidroidia. Any bias towards or against Anaian players would be considered wrong to us. This is Squidroidia, a nation where people fight every day to achieve a better life, to compete against those in their level to climb the ladder and be more successful. Why grant Anaian players an elevator or handcuff their wrists together? That's how we feel about this situation. An Anaian is as equal as an Alantian.

To sum this all up, 3 points have been made about how this sport will not change with this new split in mind:

1: No Changes to Foreign Player Limits

A player from Anaia will count towards the foreign player limit rule in the Super League (3 Starting XI players and 1 sub, unless a foreign player has trained at a Squidroidian Youth League team for 3 years) or the Youth League (1 in total) as much as a player from Atlantian Oceania. For Jan McCory and Henrique Coello for example, they will each count as 1 player towards the limit, as they are from Anaian nations (Audioslavia and Ko-oren respectively). The same can be said for any player from Atlantian Oceania that comes to the Super League or Youth League - Nothing will change. They will each still be counted as 1 player towards the limit unless they have spent 3 years at the Youth League before being promoted to a Super League club.

2: Absolutely ZERO repatriations for Squidroidians in Anaia

For players like Hiryama Shunji and Sho Itō, this comes as fantastic news. No Squidroidians in Anaia will be forced by the SFA and the Squidroidian government to repatriate to their homeland due to this issue. They are free to play football in Anaia like a Squidroidian would be free to play football in Rushmore or Esportiva, although this is subject to the immigration policy of their nation of residence. Repatriating these players would limit where someone could play football. A chance to play in Audioslavia is one that shouldn't be taken lightly, or one that shouldn't be blocked by a national government over a region they are in. This also counts to Anaian players in Squidroidia - We won't force you to repatriate back to your home nation. You are free to play football as is.

3: Anaian national teams are free to come to Squidroidia

Whether it is a friendly or a World Cup qualifier, limiting which nations can or cannot travel to the nation would be considered not only unethical, but potentially illegal. Although Squidroidia isn't scheduled to invite an Anaian team at any point during the 2nd half of the World Cup qualifiers (Huayamarca paid a visit in Matchday 1 before they moved to Anaia), any team from Anaia that will play Squidroidia at the Inkopolis City Stadium afterwards is welcome to come with open arms like any other national team. We will not restrict your visit due to your new region in order to make sure that you're free to visit this land and play your best game, win, lose or draw.

As we aren't part of the IAC Organizing Committee, any decision on whether or not Anaian national teams are able to compete at the IAC will not have any say or sway from us, in order to keep things fair and unbiased.

We hope this helps clear up any confusion about this new and uncharted world we find ourselves in while in the midst of the qualifiers for the 88th World Cup. If you have any further questions, please ask them to us directly and we will make sure to clarify all of it further. A football association that doesn't clarify anything is one that shouldn't be trusted after all.

Thank you,

-Fukuhara Himeko
President of the Squidroidian Football Association

[Muralos]

From yet another page in Georgo Zhong's diary
Translated from the Esperanto. This entry details the Muralosian national team's trials and tribulations since the last World Cup qualifiers (also its first qualifying campaign). Zhong might be making things a bit dramatic here, but the Muralosian team's growth since the 87th WCQs has been significant, and Zhong treasures it greatly.

May 19, 2021

So, we are at the halfway point of the World Cup qualifiers. In the next 9 days, we play all the teams we have played one more time. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders; I feel like we on the team know what all our opponents are like, and we have lots of confidence in our ability to take them on. This was so different from how things were in the last qualifiers. When we got to this point in January, we were disheartened. It felt like some of our efforts would be futile, like those against Cassadaigua (they've scored 17 goals on us in aggregate while we have scored just 1 on them). But it's not just against Cassadaigua. I also think of Havynwilde and Acronia. We had fully exhausted ourselves just to get marginal victories against them. Oh, and Flavovespia: we spent so much effort just to make sure they wouldn't crush us by more than 2 goals. Central Shaneville gave us no respite, either, with their 4-3 win against us and 1-1 draw. Every day in January we trained, and every day we wondered: would it matter?

Now in this qualifying cycle, things feel different. We train differently, for now we train to become better. We have trained to pass more accurately, to shoot with more power, and to not be as nervous in key moments. We aren't just trying to maintain what we have; we aren't trying to float on confidence and nonchalance alone. We accept that the effort we give could still have us lose to teams, as frustratingly as we did in January. But that possibility doesn't matter to us. We go into every match expecting nothing, but we come out of them with everything. There is no slacking, and there is no desire to turn off our hearts and minds.

It did take us a while to get to this point. After the last World Cup qualifiers, Coaches Koltakov, Li, and Kageyama planned to have us just play scattered international friendlies for as long as possible– at least half a year, I remember them saying. Our initial friendly tour with Pratapgadh, Sannyamathland, and Bunkaiia had such mixed results: we would play away and win, then play at home and lose or draw. Team morale was at its absolute lowest then.

Then, planning for the IAC started. The tournament was due to begin in April, yet no nations had volunteered to host it. We, the Muralosian national team, were standing idly by as we saw preparations for the IAC unfold despite a lack of host bids. The Muralosian Soccer Association gathered us in a "board meeting" of sorts just to discuss the subject.

(Clarification: Tequilo submitted a host bid, but withdrew it for unknown reasons.)

I remember what Arseny Primakov, the MSA president, had told us at the meeting. That Muralos has the potential to host an international tournament. We have the transportation hubs, the stadiums, the organizational talent... we had already hosted a tournament to great success, even if it was four years ago. We could do it again. We could end the standstill that the independent sporting nations were facing. The thing, though, is that we soccer players would have to dedicate ourselves to playing in a multi-round tournament, with all the intensity and pressure that came with it.

Right then, Coaches Koltakov, Li, and Kageyama had a huge change of heart. They acknowledged that the best way for our team to improve was to enter tournaments like the IAC and the World Cup. Only then would we find the best ways to train; only then would we build the strength to take on the best soccer teams. So, we registered for the IAC and gave the MSA the okay to express interest in hosting the IAC. (The nation of Almuzahara eventually reached out to the MSA to form the joint host bid that actually got accepted!)

The IAC did give our team a push. When we shouted that we'd "give our all" in the promo on RTM-1 [Muralos's leading sports television network], we really meant it. We trained hard, and everything became exciting in turn. A precarious group stage position that we could only hold if we beat Kohnhead, a team that holds its own with Siovanija and Teusland; Eura; and Savigliane? No problem. A knockout stage match against Tequilo, one of the strongest teams in the tournament? It's okay; we signed up for this. (We may have lost that match, but you bet we've learned from it.)

Now, we are third in World Cup 88's qualifying group number 14. We are behind Ranoria – a team we have a lot in common with (also in their 2nd qualifiers, also trying to punch above their weight) – and Eura – undeniably one of the mainstays of international soccer. My burning question is whether we can build on our winning record. I want to believe we can, but still, I expect nothing.

[Euran Oceania Territories]

OOC note: The RP below is purely IC, and should not be interpreted as OOC opinions about the AO/Anaia split.

Castle Danneberg, Stelburg, Teusland

The opening statements of the summit from the delegates to speak so far had ranged from stoic to scathing in tone and rhetoric. Chancellor Meier of the host nation had started proceedings with a measured approach, but others had been more impassioned, led initially by Sarzonia’s President Haffner making explosive use of the word “treason” to describe the behaviour of the Foxchester group, and followed by grave warnings of Anaian fifth columns and preparing for conflict from Valanora’s Lathwen Raynor.

So far, there had been nothing to suggest the Euran Foreign Office and OSI were wrong in identifying three forming factions in post-breakaway Atlantian Oceania – the hardliners, the intermediates, and the nobodies. All of this left the Euran Oceania Territories in a very awkward dilemma in the middle – it could not afford to be a nobody, but it could not start picking sides within AO either, let alone between the region and Anaia. A variety of governments from both sides of this dispute were already vying for the Territories loyalties, and even the support of Rushmore’s main power itself.

Their delegation was small but impressive, featuring the following delegates and their aides:

Euran Oceania Territories Territorial Administration
- Rear Admiral Gordon Richards E.E.M - Governor-General, the figurehead of government. Head of the delegation from the EOT side.
- Louise Harriot – Deputy Governor-General, the G-G’s second in command.
- Jamelia Woodhart – Primary Governor, responsible for much of the Territories day to day administration, and soon to be an elected post.
- Oliver Brown - Chief Executive of the Territorial Agency for Regional Affairs, the civil servant most responsible for dealing with EOT’s relationship with the rest of Atlantian Oceania.
Government of the United Federation of Eura
- Carl Rutherford - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the second (sometimes third) most powerful person in the Euran government. Head of the delegation from the Eura side.
- Otis Jarvis - Minister for Atlantian Affairs, a minister within Rutherford’s department responsible for issues involving Atlantian Oceania.
- Ben Buckley - Secretary of State for Overseas Territories and the Endemian Council. The cabinet minister responsible for Eura’s ties with/management of all of its Overseas Territories, including EOT.
- Elena Ford-Jones - Minister for the Euran Oceania Territories, a minister within Buckley’s department responsible specifically for EOT.

Governor-General Richards took his opportunity to speak as early as he could. In his mind, this was too much of an intense situation for a dose of Euran rhetorical sobriety – especially after the stirring peace-making talk of Hapilopper’s William Mathis. He would have to make do with things not going to plan, as he had done before in his naval career many times, and junk his pre-prepared technocratic monologue in favour of something more emotive. ‘First of all, I would like to thank the government of Siovanija and Teusland for arranging this summit and their gracious hospitality.’ He nodded in the direction of the host delegation, mindful that they and the Banijans had been the most eager to get the Territories on board.

‘Not so long ago, the Territorial Administration, and indeed the office I hold, was established to deliver the mighty nation-building mission of the Euran government within the former Calanian Union and Whittorian island chain. Despite all the challenges we have faced, from the long-term effects of the Corvidae War, the Great Collapse in the FCU and the Whittorian impact event, to the more recent struggles of the Great Endemian War and the challenge of rebuilding a physically and socially fractured land, the Territorial Administration and Euran government have, together, succeeded in our mutual goal. That goal was to make a nation. We have achieved that goal.’

‘One of the factors in our success has undoubtedly been the diversity of the people who have built this nation in its earliest years. The Euran Oceania Territories is not just home to former Calanians, Mertagne natives and the near-majority of Euran immigrants; it is home to Quebecois, Audioslavians, Samebans, Banijans, Whittorians, Apoxians, Sunrisians and Hinodejin. As I have said before, a multinational coalition of peoples have enabled us to turn the Territories around, and put them on the path to a prosperous future. The Territories is becoming a green and pleasant land, and would not be without this influx of new citizens.’

‘It is therefore saddening to see the division and nationalism that has suddenly come to the fore in this part of the world. In our Territories, I have heard disturbing reports of vitriolic arguments and disturbances between different contingents of our beautiful diaspora. These are no doubt the result of the same politics of anger that is currently playing out in much of Atlantian Oceania and what we would now call Anaia. It is true that the Anaian nations breakaway was sudden and poorly executed, and we in the Territories are also concerned by the potential for malicious intentions. But the way to deal with that is through diplomacy and understanding. In the opening remarks of this conference, we have seen highly charged talk of a dark future between these two regions, and dire warnings of potential conflict and misery. As a proud Expat, knowing what we have been through, and also as a Euran who has been through our own bloody conflict, I can tell you from experience that such rhetoric is incredibly dangerous.’

‘While it is understandable that emotions are running high, it is our duty as representatives of our peoples to lead by example. Talk of foreign nationals being cast aside as “agents” of their nation of origin, for example, is deeply harmful, and will sow ethnic and nationalist discord throughout the regions.’ The Euran Foreign Secretary Carl Rutherford, sat next to Richards, pursed his lips instinctively, as if he had just seen a needle being prepared and was waiting for the sting in his arm. He had one eye on the delegation from Valanora, who had made the claim that Richards was pointedly challenging. Richard’s next remark would be perhaps his most crucial.

‘I would urge you, my fellow leaders, to remember that this initial period of reaction after this regional split will define, in the eyes of many ordinary people, the rights and wrongs of this affair. If the leaders of Atlantian Oceania are to define this period as one of reactionary zeal and anger, then mark my words, all you will do is drive those closest to you into the arms of others.’ He paused as if to emphasise that point and allow it to hit home. ‘The Territorial Administration of the Euran Oceania Territories will, first and foremost, always defend the interests of its people. The people built this nation, no matter where they were born or have come from, and we owe it to them to serve their interests at all times.’

‘For that reason, we utterly reject and condemn any policy of revocation of citizens rights and deportation as a result of this crisis by any partner nations in either region. There will be no change whatsoever to the Territories interactions with neighbouring states borders and citizens of either region unless we are subjected to restrictions, in which case we may pursue reciprocal measures. We also continue to offer generous incentives to those who may wish to make a home in the Territories – I would say to them, if you don’t feel at home elsewhere in Atlantian Oceania or Anaia anymore, then your home can be in Euran Oceania. Aside from citizens’ rights, there is the pivotal question of economic prosperity. This growing crisis and the sudden assembly of trade barriers that it has prompted could be disastrous for the region, but particularly so for the Territories, which rely heavily on seaborne trade. Any prolonged trade war would have a profound impact on the Territories and millions of innocent people.’

‘Finally, there is the issue of border claims. The emerging dispute over the South Calanian territory is deeply concerning, and we urge other states to consider an amicable discussion in order to seek mutual agreement, with the Territories included at all stages of that discussion. I will now hand over to my colleague, the Foreign Secretary of Eura, on whom the Territories rely for defence, security and foreign policy.’ At this point, the more cynical AO political observers will have perked up. It was not an uncommon view that the Territories were simply an extension of Eura, a colonial offshoot, and that people like the Governor General were really just administrative figureheads. To them, Foreign Secretary Rutherford was the real power behind the throne.

In his mind, Richard’s speech was a problem. Yes, it did not take sides between the two regions – Bastion was keen to maintain strategic ambiguity about its intentions at this stage - nor did it break from policy agreed with the motherland. But by going off script Richards had set out principles that gave Eura less position to manoeuvre in negotiating on behalf of its dominion, and drawn a line in the sand with the hardliner group of nations – Valanora and Sarzonia, most crucially – before the Euran government itself had a word to say about it. But he couldn’t well say all of this publicly could he? ‘Thank you, Governor General Richards, for that impassioned contribution.’ Richards nodded with a smile, apparently not picking up on the subtext.

‘Of course, the Euran Government has a deep interest in this situation. Firstly, I would like to reiterate our full and unwavering commitment to the security, prosperity and health of the Euran Oceania Territories as a semi-autonomous dominion, perhaps the fastest growing nation in the Atlantian Oceania region. Upcoming reforms to introduce elections for a devolved government continue at a rapid pace, but Eura will retain and always uphold its solemn duty to the Territories, just as we have done time and time again in their short history. To ensure the continuing stability of the Territories during this period of uncertainty, the Government has agreed with the Territorial Administration an economic support package to weather the current crisis. The Euran Navy has also decided to extend indefinitely its deployment of Carrier Strike Group Seven to the region.’

‘Now, this is a crisis that has quite clearly provoked strong reactions. That is understandable. However, as my Territorial colleague delicately explained, the Euran Government at minimum expects states in the region to continue obeying their obligations under the rules based international system, whether that be through respecting citizens rights, or maintaining freedom of navigation in international waters. Eura will of course take any steps required to protect its own interests in this regard, but we also aim to support the greater wellbeing of the two regions through strengthening multilateral institutions. The Stelburg Accords proposals under discussion offer steps forwards that we could feasibly be supportive of, such as the formation of an Atlantian Oceanian Assembly of Nations. However, we will reserve judgement on the South Calania dispute pending legal advice and a constructive international dialogue.’

Rutherford had a final point, one he knew would be particularly important for those with an interest in pulling Eura itself into this debacle on either side. ‘My Government is increasingly concerned, as must be many others, by the increasing militarisation of this situation. The formation of the North Eastern Alliance Treaty Organisation, and proposed counter of a Stelburg Treaty Organisation, do little to strengthen the security of this part of the world. There is a legitimate question for the NEATO states to answer – if, as they say, their intentions are peaceful and they did not anticipate Atlantian Oceania concern about this schism, then why pre-emptively bring together such an organisation at all? And in turn, what is the purpose of forming a “Stelburg Pact” other than to escalate the situation unnecessarily, before real diplomatic efforts have been made? There is a very real risk here that a cold war is being generated between Atlantian Oceania and Anaia from nothing. And it is for that reason that, currently, the Euran Government has no plans to facilitate the Territories joining any such organisation, as it would be counter to the interests of the Territories, of Eura, and of the two regions as a whole. Thank you.’

[Kandorith]

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Shinonome Kyoai - International

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Important draw against Drawkland.
Hope renewed after not losing important match.
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

^{SHARE THIS:}

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TENKYO, KANYORI — In a spectacular match against Drawkland, the Kandorese managed to keep their position hopeful in the qualification. An absolute stunner of a match ending in a three to three draw, which surely Drawkland wanted to win. For Kandorith this draw feels more like a victory as the main concern is having to taking the challenge against nations the likes of Kelssek and Drawkland in this qualification group; placed second and first respectively. The group has switched around quite a bit and qualification seems to be on for the Narehiko once again. On the half way point of the qualification campaign there is only four points between the number two, Kelssek and the number one, Drawkland, is only five points ahead.

When asked about the previous two matches Watanabe had cautious optimism in his words:

"I think we have performed quite well in the previous matches although we should have grabbed a win against Garbelia. I think the draw against them is the only disappointment right now as the team was performing quite well, yet they just could not close the game down. I honestly think we might have underestimated them a bit." Watanabe said while chuckling. "There is great fighting spirit in them and this is what eventually got to us and rightfully so they were able to hold on to the draw. The match against Drawkland however, I couldn't have asked for more from the team. The display was great and we held ourselves against them very well. For me they are the most important team to keep at bay in this group and surely we did that.

