Cup of Harmony 69 - Everything Thread

[Juvencus]

OOC: Sorry for the short RP. I'll make a better one tommorow, which is the continuation of this one.

Southeastern Tumbarta District, Tumbarta 0954 hours

Joao was in a hurry, he was soon going to start working at the workshop desiderio had invited him to, he was running towards it in fact, as it was only a few blocks away. Joao was carrying some of his tools just in case everyone in the workshop had their own individual tools. He'd arrive to the workshop 2 minutes later, clearly tired from running. Desiderio was already satisfied with Joao, his early dedication in fact. Desiderio checked his cellphone just to see that it was 9:56 local time. He then applauded Joao.

"Welcome Joao, you can relax, you're not late. Let me introduce you to your future co-workers." Desiderio then shown the way deeper into the workshop. There were 2 coworkers, a male and a female. The male was short, with blond hair and blond beard, the female, she was also short, but with brown hair. "The short guy over here is Nicola, he comes from Nuovo Juvencus, the pretty girl is Angelina, both of them are your co-workers." he then whispered "Nicola's great with sharpening and shaping the tools, Angelina is usually the cutter, but she can shape tools pretty well. Take their strengths to your advantadge for a faster production." Desiderio returned to his normal voice "Alright everyone, we've got an order to make an axe by 2 days from now. Get to work."

Both of Joao's co-workers ran to him. Angelina was the first one to talk. "Hello there, Joao? Mister Desiderio has introduced me to you as Angelina. He told us that you've created a saw-mace looking tool. Is that true?"
"Hehe, of course it is."
"That's an amazing piece of work, could you bring it to work tommorow, maybe?"
Joao blushed "Sure, if Desiderio allows me to."
Nicola extended his hand to Joao "Nice to meet you, Joao. I'm Nicola, as mister Desiderio has said. He has probably told you about me being Nuovojuven, ugh. He has to cut it sometimes. Welcome to the workshop. Let's get to work."

[Mriin]

I finally got a chance to check in on the CoH yesterday to find the first matchday had already come and went, and that first loss because I was too busy to check the forums kinda knocked the wind out of my sails. Ah well, see y'all next cycle!

Mriin National Team
For competition in the 77th World Cup

Style: +2.5

Note that all players (and most Mriinians) are Satyrs, or anthropomorphized goats. Horns, hooves, and a tail, but hands and bipedal. It might also be of note that Mriin uses a blend of steampunk science and high fantasy magic, rather than being modern or postmodern tech.

POSITION - NUMBER - GENDER - AGE - NAME - TEAM
M - 55 - M - ?? - Don Mizzet     - Vidial Alchemists (note: is a dragon)

STARTING XI
K -  1 - F - 24 - Zilia Hawsorn  - Maal Angels
D - 16 - F - 21 - Mari Lavoi     - Maal Angels
D - 12 - M - 25 - Gerard Tavol   - Bruul Skewers
D -  4 - F - 25 - Uhlon Loft     - Vidial Alchemists
M - 14 - F - 26 - Kalia Swurm    - Troma AC
M -  6 - F - 31 - Janna Kurung   - AFC Hosignr
M -  7 - F - 26 - Malia Polandre - Vidial Alchemists
M -  8 - F - 34 - Yvonne Gallano - Vidial Alchemists
F -  9 - M - 22 - Aldo Vocani    - Vidial Alchemists
F - 10 - F - 23 - Solara Vol     - Maal Daemons
F - 11 - M - 28 - Joren Kreuger  - Vidial Alchemists

REPLACEMENTS
K -  0 - M - 28 - Kostin Bermat  - AFC Hosingr
D -  2 - M - 32 - Harnan Breslaw - Vidial Alchemists
D - 13 - F - 33 - Qual Yon       - Hruk ST
M -  5 - M - 29 - Mohn Rondart   - Vidial Alchemists
M - 15 - F - 30 - Wanny Vespucci - Vidial Outlanders
F - 17 - M - 31 - Korl Naman     - Reyn Warriors

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

[Damukuni]

From the Notes of Wisdom Tracey:

These last few weekends of football have been dead frustrating. Not just for me, but for all of us.

To be honest, we were the favourites. We were the new darlings of the classic World Cup Cinderella story. Electrum were all but qualified anyway. In our last performace, we beat out Semarland in the proper group stage. Yeah, we only finished with 4 points in the group stage, but we came out of nowhere. From mid-40s to 20th in the world. People were the ones begging us for friendlies, and we had the Tour of Anywhere space to accommodate most of them.

Then came this cycle. Those infernal Ethanians. They had to ruin our shot at another World Cup. They came out of nowhere and singlehandedly made us the laughingstock of the entire World Cup qualifiers. Everyone knew we should have had that spot. People were already booking their tickets to San José Guayabal and Royal Kingdom of Québec to watch the Football Legends play.

Now, here we are - in the very same nation whose team humiliated us. It's too bad Kosovakia wound up getting the brunt of our disgustedness at the whole thing. They also got the brunt of an entirely new starting lineup. Well, almost new. Only five of our players in the last World Cup qualifying stage - Maggie, Jo, Jen, Jenna, and Garth - are sitting on the first team for this one. The Kosovakians never really knew what hit them.

Next, we have Qasden. Well, that's nice. Their manager is a cocky fellow: He thinks they're going to wipe down the pitch with us. I'd like to see them try.

The other team we're off against - and we're wearing the Red Menace against them - is a nation we've only ever seen in the World Twenty20. Now you're probably asking me, Wisdom, how on earth do you even know about the World Twenty20? Well, when the cricket is the only other sport you ever see on television besides the football growing up, you kind of want to give it a go, yeah? Well, see if I care about cricket now. The Darmenians are going to have to take a number and head home, because the Football Legends have this under their belt. Sorry, Darmen.

[Prusy Krolewskie]

1-1 draw between the Rzeczpospolita Pruska and Boring Paradise

In the first game of the cup of Harmony 69 played at King Edward IV Stadium in New Sarum, Ethane, the Rzeczpospolita Pruska drew 1-1 against Boring Paradise. Boring Paradise attacked at the 14th minute when Simon Ado passed the ball to Hishaam Ali Jr who dribbles and makes a header pass to Sameer Jaklim Jr. but he heads the ball right into Zofia Kwietniewska's hands. The Reprezentacja Pruski attacked 10 minutes later when Sascha Welzmüller passed the ball to Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz who dribbles and makes a cross to Jean-François Kleineheismann who kicks the ball but Osama Homewood makes the save. Boring Paradise attacked at the 36th minute when Samuel Wong passed to Ryan Miller who shoots. Zofia Kwietniewska stops the ball but it goest out of bounds, it's a corner kick. Ryan Miller kicks the ball in front of the net but Krzysztof Januszkiewicz clears the ball. The score is still at 0-0 at the halftime.

The Rzeczpospolita Pruska attacked at the 55th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed the ball to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbles and tries to pass to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski but Bendeguz Gamberlini intercepts the pass and dribbles and passes to Samuel Wong who dribbles and passes to Hishaam Ali Jr who dribbles and shoots. The ball is in, it's a goal. Boring Paradise is leading 1-0. At the 58th minute, Sascha Welzmüller passed the ball to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbles and makes a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots but he hits the post. Amelia Zalwowska takes the rebound and shoots but she hits the cross bar. Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz takes the rebound and shoots, it's a goal! The game is tied at 1-1. Boring Paradise attacked at the 72nd minute when Simon Ado passed to Ryan Miller who dribbles and passes to Raiyaan Malik Jr who shoots but Zofia Kwietniewska makes the save. The score remains the same until the end and it's a 1-1 draw between the Rzeczpospolita Pruska and Boring Paradise.

The Rzeczpospolita Pruska is now tied with everyone else in group D because everyone had a draw. Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz wasn't sitting on the bench for the game because he was suspended by the team for damaging an important historic item in Ethane. The day before the game, the team visited an historic museum in New Sarum and Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz accidentally dropped the Walker helmet, which broke in little pieces. The Walker helmet is an important artefact in Ethane history and was worn by John Walker in the battle of the Isle of Lowe in year 378. Coach Wlodzimierz Jastrzebowski immediately suspended Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz for the remaining of the Cup of Harmony 69. Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz commented the incident. "well i jus wanted to look closely butt the helmet fell off my hands am relly sorry when it happened i tried 2 pick up the little pieces butt theyre too little i cant put them 2gether i fink the helmet is broke forever lol." Alicja Jedrzejczyk, who witnessed the incident, tried to convince the museum security that Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz didn't drop the helmet and the guilty person ran away but the security didn't believe her. Following the incident, Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz has to spend 48 hours in jail in Ethane and has been suspended by the Reprezentacja Pruski for the remaining of the Cup of Harmony 69.

BOXSCORE
55th minute: Hishaam Ali Jr assisted by Samuel Wong
58th minute: Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz (unassisted)

Yellow Cards
Fabien Wyatt
Przemyslaw Zawistowski and Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz

Red Cards
none
none

[Nova Anglicana]

Despite Struggles, CoH Campaign Off to a Good Start

Hayden Landers, Nova Anglican Football Today

Abristan: 104th in the world, a mediocre qualifying campaign, an easy win? Certainly not. Whatever illusions the Lions might have had before playing them, they were shattered upon arrival. This was a dogfight, a battle that only ended when the last Abristan attack failed. It was a thrilling game, if not the relatively easy one that we would have liked to have seen. The Lions finally prevailed, 3-2, a win they absolutely had to have.

It started off well enough, with the Lions winning most of the possession and connecting on their passes, generating chances and generally looking like the better team. But it took until the 33rd minute for them to break through. LeMoyen Turka's shot was easily stopped by keeper Jerome Vincent. Vincent rolled the ball out to Matt Wells the fullback, who surged up the flank, not far behind Brendan McBride, who he found with a quick pass. McBride drew the opposing fullback out on to the flank, then passed it back in to the young attacker, Henry Santos. Santos attacked into the box, drawing two defenders, then laid it off to Mathieu Garçon, who blasted it past Jamal Byala-Dwyer the keeper. This 1-0 lead didn't last for long, as Abristan's center mid, Jaginho, put on a bit of fancy footwork and created an opening for himself in the 40th minute, which he capitalized on. It remained that way until the half.

In the 56th minute, Santos, who had been held down by some of the better sides in the qualifying stages, struck again. This time it was a feint to the left, with seemingly his whole body moving in that direction before cutting back to the right and slashing past the defender, 22 year old Ahmed Rustam. Santos was essentially one-on-one with the keeper Byala-Dwyer and didn't miss, putting the Lions ahead once again. However, in the 59th minute, a careless foul by Nick Gilbert gave Abristan a free kick just outside the box. This time Jaginho found Turka in the box, rising above the crowd with a header that found the net to tie the game at 2-all. You could see Julian Neal scowling on the sidelines as his (for the moment) team failed to put away the lower-ranked side.

Abristan actually had quite a few chances to go ahead, with six shots, three on goal, in the final thirty minutes. Unfortunately, too many of them came to the feet of 17 year old Jefferson. It was amazing that this young of a player made the national team, let alone got the chance to play in a major tournament. But he was replacing the largely ineffective Saabiq El Abassi at striker, and by all accounts is a talented footballer. It just appears that his youth and inexperience got the best of him in this instance; he seemed nervous and thus unable to put away the chances he got. His only shot on goal was hardly difficult for Vincent and his other chances he muffed or sprayed wide. Jaginho came fairly close, but his bid for a second goal was stopped by Vincent in the 74th minute.

But even as it looked like things would end in a draw, the Lions broke through in the 85th minute. Santos forced Rustam to foul him by deking him again, and it was all Rustam could do to prevent another opening for Santos. The free kick was from 20 metres, and Alec Chapin curled it just over the wall and on a perfect angle for Garçon to get a foot on it and knock it by the keeper for the 3-2 lead. Santos even hit the post in the 89th minute, or it might have been a 4-2 final. I think it's safe to say that Henry Santos was a real mover and shaker in this match and that when he's on, the team is much improved.

His continued good play will be key against Taeshan. Are the Purple Knights, 3-1 losers to Kalumba, actually paper tigers? Even if they had a bad game against their first foe, they're still ranked 52nd in the world. That's a formidable opponent, and if the Lions learned anything from their first game, it's that no team can be underestimated.

[Brenecia]

Her heart was pumping. Faster than it had done in ages, faster than it probably should be. The fact was that Catherine Bardsley was once again in the technical area at a major international tournament. It might not be the World Cup where Brenecia deserved to be, but it was still... an occasion, an opportunity. Bardsley could assert her doctrine here.
She was taking no chances here. Woodgate was her goalkeeper, a flat four of Szuki, Scrivs, Duguid and Lovelock, Skorupska and Gryphon shielding them, Bowditch, Balliol and Carroll as a mobile, roving three attacking midfielders and Ranks up front. That was her strongest side.
She believed in them, too. Though... despite everything, she still wished she had Huele's services again.
This would do, though. This would do.

Kitsunia would've represented a mirror match a couple months ago, an attack-minded though not reckless 4-3-3. They played relatively narrow up front, though - which was good. That would put less pressure on Bardsley's fullbacks.
And so, Brenecia did what they hadn't done in years. They sat back.
The game played out perfectly to plan defensively. Gryphon nullified Traffikant, and with it almost all of Kitsunia's supply to their forwards. The centre-halves stopped the forwards getting close and Mathis Woodgate was easily equal to any efforts from distance.
And then, in the twenty-ninth minute, with Brenecia's first attempt on target... Skorupska pressed down Bronanturt, managed to beat her to the ball and stabbed it forwards to Balliol, who in turn glanced up and rolled a nice diagonal forward ball, Bowditch beat Coquelin to it, looked up and pulled the trigger, Plebonesqueteu hurled herself across the net...
... and couldn't get there. 1-0.

That was the score going into the break. And coming out, Kitsunia was determined to fight. They kicked off and immediately charged, going balls-out, going for broke... and Zirome's heavy touch was intercepted by Szukala, who hurled it forward to Carroll, who hit it over the top to Rankin, one-on-one with the goalkeeper...
2-0.
Easy stuff. Brenecia sat back deeper. Rostyn Bradden replaced Balliol and slipped into the back four, shunting Duguid into defensive midfield. This was the most cautious Brenecia had lined up since, well, since Bardsley could remember. Since the old days, in any case.
Sioux-d'Erlands got flattened by Scrivener, Bradden hoofed it forward, Skorupska jumped and headed it over the top to, yes, Rankin, one-on-one with the goalkeeper...
3-0.
This was starting to fit to a blueprint.
That put Les Guerriers into a rough spot. They needed three goals to get a point - a semi-possible number, the kind of number you were obliged to try and chase. They needed to stretch themselves, to really push forwards, get in Brenecia's face even if it meant leaving themselves open at the back and playing directly...
... into...
... the Patriots'...
... hands...
... and the substitute Fallon laid on a ball over the top and Rankin was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
4-goddamn-0.

