World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

[The Gothanita Isles]

Tiebreakers: Why defining them properly is so important
Commentary from the Handorian Press Daily
Ask any Audioslavian player how important it is to define your tiebreaker.

If anyone can't remember what happened last year, then maybe it is time to remind you what happened in the group stage of World Cup 87. A really strange situation, labelled by the Audioslavian press as "Tiebreakergate", and caused the Bulls to be eliminated in favour of Poafmersia, who just qualified for the first time in that tournament. Let me take this time to explain what happened.

Group B                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                    2   2  0  0    5   2  +3    6
2 Trolleborg                  2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 Poafmersia                  2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Audioslavia                 2   0  0  2    3   6  −3    0

After the second matchday, nobody has qualified. 4th seeds Poafmersia took 3 points against Audioslavia in Matchday 1, but was defeated by 3rd seeds Trolleborg in Matchday 2. Valanora took wins against Trolleborg and Audioslavia, and was firmly in the driver's seat.

The tiebreakers wrote: Points, Head-to-head points, Head-to-head goal difference, goal difference, and if necessary a coin toss. There was no saying that there would be a retabulation of any of the criteria. Even in the situation where 3 teams are tied, and one team's position has been broken by the tiebreaker. Well at least that was what the host bid stated. Nothing of that sort. And since the Constitution of the World Cup Committee does not specify what tiebreakers should be used for the qualifiers or the main tournament itself, the hosts words will be law.

On Matchday 3, Poafmersia lost to Valanora 0-1, and Audioslavia defeated Trolleborg 6-4. The table read like this:

Group B                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                    3   3  0  0    6   2  +4    9
2 Poafmersia                  3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
3 Audioslavia                 3   1  0  2    9  10  −1    3
4 Trolleborg                  3   1  0  2    7   9  −2    3

If you are wondering, Poafmersia was labelled as having qualified ahead of Audioslavia. Without any coin toss. Nothing. When the hosts was asked, they explained that Poafmersia is ahead of Audioslavia on Head-to-head record. And that caused an absolute outroar in the Audioslavian camp, who were surprised that they were eliminated by a grey area.

To explain how the tiebreakers were interpreted by the hosts, we should look at the head-to-head results between Poafmersia, Audioslavia and Trolleborg. Poafmersia defeated Audioslavia in Matchday 1 4-2. Trolleborg defeated Poafmersia 2-0. Audioslavia defeated Trolleborg 6-4. For Head-to-head points, all 3 teams are level on 3 points. For Head-to-head Goal Difference, all 3 teams are level, with a net 0 goal difference. Then on goal difference, Trolleborg would be behind Poafmersia and Audioslavia, because they lost by 2 against Valanora. The hosts then went back to the first tiebreaker, the head-to-head results, to determine the order between Poafmersia and Audioslavia.

The Audioslavian camp would argue that nothing in the tiebreaker rules indicates that the tiebreakers would go back from the start. With absolutely no precedence for this situation, the hosts deliberated, and decided that their interpretation (which was to restart the use of the tiebreakers, rather than proceed to a coin flip) was correct, and Poafmersia went through to the Round of 16. Though the Red Panjias would note that their qualification was rather controversial, they would eventually silence critics and pull off a win over Brenecia in the Round of 16 to make it to the Quarterfinals.

So why, you may ask, should we bring this up again? Because this time round, it seems that a possibly weird interpretation of the tiebreakers might possibly lead to some additional trouble in the qualifiers. To be honest, even I am not sure whether this interpretation is what the hosts actually meant. During the host bidding discussion, the Poafmersian delegation (again, Poafmersia) tried to clear the air by asking about the specifics of the tiebreaker usage. While the hosts confirmed that there will be no reuse of tiebreakers, something else cropped up.

"On the three way tiebreaker, the determination would still be with A, B, and C down the line, yes."

Based on that particular line, it seemed that even if one of the teams, say A, was found to be ahead of B and C on head-to-head points, when determining whether B or C should be ahead based on head-to-head goal difference, results against A will be in the tabulation. That didn't really sound quite right, but considering that such an interpretation is logical, nothing could really be said. But does it make a difference? 3 matchdays in, and there is a difference we can show you.

Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Taeshan                                     3    2   0   1     2    2    0     6
 2 Commonwealth of Baker Park                  3    2   0   1    10    4   +6     6
 3 Juvencus                                    3    2   0   1     3    1   +2     6
 4 Eraman                                      3    1   2   0     8    7   +1     5
   Legalese                                    3    1   2   0     9    8   +1     5
   Savigliane                                  3    1   2   0     6    5   +1     5
 7 Montaña Verde                               3    1   0   2     5    8   −3     3
 8 Chartistan                                  3    1   0   2     5    6   −1     3
 9 Igratia                                     3    1   0   2     5    9   −4     3
10 Central Antarctic Peninsula                 3    0   0   3     0    3   −3     0

We can start with this group. Yes, it is 3 matchdays in, but this would be what happens if tiebreakers exclude teams no longer tied. In this case, in terms of Head-to-head points, Taeshan would have 3 points (from a win over Baker Park), while Baker Park and Juvencus will have 0. Baker Park and Juvencus will be level on head-to-head goal difference since they have not played each other, and Baker Park will be ahead on goal difference. Something similar will happen for Chartistan and Igratia, as Montaña Verde got a win over Chartistan.

Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Taeshan                                     3    2   0   1     2    2    0     6
 2 Juvencus                                    3    2   0   1     3    1   +2     6
 3 Commonwealth of Baker Park                  3    2   0   1    10    4   +6     6
 4 Eraman                                      3    1   2   0     8    7   +1     5
   Legalese                                    3    1   2   0     9    8   +1     5
   Savigliane                                  3    1   2   0     6    5   +1     5
 7 Montaña Verde                               3    1   0   2     5    8   −3     3
 8 Igratia                                     3    1   0   2     5    9   −4     3
 9 Chartistan                                  3    1   0   2     5    6   −1     3
10 Central Antarctic Peninsula                 3    0   0   3     0    3   −3     0

However, if results against teams already out of the tie is included, there will be some movements, as seen above. Baker Park has a -1 goal difference to Juvencus' 0, as they lost by 1 goal against Taeshan. Therefore, Juvencus will be in 2nd while Baker Park will be in 3rd. Replace Baker Park with Chartistan, Juvencus with Igratia, and Taeshan with Montaña Verde, and you will have the exact same situation.

To give an even more extreme situation, Group 18 will present 3 tables, namely "When H2H tiebreakers restart", "when H2H tiebreakers don't restart but ignores teams already tiebroken", and "When H2H tiebreakers don't restart but includes teams already tiebroken".

Group 18                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                                 3    3   0   0    13    6   +7     9
 2 New Lusitania                               3    2   1   0    11    7   +4     7
 3 Le Choix                                    3    2   0   1     3    2   +1     6
 4 Tolanka                                     3    1   1   1     5    3   +2     4
 5 Netop                                       3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
   Sapim                                       3    1   1   1     5    6   −1     4
 7 Yuezhou                                     3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     4
 8 Equestria                                   3    1   1   1     8    8    0     4
 9 Arklanda                                    3    0   0   3     2    8   −6     0
10 Havynwilde                                  3    0   0   3     4   11   −7     0

5 teams are level on 4 points. Tolanka, Netop, Sapim, Yuezhou and Equestria. Considering all 5 teams, by head-to-head points, Tolanka has 4, Yuezhou, Netop and Sapim has 1, while Equestria has 0. Tolanka will be ahead, followed by Netop, Sapim and Yuezhou all level, and then Equestria last. If recursion occurs, then head-to-head points between Netop, Sapim and Yuezhou will be considered. Netop and Sapim played each other and drew, while Yuezhou has 0 head-to-head points. Therefore, Netop and Sapim are level, while Yuezhou is behind them.

Group 18                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                                 3    3   0   0    13    6   +7     9
 2 New Lusitania                               3    2   1   0    11    7   +4     7
 3 Le Choix                                    3    2   0   1     3    2   +1     6
 4 Tolanka                                     3    1   1   1     5    3   +2     4
 5 Yuezhou                                     3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     4
 6 Netop                                       3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
   Sapim                                       3    1   1   1     5    6   −1     4
 8 Equestria                                   3    1   1   1     8    8    0     4
 9 Arklanda                                    3    0   0   3     2    8   −6     0
10 Havynwilde                                  3    0   0   3     4   11   −7     0

When there is no restart of tiebreakers, Yuezhou will move ahead of Netop and Sapim. That is because, after the 5-way head-to-head points determination, the 3-way head-to-head goal difference between Yuezhou, Netop, and Sapim is all 0, and then Yuezhou would be ahead by Goal Difference (+1 to Netop and Sapim's -1).

Group 18                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                                 3    3   0   0    13    6   +7     9
 2 New Lusitania                               3    2   1   0    11    7   +4     7
 3 Le Choix                                    3    2   0   1     3    2   +1     6
 4 Tolanka                                     3    1   1   1     5    3   +2     4
 5 Yuezhou                                     3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     4
 6 Sapim                                       3    1   1   1     5    6   −1     4
 7 Netop                                       3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
 8 Equestria                                   3    1   1   1     8    8    0     4
 9 Arklanda                                    3    0   0   3     2    8   −6     0
10 Havynwilde                                  3    0   0   3     4   11   −7     0

Now, if the head-to-head goal difference determination is based on 5-way results, Yuezhou and Sapim will be on 0, but Netop will be on -3, following their 0-3 home loss on Matchday 1 to Tolanka. This means that between Yuezhou, Sapim and Netop, Netop will be behind due to head-to-head goal difference, and then the tiebreak between Yuezhou and Sapim will be done by goal difference.

3 different interpretations, 3 different tables in the case of Group 18. Of course, some of our dear readers may argue that we are doing this too early in the qualifiers, and by the end, these issues will be ironed out. But it is better to address these issues before another repeat of last year occurs.

[Sarzonia]

Losing by three goals to the top ranked team and the defending World Cup champions in the multiverse in an away match was one thing.

Losing their home debut to unranked Togonistan in front of a frustrated and angry sold out crowd at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock was a bridge too far for impatient Sarzonian national football team supporters.

After Sarzonia lost the match at home, the fans immediately began calling for manager Nicola Mentes to be fired. They were angry over his decision to step completely away from the "total football on steroids" approach that had defined Sarzonian football from the earliest days. They were angry over Carlton Sandt, the younger brother of World Cup winning goalkeeper Horace Sandt being unceremoniously benched in favour of Paolo Gomes. They were upset that it took a torn ACL for Sandt to get his job back, but they were also upset that Marcé George was granted the start in favour of Sandt in the home opener.

They were ultimately furious over the fact that Sarzonia were starting out 0-0-2 with a listless, lifeless performance at home against a team many in the fanbase expected the Stars to defeat easily. Sure, the Stars deciding to sit out World Cup 87 didn't help their cause, but they figured they should have earned the full three points against Togonistan.

Losing the way match to No. 37 Hampton Island 2-0 was an expected result, no matter how well or how poorly the Stars played. Getting even one point in the tables was unlikely there. That's why Mentes preached the importance of winning the matches they were expected to win.

"We were disappointed that we didn't play our brand of football," Mentes told reporters after Sarzonia's 2-0 defeat to Togonistan. "We prepared for them, but we didn't do enough. That's on me."

Try telling team captain Clayton Wilson that. He said "Mentes doesn't play the matches on the pitch. We didn't do our jobs."

Regardless of who's to blame if anyone, the fact remains that Sarzonia are sitting at 0-0-3 and are dead last in the Group 12 table with zero points from three matches. Only their two-goal output against Nephara are preventing them from completely shitting the bed.

Midfielder Brady Reynolds said the results were "bitter pills to swallow," but added that the Stars still had to put forth the effort no matter what the results were.

"We owe it to ourselves and our supporters to put forth the effort and play our offence the way we need to," he said. "If we aren't doing our jobs, we deserve the scorn from the fans. It's that simple."

[Adab]

A Dance with Football
Snapshots of the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them
For a full list of chapters click here
For an (incomplete) list of major/prominent characters in this story click here and scroll down to the ‘Football’ section

Chapter 19: Eni

Enlilbani Yargab’s house, Baghdad
Before the start of the World Cup 88 qualifiers

Holding a book between his arm and ribs, Enlilbani Yargab opened the door to the back lawn and, as the morning sun hit him with all its power, he stretched his arms and lowered himself to that brown old lounge chair. The porch was the perfect combination of open space and privacy; walled in on all four sides, he could still soak in the sunlight and admire the sight of potted plants on the lawn – their leaves gently waving with every gust of wind – and trees rising to the sky beyond the walls. The grass was a bright, healthy green. He made a mental note to himself to water the plants and grass tomorrow. They weren’t in dire need of watering, but a little water never hurt.

He sighed as he laid back on the chair, raising his head to take in the blue sky, the shape of the sun emerging between the thin passing clouds. The book was on his lap and he turned his head down to look at it, his fingers sliding between its pages and gently pushing the book open where he had put the marker last night. The last verse he read last night was one of his favorites in the book:

And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.
-Qur’an 3:103

He sat in silence, contemplating again this particular verse. And as a solitary bird flew over him and away towards the clouds, he began reading the following verses, mouthing every word and letter. In this condition he remained for the next hour, the passage of time going entirely unnoticed. Even the slightly increasing heat that signaled the morning was growing old was ignored.

The contemplation was broken by a soft, almost shrill sound from inside the house. “Eni, Eni,” came the voice, growing clearer with every footstep until onto the lawn emerged the figure of Farah Shawqi, his wife, holding a phone. “Ali is calling. I think he’s coming over today, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Eni Yargab sighed, then chuckled to himself as he reached for the phone, “that Sun Coffee PSA.”

He put the phone over his ear. “Hey Ali, what’s up? You’re coming today right?”

“Oh yes of course, just as I told you last night,” came the voice from the other side of Ali, his agent. “In fact I’m on my way now with the PSA video. It looks pretty good to me but hey you’re the man. You’re the one whose approval we need.” He broke out in a giggle, which was greeted merely by a silent nod from the man he was calling.

“You’re on your way now? I thought you’re coming after lunch,” Eni inquired.

“Wait, I told you I’m coming after lunch? Oh- oh yeah, my bad, there’s this sudden meeting at the agency after lunch. Boss just told me last night after our call. I haven’t told you? Damn lol, my fault, sorry about that lol. Right, I’m on my way, see you soon Mr. Yargab, tell Farah I said hi. Bye!”

Eni handed the phone back to his wife, closing the Qur’an with his other hand and, with the book in his grasp, slowly rising from the chair. “I thought we’d have this Saturday morning to ourselves,” he said, grinning, giving his wife a playful tap on the shoulder.

“Well, I guess that means we can have Saturday afternoon to ourselves,” Farah replied with a smirk, following her husband inside.

Another twenty minutes or so passed before a taxi rolled up outside the Yargab house. Ali stepped out of the taxi and onto the doorstep, carrying a laptop case. “Eni, my friend,” Ali said, smiling, hugging Eni as he opened the door, “oh my God I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you but I didn’t remember.”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Eni replied, ushering his guest inside towards the living room, where a cup of hot coffee – courtesy of Farah (not Sun Coffee) – was already waiting for the visitor on the central table. Eni sat on the sofa facing the table, followed by Ali assuming his seat right next to his client on the sofa. Ali opened the case to reveal his laptop and USB, which he then laid on the table next to the coffee.

“Oh, cappuccino,” Ali said, glancing over at the cup as he opened his laptop and attached the USB.

“Yep,” said Eni, looking intently at the laptop screen. “Anyway, remind me again why you can’t just send the video to my email?”

“Security, my man,” explained Ali cheerfully as he clicked on the file of the video. “Don’t want anyone hacking into the email and stealing this thing. It's safer to put it on this USB."

Who the fuck is going to steal a public service announcement anyway? Eni wondered, though he simply nodded and kept his silence as the video had already begun. It began with the camera zoomed in towards him, wearing a brown suit and tie, and the Sun Coffee name and logo superimposed over the lower edge of the screen. “Hi, I’m Enlilbani Yargab,” he began.

The camera then zoomed out slightly. “Sun Coffee has given me this opportunity to talk about those that we both care about: teens.”

For someone who had spent the last decade or so appearing in one ad after another, even this 75-second spot had become so excruciatingly long. Even worse, it’s not even a very unique or rousing PSA. It’s rather boring. Eni watched almost emotionless as his on-screen persona delivered a speech about national statistics of drug use among teenagers, the dangers of drug use, and such things until all the words just became a blur to him.

After the 75 longest seconds in history, the clip finally ended with: “So don’t throw your life away. Don’t do drugs. If you’re doing it, stop it and get the help you need. Sun Coffee and I want to give you a chance, a chance for you to become anything that you really want to be.”

“Well, that was good,” commented Eni in a rather unenthusiastic tone as Ali took a sip of the coffee. “Looking back on it now, I’d probably replace ‘Stop it and get the help you need’ with ‘Stop it, get some help’ or something like that. More catchy.”

“So do you still approve of this one?” Ali asked, turning to his client.

“Yeah,” affirmed Eni with a little nod at the wall in front of him. Then he pursed his lips and turned to face Ali. His voice grew low and soft. “You know, Ali, do you ever feel like you’re useless?”

That question seemed to take Ali aback; certainly he did not expect to be asked anything like that. “W-well,” he stuttered slightly in surprise, “uh, no, thankfully, no. Why do you ask that?”

“Well, I feel useless.”

Ali furrowed his brows, obviously still rather confused by the question. “Why do you feel useless?”

“I don’t know,” Eni shook his head. “I just feel… useless. Like, I feel like I’ve never done much for people around me. I wanna be of use to others, if you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean… but you’re not useless, you know? I mean, you’re the greatest player this country has ever seen. A huge star. You brought entertainment and happiness to millions.”

“But that’s the problem,” Eni replied. “I’m a star. I’m just a star. I’m just a guy that they pay to play football for ninety minutes hoping that we’ll win and people will be happy. But I’ve… I just want to, you know, more directly impact the lives of others, you know. Give food and clothes to the poor, build homes for the homeless, and all that.”