"Kelssek is another team we need to be careful with and hopefully we can grab a win in the second period of the qualifications. Drawkland will still be the main challenge however and of course Saltstead. The main focus now is to try and get to that second place and defend the second place at all cost. I am determined to try and get this fantastic team to the first place and stay there for the first time in Kandorese history; else we will of course aim to directly qualify as the number two. There's still quite a few matches ahead and we have our work laid out for us, we just need to seize the opportunities now. One important thing however; we should not lose unnecessarily and keep our heads up high. The most important thing about the second part of the qualifiers is keeping our concentration and posture. We need to win, we need to prove ourselves and we certainly can not afford to make any more mistakes."

The words from Watanabe were crystal clear; the Kandorese team has to win in the upcoming matches and will be taking the fight to Kelssek and Drawkland for the number one and two spot. The team is young, yet experienced and it is this experience which could indeed give them the edge in the upcoming games. For the fans there are exciting days coming up as the Narehiko are performing better than ever in quite a long time and might be on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in decades. There is still some ground to be won and especially tough battles to be won; composure and discipline will play the largest role here, next to fitness of which the latter should be no problem for the young Kandorese squad. So far the Kandorese had a slow start but started hitting back in the later matches; it is a certainty they want to keep this momentum going to keep ahead of the opposition. Currently both Tumbra and Saltstead are still in reach of overtaking Kandorith and the Kandorese are still able to get to first or second place in the group; the second part of the qualifiers will be an exiting one and the goals are set in stone. Kandorith will be trying to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since World Cup 86.

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Group 1                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Drawkland                                   9    7   1   1    29   21   +8    22
 2 Kelssek                                     9    7   0   2    22    8  +14    21
 3 Kandorith                                   9    5   2   2    24   15   +9    17
 4 Tumbra                                      9    5   2   2    21   19   +2    17
 5 Saltstead                                   9    4   2   3    18    7  +11    14
 6 Gyatso-Kai                                  9    2   4   3    22   23   −1    10
 7 Garbelia                                    9    2   3   4    18   23   −5     9
 8 Marigred                                    9    1   3   5    17   23   −6     6
 9 Revlona                                     9    1   2   6    19   32  −13     5
10 The Juniper Union                           9    1   1   7    10   29  −19     4

[Electrum]

The Turnip: A Sociological Investigation of the World Cup Participants
by Harold Banana and Andrew Lee, citizen journalists

As trained and certified graduates of the Bachelors of Sociology with a minor in Fun Facts, we have decided to give fun, yet interesting tidbits about every nation participating in the World Cup.

Drawkland - the national animal of Drawkland is the 'land'.
Gyatso-Kai - In Gyatso-Kai, a year consists of 28 13 day weeks, with a day left over called "Bison Day", where they spend the day grooming and licking bisons.
Saltstead - The letter 'o' does not exist in Saltstead, otherwise the country's name would be Soltstod.
Kelssek - A slang name for Kelssek is Greater Listonia because everyone only knows them for the Listonian conflict.
Marigred - The god of the country is called Marigred instead of Margaret after they misheard some Colonial missionary types.
Revlona - Their leader forces everyone to moisturise their hands after going to the toilet under penalty of death.
The Juniper Union - Surprisingly, the national flower is the jute.
Tumbra - The national sport is Tumbling Gynmastics which is sad because it's not an official Olympic gymnastics discipline. Consequently they waste so many of their sporting resources on a useless sport which explains why they're bad at football.
Kandorith - The leading cause of death is slipping on oil slicks.
Garbelia - There is no pitch in the national stadium, it is just a dust bowl, designed to hamper the top seeded nations of their team as the team can kick dust into people's faces.
Pluvia and the Saxean Isles - People with third nipples here are worshipped as demigods.
Savojarna - They entered the World Cup by farting in a jar and sending that in -- it worked.
Hebitaka - The most famous tourist attraction in Hebitaka is the Hebitaka Nuclear Plant, where people are given the experience to touch, hold and embrace enriched uranium.
Squornshelan Remnant States - This country is overrun by cheese still.
The 14 Stars - Through World Cup Committee exemption, they are allowed to have fourteen players on the pitch in any football match they play.
Eshialand - You are allowed to sue wooden barrel makers for negligence if your wooden barrel doesn't smell like wood when it arrives. The only exception is if you are sold a used wooden barrel, in which case a different smell should be expected.
Vilita - Cocoa-bo is considered a soup for tax purposes.
Devonta - It is national tradition to RSVP to events and not come. They call it "Devonta Time".
Sendhang - The country spends 2% of its GDP every year on finding the optimal clothes hanger. As a result, their laundry technology is far more advanced than the multiverse.
Lisander - The national leader is some orange dude who leads the political party called Team Flare.
The Licentian Isles - Due to climate change, it is predicted that The Licentian Isles will disappear last Tuesday.
Islands of Ventro - Their preferred name of "Islands of Castro" was already taken.
The Holy Empire - The dimension that now plays host to The Holy Empire used to consist of blobby beings which became extinct after the monks arrived and found them to be the only nutritional food source at the time.
Silvedania - Gold is an illegal metal, and can only be found in the black market.
Indusse - There is a island tribe here that is very good at soccer, but the problem is they resist any and all attempts to communicate with them, including throwing rocks at helicopters. Consequently, they have to be left alone.
Independent Athletes from Quebec - Made up of refugee athletes from places called Quebec across the multiverse, of which there are many.
Damukuni - This country invented the concept of the "fern", which is apparently a plant that grows near rivers.
Siapa ya - It means "no worries".
Treekidistan - The nation was formerly named Treekostan, but they had to take it down when Nintendo and the Pokemon Company filed a copyright lawsuit,
Sargossa - If you spell this country's name backwards, it reads "Ass O Gras", and we choose to derive some kind of deep meaning in that.
Valanora - The national god of Valladares, Elune, has been in an eternal war against Margaret. Every time Elune loses a finger in the war, Valladares loses in the World Cup. Thankfully, Elune has ten thousand fingers.
Mytanija - All y's are j's, so words like "icy" and "yellow" are spelled "jcy" and "jellow".
Geektopia - Contrary to the nation's name, only one percent of the nation is considered "geeky". The rest are considered "nerdy".
Electrum - They created The Turnip, a reputable news organisation filled with the best facts the multiverse has ever seen.
Eastfield Lodge - Doing anything in this country is considered 'bad luck', from breathing to taking three steps to go to the bathroom.
Adab - Their national athletes perform a 'dab dance' in front of the other team before the football match starts.
Abanhfleft - The leader of the country, President Rako Novoire, was chosen in a twenty-five round boxing competition against his rival.
The Grearish Union - The severed head of a Grearh Union person can be used to grow a new body.
Deniria - The national currency is dried pucks of cow's dung.
Atheara - The world's smallest ostrich egg was found here, and it was the size of a quail's egg, which was quite disappointing in terms of nourishment, but fascinating in terms of size.
Suimede - The national dinner is chop suey and mead.
Poafmersia - In this country, the potatos roam free, and this causes problems for farmers because harvesting the potatoes is very labour intensive because they keep nutmegging people.
Galeanna - Surprisingly, filled flower pots are the instrument of choice when it comes to tenderising meat, followed closely by the forty-four-inch LCD TV.
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - It's actually a common gene for people of Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom to continue growing their nails, even after death, so coffinds have to be made of metal to prevent the nails from growing out to the surface and scaring people.
Ziwana - The nation's largest export is anti-bacterial hand wash.
Pius Desurongcrandis - The national cheese is cheese whiz.
Sharktail - Pineapples are considered a biological weapon in Sharktail, and you can be arrested for having one due to its prickly properties, and the fact that pineapple enzymes can dissolve your tongue.
Murphtannia - The country is co-ruled by siblings, where one is named Murphy, and the other is named Tania. Should one of the siblings die, then a new pair of siblings will take the place. If there are no more suitable replacements, then a national lottery of siblings determines the next monarch.
Audioslavia - This is apparently the multiverse's least known nation.
Graintfjall - While the country is known for its wintry weather, on ocassion, meatballs rain from the sky.
Rangers FC - Originally a joke on the classic hit website RLstates, a bunch of RLstatesers managed to get World Assembly recognition of this new nation, which takes up ten square metres of Vdaran land.
Al Qurija - This is one of two nations that is named a football club. Can you guess the other?
Sannyamathland - It is common to learn differential calculus at the age of twelve.
Tequilo - Everyone here is very serious in classifying food correctly, so peanuts are classified as legumes and can be found in the legume section of their supermarkets as peanuts are legumes and not nuts.
Sylestone - Autoerotic electrocution is one of the leading causes of death, after technological obsolescence.
Talkasa - When people ask for a chat in this nation, Talkasans smugly reply whether they want to talk instead.
Trolleborg - The country is ruled by a computing system called WILSON, who once allocated 1% of the country's resources to wooden chair leg manufacturing.
North Japan - All television networks are pixellated so as to train the eyes of North Japanese citizens.
Bollonich - The country is named after the sound that a bowl of spaghetti bologonese makes after it is left out in the sun for too long and then poured into a bin.
Zwangzug - The national board game is Maxopoly, followed closely by Hungry Hungry Hippo.
Chartistan - Children receive advanced VBA training at school.
Montaña Verde - The tilde on top of the 'n' was added after the nation decided to rebrand itself to be more hip to the surfers, who appreciate the 'wave' on top of the n.
Taeshan - The ruler of the country is known by the title of "The Great Shan of Taeshan".
Igratia - They have a word in their language that we don't have called "awefjisomfc" which means "able to make people laugh while writing jokes in bed during a very cold winter's morning".
Eraman - There is a traditional martial arts here that can make people's spine snap in half with just a tap of the shoulder.
Savigliane - This country has the multiverse's longest tongues as everyone is forced to do tongue exercises every day, which involves pulling out your close family/friends's tongue. Because the government is obssesed in keeping this record, the tongue exercise law is strictly enforced.
Legalese - Allegedly, their court system comprises of ten tiers of courts, which means that the usual case is resolved after twenty years of legal arguments.
Central Antarctic Peninsula - This is the only country in the entire multiverse where the supplement Ripperonin is banned.
Commonwealth of Baker Park - The country's former title was "Dominion" instead of "Commonwealth."
Juvencus - Donkeys are constitutionally protected in Juvencus.
Txakhaxi - The country's name is pronounced "Takeshi".
Ko-oren - The only two names that you can have in Ko-oren is "Karen" and "Chad". In the phone book, people are listed by surname, occupation, height and weight. For example, yours would be "Dumbass, Karen, 5'11", 30 stone".
Barunia - Upon the age of 18, new adults are given the true meaning of life. They are then sworn to secrecy and can never reveal it to anyone else.
Aut-Ves-Nat - The nation accidentally sent their CRC accession paperwork to Anaia instead, which is why they're a part of Anaia instead of Rushmore.
Frestovenia - A popular froyo flavour combination in Frestovenia is the 'Electrical Discharge and Copper Wire' flavour.
HUElavia - Every job conceivable is elected in HUElavia. For example, citiizens can vote in teacher elections at the start of the school year to laundry detergent manufacturer elections, which are held every ten years.
Vdara - They are known for shouting "Oh god" repeatedly right before their football match starts. It is haunting to hear those echoes, which are somehow in sync, every time you visit the country.
Communist Republic of North Yorkshire - The national motto is "The Only Good Capitalism is Communism"
Delaclava - Delaclavan crows have evolved the ability to adopt squirrels as pets, and some of the crows even use the squirrels to hunt food for them.
ZSeparatists - When writing the nation's official English name, the French speaking ZSeparatists thought "Z" was how people said "The".
Omerica - Everyone takes a day off to celebrate pickles in a day called "Pickle Celebration Day". Pickle flavoured ice creams are a common sight.
The Gothanita Isles - The country has always been at war with The Solosis Isles.
The Hainan Union - The national language is Pig Latin.
Acastanha - Instead of humans delivering mail, wolves do all the mail delivery. They are specially trained over five years, and with an expected lifespan of ten years, this means each wolf dedicates half of its life to delivering mail.
Bunkaiia - Bunkaia was already taken, so they added the extra 'i' in an attempt to register the nation's name.
South Covello - Everyone only remembers them as being the place that Lord Almighty Gregory used to rule.
Newmanistan - The national nightmare is being hit by a baseball ball.
Darkmania - Every year, the country hosts a beard growing contest, where people's beards are put under the microscope, and the person who grows the most hair wins a lifetime's supply of shaving cream.
Flavovespia - The capital city of Flavovespia is Flavor Town.
Osarius - During the 1960s, they accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb over their capital city, which resulted the city having to be moved by 50km, outside of the exclusion zone.
San Ortelio - It is common to use pigeons as a tool to spot art forgeries.
Mercedini - Instead of goldfish, budding child pet owners are first given responsibility over a hundred snails before they are given the responsibility of caring for a dog or cat.
Seguidores de la grasas - This country's name, when translated to English is "Cool Story Bro"
Talamia - The national animal of Talamia is the Cthulu.
Istoreya - Their North Star is different to everyone else's North Star.
Valladares - The most popular boy's name in Valladares is Valhalla.
Siovanija and Teusland - The country's most popular subreddit is r/AteTheTurnip.
Bluecliff League - Bluecliff League's official flag's name is the "Fourteen Diamontes".
Jeruselem - On Valentine's Day, it is considered sinful to show any part of your flesh, and the Naked News Network renames itself the Non-Naked News Network.
Fujai - They somehow only hate Recuecn with violent fervour; there is a Five Minutes Hate against Recuecn every day.
Starblaydia - The famous video game "Kingdom Hearts" had to be localised as "Kingdom Stars" in Starblaydia to reflect the country's usage of stars in place of hearts.
Qzvarkian Qaz - This country invented KFC, Kqzvarkiankaz Fried Chicken.
Garifunya - The country has more sandcastles than people.
Wight - They kicked off the whole Anaia thing. Boo!
Gouvanarch - People don't say hello here, they say "'Ello Guvnah!"
Tikariot - Brain obesity is considered a medical illness in Tikariot, and people's brains are regularly weighed to make sure they fall within acceptable weight limits.
Lorrana - Sultanas are called prunes here, and prunes are called sultanas.
Pratapgadh - Men wear high heels in Pratapgadh, as it is a sign of height dominance over other men.
Kohnhead - The race of Kohnheadians are born with cones for heads, which has resulted in some interesting adaptations in their culture -- hats, which are usually round, are now pointy, and come in various angles to fit the various cone heads of Kohnhead.
Darmen - A Darmeni space mission discovered that horses can throw up and that it is possible to teach monkeys about the permanence of death.
Brookstation - The entire country comprises of the central railway station in Bollonich called Brookstation. The station's staff make up the team, in an effort to escape the country during the peak railway travel season.
Central Shaneville - No one in the country is actually named Shane.
Squidroidia - It is considered a mark of respect if someone squirts ink all over your body when you scare them.
Nephara - The country has been renamed several times in its history, with names like "Sideburn", "New Sideburn", "Old Sideburn", "Sideburn Reich", "Goatee" before finally settling on "Nephara".
Togonistan - The national anthem is the Seinfeld theme song.
Hampton Island - The country started as a bet between two men drunk at a bar as to whether one could found a nation on just a singular island. The bet succeeded.
Sarzonia - The country is named after Nicholas Onia.
Huayramarca - The national language of Huayramarca is maracas. Consequently, if you expect to communicate with anyone from the country, make sure you bring along some maracacas.
The united states of sonindia - They refused to capitalise the rest of the country's name out of principle.
Quakmybush - A common method of detox here is the grass diet, whereby you eat grass and smoke grass to get rid of the natural impurities in the body.
TJUN-ia - Jack-o-lanterns are carved out of turnips instead of pumpkins in TJUN-ia.
Euran Oceania Territories - In a contentious 51/49 referendum, the country narrowly decided to name itself the "Euran Oceania Territories" instead of "Gottheshitsville"
Shreekaristan - Shreekaristan refuses to accept the notion of leap seconds, so their clocks are around a minute behind the rest of the multiverse. When crossing the border over to Shreekaristan, people jokingly say they are moving backwards in time.
Srednjaci - The only way that people here known how to get shredded is to dirty bulk with doughnuts and fast food.
Bongo Johnson - We couldn't think of a fun fact about Bongo Johnson, but if you find this, well done.
Banija - It is common for the Banijan king to inspect the organs of ritually slaughtered animals in order to divine the future, in a practice known as haruspicy.
Ibixa - You pronounce this nation as "ai-bee-thuh".
Astograth - The building on their flag is merely fictional, and is not at all a historic Astograthian building.
Oberour Ar Moro - Free speech was legalised for 24 hours, where anyone could criticise the government for any reason. After the 24 hours were over, the government locked up those that dared criticised the government.
Malandrin - Nothing interesting of note ever happens in Malandrin.
Natanians and Nosts - The country's former name was Natanians and Nosts and Nices and Nixons
Bigtopian Isles - Everyone here has a big nose. In fact, people consider it sad if you can't see your own nose just by looking down.
Ranoria - Ranorians like to eat placenta supplements - it doesn't matter from which animal.
South Newlandia - The first elephant to be recorded in South Newlandia was when one spontaneously appeared in a shipping container from Banija.
Eura - Unfortunately, teen and geriatric pregnancies are a serious issue in Eura.
Qasden - Their most famous export is the dingleberry.
Himebaugh - The average height in this nation is 3m, as everyone is given growth hormone injections every day from birth in order to give this nation a massive advantage in football.
Muralos - This chain of islands used to be a supercontinent, but after their leader posted a video on Whotube called "DAM COLLAPSE! (GONE WILD) (GONE SEXY)", the entire nation was flooded eighty years ago, forming the archipelago today.
Sahuarita - You have to say this name in a funny accent or it's not right.
Xanneria - The Turnip is banned in Xanneria after it was discovered that we are a satirical publication (or are we?), not a state-run magazine.
Gergary - The country was named after the kind of gurgle you do at the end of the day to clean your mouth of bacteria and germs.
Hispinas - It is illegal to be over the age of 60 in Hispinas.
Queenisa - It is ill advised to stay in any Queenisa house because every room has at least one wall that has been shattered to pieces.
Krytenia - The country was formerly named Southern Mertagne.
Turori - The national ice cream is "smashed Cocoabo feather" flavour.
Baggieland - It is traditional to eat steak with a spoon.
Valentine Z - On Valentine's Day, at exactly noon, everyone is forced to drop everything and french kiss the nearest person passionately.
Acronius - Thirty percent of the nation's income comes from selling oil and tears.
Reçueçn - The country used to be spelled Reswesin.
Fluvannia - The Fluvannian national leader, Crown Prince Michael, used to be a cheerleader. His cheer career was cut short after he cartwheeled onto the field and was tackled by a two hundred pound footballer.
Ancherion - Ancherion chefs wear toques that are coloured red or blue, depending on the chef's political affiliation.
Freeport - The national towel is any towel that's free.
St Trinians - The St in St Trinians actually stands for street.
Pasarga - The national animal is the red moon on its flag.
Blouman Empire - It is considered sinful to use your phone while on the toilet, and people use fecal material detectors outside of bathrooms to check that a phone hasn't been used.
Gatchingerrak Union - The Gatchingerrak Union spelling bee lasted for thirty-two hours after people kept mispelling the word "vinaigrette"
Grandistania - The three colours of the Grandistania tricolor, white, green and yellow, represent vanilla, mint and banana ice cream respectively.
Busoga Islands - It borders the Shango-Fangoa basin, which is named after "Denwabanguowa", or "What's your phone number?" in Japanese after the Busoga Island's leader failed to ask out a North Japanese diplomat while they were naming the basin.
West Zirconia - It's common to hear "Zirconia's are a gal's best friend".
Ethane - Saying that ethanol is the best two-carbon organic compound is grounds for the death penalty.
Kannap - It is not illegal to hunt for humans in this country.
Squornshelous - Before the rebuild, the country's landmass was made entirely out of cheese and it took three months for people to eat the way down to the ground level.
The Sarian - Commonly confused for the more prominent nation of The Sahstan.
Brenecia - The national injury is the anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Sajnur - A common expression in Sajnur is "If a building falls over in a city, does anyone hear it?"
Cascadia - The tree on the flag is the only tree the country has, and it is guarded by an elite military unit of single women under the age of 22 for some reason around the clock.
Pemecutan - Balls have been outlawed in Pemecutan since the 1960s, so all matches of football are played with the only round stone tha nation has, named "The Rock".
Twicetagria - In the national language, Twicetagrian, you have to say each word twice. If this sentence were spoken in Tagria, you would say if if this this sentence sentence were were spoken spoken in in Tagria Tagria.
The Sahstan - Fifty-nine deaths were attributed to the most recent song that The Sarian sent to the WorldVision Song Contest.
Libonesia - The country spells 40 as fourty.
Havynwilde - They believe in an afterlife where humans and animals live in the same heaven, and that there aren't separate heavens for each animal, hence Havenwylde.
New Lusitania - A breakaway nation of Murphtannia, after a Tania refused to rule with her brother Murphy, she instead decided to rule with her best friend Lucy, hence New Lusitania.
Netop - Any form of fancy tops, like Beyblades are prohibited in Netop.
Le Choix - The country's name is actually pronounced Lee Choiks.
Yuezhou - The country's name is literally untranslateable.
Farfadillis - It is Farf-etched to say that this place still exists.
Arklanda - All Arklandans can't swim, but they can fly.
Tolanka - The national knitted item is the soccer ball.
Sapim - Their official pokemon is Missingno.
Equestria - They are known for the "Great Human War" where they went into the desert with machine guns and failed to gun down humans, which were considered a pest at the time.
Cassadaigua - Pink is seen as a strong masculine and feminine colour, which is why they use it everywhere.
Chromatika - Everyone is colourblind.