Perfect.
The plan had worked perfectly. Structured at the back, ruthless at the front, and utterly, utterly... flawless... everywhere? Ursula Rankin had put herself in the frame for the Golden Boot with a neat hattrick. Everyone looked motivated. Everyone was confident.
But this was Brenecia, and you never knew the next time they'd let you down horribly...
Even so.
Bardsley would put an unchanged lineup out for Veldgouwen. The second real test - though everything, by now, looked like a test. And a strong victory there would let them rest most of their players against Tinhampton...
God, she could get used to this all over again.

[Revolutionary Nordskania]

Gladiators

Chapter Two: Billionaire's Club

The clock was the one thing that was relentlessly fighting against Stefan Rakocic and his league, the Kontinental Football League. He could talk his way out of problems with investors and team owners and he could even talk his way out of complaints brought up by players, and he could talk his way into better positions with TV broadcasters and sponsors and just about anyone else. The clock was the one thing that wouldn’t stop because of smooth words and good negotiating. It ticked away, pushing the calendar forward just a little bit more every day at a pace that couldn’t be stopped by anyone. That clock had been moving forward steadily and the KFL had barely been able to keep up by finding enough owners and coaches for the eight teams of the fledgling league. But now that they’d done that, they had a task that might be even harder; finding players willing to make a risky career move by moving to a league that hadn’t played a single game yet.

With gridiron football being popular in Redvale, there were plenty of ex RCAA players that were willing to make the move, just because they had no other way of playing pro football. There were enough Nordskanians and Endelosis too to keep the balance from becoming too lopsided in favor of Redvale, and there was a good mix of the three ethnicities in the coaching staffs. The problem wasn’t finding enough players, it was finding the good ones that had the ability to headline a team and draw viewers in. That wasn’t necessarily easy, because if all of these players were superstars, they’d already be playing in the G League and not in the KFL. It had been the idea of Stefan Rakocic to hold a long training camp to recruit players and then get them in shape for the season, and that idea had now come to fruition. In addition, it provided owners a chance to look at which players they wanted to sign for their teams.

One of those owners was professional gambler and Roja Leo Sports owner Alex Passos, who had both a racing team and a football club and was now the owner of the Helmberg Proles. Along with his good friend who was also the Troy Knights owner, twenty six year old billionaire Gabriella Olson, he was one of the owners who was taking an active interest in camp, walking around the sidelines and conversing with players and coaches and looking at building the roster by hand. And with camp being held in the glamorous and sprawling Redvali city of Maris, this was practically in the backyard of Passos, who lived near the central part of the massive city. His background as a sports gambler meant that he knew quite a bit about players and team strategy, and he’d been the loudest owner by far during these camps, a few days in.

“This is the quarterback you signed for me?” Alex asked incredulously, as Kallie Boston took a snap in the shotgun and dropped back before barely being able to deliver the ball downfield before being hit by an outside linebacker. Everyone on the Helmberg staff visibly cringed every time she was hit, as if they were afraid she wouldn’t get back up. At five foot two, that was a real concern, especially with the female KFL uniform that was designed to show off the body rather than provide max protection like a traditional football uniform would. Sometimes she couldn’t see over her line and other times her lack of scrambling ability caused her to take big hits, but when she was able to get the ball out, the throws were delivered crisply and sharply. “I didn’t pay all this money for a team so you can give me a QB that’s five foot something that can’t see over her own offensive line. She’s going to get her head taken off on the first blindside hit, for fuck’s sake. When I said you could handle signing the star players for the Proles, I didn’t know you were going to try to sabotage us like this.”

“We gave you someone marketable. The biggest stars are already playing in the G League. We have to take some risks and one of those risks is signing a tiny quarterback that might get injured,” Stefan tried to explain, putting his hands up to calm Alex down. “Have some faith in her, she survived a college season at Red Valley State and threw for three thousand yards. She might be small, but she’s no scrub, and you can easily market her to the fans. Anybody can get injured, her size might make her a little bit more likely to, but it’s not like an athletic quarterback can’t get injured on a blind side hit either.”

“This is bullshit, man! I don’t care how marketable she is! I don’t want a five foot girl that’s basically out there wearing a bikini to be my franchise quarterback! Yes, someone else could get injured too, but it’s much, much more likely that she’s going to get hurt than someone that’s six five or six foot six is going to!” snapped Alex, throwing his arms in the air in frustration and looking back to the field as Kallie threw another incompletion. “Maybe her height worked in college, at Red Valley State, because her offensive line was smaller. It’s hard for her to even get the ball out right now, partly because the tackles are blocking her view. You’ve got big shots playing for the other big market teams and this is what you give me… I thought we were on good terms, Stefan.”

“Just give Kallie a chance, alright? If she sucks, you can cut her, and I’ll try to find a replacement that’s better. But I seriously doubt that she won’t be able to bounce back from a bad start,” said Stefan. “She did military training for awhile, she’s very disciplined and very focused, and she’s a good leader too. She doesn’t look like she does, but she has all the mental aspects that a top quarterback does. Now… I’m sorry but I have to go for a bit, I know Gabriella wants to talk about who her own team is going to sign, and I have to go work that out with her. You know how she gets when she doesn’t get what she wants.”

He’d found that out during the initial negotiations, when the owners figured out which cities they’d be getting. Gabriella Olson’s company invested heavily in Troy, and they were the owners of association football club FC Troy, and so she had demanded that city to be the home of her team and had threatened to pull out when Stefan was going to give her the Red Valley team and give someone else the Troy team. “You’re really making me regret my purchase, Stefan!” Alex shouted after him as he left, and he had to hope that the big shot gambler was just talking in frustration and not serious. If owners started dropping out, they definitely wouldn’t be able to beat the clock to get ready for opening day. It had taken long enough for them to find an initial set of owners that were crazy enough to put their cash into this. There was no way they would be able to find any others who’d go for the same thing, this late into the project.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” Stefan shouted back, and then he walked further down the sidelines and went to the second of the six practice fields at the training facility, towards the one where the Troy Knights staff and ownership was gathered. Gabriella Olson was there, and her younger brother Magnus was there too, and they were looking at some quarterbacks that were trying out for the Knights via seven on seven games. When she saw Stefan, a grin spread across her face and she pointed to the field.

“Stefan, just the guy I want to see. We’ve been trying out quarterbacks and I believe I found the one that will work for us. You just have to make sure that we’ve got the exclusive rights to him, because I’m sure as hell not letting him slip away to someone else,” Gabriella stated, and she pointed to a player that Stefan didn’t recognize. He was throwing the ball with great force and power, but his accuracy was up there too, and his movement in and out of the pocket was the best that Stefan had seen so far in camp.

“Who’s that? I don’t recognize him,” Stefan said, squinting to try to see if he could remember the name of this QB. He was about six foot four, extremely quick on his feet, and his accuracy outside of the pocket seemed to be better than it was inside of it. After he stepped off of the field when a series of plays ended, he took off his helmet and Stefan was able to get a better look at him. He had a medium skin tone that wasn’t quite dark and wasn’t quite light, black hair that was tied into tight braids that hung behind him, and shifty eyes that looked like they were watching every single person at the camp. His face didn’t match up to any of the quarterbacks that Stefan remembered inviting.

“I didn’t recognize him either, but it turns out he’s pretty good. His name’s Lucas Eschaton, he didn’t play football until he was in his senior year of high school, but he managed to become the starter for the championship winning Maris Coastal team. Now, he’s trying to jump to the pros right from there,” explained Gabriella. “He came into camp playing inside linebacker and wide receiver, but he asked to try out as a quarterback and he blew away the rest of the competition. I want to make sure that Troy gets the rights to him, as we’re the team that discovered him. Didn’t you say you were going to make sure every team gets a franchise player?”

“Yeah, I did say that, I didn’t think any of the franchise players would be coming out of high school, though,” replied Stefan, watching Lucas talk on the sideline with some of the coaches. “You’re telling me he only played one year in high school and he became the starting quarterback of Maris Coastal? You mean the same Coastal that’s a factory for five star recruits and the one that won the high school championship last season? Or are you talking about some other school?”

“Look, I don’t know the deal with him, but he showed up and enrolled there and the next week he was on the team. He said he’d never played and they couldn’t find anything that contradicted that,” shrugged Gabriella. “All I know is that we’re going to sign him up and make him the star of this new team. He’s one of the best all around players I’ve seen. He can get the ball downfield with the best of them, but as you’ve seen, he’s also very athletic. The kind of player that fits the shotgun based strategy that we have, which leaves room for scrambling. You’re going to see him get contain zones placed on him every game and that’s going to open our passing game up. I know he’s young, only nineteen in fact, but this is the kind of guy we need to start contending right away.”

“You are the ones that discovered him, so I’ll make it happen,” promised Stefan, looking to the field as Lucas stepped back on and went back into the shotgun formation, standing five steps behind the center. He waited for the snap, took the ball, and dropped two steps before seeing that there was an opening between the left tackle and guard, and dashing through. He ran ten yards before hurdling over a linebacker that went low, to give him a gain of fifteen in the end. This kid was impressive for sure, and Stefan made a mental note to look into his career more and see if he had really only played for one year. “I’m going to head to the Marauders camp now and see how they’re doing. I’m glad you were able to find your guy.”

Stefan went even further, to the last practice field, and that was where the black and gold clad Masloka Marauders could be found. They were coached by someone that Stefan was familiar with from working around Redvali college football, Rori Callahan. He’d won titles at the University of Avgaria before jumping ship for rivals Mount Maris and getting fired the same year for losing the locker room, and now he was back in the game for the first time since then. This time, he was back as coach of a pro team, the Marauders, and he was also the one who was set to handle personnel decisions. As a former college coach, the lack of a GM telling him what to do was making his transition much easier. “Rori, how’s it going?” asked Stefan, approaching him on the sideline as the players wrapped up another set of drills. “You find the players that you need for your system yet?”

That was the shtick with Rori, it was all about a system. Not about having big name players, but about having a solid system that could hold up to playing against different styles. As one of the most balanced coaches in the country, Rori believed that the team had to have a system that could stand up to anything. “Yes, very much so. We managed to get Benji Salvador away from North Bay, as you can see, and we’re not going to be a one man team either. You may realize by now that the one that’s taking the majority of our snaps at QB is a foreigner, who has experience playing in one of the best college leagues around. Joseph Cody-Yi is our starter for now, as we’re about to get him signed, and he has experience as the quarterback of a Quebecois school, Saskatchewan.”

“I’m both shocked and not surprised at all that you were able to get Benji away from the G League. Yes, he was playing in a better league, but his team was also terrible, so it’s really not too surprising if you think hard about it,” Stefan stated. “What kind of tactics are we looking at? Are we going to have to secure one or two more big players for Masloka or have you got that under control yourself?”

“We’re looking at a spread run game where we’ll stretch the other team out with the pass and the threat of the pass and let Benji run it down their throats afterwards, with plenty of cutback lanes open for him because of the spread,” Rori said, watching his players head back out for the next set of drills. “We still have room for additions on defense… And we could use a big name left tackle, but we’ll do without one for now. Cornerback and linebacker are more important for us right now. Still, we can use some more players at this point, it’s just not an immediate need.”

“Great, I’ll remember that. As one of the bigger markets, it’s in the league’s interest to make sure that the Marauders are contenders. After all, you’re one of two Nordskanian teams in the league, and you’ll have a large fanbase right away because of that. There’s no G League or association football to compete for TV views and attendance in Nordskania,” Stefan said. “Just tell me what needs the team has further into camp and I’ll look to see which decent players are still available to fill them. Sounds good?”

“Sounds great. I believe that on our current pace, we’ll be the title favorites when play begins. I don’t think the question is if we’ll be up there with the best teams in terms of competitiveness, but if this league can hold on long enough for us to make it to the title game,” said Rori, and Stefan had to chuckle at that.

“For my sake and the sake of my debts, I sure hope we can make it for a full season… Gods forbid that Passos continues to throw a fit over his quarterback and pulls out. I’ve always said that we can do this as long as we stick to the plan. But now that I’m actually the commissioner? I’m seeing that there’s a lot of luck involved with keeping this whole thing from combusting before it gets off of the ground.”

[Tinhampton]

"Looks like your time's up. If you have anything to do, do it within the next 30 seconds, or no good food for the rest of the campaign!" The team was to comply immediately with Jones' authoritative voice; each man and woman to fall silent, to learn what had happened next. For many, the controversy of Part 1 was still in their minds. "This is the good bit of the story now - I hope you'll like it..."

---

The Other Campaign Trail:
a springtime tale of university politics -- PART 2
OOC: Based of this RP I posted for World Cup 77. Story status: TSU Uberprotest Report, Part 1, Part 2 (YOU ARE HERE).

---

PART 2: The Vote, and Its Aftermath

13th to 17th March 2017 -- Across Tinhampton University
A deathly silence had fallen across the University's public squares. There was to be no more campaigning. There might be unofficial tears, of laughter or of joy; but the onus now was on studying for any upcoming exams. The elections were taboo for students, and illegal to discuss for the media. Five whole days of deathly silence. The results would only come on the Sunday. This election was about uncertainty more than any other in the modern democracy of TinU, but there were still some certain elements.

19th March 2017 -- Student halls, Newlands campus
The University woke up on the Sunday to discover that Birnam Wood had made its way over to Dunsinane; that David had slayed Goliath; and that the World Cup final was to be held between Audioslavia and Starblaydia.* It was to be a shock, a shock to many students, and the start of a counter-revolution. The Freedom Caucus had nabbed a majority of seats in the Committee. The left had lost strongly, mostly a byproduct of TSU and "The Truth About Trincham". More feedback was to come.
I know that y'all like stats, so here are the seat counts: the Socialists (17 seats, -3), the Progressives (5 seats, -6), the Environmentalists (8 seats, +0), the Democrats (19 seats, +3), the Alliance for Security (12 seats, +3), the Conservatives (22 seats, -2), and the Freedom Caucus (25 seats, +4), Independents (12 seats, +1).
*OOC: References to Macbeth, the Bible, and World Cup 63 respectively.