“Well you’ve lent your name to charities and you’ve endorsed them and helped them many times,” said Ali. “Actually, I think I know what you want. You want to intensify your involvement in charities. You want to be more involved in them.”

“That’s one way, yeah,” Eni agreed. “I mean, I just want to be useful to people, you know. I want my life to really have a bigger meaning outside football. Actually, Ali, I’m thinking about doing more charity work in the off-season. I think I can be of use to people. And, uh, Ali, I need you to help me here.”

“I’m always at your service,” said Ali.

“I’m not going to appear in any more commercial ads,” Eni explained. “From now on it will be PSAs only, if it's actually good enough. I don’t care how many shekels they’re throwing at you and me. I need a break from this advertisement circus. Especially in the off-season. I will concentrate on doing things that actually make me feel good and can help people. Things that are more than just appearing on fucking television.”

“Of course,” Ali replied, nodding and smiling. “I can help arrange that.”

[Valentine Z]

Post 4 - Ole Ole Ole! We are the Screwed of the Game.

Right after MD1

The match between Valentine Z and Krytenia was not exactly that big of a deal. Signing up for World Cup, the Valentians knew that they were in for some difficult times, and they expected it with the very first opponent that they were playing against. Still, it would not hurt to mention that they were actually expecting a bit of a good outcome when Clarissa scored the very first goal against the Krytenians, kicking it as hard as she could, every movement and trajectory calculated carefully as she did quadrillions of calculations on the field. That was the moment of awesome for Valentians with an 1-0. However, things took a bit of a sour turn as the Krytenians were too much for the Valentians to handle, even if they were running defensively as hard as they could. Perhaps it was due to them running around the Valentians, the height differences proving to be an advantage for the former in terms of tackling and intercepting the balls. The Valentians have more reach and kicking distances, but at the end of the day, all it boiled down to was the matter of maneuverability. For the time being, at least.

In the meantime, things weren't looking too great for Adriana who fell back on her non-championship race results, as well as for the qualification results. Giving a faint smile, but still optimistic for the team and thankful to her friends for letting her play her very best, she bid them farewell as she quit for this season of World Cup, leaving on her plane once again with Angela becoming the sole pilot while Angeline stayed with the Valentians for World Cup. After drawing random lots, it would have been Jacob who got into the field, nodding approvingly and stepping up to the team with his silent but well-meaning demeanor. "I suppose this will have to do," he said, not the one to strike up a long conversation even with the Valentians.

"There's a reason I brought him in since the pre-Valentian days," Valentijn remarked, "Sure, the man actually would have found us anyway even if he died in the nuclear war, but there is something really great about him since the day I have met him. He is quiet, very, very quiet, but when he opens up, it's always well-meaning, and actually has quite a bit of a humor, if I say so myself. Good team player too, though he can get competitive. That is the reason why he steps up, though of course, I am not saying that the other Valentians don't have the right stuff."

Current roster after MD1 is going to be as follows:

Composition of the Valentian Team – 4-5-1, using this formation

---

Goalkeeper:

• #10 - Holly Aurora Lapia Radiant Starlight. Chronologically 88. Physically 25. Technically a Valentian by all measures, belonging to Garden at 6th Mile Road. A little too shy, and would rather spend time in her dimensional garden tending her magical flowers. Made out of "cold lights" - a being made entirely out of light energy, but with FanT elements. Her body temperature measures a constant 40 Kelvins. WARNING: DO NOT touch her anywhere BUT her hands. Recent participant of NSSCRA 10, Holly has recently shown herself to be someone who is no longer shy to people around her.

---

Attackers:

• #7 - Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha Harumi. Chronologically 93. Physically 24. A harmonious relationship between an emulated human consciousness with raw CPU/GPU power. Participant of both NSSCRA 8, 9, 10, she hopes to use the best of her abilities to score a few goals, with her being the only attacker and full-on offensive that the team has.

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Defenders:

• #14 - Anastasia Freya Thida Myat Yadana Aye. Chronologically 73 years old, Physically 29 years old. Has quite a terrifyingly quick adoption rate to Modern Earth Sports. Tends to be a bit shy. Participant of NSSCRA 9, and a champion of NSSCRA 10.
• #42 - Jacob Dalston Sullivan András Krisztián. Chronologically 109. Physically 25. He will not rip and tear his opponents apart, the Valentians can promise that. Has quite a lot of energy on himself, and determined to run and kick until a goal is scored.
• #76 - Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds. Chronologically 113. Physically 27. Certainly not a pushover despite his calm and collected nature. Has quite an ending amount of stamina on him, being able to run circles around offensives and keep the football on him as much as he can.
• #25 - Mandy Juliet Colette Diva Bertillon. Chronologically 105. Physically 28. A little bit on the excited side. Has adrenaline levels twice that of a normal person. Tends to get hungry quite a lot, and that includes the middle of a football match.

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Midfielders:

• #99 - Augustine Lorenzo Terry Imparato. Chronologically 131. Physically 32. A rather imposing man by all accounts, though he doesn't seem to have that much of that Italian stereotype. A rather nice man, all things considered; just don't insult him and his drink.
• #23 - Genki Matthieu Grenfeld Lee Zhuān Jiā. Chronologically 116. Physically 33. Was told not to bring martial arts into the field. He is willing to comply, of course, though of circumstances permit, he would not mind bringing a flying kick, or two.
• #33 - Adrian Dominic Markus Henderson McKenzie. Chronologically 120. Physically 34. Recently promoted to be in the main team after an agreement with Donnie. Certainly feels right at home to be playing football.
• #15 - Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Helen Ceeta Maximovna. Chronologically 114. Physically 27. A schoolteacher, a spy, and the Vice-President of a good chunk of Valentine Z. Participant of NSSCRA 8 and WGP2, though the latter met an unfortunate end for her. Still determined to make a name for herself with NSSCRA 10, and rising back up in the world of motorsports. All it takes now for her is to be able to see if she can take the heat of football yet again.
• #31 - Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Eveline Oxton. Chronologically slated to be at least 1 x 10⁴⁰⁸⁰ years old. Physically 26. If something happens in the Omniverse, she has a hand in it. Doesn’t seem to let smaller things happen on their own. Certainly not a cheater. Participant of NSSCRA 8, 9, 10, though the latter has not been very nice for her with lukewarm and mediocre finishes, without a win. Gwen figured that football might give her the relaxing edge that she need, though her definition of relax involving "competing against tens of professional teams" is definitely unorthodox.

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Substitutes:

• #68 - Layla Symmantra Evangeline Stefanie Lim Tian Zhi. Chronologically 114. Physically 31.
• #19 - Hayes Trevon Vintar J. Strider Sotearith Gannon. Chronologically 127. Physically 32.
• #34 - Michelle Valérie Vítková Evelyn Saniya Pavlína. Chronologically 121. Physically 28.
• #38 - Carissa Beatrice Amanda Sammi Jolana Natana. Chronologically 111. Physically 25.
• #39 - Colleen Selina Lizzie Zakiti Codorniu He. V. Tessa. Chronologically 138. Physically 24.
• #77 - Kendrick Elliott Jovita M. Tarvin Andres Hemmingsen. Chronologically 128. Physically 40.
• #71 - Donnie Derrick Taylor Martias Sam Fiannaidhe. Chronologically 136. Physically 32. Football runs in this man's heart, which is simple enough for the Valentians.
• #95 - Markus Tom Lincoln Lewis Svanmundur Gunnarsson. Chronologically 114. Physically 35.

---

30 minutes after MD2

MD2 swiftly came in, and even with someone like Jacob around, to say that the Valentians got utterly dominated in the fields, would be an understatement. The second day of the match came in with a whopping 4 goals that were scored against the Valentians by the ever so omniscient Turori, with a fat egg of naught for the Valentians. This was a bit of a turning point for the Valentians, and especially for Valentijn, who still has been watching up close in her non-radioactive synthetic body that she transfered her consciousness into, whilst she controls from the comfort of her own original body in the ship. Technicalities of Valentijn aside, she knew that there definitely needed to be some form of measure that has to be done. Losing by mere one goal was something the Valentians can take and can tolerate, that is no big deal. 0-2 would have been concerning. 0-3 is getting embarrassing, and 0-4? There definitely was something that the Valentians needed to do.

And they all know. Gathering around for a staff and team meeting back in the ship, the Valentians were having a discussion with Valentijn, standing 40 feet tall in her second body, was talking to the team. "Well, you know I always tell you guys it's not always about the winning, and as someone who has to manage this team, this has not changed. It was still a good effort, no sarcasm intended. Still, I know we can do better."

"Mhm, we definitely tried," Gwen added in, nodding and standing up to address to the other Valentians, "So I have checked out these people, and they really, really are playing for keeps. You know these first two teams that we have played against? Yeah, they have A LOT of history behind them, and I mean the good kind of history. Basically, football runs in their blood and we are expecting a lot of resistance."

"Yeah, it's an international sports event, so this kind of competition is expected," Jolyn said on her turn, "But I would have to admit that I am actually surprised by how amazing these people are. That, and I like to think that our bodies might make it somewhat difficult."

"Ahh, yeah, it makes maneuvers difficult, so I heard," Valentijn said, adjusting her attire, "But that is fine for now, I don't think we should change it, because this is part of us. I mean, sure we have to do it in NSSCRA because that was a safety reason, but here? Well, I would say we might lose out if we kept on doing this, but hey, better to do it in style and height, am I right?" As she finished it off, everyone nodded in agreement, at least for the time being. Losing might be tough to swallow, but at the end of the day, they would lose with honesty and their traditions (for the lack of a better word), rather than trying everything they desperately can.

"Still..." Valentijn trailed off, removing the suit she was wearing to reveal her military uniform. How she managed to wear it conspicuously without anyone noticing is anyone's guess. She then put on her hat as well, now complete in her blue military officer's uniform, "I like to think that you guys could use a bit of a push, if you don't mind, of course."

"Uh oh. Once she wears that, you know it is going to be tough," Clarissa remarked, with Valentijn letting out a bit of a laugh along with the other Valentians, "No but seriously, we can definitely use the training."

Adrian: "Yeah, man, count me in!"

Gwen: "Ohh yeah, this is going to be exciting!"

Anastasia: "Oh no, my tendons. I can only hope we can recover before a match starts."

Jolyn: "Ahh, no worries. Germaine can take care of that!"

Holly: "I too could use a bit of a training in goal-holding, too. I think that is the word?"

"Ahh, the correct term is goalkeeping," Valentijn said, rubbing her hands together, "But don't worry, I know of a little training to help you out. So there!" she said, triumphantly slamming down on the hard table not out of anger but of positive energy, as she announced to the Valentian team, "We are going to get a little bit physical more often, and you guys are going to keep it up. Come on, make me proud! I might get drill sergeant nasty, but don't take it too personally, all right?"

"Of course, Val! We got this," Mandy said gleefully.

"Ohhh, I bet you all do."

---

Afternoon after MD2, Fate Stadium, Naypyithaw, Burma, territory of Valentine Z

The Valentians have landed back rather quickly on their home - their dimension, their Earth. There was also a bit of a lunch break for them; after all, they have just finished their match and were quite hungry. After an hour of break, whatever the Valentians were doing on their break, were quickly interrupted by this being played rather loudly on the PA systems. This was then followed by Valentijn suddenly raising her voice with a surprisingly commanding demeanor, "Everyone, fall in at the football field now! On the double, go go go!"

In the flash of a minute, the Valentians (including the substitutes) changed back to their football jerseys as they fell in neatly in lines, at attention. Valentijn stood tall and proud, inspecting and walking down the line of Valentians that were as still at statues. Time seemingly slowing down to a halt and it was not because of Gwen's meddling, while the surroundings were also muted. The vast and green football, all for themselves. "Very nice, you guys. That was impressively fast. And Gwen does not even need to slow down time, heh heh. All right, this is where the training session will start up until we are done with the bloody qualifications! I don't exactly care whether we win or lose out there, but I will damn make sure that you all put up a good fight. Is that clear?!"

"Yes, Val- err, I mean, Ma'am!" everyone shouted in unison, down to the error.

"Just call me Val, hah. Now let's make sure these people know that we Valentians mean business!"

-----

"Single-leg squat, 300 reps, START! Come on, Adrian, get that lead out! Jolyn, correct that form a little! Faster, Clarissa! Faster like you mean it! No sweat, Colleen! Do it!"

"Run, DAMMIT, RUN! I can run faster than you, and I am not even using my 40-feet height to my advantage! 4 more kilometers to go, move it! Focus on Hayes and pick up that pace!"

"Dumbbell bench step-ups! Pick your comfortable weights, 100 reps... START! Ahh, no, Augustine! Bad form, you will hurt your back. Straighten that back! Come on, Holly, use your light force! Anastasia, nice one! You are really training your arms and leg- No wait, don't break the bench!"

"Lateral hurdle sprints, 40 meters, 20 reps... START! Move, damn it, move! Move like you mean it! Aie, watch out for the obstacles, practice that tackle! Awww, you tripped! Come on, Mandy, you can do it, don't worry! Are you injured? No? Just get up and move! Marcus, good form, keep at it! That is how you do tackles!"

And this went on for a good few minutes - the Valentians pushed on as hard as they could before stopping for a few minutes rest. After an hour or two of training and rests, it is over for the day... before one more game.

"Okay, now this is the last one, I promise. After this, you will get a well-deserved break and a cool down," Valentijn snapped her fingers, and out comes Germaine pushing a cart full of footballs. The Valentians (including the substitutes) were all given a ball, and were told to line up neatly at the goal point, along with various other angles and positions. "All right, Holly, you stand over there at the goalpost- yeah, that's good. Don't worry, we have been through this, you will be fine."

"On your marks, get set, AND KICK THAT GOAL LIKE YOU MEAN IT! EVERYONE GO, COME ON!"

Holly stood nervously, trying her best to tackle and prevent the footballs from going into the goalpost. In the actual game, there would only be one ball, but for the purpose of training, Valentijn figured that Holly would work better with a lot of tasks at hand. She was consulted with it and seemed fine about it as well, so Valentijn got the blue thumb of approval from her light-based goalkeeper of the team.

1st result: 3 out of 18 footballs blocked.

"Again!"

2nd result: 8 out of 18 footballs blocked.

"AGAIN!"

3rd result: 12 out of 18 footballs blocked.

"Hmm, that seems fairly good for now," Valentijn said, taking off her hat and clapping for all the Valentians, "That was pretty good practice overall. Holly, that was amazing. I do hope you are not nerve-wrecked by this experience."

"Hm hm, not at all! Good practice for me, but it was pretty stressful, haha!"

"It's just for training, don't worry," she then turned around and addressed everyone. "All right, people, cool down! I know these are synthetic bodies, but trust me. You will ache like HELL if you did not cool down properly. Breathe in... breathe out... and repeat."

---

After MD3

"Well, that was not too bad, to be very honest," Valentijn talked to her team in the meeting, back to her nicer and gentle self, "1-0 against Baggieland, they got history too, so... you know. I like to think that our training worked! What do you guys think?"

It might be a defeat, but it certainly was something else entirely for the Valentians. They roared into a cheered and high-fives were all around. They might not have won, but they have been placed against some of the best teams, and managed it out.

"Take the day off for today, I don't think you guys should do this every day. Tomorrow after the match, heh heh... you guys better be around," Valentijn said with a smirk.

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

PLEASE SIR, CAN I HAVE SOME MORE?

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so now the World Cup qualification is in full swing, and the women's national team has got two games lined up in this international break. And after that controversial (for some Electrumites at least) draw against Electrum, it looks like this team has apparently finally hit it stride and won two games on the trot. So, here are the five things that we learned from these two games against Eastfield Lodge and Adab. Let's go.

1. Eastfield Lodge isn't what it used to be
Look lads, if I went back in time and said to my younger self that there will come a time when not only will Abanhfleft be ranked higher than Eastfield Lodge but that we will be able to beat them convincingly, I'd have taken myself to the loony bin at once! You have to remember that back in the day when Abanhfleft first entered the World Cup, Eastfield Lodge was one of the dominant forces out there. But somewhere along the way they declined, and now they're just a shadow of what they used to be. So much so that they allowed themselves to be cut open by our bastard team! I mean, who does that? Who lets Abanhfleft score three goals unanswered and then barely sneaks in a late consolation? Usually, that's what we do, but now it's Eastfield Lodge that's doing it, and while of course I would love to keep taking three points away from them, there's just some moments where you gotta feel sad for the fellers.

2. Adab could be Group 4's sleeping tiger
All right, lads, admit it. You barely gave Adab even a second glance once the draw was announced. Your eyes were drawn to the heavy hitters such as Valanora, Electrum, and Eastfield Lodge. Adab barely even captured a millisecond of your attention before you moved on down the list. But given how these guys played against us yesterday, I have a sneaking suspicion that Adab may be more than just an unranked punching bag. It's easy to take these new unranked nations for granted, mostly because they tend to enter just one World Cup cycle and then disappear back in the obscure mists from which they came. Adab did the same half a decade ago, but now they're back, and they look committed to the fight. They have a well-funded football federation and they've a combination of experienced veterans and young guns in the making. Adab are probably going to be a banana skin for all the sides fighting for the qualification places in this group. And, given our luck, we're going to be one of those teams that will lose to Adab on the return leg.

