RTC Under-18 World Cup 17 [rosters/RPs/results]

[Tumbra]

Ceni 4-0 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - Gillespie (▮ 8'); 2 - Boullogne, 20 - Edmonds (14 - Connolly, 66'), 5 - Gorostieta, 3 - McReary (19 - Bailey, 66'); 6 - Hovhannisyan, 15 - Gillard, 23 - Campbell (25 - Sváfnisson, 72'); 7 - Frecklington (1 - Scott, 8'), 9 - Hoffman - inj (17 - Nunnaro, 72'); 26 - Elliot

TMB scorers: Nil

Player of the Match: Sebastian Ellex-Mar (CEN)

Disgraced former Conservative leader Spalko forms new Vanguard Party

MILLSBURGH: In a city that could not have possibly been further removed from Nottingham, Georgia, the disgraced former leader of the Conservative Party, Alan Spalko, launched a his new political party, Vanguard. In his own words, the party would "seek to safeguard traditional Tumbran values from the evils of socialism" and "guide Tumbra towards a future where the founding values of Tumbra — liberty, justice and truth."

The party's launch, which was attended by most of the disgraced former leader's inner circle, signals a return to politics for Spalko, who was deposed from the leadership of the party after April's federal election and subsequently suspended. Spalko, who currently is under investigation for charges of money laundering, said that the launch of this new party "would mark the return of true conservatism to the political sphere of Tumbra." Fewer than 200 people attended the event launching the party. Georgian Senator and member of Spalko's inner circle Kathleen Nielsen, who served as MP for Ravenstoke from 2021 to 2025, confirmed that she would be leaving the Conservative Party to join Vanguard, giving the party one member in the Senate.

Associate Professor Linda Brennan of the University of Grantfeldt, in an interview with the National Broadcasting Network in the afternoon, remarked that the party's ideology was "dangerously far-right" and that beyond serving as a vehicle for Spalko to raise funds for his trial, it would largely be a "way for his voice to be heard beyond his political lifespan."

First plans for Senate by-election reform introduced; recalls to be introduced for both MPs and Senators

STRATON: Balkar Singh, the Minister of State for the Constitution, unveiled the government's plan for constitutional reform on Friday. The plans, which were heavily hinted at during the election campaign, will see the formal introduction of Senate by-elections to fill casual vacancies, removing the power of the state Premiers to appoint Senators from the same political party to fill said vacancy. The prospect of Senators being recalled, as well — long since a vocal policy that accountability experts have called for — will also be put in place, with a hefty twenty percent requirement to remove a Senator from their seat.

The exact text of the changes, which were detailed by Singh, would see Clauses 99 and 100 of the Constitution be amended from:

99. Any Senator, may, in writing, offer their resignation to the President, who shall then, on advice from the head of government of the State that the Senator comes from, appoint a new Senator to complete their term.
a. The new Senator shall come from the same political party, alliance orcoalition of the previous Senator, with the same rules applying for any Senator with no party affiliation.

100. The above clause 99 applies also to any other vacancies that may occur in the Senate by such means as death or otherwise.

to:

99. Any Senator, may, in writing, offer their resignation to the President, who shall then issue the writ for a by-election for the Senator's state.
a. Such by-elections shall occur no earlier than ninety days and no later than one hundred and eighty days from the date the writ is issued.
b. Should the President be unable to issue the writs for any such by-election, the Vice-President shall issue the writs for them.
c. The by-election shall be conducted through preferential voting.
i. Should multiple by-elections be required for multiple vacancies, said by-elections shall be contested separately.

100. The above clause 99 applies also to any other vacancies that may occur in the Senate by such means as death, recalled, or otherwise.
a. A Senator shall be recalled if at least twenty percent of the number of voters at the last election for the Senate in the state sign a
petition calling for the Senator to be recalled.
i. Further details shall be decided by any act of the Federal Parliament.
b. Any Senator who has been recalled shall not be barred from running in the subsequent by-election.