Part 2 for Monday will continue as a broadcast from TUFM's Election Centre. This is both IC and OOC.
19th March 2017 -- 0905 - "Morning Politics"

• FRED WEST: Welcome, my fellow students and staff, to the Morning Politics. It was a hard fought-out campaign, whether at the ballot box, the public squares, or the car park entrances. The students have voted, and with the final votes having been counted, we can tell you that this was a very big victory for somebody...
• ELECTION ANNOUNCER: Preliminary results of the Tinhampton University Committee of Students election, March 2017. Independent candidates gained 12 seats. In seventh place among the caucuses was the Progressive caucus, with 5 seats. In sixth place was the Environmentalist caucus, with 8 seats. In fifth place was the Alliance for Security, with 12 seats. In fourth place was the Socialist caucus, with 17 seats. In third place was the Democratic caucus, with 19 seats. In second place... was the Conservative caucus, with 22 seats. And so, in first place, was the Freedom Caucus with 25 seats.
• FRED WEST: 66 seats for the coalition, 78 plus the Alliance for Security, the annihilation of the Progressives, the odd maverick or two for the Socialists, a populist plurality, and you have a very high probability that the Student Charter will be amended. Although the results are yet to be ratified by the Returning Officer, there is unlikely to be any challenges to the results. What do you think, Alan?
• ALAN BRACKNELL: Well, if you ask me, I think that a couple of self-capitulations may have resulted for the left's abmysal result. Firstly, the Tinhampton Student Unity - the protestors weren't aiming for impossible goals, but they did so in a ton of ways, very few of them found to be A-OK to the average student.
• FW: There are various looming shadows over the election. Will the TSU continue their ways?
• AB: Absolutely. With a government and Premier antithetical to them being elected, they will go out of their way to do what they can. The conservative counter-resistance will be located on more familiar turf, on your social media websites. The TSU are not going to stop until their seven demands are met, and I don't know how long that will take.
• FW: Outside of protests, what will be the main onus of the coalition government?
• AB: Well, if I had to say, it would be challenging the establishment, followed by more student power - not an awful lot, but enough for more liberty. Alison Trincham is supposed to be the main straw-woman here, but she hasn't acted bitterly towards the Freedom Caucus...

19th March 2017 -- 1205 -- "Interviews With The Leaders"

• BARRY HOLDER: Good afternoon. This is Barry Holder, and I am with you today to present a special series of interviews about the leaders of our political caucuses in the wake of the recent vote. What do they think about the election? What should change before they leave office? Will we squeeze out any secrets? All shall be revealed over the next 30 minutes or so. We shall be going in descending seat count order, which means that my first interview subject is incumbent Premier and Freedom Caucus leader, Liam Wright. Good afternoon to you.
• LIAM WRIGHT: And to you, too. This is supposed to be an interview program, so what's going on?
• BH: Quite a lot, actually. For starters, you're now going to lead the students of the University for the next year. What are your plans?
• LW: The main onus is libertarianism. The charter's coming up for renewal in October, November, something like that, so I'd like to push and see if we can delegate more powers from ourselves to the students. I'm suggesting particularly a loosening of club regulations to exempt societies - they may need our money, and they clearly need the freshers' fair, but they don't need an ambitious structure of bureaucracy just to get funded. Campus trials, safe spaces, we should get rid of those, too. I know Josh agrees with me, I think Alison might too - she definitely agrees with me about the campus trials, so we're hoping to repeal that law.
• BH: March 3rd was the University's regular Mental Health of Students day. If I recall correctly, you were the man that agreed to send a donation to Not Just The Mind, a meta-charity concerning mental health, for every completion of the controversial Cross-University Student Questionnaire...
• LW: Yes, that was indeed correct. To clarify: This was happening because we need collaboration with our traditional allies, whilst also supporting causes we believed in honestly. This survey is very popular, I don't know why anybody would oppose it, especially if their data isn't being sold off like they say. Your data is completely secure.
• BH: Speaking of security, what about email monitoring? Will this still happen?
• LW: Funny you should say that. The monitoring is necessary for student wellbeing. We will not attempt to prosecute any student without a good cause. Yes, this means nothing based on any protected characteristic. I think the voters were literally split 50/50 on the issue, but we won out in the end. Goodbye.
  .
• BH: I was going to say that! But regardless, our next interview candidate is former Premier and current Conservative leader, Josh Wilkinson. I'll talk to him about the failure of the Conservatives to win a plurality, what the coalition means, and what to do about Tinhampton Student Unity. Hello.
• JOSH WILKINSON: Hey there. I'm wondering what's up for discussion today.
• BH: A lot, to be honest. You have lost your position as Premier of the University to Liam Wright, who I have just interviewed. What do you think, and how do you plan to resist him - if you will - in the coalition?
• JW: To be fair, I'm on the same course as Liam. We're good friends, we have our differences, but we won't fight each other. He didn't fight me this year, so I'm returning the favour now. As for the election, it was quite disappointing, although we'll work together to pass the bills the University needs the most. Admittedly, the win was well-deserved, and I understand the students' anger at the current governing body.
• BH: I know you think it was well-deserved, but why do you think you failed to win out?
• JW: People saw us as the corrupt establishment, people to be feared and disrespected. As for Alison, many were thinking that she was one of them, but the Democratic rise shows differently. Could be the byproduct of that controversial leaflet.
• BH: A leaflet we'll talk about with her, which is going to be in a short while. Liam Wright has stated that email monitoring is "necessary for student wellbeing", but some people - your Minister of Sports, your Minister for Minority Students, even your External Affairs Minister - have condemned these plans. Will these measures be permanent?
• JW: No. These people you speak of, they're people like Peter Young, Abdullah Ali, Alison Trincham - yes, actually, they *are* those people. Peter has been here long enough to remember when our entire football team was brought in for the trial, they called it Ladgate, whilst Abdullah is Muslim and Alison is one of the more vocal proponents of civil liberties in the university. I'm not surprised at this, but neither are our students. We should hopefully get it strengthened this year, now we have more supporters.
• BH: The email monitoring has been condemned not just by those most at risk of it, but also by members of the controversial Tinhampton Student Unity. To round off, what do you think should be done about them?
• JW: No-platforming is probably an option. Perhaps an extended police presence at Gateway, although that may not be enough. Chuck them out, if we must. In fact, anything but tolerate them.
  .
• BH: Thanks muchly. Our third interview candidate is Alison Trincham, Democratic leader and civil rights activist. She is one of the University's more divisive figures - some believe she's doing a good job, whilst others think that she's doing the wrong thing. We'll be talking to her about security, the TSU, her status in the coalition, and "The Truth About Trincham". Good afternoon.
• ALISON TRINCHAM: Hello. I understand that I'm here for an interview...
• BH: Yes, yes, you are. You're one of the University's more controversial politicians, seen as a breath of fresh air by some and as the queen of the establishment by others. Your party is almost completely opposed to the rest of the Coalition, so why join them?
• AT: There are various reasons, but the main one is to provide a coherent resistance to their policies without being tarnished by the stain of the Student Unity. In addition, they asked us, and rejecting would have meant a much less stable government, or perhaps a left-wing, pro-TSU one. I'm already on good terms with Liam and Josh, OK with Leanne after she defended me, apathetic towards Henry, completely opposed to Sara and Ryan. I'm supporting the people I disagree with the most, so why are people saying that I'm part of the establishment?
• BH: Because you're in the Democratic caucus (which forms the coalition). What do you think about the proposed security measures planned by the rightist parties in the coalition?
• AT: Against. I've voted against acts to provide solidarity with the nationstateless, impose an in-advance levy on sugary drinks, and against anti-terrorism legislation. Why? Because these bills attempted to infringe on personal sovereignty - whether forcing us to impose boycotts on others, pay stealth taxes, or have our dormitories under indefinite watch by the local forces. I will stand against the measures once again.
• BH: As well as that, you are also a major opponent of the Tinhampton Student Unity. Why is that?
• AT: It's simple: If we want change in the University, we need to do it through democratic means, not through violence. Consider: I am old enough to remember late 2015, the Liberated University of Tinhampton. We were told it was a haven for social justice, but they ended up punishing their members for every microaggression and every spending of emotional labour. You could believe me: Once you spent an hour or two inside, you'd never want to look back. Thankfully, they're down now, but it appears that certain people want to revive this harsh tradition.
• BH: And finally, a poster was put up by the Progressive caucus entitled "The Truth About Trincham", a controversial leaflet directly targeting you for your political views. What do you say?
• AT: Well, I think that Leanne covered the main points excellently at the start of the month, but I'd just like to say that it was possibly the most horrifying thing I have ever read. I think only about 20% of it at most was correct. It was basically a bag of slander, lies and outright division. That even the addresses are wrong should give you an idea about the factuality of the piece.
  .
• BH: Thanks a lot for that. Our fourth candidate is Sara Puchos, leader of the Socialist caucus and major proponent of the Student Unity. We'll be talking to her about the TSU, the coalition, and Tinhampton's "Renters' Union". Greeting.
• SARA PUCHOS: Hola! What are we talking about today?
• BH: Important stuff. Stuff like the Tinhampton Student Unity, of which you are one of the more vocal defenders. Can you justify this?
• SP: Yes, actually, I can. With the recent loss, the Unity is one of our last hopes remaining to take back the University from conservative corruption and their allies. Without them, we are left behind, stranded on an island of danger. Need I say any more?
• BH: No. We're probably short on time, anyway. In an earlier speech late last month, you decried the opposition of then-Premier Josh Wilkinson as supportive of "serious harm" against the University's freedom, which was later tagged along with the entire coalition. Do you have any regrets?
• SP: No, not at all. I was honestly shocked when I saw that these people had formed a new government. We shall fight them to the bitter end, on every beach and plain that there is.
• BH: This is going quite quickly. I'd like to round off by asking: As 14% of students at our student dorms have worries that they could be evicted from their halls of residence due to asking for repairs, I'd like to ask you: Is the Tinhampton Student Renters' Union doing a good job, or even a necessary one?
• SP: If I'm correct here, we aren't legally allowed to evict our students for any purpose that is not fit. There may have been a couple, but I wasn't even born when those happened!
  .
• BH: Thanks muchly. Fifth up on our list is Leanne Potts, who leads the Alliance for Security. You will not be surprised to learn that we will talk to her about security, but we will also talk to her about Ladgate and Alison Trincham. Good afternoon.
• LEANNE POTTS: You, too.
• BH: You are aware that this is an interview live on Tinhampton University FM, right? If not, you know now. If so, I'd like to learn a bit more about your main focus on security, and I'm sure the rest of TinU would as well.
• LP: It's quite simple, really. Security is clear-cut - either you get additional members of security in, or you don't; either you monitor emails and phone calls, or you don't; either you support working with local authorities to deal with students who are in Tinhampton illegally, or you don't. We vote for all security measures, whether direct or indirect, vote for the budget and other things that require approval, abstain from repeals or antithetical proposals, and abstain on everything else. This has been policy since we were founded in 2002, and it will be policy when we carry on in 2032.
• BH: You joined Tinhampton University in September 2015, which came four months before the "Ladgate" controversy. It involved threats that the university's entire football team would be suspended on the grounds of "promoting lad culture"; however, the as of yet delayed trial, which is due for the 30th of April at the latest, was to have taken place on-campus rather than off-site. A similar controversy could well be brewing as we speak. What do you think?
• LP: As you say, yes, lad culture is a large problem, but it shouldn't be a legal matter, as almost everybody I have talked with agrees - whether on-site or outside campus. Sure, it can be disencouraged by students, but I feel that any government action to be taken against it will almost certainly be tagged along with other problems. If I had to say, I'd be for it.
• BH: OK. To conclude, despite your political differences, in the wake of the controversial Progressive-published leaflet entitled "The Truth About Trincham", you defended the Democratic leader in a speech on Thursday, the last day of campaigning. How influential did you think that was?
• LP: Quite important, to be honest. People saw it, they shared it, they saw through the Progressive lies, and they changed their minds. Had it not been for my intervention, they would be even stronger today. The moratorium only applied to candidates and media, not to regular voters, so I think that it was a very good thing. If you've already shared it, you have my permission to keep it uploaded, provided that you haven't changed it about or anything like that. Thanks and bye!
  .
• BH: Now that Leanne's stolen my line, I'd like to introduce you to the penultimate candidate, Henry Rach, retiring leader of the Environmentalists. We'll be talking to him about what he wants his successor to do, as well as reflecting on the election and air quality. Good afternoon.
• HENRY RACH: And a good afternoon to you too. You've come to talk to me about...
• BH: Various things, actually, related to the election (if you remember your invite slip). Firstly, despite not having yet run out your first term out of the two you can legally serve, you have already announced your resignation from the position, and left it open for the Environmentalists' 400-odd members. The race appears to be close between Ioannis Athenapolous and Ellen Rhodes. Regardless of which way the vote turns, what advice would you leave for your successor?
• HR: Keep on pushing with our goals. Keep on divesting from fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy. Keep on encouraging people to save energy. Keep on with adding more vegan items on the menu...
• BH: You are aware that, regardless of who gets elected, your caucus is likely to see its first meat-eating leader for over a dozen years?
• HR: I don't care. These people need to follow the party ideology, and that is that.
• BH: Doesn't the caucus constitution state that a hard-line following of the party ideology is not necessary?
• HR: I didn't even know that until recently...
• BH: So, if I'm right, the main reason why the Environmentalists only just held on to their eight seats is because they had a leader who didn't even know their party's rules and their own responsibilities? Didn't you threaten to remove Athenapolous and Rhodes from the party after they voted for the Soda Levy Act?
• HR: These people, they can believe what they want to believe, but I feel that their recent votes have shown their true colours, especially on a three-line whip.
• BH: Even though they agree with you, for the most part, when it comes to parliamentary votes, and that they opposed the Soda Levy due to the "additional burden they create on students?"
• HR: Free university demands that all will pay higher taxes, exempting the poor, the needy and the...
• BH: You do realise that we're talking about the advice you'd leave for Athenapolous and Rhodes?
• HR: If we have to continue like this, then I'll take back my position.
• BH: Which would require you to stand and defeat those two, which remains an unlikely prospect even among your most die-hard supporters...
• HR: Alright! I'm outta here!
  .
• BH: Well, that was quite the controversial interview. I'd like to round off this series by talking to Ryan Baker, now-disgraced novice leader of the Progressive caucus. We'll be talking to him about "The Truth About Trincham", the TSU, and how the Progressives can recover. Hello.
• RYAN BAKER: Hey. What are we talking about?
• BH: Yourself, and your caucus. First question: Your pamphlet "The Truth About Trincham" was spread across her home campus of Metropolis shortly before the election; the proof that was promised last Saturday never arrived. Many are denouncing it as a fraud, but your defenders state that you were not yet ready to release the information. Be frank: Do you regret this pamphlet?
• RB: In actual fact... yes, yes, I do have regrets. Looking back over it, I recognised that I made some fundamental and yet silly assumptions: That Alison thought that the attack definitely happened, that I thought that she was only a centrist through combination of a bunch of extreme ideologies, that I tried to tarnish her reputation, and so on. This should never have had happened, although I guess it's too late now. On behalf of the entire University community, I would like to apologise to Alison Trincham CM for the damaging rumours spread against her. In addition, I shall resign from my position as Leader of the Progressive Caucus, effective April the 10th.
• BH: Whilst that was a job well done, very little is likely to change the fact that the Progressives could take years to recover - an eon in our political terms. How can this happen faster?
• RB: I already have a successor in mind. I won't name him, or her, until next month, but I know that they have excellent plans to help us recover. We're being made out as the left's major resistance to the TSU, and we could support the government on some of their ventures, which will be a big plus. My successor is only going to help with that, whilst helping us maintain our unique identity.
• BH: And finally, we return to the hot topic of the day, the TSU. Although your party has opposed them constantly, they could very well attack your party next, even though they already hold substantial opposition to Trincham. What do you think?
• RB: As I've already said, many consider us the left-wing opposition to the Student Unity. I've already apologised about Alison, but I'll doubt that'll be enough. Security is needed, yes, but only to stop potential attacks in their tracks. I don't think you have anything more to talk about, so I'd like to say ta-ta.
  .
• BH: Unfortunately, that is all we have time for, but we did have good time. Whether it be discussion, debate or heated arguments, we've already been through a lot. Your topical chat discussion show, All Things In Consideration, returns to regularly scheduled broadcasting at noon on Friday, where we will ask ordinary voters what they thought of the election and the hot topic surrounding it. I'm Barry Holder, the 14th host of All Things In Consideration, and I'd like to say goodbye until Friday.