3. Kleist-Segovia is actually a pretty creative midfield
Yes, yes, I know that Trinidad Kleist and Cecily Segovia have a reputation for being two hard-hitters who are more focused on beating up the other team than actually controlling the midfield and providing the link between the defense and the attack. But for the past three matches, it actually seems like they've reined themselves in and have actually given the entire gameplan some thought other than "I'm going to kick that other guy silly." Segovia was usually the one that this team counted on to provide much of the midfield creativity, what with her ability to ping balls right into the path of her teammates, but in the recent games Kleist has suddenly started banging in those pinpoint passes as well. I don't even know what the fuck happened there. I mean, where in the name of all that is right and holy had Kleist been hiding this talent the whole time? Certainly it was her passes that allowed us to open up Eastfield Lodge and put ourselves into an early two-goal lead. That doesn't mean to say that she's stopped tackling her opponents; no, quite the contrary. Kleist is still sliding into tackles like there's no tomorrow. I'll tell you what, she's goddamn lucky that she only has one yellow card to her name in the three qualifiers we've played so far. Either the referees have all been lenient or they're just blind. Looks like she's managed to get away with the shit she pulls in the Women's Premier League, but surely this can't last forever, can it?

4. Prudence Woodward was actually the CAM we were looking for
All right now, this one is pretty much a given. Prudence Woodward showed tons of potential when she was called up to the under-18 and under-21 squads, so much so that she actually found a place on the senior team for a handful of qualifiers. Then for some bastard unexplained reason, Ginny Katesmar decided that this team was somehow much better off playing Brittany Hanks in that central attacking midfield role than Woodward, so the poor old former Panemian girl got put by the wayside while Hanks... well, let's just say that this team is a damn sight better now than it is a few years ago. Rumour has it that Hanks was put in the starting eleven of most matches just to make her girlfriend happy, but since the SFA has now ordered everyone to basically forget that those two ever played for us, nobody's gonna say a bastard word about anything about this! But it looks like Abanhfleft has come out of this the better since with Hanks gone, Woodward was the most obvious replacement, and so far she hasn't disappointed. As to how long that will last, well, nobody really knows. But one thing's for sure, given that this is Abanhfleft: it won't last forever!

5. It feels good to have more than just one clear attacking threat
Yes, read the title. It's basically a continuation of my previous observation. Prudence Woodward may truly just be the key to turning this Abanhfleft from being merely good to potentially great. I mean, we all know how great of a striker Kelly McGinnis is. Christ above, remember those times when we were all calling her Chelsea Stuart 2.0! Having a great striker up top is one thing, but because everyone knows that she's a great striker, she's gonna receive the lion's share of the attention from the opposition. She's gonna get marked, she's gonna get double teamed, she's gonna get triple teamed, she's gonna get her own special zonal marker. And before today, there wasn't that much that we could do about that. I mean, we all know that Elene Liner and Amelie Rusev are goalscoring threats of their own, but you seriously can't expect them to play the role of a second striker now, can you? And don't even get me started on Brittany Hanks! The girl's good for nothing better than just being a warm body on the pitch. Sure, she's scored some goals and made some assists, but at the end of the day, determination does not a football player make! I am still in complete shock in how Hanks managed to finagle her way into not only a professional contract with bloody Rosenpfelblatz City but also a place on the national team! I know Heinrich Wurzmann loves himself a naturalized player or two for his Alternative Football Program, but with Hanks the long-toothed coot has dropped an absolute clanger. She just can't do what her supposed position demands her to do. But with Prudence Woodward... phwoar! It's like having Chelsea Stuart and Allison Torres on the pitch all over again. Can't believe I just said something good about a Ceneisis player. But hey, I can like Torres when she's wearing the white shirt of Abanhfleft and then go back to hating her once she pulls that Ceneisis blue back on! Right?

Anyway, that's all that there is for me. If you've got any comments or observations of your own about the two games then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I've been the Man from Markovsky, still disappointed in our country because they let that sorry excuse of a CAM leech a living off of us while someone more deserving got frozen out for no reason whatsoever. Bloody Brittany...

    ABANHFLEFT 3 - 1 EASTFIELD LODGE
WOODWARD (15')       ACCARDI (77')
McGINNIS (18')
   RUSEV (32')

██████████ADAB 2 - 4 ABANHFLEFT
  YARGAB (34')       McGINNIS (25')
YISSAKAR (74')       RUSEV (45')
                     WOODWARD (67')
                     LINER (90+2')

[TJUN-ia]

After a 10-goal thriller in the capital kicked off our 5th WC campaign in style, everyone in the TJUN-ian football circles could certainly take some points from that opening round of fixtures. The offence looked like dynamite out there and the weapons TJUN-ia had could make even our peacekeepers blush, but allowing 4 goals to an unranked team was certainly a cause for concern at the backline. Two more games were on the horizon, one home and one away, as this gauntlet continued on the road to Chromatika and Cassadaigua,

Up first was the 2nd of the home double-header at the National Stadium as it was the turn of the Euran Oceania Territories, minus former manager Skorji Oslograd, to come to town. While the famous manager is gone, Wolcjeck Gruber's Expats are still an attacking team who would be the perfect test for our experienced defence as MD2 got underway. We wouldn't see 10 goals again, but three would be just fine as this one was a game all about the counter-attack. As expected, the EOT were the most pressing from the off as their front 3 (Nolberto Dravon, Kasey Fuller and Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier) were pushing our backline to its limits, so the Co-Managers focused our gameplan on the counter and applying some quick pressure whenever we could. That would pay off in the 37th as Harold Gylfisson managed a long pass to a charging Kepo Ulawaya, who made no mistake to make it 1-0. This would last until the 2nd half, where Le Tonnelier finally broke through in the 57th to make the end very tense indeed, but TJUN-ia would prevail in the 77th as substitute Prince Carter would sprint from the halfway line to slot past Charlie Ross and put this game to bed. A better showing overall against a familiar foe, TJUN-ia City will defiantly take being 2-0 so far in games hosted after the opening few.

The defensive stability that was shown against the EOT would seemingly disappear just in time for TJUN-ia's first road game in the mysterious BoF debutants in Shreekaristan. We knew nothing about these guys entering the fixture but beating Oberour Ar Moro away is nothing to shrug off, so many expected another Malandrin situation entering this one - and they would be absolutely right. 8 goals would be scored away and this game would start with 5, as we replicated our opponent's only winning scoreline after only the first half. They had three and Vladimir Podolov had two, simple as that, and TJUN-ia had a little bit of work to do. That work would be completed by substitute Archer Andrews, whose brace within 10 minutes would turn the game on its head. Podolov would complete his hattrick in injury time and that would be that, TJUN-ia 3-0 after winning so far by 13-8 on aggregate.

The defence may be a lingering issue for the games ahead, but winning your opening 3 games brings about cautious optimism as you'd expect. An in-form Srednjaci are up next in Szensky before we head on a cracking road trip to Bongo Johnson of all places. So far, so good but we still have a long way to go. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 13)
MD1: vs Malandrin (UR) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 6-4 (T-3rd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD2: vs Euran Oceania Territories (86) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 2-1 (3rd)
MD3: @Shreekaristan (354) W 5-3 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD4: vs Srednjaci (253) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD5: @Bongo Johnson (139) - Murbley Coliseum, Bongo Johnson?
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD6: vs Banija (6) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD7: @Ibixa (173)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD8: vs Astograth (24) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD9: @Oberour Ar Moro (82) - Parade Grounds, Regium
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD10: @Malandrin (UR)
MD11: @Euran Oceania Territories (86) - Flynn Arena, Fligsive
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD12: vs Shreekaristan (354) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD13: @Srednjaci (253) - Blue Oyster National Stadium, Katanija
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD14: vs Bongo Johnson (139) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD15: @Banija (6) - Mavuto Field, Hoima
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD16: vs Ibixa (173) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD17: @Astograth (24)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD18: vs Oberour Ar Moro (82) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City

[Yue Zhou]

"Sorry about all of this," Wang Jiahui said at the other end of the line. "Obviously I'm not welcome in Yuezhou. By the way, you are using a burner phone, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Wen Xiaohui replied. "Paid three forty (note: this is not actually that much in Yuebi) for it just so I could talk to someone who spent two years trying to get me off the Dragons...so it'd better be worth it."

She heard a sigh over the phone. "Look...I spent a lot of time in Sangau when I was on the run. I wouldn't have survived without the Sangauese people. And once I got to Xilindao, and I could reflect on what I'd done, back before all of this...I'm really sorry, Xiaohui. I was a dumbass before all of this happened, with the things I said and did to you, and I see where I went wrong now."

"Yet you're still supporting Ren Qiang."

"I support the return of socialism to Yuezhou, and there's only one way I can see it happening. Look, I didn't even support Ren Qiang for his ideology before. A younger me was just...following the power, basically. But when you look at everything that's happened since Nanhai tried to break free...you can't deny things have been getting worse. Especially for Sangau."

"Like it was any better under the People's Federation. At least there's some semblance of local control without Ren."

"Look, that can be in the past. This is a new People's Federation, a weaker one. They need Sangau's help, and if we can work together, then Sangau can reap the benefits."

"It's...look. I get that you're coming in with good intentions, Wang. And I appreciate the apology. But...it's not as easy as it is for me to forgive as it is for you. Something about the power structure here...where you've spent so long trying to stamp out Sangauese independence...it's not sitting right with me."

"I understand that. It's just that we have a chance to do something great here. And if my past actions have led you to not want to do that, then that's fine. But could you try to forgive?"

"What are you even trying to do anyways?"

"I want a friendly. Between Sangau and the People's Federation."

"That's it? That's something great?"

"It's a start. We're footballers, Wen Xiaohui. We can help you set up a Sangauese FA - your uncle volunteered to run that, by the way - and we can give you a legitimacy boost through the friendlies. But you're a hero in Sangau, not me - if you join the national team, and leave the Dragons, people will follow. Then we can both apply for the WCC, try to join some regionals...this is a chance to turn your football skills into soft power."

"..."

"Think about it, and call me back."

For the second time in two phone calls, Wen Xiaohui was silent.

[Bollonich]

This is the last and final RP from Buck Moreno's POV

We were back in Fermont, my hometown. I was excited to play in my home ground again, the ground where I made my first steps in football. I was excited to see fans cheering us on. But little did I know how this reunion would turn sour really quickly.
It was two days before the match day, training was over. I was lying on the hotel bed, wondering about the match and what to do, when I thought I should go and visit my dad. I hadn’t thought about visiting him earlier as we were on a pretty tight schedule with a press conference scheduled which was cancelled due to the riots. I was hence basically free and had nothing to do so I decided to go visit my dad.
In what was an uneventful trip to the hospital took me 45 minutes, as the taxi driver briefly got lost. I got out of the taxi, payed him and went up. After enquiring some nurses I was directed to the room, my father was being kept in.
On entering I greeted my father who to my disappointment was asleep, however my mother was there so she said that he was doing much better. I spoke to my mom for some time and left as I had to get back to the hotel as we had early morning practice the day after.
After a good night’s rest and a hard training session me and my teammates returned to the hotel at around 12 pm tired and sweated. We however didn’t have any other occupations at the moment, so decided to slog off in our rooms. I extremely tired went and immediately felt asleep. When I woke up, everything was in chaos. I had woken up to the shouts of Swanson calling me to wake up, as the players were being escorted out. On waking up I immediately asked what’s wrong and the answer I got quick, the riots were here. We had security, wee were safe, but why would these people target us. We are not people who have any political influence. The hotel was in chaos, with customers shrieking and shouting as the protesters ravaged rooms and caused destruction to property. Meanwhile we were being escorted out of the backdoor. Along with us were the Sannyamathland players who seemed hardly affected by the events going on. After we were escorted the security went in, and with the arrival of more troops and guards the situation was finally under control.
This event really shook me up, and started bothering me and seeing as there was much more time of the day left I thought why not spend time with family. I hence went to visit my father, who I knew would be able to calm my nerves before the day after’s match. He said to me, “Son, I know you have what it takes to play well, and I know you can achieve it. You just have to believe in myself.” Maybe I wasn’t, maybe I wasn’t believing in myself.
With this belief I went onto the The National Sports Stadium in Fermont. However there were no fans to cheer us on, why is that then, because of politics. I thought how politics and the trickery used by these leaders affects vastly unrelated fields.
I was again on the bench which didn’t bother me, as I was going to come on some time or the other. It was a bad half for us, we were trailing which is when I came on. The game rapidly changed in the second half with us having more of a chance. It was the 78th minute, Schmit was running down the left wing, which Is when he crossed it. I was sprinting towards the back post knowing I wasn’t going to get there, But Perry’s brilliant play of leaving the ball presented me with a golden opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net. An opportunity I couldn’t let go, and I took it with both hands, scoring my first ever goal. This was a huge moment for me, I had scored my first international goal and Moree importantly drawn my team level.

[Queenisa]

The Queenisa Daily
Freedom of The Press Here
By David Falls | QueenisaDaily.com

[blocktext]Welcome to The Queenisa Daily, Daily News for all of Queenisa and The world. As the biggest non-profit organization dedicated to making honest news, fighting for freedom of the press, and advocating for general freedom, we have a lot to cover today with our news coverage.

Cutoff Day 3 - The Nightmare

As The Daily Sports News already covered this, today’s late night (Queenisa Time) cutoff would be a crucial one to our World Cup qualifications chances, which requires to be at least to 2 and this is very in-convincing, because we have a 1/5 chance of getting that stop. What reticulated us even more is the level of skill we had to face, to simply earn a spot in the first stage.

Personally, I only think that if you want to win the World Cup, then your nation has to be more then 1 year old, participated in the World Cup more then dozens of time, hence making winning only for experienced, with News comers like us just playing for an rating and for fun.

Though this is like 1/a trillion chance that Queenisa qualifies, we can still do it because some of our biggest competitors such as Valentines Z are falling apart, taking last and some being in-active and never even wrote Role-Plays this round. As a active and a potential winner, Queenisa feels we may punch through to take the victory.

Nazi Wording Banned - Modern Censorship Brings Tensions Between Groups

The recent decision to ban nazis wording, region, and nations had bring tensions among many Jewish, Anarchists, Liberals, Conservatives, Fascists , Nazis, and much other groups into tension about this current depiction of the evilness of Nazism Political Ideals. While this remains small-sized compared to other political conflicts, it is quickly escalating and casualties running up.

The Nazis Complains and States that the world is not only about Jews - They are censored and neglected to demonstrate their ideals of the Holocaust and other de-grading practices. The Jews, explained that their souls are being tortured into the hands of nazis - they need more restrictions then ever to protect them.

[Pluvia and the Saxean Isles]

28 Greatstreet, Marienburg, Pluvia and the Saxean Isles

Prof. Charles Cunningham of the history department at the Royal Marienburg University was ensconced in his study. His evening had gone swimmingly so far and he was getting down to business. He had returned home with all of his equipment, had informed his wife he'd be taking dinner in the study, and had spent the last few hours working on copying out what he had read of the diary. He made a mental note to introduce footnotes into whatever version of the diary he published so that readers would have an easier time. He paused and took a second to imagine what publishing the diary would do for his career. It was an exciting thought. But he had finished transcribing the previous parts of the diary. It was now time to see what else it held.

The last diary entry saw William II on the train to Somermont. Even after achieving a majority on the Praesidium, he was not satisfied. For his program of industrialization, modernization, and general improvement to work, he really needed a fully subservient Praesidium and the co-operation of the National Assembly. He had reached the limit of what he could do with personal interaction; the Lord Steward and the Lord Chamberlain were not going to be moved by personal appeals or threats. He needed to present them with the weight of public opinion and the representatives of the people of the realm. They might be hereditary nobles well-removed from the vicissitudes of normal politics, but even they could not ignore the king, the legislature, and the people. So he went to Somermont to visit the mines and factories there and to drum up support for his new program.

February 27, 1885

It is bitterly cold outside, but I must declare that no bit of chill penetrates the great steel mills in this city. The blasts from the furnace seem enough to overwhelm any man, and the great clanging and hissing as the steel is shaped and formed create a terrible din. In the factories, the hiss of steam and the incessant noise from the machines likewise produces a tremendous clamor. But what is made in these factories and mills has changed the world and will change our great nation if we only have the sense to invest in it. I must say that the industrialists and various dignitaries did not want me to spend nearly as much time on the floor as I did. But I could not help myself. I was fascinated by the whir and the flash and the ambiance of it all. Out of this cacophony comes something that will bind our nation together; that will bring prosperity to all corners of the land and secure us against external enemies. I watched with rapture as the men dared to work the great machines and endure the heat and sound and fury of the mills, using the sweat of their brows to create a monument to human achievement. I was also surprised by the overwhelming presence of women in the factories; I had thought them too dangerous or too overwhelming for the fairer sex. I wished very much to approach the workers, both in the mills and the factories, but both the mayor and the owners dissuaded me from this, saying it was vital that they not be distracted from their work.

As we returned from our tour, we suddenly found the way blocked by a crowd. They carried banners and placards that proclaimed them to be a part of the "Workingmen's Protective Association", though curiously from the name, the crowd was composed of women and children. I asked my traveling companions who this group was, and they dismissively replied, "A lazy and rebellious rabble." It seems they are a sort of trade union for the men who work in the steel mills and certain of the factories. They cried loudly and derisively towards the great industrialists, and their signage appeared to be mostly concerned with wages and working conditions. The police and my private guard of soldiers commanded them to step aside and make way for the King, but they refused. I could sense the tension, as the lawmen and soldiers were getting justifiably nervous about the intentions of the crowd and they in turn feared reprisal. I saw some young men who were carrying clubs and others who held rocks and seemed ready to let them fly. At that moment, I leapt from the carriage and sprinted into the space between the soldiers and the crowd. My guards rushed to protect me, but I bade them remain where they were.

Trembling, I approached the men who seemed to be leading the manifestation. I introduced myself and they bowed, though perhaps not as low as my courtiers would have liked them to do. I invited them to a private meeting at my lodgings that evening and gave assurances that they would not be punished for this demonstration or for coming to the meeting. They eyed me somewhat suspiciously, which I must admit wounded me, but agreed to disperse and meet with me later that night. I breathed a massive sigh of relief and returned to the carriage. The men inside were simultaneously awed by what I had done and, I could tell, concealing a simmering resentment for deigning to acknowledge the problems of the crowd rather than dismissing them and responding with violence. I look forward to the meeting. It promises to give me a real insight into the grievances of my people.