[Turori]

Turori Re-write History against Rivals Krytenia with 2-1 Victory

Cygnus Stadium, Bromham, Krytenia :: Unlike back in the day that Turori and Krytenia first met during the World Cup 15 Cycle, it was no longer possible to keep rumors and information from spreading around. The entire Turori National Team was aware that something was up with the nations of Northeastern Atlantian Oceania and Calania. They also knew that their next opponent, Krytenia, was one of those Calanian nations. Though many of the players had played against Krytenia multiple times in the past cycle - both during the Eagle's Cup and during the 50th Di Bradini Cup, each of those matches took place on Neutral ground. In fact, the last time that Turori and Krytenia played in Krytenia was during the World Cup 66 Cycle. While some were part of the AOCAF 60 squad that played matches at the Rutian Grounds in Ashton for Vilita & Turori, most had never actually traveled with the National Team for a match in Krytenia.

To get to the match, the Turori National Team traveled deep into the Cocoabo Forest. This was in fact fairly normal considering the land border with Krytenia, but while in the forest their transport stopped. The players were told it was time for a team building exercise. They stopped at what appeared to be a large round stone platform. Perpendicular to the platform ran some sort of energy field to which the Coaching Staff told each of the players, one by one, to step on the Platform blindfolded. One by one, assuming it was a trust exercise, they complied, and one by one, each player would wind up on the other side of the energy field in the Cocoabo Forest. They would load back up on a transport and travel the rest of the way to Bromham.

While it would not be the first match to be played between a nation from Atlantian Oceania and a nation from the newly formed enclave of Anaia, it would arguably be the most significant. These were not just two random members of the two regions. This was not a nation from the SouthWest against a newly formed Nation on a fresh pile of sand off the New Calanian coastline. This was Turori vs. Krytenia. These two nations were neighbors. They had occupied the same economic bubble. Krytenia were the only nation to share a land border with any of the Vilitan Union entities, with the Turori backed Cocoabo Forest to the North and Vilitan Quasi Governmental entity Tropicorp to the South.

In order to find the last time when these two nations played each other not part of the same region, you would have to go back 73 cycles to the World Cup 15 Cycle. For both Krytenia and Turori it was their second ever match in Internationstatal Competition. The match would end in a draw while the Eels would go on to win the competition. The World Cup 88 Cycle would be the fourth cycle which the two teams would meet in World Cup Qualifying. In the three prior cycles the teams have met, they have never played to a draw and have never split their results. The team that won the first match also won the return leg - just adding to the importance of the days result.

Turori's First Kit's used during the Baptism of Fire for WC15

When the two teams stepped out onto the pitch at the Cygnus Stadium in Bromham, they chose to wear kits to commemorate those that they wore during the 15th World Cup Cycle. During the pre-match ceremonies, the teams chose to focus more on their own history against each other than to focus on their regional alliances. Other than the uniforms, there was no formal recognition that this match was particularly symbolic. While leaders across the multiverse struggled to understand the fine details of how Anaia came to be and what the future would hold for both Atlantian Oceania and its former allied nations, Sport must go on. Nigel's Army was in attendance and the rest of the Cygnus was packed with Cyan. The fans, like much of the multiverse, wasn't particularly interested in the politics of what was going on in their homelands. This day was all about Sport.

The energy provided by the fans helped the match along after it got off to a slow start with players on both sides well aware of how important the points at stake would be in the overall standings. Ultimately the first tally came from one of the most experienced players on the pitch - Arlington City and former Jungle Strike FC attacker Meldi'ita Mungwaii. The Turorian got on the end of a pass over the top from Kiidallen Aeroluzzi and quickly fired past Robert Wilson to give the Eels a lead they would hold onto through the half time break.

In the second half, the nervous Krytenian fans in attendance were given a chance to celebrate when Robert Reeder secured the equalizer after a fine save from Timaala Hualtia rebounded straight to the feet of the Yeaddin Owls midfielder. After having trailed for much of the match, it appeared that Reeder had secured a point for Krytenia, an outcome the home fans seemed content with after feeling as if they were down and out. The Eels, however, were not satisfied with just a point. Reeder's goal snapped a nearly 5 match long shutout streak that Turori had amassed and now their winning streak was in jeopardy as well. They once again relied on the veteran Mungwaii to pull them ahead and the decisive goal came just six minutes from time. The moment came after the substitute Kala'a Yuliizala made life difficult for the Krytenian defenders and attracted just enough attention to find Mungwaii unmarked at the back. The veteran would never miss from that close and the crowd at the Cygnus was silenced as Turori held on for a 2-1 victory.

When the final whistle blew, Nigel's Army cheered as the Turori National Team celebrated amongst themselves on the pitch. While their streak of four consecutive clean sheets was snapped, it was a critical victory against a major rival in Group 15. While some were calling it a moment of inspiration for all of Atlantian Oceania, for the Turori National Team it was three hard earned points that pushed the Turori National Team closer to the World Cup 88 Finals as they moved 12 points clear of their rivals from Krytenia who fell to 3rd and represented the first team out if the Cycle had ended now.

 Turori [2] - [1] Krytenia
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 29' Meldi'ita Mungwaii:: 84' Meldi'ita Mungwaii             		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 11	Krytenia 	:: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 8
	Lineup:	[GK] Timaala Hualtia, [D.] Mikki Mayelli, [D.] Amakli Inuro'o, [D.] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [D.]  Moumouni Verre'elali, [ML]  Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Lati'ala Giaoka, [MC]  Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MR]  Daliora Toru'u, [FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [FC] Wiztsana Iretziia			
	Bench:	[FC] Nua'oma Aikiki, [FC] Loala Inkabu, [M] Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [M] Naraiza Ruaplal, [U ] Lulu Pumaziiri, [D] Yitizo Mpala'a, [GK] Wiyauw An'maude

After returning home through the Cocoabo Forest, the Turori National Team would head to Sokattack Field in Mliona to play against the smallest home crowd of their cycle thus far. Home of Sokattack Mliona, Sokattack Field has rarely hosted the Turori National Team in competition as the stadium was constructed after Eel's Park in Eelandii became the defacto home of all Turori National Team games. However, for the World Cup 88 Qualifying campaign the Football Association of Turori decided to spread more matches around the Island Emirate in an attempt to re-engage the fan base after a poor showing at the World Cup 87 Finals.

The ploy certainly seemed to be working both for the fans and for the players as the stadiums were packed and the Eels were winning. They would keep up the momentum with a pair of first half goals against Fluvannia - both coming from midfielders. The first came 25 minutes in from Naraiza Ruaplal after a mistake from a Fluvannian midfielder that resulted in a quick turnover and a quick shot from Ruaplal that found the opposing goalkeeper out of position. Twelve minutes later, it would be another midfielder getting on the scoresheet for Turori with Kiidallen Aeroluzzi securing their own long-range tally as the Turori National Team appeared to have found something in the scouting report for Fluvannia having twice exploited the slightly out-of-position opposing netminder from range.

They would take the 2-0 lead with them into the half and then hold it through to the end of the match, a second straight victory in goal for Timaala Hualtia and second clean sheet of the campaign for the Inland Peaks goalkeeper. For the Turori National Team it marked the halfway point of World Cup 88 Qualification and they were well positioned at the Top of Group 15 having conceded just three goals across the first nine matches - or just 1 goal for every 3 matches played. The 3 goals conceded was equal best after nine matches among all nations competing in the World Cup 88 Qualifying. The one thing that seemed to separate this Turorian squad from the rest, however, was their ability not only to defend but also to put the ball in the back of the net. By comparison, fellow defensive minded nation South Covello also conceded just 3 goals in the opening 9 matches but scored just 4 - twenty fewer than The Eels. If Turori can keep up the pace over the second half they would be well on their way to the World Cup 88 Finals in Cassadaigua and Chromatika and could even find themselves knocking on the door of Pot 1. Of course, there were still 9 games to play and anything could happen in the second half of World Cup Qualifying. The key for the Turori National Team at this stage would be to continue executing on the things that made them successful in the first half and take it one match at a time as they pushed forth with an eye on securing automatic qualification from Group 15.

 Turori [2] - [0] Fluvannia 
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 25' Naraiza Ruaplal:: 37' Kiidallen Aeroluzzi             		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 57%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 10	Fluvannia  	:: Possession: 43%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 2
	Lineup:	[GK] Timaala Hualtia, [D.] Lulu Pumaziiri, [D.] Mikki Mayelli, [D.] Amakli Inuro'o, [D.]  Moumouni Verre'elali, [ML]  Daliora Toru'u, [MC] Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MC]  Naraiza Ruaplal, [MR]  Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki			
	Bench:	[FC] Turakia Diijelhma, [FC] Lutara Makakio, [M] Kinabo Telioa, [M] Kentu Umaka'a, [U ] Bvalis Amaanara, [D] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [GK] Derizi Amatopa

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

OOC: Please do not grade the spoilered parts, for much of it has already been RP'd (with little alterations required for tournament switch) back in NSCAA 12.

Also, pardon me for this post in advance. I was originally going to write a post about the list of Quebecois venues for the home matches, but TWGS took precedence and whatnot. As it turned out, I had only vaguely said Reneegrad and others, which don't provide jack, and the poor home form of Grim Reapers, as in losing to those with low ranks, and either no or poor RPs, would be better explained with...so-called home disadvantage.

Independent Athletes from Quebec- World Cup 87 Qualifying - 2048-49 Half: THE HELL'S PIT


Views from the top of the Water Clock Tower, South Wing

Of course, there is no fun in any Quebecois hosting without inviting our doomed to the Hell's Dungeon. The tradition of horror and pain continues as FASANDA Sports and Entertainment Group announces the agreement with the RQFA to host the first half of the World Cup 87 qualifying round in The Hell's Pit, Gotham, Terra Henrius.

The Hell's Pit is a vast, isolated and most importantly an underground stadium in Gotham, Terra Henrius, a Quebecois penal colony that nobody in Quebec gives a serious damn about. Built in 2017 following the transfer of Southern Mertagne to Quebecois interests, the Hell's Pit is pretty much an underground mousehole within the jungle that is Terra Henrius. Ever since its opening thirty years ago, it has replaced Marijuana Island as the home to 40,000 prisoners out of roughly 4 million incarcerated in this penal colony. Built during the earliest days of the penal colony's development, out of prisoners' boredom that led them to contact FASANDA Sports and Entertainment Group, The Hell's Pit is probably your ideal venue for a riveting, gut-chugging, boo-fiddling basketball tournament. It is an underground football arena whose capacity is 69,420, but of course it's not going to be like a typical football arena because it's carved all the way to the 24th floor below-ground, with its infamously steep stands. Quebec, as one of the powerhouse nations in basketball with long traditions in both men's and women's disciplines, is honoured to once again open up the venue for the sake of shits and giggles.

Use: With Terra Henrius being a penal colony of 1.2 million prisoners (600,000 whom had survived the Accidental Nuking of Gotham just 10 years ago), The Hell's Pit is used for many intra-colonial tournaments, such as Executioners' Football Classic, Do-Or-Die Tournaments and of course the Annual Hunger Games where all 13 districts gather to kill each other off. Its regular tenants are the physical education and health classes held in the gym and the weight rooms. For the practices, there will be practice courts available throughout the property, though access key is required to reach them.

Location: Located at the heart of Southern Calania, it borders EOT and is located about 500-700 kilometres away from the TH-Krytenian Borders. The Penitentiary Centre is surrounded by barren, nuclear desert in which the growth of any normal plantation is not expected. The weather here stays roughly in the 40s range celsius in daytime and 10s in nighttime. If there's any consolation to that, there is no snowfall here, though your happiness there is really more or less dependent upon your tolerance of sand, sun and humidity. Not fun.

Due to safety concerns, the RQFA will not be permitting any fans, both home and away sides, to attend the game. The prisoners will be sole members of audience.

Access: Like with Marijuana Island, there's only so many places that one can stop by en route to Arkham. Gotham is located around 3,000 kilometres south of mainland Quebec, so under normal circumstances (aka. not WCQ88) it is recommended that people head straight to Gotham instead of making a stop in Quebec. As for Gotham, Gotham International Airport is open 24 hours, 365 days, but......it's not functioning properly. Expect few unusable gates, extra time to process luggage and worse, machine gun firings on aircraft......

Independent Athletes from Quebec- World Cup 87 Qualifying - 2049-50 Half: MARIJUANA ISLAND GAOL


Views from the window, Jail Cell B1-789, Marijuana Island Gaol

Woo! Quebec and weirdness continue as FASANDA Sports and Entertainment Group announces the agreement with the RQFA to host the second half of home games for the Quebecois national football team in The Marijuana Island Gaol, Quebec and Shingoryeo.

The Marijuana Island Gaol is an isolated, multi-purpose gaol complex in Marijuana Island, Nunavut, Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Built in 1884 to house republicans caught attempting to plot a terrorist movement six months prior, it was regarded as one of the most dangerous, isolated and most importantly fun gaols in the Multiverse in terms of the purpose it's supposed to serve: to incarcerate any dangerous sources out there in the society. 164 years later, celebrating its sesquicentennial birthday, the Marijuana Island Gaol remains one of the most intriguing gaols in Multiverse (since it already has that achievement set in Atlantian Oceania). Multi-purposed, as stated earlier, the Gaol contains a basketball arena whose capacity can be expanded to seat as many as 6,666, but of course do not expect any of modern facilities we've come to expect in a college basketball arena. Wrong place for that. Quebec and Shingoryeo, as one of more known names nations in football, is honoured to once again bring the fun back into this dark place.