WHAT NEXT?
As it turned out, the TSU quickly faded away, mainly due to the apprehension of their leaders. The Progressives were only to recover late on, whilst the other parties continued as they had been. Yes, there was some controversy, but violence and general Social Justice War (on either side) was barely anywhere to be seen. The Coalition was fighting for its majority, and they still had to deal with fierce opposition, but the warning signs of 2017 should send a message to one and all: Don't use violence when petitions and politics will do.

---

VELDGOUWEN 0-1 TINHAMPTON: HOW TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

Tinhampton pull off their biggest shock win yet against World Cup nearly-men thanks to late own goal
Veldgouwen 0 -- Tinhampton 1 (Maes OG 82')

[Tobiasia]

The Sports Council of Tobiasia would like to announce their roster for the Cup of Harmony 69

Kits (by Meski Sports)

Standard away kit

Goalkeeper kit

Manager: Liz Sheffield
Formation; 3-4-3
Style modifier: +3

Main squad:
GK-Percy Matthews
LCB-Abraham Peters
RCB-Paul Goldsmith
DM-Arthur Slim
LM-Harry Lithgow
RM-Alexander West
SW-Frank Woods
CM-Flint Eastgate
ST-Fraser Philips
LW-Lee Ryans
RW-Matthew Card

Subs:
GK-Brian Smith
ST-Max Harrison
DM-Matt Blake
CM-Fraser Bond
LM-Tyson Gold
RM-Abraham Ford
LCB-Ford Sandman
LW-Harvey Miranda
RW-Douglas Drew
RCB-Peter Hitchcock

[Abristan]

Jefferson and his entourage were sitting in the arrivals terminal of the airport in New Sarum, waiting for HITAir flight 9937 to arrive from Carthage St Ives Airport. He was munching on a cheap sandwich he had picked up in a chain at the airport, while his guards sat stock still, unfazed by the people milling around the terminal, many of whom were fans who had heard Jefferson had arrived at the airport and wanted to know why.

The scumbag journalists were there too, waiting to try and find out more dirt they could pile on him. Maybe he was hiding a girlfriend, or even a wife and kids. The more conservative populace might not be too happy to find out a 17 year old was married with children. Even in the largely atheist society many would view this as unsuitable behaviour for someone in the public limelight like Jefferson.

Jefferson had been shocked to hear his sisters voice on the phone when Matthew had handed it to him. He had got very good at separating his private life in the slums and his footballing life, and talking to his sister brought back everything he thought he had come to Ethane to get away from. To tell the truth he felt guilty about his sister. He shouldn't have left her in Iron Hill. She deserved better than that. It wasn't her fault life had dealt her such a bad hand. He still didn't understand how she had found the money to get a phone, let alone fly out to Ethane from Abristan, a 22 hour flight that typically cost up to 500 denarii. How she could have got that kind of money was beyond him. Unless she had returned to dealing...

His chain of thought was interrupted when he saw the first passengers walking swiftly out from the baggage reclaim area, hurrying eagerly to their awaiting taxi's and buses that would take them to their hotels and to the stadiums in which todays fixtures would be held. Among them however he could not see Macito, with her scruffy black hair, and tattered clothes. Strange, he thought, because she should look so out of place he should recognise her instantly. After all they were brother and sister.

He was still peering into the crowd when a security guard on his left leapt up to stop a woman coming up to him. He didnt pay her much attention, assuming she was a fan until the guard, looking nervous, turned to him and said, rather too loud:

"Eh, this one claims to be your sister Jefferson? You know her?".

At first he didn't recognise her, but eventually he spotted her hazel eyes and distinctive broad nose, features that they both shared. Now he knew why he hadn't recognised her. She had had her hair tidied, and was wearing smart clothes. Not designer labels, but highstreet brands she should never have been able to afford nonetheless. All around them journalists and fans were staring at the girl who apparently was his sister. Damn that security guard for saying it so loud.

"Yeah, thats her. You can let her through".

Macito brushed past the guard and flung her arms round Jefferson. The flashes from the cameras blinded him temporarily but he let her hug him for a good few seconds before whispering in her ear:

"Better get off. You know what these journalist types are like".

She nodded and let go, stepping back a few steps to look at her brother.

"Listen kid sister. I have to play tonight, understand. But we'll get you back to my flat and then tomorrow, we'll talk".

[Boring Paradise]

How did we get here?

It looks like we got into the Cup of Harmony somehow, the committee probably wanted us to really have a tournament this time around and gave us a spot but oh well. We finished 5th in the end, behind Tinhampton and Damukuni with Electrum qualifying alongside Ethane. Even though we manage to get points in the remaining two games, the former manager, Gregorz, was sacked when he returned to his office and now Agostinho De Mequites, who was assistant manager under Gregorz, has taken the managerial spot in the Paradisian team with his first tournament being in the Cup of Harmony, a place where you probably didn't want to start but life isn't fair.

In other news, the new Boring Paradise strips were revealed by an old company that had provided our previous strips eons ago it feels like. Now we have also seen then in action already and there seemed to be a positive vibe coming from it. Even though it has the same colour scheme but a slightly different design. Hopefully this partnership remains for another eon comes by.

Anyways, back to the main point, Cup of Harmony time, we are in... wait for it. Ethane, oh boy oh boy what a coincidence the last time we came here we had drew 2-2 which was an accomplished since we took points against Ethane, the only other team to do so was Electrum in World Cup Qualifying group. We were put in Pot 2 as a rank 67 and we were put into a group with Tumbra, who are ranked 42nd and is also the worst Pot 1 team in this tournament, Rzeczpospolita Pruska, who are ranked 96th and are worst in Pot 3 and the best Pot 4 team, Savojarna, who are ranked 97th. What it fate that our group has basically the two people ranked right next to each, or was the draw rigged and it was all intentional... Maybe the whole tournament was scripted already. But we'll wait and see as we go into out three matches with Pruska then Tumbra and then Savojarna.

[Brigantii]

Ruthless Stags Rampant
Brigantii kickstarted their Cup of Harmony Campaign with 3-0 win over Tomikosan

After the two nations faced off during their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, Brigantii held 2 wins over their opposition, having beaten them both home and away. The Tomikosan team were coming into the game fired up and looking to claim some vengeance for the pair of defeats they had suffered but would find Neal Bagley's team too difficult an obstacle to overcome.

Opening the scoring on his return to the team, Carl Andrews nodded in the first after 17 minutes. Winger, Rowan Newell beat Minase before whipping the ball into the box for Andrews to rise highest and head beyond Nakamura in the Tomikosan goal. Maintaining the pressure, Brigantii came looking for a second, but were thwarted time and again by Nakamura who was staking a claim for man of the match.

That accolade however would be going to Andrews, who nabbed a second moments before half time with a second header, converting from a Stephen McNamara corner and scoring from the penalty spot in the 75th minute. The Brierthorne striker celebrated his first international hat trick with the coach, running over to the manager who had been strong armed into selecting the forward.

Bagley, who had jumped up and down when the third went in was more than over the moon to win only his second game in charge.

---

The Alesund stadium wasn't expecting to be full for the match as 56th in the world took on 86th in the world. To get more bums on seats, locals and nuetrals had taken a few spots, with some receiving complimentary tickets. To ensure the sea of red seats in the otherwise all black seats didn't stand out. The Brigantii faithful had one end of the stadium, while the Tomikosan fans had the other. Filling in the rest of the stadium were local Cosumarite people, including, in the near 60,000 crowd, one Vloo.

Vloo differ from human people in quite obvious ways with their blue-tinged skin and little black horns on their forehead. That one male stood out like a sore thumb and caught assistant manager Charlie's eye. Charlie was less than tactful when he spotted the native of the Western Cosumar islands and even pointed him out, nudging Neal while they were sat on the bench.

“What the fuck is that?” he asked, jamming his right elbow into Neal's ribs.

Neal shrugged. He'd only read about the dragons. “Is he wearing face paint?”

“No, I think he's blue. It's weird. And nobody seems bothered that he's just sat there.”

“Why would they be?”

“Because some blue freak is sat next them.”

Just then there was an urgent tap on Charlie's shoulder. It shook Charlie roughly until he turned round and asked what. Behind him was sat the team's physiotherapist, Dennis. “You're on the big screen.” he said through gritted teeth and tried to motion towards the screen with a flick of his eyes.

“What?” asked Charlie, his face scrunched up.

“You're on THE BIG SCREEN.” he again motioned, noticing that the picture now included himself, trying to get the attention of the assistant.

This wasn't good. After all the negative press generated around the team, the assistant being openly obnoxious about the appearance of somebody in the crowd could only go badly. The scene on the big screen had been caught by the television cameras and for those watching back home was something cringe worthy. How spectators in other countries had reacted wouldn't be apparent until later.

With the camera still on him, Charlie nodded and pretended to ask Neal a question about the midfield, pointing out towards Ramsbottom who was in the centre circle. Perhaps he could deflect this if he just looked busy, or if the team put in a good performance. “Jesus, we better not get beat.” he thought, looking back into the crowd where the Vloo was sat.

[Natanians and Nosts]

In a land far away from here,
A boy son of Natanian home,
Saw a being of which appearance
Is weird,a monster in similarity it had.

By the name vloo is called,
As himself did to say,
His blue skin was weird,
Its horn was so strange.

Suddenly a wish to kill I felt
That monster o'far lands,
But remembered I could not,
It's wrong to kill by nothing.

Weirdly it was not dangerous,
Weirdly it did not kill me,
But if I had killed it.
I do not know what would to me
Happen.

Caeso Ion Antunes

[Amnarei-asud]

Continued from here:

The Rock
Ain Salah

"Come on, come on," muttered The Hood to himself, pouring over the television in the corner of the room.

Next to him, Abdul-Rahman Saab sat nervously wringing his hands and mouthing much the same thing. It was, The Hood had to observe, the biggest show of emotion he'd seen from the famously cool, calm, and collected midfielder since he woke up in the store room of The Rock that morning.

It hadn't been a conversation The Hood had been looking forward to, but it had gone surprisingly well. Whilst initially alarmed at waking up on a mattress in a cold concrete store room, the immediate presence of The Hood emerging from the shadows had had a strangely comforting effect on Saab. This alone was surprising for The Hood, but with hindsight perhaps it shouldn't have been. Saab had always been the most receptive of the squad to The Hood's strange ways and tactical advice, and had in many ways been the first to accept and respect his arrival with the Fennecs. From looking around quickly in a slight panic to a satisfied slump of the shoulders at the first appearance of that familiar robe, Saab's animation hadn't lasted long.

If that had been a surprise though, The Hood would never have in a million years have expected Saab to accept so readily the explanation that he'd cooked up hastily the evening before. Something about foreign agents from rival nations plotting to kidnap Saab in Ethane and hold him to ransom. Entire regions were after him by the end of the explanation, with The Hood's hyperbole getting more and more extravagant. He needn't have worried, it turned out, as Saab had accepted the explanation without hesitation. He had asked The Hood why they were hiding underneath the national football stadium, but The Hood had concocted something on the spot about making a triumphant return to the team just when they needed them most and bypassing the airports so there was no opportunity for kidnap. It was necessary, apparently, to maintain absolute radio silence in order to convince their enemies that Saab was unreachable. Amazingly, it had worked.

Several hours later, they were both sitting together watching the Fennecs playing Tobiasa and Saab had only asked a few other cursory questions and was perfectly happy with the answers to the them whenever he asked them. It was eerie. The Hood was starting to wonder whether he'd given Saab a heavier dose of sedative than he'd meant to. Or maybe Sato was right. Maybe he really had underestimated his effect on the team. He knew he'd meant for this whole cloak and shadows thing to be effective, but this was beyond his wildest dreams.

Now, though, he was sitting next to his star midfielder hoping Sato would be just as effective without either of them. Which was an interesting turnaround from when he'd attached himself to the squad simply as a means to the end of figuring out what it was about the place he felt compelled to interact with. Or, more accurately, what he'd attached himself to the squad in order to do, and then forgotten. Back then, winning games meant he'd be allowed to stick around for longer. Now, it was actually a source of genuine tension for him.

When push came to shove, he didn't really have a horse in this race; when he was done exploiting the temporal and spatial resources that Amnarei-asud had inadvertently and unknowingly offered him, he'd be off. And, whatever it was Amal had planned for them both, the apparent key to unlocking said resources, it certainly felt like it was going to be more important than a mere Cup of Harmony. Even so, Gods be damned, he'd gone and got himself emotionally attached this dusty little island of hot-headed crackpots, and he found himself fully invested in whether they'd make it in international football or not.

Above them, several thousand fans had been let into the stadium to watch the game on the big screens, beamed directly from Ethane. It was a freakishly forward piece of thinking from the Asud authorities, and it was playing havoc with The Hood's intentions to stay clear out of sight and out of mind. He'd gone from confident his hiding place wouldn't be discovered to hoping fervently that nobody would test that oddly locked door too hard.