[Starblaydia]

"Uh, Boss, why use the SCB:Sports footage of the QQ game?" asked Aaron Cole with a raised eyebrow, "the analysis team's own cameras get way more useful data for breaking down what's going on."

Ázëwyn Fëanáro continued to stare at the screen, scrubbing forward to find the part of the broadcast she wanted. On the odd occasion, like now, when the manager specifically didn't answer a question and carried on regardless like she'd not even heard it, that usually meant either the question was invalid, or she was about to answer it in due course anyway. Aaron was used to this, so didn't press the issue. She had invited them for a meeting in her huge office at Starblaydi FA headquarters, which was already a statement in itself. Not at her office at the national training centre, nor any of the video footage coaching rooms, this was in the place with the varnished wood and the golden iconography. Ázëwyn perched on the edge of her enormous desk, arms crossed as she pressed the buttons on the remote control.

"From here," she said, "build up to the goal. What's wrong with this picture?"

It was a little difficult to point out what was wrong for Aaron and Amari, excellent coaches as they were, based on the footage they were watching. The director, whoever they were, was taking the scattergun approach to cuts, with the vision mixer constantly pressing buttons, switching angles and changing the narrative of the feed. In between all that, Andreas Sargent was brought down five yards away from the corner of the penalty area, then Jewel Maddison eventually took the resulting free kick and ghosting in at the far post was Sam Roshanak, who nodded the ball into the top left corner past Ashar Yumringuci.

"Bernini couldn't outmuscle Qahbrerra, the fifteen?" Aaron offered after a too-long pause.

"Um, Lee's just standing there," Amari gestured at the screen, "not being a distraction on the set piece, nor being an outlet short."

"We're three from three," Ázëwyn said, pausing the replay as the camera was midway through zooming in to catch some of the celebrity guests given the VIP tickets to the game, "about to host former World Champions, and no-one cares. Where are the fans, the real fans? It's celebrities, cheerleaders, t-shirt cannons, music, fireworks and jet fighter flypasts. Pre-game shows and post-show concerts, nobody actually goes for the football any more, it's the experience!"

"We do get a full stadium every game, boss," Aaron offered, "the demand is there."

"You're right, there is a demand," Ázëwyn countered, "from plastics, casuals, celebrities and tourists. It's an experience, once in a lifetime. There's two hundred thousand seats per game, and - somehow - more than thirty billion Starblaydi to fill those seats once in their lifetime. Whatever happened to our hardcore support to help us out through thick and thin? They're being drowned out by speakers over-playing tunes that were popular fifteen years ago, just because the lowest common denominator recognises them. All these little things that go together, don't you see it? We've managed to gentrify Starblaydi football, move the electricity of being in a real stadium with a full crowd to being a middle class experiential pastime and a treat for the kids on their birthday."

"Are we not good enough simply to play despite having that sort of crowd," Aaron asked, "as a top-ten nation, it shouldn't matter if the crowd knows which bits to cheer or gasp at."

"Tell me which matches we lost in the last Qualifiers," Ázëwyn said, standing up and taking the few short steps to look out of her window at the day outside.

"Equestria," Amari answered immediately, her mind for stats and factoids springing into action, "away on Matchday One, and Transvolcanic away on Matchday Eighteen. Draws - before you ask - were Darkmania away on Matchday Eight, and Omerica on MD Twelve at the Stadii."

"Three away games," pointed out Ázëwyn, slightly unnecessarily, but she was here to make a point, "where vocal, committed support could have given us the extra percentage point of drive to flip those results. We've always relied on our fans as a 12th player, and we're no longer playing with one. The question is, how do we get that back?"

"I'd say that's a little outside our remit," Aaron raised his eyebrows, shrugging slightly.

"But what if it wasn't?"

"Well," Aaron got out of his chair, and began to slowly pace his way around the manager's desk, "if we're throwing out ideas of how to change the socioeconomic make up of the nation, then you're asking the wrong guy. What I will say, though, is that the 'average man in the street' isn't priced out of the games as such, because we're famous for our income distribution being pretty even across the board. It's not that only rich people can afford it, it's that the experience is catering to a certain type of person, different to what it was before. As you said, the fireworks and disco music and whatever else is going on. Ordinary fans don't want that, they want to stand - well, sit - in the same place every week, have a chat with their mates before, during and after, feel the atmosphere, have a pint and a pie, and go home having let all the frustration and joy out out of their lungs for an hour and a half. They never went there to be presented with a multimedia entertainment spectacle like we have now, they just want to watch a game of football. Right now, the easiest way to do that without all the nonsense is streaming it at home with a text chat group on their mobile. We need to beat that with a real life experience."

"So how to we do that," Ázëwyn asked, slightly impressed by the off-the-cuff cultural analysis.

"It's the key to atmosphere we need," Amari said, "it's the massed spontaneous choir of fans all together leading the rest of the stadium in supporting their team. That's what I always noticed the most - half the time now the crowd isn't even paying attention to the match, because they're looking for the kiss cam, or the snack vendor, or trying a selfie with the mascot. How do we get that back?"

"More importantly," Aaron said, "how do we get that back without it seeming like some 'How do you do fellow fans' corporate branding exercise?"

"We can't start it at the national team level," Ázëwyn said, "we have to go all the way down to grassroots football with this, we have to do it in the leagues."

"But nobody cares about Liga Starblaydia," Aaron blurted out, "we barely maanged to find a handful of players from there - all the good ones are going abroad to much, much better teams. Iskara Daii and the 7th Champions League was three centuries and several iterations of that competition ago; our club teams are, frankly, so shite it's no wonder the SFA doesn't enter them into the IFCF for fear of embarrassing the entire nation yet further."

"Then we make them better. We have the training centre for coaches, we have the facilities, we have the money: we're just not using them properly yet. We can remind everyone that the stars are there to be reached for, not just gawped at."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Amari asked.

Ázëwyn pulled a folder out from her desk drawer and placed it on the table, spinning it around one hundred and eighty degrees to face her two assistants. On it, a single star was shooting, but instead of going across a patriotic sky, it was moving up towards the heavens on a trail of fire.

"This is how."

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
A Look into the Past: The First Army-Navy Derby (15. June 1916)

By Jotan Freyrsson

The duel of CASK Thorsborg against Admiral Storevik - known as the Army-Navy Derby thanks to the affiliation of the two teams - is traditionally the most important non-local rivalry in Savojarna. Although CASK vs ASK has more fire in it, and there are more regular clashes during the Pawlograd Derby, this is the most prestigious clash, often deciding championships in the past and present. However, it also bears another important distinction: It is the oldest continually played rivalry in the Savojar game. Today, we are taking a glimpse at its very first iteration, back in 1916.

June 1916, on an army sports field, two teams met that would eventually become two of the most decorated clubs of Savojarna clash for the first time. It’s a grey morning in the Thorsborg Main Army Barracks, and there is some grumbling among the men that have assembled here for the First Savojarna Revolutionary Forces Sports Day. Squads wearing the dark blue uniform of the Navy are walking around the premises, as are groups of infantry soldiers with their dark green jackets. With an air of superiority, mixed between them are officers in light grey, most of them still young. Sports games between the various parts of the Army have become somewhat of a tradition during the post-revolutionary days, but today is the first time they will convene in a complete tournament across multiple disciplines, divided into four teams: The Army, whose Central Army Sports Club had been formed two years before and would be the favourite for the tournament. The Navy, never to be bested by their Army colleagues, reacted by forming the Naval Sports Union “Admiral” in Autumn 1915. The Officer Corps, represented by the grey-and-red of Spartak, the Savojar Officer’s Society, and its newly founded sports wing. And finally, the Cavalry, here in a somewhat hodgepodge club formed to compete in this event.

Another new feature of this Sports Day would be that it branched away from simple military sports. Previous events had always been primarily military, such as the 1914 Orienteering Championship won by a young officer, or the Navy’s infamous swimming competitions that were often held in the ice cold sea. The Officer Corps’ fencing competitions and the Army’s boxing matches were as infamous as they were famous, known for rowdy behaviour and lots of alcohol for the men. Now, the branches were to compete not only in a variety of military disciplines, but also some athletic and gymnastic competitions and perhaps most importantly, team sports in football, rugby, bandy, and handball. Part of the competition would be a football tournament that eventually went down in history as its final featured the big rivalry.

The tournament was organised as a round-robin over the whole weekend, with two games played each day; with teams being large and featuring more than two full squads. The two archrivals had progressed through this round robin stage as the clear favourites for the football tournament, with the Army side demolishing a clearly overwhelmed Cavalry side with 7-3 as the Cavalrymen had no strategy, compared to the aggressive and disciplined Army team; on the evening, they had followed up with a 4-2 over Spartak, nullifying the Officer Corps’ refined play with physical superiority to win in the second half. On the other side, the Navy team was playing offensively and leveraging the strength of their left inside forward Anders Grönberg, into a 6-2 over Spartak and a 4-0 over the Cavalry. With both teams having secured their progression to the final, their last game was not considered too important, and both teams rested some players in what ended up being a 2-2 draw.

Before the final game, however, developments in other sports led to a significant amount of tension rising between the two. Besides the constant bickering between all branches that had led to some scuffling and provocation in the last group game - nothing remarkable compared to the other matches, but enough to make sure any of the four teams had some bad blood between them - other results had led to the Army and Navy squads being the two leading branches in the overall Sports Day score list. The final of the football tournament wasn’t going to decide the overall standings, but it would lead to an important point contribution. The Navy team around the technically gifted Grönberg, the tall centre-forward Ilari Komarov, and the physically strong central half-back Viktor Mortensson, later the first captain of Admiral Storevik, was going to be the favourite based on their cruising in the group stage. However, the Army would challenge, centered around their goalkeeper and team captain Alexander Hemgaard and their fast wingers, Mikaelsson and Eythorsson.

The actual game has been reported to be rough by the journalists in attendance. It is still unknown who scored the first goal - multiple sources quote Komarov, but Army keeper Hemgaard swore in 1961 that it was an overlapping Mortensson, and the referee had stated after the match that the scorer was right winger Kristian Jansrud - but it was scored by the Army. The official scorecard notes that it stood 2-1 for the Army at half time; reporters also noted that it wasn’t until the second half that the game really picked up. Shortly after, Anders Grönberg was cut down by the Army back Björn Eklund, who had received a caution by the referee as the Navy forward had get treated by the sidelines. As a result, the Army scored another goal during the period of numerical superiority, and in his memoirs, Ilari Komarov wrote that the scene had hardened the Navy team against their opponents.

From this moment on, the game has “degenerated into a brawl that does not much to showcase football, but ever more proved the fighting spirit of the Savojarsk Army”, as a sadly anonymous writer in the Armed Forces Review noted. It also led to the 3-3, before the fourth goal had seen Komarov almost shove Alexander Hemgaard over the line into the goal right as the right inside forward Jorgensen shot. Perhaps a bit surprisingly, the referee let it stand, and also looked the other way as Mikaelsson elbowed away half-back Ollongren before the 4-4. The game had been bloody and bitter, and it needed to go into overtime before the returnee Grönberg could force a corner, after which Mortensson could score from short range. After this event, one of the very few surviving pictures of the game was taken, with Mortensson lying in the mud with Komarov lying on top of him and Grönberg, wearing the Captain’s Badge, tousling the half-back’s hair; all that while Admiral Patrik Rjurden stood behind the goal line in perfect uniform, suppressing a laugh. It was the result that would stand until the end - 5-4 in overtime for the Navy in their first clash against the Army, the first of many.

Lineup vs. Hebitaka (4-2-3-1):
Starting XI: Pakanen - Viipuri, Zirkova, Forsberg, Skov - Evaldsson, Maersk © - Voynov, Lundell, Midtjaer - Jacobsen
Bench: Virulainen, Kiivälä, Dmitriev, Nymark, Pedersen, Ilkkanen, V. Loeseth, Lundell, Rajala, Nweke, Jashkin
Lineup vs. Squornshelan Remnant States (4-2-3-1):
Starting XI: Pakanen - Pedersen, Zirkova, Forsberg, Skov - Ilkkanen, Maersk © - Voynov, Poulsen, Jashkin - Nweke
Bench: Virulainen, Kiivälä, Dmitriev, Nymark, Viipuri, Evaldsson, V. Loeseth, Lundell, Rajala, Jacobsen, Midtjaer

[Sargossa]

Stick it up your Junta!

The garish banner held aloft by a mass of cyan and gold clad fans proclaimed. Admittedly it did refer to a dictatorial system of government that hadn’t actually existed in Sargossa for quite some time (the current dictatorial system of government is far more subtle) but the local ‘casuals’ certainly deserved marks for effort. It was considerably more creative than the ‘you’re shit and you know you are’ variety of abuse that a certain subset of football fans enjoyed so much. But the locals here in Abingdon were a different breed. The Gardiner-Stewart Stadium was a Cyan and Gold sea. The noise was deafening. Led by the Real Celts the arena rocked with a litany of well-rehearsed and occasionally really quite hurtful chants and songs. At times it was less a World Cup qualifier and more a concert, albeit a somewhat sweary one.

It was an atmosphere that faltered only momentarily when Alex Graham was caught napping in the centre of the pitch by Enrique González, who immediately threaded a beautifully weighted ball forward for Mateo Manzanares to run on to. The defence were caught flatfooted and couldn’t react as Manzanares drifted between the centrebacks before calmly dinking an effort beyond Caitlin Fraser and into the net. Just for a brief moment it was the travelling Sargossan support who could be heard above the din.

The home fans soon found their voices again, a goal against wasn’t going to change the fact that the were enjoying international football’s return to The Licentian Isles. A second goal against barely dampened the enthusiasm either. Cam Spijker made the mistake of backing off Alfonso Barrueco, allowing the wingback to deliver a devil of a ball into the penalty area. He’d foregone the opportunity to swing in a cross, instead drilling a tantalising low pass into that divorce zone between goalkeeper and back tracking defensive line. Defenders were left looking at each other as Diego Cazalla slid in at the far post to double the lead.

The remainder of the game continued in remarkably cheerful fashion. The end of the Licentian’s sporting exile enough to keep the locals celebrating, regardless of the result. And the prospect of starting the campaign with a win injecting joie de vivre into the few thousand who had made the relatively short journey from Rushmore. The hosts were far more solid in the second half but, aside from a couple of well worked corner routines, didn’t really trouble the Sargossan defence. Meaning the Corsairs start this campaign with three valuable points. Next up it’s off to Goza for the visit of the Independent Athletes from Quebec before the trip to the Islands of Ventro. Two matches that will probably go just swimmingly.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

The Holy Empire's Training Ground

"I'm just soooo upset"

"Now, now Tsatho, please don't cry"

"It's just that mean Mr Simeone was so mean to me, Cthulhu."

"What did he do, Tsatho?"

"He called me a 'rotund toad' with 'fat lips that seemed almost full to bursting, dripping primordial slobber'"

"Welllll....."

"What? Why should I let the assistant coach be mean to me?"

"It's just that you do look a bit like a toad, Tsatho. Don't you think so, Shubby?"

"Indubitably."

"And what do you think, Azzy?"

"Most toad-like are you, Tsatho. When I look at you, I definitely think 'amorphous, toad-like god-creature mentioned in the Pnakotic Manuscripts', not 'how now, brown cow'"

"Thank you very much indeed, Shubby and Azzy. So waddya say, Tsatho?"

<Tsathoggua cries>

"But I don't want to be like a toad. I want to be an international footballer."

"Well, why not be both?"

"What?"

"Well, the way I see it, your leadership of the defence was a key factor in our easy 6-1 away victory against Treekidistan, and your late goal from a header against The Licentian Isles off a corner managed to salvage a narrow 3-2 victory in a match we'd expected to win easily. So I'd say you're doing really well on the international football front."

"Gee willikers, Cthulhu, you really think so?"

"Sure, ol' Tsatho, ol' chum. I mean, it's not all being served by formless spawn, polymorphic entities made of black goo, in the limitless cavern of N'kai beneath the subterranean nation of K'n-yan, is it? Sometime you need to seize the day. Yes, there are openings which human beings know nothing and great worlds of unknown life down there, but scoring the winning goal in a World Cup qualifier has to count for something, don't cha think?"

"Gosh, well... I'd never thought of things that way, Cthulhu ol' pal."

"Does it make you feel better?"

"Maybe. But be honest with me.... do you think I look like a toad?"

"In the same way that I look like an octopus."

<Tsathoggua giggles>

"You do sorta look like an octopus, Cthulhu."

"And you sorta look like a toad, Tsatho ol' buddy, ol' chum."

"So you don't think Simeone was being mean to me after all?"

"Far from it. Didn't he pat you encouragingly on the shoulder immediately afterwards, and didn't you chuckle happily at the touch of the human spirit, before snoring gently?"

"Well, I dunno; I was sort of asleep."

"Because Simeone was being so nice to you."

"Well, when you put it that way.... Maybe I should apologise to him..."

"I'm sure he's put it out of his mind already. Let's just focus on being the best and nicest football team of ancient eldritch entities in the universe."

"Yes, let's! Gosh, thanks Cthulhu... you're a real pal!"

"Right back atcha, Tsatho! Cake, tea, and biscuits?"

"Don't mind if I do!"

[Drawkland]

E X P I R E D ...

If you're not caught up on this whole "Elite Eleven" thing, feel free to read up on the literature ...

A Hint * A Tease * A Story * A Contradiction * A Roster

Elite 1 * Elite 2 * Elite 3 * Elite 4 * Elite 5 * Elite 6
Elite 7 * Elite 8 * Elite 9 * Elite 10 * Elite 11

Expired 1 * Expired 2 * Expired 3 * Expired 4 * Expired 5 * Expired 6
Expired 7 * Expired 8

Nicole was sore for the next few days of training. The sunrise and sundown meditations continued, and Kanyo guided Nicole through more bookwork and practical skills. Thankfully, she didn't have to go through a marathon session like she'd experienced on the second day, but it was still hard work. The soreness was interesting as well - it didn't feel like your regular sore muscles, but instead a deep ache that would reverberate throughout her core. The meditation would soothe it, but the practice during the day would reagitate it.