Use: Well......bruh. What does 1,093 prisoners incarcerated there say? The Marijuana Island Gaol hosted some of the most beloved sporting events in the Royal Quebecois Gaol System, such as Gotham-Nunavut Prisoners' Cup (Basketball and Football) and the annual Inmates' Hunger Games championships, the latter of which incorporates all the space available within the jail property of around 45km2. Its regular tenants are the physical education and health classes held in the gym and the weight rooms.

Location: Well, it's near the Quebecois North Pole, just 35km south of the northernmost point in this country, located right in Northwest AO. The Gaol is situated right in flat fields, surrounded by mountains roughly 894-1,497 metres tall, in a very long-shaped peninsula. The weather here in June isn't so bad, stays somewhat in -3 to -14'C range for the course of this tournament. Snowfall is of course expected, but it's Quebec so what can we say?

That said, due to the unpredictable weather conditions in northern Nunavut, it is not recommended for any visitor to head outside the Gaol or their planes / helicopters, et cetera. Way too many prisoners have attempted to escape that way and well, none had managed to successfully escape. RIP.

Due to security concerns, the RQFA will only permit the entry of 500 home and 100 away fans to the Gaol for all the second half home matches.

Access: Marijuana Island, being isolated from everywhere else, is only accessible by so many modes of transportation. The nearest city from Marijuana Island Gaol, Iqaluit, is roughly 2,194 kilometres away and from there, you can only go to here by once-weekly icebreakers and aeroplanes; icebreakers will land on shore 5 kilometres south of the Gaol and planes will land on a 5,000m runway 7 kilometres north of the Gaol. Two vans will be provided for the team and the supporting delegations, but for others it is expected that they bring their own voitures on the icebreaker.

As for Iqaluit, its international airport is open 24-hours, 365 days, but expect delays here and there because of weather.

Prisoners' Wing, Marijuana Island Gaol, in 2029. Most of the gaol is underground, which means that roughly 10 percent of the prisoners will ever see the sunlight.

Other Features: Gaol contains a visitors' wing that is certified maximum security, contains 777 beds and has Wi-Fi and all the modern amenities. A large selection of food, alcohol and marijuana should also be available, and those with specific dietary restrictions will be given priority as long as they send their meal plan requests two weeks in advance. Should there be way too many people coming to watch the conference championship tournament, however, the excess population will be given beds in the prisoners' wing. No heating, no water and only a loo and a mattress is given there, so it won't be the most pleasant of all venues but hey! It's a fucking Quebecois gaol so don't be too surprised about it.

6 months ago.....

Four-hundred strong staff members of all ranks from the Royal Quebecois Football Association were babbled and in disbelief, ever since they had received a direct order from the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, with co-signers from the Royal and Imperial Sporting Councils. Nobody, from its 52-year old President Michelle Glauber-Shin to the lowest of communication officers, had a clue on what had caused the three bodies above them, especially the two sporting councils, to launch an order that all the Quebecois home games for the World Cup 88 qualifying rounds to be rescheduled to its two penal colonies in Gotham or Marijuana Island.

To be fair, we would not blame them either. It was rare for the Imperial Sporting Council, the governing body of Quebecois participation in the international sports (and the organisation of the Quebecois Commonwealth Games, too), and the Royal Sporting Council, the governing body involving Quebecois participation in domestic sports and their international competitions like the IFCF, to get along with each other. The infamous sense of mutual hostility between the two councils, with their squabbles that had gone back to the 1960s, had meant that the Quebecois participation in international football was still continuing under the Independent Athletes of Quebec banner, for they were unable to sign the same piece of sheet of paper to pass it to then-Prime Minister Kim Seung-Yin and late Jacques IX for the Royal Assent. Now, with Jacques IX dead and buried, and with the public forgetting about the whole 2042 debacle as Christine II's reign progressed like the growth rate of HRH Alexandre, the three-year old Prince of Abitibi, so did the possibility of short-term reconciliation between them.

With that in mind, those of the RQFA Board knew they were going to have a meeting with three members of the Cabinet, at some point during this day. And indeed they were right, as a long row of cars had surrendered the RQFA headquarters just fifty metres out of The Reneegrad in the city of Reneegrad. Upon their sight, every member present at the sight (this is where and why WFH rules!) got themselves ready, and it took no less than ten minutes for the meeting to be arranged in the Golden Room, where the Board meetings were held. It was certainly an extraordinary sight. The Golden Room was packed, with twelve members of the Board (including the President), the three cabinet ministers, and fifty bodyguards whose presence alone were enough to suggest that this meeting was an unusual one, one of this level that has not happened in last fifty years of Quebecois footballing history, and may not be happening again in fifty years.
In a room filled with fifteen gentlefolk of speaking rights and fifty bodyguards, silence reigned over them all. With that in mind, the Prime Minister Arsene Kim knew he had the control of the room, and that this would have been the best time to deliver the authority, for the measure that would prove controversial but safe (OOC note: well, depends on who you ask. I'd say no, it doesn't, but hey).


'Thank you for coming here. Today, we are here because of the letter that you have received, with the signatures from both Councils and the Right Honourable Jean-Jacques Hofer, the Minister of Sport.' The Prime Minister said, turning around to look once at the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Jean-Jacques Hofer. The 34-year old, feeling somewhat overwhelmed and out of space as a first-time MP from Ogoki Valley, smiled and nodded. 'I have come to ask the RQFA's assistance with the relocation of the home venues, from the list of eight that you have posted before the World Cup (87), to the venues in Gotham, Terra Henrius, and Marijuana Island, Nunavut.'

The Prime Minister was unsure if those elderly eyes, who may have seen plenty of individual but unable to see the woods, were still holding the grap behind the details of the letter they had received. The letter, consisting of vague details about the upcoming diplomatic and regional declaration in Foxchester (there was no mention about the country- the split remained 5/7 among the RQFA Board as in whether it's in Krytenia or Starblaydia), was more than enough to surprise them, and he knew that.

I know, and they know, Arsene thought to himself as he cleared his throat. Their somewhat surprised expressions, even as they tried to hide, were more than enough to suggest how hesitant they were over the matter. 'My apologies for not being able to explain any further about the arrangements. That said, it is absolutely possible that should any details about the prospective Declaration be spilled to the public earlier than the intended date of May 16, or should other nations' responses to the impending regional move not be what we would expect from them, then we could expect possible danger to lives of tens of thousands of Quebecois.'

The room fell once again silent, the seriousness of the situation bringing everybody to the worst of weary Friday lunch hour. 'And while the options given by the Imperial Sporting Council, in playing the first half of the qualifying matches in Gotham and the second half in Marijuana Island, are by no means desirable, the Cabinet and the Councils believe that this is perhaps the necessary measure taken to protect our lives from possible terrorist threats.'

The next half-hour followed up with some statements and Q&A period, as the Prime Minister sat back and watched the interactions unfold. The Federal Government's statements, carefully prepared and written by the cabinet in case there would be great opposition over the situation, were read out by the Home Secretary Henri-Charles Peverley, while the Minister of Sport committed himself to a ten-minute powerpoint presentation about what the possible move to Anaia would mean in terms of long-term security and immigration implications, went much more beyond than what anybody had thought.

The Board were stunned, though they knew there was not much control the RQFA held over the situation. The geographical nature of the Foxchester Accords, which had incorporated the geographical nature in the fact that both its Northwestern allies and the Mertagnais were heading towards this direction, had meant that it would fall under the matters of national and regional security, thereby bypassing the normal requirement of going through a vote in both House of the Parliament. The Imperial Spector and l'Agence would eat it up, and so would The Taegukgi or Kingston Star. And if they, now aware of the implications, would have tried to expose this to the public, this would have brought even more controversy to the RQFA that needed less, not more, of them. The RQFA bureaucrats and the Governors, chaired by their owl at the centre of the table, would have to swallow their pain and follow along.

At the end of the meeting, however, came up with the most important questions from the RQFA President Michelle Glauber-Shin herself. They were not the most comfortable ones, but had to be answered anyway, especially given the political implications held by tournaments that were held there in the past. 'Your Honourable Kim,' Glauber-Shin asked. 'While I appreciate your concerns for the safety of the national team, and the supporters, with this alternative plan that would ultimately save thousands of lives, I do have questions about them.'

'Absoliutely, ma'am. Please go ahead.' Prime Minister Kim responded, noticing that this was going to be a crucial one for him to answer. Of course, he knew this was not going to be an easy one, but the one that he, over the past three decades as the Mayor of Montreal and then the Member of Parliament, knew how to cover the grounds.

We go our way, we do it our way, and we don't let anybody get in our way, the Prime Minister said to himself, as he waited for Michelle to read from her notes. If there's anything he had learned from quick shift from postgrad to politics, it is that the conventional international relations theories do not matter a lot in Quebec City. For sure there have been hundreds of scholars who may have tried to place the Quebecois policies along the lines of realism or neoliberalism, but really that would be incorrect, for only so many countries would have the ability to both ally with San Jose Guayabal and sell thousands of nuclear weapons to Gregoryisgodistan in an attempt to create an artificial economic boom. Of course, the said decision had led into the snap election by the last PJLQ cabinet before his, with the 2020 elections ending up being one of the most catastrophic ones in the party history, but Kim knew better than the blind sense of 'not giving a fuck' that anyway.

'In the past thirty years of Quebecois history, we have seen many tournaments, from Baptism of Fire 62, World Cup 77, NSCAA 9 and 12, and even the mysterious body-swap incident of International Basketball Championship 20, feature Gotham and its venues. Of course, its venues are one of the very few.....structures that are well structured, and I am sure the away side would not be harmed or placed under greater risk than those they should be expected to handle, unlike the Boneyfolk's adventures on the first of five competitions I have listed.' Then she continued asking. 'However, with the international election windows approaching across many other countries, including Graintfjall, Krytenia and others, won't this bring human rights issues into the foray, given the state of Terra Henrius and the arctic gaol?'

And like that, he knew what to respond to. 'I believe not.' Arsene responded with all the confidence in the world. 'If there were going to be particular concerns raised about the state of the penal colony, or the Marijuana Island Gaol, then they should have raised it long before our decision to prioritise the safety of our citizens.' And Arsene drank a glass of water on the table, and then continued to speak. 'Whether Foxchester succeeds or not, is one thing. Whether we could handle any risk, especially in the country where we have seen the Felixians and the Gregoryisgodistanis attack us in the past and subsequently punished from inside and outside due to their sins to humanity, I do not think it's really something for us to handle.

‘But what I do think, at the same time, is that life will sort itself out, and the hotter heads on the table will eventually come to their senses. The trouble won’t find us, as long as not much is said about it, and it is done quietly. It is not up to me to stop the questioning behind such a decision, but I think the RQFA can certainly play the most diplomatic, social-media friendly way possible with this choice. And that’s all I could say at this point in time.'

[Pasarga]

Meriadoc Griffiths had been dreading the phone call that he had received two hours prior, while he had been on the training pitch with the team as he was getting them ready for the next international fortnight and looking to bounce back from some truly awful results. The caller id had told him all he had needed to know before he had even said hello, as in bold, white letters on the mobile it said a call was incoming from "PFA HQ". The call had gone more or less as Griffiths had expected, he had been asked to stop by the headquarters, a few blocks from the training center in Torgos, after the training session came to an end. There was no hint of malice or anything of that sort yet the tone was not also reassuring and Meriadoc knew where this meeting was likely going to head and had been trying to mentally prepare for it for some weeks now.

Walking into the lobby of the building, Griffiths was greeted by a young secretary who directed him to an elevator at the end of one of the hallways and to head up to the fourth floor, where he was expected. Unlike the rest of the individuals who were inside the building, Meriadoc was not wearing any sort of formal wear, instead was still in his tracksuit that he had been wearing during the training session. It was a far cry from how he had been dressed to the Ts when coming to interview for the job of being the manager of the Pasarga national team, in what almost felt like a lifetime ago now after so many stress inducing moments that had come with the position. At that time Griffiths had felt hopeful, perhaps even jubilant, confident that he was the right person for the job and that his system would suit wonderfully well with the sort of players that Pasarga was known throughout the world for producing. Now he looked like a man who was tired of trying to solve a riddle that had been apparently plaguing him for over half a decade now, one that he knew he was likely never to solve and the signs of gray hair made that effect all the more pronounced.

The elevator ride had been short but tantalizing long for Griffiths, thirty seconds feeling like half an hour as he tried to figure out what he was going to attempt to say in order to keep his job, for he knew that this meeting was about his position. Yet the more he wracked his brain trying to figure out what sort of angle he could provide, what reasons that would likely be seen as acceptable and allow him to see out his tenure at the helm of the national team, but nothing seemed adequate. It was with his heart in his throat that he pushed open the doors to the meeting room where three people were waiting his presence, two were people he did not recognize but the third was the recently elected President of the PFA, Krisztofer Váradi, a forty two year old man from Stein-los. Krisztofer had no history in the game but came into the position with a high business acumen according to his colleagues, looking to ensure that the PFA not only was an elite organization but one that was able to keep its books balanced while still providing the support needed for the domestic game. The election had not gone the way that Griffiths had hoped, preferring one of the two who had run against him, having had experience in the game, yet it had not been enough to convince the voters.

"Sit Meriadoc, please." The woman to the right of Krisztofer said, gesturing to the seat on the opposite side of the table to the gathered PFA members. Meriadoc took a few steps forward and then relaxed into the chair, fine leather and quite comfortable but it did nothing to rid him of his worry and the stress that had been boiling inside him over the past several weeks with everything that had gone on with the team.

"I know I am here, I am here to try and explain why the supposedly eleventh best team in entire footballing world has had its worst start to a World Cup Qualification since its first every attempt at qualifying. I am expected to try and provide reasons and answers for the team's inability to get results, particularly in the Stade de Torgos, when it is supposed to have players that are in among the best of their positions in the entire world. The reality is, I do not know why the team is suffering the way it is and perhaps it is true that the team has simply quit listening to me knowing that I was going to be departing at the end of cycle as it was. Nothing has been easy since I took the job, I knew that it was going to be a difficult position to come into but I had the belief that I could get it done, and for awhile I did but not in the ways that I had promised those who had indeed hired me. I could make plenty of excuses and maybe even beg, but in the last two hours I have come to the same conclusion that I am sure that you have, I am no longer the right person to be leading this team."

The three of them looked rather shocked, not having expected Meriadoc to not only agree with their assessment but to have seemingly resigned from his post. "Are you saying that you are no longer desiring to be the manager of the Wanderers?" Krisztofer asked with a studious gaze, not sure yet if this was not some sort of trick or not.

"I would love to be able to see out the remainder of my contract but I am no fool and I know a lost dressing room when I see one. You want someone who may still be able to salvage this campaign and perhaps get the team at the very least into a playoff spot. If the team carries on as is, it will not and it is far easier to remove the manager than it is to gut the entire pool and try again."

"We are sorry that it had to come to this, you have had some achievements with the program." The woman spoke again, seemingly of some importance if Krisztofer was allowing her such leeway.

"Football is a funny game and perhaps I overstayed my welcome. Regardless, I do wish the team well, even if they might not be listening to me anymore, they are a great bunch of people but maybe just are a bit lost. I hope the next person to step into the role can be the shepherd that they need to find their way home."

[Omerica]

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WCQ88 half-time: Grading every Incorrigibles of the World Cup qualifying campaign thus far
By Anastasia Saint-Martin

When the group stage draw was made, Group 9 was instantly marked out as a possible group of life. The top three seeds all sat at or near the bottom of their respective pots and were joined by one of the most formidable Pot 4 sides possible. Combined with the strongest sides from Pots 6 and 7, plus a two-time world championship nation, the possible permutations were endless. The Newmanistanian press claimed that their nation simply had no excuse to fail in this group, while Gothanitan manager Zahi Castillas was on the record about his delight at the group his nation had been delivered.

The Omerican manager was much more reserved in her judgment, claiming that “third place is the right target to set. Anything better than that is gravy.” Alexis Stephanidis’s statement and her 34-point target are starting to look a tad conservative with the qualifiers halfway finished, but that’s not to say Omerica have been the most consistently solid team throughout.

Omerica 3–2 Osarius: A
The result was never the focus of this particular fixture, but rather simply welcoming the visiting Firebirds without incident. After a controversial fixture during World Cup 73 qualification where Omericans—wrongly—alleged that refereeing errors had cost them points in a crucial match, the Incorrigibles and supporters were stepping on eggshells to make sure nothing went wrong in these qualifying fixtures against the former two-time world champions. Ultimately, the people of Romainbourg were gifted a full ninety-minute treat of a match, where the lead went back and forth between the two sides, but the home nation prevailed for a seventh consecutive opening day victory.

Omerica 2–2 Gothanita Isles: D
While the Gothanita Isles are no slouches, this match represented only the second time in the last three cycles that the Incorrigibles have dropped points to a team below Pot 5. Omerica’s almost sterling record against Pots 6 through 10 had managed to lull the Incorrigibles into a sense of complacency going into the match in Christiana and the Gothanitans made them pay for it early on. The Incorrigibles took longer than they really should have to get into full swing, facing a Gothanitan defence determined to hold onto all three points against the second seeds. Malcolm Beauchesne was able to get an equaliser in injury time, but had the Incorrigibles come into the game more focus, they could have easily had all the points on offer.

Hainan Union 0–1 Omerica: B
This game was a crucial victory, but one where the Incorrigibles will be disappointed to have not won by more. That was in large part thanks to the admirable performance of Duan Dandan, who thoroughly deserved a player of the match award for her shot-stopping prowess, which Alexandra McGuire simply did not have the opportunity to try to match. Duan was ultimately unlucky to concede to Wesley Sawyer an hour in, but as things stand, the Hainan Union are proving to be one of, if not the single best Pot 10 side in the qualifiers, sitting in sixth place. This victory, small though it may have been, has ultimately been crucial in the race to keep pace with Newmanistan and Flavovespia.