The concrete around them rocked and shook as thousands of Asud jumped up and then clutched their heads in the hands. The Hood saw Saab do the same. It wasn't going well.


******


Newton-Smith Arena
Letson, Ethane


"Come on, lads, you're better than this!"

Waving his players forwards, Aslan Sato had the strangest feeling feeling that he was being watched. This was most peculiar indeed. From where he was, standing on the sidelines off an international football match, waving his hands angrily and waving his team onwards towards the Tobiasa goal, Sato couldn't offhand think of a single reason why he shouldn't have been being watched. He was the manager of a football team. The team were playing. It was being broadcast internationally. And, frankly, he was well aware that he was making an agitated tit of himself. The idea of being watched was, to put it mildly, the least of his worries right now.

Were he walking down an alley in the dead of night, round the dodgy end of Ain Salah, with not a sound around him, then being watched would be a distinctly uncomfortable sensation and worthy of both remark and alarm. So, why now, with what could have been millions of eyes bearing down on him, did he feel so hot under the collar? The heat here was nothing like that back in the deserts of Amnarei-asud, but Sato was still sweating profusely.

Tobiasa were beatable. So beatable. Not that Amnarei-asud were anything special without Saab, but Tobiasa were there for the taking if only they'd take their chances and calm down a bit. Even mathematics were on their side. The rankings calculations reckoned the Fennecs were worthy of being in the second pot at this tournament, and therefore although only a few places above their opponents in the rankings, they would have been, technically, expected to win. All Tobiasa had done was poke and prod in a few key places and the Fennecs had fallen to one side. Flint Eastgate in the fifteenth minute, and then nothing but a stout defence ever since.

The players were getting frustrated, and whilst Sato didn't blame them as such, he wasn't above giving them a monumental bollocking from the sidelines as yet another lofted ball from the back went out for a throw-in to Tobiasa. He wasn't above making himself look like a fool on international television for the sake of the team. Time was running out, and they just needed to be calm to find the breakthrough.

"Keep it on the deck you morons!"

He checked over his shoulder for what felt like the fiftieth time that evening, almost instinctively checking and waiting for the impact of The Hood. Obviously, there was nothing there. No shadow, no input, no snarky comment, and no air of mystery.

...

To be honest, the absence of that last one was actually quite nice.

But, thinking about it, it was strange. The one time Sato felt like he was being weirdly watched was a time when The Hood wasn't there to do just that. For a split second, Sato entertained the uncomfortable theory that there was more than one of the cloaked annoyances and that perhaps there was a breeding programme of some sort, but thrust that mental image as far from his head as he could as soon as it drifted through.

Further, if possible.

On the pitch, young striker Aoi Fujioka desperately slid in on Arthur Slim in the opposition box and, through a freakish series of deflections, won a corner out of absolutely nothing. Sato punched the air in celebration. Not due to any real excitement at yet another corner - this would be the Fennecs' fourteenth of the game and they were yet to register an effort on target from any of them - but due to the fact that replacing El-Amin with Fujioka had been a risky strategy. It hadn't gone down well with his own bench, let alone El-Amin, and heaven only knew what the fans back home would be calling him right now, but it was a tactical decision that Sato had felt necessary. More speed, less haste. El-Amin was a quality finisher, but he was slow, and Tobiasa were too well set-up to give him any space on the ball.

Fujioka, however, had caused utter chaos since coming on, and with a fourth striker on the pitch in the form of Nasib Fujimoto, there were plenty of heads in the box for Boulos to aim at.

Ninety-minutes on the clock. Time for the Fennecs to save their campaign from derailing before it had even started.

Boulos whipped in the corner. Mercifully, it beat the first man. At the far post, Fujimoto rose clear above Frank Woods and headed it down into the six-yard box. Deflecting wickedly off the heel of a Tobiasa player's heel, the ball bounced once and escaped the panicked flap of goalkeeper Percy Matthews, who was already flying helplessly beyond it by the time Takeo Al-Humaidi poked it home over the line.

One-all! At last! It wasn't going to be three points but it would do! Sato, the bench, the players, and one hundred and fifty Asud fans went wild.

Once again, Sato didn't care about looking like an idiot as he ran down the touchline towards his celebrating players, aware that his arms were probably waving in the air like one of those inflatable tube-men you got at second-hand garages.

Players be damned, opposition be damned, bench be damned. Neutral fans, home fans, opposition fans, all could be damned. International press, millions of people watching at home, The Hood, hell, even the President Sheikh, they could all be damned. Because Sato had now legitimitely made a tactical decision that had saved a match, and he was going to celebrate it. To hell with anyone who chose to mock him for it later.

Even, had Sato seen them, those two guys with the weirdly large and thick fur coats on, watching him intently.


******


The Rock
Ain Salah

"Yes!" shouted The Hood, jumping up excitedly. "They did it, Abdul-Rahman!"

The sound of thousands of fans jumping up and down and shaking the foundations of the stadium reverberated all around them. For such a small and squat room their hideout picked up the sound particularly well, bouncing it around and bringing to mind a space far larger and much more cavernous. Thirty-seven thousand individual voices were now echoing off the walls around them. Thirty-seven thousand and one, if you counted The Hood's.

But only thirty-seven thousand and one.

"Abdul-Rahman?" said The Hood, looking over his shoulder and immediately realising why Saab wasn't shouting too.

With a glazed look that The Hood had seen before, Saab was staring dead ahead. It was another broadcast from Amal. Against the backdrop of the rolling canyon of noise being created in The Rock above them, one voice stood out clearer than any of them as Saab's mouth moved at the demands of his hacker:

"Hood.
The next match. I will come for you.
Be prepared.
The time is approaching.
I did some research in the end-user manuals.
I know what I need to help you do.
I know what will happen.
...I think.
Be prepared for the end.
I will come for you both.
I will send you both home.
Amal."

And then Saab collapsed with the exertion, as before.

Rushing to support him and wondering why there wasn't a better way for Amal to get in touch with him, The Hood laid him down gently and looked over his shoulder as the final whistle went on the television and the game was declared a draw. His skin prickled with nervous anticipation. Finally, the time for answers was approaching.

[Ethane]

MD2 CUTOFF
for Groups A-C

---

Optional RP Challenge: "Your team goes on a sightseeing expedition in its MD3 host fief and something unexpected happens! Something that could affect the team's upcoming match..."
See IC host information for nearby tourist attractions

---

Group A
Juvencus 1–2 Tomikosan
Turori 2–2 Brigantii

Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brigantii                     2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 Turori                        2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Tomikosan                     2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
4 Juvencus                      2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group B
Kitsunia-Deesse 2–0 Tinhampton
Brenecia 1–0 Veldgouwen

Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
2 Kitsunia-Deesse               2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
3 Tinhampton                    2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
4 Veldgouwen                    2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Group C
Natanians and Nosts 1–1 Mriin
Barunia 3–3 Revolutionary Nordskania

Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Barunia                       2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
  Revolutionary Nordskania      2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Mriin                         2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
  Natanians and Nosts           2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

[Qasden]

16:20•Monday•T.V. City, Qasden—

*The group of officials stared at the message on the center from Ethane. An angry letter from the local government of Southern Hampton*

Expected better from him.
We all well know that Chip's a trip, but I think he's taken this whole injury reserve thing out of hand.
Shall we eject him from the team.
He broke the baseball bat that was responsible for sending Ethane to the 38th World Baseball Classic Championship in Newmanistan. Of course he's gonna be sent back to Hero's Knights. That being, if he isn't jailed for an extended period.

*The security agent behind Rees cleared his throat*

Sir, that issue may be cleared up in a moment. I do believe we need to move forward, especially regarding the upcoming Damukuni match.
Ah, yes. Damukuni.
Definitely a threat.
Indeed. Our win over Darmen was a nice one, topped with Darsten's hat trick at the 89th minute. Damukuni won't be as much of a pushover. We have to remember that they defeated Kosovakia on the first day and narrowly qualified for the proper itself if it weren't for Electrum.

*Sols's phone vibrated from his pocket. He pulled it out and opened the alert*

I gotta go. My flight arrived early, which means I either run like a cheetah or swim to Centralis.
Adieu, Sols.

*The manager exits the room, leaving the trio and security alone in the room*

Shall we call Merritt about the issues and concerns regarding the Damukuni match and Tyson?
Indeed. Rosie, may you do the honors?

*Rosie dials up Jon's number on the center telephone. The coach, training the team on a practice field just outside of Southern Hampton, receives the call*

Yellow?
Afternoon, Merritt.
Hey Jon!
Howdy.
Whatcha doing?
Training session. I want the players to be fit so we don't clonk out of first.
Mr. Merritt, before we proceed talks regarding the upcoming match, we do believe there is some unfortunate news.
What is it? Did Rosie finally find a man?!
Hey!
It's about Chip. He's been arrested last night following the destruction of a priceless artifact in Ethanian history.
What?! That's crazy! What was so important that he could've destroyed at such an hour?
Apparently it was the bat responsible for taking Ethane to the WBC38 championships.
Oh shirt he screwed up. Well...at least he was already injured.
Yes, but we need someone to replace him in the meantime. If he gets jailed or imprisoned, there's almost no doubt we will be inviting him back for the next cycle.
We can't always rely on Darsten, Jon. Even if he's an incredible player.
Are their any good U21s?
There's Valentijn Munson, yes. But I do believe she's busy playing for the Neuville Scythers at the moment.
Actually, I think it's the offseason right now. The league finished up ahead of time for the upcoming UICA contest.
In that case, SHIP HER IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!
Indeed. We will alert her asap.
Might want to send a guard, too. Don't want any of the other players harassing her considering she'll be the only female on our squad.
Oh hush. She's strong enough to take them down. Besides, she's bi.
Hmph. Millenials.
Whatever. Just alert her agent that she has been requested in Ethane.
Got it.
Hey, I've gotta go. I think the fuzz are showing up to interrogate us or something. Ciao!

*The call ends*

Didn't even get to mentioning Damukuni.
Merritt already knows I'm breathing down his neck. All we need is a draw and we'll be dandy going into the Kosovakia game.
I suppose you're right. Let's hope he makes us proud.

[Cosumar]

MD2 CUTOFF
for Groups D-G

---

Optional RP Challenge: You are out in town when you witness a fight between two people which quickly gets violent. What do you do? Do you step in to help?

---

Group D
Savojarna 1–1 Rzeczpospolita Pruska
Tumbra 3–2 Boring Paradise

Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                  2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
2 Rzeczpospolita Pruska   2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
3 Savojarna               2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
4 Boring Paradise         2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1

Group E
Kosovakia 1–1 Darmen
Damukuni 2–0 Qasden

Group E               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Damukuni                2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Qasden                  2   1  0  1    4   5  −1    3
3 Darmen                  2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
4 Kosovakia               2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1

Group F
Mattijana 0–1 Tobiasia
West Saintland 3–2 Amnarei-asud

Group F               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 West Saintland          2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Tobiasia                2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Amnarei-asud            2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
4 Mattijana               2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group G
Abristan 2–0 Kalumba
Nova Anglicana 6–3 Taeshan

 Group G               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          2   2  0  0    9   5  +4    6
2 Abristan                2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
3 Kalumba                 2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Taeshan                 2   0  0  2    4   9  −5    0

[Kalumba]

Choose my goalscorers Y, but try to keep them in the chosen 16
Godmod scoring events Y, but not too ridiculous
RP injuries to my players Y, but not to serious
Godmod injuries to my players Y, but please don't cripple them
Hand out yellow cards to my players Y, but not excessively
Hand out red cards to my players Y, but not too often
Godmod other events Y, make it funny. As you may have notice Kalumba has a wee bit of a hooligan problem so feel free to mention that

And the team:

Manager: Terence Ottbourne - Kalumban hero, was hugely influential in the Baptism of Fire 43 victory where his goalkeeping kept us in many a game and went so far as to win us others. His retirement left a hole which has still to be filled. He is still relatively new to the managerial position having worked as a first team coach with a few Kalumban sides and led the national side in the last qualifying campaign. After a decent showing at the qualifying stage he will be hoping for an improved showing at the Cup of Harmony and hoping to perhaps escape the group stages for the first time.

First Team Coach: Magnus Malan- Led the team throughout the last World Cup without much success but he did record a notable victory against highly rated Newmanistan, and suffered only narrow defeats to teams in the top 25 in the world. Very defensive minded and his approach led the team to be nicknamed 'The Tortoises'.

Goalkeepers:
Ulusu Mtanda-No.1 23 year old novice, looking to make his debut this time out. Part of the Kahali Spears team which is taking the Kalumban League by storm, and holds a new clean sheet record after going 14 games unbeaten this season.
Frank Burnden-No.67 42 year old veteran keeper, useful back up option. Will not expect to start but will most probably be on the bench to cover for the young keeper in case of injury.
Peter Franks-No.41 23 year old rookie, first selection for the team. Missed out on going to the Di Bradini cup by 2 months, so will be hoping to play a few games to secure his position as long term successor to Ottbourne and to unseat Mtanda. May play in less crucial group games or when Kalumba are knocked out. Still strugging to fulfill his early potential.

Defenders:
LB-Derek Ward, 29 year old truck driver, stupid but effective No. 12 Recently banned from driving for Drink-Driving, will be hoping to secure a place at a foreign club team to provide him with an income.
LCB-Vincent Mkure, 19 year old, member of the Kahali Spears No. 14 Built like the proverbial ox this young man has a long career ahead of him at the heart of Kalumba's defence. And such is his maturity he is already being spoken of as a future captain.
LCB-Duncan Edward, 28 year old, pretty boy, but solid at the back No. 4 A true rock and Kalumba's second most capped player since his debut in BoF 43 will be hoping to return Kalumba to the heights she once achieve.
RCB-Kaneu Daima, 22 year old, 6 foot 9, deadly in the air No. 6 Last minute inclusion ahead of the injured Von Harniggen, but his displays for Kahali this season warrant an inclusion anyway.
RCB-Norman Baker, 28 year old bank manager, great slide tackler No. 5 Castigated in the news for losing his bank a large amount of money speculating on the stock market, will try to rebuild his reputation.
RB-James Downs, 39 year old ex-rugpy prop forward, solid but no agility whatsoever No. 3 Recently dropped from his Rugby team so is looking to football for his wage.
RB-Frank Ruyten, 23 year old civil servant, very fast but poor crossing ability No. 19 Has worked on his crossing but still struggles to fulfill his promise as an attacking fullback.