Over the course of the instruction, Kanyo seemed to turn even colder and more rigid, which Nicole didn't even think was possible. At this point, she could tell that the Queen was trying to push her away from taking the Quest, yet all that did was make the fire in Nicole's mind burn hotter. She wouldn't back down, nay, she couldn't back down. With all the effort she put in, she wasn't going to drop out now, especially not in front of the Drawkionel.

Finally, the week was coming to an end. Nicole had learned how to harness her aura for both a protective shell and for a magic-based attack that could be used to harm beings usually impervious to physical attacks. Due to the weakness of Nicole's latent power, there wasn't a whole let else she could manage to do. Kanyo had attempted teaching her more advanced skills and moves, but they'd failed to pay off and the efforts were quickly abandoned.

The time came for what would be their final meditation. It was sundown, and the two women ventured to the top of the hill once more. Before they got started, Nicole got the courage to ask about something that had been bugging her since their first session at the retreat.

"If you don't mind me asking," Nicole started, "How are you able to float like that?"

"Like this?" Kanyo was sitting in a cross-legged position, but silently levitating a foot or so in the air. "This is something I picked up after years of practice. The art of reducing gravitational effects is one that is seldom achieved, even by the more powerful mages. You either have to have the natural knack for it and know somebody who can teach you, or you have to figure it out yourself. The latter is a very long process. If it weren't for my own given ability and extended lifespan, I likely wouldn't have figured it out."

"Could you fly if you wanted?"

"Yes, but that takes a lot of energy that I usually don't bother expending. It's like running a marathon, you have to be in shape and get proper nutrition beforehand to succeed. Now, hush up and focus on your meditation."

Once their session concluded, Nicole figured it would be time for Kanyo to create another of her portals and send them back to the Citadel in Kayo. The sun had sunk below the horizon, and the sky was already an inky blue, with the red and purple streaks beginning to dissipate. It was nearly nighttime. Nicole walked back to where she knew the cottage was, but something was starting to feel off. She turned around, and Kanyo was nowhere to be found. Nicole wasn't too nervous, but this was almost entirely untamed forest. She didn't want to be alone after dark.

"Kanyo? Hello?" Nicole called out. Her voice seemed to be quiet. There was no echo, and the closer she listened, the more it was starting to feel silent. Not even faint bird calls or various animal rustlings could be heard. Nicole decided to take off, jogging down the path to where the cottage was. She felt consoled by the fact she could find shelter, until suddenly the path under her feet faded away, and where she thought the cottage was supposed to be was instead just more trees and foliage. The clearing where she'd spent an entire day flexing her aura was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, I got off the path a bit. I'll just retrace my steps and get back to the hill at least." Nicole murmured to herself. She doubled back on her steps to get back on the path, but couldn't find it. The trees no longer looked familiar, and the increasing darkness was not helping matters. The seed of panic began to set in Nicole's gut. Kanyo was still nowhere to be found, and the uncharacteristic quiet was giving Nicole goosebumps. Not even the crickets were chirping. The only thing she could hear was a faint breeze that rustled the trees, and once it dissipated it was simply silent.

Nicole wasn't exactly an outdoors expert. She had spent most of her time training for her sport after all, and keeping up with a social life and everything else took up her remaining time. She'd been on hikes as a kid with her family and in the scouts for her brief stint in them, but she didn't have that much nature know-how. Ellzidan would probably be ashamed. Even so, Nicole knew that a silent forest was a dangerous one. There might be some sort of predator about, something that made all the normally noisy creatures hide away. She didn't even know what part of the country she was in, since she'd been sent here by portal, so whatever creature was lurking was definitely unknown to her.

That's when Nicole got the distinct feeling she was being watched. The paranoia set in, and she whipped around to try and catch whatever was looking at her. It was still just an unforgiving and nearly lightless forest around her. Nicole felt like she needed to run away, to get as far from this invisible threat as she could, but she didn't know where to run to. The cottage had seemingly disappeared, and the path to it was also somehow gone. Nothing seemed familiar, she couldn't even remember what direction the meditation hill was in.

As the sky darkened to nighttime, the moons offered little light. Nicole could barely see now. The trees were starting to feel like walls around her, the canopy like a roof trapping her in. She wasn't one to feel claustrophobic, but the fear of the forest was getting to her. The darkness surrounded her, and soon she could barely see a few feet in front of her. The paranoid feeling of the predatorial threat was closing in. She couldn't see it, she couldn't hear it, but she felt something getting closer. Some primal instinct pumped her body full of adrenaline and sent tingles from her scalp to the base of her spine.

Suddenly, Nicole heard a noise coming from behind her. A slight rustle, an indicator of movement, and all she could do in the moment was hit the deck. She ducked, and felt something hurtle over her and land on the ground a few feet in front. Nicole jumped back to her feet and frantically looked for the threat. Some large, hairy creature was balled up in front of her, and it turned around to leap back at her. An instant too late, Nicole thought to use her aura shield to momentarily protect her. She tried to flex her aura out and conjure up the idea of a shield, to bring the magic to life, but it failed as the creature slammed into her. She felt something pierce her skin, but thankfully it didn't seem to be too deep.

Nicole flailed wildly, dislodging the creature from her before scrambling to her feet again. It seemed to be some sort of wildcat, or perhaps a small, lanky bear. It was turning back around, and Nicole knew she likely only had one shot to take before it would get after her again. She decided to try and slide tackle it, hearkening to her skill as a defender, and hoping that if it went for a pouncing attack again she'd slide under it. As she got into a trot to set up the tackle, she tried to flex her aura again, this time for the one attack move she knew. She nearly got it to work, but the creature leapt low and ran into her with claws extended.

It hit its mark, and Nicole felt the sharp sting of her skin being broken. It didn't stay on for long, and Nicole struggled to her feet again. When she looked up, she suddenly saw a light in the distance. A couple yellow squares floating a couple hundred feet away. Those were windows. That had to be Kanyo's cottage. Nicole instantly started running. She knew she probably wouldn't make it before the creature caught up, so she loaded up her aura to try and fire another shot at the creature.

She missed wildly, but the creature had had enough and seemed to stay away long enough for Nicole to barrel into the cottage, nearly busting down the door. Kanyo was waiting inside, standing beside the window with her arms crossed. When Nicole saw this, anger bubbled in her.

"You were watching me the whole time?!" Nicole exclaimed, nearly furious with the immortal before her. "Why didn't you help me? I could've died!"

"You needed to be tested." Kanyo spoke as she starting to use some sort of healing spell to soften Nicole's wounds. "The maze does not care who lives and who dies. Its purpose is not to give you a happy ending. Its purpose is to weed out the weak from the strong, the unworthy from the worthy. What I saw just now was somebody unworthy. You are not prepared for this, and you likely never will be."

"But I'm just getting started!" Nicole protested. "This was my first practical training for the Quest!"

"That is irrelevant." Kanyo insisted. "The preparation of your body is minuscule in the grand scheme of things. Your physical and arcane training is merely a last-ditch effort to keep yourself safe when you need it most. The most powerful warriors of our age have gone into that maze and perished within days. What truly matters is your mind and your soul. The Quest is more of a spiritual journey than anything else. Your spirit is too weak for it. This is folly. You're wasting both your time by preparing for it, and if you embark on the Quest, you'll be wasting what could've been a long, happy, and normal life."

"I've experienced challenges and hardships before. This Quest is something that I've never experienced before, but I'm not somebody who will just back down-"

"I am well aware of what you think you're capable of. The maze, the Quest, is not just a temporary test of your physical strength and endurance, but your mental strength and endurance. My point is not that you're unable to successfully complete this Quest, but instead that you're incapable of living beyond it. In the infinitesimal chance that you succeed, you will go mad before you pass your second lifetime's worth of years. This is an emotional barrier that you can't just escape with practice."

"With all due respect, queen, I disagree."

"Fine. I have one more thing I must show you." Kanyo grabbed Nicole by the hand and pulled her out of the cottage into the warm night. Somehow it seemed less dark than before.

After a few minutes of tense silence between the two, they finally arrived at their destination. As far as Nicole's eyes could see in the dim light, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of rocks. Kanyo opened her palms, and small lights started to appear across the area, with the trees acting as lamps.

"What is this place?" Nicole asked, and then she realized what she was looking at. They were headstones.

"This is my graveyard." Kanyo replied, solemnly. "Every single headstone here is a grave, where I have buried a friend. Thousands of them, throughout the years. All of them were born, lived, and died within my lifetime. For many of them, I am the only one that remembers they even existed."

Nicole remained silent.

"My closest friends, who I fed, clothed, walked, and played with. Gone forever, but I still remember them. I still remember the pain of losing them. I wish I could revisit them someday, like perhaps everyone does in the afterlife, but I doomed to walk this planet for an eternity. Even now, I have friends who will be buried here one day."

"Yeah ..." Nicole breathed. She was struggling for something to say, but something occurred to her. "Wait a minute, did you say 'walked'?"

"Yes. This is my dog graveyard."

"W-What? Seriously?"

"This is no joke, Nicole. You've had pets before, correct?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose so."

"You view your pets as friends. Different from your sentient friends, but friends nonetheless. This graveyard is no different from a graveyard you pass driving past a church. Every stone here is a story that is long past. I can never be with these friends again. This is the curse of immortality. Outside of your boyfriend and his friends? This is what will be left behind."

This part of the story was supposed to be wrapped up like a cycle ago. These events occurred partway through WC87 qualifying.

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Lifted Lamp, Chapter 3
Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Ailen Koirala pushed her front door shut, turned and sagged against it for a moment, closing her eyes. She kicked her shoes into a corner and padded down the hall to the kitchen.

"Anoop?"

No, that's right. He had left last night for a week visiting his parents in Vassilian. She opened the freezer. Some leftover dal bhat greeted her from the top shelf. "Love you, miss you," said the note taped on top. Ailen smiled, but reached past it for a frozen pizza. She had not had the sort of day that ends with healthy dinners or good decisions.

She shoved the pizza into the center of the oven rack, not waiting for it to come to temperature. She grabbed a beer from the door of the fridge, and settled on the couch, fighting the urge to turn on the TV. The last thing she needed now was more sports media. She'd spent all day dealing with them, what she needed now was to leave work at work and just relax with some trashy fantasy drama. A traitorous hand found the remote, turned on the TV.

". . . in response to comments made this morning by Sporting striker and former Imperial refugee Lyyti Vang that President Laitinen's administration has not taken a strong enough stance against the Imperium. Vang also criticized SCFA president Ailen Koirala for not speaking out more against the actions of the Imperial FA. Vang's comments were made all the more weighty by the recent arrival at Sporting of Tyra Volam, a second defector from the Imperium. Koirala and other SCFA officials appeared caught off guard by the criticism . . ."

"I know things have been getting worse in the Imperium, but what the hell does Vang want me to do about it?"

The newsanchor on the screen continued, ". . . has spurred a new wave of criticism of Koirala, now in her tenth year as SCFA president, after good results to begin qualifying had briefly silenced critics."

Ailen stabbed at the off button and tossed the remote to the other end of the couch. It was bad enough she'd spend the entire afternoon and evening fielding questions she'd not been in any way prepared for. Why did she always have to bring things home with her? Why torture herself by watching some well-coifed idiot behind a desk pontificate about her job performance? Why do I do this to myself?

Mercifully, her phone rang. It was Anoop.

"Hello."

"I thought you could use a friendly voice about now."

"In the worst way. How was your trip?"

"Not quite done, but I'm on the last leg. The train left Jaglan a few minutes ago."

"I wish I were with you."

"Me too, seems like you had a rough afternoon."

"I don't know what these people want from me. I'm the president of a football association, not a world leader. I'm not a diplomat, just an administrator."

"A very good administrator."

"A very tired administrator." She stood up from the couch, and as she neared the kitchen, she remembered, "Shit! Fuck!"

"What is it? Are you ok."

"I burnt my fucking pizza."

"Oh. Well at least it's just a pizza. I left you some dal, did you see?"

"I saw, I just wanted pizza, don't hate me."

"I could never."

Ailen sighed and tipped the blackened pizza into the trash. "Ugh."

"I won't be offended if you order a pizza."

"You're the best," she put him on speaker and started placing her order, "So what the hell do you think Vang was thinking when she decided to take shots at me?"

"I don't know Ailen."

"Help me out here Anoop, I need some perspective on this."

"Well, why don't you ask her?"

"That," Ailen paused, genuinely surprised, "is a really good idea."

"I have my moments."



Qualifying Schedule and Results:

MD1:  SRS 2-2 VIL @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD2:  USD 4-6 SRS @ TBA
MD3:  SRS 1-1 SDG @ Killough Grove (cap. 31,400), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD4:  PSI  v  SRS @ TBA
MD5:  SRS  v  SVJ @ Overburg Arena (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD6:  HTK  v  SRS @ TBA
MD7:  SRS  v  LIS @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, East Flania, SRS
MD8:  SRS  v  TFS @ Smolak Systemy Stadion (cap. 31,200), Sjerezo, Molvania, SRS
MD9:  ESH  v  SRS @ The Eshialand City SuperDome (cap. 75,000), Eshialand City, ESH
MD10: VIL  v  SRS @ Tivali-Ring Stadium (cap. 87,000 ), Alikki-Cora, VIL
MD11: SRS  v  USD @ Sunergy Field (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD12: SDG  v  SRS @ Stadium Persekutuan (cap. 40,000), Kambang, SDG
MD13: SRS  v  PSI @ Old Flamarion Stadium (cap. 26,405), Flamarion, Megabrantis, SRS
MD14: SVJ  v  SRS @ TBA
MD15: SRS  v  HTK @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD16: LIS  v  SRS @ TBA
MD17: TFS  v  SRS @ TBA
MD18: SRS  v  ESH @ Chernov Stadium (cap. 57,600), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS

Starting 11 against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles:

Shimski; Harkhan, V., Dalso, Harkhan W., Storsjo; Marrish, Lomidan; Naqvi, Damnagoras, Yonte; Gerstlauer

Starting 11 against Savojarna:

Krieven; Harkhan, V., Buczvarov, Harkhan, W., Achthoven; Marrish, Hashemi; Vladcik, Takala, Storrev; Petrov

[Squidroidia]

A Casual Game of Turnip-Oh! - Shaneville City

A humbling draw at the hands of World Cup newcomers Brookstation at their own backyard was the least of the Squidroidian national team's worries. The introduction of the strategic card game "Turnip-Oh!" had become the hottest commodity in the nations playing in the World Cup since it was introduced by Electrumite news outlet The Turnip. In fact it was so popular around the Squidroidian national team that conversations about the game and its strategy were cutting into practice and players spent all of their free time playing this card game, strategizing their own decks (The Agave Plant of Doom being one that was being placed routinely onto the field every time Takemoto Shingen played due to the IAC 12 Final loss and the 3 goals he gave up) and seeing who among the national team was considered a Turnip-Oh! god.

Out of those 23 players that made their way to Shaneville City to take on the Central Shaneville national team, 2 powers emerged. Kaede Akiyama, the 2nd choice goalie in the Squidroidian national team, and midfielder Yoneda Toshikuni. The day before Central Shaneville took on the Inklings, these 2 were set to face each other for the right to be called the best player within the Squidroidian national team. Kaede would take the referee's left hand side, Toshikuni the right. With the darkness already settling out in Shaneville City, this was the only chance the 2 would take each other on before they had to take the pitch.

Toshikuni won the coin toss and went first... When everything hit a snag. He summoned Simon, the Bradley, a card which challenges the opponent to correctly spell out the name of the World Cup winning Starblaydian which inspired the card's name. Sensing a challenge, Kaede took it on.

"S...I....M...I..."

"Goodness me, 4 letters in? You should have done your spelling classes, Kaede." 1500 life points were deducted from Kaede Akiyama's score and the card was sent to the graveyard. Akiyama, in return, summoned Correct Utensil to Eat Lasagne. Since both players were Squidroidian, no damage modifiers were added, as the card required the opponent to be from Baggieland for it to work.

The game went on and on through the night, both players doing everything they could to try getting the other to deplete their life points to 0. Toshikuni even did the complicated trap card Turnips of Destiny, before Kaede's Mechanistic Preview Analysis killed it and reversed all of the effects. But at the end of the day, it was Yoneda Toshikuni's Euran Border Wall that would end up stopping Akiyama from doing any damage from his Sentient Energy Ball. Moreover, he would use the Pizza Laced With Ripperonin to take 2000 life points away from Kaede, ending the game with a decisive victory. He could rest easy tonight, knowing very well he was the best Squidroidian national team player in the Turnip-Oh! scene...

---

OOC: Of course, this RP is based off of the Turnip-Oh! RP done by Electrum and all the cards discussed are in that RP. Nonetheless, if anybody is interested in having a side tournament for this fictional card game involving national team players from every country interested, I would be more than welcome to scorinate it using Xkoranate. I'm sure that I'll use the eSports scorinator (Provided thanks to Xkoranate-CE) and that the scorination will happen during the Cup of Harmony or the World Cup proper, whichever one Squidroidia goes to. If you're interested, announce who you may send to this tournament in the RP thread. If not, that's perfectly fine. This is only a RP idea that I got due to Electrum's RP.