Omerica 5–3 Acastanha: C
The visitors drew first blood thanks to the feet of Cezar Tipag, but the Incorrigibles quickly stamped their authority on the match and scored three before halftime. Nevertheless, Acastanha exposed the Incorrigibles as sloppy and undisciplined, nearly drawing level at 4–4. Unfortunately for them, the Incorrigibles simply had yet another lucky break on the counter to lock up one of the testiest eight-goal games you will ever see in your life. After defeating Flavovespia, Acastanha simply looked all the better for their trip to Omerica, having acquainted themselves as a formidable side and potential spoiler. Omerica, on the other hand, looked increasingly like a glass cannon after another unconvincing match.

Bunkaiia 1–3 Omerica: A
The first truly convincing performance of the campaign, Omerica’s first trip to Bunkaiia got off to a roaring start. The youthful home side admirably held on for nearly the entire first half before finally conceding, but were ultimately down by three going into the final five minutes of the game against an Omerica side looking to prove a point—namely that they were, in fact, qualifying contenders. Betiko Jàïan got a last-minute consolation goal for the home side, but it was a victory that the visitors ultimately deserved. For only the fourth time in sixteen campaigns, Omerica were undefeated in their first five games and they would need that leg up going into their four most formidable fixtures of the year.

Omerica 0–1 South Covello: D
Once upon a time, South Covello were World Cup grand finalists. (Ask your parents about that night, children.) They lost to Vilita in that match, signalling the approach of a precipitous decline for what was once Esportiva’s most infamous dictatorship. However, South Covello still entered the tournament to qualify and came out to Londonderry as if they were real championship contenders, effectively implementing their dour System Karela tactics over the will of the host side. Raphaël Martin made one poorly-timed challenge, Coconut Charles beat Valentine Augustin from the spot and Newmanistan opened up a five-point advantage at the top of the table.

Newmanistan 2–3 Omerica: A
This was not Omerica’s finest hour-and-a-half on the pitch, but the result was exactly what the doctor ordered. Having defeated a higher-ranked team only once under Alexis Stephanidis’s managership and never in the qualifiers, Newmanistan had every reason to be confident of victory in Loudon. The Rockets struck first and put themselves in the driver’s seat for most of the match, leading 2–1 in the 78th minute. Unfortunately for them, the Incorrigibles managed to keep their composure and bang in two goals in the last eleven minutes to escape with all three points and a crucial head-to-head* advantage. (*Conditions apply, results may vary.) It was not pretty and it was highly stressful, but the Incorrigibles got the job done and closed the gap on the leaders.

Omerica 1–2 Darkmania: F
But as the old saying goes: Margaret giveth and Margaret taketh away. For the first time in five encounters, Darkmania ran out as winners against Omerica and in a fashion that fully embarrassed an Incorrigibles side that had already beaten the top seeds. Jamal Ahmad easily gave Omerica the lead inside ten minutes, which the Incorrigibles held onto until Mjøe equalised with a quarter-hour to go. The game ended on a very familiar refrain: Mjøe hit the post and Vërnspern tapped in the rebound at the death to give the underdogs a comeback victory. Stephanidis declared the result—which briefly knocked the Incorrigibles out of the playoff spot and allowed Newmanistan to open up a three point lead at the top of the group—“an embarrassment”. We are inclined to agree.

Flavovespia 0–2 Omerica: S
After two chaotic performances with wildly different results, the Incorrigibles were due to make their first trip out to the newborn Anaia region. Flavovespia had been caught in the middle of a political mess with the shocking Foxchester Declaration, but the results weren’t showing it: the Hornets had got off to a rocky start, but rallied to overtake Omerica going into matchday nine. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t stay there for long. Alexis Chrysanthos put Omerica ahead after a dominant half-hour and doubled Omerica’s lead after the break, giving the Incorrigibles a lead they would never surrender, even in the midst of a late onslaught by the hosts. That embarrassment against Darkmania had lit a fire under the Incorrigibles’ collective arse and they put up their single best performance of the campaign thus far to restore Omerica to second.

Omerica’s overall grade: B
Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to give the Incorrigibles such a grade in light of the qualifying table: Omerica are within a game of Newmanistan at the top of the table, hold a crucial head-to-head advantage over Flavovespia and remain just a point off the top six of the runners-up table as things stand. The Incorrigibles could potentially bag their first-ever double over a Pot 1 side in Romainbourg and are in good position to at least advance to the playoffs. “B” appears a harsh judgment at first glance.

However, there’s much improvement Omerica need to make in the second half of the campaign. The Incorrigibles cannot afford to sit back against the Gothanitans or Darkmanians again and need to get a positive result in Riverview. Then, in their final two home games, the Incorrigibles need to come out in full force against Newmanistan and Flavovespia once again to have a hope or prayer of finishing top two.

Let last cycle’s Equestria serve as a warning: the Incorrigibles were sitting third in their qualifying group last cycle, five points adrift of leaders Equestria. Unfortunately, the Ponies collapsed spectacularly in the return half of the campaign and the Incorrigibles pipped them to second by a single point. If Stephanidis and her players are not careful, they may just suffer the same fate. ◇

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Other Football News:
• WCQ88: Omerica’s return match in Burningham will be critical in determining the direction of the national team’s reputation
• Assistant manager Christina Tedesco hails Omerica’s Eagles Cup performance as “respectable” despite exiting in the group stage
• The duality of Omerican football managers: eternal optimist John Rosencrants v self-critical pessimist Anne-Sophie Groothuis

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

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Osarius v Omerica
World Cup 88 qualification — Matchday Ten
Mount Crown Stadium, Burningham, Osarius
— and —
Gothanita Isles v Omerica
World Cup 88 qualification — Matchday Eleven
Old Sample, Sampleville, Gothanita Isles
Omerica lineup (4–3–3): Antoine Vicario; Darcy Francis, Charity Kayode (captain), Raphaël Martin, Sacha Sepulveda; Jacques-Pierre Castell, Fearchar Mac Cléirich, Christian Marts; Maïa Bustos, Malcolm Beauchesne, Wesley Sawyer
Substitutes: Alexandra McGuire, Annelise Betancourt; Alphonse Notley, Frédérique Marquetti, Noah Clement, Lauren Kerry; Maxime Fournier, Soraya Archambault, Thom Magalhães; Jessie Beckett, Alexis Chrysanthos, Jamal Ahmad

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[Vilita]

Alikki-Corra Vengeance for Jungle Cats

Vilita Put 4 Goals past Hebitaka at Tivali Ring Stadium

The Vilitan National Team's Matchday 8 victory over Savojarna was absolutely critical. It was without question the most important result of the campaign thus far for the Jungle Cats who were struggling to string together multiple points-scoring results in a row. It took the Vilitan National Team from outside the Top 2 to Top of the Table in Group 2. The importance of the result could not be understated.

But for some of the players on the Vilita National Player Pool, the real match was on Matchday 9. Against Hebitaka.

Thats right. Hebitaka.

It was the second consecutive World Cup Qualifying campaign where the Vilita National Team would be drawn in the same group as Hebitaka. One cycle prior, during World Cup 87 Qualifying, Hebitaka secured their own page in Vilita's Book of Early-Cycle Misery. Of course, unlike some Early-Cycle Adventures that had their own Chapters in the book of Misery such as the Giant Bird of Lymantatia or the Trials and Tribulations of Nacho Libre, the entry of Hebitaka is but a minor footnote in an odd ball statistic. It was the third match of World Cup 87 Qualifying, and the third consecutive draw for the Vilitan National Team. The first two were reasonable - on the road against high flying third seed Tequilo and a goalless draw at home against second-seed Newmanistan.

The match against Hebitaka was different. It was a goalless draw against the 289th ranked nation in the multiverse... on the road. It coast the National Team Coach their job. Finally, it was the first time in modern recorded history that the Jungle Cats had been involved in back to back goalless draws.

Under the guidance of Cavuna Aquafek, the Jungle Cats would rebound. They would go unbeaten for the next 12 matches and would climb their way back up the group table to qualify for the World Cup Finals. Still, some of the players did not forget Hebitaka, and it showed.

While the players would still have to wait until the final matchday of World Cup 88 Qualifying for a real opportunity at revenge, on the road, in Hebitaka, just playing against the now 127th-ranked nation in their colorful kits was motivation enough for the Jungle Cat Players.

Cavuna Aquafek was on the pitch when the Jungle Cats were held by Hebitaka one cycle ago - having come on as a late game substitute. He knew what the match meant to those players who were on the pitch that day. Aquafek put forth a strong lineup including #1 goalkeeper Mako Canopii who might typically get a rest when playing against a triple-digit team. The decision would pay off. While Hebitaka did manage to get a goal past Canopii, the Jungle Cats scored early and scored plenty with Rojara Tiones putting Vilita up 1-0 off a corner kick before the game was ten minutes old and young phenom midfielder Trezisi Rokopolis doubling Vilita's advantage nine minutes later.

While Hebitaka would get a goal back before half time, the second half was all teal and coral as modern top goalscorer Sipke Tarala added one more to their career total to put the match out of reach and Jyuola Mtalata added their own personal stat padding tally as the Jungle Cats secured a 4-1 victory to end the first half of Qualification on a far more positive note than they had begun it.

 Vilita [4] - [1] Hebitaka
				
	GOALS:	Vilita 	:: 9' Rojara Tiones:: 18' Trezisi Rokopolis:: 51' Sipke Tarala:: 74' Jyuola Mtalata           		
	STATS:	Vilita 	:: Possession: 58%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 11	Hebitaka 	:: Possession: 42%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 1
	Lineup:	[GK] Mako Canopii, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Rojara Tiones, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [ML]  Trezisi Rokopolis, [MC]  Limu Katarakhna, [MC] Cywrenta Vlintejni, [MC]  Kudii Davasarii, [MR]  Jyuola Mtalata, [FC] Sipke Tarala, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni			
	Bench:	[FC] Tenziki Kulakao, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso, [M] Polaox Torerun, [M] Lentali Purama, [U ] Jurzen Devmiko, [D] Linkat Cjinder, [GK] Vernasa Sanamun

[Ranoria]

Ranoria vs Muralos Bout to Determine 2nd Place Spot in Group 14

Anyone doubting the class of Baptism of Fire 74 may not have long to keep doing just that. With Ranoria (6-1-2) and Muralos (6-0-3) sitting at a combined 12-1-5, the two squads are coming in at slots 2 and 3 in group 14, behind Eura's squad. While the latter has complete control of the group at this point, that second seed is up for grabs and will determine who gets a chance to qualify for the World Cup, be that outright or with a playoff game bid.

So what's the damage? Who's the favorite?

Well, we've already locked horns with Muralos twice, once in the first round of Baptism of Fire 74's knockout stages - where they cleaned up and sent us home with a 3-1 victory, and once more recently in a tighter 1-0 victory in MD1 of this World Cup. So, let's break down each game, see what went right for who, and what we can take away from each.

Baptism of Fire 74: Muralos 3-1 Ranoria

Muralos's Hawks broke the hearts of the few faithful soccer fans in Ranoria. After the sport had been treated as a joke for so long in our nation, making the knockouts in the Baptism of Fire and Ice was a boon that finally convinced others to take the advice they'd been hearing for years to sit down and watch a game.

Only to get blown out 3-1.

Sure, there were some highlights, like Barry Chlorid's savvy pass to Felix Graf and our generally tight defense, but allowing three points in brief lapses ultimately overrode any amount of generally quality play. If we've learned anything from that experience, it's that the Hawks can and will take advantage of any gap in our defenses.

World Cup 88: Ranoria 1-0 Muralos

Besides the fact that we need to make sure our broadcasters are aware of the sport those on the field are participating in, we saw a few matchups on display here that show both squads have players to match the other. For example, Esther Simson of Ranoria and Nikolaj Grandja are both undersized but exceptional athletes. The two match up well against one another and are talented in similar areas. Or Adam Brava - who's one of the better players in the world - or our own Barry Chlorid, both being exceptional forwards. Now, we have to admit Brava's got the edge there, but with Felix Graf on Chlorid's side, we can match him.

But better yet - it showed that if we play a complete game on defense, without mental lapses and errors, the Krauts can shut down Muralos's attack. And while our offense probably isn't scoring more than two goals on them on its best day, at our best we can keep theirs from scoring.

So what's the diagnosis?

Pretty simple - we're at a bit of a disadvantage. Our defense has been stout in this tournament, allowing nine goals in nine matches, while Muralos's offense has been their strength. Adam Brava has done his part, helping to score a ridiculous 23 goals in nine matches en route to their bid to show that the Baptism of Fire 74 crew has some, well, fire left in them. We're the only thing in their way. And the problem? While the Hawks have allowed 20 goals, we haven't shown to be able to bust through that porous defense, and they have displayed the ability to put up numbers on our stronger one.

Away from home? It's a tough one. But the Krauts will be coming into the biggest game of any they've participated in World Cup sanctioned competition and heading into Muralos to take on their opponent.

With, potentially, the biggest draw for a soccer match in Ranorian history on the table, lets just hope our boys (and girl!) in red can find a way to continue this shocking streak of success they've been on.

[Montana Verde]

From the website of the news magazine The New Week National Atlantic News Spectating Economist Time Man.

In A Rainforest Republic, A Fragile Coalition Shoulders The Heavy Of Responsibility Of Leadership

After weeks of tense stalemate threatened to tip the nation of Montaña Verde into outright civil war, a truce has been declared and a government of national unity sworn into office for the remainder of the term of the missing President Diego Alejandro Santángel Ordóñez, whose disappearance began the unrest that led to scenes of riot and violence on the streets of the capital, Santa Margarita. As a sign, perhaps, of how much these first tentative steps back to normalcy have calmed fears, there will be no curfew for the forthcoming World Cup qualifying match against Listadeéxitosmusicalesstán. But there are also signs of mayhem not so long past: the national fútbol team, “the Condors”, travelling to Mancomunidad de la Parque Panadero, were forced to take off from a different airfield, the country’s main airport having suffered substantial structural damage during prolonged fighting.

The job of uniting Montaña Verde, a picturesque nation alternating between stark high mountains and lush dense rainforest, and historically seen as a sleepy, agrarian paradise, but in recent decades subject to attacks from within by Marxist insurrectionists and narcotraficantes, now falls to Álvaro César Pareja Aguayo. Former Chairman of the Council of Ministers, now elevated to the Presidency, Aguayo brings little executive experience to bear in the role, and must hold together a testy coalition containing many who openly rebelled against his authority just weeks ago. Lacking any authority from the ballot box, where his National Republican Party lost the last election in a landslide, Aguayo’s tenuous constitutional claim on the presidency is all that is keeping the country from sliding into the abyss of the civil.

Foreign nations have welcomed the truce. Græntfjaller Prime Minister David Austmannsson welcomed the elevation of the “bold reformer” Aguayo and congratulated him on the “far-sighted wisdom” of his plans to suspend the controversial agrarian reform law; Schutzenphalian Foreign Minister Theo von Vólkerhaus said he “looked forward” to meeting with Aguayo and the government to discuss further coordination. The People’s Army of Liberation have however rejected the truce and resumed insurgency activities, already being linked to a truck bombing of an army base in the south of the country.

One small wrinkle in the plan for national unity remains: the uncertainty over what happened to President Santángel and his family. Many Verdeans fear the reforming president dead and anguish over the question of his location has largely turned to mourning over the knowledge of his fate. But his family, including his wife, Esperanza, son Saúl and daughter Jazmín Santángel, remain unaccounted for. Rumors spread like wildfire even in the verdant canopies of the Rainforest Republic. In the villa where they were being held in secret for their own protection, the body of an unidentified Græntfjaller agricultural advisor has been found – but no sign of the Santángels.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

10 Memorable Moments in BPNT History, continued
another tale of Baker Park soccer lore, as we get closer to the 350th match in the NSWC Era.


6) You might recall us saying that Annabeth Westmoreland would be a name you'd come across in this series quite a bit; this should maybe sub-titled “The Ballad of AB”, because the superfluous tally in the dying moments of the match described here really pushed her from controversial teenage prodigy to heroine for a different generation of young women, several of whom are now on the horizon of future stardom for the NT.

The Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football is the strongest regional body in the multiverse today; it's the home of the nations that collectively have won the World Cup more than any other group, making the AOCAF Cup one of the toughest tournaments held on a regular basis.

Through the first 57 iterations of the Regional Championship, a single member nation hosted the entire field within the confines of their borders; for AOCAF 58, a different format was introduced.
The Kingdom of Banija, through the RBSA—the sport's governing body—proposed a shared hosting agreement with the Commonwealth. The nations had strong political and social ties, the governing bodies had an existing working relationship, and the FAC had gained a large amount of experience about hosting events through the Baker Park Open Cups 1 & 2. The decision was an easy one to agree to, but would the rest of AO embrace change?

As it turned out, it wasn't a controversial decision at all; having a field with nearly as many entrants as the WC Final, the logistics of splitting the tournament between co-hosts seemed like an idea who's time had arrived.

Baker Park swept through their group matches and then dispatched Saltstead in the Round of 16 to set up the quarterfinal meeting with Vilita & Turori at Rogers Stadium in Endborough; the combined sides of two of the sport's top nations made a formidable roster, as you'd expected the then current (and two-time) World Cup holders and the most recent runners-up to have. It also marked the 100th match for the NT during the NS Era.