Midfielders:
LM-Peter Kurtz, 25 year old full time proffesional footballer No. 21 Still struggling for form but has improved at the World Cup scoring twice and creating another couple for Kalumba.
LM-James Fish, 19 year old protege No. 9 Still a protege, retained for the first team instead of the U21s so Davies clearly intends to play him.
CM-Ollie Roberts, 27 year old model and dancing champion No. 18 First high profile homosexual in Kalumba. Has moved to Southern Cynocephali to play professionally and be open with his sexuality.
CM-Gabriel Danukwe, 20 year old Kahali Spears strong man No. 16 An old fashioned enforcer, Danukwe will have to watch his discipline.
CM -Laurence Kabila, 20 year old Kahali Spears creative midfielder No. 15 Picked up 23 assists this season and is seen as a major part of the future of Kalumban football.
CAM -Ben Cheeter, 23 built like an arab donkey but with the shot of an angry mule No. 27 Didn't impress at either the BoF or the last WC but still integral to the team as he links the midfield to the strikers.
CDM- Godwin Kuli, 19 year old sweeper for Kahali Spears No. 17 Despite the unfashionability of the position this young man has played it with aplomb and will hope to reproduce such form for the national side.
RM-Jameson Slutei, 23 year old and rapid No. 33 Lucky to get in the team, but an injury to Abouto left the position open and Slutei will look to make it his own.
RW-Jermaine Filks, 33 year old great crosser of the ball No. 11 Due to Abouto's excellence has yet to feature but has worked on his left sided play in hope of getting a starting position.

Strikers:
RS- Roland Grezlak, 28 year old, 6 foot strong as an ox No. 8 Came on to score many a crucial goal, will be looking for me involvment this time round.
RS- Anthony Peters, 23 year old, youngster but top scorer last season No. 99 Barely featured but did score our second goal in the BoF final. Will be looking to break into the team on a regular basis.
LS-Piet Von Kruger, 21 year old, second striker for Kahali spears No. 21 An excellent partner for Watusi, if they can recreate their club form they will be a feature for years to come in the Kalumban national team.
CF- Peterson Watusi, 17 year old, 20 goal hero for Kahali Spears No. 10 His goals have won him the place of veteran Kevin Davis, it is hoped the pressure won't overwhelm the young man.
CF- Craig Garden, 28 year old, reliable but not much skill No. 93 Another non-starter and like Malone will struggle to record a further cap to his collection of seven.

Starting line-up:

4-4-2 (Style Modifier: +3)

GK Ulusu Mtanda

LB Derek Ward
LCB Duncan Edward (c)
RCB Kaneu Daima
RB Vincent Mkure

LM Peter Kurtz
CM Ollie Roberts
CM Laurence Kabila
RM Jameson Slutei

CF Peterson Watusi
CF Piet Von Kruger

Substitutes
GK Frank Burnden
LCB Ronan Beardly
RB James Downs
CM Gabriel Danukwe
CM Godwin Kuli
ST Roland Grezlak

Kit:

By Barrengeka, becuase there's the rest, then the best.

Stadium:
Kahali National Stadium.
(15,000 of which 800 for away supporters.)

The Herald

Sport Today

One of each to start the CoH
Report by Bruce Mtwetwe

Well it looks like being the same old story for Kalumba at the Cup of Harmony, after defeating Taeshan quite comfortably in our first match as Roberts and Mkure provided our goals, The Kudus fell to a defeat to high quality Abristan, a team ostensibly ranked lower than us in the world. However their dominating display leaves the team needing victory against high flying Nova Anglicana to progress.

While one is loathe to criticise Terrence Ottbourne and his players who as usual left their all on the pitch, the question must be asked how a team so easily brushed aside in qualifying, in Abristan, could come and dispatch us so easily. Especially after we defeated the second best team in the group. Surely our fitness levels cannot have contributed as we have played the same amount of football as the other teams in the group. Of course our opponents must be congratulated for an immense display in which they comfortably defeated us, but is the mental strength of our team lacking?

Usually The Kudus start the tournament strongly, and often produce upset wins against higher ranked teams, but as soon as the points begin to be dropped against weaker opposition the team just seem to collapse and never recover the form of earlier in the group. Perhaps it is time for a change in if not the managment team but the management style, Kalumba need to enter the twenty first century and begin hiring specialist coaches. We have the team doctors and fitness experts, but we need psychologists.

The players clearly have a mental block when it comes to obtaining success and must be helped to overcome this. Whether that means medical proffesionals, or more traditional healers it has to be tried or the team will forever be damned to offer so much and deliver so little.

Apologies for the lack of roster and RP, real life's been a dick.

[Tinhampton]

The Other Campaign Trail:
a springtime tale of university politics -- PART 3
OOC: Vaguely based off the NUS Model Constitution. Story status: TSU Uberprotest Report, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (YOU ARE HERE).

---

THE STUDENT CHARTER OF TINHAMPTON UNIVERSITY (as amended)
We, the students of Tinhampton University, are gathered here on this fine day - the Fourteenth of January, nineteen eighty-nine - in order to draft a new document for the students of Tinhampton University; one to ensure them access to all resources available, whilst not forcing them into union membership. Thus follows:

SECTION ZERO: External Obligations

1. This Charter recognises Tinhampton University (the University), a university created by charter, as a free and democratic organisation which is also obliged to be fiscally accountable. Freedoms shall be granted whenever possible, providing that they are not in contravention of external laws, or do not bring the University into disrepute.
2. This Charter is further a framework for the operation of the University's Student Body (and such democratically-elected sub-bodies as may appear, or are mandated, from time to time). It indicates what they can and cannot do, how officials may act on behalf of the Students' Body, and outlining how students can resolve grievances.
3. The Charter is to be reviewed every four years by the Committee and the University. Recommendations will then be provided on what is to be changed, which shall be put to a referendum.
4. The Charter is, furthermore, not to be suspended (in whole or in part) under any circumstances.

SECTION ONE: The Students

1. Tinhampton University (the University) (a university formed by charter) is not to recognise a student union in its part or whole, but instead to guarantee all students a democratic opinion concerning school life.
2. This organisation may be called the Students' Body (SB), and is to be comprised of all students currently in study at the University.
3. There shall also be an arm of the SB to pass legal material for the University, entitled the Committee of Students (the Committee).
4. Students may leave the SB at any point by announcing their intention to leave the University at the end of the academic year.

SECTION TWO: The Objectives of the SB

1. To aid and support the education of all students in the University.
2. To represent the interests of all students; in capacities local, regional, national, and international.
3. To guarantee the welfare of all students.
4. To entitle to its students various rights, as well as expectations.
5. To ensure that the above objectives are to be completed without prejudice of any sorts, under any grounds defined under external law.
6. To ensure that the above objectives are further to be completed without interference from bodies outside the University (including political parties and religious organisations.

SECTION THREE: Rights of the Student
All students are entitled to:

1. Speak freely, within both their organisations and in the University as a whole, except as prohibited under external law.
2. Cast ballots during, nominate candidates to stand in, and themselves to stand in, elections within the University (subject to internal laws; no student, except the Returning Officer for said election, may be deprived of the right to vote in any given internal election, save for electing the Women's Officer).
3. An education free from undue external influence, and from direct internal influence.
4. The ability to create clubs and organisations (subject to internal laws, as well as whether or not external laws prohibit such a club or organisation from being viably formed without external legal concerns).
5. Such other freedoms as may be listed in this Student Charter.

SECTION FOUR: Student Representation
ARTICLE ONE: The Committee of Students

1. The Committee of Students is to be a parliamentary and unicameral body, which is to make decisions for the good of all students. These decisions are to be passed in the form of laws, following procedure set out either by the World Assembly or by municipal or federal laws.
2. The Committee shall also hold other bodies to account, as well as pass reports and budgets.
3. The membership of the Committee is to be made up of fifteen students from each Campus of the University, democratically elected as Committee Members in the second week of March. This is to be conducted through a proportional representation scheme for each Campus. This proportional representation scheme is to be decided among Committee Members, with the support of 60% of all Committee Members; and shall be changed not more than once every eight years.
4. The leader of the Committee is to be the Premier, who shall be the leader of the party with the most seats in the overall election. The Speaker is to be elected among the Committee, and shall preside over debates.
5. Approval of the Speaker, the budget, and the annual report shall occur in the Committee's first meeting. There shall then be meetings hereafter for three weeks, until there are six weeks remaining until the elections to determine Committee members for the following year.
6. Meetings of the Committee shall only occur if a quarter of all Committee Members, including the Premier, are in attendance.
7. The Committee shall have its own "House Rules", to be passed originally by a 70% vote, amended by a 75% vote, and repealed by a 85% vote. General votes themselves are subject to a majority of all Committee members in attendance.

ARTICLE TWO: The Officers

1. The Officers are elected to secure the welfare of all students, as well as make certain decisions.
2. There are to be seven main Officers, elected by the students of the University through a secret ballot, held concurrently with the Committee ballot: The President, the Finance Officer, the Education Officer, the Women's Officer, the Welfare Officer, the Organisations Officer, and the Entertainment Officer (the roles of each of which are detailed in Schedule Five "The Officers".
3. There shall additionally be Campus Officers for each Campus.
4. The Officers shall be democratically elected with the Committee, on the second week of March.
5. Meetings of the Officers shall take place every two weeks, with meetings of the Officers being held a week after meetings of the Committee. Further meetings may only be called by request of 60% of Officers.
6. Meetings of the Officers shall only occur if half of all Officers, including the President and one other University-wide Officer, are in attendance.
7. All Officers who fail to attend three consecutive meetings without a satisfactory apology to the President (as determined by other Officers) shall be considered to have resigned.
8. Terms are to be held between the 1st of July and the 30th of June the following year. No Officer may serve for more than two terms.
9. All Officers are to act reasonably and prudently, and in the best interests of the University.

ARTICLE THREE: The Finance Board

1. The Finance Board is to be responsible for the financial affairs of the University. They are to aim to ensure that all money is spent sensibly.
2. The Finance Board is to be comprised of all seven main Officers (except for those Officers aged under 18 years of age, who shall be observers at Board meetings).
3. Meetings of the Finance Board are to be held once in every month, with regular gaps between meetings. Further meetings may only be called by 60% of non-observer members.
4. Meetings of the Finance Board shall only occur if half of all Officers, including the President, are in attendance.
5. All Officers who fail to attend three consecutive meetings without a satisfactory apology to the President (as determined by other Officers) shall be considered to have resigned.

SECTION FIVE: Affiliation To External Organisations

1. Any proposals for affiliation with an external organisations is to be considered by the Committee, with a 60% + 1 majority of members.
2. The University, and the members of its Student Body, are to be informed of all new affiliations, which shall list the name of the organisation and each affiliation fee paid. Details of all such affiliations (including names and affiliation fees paid) are to be included in the Annual Report, which is again to be made available to the University and the members of its Student Body.
3. In the event of an objection to any current affiliation, a petition signed by 3% of all students in the University shall be presented to the President, in which event a referendum shall be held on the affiliation within four weeks, or in the March elections if after February 1 (following Section x "Referendums" of the Charter). A further referendum on said affiliation may not be held in the same academic year.

SECTION SIX: Complaints
Any complaints concerning any Officer, or any Committee Member, is to be dealt with under the procedures listed under Appendix Two "Code of Practice".

SECTION SEVEN: Finance

1. The Finance Board shall recieve appropriate funds from the University, to ensure that the Student Body can effectively pursue its objectives. These funds shall be allocated by the corporation on the last meeting of the financial year (which shall run from the 1st of August to the 31st of July the following year), upon presentation of the SB's estimates for the upcoming academic year.
2. The SB, acting through the Finance Board, shall be empowered to open bank accounts in pursuit of its objectives. It shall have the power to lend, invest and borrow monies, offer its material assets as security, and conduct any other activities required for the prudent conduct of its fiscal affairs as if it were a legal person. In doing as such, the Finance Board shall be subject to no addition regulations; except those listed under Section Four, Article Three "The Finance Board", Schedule Four "Financial Regulations", and such rules as may appear from time to time from the Committee.
3. The Finance Board shall supervise all University finances, ensure that proper books of account are made and audited annually, and ensure that all short-term financial reports (including budgets and audited accounts) are to be passed by the Committee.
4. A copy of the University's budget and audited accounts shall be promptly given to the University for approval, as well as be published for all students.
5. The organisation of the University's finances and systems of control are contained in Schedule Four "Finance Regulations".

SECTION EIGHT: Minutes

1. At each meeting of the Committee of Students, the Officers and the Finance Board, minutes shall be taken, and shall undergo a process of necessary correction before being circulated as confirmed minutes to all students.
2. A copy of the Constitution - including any amendments, the Annual Report, and plans for the University's activities - shall further be made available to all students.
3. Although all meetings may be considered open to all students, there are certain meetings where the entire meeting (or parts of thereof) can be made private.
4. The regulation for the organisation of union meetings is to be contained in Schedule Three "Meeting Regulations".

SECTION NINE: Amendments

1. The Committee of Students shall be the only body authorised to amend this Charter and its Schedules (with the approval of the University's non-student governing body (NSGB)). Any amendments shall require the support of two-thirds of the present Committee Members, and entitled to a vote at a meeting of the Committee where three-quarters of the Committee are in attendance.
2. In addition, the University shall review this charter every four years, as defined in Section Zero "External Obligations".

SECTION TEN: Indemnity

1. All student representatives, and members of the NSGB, are to be indemnified against the University's assets, against all losses and/or liability which they may incur as a result of executing their office.
2. No student representative or staff member shall be liable for any loss, damage or misfortune that may be incurred by the University in the execution of their office, or duties thereof.
3. Nothing in this clause shall affect any liability claims where the party at fault committed a negligent or unlawful act.

SECTION ELEVEN: Referendums

1. A referendum (where all students shall be entitled to vote) shall be held on any issue if there is a two-thirds majority of the Committee, where three-quarters of the committee are in attendance. A referendum shall also be held if a petition is presented to the Premier, containing the name, course and signature of 3% of all students.
2. The returning officer shall be responsible for determining the question wording on the ballot paper. The question will be vetted through an independent body to determine that it does not contain any wording (including arguments for or against either option) that could be construed as containing bias towards or against either option.
3. The referendum shall be supervised by the returning officer, and shall last between the Monday and Friday of the week that is six weeks following the acceptance of the referendum's occurence. This is except for referendums accepted after the 1st of January in any given year, where it shall be bundled with the general election questions. No referendum shall be accepted less than six weeks before the election.
4. The arrangements for postal voting shall be identical to those for regular elections, as defined in Schedule One "Election Procedures".
5. The result of a referendum shall supersede any prior policy that the University (or governing bodies thereof) may have had over the same issue.