[South Newlandia]

Elephant Valley Sports Mail

Today’s sports in brief

Work on the Stadium of Friendship to be completed soon

The plans for a stadium with 40,000 seats to be built near Elephant Valley were quite surprising even for experts at the time, but so far, work on what has been called “the biggest building project in South Newlandian history” has been moving along swimmingly. Valentian Constructions Ltd. was able to build the project for a surprisingly small fee, but a total cost of nearly 6 million Newls still left quite a hole in the budget of minister Matthew Doric. President Nia Freeman of the Centrist Union, the party currently calling the shots in the South Newlandian parliament together with the Green Environmentalist Party (turquoise coalition), has announced that there would only be a small increase in taxes to pay the 24 monthly rates. According to Sandra Elephantson, the current head of the SNFA, the project should be completed later this year, barring exceptional circumstances.
-> Read more


Southwestern Baselanders discussing sale
The Baselanders, South Newlandias worst baseball franchise, has reportedly entered talks with some officials from Malidridad. So far, few details have been released to the public; but a sale could improve the crumbling franchise (14-58 last season). Most likely, the franchise would ditch the “Baselanders” moniker in the event of a sale. Possible new names include the Mowers, Monarchs, or Mariners. In any case, the team would remain in the Southwest division.
-> Read more


Trischuk will miss the entire rest of campaign
Mikhail Trischuk has, according to doctors from Kinjestad, “completely destroyed his knee” in a training incident ahead of the game in Muralos. The captain of the national team will need extensive surgery in the Kinjestad Medical Centre, and it’s reportedly unclear whether the 30-year-old will ever return to play for the national team. Following Trischuk’s departure, Rufus Rigby, currently playing for Barnley in Kohnhead, conceded nine goals in two games. The team got lucky to take at least one point from those games, but the qualifying hopes remain in serious danger.
-> Read more


Can the Lions make it four titles in a row?
Despite not really exciting with results in the international club competiotions, the Lions remain the natural favourite to win yet again in the South Newlandian Soccer League. Two new exciting new players, Audioslavian legend Knudsen and Brian Conlin, national team player from Newmanistan, will support an already strong team on the quest for four titles in a row. Experts see the team ahead of the other teams, but Kinetik New Colk, the...

[Sylestone]

Trolleborg - Sylestone

Trolleborg (4-4-2; 3-5-2): Kot Kotsson; Loonstrup - Troger (▮ ‘32) - Schendel (Windass 79’) - Du Riis (Wolters 63’); Troll - Groningen - Valgren (Lucius 79’) - Halst; Kerr - Gulbranden
Sylestone (5-3-2): Brick Wall; Ironing Board - Drawer - Washing Machine - Sofa (Toilet ‘56) - Dishwasher; Fridge - Spiderwebs - Bar Stool; Tumble Dryer - Mixer

TROLLEBORG CITY, TROLLEBORG - Coming off an away win in Tequilo against the powerful Pot 3 side, Trolleborg had every right to be confident heading into a home game against the Sentients, the Pot 4 side in group six. Especially since this particular side had just come off a disappointing 0-0 draw against Pot 9 Talkasa and were in a lapse of form. But Sylestone are well known for being resilient, so you never know what could happen.

It was the first time either of these two sides had ever played against one another, and possibly the first of many. They were both still relatively new in the sporting world, with Trolleborg’s entrance into the Baptism of Fire in the competitions’ 71st cycle and Sylestone only entering the following one, in correlation with the 85th World Cup cycle. Since then, both sides have become increasingly familiar to the rest of the sporting multiverse and now face each other as relatively powerful sides, particular in the case of the Trolls in front of a home crowd.

The 1th December Stadium in Trolleborg City, the capital of the prestigious nation, was nearly full to its 100,000 brim when the referee first blew his whistle signal the beginning of the game. The Trolls immediately began to dominate the game, even within the first five minutes as the Sentients were caught off guard at the level of play they were up against. The Sylestoneans, while dominating, had still not managed to force a result against Talkasa and their problems were coming to the fore here. The home crowd loved it. Whenever the Sentients got the ball, they couldn’t hold on to it as Trolleborg forwards Stuart Kerr and Tom Gulbranden never let their foot off the accelerator, forcing the Sentient defenders to rush their passes and ultimately weren’t able to put the Trolls under any sort of pressure.

Trolleborg had multiple potentially deadly chances before the Sentients actually got their first scoring opportunity, in the 25th minute. Rolf Valgren may be one of Trolleborg’s best midfielders, but even he still sometimes has bad days. This seemed to be one of them, with the Bar Stool, playing in the right-midfield for a change, intercepting a poor pass up the line to Gulbranden. It got rid of the large round thing almost immediately, shifting the play dramatically with a clearance directly to the Mixer, who dribbled past defender Jordan Du Riis and passed to the Fridge, who had made a run up the line. The Sylestonean captain then went for goal, a risky shot from just inside the box, and nearly got it in too, with the ball curving back in at the last minute. However, Trolleborg goalkeeper Tomas Kot Kotsson is a classy player, who caught the ball without too much trouble, despite being wrong-footed.
The resulting dropkick from Kot Kotsson led to yet another counterattack from the Trolls, putting the Sentients on the back foot yet again. Morten Troll, playing in the left midfield, had no issue in getting past gun defender Ironing Board and shot for goal. It was a good shot, just out of the Brick Wall’s reach, but alas, it hit the post and fell back to the Brick Wall, who cleared it out of the box and up to the Bar Stool along the right wing.

Six minutes later, centre-back Aien Troger was the first player booked in the game, fouling the Mixer in the centre of the field as the Sylestoneans were given a free kick. It was put to good use. The Sentients used it as a solid build up before the Mixer managed to pass the ball into the Tumble Dryer inside the box, splitting defenders Jesper Loonstrup, Du Riis and the aforementioned Troger. The Tumble Dryer shot for goal, but Kot Kotsson, doing the stuff he does, managed to keep it out diving away to his right. Unfortunately for the Trolleborg goalkeeper, though, the ball dribbled back out to the Sentient forward who slotted into the back of the net. Sylestone had gone 1-0 up and despite having been completely outplayed, were in the lead.

Instead of being rejuvenated, the goal had a demoralising effect on the Trolls. For the remainder of the first half, they couldn’t build up any aggressive plays as the Sentients used their goal as a reason to play their absolute best. Sylestone completely dominated the remaining fifteen minutes, but couldn’t make it 2-0 or more as Kot Kotsson continued to save everything that came his way. But the Trolls needed to fix something if they wanted to still have a chance in front of a very quiet home crowd.
However, they simply couldn’t break through like they were in the first half before the Tumble Dryer’s goal. They, however, were still the better team, though. Their pushes towards goal simply didn’t have the ominous strength they had earlier, though. An example of this was in the 55th minute of the match, ten minutes after half time. Valgren took a corner and directed it beautifully towards the head of Torstein Halst, who had slipped away from his Sentient defender, the Dishwasher. All he had to do was direct the ball from his head, past the Brick Wall and into the goal. However, the ball dipped on him at the last moment and instead of catching the ball on his chest and letting it drop to his foot, he dipped his head and shrunk lower to keep with the header. Halst managed to get the ball on his head but the angle wasn’t there. The ball ricocheted away, well over the crossbar as a prime opportunity was missed.

Twelve minutes later, Morten Troll had an opportunity to equalise after receiving a long ball from defender Kasper Wolters, who had been recently substituted on after Du Riis went down with a minor calf injury. While he couldn’t play the rest of the game, it wasn’t to have a huge effect and would probably be better within a couple of days. Yet, it’s better to substitute an injured player rather than leave him to get injured further or more severely.

Anyhow, Wolters immediately made his impact known on the position of the game, bringing class to help blot out the Sylestonean offensive manoeuvres. The long ball up to Troll was almost perfect, with the star midfielder only needing to move a couple of paces to trap the ball and move past the Toilet, also recently substituted onto the field for the Sofa, going in for the tackle. He worked his way down towards the corner post with the meme defender on his heels and crossed it into Kerr, who ran onto the ball from just outside the box. However, with the Washing Machine and Drawer alongside a Brick Wall of a goalkeeper, he was never, ever going to be able to convert the shot. So he passed it back to Troll, who took the shot. It sailed through the air… towards the top right hand corner… but it had too much height on it. The ball deflected from the crossbar and rebounded out to the Fridge, who had positioned itself just outside the box to help receive a clearance or something of the like. It was such that the Troll’s offensive was broken down and they lost yet another chance to equalise.

Following a shot from the Bar Stool that missed the post by a hair’s breadth in the 79th minute, Trolleborg coach Morten Troghil made a last-ditch effort to try and take points out of the game by substituting centre-back William Schendel for the wonderfully-named Kasper Windass, changing a previous 4-4-2 formation to a 3-5-2 with ten heart-wrenching minutes to spare. During this time, Trolleborg made their third and final substitution; taking tiring midfielder Rolf Valgren off and replacing him with the fresh-faced Jesper Lucius. It was the Trolls’ final roll of the dice, and as the minutes ticked away, it looked more and more like a failure. Three minutes were added to the end of the match and with the Sentients keeping possession for two of them, Sylestone seemed destined to take an unlikely victory. But Stuart Kerr had other ideas. Receiving a short pass from Lucius, he knocked the ball up to Gulbranden, who, realising an opportunity, played a through ball back to Kerr. He outran the deadly Ironing Board chasing him as well as the Drawer. Only the Brick Wall was left. Or was it? Washing Machines are usually large, noisy things who demand your attention all of the time, but this particular one had the advantage of absolute silence. With the home crowd cheering in the background, Kerr moved to shoot the ball past the Brick Wall, but the Washing Machine was prepared to risk the element of surprise.

It paid off. The ball rebounded from the ungodly object and bounced away, missing the goal by a full metre. The referee blew his whistle as Kerr fell to his knees. The 90,000 strong crowd in Trolleborg City fell absolutely silent as the Sentients rushed together to celebrate their win, against all odds. It was an awful sight. You never, ever want to see eighteen-odd Sentient household objects clustered together, celebrating a win in a football match. Cleanse your eyes, folks, and pretend it never had happened. They, however, had every right to celebrate. Pot 2 side Trolleborg had just been defeated and the Sentients were in equal third on the ladder alongside Sannyamathland. You never know, can you? Maybe they can do this!

TROLLEBORG - 0

SYLESTONE - 1
Tumble Dryer - 33’

Sylestone - North Japan

Sylestone (5-3-2): Brick Wall; Nokia - Drawer - Washing Machine - Toilet - Dishwasher; Stove - Bar Stool - Fridge; Tumble Dryer - AC Vent
North Japan (3-2-3-2): Akita; Izumi - Shinji (Faruta 41’) - Konuma; Nitta - Noguchi; Katabushi - Yoshiita - Suzuki (Hatsumane 70’); Natsuke (Akasuka 77’) - Takahara

PESFIELD, SYLESTONE - Injury riddled, Sylestone came into their home game in Pesfield against 124th ranked North Japan, who hadn’t taken a point thus far in two tries. The first of these games was away against Sannyamathland, where a goal fest ensued, but with the home side coming out on top, 5-4. They then faced off against Tequilo and were understandably handed a 2-0 loss, despite being at home. Meanwhile, the Sentients were on a high after a 1-0 away win against the mighty Trolleborg but had lost two players to injury and with another being rested. In the Ironing Board’s case, some brainless idiot had tried to iron on the Ironing Board instead of on an ironing board, which gave the left-back a scathing red mark. It would eventually heal, but not in time for the game against the North Japanese. In the Sofa’s case, some chungus weighing over 150 kilograms decided to sit on the poor thing. We all know what happened next.

The Mixer was still not in best shape after an intense game against Trolleborg and was thus rested, instead playing the AC Vent in the star dribblers’ place. However, this isn’t necessarily bad for the side, with the AC Vent previously topping goal-scoring in the Toilet League two seasons ago before being sold to Swisston City FC in Kohnhead to play with the Mixer.

The midfield line also experienced some reshuffling. In the game against Trolleborg, the Fridge played in the left, Spiderwebs in the middle and the Bar Stool in the right midfield. However, it was always going to change. With four quality midfielders, especially in the case of the Fridge and the Bar Stool, the line is always going to change. That’s just the way it is.

Anyway, so the Sentients were well under par when they took the field against North Japan. It showed immediately. The away side kicked off and despite a poor pass from forward Tomoyuki Takahara early on, the Tumble Dryer couldn’t make use of it with North Japanese defensive midfielder Yoshihito Nitta making a brilliant intercept to justify his dubious place in the starting XI.

It set up an attack for the away side, much to the annoyance of the home crowd in Pesfield. The Nokia, out of practice, was especially susceptible to aggressive moves and it had been identified by the opposition. Saburo Suzuki, playing in the right midfield, managed to break past the brick of a defender and cross it into Takahara. The forward managed to break past the Washing Machine in centre-back and produce a lovely, curving shot that snuck it’s way into the bottom right of the goal to put North Japan 1-0 up, only seven minutes in. The Sentients had not clicked the way they had against Trolleborg, and it was beginning to show.

They, however, began to bounce back. They played doggedly, not letting their frustration at an early goal show as the new players began to get more used to playing together. The Tumble Dryer and AC Vent began to form a formidable partnership up front, with successful passing and always challenging the North Japanese defence. However, with two defensive midfielders on top of their three-strong defensive lineup, this proved to be tough.

It was in the 17th minute when the Sentients got their first real opportunity to equalise. A bad touch from defender Kai Shinji continued what was an unnaturally bad game for him as the ball fell within reach of the Toilet. The laughable Sentient then moved up the line before crossing the ball in to the Fridge, who ricocheted the ball up on a trajectory over the right of goalkeeper Hiro Akita. It seemed destined to go in, but a perfectly timed leap from the North Japanese goalkeeper ensured the ball was deflected up over the crossbar.

It was Sylestone’s last opportunity in a while. In the meantime, North Japan continued to play well as the Sentients were continually forced upon the back foot. It may have only been the first half, but the North Japanese seemed set to take three points out of the match. All of the form the Sentients had acquired from the game against Trolleborg was thrown out of the window as they once again struggled at home against a minnow nation.

Finally, in the 39th minute, they managed to gain some momentum. The Bar Stool and Stove participated in a quick 1-2 to split the midfield as the Sentients began to advance. The ball was passed up to the Tumble Dryer, who, realising a goal could be imminent, shot. The ball was aimed on a low, hard trajectory towards the bottom right, but it had curve imparted on it. In the last few moments, the ball swerved away to the right and away from the goal, glancing off the goalpost and out of play.
No other possible opportunity was created for either team before the half-time break, with the North Japanese somehow going into the break with a 1-0 lead. You could sense the anxiety in the home crowd, with all 40,000 Sylestonean supporters in the stadium jittering nervously. Surely they weren’t going to fuck this one up.

After the half-time break and a good old spanking from the Toaster, the Sentients came out of the blocks a much better side. They were immediately on the attack after half time, but Katsu Faruta, substituted onto the field in place of Ken Shinji just before half-time, made a great tackle of the AC Vent to help break down the attack.

For the next twenty minutes, the North Japanese successfully held off the Sentients, if only by the barest of margins. The two defensive midfielders in Eikiken Noguchi and Yoshihito Nitta effectively dropped back to the defensive line, they were playing so far back. Their forwards barely ever got the ball, and when they did, there were always at least one or two Sylestoneans ready to take the ball off them within a moment’s notice. It was great play by the Sentients - stuff truly from a Pot 4 side like they are. During this period, they got multiple chances at scoring but unfortunately, none could be converted despite one hitting the post and another deflected onto the crossbar only for the second shot to miss by the slimmest of margins. Akita was a gun in the goals, diving everywhere to stop countless opportunities from hitting the back of the net. But something had to break.

In the 68th minute, a good through pass from the Tumble Dryer through to the AC Vent bisected the defence and left the returning forward in a one on one with Akita. The North Japanese goalkeeper might have been having a blinder of a game, but in a one on one, he could do nothing as the ball was slotted into the back of the net. Sylestone had equalised. Or had they?

The game was held up as the referee went to check on the offside. It was a very close one indeed, with the AC Vent onside when the Tumble Dryer went to pass, but afterwards, was well offside. In the end, the goal was disallowed, much to the astonishment of the crowd. The North Japanese were still 1-0 up and time was ticking down.

They then had a chance to go 2-0 up with a free kick from just outside the box when the Ironing Board fouled opposition forward Izo Natsuke. The fouled striker took the set piece and nailed it onto the top of Takahara’s head. The ball deflected off his head and away towards the far corner of the goal. The Brick Wall, while unprepared, managed to move over in time and deflect the ball away to ensure that North Japan didn’t take a near-unassailable lead.

In the 77th minute, Natsuke was then substituted off to be replaced by Shirai Akasuka in order to keep the forward line fresh. However, it immediately backfired, with Akasuka making a mess of a pass in the 82nd minute to give the ball back to the determined Sentients. It proved costly.

The Bar Stool passed the ball down to the Stove on the wing and while being chased by defenders, managed to run all the way to the corner post and up the goalline into the box. Without anyone to pass to, the left-midfielder shot for goal. It was an unlikely shot, but perfectly executed. It curved around the goalpost, just out of Akita’s reach and into the goal. Sylestone had equalised. Finally. Sylestone had equalised.

The final ten-or-so minutes were rejuvenated on both sides, but neither side could convert any of the minor opportunities that were presented. The final result was a disappointing 1-1 draw for the Sentients as they slipped into fourth, but hey, it’s better than nothing.