Westmoreland at the time was just one of several players who rotated in and out of the team on the left side of midfield, frequently coming on as a sub for 20-30 minutes to change the flow of a match; the V&T match would be her third start in the tournament, and her 19th NT cap as one of the starting XI—technically her 20th, as she had a solitary cap playing for the WNT under Pam Scott—to go along with 13 appearances off the bench. Some in the media criticized her for not scoring more than she had up to this point--just 7 tallies--but they were missing the point: she wasn't a goal machine but a creator for others. She had an equal number of assists, plus a few other passes that probably should've been counted as such; her footwork and vision helped get people into areas that opened up possibilities to score.

The match itself was excellent value for money for neutrals watching in far flung locales or just standing outside the stadium taking in the action on the giant video screen; Enzoril Alabonni putting the Eel-Cat Things ahead with less than 15 minutes gone, then Lorenzo Taborn leveling the score on 20 minutes. A laser guided free kick by Limu Katarakha from 25 yards out that Caroline Gordon just couldn't quite reach sent the sides to the dressing room.

Jessica LeClair came on straight after halftime, as Sabrina Patton took ill suddenly, and she made her introduction in a big way, taking a Westmoreland pass, then finding Jamari Bozeman in stride, and the Southend man made no mistake less than 60 seconds from the re-start, making it 2-2.

Westmoreland's contribution up to this point had been defensively in tandem with Nick Haller, as they dominated against the right side of the Eel-Cat midfield, all but forcing attacks to the center and left. The result was a stalemate across the center of midfield, helped in part by LeClair harassing the center backs periodically.

Alex Sandoval's finish off LeClair's second assist of the match just as the clock ticked over to 80:00 set off wild scenes, but there was still time for the World Champs to display their resilience, as they pushed forward time and again, only to see attacks broken up and the ball sent back over their heads.
If that sounds like the end of the earlier covered Starblaydia match, what happened next won't surprise you.

LeClair ran agressively at Rojara Tiones, who had the ball about 30 yards from his own net looking to push forward; he looked to play the ball to the right (!?!) and badly mishit the pass, the slice falling almost perfectly into the path of AB, who headed it down directly in front her, then as the ball popped back up, flicked the ball with her left toe into an arc that carried over the onrushing keeper, bouncing dead center in the 6 yard box and into the back of the next. Sidestepping the V&T number 1, she sprinted to the goal and grabbed onto the crossbar, her momentum swinging her to almost parallel with the ground.

Several classic photographs catch different moments of the 5-6 seconds that it took to finish off the match; AB's personal favorite—for which she purchased the rights from the photographer and had it blown up to a 48x36 print—is from behind the goal, her left leg still off the ground, her eyes on the ball which is on its downward trajectory, the unlucky Tiones and LeClair both watching, slightly out of focus. As part of the deal, she signed and numbered 58 10x14 prints to be sold by the photographer, with 10% of the proceeds donated to youth rec leagues in Endborough.

No one has ever questioned Westmoreland's scoring since that night. Later, we'll detail another masterclass she put on that is every bit as important as this particular night was.

Commonwealth of Baker Park 4-2 Vilita & Turori
Taborn 20' Alabonni 13'
Bozeman 46' Katarakha 44'
Sandoval 79'
Westmoreland 90+1'

AOCAF 58 Quarterfinal
Rogers Stadium, Endborough att-47,154

lineup vs Montana Verde:
Johnston; Brooks, Wiseman, Jordan; Rizzo, Porter, Sotolongo (C), Reynolds; Gibson; Laing, Garvey

lineup vs Taeshan:
Gaines; Bauer, Onikambe, Harrison; Delgarro, D'Amico, Nolan, Ngoba; Westmoreland (C); Prior, Mack

[Eura]

‘Ok, fine, its started grim. We’re all feeling a bit down. The song goes on…’

Eura’s gonna’ throw it away
Gonna’ blow it away

‘But then…’ Ollie held up his hands as if to summon some song writing genius from his two friends. They both stared at him blankly.
‘Fine, I’ll do it all myself. Its got to pick up right? We’re optimistic.’
‘Yeah!’ James exclaimed. ‘We’re Eura, right? We’ve won two World Cups. Three Copa Rushmori’s. A bucketload of club silverware.’
‘Exactly. There’s pedigree here, there is. We know we can play. That’s it!’

But I know Eura can play

‘Wow, its so true! We do know they can play! They’re even on TV!’
‘No, Peter, it’s – for fuck sake, it’s supposed to have a deeper meaning than that. Obviously, they can take part in a football match, by “play” we basically mean play well.’
‘Ohhhhhh. That makes a lot more sense.’
‘Yeah, duh. And we know they can play because of that history and not much else really, other than Brian Bond basically bailing us out whenever his legs work. So we sing about it.’

’Cause I remember…’

----------

It was half time in Eura’s home tie against Xanneria, the last game of the first half of qualifying. It was 0-0, but their record was strong to date, seven wins interrupted by a solitary draw, including crucial victories over Ranoria and South Newlandia. And yet Skorji Oslograd was not happy. What a surprise.
‘Everyone in, come on, Move it. I said move it!’ The professional footballers of Eura’s national team had held up to Oslograd’s methods somewhat more than their counterparts in the Euran Oceania Territories, but even they were under his thrall to some degree already. When he ordered them into the dressing room at such pace, they sure as anything made sure they did so.
‘Nil-nil, eh? Well, I suppose that’ll do. Unbeaten in the first half of qualifying sounds good doesn’t it? Adequate, mmm?’

The dressing room murmured in agreement.
This was a mistake. A boot flew. Briar Daniels caught it just in time.
‘You should want to be more than just adequate. You need to be bigger than adequate. Stronger! Thicker! Harder!’ Rita Brookfield, the 21-year-old striker who clearly idolised Oslograd, went red in the face and looked down at the floor. ‘Something the matters Brooksy?’
‘Uhh, no gaffer! All, uhm, good.’
‘Right, it better be, because no goals at home at half time is unacceptable. No matter who the opponent is, no matter the match situation, we should always be looking to dominate in Eura, let alone anywhere else. Are you wimps, or warriors?’ Everyone avoided the manager’s gaze, his point having hit home. Not enough though, not in his book. He was going to take inspiration from something he did in his previous role to motivate his players to open the scoring floodgates.

In walked a gaggle of schoolchildren.
Rhea sighed to herself quietly. Why does he always have a group of schoolchildren on call to appear at random intervals? Are they actors or something?
‘Kids! Meet the Euran national football team. Would you care to show them your gifts?’ One by one, the excited schoolchildren opened their satchels to reveal balloons, tied to the inside of the bags, and bearing an inscription on each. ‘Now, these balloons don’t just have a philosophical resonance like they usually do for this team, no, they have a more mundane use as well. Each one of these balloons contains a unique ingredient.’
‘Oh really?’ said Clint Rogers, expecting something cute. ‘What is it, scratch cards? Cuddly puppy toys?’
‘What? No. They each contain a random gas or liquid, mixed with enough helium to keep them afloat.’

The players exchanged alarmed glances at one another, not even sure that was scientifically possible but alarmed either way. Monica Rowland, ever the direct one, took it upon herself to clarify what Oslograd was saying. ‘By gas, what do you mean? Like, laughing gas?’
‘Some will be helium. Others might just be friendly old oxygen. And maybe…well, who knows, maybe one or two carry some other fun little ingredients. Like ice cream.’
The players smiled.
‘Or mercury. Or kerosene.’
The players were no longer smiling.
‘But that’s ok. You don’t have to worry about the balloons. Because they’re going to be completely fine, as long as you go out there and score. But for every five minutes that you don’t…’ Oslograd pulled out a penknife and stabbed out the nearest balloon, causing a pungent smell of rotten eggs to fill the air. ‘…well, for every five minutes we haven’t scored, you really are gambling with these children’s happiness. And possibly safety. Anyway, keep the passing short and don’t be afraid to shoot from outside the box. Have fun!’

Two minutes later, Rogers launched a child-sparing thunderbolt from 30 yards that punched the back of the net and left the Xannerian’s reeling. Oslograd was the one with a grin on his face now.
‘…should we, uh, get someone professional to deal with these balloons?’
‘RHEA I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS.’
‘…’
‘…ok, the fire brigade. And bomb disposal. And maybe a vet.’

[Cassadaigua]

This is the cutoff for MD 10 & 11.
This is also where I would have posted music for you listen too. But instead of my choice, pick something you like. (easy way out)

Scores

[The Hainan Union]

Continued from MD8 and MD9's RP. One of the Hainan Union national team's players, Jin Li, found some critical issues with the originally proposed site for the Hainan Union's Wuyuan River Stadium.

Jin Li's speech was short and sweet. The proposed construction site for the Wuyuan River Stadium has families of Hainanese gophers living underground. Digging the foundation would obliterate their habitat. Here is the evidence. Now, what would the city government make of this?

The Hainan Union's government is not democratic at the local levels. Local government officials have been hand-appointed by each city's mayor since the country's founding (as Hsintai in 1931).

The first president Su Dewei's words have served as a guide for selecting government officials. "Hsintai's leaders must be humble, receptive, and decisive." If the country wasn't to have widespread democracy, it would have to select its leaders carefully, and people would still have to have the right to dissent. Yet many Hainanese people, Jin Li included, were skeptical of how far this would actually go.

Right now, though, it did. Su Zhenning, Haikou's mayor, thanked Jin Li for his time, and asked to take a closer look at the printouts he had brought to supplement his speech. Two weeks later, the government of Haikou announced a new site for the Wuyuan River Stadium, one that they personally asked the Hsintai Environmental Services Organization to vet.

Jin Li would later tour the Haikou government office as part of his introductory law class in college. On Su Zhenning's desk, next to a myriad of books and dossiers, were the same printouts that Jin Li had handed over in that municipal government meeting. It was almost as if Mayor Su did this for Jin Li to see, but it could not have been.

Latest Match Fixtures
The Hainan Union 5 - 3 Darkmania
Mo 10', Liu 32', 60'; Liang N. 59', 73' | [redacted] 22', [redacted] 28', [redacted] 48'
May 20, 2021
The Wuyuan River Stadium, Haikou, The Hainan Union

The Hainan Union 0 - 0 Flavovespia
May 21, 2021
Rovers Arena, Loxthorpe, Flavovespia

[Darmen]

Clubs Cold To Sports Tax
"Make The Poor Clubs Richer, Not The Rich Clubs Poorer"

SCOTT CITY - Several parliamentary committees met yesterday to hear testimony from various Darmeni sports clubs about how a proposed Sports Tax might affect their financial business. The officials of the various sports clubs were united in their opposition to the proposed tax, which would be implemented under the Revenue Act 2050.

For the past decade since reunification, Darmeni sports clubs have operated tax free, with the government having considered them important community and social assets. The Sports Tax, one of the few major domestic initiatives of the current Rademacher administration, would impose a 20% tax on all income above $2 million and a 0.5% tax on every club's total cash assets in excess of $10 million. The government claims that this will help level the playing field between the haves and have nots in Darmeni sport, particularly among domestic football clubs.

The plan has drawn widespread criticism from many sports clubs, with Atlético Augusta chairman Orville Ó Taidhg stating, "Many clubs are just now getting to the point where they are being able to consider building new stadiums with their own money, the Sports Tax will only set those plans back years, perhaps even decades." Ó Taidhg made it clear that many stadiums in Darmen are over fifty years old, dating back to the Communist Era and are in desperate need of replacement. Ó Taidhg pointed out that clubs might be forced to seek funds from their host municipalities or even from central government to build new updated facilities. "That would negate any increased revenues for the government, you may be forced to provide funding for the stadiums or risk losing support from voters."

While several MPs balked at the idea that they would lose voters if they didn't chip in to fund newer sporting infrastructure, other sports clubs made arguments that the politicians do seem to have at least paused to contemplate their plans. One such argument came from rugby union club Leicester Square Falcons, whose Treasurer, Meredith MacGinnis at least momentarily put the MPs on the defensive by suggesting that it "might be better if you spent more time helping the less fortunate clubs, increase government funding to the grassroots level and make the poor clubs richer, not the rich clubs poorer."

MacGinnis stated that many clubs in sports other than football lack access to steady income from television contracts and sponsorship deals and that once they fall into debt, its almost impossible to climb out. "If there is to be a Sports Tax, the government must make a commitment to actually fund sport and the clubs that play them, or else keep the status quo and leave the tax exempt status of sports clubs in place."

Tempala United Saints chief financial officer Sven Hannagan warned that "clubs might be extremely reluctant to spend money on bringing in exciting foreign stars, foreign stars that enliven domestic sport and lead to richer television contracts and increased ticket sales." In turn, those two sources of revenue are often the largest for domestic sports clubs. "With a tax bill now due for most profitable clubs, you'll see expenditures fall, clubs will try to cut wages, book cheaper hotels when traveling, anything to protect their profits. The adjustments clubs will make when taxes are implemented will likely negatively affect the players and fans rather than the owners of the clubs."

Karlheinz Thorsen, Liberal Party chairman of the Revenue Committee seemed to indicate that he was not deterred with pushing the Sport Tax forward, nor was he impressed by the thinly veiled threats made by Tempala United Saints. "As I see it, sports clubs have gone far too long only paying their share of the USC (Universal Social Contribution). The Sport Tax falls far short of the standard corporate income tax rates. Clubs should consider themselves lucky to have operated tax free for this long and I'm certain that any wage cuts or rise in ticket prices or any other attempts to wriggle your way out of the tax burden will bring you into conflict with the players and/or supporters."

The various committees responsible for reviewing the legislation in question will vote next week on whether the bill should advance to its third reading. It is widely expected that the bill will pass with Liberal and National Labor support.

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[Jeruselem]

Princess Kate the virtual vtuber (aka Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas) in front of a virtual stadium

Hello, this is Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem!
I'm back for another edition covering the World Cup 88 and how Jeruselem is going!
It's match day 10 and 11 in qualification, just leaving 7 games left.
The second half of qualification has commerced.

Match day 10, the one after the half way point.

Fujai, the draw master of group 10 was at home. They had to face San Ortelio who were 2nd on the table.
San Ortelio again proved too good for another win and poor old Fujai didn't gain anything.
Saying that, 3-2 win was probably closer than San Ortelio wanted.
We kinda expected San Ortelio to win this.

Bluecliff League have been losing touch with the leaders and well hosted Seguidores de la grasas, one of the easier games.
Seguidores de la grasas knocked over the hosts Bluecliff League for the 2nd win and Bluecliff League must be a little disappointed.
Well done Seguidores de la grasas.
Bluecliff League need to start winning and most of the remaining games!

Top seed Siovanija and Teusland hosted the dangerous Talamia who were ahead of them on the table.
This was an important game for both teams, and Siovanija and Teusland have suddenly started playing like the top seed.
They beat Talamia 3-0 in a one-sided rout.
Talamia faced the true Siovanija and Teusland today, and lost out.

Valladares at home faced Istoreya who shouldn't have been a threat to them.
Valladares did win 2-0 and resumed moving up the table after recent stumbles.
Well it was kinda expected Valladares won this one.
Istoreya probably won't qualify this cup so they shouldn't be too worried.

Mercedini lost at home last time they met Jeruselem, but now Jeruselem were at home and hosting Mercedini who were a much better team than match day 1.
Mercedini wanted their revenge for the earlier lost but had to fight to grab the three points.
Jeruselem went down 4-3 at home, and Mercedini made a statement.
The Princesses losing their first game, but it was against the 3rd highest seed.
We aren't invincible after all, but we knew that.
Our goal difference wasn't really affect much.

Does losing one game mean anything? Well, we were going lose a game eventually.
We have to learn from this loss.
The positive is we still scored 3 goals in our loss so our goal difference didn't get smashed up.

A high scoring match day 10! With 7 goals in the match of the day at Dazza Dallas Stadium.
Let's get moving on to match day 11.

Valladares welcomed visitors Fujai.
The much improved Valladares should won but they managed a 0-0 draw with Fujai.
Fujai was probably happy they didn't lose this but Valladares really needed the 3 points from this.
Fujai once again it was the master of the draws!

Istoreya aren't doing well and having to host Siovanija and Teusland isn't ideal either.
The top seed Siovanija and Teusland destroyed Istoreya 6-1 and the home team were rather embarrassed by this.
Finally the top seed is showing what is capable of!
Istoreya might want to plan for the next world cup now.

Talamia has a setback losing to Siovanija and Teusland last game.
They were back home and the visitors were Bluecliff League.
Talamia prevailed 2-1 against Bluecliff League to hold their position.
Bluecliff League aren't moving forward and other contenders are pushing them out of the competition.

Mercedini, the home team, face a crunch game against San Ortelio.
These teams are contenders and San Ortelio are trying hold down 2nd while Mercedini are trying make up for lost time.
A loss here might affect the final positions.
Mercedini won the day 1-0 and after beating Jeruselem 4-3 last game. They have beaten both ladder toppers.

Seguidores de la grasas who last game 1-0, had to suddenly play Jeruselem who were coming off their first loss.
Could Seguidores de la grasas upset Jeruselem? They beat Bluecliff League!
Well Seguidores de la grasas inability to score goals ... they didn't.
Jeruselem won 1-0, not our best game. Admittedly we weren't trying very hard this game, well compared to our last game.

Match day 11, the highlight was Mercedini beating San Ortelio and Siovanija and Teusland winning 6-1.
From now on, teams will begin be eliminated.