SECTION TWELVE: The Code of Conduct

1. The Officers shall draw up a code of conduct, which will be approved and amended from time to time by the Committee.
2. All students shall adhere by this code, especially when on University campuses, or attending University-organised or University-sanctioned events.
3. The code of conduct shall not include any undue punishment.

SECTION THIRTEEN: Interpreting This Charter

1. In the event that the interpretation of any part of this Charter shall be challenged, the ruling of the Officers shall first be sought.
2. If there is a disagreement with the ruling of the Officers, a further ruling of the Committee shall be sought.
3. If a disagreement remains, there shall be a final ruling of the NSGB.

---

SCHEDULE ONE: Election Regulations
ARTICLE ONE: The Returning Officer

1. The Returning Officer (RO) shall be non-partisan, and shall also be appointed by vote of the Committee (with approval of the NSGB).
2. The RO shall be responsible for the good conduct and administration of all elections, and shall have the sole interpretation of these Regulations.
3. The RO may appoint assistants to aid them in their duties.

ARTICLE TWO: Election Dates

1. The RO shall ensure that elections are held on the second week of March each year, and that referendums are held at the appropriate time as defined in Section Eleven "Referendums". Once elected, each member shall take office on the 1st of July that year (for Officers) and when sworn in on the Committee's first meeting in September (for Committee Members).
2. The dates of elections for Officers and Committee Members, the names of the candidates standing for election in the campus where said candidates are sited, a copy of the election timetable, and a copy of these Regulations are to be publicised on the campus noticeboards twenty days before the election.
3. "Before the election" is interchangeable with "the date at which the polls open".
4. Polls shall open on the Monday at 08:00, and be open from 08:00 to 22:00 on every day after then; until Friday, where the polls will close at 22:00. Postal votes shall be accepted at any time between Monday at 08:00 and Friday at 23:59.

ARTICLE THREE: Who Can Be Elected

1. Any student may stand to be elected for any of the Officer positions (as defined in Section Four Article Two "The Officers"), except for Women's Officer, providing that they are not standing for election as a Committee Member. Only women who are eligible to stand may stand for election as the Women's Officer. Only students sited at a given campus may stand for election as the Campus Officer for that campus.
2. Any student may stand to be elected as a Committee Member, providing that they are not standing for election as an Officer.
3. Within 24 hours of the dissolution of the Committee, nomination forms shall be provided (as well as membership lists for each caucus). Attached with the form shall be Section Five "Job Descriptions". Nominations must be submitted at the latest twenty-five days before the election, at 18:00. Caucus leaders and incumbents shall be automatically nominated.
4. Any student may stand for any position that they are eligible for, provided the signature of themselves, one proposer and one seconder is enclosed.

ARTICLE FOUR: Publicity

1. All caucuses are to produce a manifesto and campaign posters (to a specification deemed decent by the RO), which shall be handed in at the latest twenty-five days before the election, at 20:00. All caucuses that do not do so shall be deemed to have dropped out, and all candidates listed for those caucuses shall stand as Independents. Each manifesto is to be wired to each student at no cost, at the latest fifteen days before the election.
2. All signatory candidates are to be given an election campaign pack, with specifications to be determined by the RO in collaboration with the NSGB.

ARTICLE FIVE: Campaigning

1. Campaigning may commence as soon as nominations close.
2. Each campus is to hold two "question-time" sessions, featuring the candidates for each caucus that feature first on their caucus' ballot in that campus (as well as one independent). The RO shall determine the time and date of each session (providing that all sessions are held between eighteen and eight days before the election), and shall also appoint an unbiased chair.
3. Twelve days before the opening of the polls, there shall also be a 90-minute leaders' debate, featuring the leaders of each caucus. Another unbiased chair is to be found for this debate.
4. Candidates cannot use any communication materials not sanctioned by the election campaign pack; they may, however, conduct public speeches.
5. There shall be no campaigning during the election, as well as the weekend preceding it.
6. The RO shall publicise the times and dates of each "question-time" session for each campus, as well as for the leaders' debate, together with a list of candidates standing in the campus in which said candidates are cited in and their party manifestos twenty days before the election.

ARTICLE SIX: Voting Procedures

1. The RO shall ensure that all students are able to vote, no matter their place or time of study.
2. All students, except the RO, shall be able to vote for any given position in an election, and for referendums; except for campus officers (election of which is restricted to students at that campus) and the Women's Officer (which is restricted to students known to be female).
3. All students shall be able to vote upon presentation of a Certificate of Ongoing Study (a plastic card to be issued by the university, containing basic details about the student).
4. A ballot paper shall be issued to all voting students, which shall bear the names of all candidates standing for election that the voting student is able to elect, as well as any referendum questions that may appear. This ballot paper shall be cast in sealed ballot boxes.
5. Elections are to be conducted through the proportional representation scheme as decided upon in Section Four Article One "The Committee of Students".
6. A postal vote is to be granted to all students who cannot exercise their rights in person (with their ballot paper being that of the campus they reside and study in). Any student that would like a postal vote must inform the RO in writing at most one week before the election. They must prove that they will not be in campus during the election, for a good reason.
7. The RO shall publicise the mechanism for postal voting after nominations close.
8. Postal votes shall be accepted throughout the regular election period; they must arrive at the central counting centre at the meeting place of the Committee of Students by 23:59 on the Friday when polls close.

ARTICLE SEVEN: The Vote Count

1. Votes shall be transported to the meeting place of the Committee of Students immediately after polls close (after any queues that may have formed at 22:00 on the Friday have cleared). Candidates shall be free to attend as observers.
2. The RO may be assisted in the vote count by appointed assistants. Voting shall be conducted according to the proportional representation scheme as decided upon in Section Four Article One "The Committee of Students".
3. Once the votes have been compiled, there shall be comprehensive vote data (without the publication of the votes of individual ballot papers) available to all students permanently. In addition, in the event of appeals against the result, physical votes shall be kept for six months.
4. The RO shall ratify the results once all ballots have been counted, and any complaints have been resolved satisfactorily.
5. A list of successful candidates for any given campus will be placed on the noticeboards of that campus within one day of the ratification of the results. In addition, lists of successful candidates for all campuses will be given to the Committee and Officers, the NSGB and the University's library(ies).
6. Results will only be ratified if, after 48 hours have passed, no complaints about the result have been lodged. If a complaint has been lodged, the results shall only be ratified once the complaint has been resolved satisfactorily.

ARTICLE EIGHT: Complaints

1. Any complaints concerning the administration and good conduct of the election will be heard and determined by the RO within 48 hours of a complaint being closed by any student that was known to have cast a ballot in the election season just passed; and shall be recieved before 23:59 on the Friday that the polls close.
2. Any complaints that are filed after 23:59 on the Friday that the polls close may only have relevance with the conduct of the count, and shall also be lodged with and determined by the RO within 48 hours of its lodging.
3. In resolving any complaint, after hearing all relevant evidence, the RO may not uphold the complaint, and may halt elections for specific posts or disqualify specific candidates (and, if they were previously elected, hand their seat to the next candidate on the list for Committee elections, or the second most popular candidate for Officer elections) if they believe that said candidate(s) have breached these Regulations. The ruling of the RO shall be final, and subject only to a successful appeal to the University Clerk, in accordance with the complaints procedure as listed in Appendix Two "Code of Practice".

ARTICLE NINE: By-Elections

1. By-elections shall not be held for vacant Committee seats.
2. If any officer's seat falls vacant, the RO shall arrange a by-election for the affected campus(es). Nominations shall open no more than four days after the confirmation of the vacancy arising. These Regulations shall otherwise apply.

SCHEDULE TWO: Clubs and Societies
ARTICLE ONE: Recognition

1. Although all students may create clubs and societies (hereinafter "clubs"), none shall be funded without a vote of recognition by the Committee in each academic year.
2. To be considered for recognition, all clubs must lay before the Committee an acceptable constitution, a plan of activities, and a list of paid-up prospective members in accordance with this schedule.
3. No club shall be created if it conflicts with the aims of the Student Body; but this shall not limit the creation of politics-, religion- or ethnicity-based clubs
4. All clubs aiming for recognition shall present to the Organisations Officer: a list of 10 member signatures; the proposed membership fee; a constitution that includes the club's name, aims (which shall not conflict with those of the SB); membership eligibility regulations; club committee election regulations to include at least a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer; committee responsibilities; provision for general meetings of all club members; and provision for an Annual General Meeting in which income and expenditure accounts shall be presented and approved.

ARTICLE TWO: Funding

• The Finance Board shall ensure that 2.5% of the University budget shall be reserved for club funding.
• To recieve funding, an eligible club shall submit a budget proposal to the Organisations Officer by the 30th of September.
• After all budget proposals have been recieved, the Finance Board shall meet and allocate the funds; based on the level of club activity, membership counts, and considerations for whether any special equipment or travel requirements are necessary. The Finance Board shall also set aside a contingency fund, which shall comprise 0.8% of the University budget.
• The allocations shall be approved by the Committee at their next meeting.
• All clubs shall recieve a budget number by the Finance Officer. All requests for expenditure should be filed as a cheque, and approved by the Finance Officer.

ARTICLE THREE: Club Meetings

• The Annual General Meeting of each club shall be held before the 20th of October, and will elect the club committee.
• Each club shall have at least one general meeting per term, where all club committee members shall attend, unless a satisfactory apology is received to the chairperson.
• Each club's quorum shall be 50% of the club's total membership, plus one.
• The committee secretary shall arrange club meeting dates, and shall inform all club members one week in advance. Agendas shall also be supplied three days in advance.
• Changes to club constitutions shall only be made at that club's general meeting, and must be ratified by the Officers. If the officers do not ratify the changes, the club may appeal to the Committee.

ARTICLE FOUR: Club Responsibilities

• No club member shall commit their club or the university to any expenditure without prior authorisation from the Finance Board.
• Each recognised club shall promote themselves at the university's "Freshers' Fair" to encourage new membership.
• All club committees shall produce an activities report, and the club treasurer shall file an income/expenditure sheet to the Officers at the end of each term (at the request of the Finance Officer).
• All club finances are to be handled by the Finance Board. No club may hold any finances outside of the Student Body's bank accounts.
• The club chairperson shall be responsible for the smooth running of all social events and activities, and the convening of general meetings.
• The club secretary shall be responsible for publicising general meetings, providing agendas, and taking minutes of the meetings.
• The club treasurer shall ensure that all expenditure is legitimate, and does not exceed the club's financial allocation for that year. They shall also ensure that an accurate list of all purchased equipment is kept, and that all equipment is returned to the University at the end of each academic year.
• The club treasurer shall also ensure that all club income is paid directly into the SB's bank accounts, and that no income is withheld.
• The club treasurer shall also ensure that an income and expenditure account for the previous academic year is presented at the club's Annual General Meeting, and that a copy shall be given to the Finance Officer.
• Failing to abide by this schedule and this Charter may result in suspension of the club at fault by the Committee and/or Officers.

---

"You see? I told you it was a bunch of legalese! Anyway, I suspect that I may have made you dose off to sleep. Head off to your rooms and hold off the temptation for a couple of minutes. I want to see you in bed within ten or fifteen minutes." As Jones concluded, everybody went off to bed on their own cue, yet went with all others. It was confusing, to say the least, but would this pre-match prepararation do them well?
OOC: I cut off here in order to avoid falling foul of the 30,000 character limit.

---

KITSUNIA-DEESSE 2-0 TINHAMPTON: DRAMATIC FINISH LEADS TO EXPECTED RESULT

Despite hard-fought midfield battle for most of the game, all-Kitsune outfit defeat Miners with two late goals
Kitsunia-Deesse 2 (Traffikant 90+1'; Louise Sioux 90+4')-- Tinhampton 0

[Kitsunia-Deesse]

The Kitsunians had a terrible game against Brenecia to start their return to a Cup of Harmony. So of course, facing rather newcomers Tinhampton sounded like the perfect opportunity to get back in track and show the world why they were the first ever Global Cup of Soccer champions. There was only one tiny, very little problem on that.

Tinhampton's choice of football was to stall for time for most of the game.
The first five minutes passed, the Miners decided to pass the ball between themselves.
Young to Jones.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Daniels briefly, soon back to Jones.
The Kitsunians remained in position.
Never really devoting more than one player to mark an opponent.
Of note, Traffikant polished his canines for a bit.
The player, thought by the opponents to be a Kitsune (an actual Basswulf, a humanoid-version of a wolf), seemingly scared anyone to ever come his way for a while after giving a loud howl.

Five became ten.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Jones.
Jones thought of trying to advance, but a brief shrug by Evans made him reconsider.
Noticeably by now, Ian Graham tried to start a conversation with Alvin Darilesque, asking all sorts of things, such as Alvin's favorite color, which star Alvin was born under and what he thought of the latest Mangetsu horror movie Turtwiga 4000.
Alvin sighed, focusing on where the ball was instead.

Ten became twenty.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Jones.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Young.
Young to Jackson.
Jackson to Wright.
For the first time, the Kitsunians managed to steal the ball away.
Les Guerriers advanced through the pitch, trying to score.
Jones booted the ball right from Zirome's feet.
Louise Sioux threw the ball from the left side.
Sioux-D'Erlands tried a far away shot, hitting the left bar of the goal.

Twenty became forty-five.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Jones.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Young.
Young to Jackson.
Jackson to Wright.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Jones.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Young.
Young to Jackson.
Jackson to Wright.
Wright to Jackson.
Jackson to Young.
Young to Jones.
Jones to Wright.
Wright to Young.
The crowd was bored out of their skulls.
The Kitsunians remained, waiting.

Forty-five became Ninety.
Whenever the Kitsunians tried to put any sort of excitement into the match, the Miners would quickly put an end to it.
As the referee gave the match an additional seven minutes for fouls, side throws and, of course, the stalling; Jones finally advanced with the ball...
Traffikant tackled the ball out of him, Bronanturt using the opportunity to run with the ball.
The Tinhampton midfield crumbled itself, failing to hold the Kitsunians.
Bronanturt crossed the ball over the heads of Phillips and Daniels as Traffikant booted the ball hard in the net.
Kitsunia-Déesse 1; Tinhampton 0.
The Kitsunian crowd cheered loudly as Traffikant ran to the sideline, howling loud and high to celebrate the first goal of the match.

The Miners tried to re-start.
They could at least try a draw, they thought.
Louise Sioux stole the ball quickly and ran up the field again.
She rolled the ball under the legs of Jackson, lifting the ball over Wright, continuing on her merry way.
Sioux managed to pass the ball through to her sister-in-law Sioux-D'Erlands, who passed it forward up a bit.
Louise finally managed to shoot, hitting the net without trouble.
Kitsunia-Déese 2; Tinhampton 0.