SYLESTONE - 1
Stove 82’

NORTH JAPAN - 1
Takahara 7’

Schedule:

MD1: Sylestone 0-0 Talkasa @ Sunlife Stadium, Halpenley (cap. 52,000)
MD2: Trolleborg 0-1 Sylestone @ 1th December Stadium, Trolleborg City, Trolleborg (cap. 100,000)
MD3: Sylestone 1-1 North Japan @ The Trees Stadium, Pesfield (cap. 62,000)
MD4: Bollonich - Sylestone @ John Lennon Football Stadium, Vreton City, Bollonich (cap. 100,000)
MD5: Sylestone - Rangers FC @ Sentient Oval, Kirkham (cap. 29,275 toilet seats)
MD6: Al Qurija - Sylestone @ Petro Mohammed Stadium, Al Qurija, Al Qurija (cap. 98,000)
MD7: Sylestone - Sannyamathland @ Ground of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (cap. 43,000)
MD8: Tequilo - Sylestone @ Home of Los Pitxileros, Tapalupe, Tequilo (cap. 81,810)
MD9: Sylestone - Zwangzug @ Chamberley Institute of Sport, Chamberley (cap. 109,300)
MD10: Talkasa - Sylestone @ TBC
MD11: Sylestone - Trolleborg @ Carson Stadium, Cleorough (cap. 80,000)
MD12: North Japan - Sylestone @ TBC
MD13: Sylestone - Bollonich @ The Bay Reserve, Betham (cap. 68,420)
MD14: Rangers FC - Sylestone @ Stadio Ibrosikis, Rangers FC (cap. 50,800)
MD15: Sylestone - Al Qurija @ The Furnace, Dodle (cap. 37,500)
MD16: Sannyamathland - Sylestone @ The Big Bowl International Stadium, Rowling City, Sannyamathland (cap. 100,000)
MD17: Sylestone - Tequilo @ Avondale International Sports Stadium, Avondale (cap. 99,000)
MD18: Zwangzug - Sylestone @ Wayr Stadium, Rackham Range, Zwangzug[/size]

[Ko-oren]

Txakhaxi 1–2 Ko-oren
Complacency is always around the corner, and you're forced to rethink your approach whenever things go south. Well, we've now witnessed things going almost south (so more of a west-south-west or a general southeast) twice and it's time for Juliasterinthen to reconsider some assumptions. Going with the same XI that you've used for a while without introducing new blood will eventually come back to bite you. But you have to keep some of that XI the same from game to game, to develop a core. That's the problem for any team, club or nation. So far, though, Ko-oren has always been able to hide itself behind the excuse of "we're still building, so we can turn over our squad as much as we want" but that ceased to work after a cycle of finishing second in the world. Now you're a big name, you've got something to prove - and something to lose - and your team is more than ready to tackle any challenge as we've seen in the past. We know that that configuration of eleven players can handle nearly anything you throw at it, but since the heartbreaking loss we've moved on a few months. Our players are a few months older. The veterans are closer to retiring, the youngsters are closer to their primes, and the academy kids are closer to their inevitable debuts. And you can bet that every other team has seen this World Cup final and instead of "it would be nice to trip up Ko-oren" the sentiment now is "we will bring our A-game to Ko-oren to show we can eff up one of the biggest in the game". Coaches are looking at this defence and wondering how they can beat it. They never had that worry - Ko-oren was just never that much of a threat - but all of a sudden it's become a necessity to know how you're going to stop a wall from frustrating you into a clean sheet.

Make no mistake, the Txakhaxi staff has done their homework. They came prepared, and were willing to sacrifice vulnerability for scoring ability. Bait the Green and Blue into attacking. If the only space the Dragonflies can find is on the opponents' half, well then, that's the half we'll play our football on. And that pulls apart the finely woven fabric that clean sheets are made of (for more textile jokes, please refer to nowhere). Lysander Forward was noticeably better than in the first game, finding these spaces and thriving in them. He did, during some phases of the game, forget about his defensive duties. On one of those moments, with as much distance between the lines as possible, the Txakhaxi launched a counterattack. Something we should all have seen coming: the home team's 5-4-1 is like a window into our own past. Low on the ladder, extremely defensive, having to rely on physically overpowering players and counterattacks. It's a damn shame that we got fooled by it. Every single player on our roster, and especially our staff, should know better. And yet, Imuameni received the ball, with just Aiamara in front of him, with Odgers not in the same zip code, and even Janoreirinthen elsewhere directing the troops. He advanced, waiting for the defender to engage. With Aiamara bearing down, he came to a complete stop, waited for Uraikheta to overlap, and sent the 33-year old on a solo mission towards Theshendan. 1-0.

Longchambon would on to score two to secure the win, both in the second half. While Txakhaxi was still using bulky or fast players to get the better of their opponents, Ko-oren was tactically and technically far beyond the skill of the home team. That was what gave us the win in the end. Longchambon's light touches, Erisia's dropping back for the one-two, and the Revolutionaries midfielder fired the ball past Kobotxau. A few minutes later, there was not a lot of learning from mistakes, as Longchambon set up nearly the exact same attack, this time with Erisia taking the ball into the box, drawing out Kobotxau, and passing the ball back in the exact millisecond after the goalkeeper overcommitted but before Longchambon stepped offside.

And before anyone in Txakhaxi looks at the one goal deficit and thinks "we must be on the right track" - everyone can lose by one goal to the Dragonflies. In fact, we're the ones that are surprised if we lead by more than one goal.

In the rest of the group, we saw Barunia wrestle their first set of three points, at Delaclava. The score: 1-6. Vdara and HUElavia remain flawless at six points from two games, by beating Frestovania and ZSeparatists, respectively. Apart from Ko-oren and these three winners, all teams have now suffered at least a defeat, with only Frestovania and Delaclava at two losses each.

Ko-oren 4–3 ZSeparatists
Nine points are nine points, that's for sure. We're happy with the points. We're happy with Juliasterinthen's experiments to get this show on the road kicking and screaming. Odgers was left on the bench, which must surely feel as a vote of no confidence. In his stead, making his first appearance since World Cup 86, is our old captain Reizo Yokota. Ruthlessly efficient, and bringing a new energy to the position, the defensive midfielder took up his conducting manner from old. Janoreirinthen seemed relieved he didn't have to spend energy on telling his teammates where to stand and where to go - the maestro was in, after all. He had to pull the emergency break a few times, but didn't get cautioned - that's another boon of having this much experience (and in some cases, knowing the refs).

There were two objectives: 1) win, and 2) look better than against Txakhaxi. Thankfully, objective one was met, but objective two not so much. It's been a very, very long time since Ko-oren last conceded three goals in an official match - and in a World Cup qualification game, you'd have to go back much, much further. It's hard enough to beat Van Schelven and the like once. It's monumental if you can beat Theshendan twice. To get that third goal, however, that's herculean. And yet, despite all the lessons learned, it happened. With the experience of Txakhaxi and learning that yes, teams do work a full week on 'how do we beat a 5-4-1', and all of the knowledge that comes from dozens, if not hundreds, of international games against teams from all over the multiverse, it's inexcusable to concede three. It's also quite Ko-orenite to look at your own shortcomings rather than the opponents' strengths, but we can't overlook the visitors' efforts. Opakla was a sniper from distance, challenging Theshendan on every occasion, and rarely getting blocked by Benjamin or Aelisire. Timbuc was efficient from up close, but Olkalia had the killer instinct. Two goals, one from a ball brought back in play by Aiamara after a fantastic Opakla shot. The Dragonflies managed to match the pace after the 0-1, with Janoreirinthen getting a goal early on. At 1-1, it was time for Metzger's header from close range on a cross by Tipton, after which Erisia reduced the margin to zero with a low, driven shot into the near corner. Through Olkalia's second goal, the visitors took their third lead of the day, but now it was Ko-oren to respond for once and for good. Batchelor's first campaign goal was a beauty: he saw how the Red Devils approached their long shots, and tried one himself. He had nearly no resistance in setting up the perfect angle, and beat Zaloka at the far post. Only after all substitutions were over and done with, Okawa made his debut and scored as well, fixing the scoreline on 4-3 in extra time.

Juliasterinthen had little explanation after the fact, saying "We've done our homework. It might not all have worked out exactly as we'd hoped, but we'll be better next time." Pressed for more of an answer, as he's been in the role for nearly a decade now, and should know better than to give standard responses, he added that "Look, we're in a new formation, which takes effort to get used to. Also we can't play the same eleven guys forever, can we," before briskly moving on to the next journalist. Yokota was more forthcoming: "Whoa, what a change from when I filled this role. No defensive mid, a final, now a new midfield, I can tell that Katanmak [Juliasterinthen] has put in some work. As defensive as the style always is, the nuances are pretty different from what I remember - even more so with a crowded midfield. I remember that the main criticism of World Cups 83, 84, and 85 were that we were eventually eliminated because we couldn't keep up with possession and the numbers game in the middle. That forced us to play long balls, which you nearly always lose - and that's how we got our 30% possession games. It's taken Katanmak literally a cycle to turn this team from a bus-parking, cynical, uh, team that can't retain the ball to a team that wants to have the ball. And now he, we, have to keep on going to find the perfect balance for the next World Cup. It's a difficult balance to achieve, and this is what you get sometimes. I'm not the captain anymore, but I think there's probably some changes for next game."

Okawa, who made his debut, only commented on the fact he made his debut ("Just a boy from Alara! Who would have thought?"), while Theshendan was, again, notoriously unavailable to the media.

All of Group 8 ended in home victories! A part of this came through the favourites of Ko-oren and the challengers of HUElavia playing home, as well as the resurgent Barunia (4-0 over Txakhaxi). Delaclava were at the wrong end of another large margin, losing 4-0 at Aut-Ves-Nat this time. Frestovania defeated CRONY 4-1 - the only away goal scored all round, apart from the trio of goals scored by the ZSeparatists. By this point, the goal differences of HUElavia, Barunia, and Aut-Ves-Nat have all eclipsed ours - while we have had somewhat of a soft schedule. This time around, it's not the Dragonflies' inability to convert possession into chances and chances into goals, but rather a shaky defensive record. Questions all around for coach Juliasterinthen, who will have to manage this situation, going from one of the (if not the) strongest defensive performance of all time in World Cup 87 and following it up with, well, this.

POS/NAME                   M   Y R F  P% CS Sav T  B C  G A SOG S
GK Larut Theshendan        270 0 0 1  97 1  14  0  0 2  0 0 0   0
GK Bengt Palmgroen         0   0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   0
GK Wellington Doolan       0   0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   0
LF Edialor Aiamara         260 1 0 5  91 0  0   8  5 12 0 1 1   3
LF Emmé Escoffier          10  0 0 1  93 0  0   1  1 3  0 0 0   0
LB Tij Breukelaar          270 1 0 8  93 0  0   11 2 10 0 0 0   2
LB Calvin Kitchingham      0   0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   0
CB Minne van Schelven      270 1 0 7  94 0  0   17 1 9  1 0 2   4
CB Jubenar Mallerbury      0   0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   0
RB Ethan Benjamin          220 1 0 5  97 0  0   5  1 4  0 0 0   1
RB Just Olink              50  0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   0
RF Aesimila Aelisire       259 1 0 3  89 0  0   7  1 7  0 0 1   4
RF Ézo Gicquel             11  0 0 1  70 0  0   0  0 0  0 0 0   1
DM Sinclair Odgers         199 1 0 11 81 0  0   12 1 9  0 0 0   6
DM Reizo Yokota            71  0 0 7  97 0  0   6  2 5  0 0 0   2
LM Saushilu Janoreirinthen 255 1 0 8  93 0  0   6  1 4  1 2 5   8
CM Jurre Hilberdink        15  0 0 0  91 0  0   1  0 0  0 0 1   2
RM Lysander Forward        146 1 0 1  84 0  0   1  1 1  0 1 1   3
RM Harold Batchelor        124 1 0 0  92 0  0   2  0 1  1 0 9   12
AM Mata Vaugrenard         10  0 0 0  0  0  0   0  0 0  1 0 2   3
AM Maximilien Longchambon  260 1 0 0  77 0  0   2  0 0  2 1 5   11
ST Aenemere Erisia         240 0 0 0  76 0  0   2  0 2  2 0 3   6
SS Murai Okawa             30  1 0 0  81 0  0   0  0 0  1 0 3   3

GK Barre Goossen
LF Winwig Jundy
LB Harmon Mulvahil
RB Rodolfo Parada
LF Emi van Kalvenhaar
RF Hadrian Pazos
CM Kherles Ensaunden
LM Nanko Wormstal
RM Samuel Ulysse
CM Jess Gregory
ST Lew Turner
ST Adée Lavigne

M = Minutes played
Y = Yellow cards
R = Red cards
F = Fouls
P% = Successful pass percentage
CS = Clean sheets
Sav = Saves
T = Tackles
B = Blocks
C = Clearances
G = Goals
A = Assists
SOG = Shots on goal
S = Shots

Lineup for the upcoming games: Theshendan / Aiamara, Breukelaar, Van Schelven, Mallerbury, Aelisire / Odgers, Janoreirinthen, Batchelor, Longchambon / Erisia

[The Grearish Union]

---

Union Government: 2021-2026

---

Dear people of the Grearish Union, this is your newly-elected Prime Minister, Sean Fullerton. It is my foremost duty to thank you, the people of our land for putting the trust in me and my colleagues to be the first Prime-Ministerial Union government in this new Grearish Republic. Times are tumultuous where we live, and we hardly have control over most things, yet we hardly make use of all the opportunities that we could use meaningfully to bring change. What will matter most, at this juncture, will be to give ourselves a fighting chance to grab the opportunity with both hands, and to make the most of it. Rest assured, there will be no stone left unturned by this government to that end.

This government therefore promises to bring you the very best in healthcare, for affordable rates throughout the country, ending the plight of specially those who don't have enough to buy themselves a worthwhile medical insurance for their health crises. It is therefore of utmost importance to this government to provide our people with good purchase for the taxes they pay — and great protection for those who can't due to economic inabilities. Crackdowns on non-payment of taxes will be taken up in a block/district basis to address the narrow tax base and to improve the government revenue from these taxes.

Also worth specially mentioning would be the increased drive with which the Union government will pursue the formation of an increasingly more united Esportiva, pushing for relaxation of trade tariffs and barriers towards the realisation of a common market. It is therefore important for us to continue interacting with you and the region at large about our plans for the same. Following is the list of all government Ministers and their respective Ministries being published to that end.

To briefly illustrate, the Grearish Cabinet shall play a very important role in shaping the rule of law in the country: the cabinet, in its authority, plans the legislative programme at the beginning of each session of Parliament and determines priorities. Legislative measures are introduced either by Cabinet Minister or by some other minister acting on the Cabinet’s approval. No minister can introduce a legislative measure on his own initiative. It is for the Cabinet to decide what Bills shall be promoted in a session of Parliament. Thus the authority of the Cabinet over the Council of ministers (who are elected representatives given a ministerial role in the Union government) is complete and unchallengeable. The cabinet may also, in its authority, advise the President of the Union to promulgate ordinances — the duration of which shall also be determined by the Cabinet. These, along with many other such powers are vested in the Cabinet, who function according to the consent of the Commons (lower house of the Grearish parliament) at all times.

The entire Council of Ministers is listed below with 12 Cabinet Minsters highlighted in blue, and 18 non-Cabinet ministers in plain text.

Ministry name                                                   Minister responsible    Party affiliation            Minister rank
Prime Minister's Office                                         Sean Fullerton          Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions           Sean Fullerton          Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change             Andrew Beaumont         Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting                        Andrew Beaumont         Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Self-Government                                     Blaise Pinto            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Rural Development                                   Blaise Pinto            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Planning                                            Brenda McConnell        Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation             Brenda McConnell        Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Water and Sanitation                                Brian Currie            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship              Colin Fleming           Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Communications                                      Collin Fleming          Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology              Collin Fleming          Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Law and Justice                                     Collin Fleming          Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Corporate Affairs                                   Dr. Jonathan Fenwick    Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Finance                                             Dr. Jonathan Fenwick    Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Minority Affairs                                    Eva Johnsdottir         Progressive Social Party     Council
Ministry of Civil Aviation                                      Gary Stevens            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs                           Gary Stevens            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Home Affairs                                        Gerald Montgomery       Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of External Affairs                                    Glyn Ellsmore           Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Esportivan Integration                              Glyn Ellsmore           Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Culture                                             Jean-Pierre Allard      Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Tourism                                             Jean-Pierre Allard      Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Defence                                             Jill Martin             Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Tribal Affairs                                      Kamari Balewa           Progressive Social Party     Council
Ministry of Labour and Employment                               Louie McPherson         Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports                            Louie McPherson         Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Food Processing Industries                          Malcolm Papworth        Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Shipping                                            Mark Elsworth           Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Commerce and Industry                               Martin Sharrock         Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution      Martin Sharrock         Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Railways                                            Martin Sharrock         Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas                           Mary McMahon            Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Steel                                               Mary McMahon            Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises             Mary McMahon            Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying And Fisheries            Matthew Gadd            Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Power                                               Michael Penniston       Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Education                                           Natalie Daniel          Liberal Democratic Party     Cabinet
Ministry of Earth Sciences                                      Patricia Forrester      Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare                           Patricia Forrester      Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Science and Technology                              Patricia Forrester      Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises                 Pierre Lefrancois       Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways                         Pierre Lefrancois       Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Coal                                                Rebecca Blackwood       Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Mines                                               Rebecca Blackwood       Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs                               Rebecca Blackwood       Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare                       Shirley Childs          Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy                            Simon Kemp              Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment                      Stephen Hinchliffe      Progressive Social Party     Council
Ministry of Textiles                                            Suzanne Ridgeway        Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Disability and Child Development                    Suzanne Ridgeway        Liberal Democratic Party     Council
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers                           Tim Parslow             Progressive Social Party     Council

From the desk of the right hon'ble Prime Minister,


____________________________________
Mr. Sean Fullerton

---

---

---

Tumbran PM visits Grearia

---

Kenneth Everett, the Prime Minister of the nation of Tumbra had arrived in Atheburn to talk about the possibilities of the Esportivan Union here on Tuesday, after the Grearish Ministers were sworn in by constitution the day before. Mr. Everett arrived at the Parliament Grounds before the interaction with the ministers to inspect the honorary guard of honour by the Grearish armed forces. Soldiers from all of the tri-services were present. The units having the honour were namely: 16 Grenadiers (Army), 26 Squadron (Air Force) and GNS Shesonee (Navy).

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Jill Martin was also seen present at the guard ceremony, where she was spotted having light-hearted conversations with the Tumbran leader of state. With tensions rising in the region eith respect to the rate of immigration of life and property in the Esportivan region, it will be very important to keep a keen eye on what the outcomes of this rendezvous will be.