Similar changes are in store for Members of Parliament, with the prospect of recall election being added to the Constitution as well. Unlike recall elections for Senators, however, thirty-three percent of the number of voters will be required for the seat to be declared vacant. The wording will be changed from:

68. Any Member of the House, may, in writing, offer their resignation to the Speaker, who shall then issue the writ for a by-election for the Member’s former
constituency.
a. Such by-elections shall occur no earlier than thirty days and no later than ninety days from the date the writ is issued.
b. Should the Speaker be unable to issue the writs for any such by-election, then the President or Vice-President shall issue the writs for them.

69. The above clause 68 applies also to any other vacancies that may occur in the House by such means as death or otherwise.

to:

68. Any Member of the House, may, in writing, offer their resignation to the Speaker, who shall then issue the writ for a by-election for the Member’s former constituency.
a. Such by-elections shall occur no earlier than thirty days and no later than one hundred and eighty days from the date the writ is issued.
b. Should the Speaker be unable to issue the writs for any such by-election, then the President or Vice-President shall issue the writs for them.

69. The above clause 68 applies also to any other vacancies that may occur in the House by such means as death, recall or otherwise.
a. A Member shall be recalled if at least thirty-three percent of the number of voters at the last election for the constituency sign a
petition calling for the Member to be recalled.
i. Further details shall be decided by any act of the Federal Parliament.
b. Any Member who has been recalled shall not be barred from running in the subsequent by-election.

The Senate voting system will also be changed from closed-list proportional representation to open-list proportional representation, giving independents a higher chance of being elected to the upper house, which has long been a criticism of its electoral system. These plans, however, will be introduced in a separate Act, since amending the method of proportional representation used for the Senate does not require a constitutional amendment.

Under the new system, there would be two ways for people to vote. The new Senate ballot paper, if introduced, would see voters be able to vote "above the line" or "below the line," with "above the line" votes being for the party running candidates in the order the party provided. "Below the line" votes, meanwhile, would see voters be able to vote for a specific candidate. "Below the line" votes would also count for the party that the vote was cast for; though if a single candidate received more than 25% of "below the line" votes cast they would be elected before candidates with less "below the line" votes. All independents would be placed "below the line", with a single candidate being elected should they reach the threshold of votes required for a single Senator to be elected.

The released plans have gained support from the vast majority of Senators and Members of Parliament, with the interim leader of the Labour Party, Bertram Andrews, saying that the Party saw "nothing fundamentally objectionable" in the constitutional reform and that he would be "happy to support it." Cressida Granger, the leader of the Alliance, called for a wholesale switch to proportional representation, saying that the current electoral system "robs people of the choice to truly vote for a Parliament that is representative of what the people want."

Singh also released that citizens would be able to initiate a petition for the recall of any Member of Parliament or Senator through registering a complaint with their state elections office, which would ascertain the validity of signatures and set deadlines for their collection. Petitions would be able to signed either online or in person, with the Tumbran Identity Card being utilised as a marker of legitimacy. Signatures gathered before the start of the Act, however, would be considered invalid.

Tumbra has utilised proportional representation for the Senate since the founding of the Republic in 1864, while the House introduced its current system of preferential voting in 1906, transitioning away from the first-past-the-post system.

Labour leadership election sees Whittaker and Andrews vie for kingmaker Campbell's support

STRATON: The Labour leadership election, which will see former Home Affairs Minister Hugh Whittaker face off against former Deputy Prime Minister Bertram Andrews, has seen both leadership hopefuls scramble for the support of the former Minister for Commerce Sandra Campbell. Campbell, 35, who entered Parliament in 2017 as the youngest MP elected in sixty years, is widely seen as the head of the young, progressive wing of the party that remained after a majority of that side of the party broke off to form the Progressive Party in 2023. She has not publicly declared who she will be supporting in the leadership race yet, and an endorsement for either of the two candidates running would most likely prove to be decisive in where most undecided MPs and Senators place their support.