Group 10 table and yes it's getting interesting!
Seguidores de la grasas are still last with 6 points. We expect them to be eliminated pretty soon.
Istoreya are 9th on 8 points, also with 2 wins but also 2 draws. And 7 losses.
Fujai are 8th with 9 points. 1 win and losses but 6 draws.
Bluecliff League with a lucky 13 points, 4 wins but 6 losses which is why they are so low. 1 draw thrown in.
Valladares also on lucky 13 points. Only 3 wins, and 4 draws. 4 losses are the problem.
Siovanija and Teusland are moving up! Up to 5th on 16 points. Yes now 4 wins and also 4 draws.
Talamia hold on in 4th on 20 points. 6 wins and 2 draws.
San Ortelio also on 20 points just like Talamia. Also 6 wins and 2 draws.
The differences is their goal difference is +3 compared to 0.
Mercedini are now SECOND. 22 points with 7 wins and 1 draw now! BIG MOVERS
Jeruselem despite the recent loss, top the table on 26 points.

Note Seguidores de la grasas are 20 points behind Jeruselem.
With 21 points available maximum, expect the bottom 3 teams to be eliminated soon.

With Jeruselem losing 1 game, are there any undefeated teams?
Kelssek in Group 1.
Valanora in Group 4.
Banija in Group 13.
Eura in Group 14.
Turori in Group 15. They have won every single game!

There are quite a few Virtual Vtubers in Jeruselem.
And I know a lot of them.
Saying that, the real identity of those people is unknown to their fans!
Unlike me, everyone knows who I am because of my time on Naked News Jeruselem and now I'm behind a different camera, at home.
And I can't still be bothered wearing clothes even on a virtual avatar.

Don't miss the next show with a special guest.
No it's not my daughter.

I got some more hate mail, eh that's normal.
Mann Network say vtubing news is bound to fail, because people want to watch news on a normal TV.
Looking at viewing numbers, more people watch football news on the Internets than on traditional channels!
Why?
People want to control what and when they watch their content.
That's why we're delivering football news this way!
And they still like naked womens. YAY

And to the haters, FAQ OFF.

Code: Select all

*  Group 10                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Jeruselem                                  11    8   2   1    25   13  +12    26
 2 Mercedini                                  11    7   1   3    23   17   +6    22
 3 San Ortelio                                11    6   2   3    14   11   +3    20
 4 Talamia                                    11    6   2   3    18   18    0    20
 5 Siovanija and Teusland                     11    4   4   3    22   16   +6    16
 6 Valladares                                 11    3   4   4    16   17   −1    13
 7 Bluecliff League                           11    4   1   6    15   17   −2    13
 8 Fujai                                      11    1   6   4    17   21   −4     9
 9 Istoreya                                   11    2   2   7     9   18   −9     8
10 Seguidores de la grasas                    11    2   0   9     4   15  −11     6


[Bollonich]

Vreton City Journal

Match Reviews

Bollonich 2 - 0 Al Qurija

The players were happy and frankly overjoyed. We were coming off two great wins against Zwangzug and Rangers FC and also the return of Miles Hum from injury. The season was also over, which meant the players were well rested to play international games. The players were again at home, in Fermont to play their match against Al Qurija, a team we had drawn against when we played them away. However we were coming into this confident and with 2 wins in our backs. Gildiric had also reverted to our traditional 4-2-3-1 with the return of Hum, with Hum and Marshall both starting. He also played Buck Moreno in place of Cummings. The National Sports Stadium in Fermont was far from filled owing to the riots in town, however a small number of people around 10,000 had attended the game, most being Qurijan tourists. The match was underway with a slow pace, with both teams needing some time to settle in. After taking some time to settle in, the entirety of the first half was dominated by Bollonich. The elegant and smooth passing combined by the quick pace of the wingers seemed to be too much for the Qurijan defence who were struggling. It was the 32nd minute when after Ploy won the ball, he passed it to Marshall who after dribbling past a player passed it to Moreno. Moreno sprinted towards the corner and then put in a cross which was brilliantly headed in by Schmit at the far post. However to the disappointment of the Tigers the goal was ruled out due to a foul by Ploy in winning the ball. This will again raise a debate on how long does this rule applies for. After this chance no team had any major chance before the end of the first half. The second half began with the same level of dominance from The Tigers as was seen in the first half. Without much time passing by, soon Bollonich scored through Schmit who put in a brilliant curler using his right foot. Bollonich were ahead, this could be our 3rd win in a row. The players however didn’t get complacent and kept battering on the tired Qurijan defence. And within a matter of minute with 88 minutes one the clock Hum scored after receiving a brilliant pass from Buck Moreno, leaving him only to get a touch to score which he easily achieved. This match against Al Qurija was a fairly straightforward one for the Tigers easily winning and ascending the table. This win propelled Bollonich to 6th and is a much needed a run of wins for the team that were struggling in the early parts of the tournament. This win just fuelled onto the overall confidence of the team making us more prepared for the tougher games coming up next.

Match Events

Bollonich                     Al Qurija
57’ GOAL - Schmit (Bobby)     63’ Serafim Beziri ▲ Abbas Gim ▼
63’ Tad Rios ▲ Marshall ▼    78’ Nursultan Dimitrov ▲ Yamandú Gonzalez ▼
88’ GOAL - Hum (Buck Moreno)

Sannyamathland 2 - 4 Bollonich

After coming off a win against Al Qurija we were travelling to Sannyamathland. To face their national football team, a team we had drawn against at home. They were also moderate well ranked at 191. This away game was going to be difficult, but confidence was high and the line up was stable with a working formula found. The line up resembled the one against Al Qurija perfectly, Gildiric hadn’t made any changes as he didn’t need to, the team was performing better than expectations. This match against Sannyamathland however was crucial if we wanted to compete for a qualification or play off spot. A win could in theory propel us to 3rd position hence a victory here would be crucial. The game started, and the Tiger picked up from where they left off. The first goal came relatively quick in the 21st minute as Perry put home after a brilliant display of skill from Marshall. The lead was soon doubled my 16 year old Buck Moreno as he put a cheeky dink over the keeper’s head. The goals didn’t stop there from The Tigers as soon Marshall picked up a goal after dribbling past 2 defenders and shooting with an immense amount of power. And just like that at the end of the first half Bollonich were leading by 3 goals. Sannyamthalnd had been completely closed down and didn’t even get a shot on goal. The second half begun with Sannyamathland making a good chunk of substitutions, and these substitutions paid off as within 5 minutes of the substitution Max Asov who was brought on in place of Peter Philips scored putting Sannyamathland back into the game. Sannyamathland again scored by the head of V.I.. Mount who put in a brilliant cross put in by Ivan Sandiev. The scoreline read 3-2, the Tigers were looking nervous as they knew another goal would level the scores, they needed to score. And Abbott provided that moment of brilliance. It was an elegant play by Moreno who passed the ball to Marshall, who back heeled it to Abbott. All Abbott had to do was score, and score a blinder he did. This goal put Bollonich ahead and gave a cushion of 2 goals with them eventually sealing the game. This victory propelled Bollonich to 3rd place and in close contention for the top 2 spots. With Bollonich’s next two games against Tequilo and Sylestone with Tequilo being a team currently resting at the 2nd position it will be important that the Tigers can carry ahead their winning form.

Match Events

Bollonich                         Sannyamathland
21’ GOAL - Perry (Marshall)       49’ Max Isov ▲ Peter Philips ▼
34’ GOAL - Buck Moreno (Lindsey)  49’ Alexander Ostrovksy ▲ Mikhail Karpov ▼
41’ GOAL - Marshall               49’ Nigidi ▲ Mbiki ▼
49’ Abbott ▲ Schmit ▼            54’ GOAL - Max Isov
82’ GOAL - Abbott (Marshall)      73’ GOAL - V.I. Mount (Ivan Sandiev)

[The 14 Stars]

The 14 Stars in Eshialand, preserving strenght

The 14 Stars had to travel to Eshialand for the next match, while normally they would play like they never did this time they would keep their plays down on purpose for a higher goal.
Alot of hard matches had to be played yet, Savojarna, Remnant states, Vilita, alot of these teams would easily beat our team if we did not back down a bit now and preserve our strenght and it had been ordered aswell.

Coach Blade used this occasion to field an entire new team against Eshialand this time.

Keeper: Elias Fisher
CB: Colin Maywell
CB: Direm Hassan
LB: Milo Griffin
CM: Yusuf Mustafir (c)
CDM: Steve Woods
RB: Ozray Karazhan
LW: Mell Falsen
CAM: Giovanni Rosario
RW: Rojan Carerez
ST: Bill Davison

Mustafir has been selected as captain today, he along with Fisher and Maywell are seen as the key players today to hold Eshialand for as long as possible however this team is alot weaker.
however as kickoff starts The 14 Stars immediately puts pressure on Eshialand forcing them to play on their half at the start and while it is not the best game it certainly gives chances to both teams here.
However what the surprise the last time had is now gone, Eshialand knows what to expect and what to do against it and so in the 43th minute they score the 1 - 0 already against us with a great longshot unstoppable for the keeper.

During half time there had been no substitutions made, Coach Blade seems fine with the current turn of events and as said he isn't even here to necessarily win but rather to keep damage low.
As an unranked team The 14 Stars plays way above what one would expect but Eshialand has more international experience and in the 2nd half this becomes visibile, they become more and more dominant in the game.
in the 77th minute they give away a penalty Milo Griffin commits a foul in the eyes of the referee and gets a yellow card for this and with a bit of seeming frustration he walks away saying something in Starsian the ref can't understand.
Ofcourse the penalty is neatly shot in, keeper Fisher can touch the ball but its too fast to keep it out and it becomes 2 - 0 for Eshialand which is also the final score for this game as it was quite refreshing to see some new faces.

Vilita wrecked beyond recovery!! Jungle cats a disgrace to their nation!!!

Today it was there the home match against Vilita, a full stadium packed with Starsian fans as they chanted the name of their nation wanting them to do their best against the best nation in the group.
Coach Blade was prepared, the best and most agressive players would be playing to give Vilita a rough run for their money and likely one they would not forget anytime soon.

GK: Dave Carlsson
CB: Gordon Borov
CB: Nicolay Moon
LB: Chewan Osong
CM: Morris Valerian
CM: Troy Rockwell
RB: Rick Leon
LW: Boris Müller
CM/CAM: Christiana Love
RW: Yuri Dimitrov
ST: Victor Demonio

Some minor changes here and there but the most important player to watch ofcourse was Christiana Love, the Goddess of the field was once again playing along with the absolute commander Valerian.
Their combination was deadly and some say even one of the most effective in all of the qualifiers as their winrate in matches they play together in both league, cup and international has been 100%
As Vilita takes their positions Love and Valerian take some time to talk before they start making sure that they will execute their tactics flawless without any trouble.

Valerian: ''Okay everything is set, everyone is in position and ready to execute what we trained, be aware that Vilita is a very offensive team and they will keep us under pressure at any time here.
One mistake and we are goners, but if our tactic works they will not even be able to crawl out of the stadium here.''

Love: ''Indeed, these insects think they can stand up to the gods, we will show them both our flawless plays and our beautiful strikes and we don't need to let them come close.''

Start of the match

The match started all that friendly Vilita with a small attack but after a good defense in the 11th minute the ball falls to Valerian who nods to Love that they will begin the massacre to ruin Vilita.
Valerian starts the tactic Grid Omega, its a forbidden military grade tactic in The 14 Stars because it hurts people so much it could keep them out of the game for weeks if not months at all.

Valerian reaches their arm outwards, signaling the team to begin Grid Omega, The other teammates run towards the opponent leaving a gust of red wind that covers the opponents.
In phase two, the red wind spins around, pulling in the opposing team, off the ground, spinning them around. In phase three, the whirlwind rises upwards, forming a large red tornado, The tornado is released and the opponents fall to the ground, immobilized.
As they fall on the ground the Vilita team was unprepared for these sort of weird tactics and multiple players are screaming in pain as they don't even realize what has happened to them already.

Christiana Love takes the ball and walks past the opponents who are unable to even stand up or crawl towards the ball, she walks slowly to the goal and kicks the ball in the net softly with a sweet angelic smile.
She walks back to Valerian for a high five as the referee blows his whistle for a goal, it was no foul since no one touched the Vilitan players but now they had time for medical care atleast as their whole team was shattered and broken.

2 players had to substituted immediately on Vilitan side having such injuries that they aren't even able to stand up on their own, they had to be carried of the field by their own teammates as there was no point but to continue.
After that 2 new players came in and Vilita kicked off, they played very well and quickly evened the score to 1 - 1 due to the overconfidence of The 14 Stars but this was surely a wake-up call for them.
Once The 14 Stars kick-off the ball goes to Christiana Love, she runs down the field with Demonio their combination ploughing through Vilita like knife through warm butter.

Near the goal Demonio kicks the ball up into the air with a dark purple electrical-like aura around it.
Christiana jumps into the air following the previously kicked ball She then grows massive, golden, angel looking wings which turns the ball a golden color.
As she is about to kick the ball, Demonio summons six demonic red penguins from the ground that have black demonic wings and red glowing eyes, he then flies up with the penguins to meet the other user.
They both kick the ball and a half angel golden half demonic red aura follows the ball as well as three demonic penguins and three angel-like penguins.

Demonio and Christiana: ''Here it comes, Penguin the God and the Devil!! together we can achieve anything!!''

The ball blazes through the last defenders going in the net along with the keeper, there was no way of stopping this massive shot as was a true combination of heaven and hell like never seen before.
The crowd went wild as they scored a 2 - 1 and took the lead over Vilita, there was no way this would be given away and the end of the first half was there with a shattered Vilita and a very strong The 14 Stars.

2nd half

In the 2nd half there was less activity but constant rough plays which were clearly fouls on Vilita started to work on the nerves of the Jungle Cats along with the fact they were being toyed with.
in the 75th minute Valerian again signalled for Grid Omega however this one would be way more painful.

Five players spin around, raising their hand while creating their own blue torndao.
Valerian runs in and jumps in the air, spinning as well, he crosses his arms and releases them, creating a large blue torndao in the center.
The large torndao pulls in the other users smaller tornados, creating an even bigger tornado that pulls in the opposing team from the ground, viciously and wildly spinning them around in the air, until the blue wind disappears and the opposing players come falling down, unable to move from the impact.
This is Grid Omega, Version 2.0 even more painful and hurting then the normal one.

Once again all Vilita players fell out of the sky on the ground and multiple screams filled the stadium with loud cheers as the Vilita players were hurt and injured and unable to come close to the ball.
Valerian took the ball with him, he walked slowly past all players until he was before the keeper looking in his eyes with a cold look as he spoke to him in their own language.

Valerian: ''You are no match for me, i am the absolute commander and i will change the world, with my own hands''

And with that said he kicked the ball in the net making it 3 - 1 in the advantage of The 14 Stars, due to none of the Vilita players physically able to continue Vilita's coach forfeited the match.
simply because he did not want his players to be hurt by something as weird as that again.

As soon as the match was over 9 out of the 13 Vilitan player who had played the match were taken to the hospital, for a few of them they had luck but another few had less luck.

3 players had injuries so severe that they will be out for atleast 2 qualifying matches according to the Starsian medics who looked after them and among these players are, they have either bruised or broken bones from the fall and will not be recovered soon enough to help out the Jungle Cats with their next without the risk of harming themselves even further.

Linkjat Cjinder, Kudii Davasarii, Mako Canopii

[Murphtannia]

Win and a draw give Murphtannia an outside chance of qualification


*Tell them we have a chance* Murphy thought before heading to the changing rooms, he had to think of something to tell them before the game kicked off.

It was an important game everyone in Murphtannia knew that Murphtannia needed to win at least one of their next two games if they were going to even have an outside chance of qualifying.

Galeanna up first, they were 9th in the group and his team had managed to beat them convincingly before. They’d have to try and replicate that again.

He walked into the changing rooms, the chatter of the players going quiet as they all looked at him.

“Listen up lads, you’ve done well. You’ve put up a good fight all season, and even though it may look like qualification is out of the question for us, it’s not that many points. You win these next two games, then we have a good chance.

You’ve beaten Galeanna before, now go do it again”

The players were fired up as they ran onto the pitch.


[Kick off]


[30 minutes into the game]

Murphy sat down and watched. *We’ve started well* he thought, watching as Murphy headed the ball over the bar. *But we’re not finishing our chances, time to make a change*

Murphy went to his assistant manager, “Move Styler to a shadow striker, move Elliott and Cartlidge up, have them try and work the ball into the box rather than cross”

As Spencer made the changes, Murphy sat down, just in time to see George Smith head the ball into the bottom right.

*I’m going to be blamed for this* he thought in his head, *I haven’t even had time for the change to come into effect*.

[47 minutes]

As the timer went down, and half time approached, Murphtannia had sixty seconds to avoid a deficit at half time. Saunders duly delivered. Styler ran the ball into the box, taking a shot, saved. Saunders however was in the right place at the right time and slotted home the ball.

1-1, it wasn’t over yet.

[Inside the changing room at half time]

“Right lads. You’ve pulled yourselves back. Don’t let their goal fool you, you have played brilliantly today. It was a fluke goal. Saunders has pulled one back and I expect a reaction. Now go get em”

[Second Half]


When Murphy said he wanted a reaction he didn’t quite expect this. Murphtannia battered the ball for the next half an hour. Galeanna didn’t even get a chance to leave their half of the pitch.

Of course it was still 1-1 until the 75th minute. Styler ran with the ball, the exact same chance he had previously, only this time he was determined to score. Chipping the keeper and wheeling away in celebration as he made it 2-1.

The game followed the samreattern, Murphtannia just kept hammering away, until Murphtannia won a corner.

Owen crossed in the ball, Pole headed it backwards for Pallett to smash into the roof of the net, to make it 3-1. Game. Set. Match.

[Full time]

The feeling of relief that washed over Murphy at the full time whistle was pretty good.

The win had put their foot in the door, and they at the very least had a chance.

Which was all destroyed by Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom.


The next game


Murphy sat down again. They’d beaten Galeanna again, part one of the plan was done, now for part two. If they beat Zeta then they stand a good chance. If they draw they stand a chance, if they lose, well let’s not talk about that shall we.