He then proceeded to the Commons House where he was shown around by the newly-elected Grearish Prime Minister in Sean Fulletron. It is believed that they had meaningful conversations about the future of the bilateral relations between the two nations, but the details of the same are yet to surface. Mr. Everett's address to the newly-elected Lower House of the Grearish Union was as follows.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker, the right hon'ble Prime Minister, my Grearish colleagues, dignitaries and friends. The Tumbran population send you their kindest greetings and congratulate you on your election of the first Prime Minister of your Second Republic. The bond that has been forged between the two countries, especially in recent years, has been a solid show of trust and faith posed in each other. It is not unknown to us, that times of economic instability lie ahead of us, and it is also not unknown to us that we shall, as always, emerge victorious from this crisis. We have strong shared ideals in democracy, and our large populations make their voices heard every time that our great nations need guidance, and they have done so, time and time again. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to unite these voices for a shared vision of a united Esportiva, as our robust economies face challenges each day from our helpless submission into competition against each other. I trust that the house will see this Tumbran offer of holding hands as a step towards greater integration, for the common good of the Esportivan people. This land that we are presently standing upon, has seen wars, tragedies, and time lost in an uncertain past — it is home to one of the oldest settled individuals in Esportivan history — so much that it may even be called one of the ancient pillars of South East Esportiva. All of us are now looking at you, our Grearish friends, to act upon this crisis that affects you just as much as it affects us. You can be rest assured that Tumbra will always be at your side in this endeavour, come what may. Thank you for your time, and for having me in this great hall of democracy. This has been an honour!

[The Licentian Isles]

The Licentian Isles 1-1 Islands of Ventro

Licentian Goals – H. Shaw (17 mins)
Islands of Ventro Goals – K. Hate (89 mins)

The Holy Empire 3-2 The Licentian Isles

The Holy Empire Goals – Hastur (12 mins), Gobogeg (37 mins), Tsathoggua (88 mins)
Licentian Goals – T. Weiling (43 mins), A. Mazereeuw (56 mins)

---

I was yet to receive any sort of helpful reply to my message online looking for experts in the supernatural.

I had received plenty of replies. It’s just that, as you might expect from the internet, they were not particularly helpful. There were plenty of unwanted messages about how attractive various people found me: they got about as much credence as you would expect. There was one particularly persistent chap from Electrum who claimed to be a prince that wanted to give me his entire fortune. I did briefly begin to search into their history to find out before realising that should absolutely not be my priority right now. There were also some people claiming to be experts in the weird but clearly were just conspiracy theorists.

This was becoming very bloody frustrating.

In the end, I begun to just ponder how things would be if this was somehow permanent. It didn’t seem impossible right now that the Isles had just been wiped off the map in their entirety. I would never be able to go home. As depressing as that thought was, I just ended up falling deeper and deeper into it the more I pondered whether I would ever get a useful reply from somewhere who knew their stuff on nations that disappeared in their entirety.

What if I never got to see my brother again, the person that I’d left the womb with and only been separated from since I moved to Apox mere months ago? What if I would never see my parents again, and how would they react to knowing they would never see me again? What about friends, and places I loved, and just the Isles as a whole?

I didn’t know if everyone was struggling with it in this way, but I certainly was.

---

One morning, I woke up with an idea in my head.

I was an engineering student. I could build things, and I was fairly talented when it came to maths and physics. Now, granted, the fabric of reality wasn’t something they covered in senior school physics, but I figured that with a bit of research I could understand it to some extent. Could I understand it enough to figure out what exactly had happened to the Isles? I didn’t know, but I would certainly fucking try.

It would mean a significant amount of time sat in a library in Exton, just trying to understand a little bit more about space and time and the multiverse. It had never been my specialist subject in school, but I would have to figure it out sharpish if I wanted to get anywhere fast.

I found myself flicking through a myriad of textbooks, just trying to understand a little bit more about various theories on how the world worked. There were some that seemed interesting at first, but with a little bit of reading it became clear that the author, whoever they may be, was just a tiny bit mad. There were some that were just impossible to read, filled with impenetrable academic language: that always felt like people were just trying too hard. There was, however, one in particular that caught my eye.

It was by a Tequiloan professor named Isabel Jurado. I don’t know that any of it particularly applied to the idea of a nation just disappearing from the multiverse, as I honestly struggled to understand it in places, but it certainly seemed like she was someone who understood the weirdness of the universe a little bit more than me.

Would it be weird to reach out to her without prompting and see if she could help me understand what had happened to my homeland? Honestly, at this point, I was willing to try anything.

---

Cyan-and-Gold Squad to face Silvedania at Barton Software Arena, Colesham:
Starting XI: C. Fraser/M. Reilly, L. Allen, F. Watson, C. Spijker/A. Graham/M. Henderson, T. Johnston, A. McGregor, W. Tuininga/R. Grant
Substitutes: S. Heijnis, R. Findlay, H. Shaw, E. Smith, T. Hughes, L. Hughes, T. Weiling

Cyan-and-Gold Squad to face Indusse in Indusse:
Starting XI: C. Fraser/R. Findlay, L. Allen, F. Watson, C. Spijker/A. Graham/M. Henderson, A. Mazereeuw, A. McGregor, L. Hughes/T. Weiling
Substitutes: S. Heijnis, M. Reilly, T. Ferguson, S. van Duuren, J. Williams, S. McKenzie, A. van Oers

[Kelssek]

SPORTINFO RADIO
“Tom in Lancs Hill, you’re live on Sportinfo Radio as Kelssek lose 3-2 to Tumbra.”

“Really, really disappointing. I cannot understand what Crowe’s plan was. Can you tell me why she chooses this of all matches to play Pierre-Louis Laishram? And leave him out there for 80 minutes when he was obviously not up to it? Is she running some kind of summer camp? This is a fricking World Cup qualifier. What must Mason Blueman have been thinking. Patrice Champetier. Creative, highly skilled players, with bags of experience at this level, sitting on the bench because the coach wants to give someone his first international cap and not pay for a plane ticket?”

“Tom, I hear what you’re saying, that was something that I was doubtful about too. It’s not fair to the player either, to put that kind of pressure on him. I wonder if you think they underestimated Tumbra today.”

“Absolutely one hundred percent. They were taking it way too lightly. Cathal Gallagher, he should be saving that second goal. Conceding on a corner. On a corner! That’s basic stuff.”

“Thanks Tom. Well that is the theme today, isn’t it? And Simon you also had a point about the tactics. What was going on that this team can’t break out of a press? Is it just that kind of complacency?”

“A lot of callers are saying that but I take it with a grain of salt. No player goes out in a World Cup qualifier thinking it’s an easy win, even if they know it’s not a strong opponent that’s all the more reason you have to perform especially if you want to get more caps and make the tournament squad. The coaches are always watching and they know what. But were these players put into a position to succeed? And the team selection has been touched on, the tactical approach has been touched on, you know, changing to play a lone-striker formation... when was the last time Kelssek did that? I wished they’d asked Andrea Crowe what she was thinking. You want to keep things simple and consistent with a national team, it’s not the place for fancy tinkering.”

“We go now to Angie in Novonaya, wow, you’re early for this one. What did you think of Kelssek’s 3-2 loss against Tumbra, Angie?”

“Hello guys, really enjoy the show. I give Andrea Crowe a lot of credit, she’s taken this team to the quarterfinal, but this loss is on her. I don’t think she prepared the team or scouted the opponent properly, and she’s trying to spring some kind of surprise on them and it backfired. They just looked like they weren’t ready.”

“Ok Angie. Let me just make a point here and I just wanna know what you think. People are complaining about the selection, but you look at this lineup, that starting eleven, it should easily beat Tumbra, right? No one – and it’s easy to say it after a loss, but before the match, no one would say you gotta send out all the best players. This is not the World Cup final, right? And you have to rotate the squad because you’ve got a lot of matches to play.”

“That’s the problem. This lineup should have beaten them, that’s the problem. I don’t know was it a bad gameplan? Whose fault is that, the players did what they can do, but I think the coach has to take responsibility. And in the interview after the game, she said well, we didn’t take our chances and we were unlucky. That’s a coach who’s hiding from the blame and I don’t like that.”

“Thanks Angie. Some harsh words for Kelssek manager Andrea Crowe from the fans on this SportsInfo Radio post-match review.”

[Mercedini]

88th World Cup Qualification MD3
Mercedini vs. Fujai
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good evening everyone, welcome back to the Sports City Stadium for another match in Mercedini's World Cup Qualification campaign. We are back in the Sports City Stadium for another Mercedinian home game, this time versus Fujai. In the Golden Eagles' last game, they were able to claim their first win of the campaign with a 2-1 win versus San Ortelio inside the Il Olimpico. A Chollotov opener and a Karlovic winner was enough to get Dini off the markin that one. Now, it's the turn of Fujai who will face Mercedini, with both teams eager to get back in the race for qualification with a win here today. Billic will be hoping for another good performance from his team, with matches versus Valladares and Siovanija & Teusland quickly approaching, which will be the key games to win following their opening day loss to Jeruselem. The crowd is filing in to the stadium as we approach kick-off, so let's see if Dini can make it two wins in a row, or whether they fall even further behind in the race for the auto-qualifying spot.

World Cup Qualification: Where's The Cutting Edge?

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FINAL SCORE

WCQ | MD3

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MERCEDINI 0
FUJAI 0

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Zoloroni, Mercedini
Attendance - 56,901

Fine margins typically swing one way or the other when it comes to football, but neither Mercedini nor Fujai could convert a series of guilt edge chances to find a winner in their match, which ultimately ended in a bore draw. Billic fielded a weakened side, with the manager resting a number of key players in key positions to avoid the issue of fixture fatigue later in the campaign, so it was up to the lesser-experienced plays to get the job done in front of the home crowd. Talisky was on for the Golden Eagles in his first start of the group, but he spurned numerous chances to put Dini ahead in the game. Fujai were the same at the other end, with their counter attacks and brilliant set-up play falling short with the last strike. While both teams earn another point, it seems no one will be going away from Zoloroni happy, given the sheer lack of finishing ability on display for the less-than-capacity crowd in the Sports City Stadium. A 0-0 draw is not something which either team wanted, although it would always suit Fujai more, given the ambition which the Mercedinians have. They will have to regroup for the next match as they hope to avoid a shock to Seguidores de la grasas.

It certainly wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination, with Fujai only having a point to their name, and Mercedini only just claiming their first win against San Ortelio. The top tier of the sports city stadium was sparsely populated with the local populace not too enthralled by the fixture taking place in the nation's capital. Still, about 55,000 were inside the stadium, including about 5,000 visiting fans from Fujai for both of these teams' third match. With the group in such disarray following the opening two games, any result really was possible at this stage. Both of the top two seeds in the group were AWOL, and it was Jeruselem who was leading the group, as the only team to win two games out of two. The sun was beginning to set as the referee blew his whistle to begin the match.

The first half wasn't exactly the spectacle that may of the spectators had paid for, Mercedini and Fujai were seemingly lethargic from their previous matches and their large amount of travelling, but it made for a rather disappointing start to the game for many in attandince. The first shot on target came from the side of Mercedini, where a quick cross in was met by Kraljic in the box, which was saved by the Fujai keeper, diving to his right. That chance seemed to inject some life into the game, with both teams now knowing what it took to have a sight at goal.

Alas, lots of movement but not too many chances at goal, and even when there was a chance, it was squandered either by a great bit of defending or an abysmal bit of finishing. The crowd wanted more, the fans at home wanted more, and the teams went in to rather muted applause in the Sports City Stadium as Dini and Fujai went into the break level and goalless.

That would be the story of the game in the second half as well. It's been a long time since the Sports City Stadium saw a game with so little to offer, Fujai weren't at it, and it seemed that the Golden Eagles were playing to the lowest common denominator. The lack of any real threat to Wandai's goal meant that Dini weren't playing at their usual high-tempo pace, sending some of the audience to sleep with the lack of action. Normally, we talk about the best moment of a half, and that would only be when a corner was drifted in and dropped by Wandai at the far post. Hearts were in mouths at that point, as the ball could go anywhere, but the angle of the ball took it past the post and out for another corner.

It would end up being a game of two ends of the pitch for Mercedini, one which would please Billic, and one which will cause him great concern. The defence of the Mercedini never really had to work hard throughout the match, save for a deflection for a corner or a long ball forward into the box. Wandai was safe from any real sustained pressure throughout the game, which will certainly please the defensive coaching staff in the post-game breakdown. However, the Golden Eagles could not capitalise on that, with Talisky and Gerardo not converting any chances which were offered too them. The game had 0-0 written all over it, and that is how it stayed as the referee blew his whistle to end the game in a now nearly empty Sports City Stadium.

For the Golden Eagles, it may be seen as a point gained given their home form, although many comments were made about what could gave been in only Chillotov or Dostalok were on the pitch. Dini now move to a 1-1-1 record in the group, placing them firmly in midtable. That disappointing result was made slightly better by the fact that all of the major players around them also draw, in a round which only saw Bluecliff League and San Ortelio win in Group 10. Their patchy form in reminiscent of previous editions where they filed to make it, although result may pick up as Billic susses out his strongest XI in time for the big once versus Siovanija & Teusland.

Following that match, Mercedini will now travel to face unranked Seguidores de la grasas, who are the only team yet to pick up a point in this qualification group so far. Mercedini would not like to be the first team to give points over to the unranked side. If there was any game where Mercedini can rest players and still be likely to pick up points it would be this one, but even then you cannot take anything for granted. It's Talamia after that in quick succession, so it's the perfect opportunity to pick up two wins in quick succession to get them back in the race for a spot at the World Cup (depending on other results). So, don't you miss it as we round up the coverage and reaction from those, plus all the goals from around the grounds of Group 10. Andiamo!

[Srednjaci]

BEFORE ICE BEARS TWO DIFFICULT EXAMS

DARIO JAKOVLJEVIĆ :Dear spectators, welcome to the football evening. After the win and taxes in front of our Ice Bears are two tough matches.
Our coach is with us in the studio. We will talk to him about past matches but also future ones. Good evening, Mr. Vezmar.

VEZMAR: Thank you for inviting me.

REPORTER: great first two games and then a game against Oberour Ar Moro and defeat. What happened ?

VEZMAR: First of all we have to be aware that we are playing great in these qualifiers. In the last game we made a mistake in approach. There was a lack of aggressive.

REPORTER: Oberour Ar Moro is an extremely aggressive team. They play aggressive football.

VEZMAR: Yes, that's where we scheduled and we have players for a more aggressive approach.

REPORTER: Tavanao is incredibly fast and skillful with the ball. Matkovic and Li Peng are deadly. Zimmer is great and so is Tomljanović. We really have great and aggressive players who can make an advantage. Let’s look at the situation with our group after MD2.

Malandrin 2–6 Banija
Ibixa 1–1 Bongo Johnson
Astograth 0–1 Srednjaci
Oberour Ar Moro 2–3 Shreekaristan
TJUN-ia 2–1 Euran Oceania Territories

Group 13 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Banija 2 2 0 0 9 3 +6 6
2 Srednjaci 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 6
3 TJUN-ia 2 2 0 0 8 5 +3 6
4 Astograth 2 1 0 1 5 1 +4 3
5 Shreekaristan 2 1 0 1 3 7 −4 3
6 Euran Oceania Territories 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 1
Oberour Ar Moro 2 0 1 1 4 5 −1 1
8 Bongo Johnson 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 1
9 Ibixa 2 0 1 1 2 6 −4 1
10 Malandrin 2 0 0 2 6 12 −6 0

REPORTER: Banija plays great, they declassify everyone who comes to their field.

VEZMAR: Yes, they play very powerful and look powerful on the field.

REPORTER: We beat Astograth. A team that is better placed than us. We were still undefeated then. And then comes the next match ...

Group 13 Matchday 3
Euran Oceania Territories 4–0 Malandrin
Shreekaristan 3–5 TJUN-ia
Srednjaci 2–3 Oberour Ar Moro
Bongo Johnson 1–0 Astograth
Banija 6–2 Ibixa

Group 13 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Banija 3 3 0 0 15 5 +10 9
2 TJUN-ia 3 3 0 0 13 8 +5 9
3 Srednjaci 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 6
4 Euran Oceania Territories 3 1 1 1 7 4 +3 4
5 Oberour Ar Moro 3 1 1 1 7 7 0 4
6 Bongo Johnson 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
7 Astograth 3 1 0 2 5 2 +3 3
8 Shreekaristan 3 1 0 2 6 12 −6 3
9 Ibixa 3 0 1 2 4 12 −8 1
10 Malandrin 3 0 0 3 6 16 −10 0

REPORTER: We have two difficult matches ahead of us against the renowned opponent TJUN-ia and Euran Oceania Territories. What will make you win?

VEZMAR: first of all we will change the style of play, more aggressively forward, offensively. It is a pity that we have excellent players such as Tavano, Matković, Lee Peng, Zimmer and not use them.

REPORTER: Against Astograth, Matković scored that great volley goal. Against Oberour Ar Moro, Zimmer scored a free kick and Li Peng scored after an assist by Matković. We hope it will continue.

VEZMAR: We are playing against TJUN in the first match. It is one of the best teams in the group. They have three out of three and definitely want to go at that pace.

REPORTER: We know Jags from before. In basketball they were with us in the qualifying group and they were the first big team we beat. However in football we met and it was not good. We lost 4: 1.

VEZMAR: Yes, things have changed a lot since then. We are not the same team. We are in tune, we are getting better and more dangerous. We have matured tactically but we also have new strong young forces.

REPORTER: who are their players to watch out for?

VEZMAR: I studied their game and style well, but they have Vladimir Podolov and Peliniho who could cause us problems. We must not forget Joe Green and Kepo Ulaway. They play with three strikers. It may be good but it can hit them in the head.

REPORTER: How well do you know the Euran Oceania Territories team?

VEZMAR: I follow them very well. This will be our first meeting with each other. They have a great player P-L Le Tonnelier who is also their captain. In qualifying, every game is important and our opponents know that well. Most of these teams are in the top 100 while we are far behind them. However, this is because we are a young federation, we did not compete but we have a very good football school.

REPORTER: thank you for this visit, we hope for positive outcomes against our opponents. We are looking forward to new matches.

VEZMAR: Thank you for the invitation.