Neither Whittaker, who lost his seat in April's election before returning to Parliament in August in the safe Labour seat of Franport Lusidel, nor Andrews, who has served as Member for Serrapince Rainford for the past sixteen years, have registered particularly in the public's attention. Polls of the general public have largely drawn a blank on them, with more people professing they are unsure of who the candidates are than having any opinion on them. Polls of Labour's membership have also seen a similar deadlock, though a significant minority said they wanted to see Michael Chambers, a long-time bastion of the left of the party, run for the leadership. Chambers, 72, ruled out his running for the party leadership early on in the race, but the rise in support for him has sparked rumours that someone on the same ideological wing as the left-wing maverick run for the party leadership as an alternative.

[Chromatika]

RTC U-18 WC 17 Semifinals: Qasden 2-8 Chromatika
Goals: Xuen-Zhukov 3', 15', 39', 62', 71', Dillon 44', Tripp 78', Sæsdóttir, N. 89'
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Aniston; Griffin - Sæsdóttir, H. - Sæsdóttir, N. - Tehahanjeragnen; Françine-Miklavivec - Mesic-Mizayaki (C) - Bjarnhéðinsson; Dillon; Xuen-Zhukov - Allison.
Substitutes: Saburo -> Tehahanjeragnen (51'), Félix -> Mesic-Mizayaki (62'), Tripp -> Bjarnhéðinsson (71')
Summary: Despite having to do with Jessika Aniston in goal - Hailee Sourtois missing the start due to the bruised thigh she received against Gortolekua - the Young Anomalies had two gioals within the first fifteen minutes and never looked back. Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov scored his eighth goal in two matches, being the first Chromatik at any level to score five in a single match, and Manager Han Myung refused to apologize for the final scoreline, stating: "It's actually more of a disservice for the opposition to back off. These players will eventually reach a level where Goal Differential matters, and it's of the utmost sporting respect to go out there and play your best for the entirety of the ninety minutes. I'd hope that the Qasden team understand that." Somehow having completely turned their offensive fortunes around - they'd scored six goals in the Group Stage, but had been shut out by West Barack and East Obama before having to go to penalties against Kriegiersien - the Young Anomalies' offense has really come alive with fourteen goals in the last two matches. They will try to keep up the momentum in order to culminate in the first U-18 title as they face Ceni at the Kansanala.

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CFF Makes Landmark Decision Regarding Youth Players
U-23 Chromatik National Team Members Given Free Reign to Decide Their Future

By: Jasmine Lórien, Press Secretary of the Chromatik Football Federation

CHROMIA - Viktor Karras, Jr., the Head of the Chromatik Football Federation and the mastermind behind the administration of the Rainbow League System, announced in a landmark decision today - at the eve of the RTC U-18 WC 17 Final - that all Chromatiks, regardless of age, will be allowed to pursue their careers without any limitations from this point forward, as long as they were noteworthy enough to represent Chromatika at any level. This decision comes as a direct result of the Young Anomalies reaching the aforementioned Final after handing the hosts Gortolekua and Semifinalists Qasden two heavy defeats. What this decision does is repeal the previous position of the Chromatik Football Federation, which was that a Chromatik athlete would have to make a decision once they turned nineteen - to go into the Chromatik Collegiate Football Association and get a degree while playing for four years, or to decide to go pro at the age of eighteen. Although a few notable players had managed to slip the bonds of the CCFA in the middle of their career - Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov comes to mind - youngsters had mostly decided to stay at the CCFA, and had used those four years to get better at the game while also concentrating on their studies.

Now, players will not be limited to committing to one college for those four years. The decision allows for a player, as long as they have represented Chromatika at any level (U-18, U-21, Olympics, or the Senior NT), to switch universities or to decide to go pro at any moment of their career. It explicitly states that every university of the CCFA is to decide if taking on a player is worth the risk before they sign that player on, and that it is between the university and the player to determine how the scholarship will transition if the player decides to go pro. The player may then have to pay tuition to continue to attend the university for the goal of obtaining the degree, or even have to reimburse the university for the tuition that the school was foregoing as a part of the scholarship; each of those deals would have to be handled by the university with that athlete, and not be under the purview of the CFF.

It remains to be seen just how much impact this will have on the CCFA, which has long held some of the best young Chromatik footballers and marketed off of the fact that they were forced to play each other for so many years before being released into the world. There are pundits that say that it isn't fair that the decision is limited to only the high-end Chromatik youth that have ended up representing Chromatika at any level, but the counterargument to that is that for those that have not yet been recognized by the Chromatik Football Federation, having a concentrated fishbowl environment like the CCFA may be better for their development.