Still it wouldn’t be the end, there were still 7 games to go after this.

You can imagine how deflated Murphy was when Jad won the ball on the edge of the box, and in a moment of brilliance managed to hit the ball at just the right angle, to fly in at the near post.

Spirits then rose when Pole made it 1-1, then Boland made it 2-1. Just before half time however, Heiden received the ball from a corner, and headed it into the net. Ball tried to stop the ball, but it rolled in. 2-2.

In the second half the game’s quality dropped by a lot. It was a cagey game. Both sides unwilling to attack out of fear of conceding again, just like the first half.

That was until Murphy was subbed on for Boland, having been tired before the game. In the 80th minute he’d thought he’d won the game when he headed the ball into the near post, a less impressive version of Jed’s earlier goal.

But football giveth, and it taketh away. In the 93rd minute, with the last kick of the game, Bogdan Rawic used some impressive footwork to work his way past one, two, three defenders, and simply slotted the ball into the bottom right.

Bottle jobs. He already knew what the less favourable media outlets would be saying. Another 3-3 draw against Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom put Murphtannia as outsiders for qualification.

Still. 7 points off 1st with 7 games to go. All Murphy had to do was win or at least draw the remainder of his game, and hope Audioslavia, Poafmersia and Graintfjall dropped enough points.

It was unlikely, but not impossible, and this gave him hope.

[Valentine Z]

Post 5 – Best-Laid Plans.

Valentijn sat in her office, this time just deciding to be in her original body that would tower over several buildings and perhaps even stadiums that they were in. She sat in the ship's office, with a few other Valentians swarming and doing their usual paperwork on the table, as well as taking a bit of R&R. "I am very pleased with the results so far, I must say. The training definitely paid off for all of you. We are definitely getting wins and draws now, our lucks are changing, don't you see?"

The scores so far:

Matchday 01:    Krytenia      2–1      Valentine Z
Matchday 02: Valentine Z      0–4      Turori
Matchday 03:  Baggieland      1–0      Valentine Z
Matchday 04:   Fluvannia      1–0      Valentine Z
Matchday 05: Valentine Z      2–3      Acronius
Matchday 06:     Reçueçn      1–0      Valentine Z
Matchday 07: Valentine Z      1–0      Gergary
Matchday 08:    Hispinas      2–2      Valentine Z
Matchday 09: Valentine Z      1–0      Queenisa
Matchday 10: Valentine Z      3–1      Krytenia
Matchday 11:      Turori      3–0      Valentine Z

Everyone nodded and cheered in agreement, optimistic that they just might be getting to the better half of their round. Perhaps it was the home stadium advantage that they have kept hearing about. After all, the two wins in MD9 and MD10 were all in Fate Stadium. "Perhaps it was the Fate that they must abide to, hehe," Gwen remarked, watching some evening-time TV with a few of the Valentians in the break room, "I still really cannot believe we scored 3 goals against Krytenia there. Surely we have done something very differently now, or egregious?"

Valentijn was watching a few replays from the matches, courtesy of all the footage going straight to Clarissa, who in turn projected onto the wall for viewing. It would not have been that the Valentians did something outrageous or miraculous. After all, the MD7 (the one against Gergary) went as normally as they would expect, Clarissa scoring that much needed goal. Jacob pulled no mercy in blocking the incoming footballs that were coming his way, along with the other midfielders that were even making the defenders bored due to the relative lack of activity. This was especially after the training, and after that 0-4 match on their home stadium out of all places, whereby the Turori team tackled and ran circles around the Defenders, especially Anastasia who had a bit of a time trying to snatch the ball back from the opponents. That happening for 4 times for all of the Defenders and Midfielders really put a new spin that they need to train as hard as they can. It was only now that the Valentians started believing in this attribute known as the "Home Stadium Advantage" was something - it is not a miracle, but it definitely helps teams in their favor. After that 1-0 win against Gergary in MD7, along with the first draw they ever had (2-2 against Hispinas, MD8), the Valentians know that they have something.

Of course, the match against Turori was not a big surprise, a 3-0 that utterly defeated them. The Valentians, especially Clarissa, sulked over it for a while, lamenting that she was not able to score any goals; the Defenders and Mid-fielders also tried harder than ever, but it simply was not enough. Even Gwen and Jolyn could not see the goals coming, though they know better to not use their time powers, and they certainly didn't. Marcus would go on to comment: "You know, being 32 feet tall in the football field can be an advantage, because you really do block a lot. But at the same time, being tackled and being ran around in circles as I lumbered around? Yeah, that wasn't really cutting it. Still, you will have to admit, despite what we have tried for, and preparing for everything, they are still kicking it - literally and metaphorically! The folks at Turori are not to be underestimated, for football really runs in their heart." Turori, to the Valentians' knowledge, is the only team so far that has not lost a single match. 11 Wins, 0 Draws, 0 Losses, they were utterly dominating the group, and perhaps the other groups if they were going to play against them.

Valentijn did more writeups using her oversized notebook and pen, scribbling to her imagination and thoughts. There is little to nothing that would necessitate them dramatically changing game plans, except perhaps when any of the players were injured. No need for a change in formation, teams, and the like. They all seemed to be handling their job pretty well. Looking through some of the notes that she has previously taken, including the ones about Holly being able to block most of the shots that were coming to her, she gently put down her pen, but not before gently brushing away some of the Valentians or alerting them. "Well, I think you guys definitely deserve a break. No training for today or tomorrow, I think you guys could use more R&R. Helps to relax, you know? It's not all about winning. With that said," she continued on, "Our luck is definitely changing for the better. We might probably not get a miracle, but we are going to stand tall and proud. Literally for the former, of course."

As the Valentians closed shop for the day in terms of official tasks and work, including Valentijn taking care of daily matters and tasks back in Valentine Z, Valentijn slowly walked towards the open space and lied down, joining the rest of her friends to watch some TV that is projected onto a ship's wall. "Tens of channels on football. Well, some of these nations really do love the sport," Germaine commented while checking her medical inventory on the ship.

[Atheara]

The Bad Ending

Type: Game Review, Announcement
Time: After Matchday 10 and 11

---

Atheara 0 - 1 Valanora
None / Indra Söderström (56')

Fans from Atheara, Valanora, and unsuprisingly Eshialand came to watch the match that would seal the fate of Atheara's Journey in the World Cup Qualifiers. A 1 - 0 loss meant that Atheara would not be able to qualify for the World Cup even if they win all of their next games. Their journey for glory has ended, but their journey of pain is still in progress. Indra Söderström would seal Atheara's fate with a Penalty on Minute 56 as Jonathan Winger had tackled her in the penalty box. A Classic Defensive Error. Margaret must be really hating on us, huh? Ever since Matchday 3 most of us knew this was gonna be a big F for the country.

All of our shots that would have been a goal, which was around three all somehow didn't enter the goal. Hell even the goalposts seem to be against us. This was just absolutely terrible luck that Margaret wants to play with. It seems as if we are her toys, only asking for luck in return just seems like a no from her. Whatever, i guess. Former ENN Host Alana Markai was also there, originally planning to protest against Valanora's decision to cut-off ties with everyone involved with Anaia and the Foxchester Declaration, after seing our faces on what was to be another defeat, she canceled the protests.

Adab 0 - 0 Atheara
None / None

And to top it all off, a scoreless draw. A beautiful game with a bad result. Both sides played absolutely perfect. There was no shot off target, both sides attacked and defended properly to their attacker, and they all though to themselves "What did we just create?" They had created probably the Game of the Century. I cried seeing this game, the sheer beauty of everyone involved. Every single play was synchronized like an orchestra. Nazer would cry seeing this, and i want to say Rest In Peace to Nazer Ohwel as we had found him dead by hanging just after the Atheara vs Valanora match in Hepodagos Square in Astena. It was not suicide, it was a forced hanging.

Police are still in search for the perpetrators. We hope to bring justice to a man we all had loved or hated, and he will get his revenge. The perpetrators were to be killed on sight by the police if found. This is Kaneer Laiping Shaek, see you for future matches.

[Eshialand]

A Home Win?
Eshialand 2 - 0 The 14 Stars

I'm trying a bit of a new style here, so bear with me.

"Hello and welcome to the very first broadcast of the new, dedicated ENN Sports Channel, I'm Josh Seametzle."

"And I'm Karsten Rhodes, and we're here live from beautiful Eshialand City!"

"That's right, we're here at the SuperDome--"

"Y'know, I don't think the roof has been out once, so maybe this stadium should be called the IronicDome!"

"--to bring you the match between Eshialand and The 14 Stars. Now Karsten, I understand that Coach Marcus Blade has said a lot about his team going into this match?"

"He absolutely has Josh. He's been touting Christiana Love, this so-called 'Goddess of the Field', as being better than all 11 starting Owls combined."

"My weird propaganda detector is going off like crazy at that statement, but I guess we'll see how true it is in this match...

"Hold on, none of them look like Love!"

"I don't think I've ever seen any of these guys in my life! And I've been watching all of their matches!"

"Is Coach Blade playing 11 nobodies?"

"Coach Blade, you fool! Did you not watch Eshialand vs. Sendhang? That match was the perfect case study of why you should never ever do this!"

"Maybe they'll surprise us?"

"Maybe, but I highly doubt it."

4th minute: "I'm really not liking how this match is starting... it's as if the Owls want to be scored on!"

"Luckily, Kolek has been doing a great job in goal like THAT SAVE RIGHT THERE!"

"That was close, I could tell Davison was about to score there!"

"Eshialand's gonna have to try and figure out some sort of way to get the ball out of their own end if this match is going to end with any sort of positive result."

33rd minute: "Have you ever heard of Eshialand's wooden barrel manufacturing industry?"

"Karsten, have you been reading The Turnip again?"

"It's really interesting, okay?"

"What it is is BS and you shouldn't be reading it."

"Do you look like my mother? Because you certainly sound like her."

"Oh my GOD, did you see that?? Jacob Harran inadvertently ran into the path of that shot from Rosario, which probably would've gone in!"

"Save of the year right there, and it wasn't even from one of the keepers!"

"I wouldn't say the save of the year, since for me, that still belongs to Christian Meers' save in stoppage time against Sonindia, which was one inch away from keeping Eshialand out of the Baptism of Fire knockouts..."

"I mean, if you're going by the importance of the save, sure I guess, but this was probably more impressive."

43rd minute: "My mother is just so insufferable, I can't take it--"

"And LaPlante takes the ball from a clearly inexperienced Falsen!"

"Are you gonna let me finish my story?"

"There's a better story going on out there! LaPlante to Carey, and Carey is SHOOTING IT FROM ALL THE WAY BACK THERE??? And she SCOREEEESSSSSS!!!! The score is now 1-0 Eshialand!"

"Is that the first lead the Owls have ever had in a competitive home match?"

"It absolutely is Karsten! This is uncharted territory for our boys and girls in blue!"

"Hopefully they don't blow it all in the second ha--"

"DON'T JINX IT!!!"

"I thought you never cared about jinxes, hexes, curses and the like!"

"I do when we're finally winning!"

56th minute: "You've gotta applaud Coach Blade here, he's got some real confidence in this team of his tonight. He hasn't made any substitutions!"

"They do seem to be cracking under the pressure here, but they're still playing a very clean game AS THE SHOT FROM CAREREZ GOES WIDE!"

"I wonder if either side will be able to score or if this match is going to end the same way as the last one!"

62nd minute: "You know what I just realized?"

"What is it?"

"The Storm Wolves haven't used any of those hissatsu techniques that they've pioneered so far this match."

"Come on Karsten, they must have used some..."

"Nope, no magic at all. Just clean soccer."

"Speaking of clean soccer, Davison shoots again and Kolek saves it beautifully!"

77th minute: "So did you hear that Central Antarctic Peninsula has already started the Norp World Cup?"

"Without telling the Eshialand Soccer Federation? That's a bit of a strange move right there."

"They might be trying to cut us out of co-hosting."

"I highly doubt it was that nefarious, it was just a mistake, that's all!

"Speaking of mistakes, Milo Griffin just elbowed Harran! That's gonna draw a yellow card."

"You may as well just change the score to 2-0, this penalty kick is going to be more of a formality for Carroll than anything else."

"You can say that again, she almost never misses these, and with an inexperienced keeper like Fisher, the match may as well be over."

"And Carroll shoots, Carroll scores..."

"2-0 ESHIALAAAAAAAND!!!"

"The goal itself wasn't surprising at all, but the score here definitely is, a two-goal lead for Eshialand!"

4th minute of stoppage time: "With seconds left in the match... is the crowd shouting 'poggers'?"

"And that right there is an indictment of modern culture. One last shot from Longfield misses high, and the clock runs out! Eshialand WINSSSS!!!"

"An Eshian win in the SuperDome that actually matters... I never thought I'd see the day."

"I know, right? That was absolutely critical right there."

"Do you think Eshialand has a chance of finishing 5th in the group?"

"I'm not really sure about that, but I guess we'll just have to find out. Don't forget to come back next time, when we'll bring you the match against Lisander!"

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"Hello and welcome back to ENN Tournament Report, I'm your host Josh Seametzle. Matchday 10 was one of the weirdest days yet, so let's look at what happened, shall we?"

Lisander 3 - 2 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles
"Ouch, another loss to last-placed Lisander was exactly what PSI didn't need right now, as the prospect of qualification slips ever farther away from their grasp..."

Sendhang 4 - 2 Savojarna
"If there's one thing I know Sendhang can consistently do, it's confuse the heck out of me. How did they win this?"

Devonta 0 - 3 Hebitaka
"A much-needed victory for Hebitaka! Will they be able to mount some sort of comeback?"

Vilita 5 - 3 Squornshelan Remnant States
"If there were any doubts about who the top dogs in Group 2 were, the Jungle Cats have put them to rest."

Eshialand 2 - 0 The 14 Stars
"At the start of qualifying, most Eshians would have considered The 14 Stars to be 6 free points for the Owls, but the fact that they couldn't score a single goal in either match is beyond surprising!"

Atheara 0 - 1 Valanora
"Instead of Alana and her cultists breaking out into anti-Valanora chants in the second half like everyone expected, the Eshian cheering section for this one decided to start singing their support for Atheara in what I can only describe as one of the most wholesome moments of international support I've ever seen... too bad the match score was just the same as last time."

"That's about it for this edition of Tournament Report, I've been your host Josh Seametzle. Before we go however, I'd like to leave you with this cheer from the Atheara-Valanora match in Astena."

You may be down but you'll never be out,
No matter how long the slump or drought!
C'mon Blue Guard, we've seen you fight!
Keep the goals at bay for the rest of the night!
So make us proud, whether shine or shower,
For this is your time to show your true power!
C'mon Atheara, we've seen you fight!
Keep on playing with all of your might!

[Sendhang]

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DAY 10 - MONTH 9 - YEAR 6

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Another hattrick from Gusti earned Sendhang a surprising win over Savojarna

Kambang: A hat-trick from Gusti helped Sendhang to a 4-2 win over Savojarna in the 88th World Cup qualifier at the Federal Stadium in Kambang.

Savojar Jekatarina Smolov put the away side in front after two minutes with a volley from outside the penalty box. The goal was scored after confusion among the two Sendhang center backs and Smolov, fully capitalizing the situation, was the first to make contact with the loose ball.

Gusti equalized from the spot in the 12th minutes after he was brought down by Polina Zirkova inside the penalty box. He made no mistake from the spot and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Savojarna, who beat Sendhang 3-2 at home earlier in the campaign, stepped forward again after 28 minutes when Viktoria Maersk's 30-meter shot beat Albertus Wageo and hit the back of the net, only for Nanang Wirajuda to equalize right before the halftime break after a thunderous direct free-kick just outside the box hit the bottom corner of the net.

Gusti put Sendhang ahead with a diving header in the 80th after a cross from the right by Keylar Samoi. He then scored his 3rd hattrick for the national team as he scored from the spot in injury time to make it 4-2 after he was brought down by Roman Forsberg.

Sendhang sits at 5th place in Group 2 after collecting 13 points from 10 matches, five points behind Savojarna at 3rd place.

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DAY 14 - MONTH 9 - YEAR 6

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Hebitaka 3-0 Sendhang

Hebitaka recorded its 4th victory in the 88th World Cup qualifying campaign and overtake Sendhang for 5th place in the Group 2 table after beating Sendhang 3-0.

Meanwhile, Sendhang suffered its 6th defeat in 11 of the matches so far and dropped to 6th place.

This is Hebitaka's second straight victory after they beat Devonta with an identical scoreline earlier this week.

Hebitaka dominated the game in full throughout the first 20 minutes through 4 attempts, 1 of which was an accurate attempt.

Sendhang's first attempt came in the 20th minute through Gusti Sing Nggawe who shot right at Ganesh Tinnu, the Hebitaka goalkeeper. It was the best attempt from Sendhang in the match.

5 minutes later, Hebitaka responded quickly when a hard effort from Tarun Masake who cleverly protected the ball with and made a pass to the center of the penalty box, successfully converted by Ram Vijay.

After that, there were no more attempts from both sides for the rest of the first half.

10 minutes after the second half started, Tarun Masake tested Albertus Wageo with a weak attempt right towards him. The match went with a slower tempo with both teams rarely able to make accurate attempts on target.

Hebitaka then scored their second in 78th minutes after Ram Vijay rose higher than Putra Lumipada to head and grabbed a golden opportunity to beat Albertus Wageo.

Hebitaka then scored another one and killed the match at the last minute as Tarun Masake scored their third goal. Overall Hebitaka played very well and did enough to beat Sendhang.

Although the match was in a slower tempo, both teams still managed to lost a lot of possessions and lacked accurate attempts on target.