However, for the adventuresome that go through a particularly gratifying season in the CCFA, or a bunch of athletes that manage to hit gold and do very well at a U-18 WC or a DBC, this decision means that they will be free to pursue what's best for them and not have to look over the shoulder at regulations. Of course, it doesn't change the fact that for those under eighteen years of age, there are no restrictions - but then, only the best of those under eighteen get signed abroad, anyway.

Many in the Chromatik footballing landscape praised the decision, stating that it "gives the agency back to the player" and "will prohibit limitation on the growth of a player by the association." There are some that say that this may kill the CCFA, but there are those that say that it may instead redirect the CCFA to its true purpose - that of developing players that needed controlled development. They can focus on playing against players of their own level and perhaps reach a level that they couldn't have otherwise. One thing is for sure, though - it will have an impact on the power of the schools in the CCFA.

Despite the potential effects of the decision, it's been mostly received as a positive one - and as Chromatika will either have a U-18 Champion or a Runner-Up, what will happen to those players in that team will be the first example of what this decision means for the Chromatik footballing future.

[Ceni]

BTSTU Arena, Tietokone
Ceni 4-0 Tumbra
 Ellex-Mar ('10, '58), Avant ('34), Daneraj ('83)

LINEUP vs. CHROMATIKA
Avith-Rose; Qurimanta, Beren, Alon-Maduel, Casa-Alta; Avant, Finnall, Reneval, Koromin; Ellex-Mar, Daneraj

Ceni reaches U-18 final on first attempt, defeating perennial semifinalists Tumbra

The semifinal between Ceni and Tumbra was widely awaited: Would Tumbra, always the bridesmaid but never the bride, gain the chance to fight for U-18 World Cup glory, or would newcomer Ceni pip the U-18 titans for that honour? Fans would certainly not have expected the 4-0 whopping that Ceni dealt Tumbra, and they certainly would not have expected the way that it transpired. It started as a normal game for Tumbra. And then it all came tumbling down.

The key event happened in the eighth minute. For a neophyte viewer, the mistake looked innocuous: Tumbra's nominal third-string goalkeeper Cayden Gillespie — getting into his role as Tumbra's goalkeeper of choice for the elimination rounds — jumped up and handled a bounding ball. It all looked normal, except for one key detail: Gillespie had ever so slightly stepped outside the penalty box. The referee saw red, as Gillespie did soon — for his brief transgression, Gillespie would be ejected from the game. Of course, manager Toby Barton had no choice but to substitute another goalkeeper in the match, lest his team have an undefended goal: a Holy Grail without the dragon defending it, so to speak.

It was the jump heard 'round the world, and replacement goalkeeper Oliver Scott would barely have time to settle into his gloves before the ever crafty Sebastian Ellex-Mar pounced. Barton had not chosen to skimp on the defence, so Ellex-Mar should have still faced the full Tumbran defensive force. But Gillespie's ejection had rattled everyone, of course, and the defensive line just melted away as Ellex-Mar made his way from the midfield to that momentous penalty box with nary a hint of resistance. With a well placed shot to the right upper corner, Ellex-Mar had notched the game's first goal in a performance that would win him Player of the Match.

It would certainly not be the game's last goal, either.

Unfortunately for Tumbra, the three remaining goals all went in Ceni's favor. Playing with ten men for eighty-two minutes is an arduous feat, and Tumbra's defensive midfield had to huff and puff harder than the Big, Bad Wolf to keep up with Ceni's unquenchable energy on the offense. On the other side of the equation, Tumbra's offense — not as rapacious as the Chromatik offense had been during the elimination rounds but no slacker either — never really could regain momentum, given they had lost their left winger Lynnette Frecklington after the whole goalkeeper fracas early on.

That meant the team had to play more down the middle than they had been accustomed to, a formation that Arrowsword's more widespread defensive formation could counter with ease.

Things got worse for the Tumbran side when Caleb Hoffman ran into an overeager Vyn Voren, earning the latter a yellow card and the former a trip to the medical center for treatment. The alternative Tumbran left winger Clarissa Nunnaro came on, but Tumbra really did not change offensive strategies with the substitution: Tumbra's previously potent threat on the outside had been flattened, flattened by their own doing in that fateful eighth minute.

By then, Ceni had scored two more goals, taking advantage of the increasingly beleaguered Tumbran side. Lyra Avant notched a goal in a rather chaotic encounter around the penalty box after Jasper Berenguer had taken a corner; with Ceni's numbers advantage, they could outman the Tumbrans at the goal, allowing Avant to find an opening and gently tap the ball into the goal in the thirty-fourth minute.

Tumbra probably could not have done anything about Ceni's next goal, though, as Sebastian Ellex-Mar had taken a direct free kick that went sailing over the Tumbran wall, landing plop in the goal. Margaret had apparently smiled on Ellex-Mar at that very moment.

After Voren and Hoffman's encounter, Ceni added a fourth (and admittedly gratuitous) goal to their tally with the flair that we have been accustomed to seeing from Nova Daneraj throughout this tournament, as brilliant as the stellar event that gave Daneraj her namesake. Aidan Koromin had found an excellent position, and despite the presence of Tumbran defenders, Daneraj put enough spin on the ball with a left-footed shot (she normally shoots right-footed) so that it initially appeared to curve wide of the net.

But the ball somehow floated into the goal, right past the astonished Scott.

By that time, Tumbra had no fight left in them. Ten players could not make up four goals in the fifteen minutes or so they had remaining. And so when the whistle blew, the scoreline reflected Ceni's dominance in the match: four goals in favor, zero against.

Ceni will face Chromatika next, a tough opponent if there ever was one. After a mediocre group stage and after scraping past Kriegiersien on penalties in the Round of 16, Chromatika entered the quarterfinals with a perhaps incongruous swagger: they scored a staggering fourteen goals in the last two rounds, putting six past the hosts Gortolekua and a further eight past surprise semifinalists Qasden. And so the Young Anomalies must be riding on a deserved high after these, dare we say, anomalous performances.

Arrowsword will attempt to respond by improving the defence while not sacrificing the offensive ability that has distinguished Ceni's performance in this tournament to the present moment. That's easier said than done, of course, so Arrowsword will only tweak the winning formula: Luca Finnall, a more box-to-box player, will replace Jasper Berenguer, who has largely served in a playmaker role so far this tournament. Finnall and his partner in the midfield Eoghan Reneval will help to bolster the defence while still providing a link between the offence and the defence.

At least Arrowsword thinks so, anyway. Of course, all of this is on paper, and anything can happen in tomorrow's final: we could have a snoozefest where the two opposite defensive lines, fortified against each other's supposedly voracious attacks, hold firm against any protrusion — or both teams score eight goals and go all the way to penalties, a scenario that would surely delight (and somewhat confound) the assembled spectators. It will probably be somewhere in the middle, but of course, you didn't need us to tell you that.

In the end, then, both teams think they have momentum on their side, but only Margaret will decide which team will hoist the trophy above their heads at the end of the match. When we finish this article, then, we're going to sacrifice as many rubber chickens as we can find here in Seinät Capital City. Those at home should follow our lead — but if you're in Seinät, don't bother.

We'll have bought them all by the time you read this.

[Gortolekua]

No matter what happens, the stars of tomorrow should feel proud of what they've managed during their time in Gortolekua. They'll be all the rage back home. Cutoff!

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Concluding Matches

Third Place Play-Off
Sininen Linnoitus, Aurinkolasit, Mustamaa

Tumbra 4-3 Qasden

The Grand Final
Kansanala, Salmia District, Seinät Capital City

Ceni 2-0 Chromatika

Congratulations to the winners of each match for winning. Commiserations to the defeated nations, but credit for arriving this far in the tournament and showcasing what you've got to the world. A hearty thank you to all for participating!

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

And thanks to Gortolekua for putting on a great tourney. As always, we at the FAC are grateful to the nations that participate, especially first timers. Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the runners-up.

See you all for the 18th edition!