What a Cup of Harmony.

[Abristan]

Jefferson was in high spirits as he rode back to his hotel in a taxi with a few other teammates. He should have got the team bus back, but to celebrate their 2 - 0 victory over Kalumba a few of the boys had decided to go for a drink in a bar. They had started by planning only to have a pint or so, but one had turned to two, which had invariably led to them all getting more than a little tipsy. They had staggered out of the bar at about 11, pints in hands, and had had to phone for a local taxi, which when it arrived turned out to be electric. Apparently Ethane had fairly strict laws on emissions and taxi's, especially at off peak times seemed to largely be eco-friendly.

Gorou Vancura had stared wistfully at the taxi as it approached, remembering the poor state of vehicles back in Abristan. For many years vehicles were a rare sight in the poorer districts, and even now most of the models on the streets were older, foreign imports. Abristan did have a small automotive industry, but the largest manufacturer was tractor engine producer LanceCorp, who had only just branched out into cars with the NK, but it was a fuel-hungry monster of a car for the uber-rich.

Jefferson was probably halfway back to the hotel when he remembered about his sister. He turned white in shock, cursing under his breath at forgetting such an important arrangement. Well, at least he would have good news to greet her with. A victory against Kalumba, a team that had beaten them twice in the World Cup Qualifiers was not to be sniffed at, even if the Kalumban side had appeared slightly shell shocked and under prepared. The boys had been quick to take advantage of a slow Kalumban start and they had scored two quick first half goals to break Kalumban hearts. Leaning forward he tapped on the drivers shoulder, urging him to speed up. The driver looked at him out of tired eyes and said:

"Can't go faster than this mate. There's laws here you know. Plus I'm limited to 40 miles per hour. Save the battery and all that".

"Damn Electrics", Jefferson muttered under his breath.

"Whats this all about mate", Vancura said, turning to him, a concerned look on his face. "Is this about that sister of yours?".

"Of course. I was supposed to eat with her tonight. She's staying in my flat for the moment till I can find her someplace nicer. She came from a rough place you know. The least I can do is make sure she is alright while she is here".

"Why didnt she join us in the first place? Expensive tickets or something like that?".

"Yeah, something like that". Jefferson didn't want to go into details about their upbringing in front of his teammates. This was one of the few places where he felt he could forget about his past. Macito's presence here could ruin that if he wasn't careful. He couldnt let her get in the way of his football. The team came first, always.

As the car pulled up outside the hotel he dashed inside, taking the stairs two at a time. He fumbled with his keys, and pushed the door wide open, expecting to see a trashed apartment. Instead he was greeted by the smell of cooking, and the sight of his sister curled up asleep in front of the TV, an empty plate on her lap. Sighing, he grabbed a blanket of his bed and spread it gently over her.

[Tinhampton]

CUP OF HARMONY 69: WHO CAN STILL QUALIFY?

With everything still to play for - well, almost everything - we beg the most important question of all: Who will make it through to the knockout stages in Costhane?

---

In this Cup of Harmony, with one game left to play in the groups (2nd seed vs 4th seed; and 3rd seed vs 1st seed), anything can happen (apart from Juvencus qualifying for the Round of 16, since that's impossible based on head-to-head records). Here's what each group has in stock for y'all:

GROUP A

Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brigantii                     2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 Turori                        2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Tomikosan                     2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
4 Juvencus                      2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Juvencus plays against Brigantii next, whilst Turori is pitted against Tomikosan. Turori must win (and get a goal difference that is two goals better than Brigantii - just one better, and it's down to drawing lots) to win the group; they must not lose to secure a top-two finish. Brigantii, meanwhile, must at least match Turori to win the group. Tomikosan must win (and hope that Juvencus succeeds in at least nabbing a point against Brigantii) to win the group.

GROUP B

Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
2 Kitsunia-Deesse               2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
3 Tinhampton                    2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
4 Veldgouwen                    2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Next up is Tinhampton vs Brenecia, whilst Veldgouwen is up against Kitsunia-Deesse. If Tinhampton lose and Veldgouwen win (or the other way around), we could have three teams on the same amount of points. Assuming that either side wins 2-0, here's a head-to-head table of what could happen:

Scenario 1 (top three on 6pts)  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                2    1   0   1     4    2   +2     3
2 Tinhampton              2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3
3 Kitsunia-Deesse         2    1   0   1     2    4   −2     3

Scenario 2 (bottom three on 3pts)  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Veldgouwen              2    1   0   1     2    1   +1     3
2 Kitsunia-Deesse         2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3
3 Tinhampton              2    1   0   1     1    2   −1     3

In short, Tinhampton are out if they have a goal difference two worse than Veldgouwen in their final game (and that's assuming that the Team Without A Proper Nickname come away with victory), and they're guaranteed in the top-two if they win.
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GROUP C

Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Barunia                       2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
  Revolutionary Nordskania      2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Mriin                         2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
  Natanians and Nosts           2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

This is actually one of the more intriguing groups - Revolutionary Nordskania play the Natanians and Nosts, whilst Mriin plays Revolutionary Nordskania. Because goals scored for will be the deciding factor in the groups (after H2H and goal difference), it is not enough for the lower seeds to simply win 1-0 - they need to win 2-0 if they want to secure their spots in the top two by virtue of goal difference. Anything else, and the Suns and the Barons are effectively dead certs to qualify. Don't get your hopes up quite yet.
Credit to Drawkland for pointing out a fault in my logic.

GROUP D

Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                  2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
2 Rzeczpospolita Pruska   2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
3 Savojarna               2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
4 Boring Paradise         2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1

The equations are simple for Group D, as Rzeczpospolita Pruska are battling with the Boring Paradise, and Tumbra face Savojarna. The two teams that come out victorious are guaranteed top-two spots; in the event of draws, the tables will stay as they are (and Savojarna might miss out on goals scored - but it could come down to lots, or they could even get through). Not the most entertaining of groups when it comes to perms and combs.

GROUP E

Group E               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Damukuni                2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Qasden                  2   1  0  1    4   5  −1    3
3 Darmen                  2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
4 Kosovakia               2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1

Damukuni are guaranteed to win the group by virtue of head-to-head. They face Darmen next, whilst Qasden square off against Kosovakia. The winner of Qasden's game is likely to go through, but if Kosovakia wind up victorious, you can never underestimate Darmen's potential to also win their game. It really is uncertain - if both Kosovakia and Darmen win their games, the former must win by two goals more than the latter to get a top-two spot.

GROUP F

Group F               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 West Saintland          2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Tobiasia                2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Amnarei-asud            2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
4 Mattijana               2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

West Saintland are guaranteed a top-two spot, and play Tobiasia next. Tobiasia must win to top the group. Meanwhile, Baptism of Fire champions Amnarei-asud play Mattijana, and must avoid defeat to secure third spot. If they want to somehow finish second in the group, they must win and hope that Tobiasia lose to pass, if not on goal difference then on goals scored.

GROUP G

 Group G               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          2   2  0  0    9   5  +4    6
2 Abristan                2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
3 Kalumba                 2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Taeshan                 2   0  0  2    4   9  −5    0

The last group sees Nova Anglicana face Kalumba, whilst Abristan is up against Taeshan. This is a similar scenario to Group B - if Kalumba defeat Nova Anglicana and Abristan can see off Taeshan (or vice versa), we could have two scenarios - one with the top three on six points, the other with the bottom three on three points. Assuming that all wins are 2-0:

Scenario 1 (top three on 6pts)  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abristan                2    1   0   1     4    3   +1     3
2 Kalumba                 2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3
3 Nova Anglicana          2    1   0   1     3    4   −1     3

Scenario 2 (bottom three on 3pts)  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kalumba                 2    1   0   1     3    3    0     3
2 Taeshan                 2    1   0   1     3    3    0     3
3 Abristan                2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3

TL;DR: Anything can happen, although Scenario 2 is more likely. Will the current group leaders drop to third? Will it be a heated dogfight or a set of runaway and expected victories. Will lots have to be drawn? All shall be revealed once Margaret tells us the results tonight.

[Turori]

Cocoabo On the Loose
Locals Urged to be on the Lookout in Ramusok

For a more complete backstory regarding Cocoabo Forest please visit the Historical Record on the Atlantian Oceania Forum

Fire River Arena, Ramusok, Cosumar :: The Football Association of Turori, Cocoabo Preservation Society, Tropicorp and everyone involed in the Cocoabo Park project absolutely stunned the Turorian fanbase by introducing a team full of Cocoabo's for the Cup of Harmony's opening matchday. 90 Minutes later, shock turned to approval as the Cocoabo's had done the job they were brought in to accomplish, defeating Juvencus by a 2-0 scoreline.

At that point it was on to face Brigantii at the very same Fire River Arena that had hosted the first match, and would continue to host all of Turori's group stage matches. It really was an ideal scenario to introduce the Cocoabo - minimizing required logistics and transportation scenarios.

The Football Association of Turori had rented out a large enough swath of land just on the outkirts of Ramusok for the Cocoabo to relax between matches. The training staff did not allow any visitation, interviews or photography onto what was being temporarily dubbed 'Cocoabo Ranch'.

The Cocoabo would get off to a fine start again in the match against Brigantii, scoring the opening goal within 15 minutes through Cocoabo #91. There was a scary moment about 10 minutes later however as Cocoabo #65 tumbled hard to the earth in a scene that was disappointing for all to watch. The team of Cocoabo had trained together for this moment and were linked together as a singular unit. With Cocoabo #65 out of the game, the trainers opted to play with just 10 Cocoabo on the pitch until half time, conceding a pair of goals that would give Brigantii a 2-1 lead.

At the half, the trainers introduced a new Cocoabo to the lineup, Cocoabo #46. Cocoabo #46 slotted in where Cocoabo #65 left off and there appeared to be some kind of biological association taking place to the side of the pitch between Cocoabo's #61, 64, 62 and the newly introduce Cocoabo #46.

When the second half began, it was as if Cocoabo #65 never left and the Cocoabo were Flocking on all cylinders. The match was tied up again on the hour mark after Cocoabo #91's second of the game. Ultimately, however, that was all the scoring there would be and the game would reach full time tied at 2-2.

While it is the first points lost for the Cocoabo since their introduction onto the national stage, they checked off another box towards their ability to sustain long-term involvement in international competition - overcoming adversity and adapting to a change in the pre-trained match plan.

The result left the Cocoabo level on 4 points with Brigantii though the Brigantiians had a superior goal differential and sat atop the table going into Matchday 3.

Following the game, instead of heading directly back to Cocoabo Ranch, the Trainers took the Cocoabo on a walk through historic Ramusok; the capital of Cosumar and home to the royal family. Cocoabo posed for photographs in front of the Royal Palace, the Monolith of Lyra and at the entrance to the Forest of Lamneth. It was shortly after the photo in front of the Forest of Lamneth that the Trainers realized something was wrong.

They started to count.

One Cocoabo. Two Cocoabo. Three Cocoabo..... Ten Cocoabo... Wait a second....

Where is Cocoabo #58?

Cocoabo #58 was no where to be found. Unlike traditional citizen-focused Turorian systems, the Cocoabo were not trained in System Karela. Instead they were trained in a more Vilitan style 3-5-2 midfield heavy playing style. The trainers were instantly worried not only for Cocoabo #58's whereabouts and safety, but what would they do if something happened to one of their three starting defenders - and how would that affect their planning for the next match?

With one Cocoabo already on walk about, it was time to end the points of interest photo tour and time to get the rest of the Cocoabo back to Cocoabo Ranch, and begin searching for Cocoabo #58 somewhere near the Forest of Lamneth.

Starting Lineup v. Brigantii:
Pos :: Identification  : Home
GK  :: ( Cocoabo #86 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #58 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #57 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #53 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #61 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #64 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #65 ) : Cocoabo Forest >>> 45' ( Cocoabo #46 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #62 ) : Cocoabo Forest
AMC :: ( Cocoabo #72 ) : Cocoabo Forest
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #91 ) : Cocoabo Forest
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #99 ) : Cocoabo Forest

[Revolutionary Nordskania]

Gladiators

Chapter Three

This was it. The sun had went down, and the lights had went on. The massive concrete stadium had went from an empty structure that loomed in the distance near the city of Helmberg to a hub of activity that was filling up with people dressed in the colors of one of the two teams that would be playing in the opening game for the Kontinental Football League: the Masloka Marauders, and the Helmberg Proles. The black and purple of the Proles could be seen all over the city as the citizens embraced them and got ready for the game, but the black and gold of Masloka could be seen to as some Nordskanians traveled in. For those who traveled, they would be able to say that they had seen their team’s first ever game. Not something that many people could brag about.

For the people of Helmberg, this was great. Gridiron football had returned to Endelos, and it was coming to their city for the first time in forever. The identity of the old Helmberg Proles had returned and it was with a new owner that was committed to spending to win rings, and a new charismatic quarterback who was up to lead them to contention right away. The result was that all seventy thousand people that could fit into the stadium were in their seats before kickoff, and the area behind the northern field goal posts, where the rowdy fans were standing, could be heard throughout the entire stadium. The atmosphere was lit, as Stefan Rakocic would say, and it was like a new festival had arrived in the city.

But for Stefan and the others who were behind running the league, there was just as much pressure now as there had ever been. The clock had continued ticking away and the calendar had continued moving forward until tonight, opening day, and they would now be faced with making sure that the first broadcast in KFL history went well. If anything went wrong, or if they couldn’t get a good enough rating to impress their broadcasters and the viewers, it would spell bad things for the future. After making his rounds around the stadium and checking to make sure everything was going right with the broadcasts, Stefan returned to his business partner, Petro Haugaard. “Everything seems like it’s going well with TBC and with the ENB. FMZ also has their cameras setting up and they should be ready by kickoff. In other words, it’s all good, fortunately,” said Stefan, as the two started walking down towards the sidelines.

“They’re going to get the speech, right? We want to make sure that they can catch that on TV,” Petro stated, going through the mental checklist of tasks that had to be done. It was very unusual for the league’s owners to be the ones going through all of this behind the scenes work, but when you were running on the budget and structure that the KFL had, people had to do more than one job. Stefan had put more of the budget into the video side and the actual playing side than the management side, and he wanted to make sure that his choices didn’t come back to bite them.

“Yeah, I talked with the guy that’s in charge of things for TBC and he says all three broadcasters are going to have men on the field to record that in… A minute or two,” Stefan nodded, and they arrived at the field level and the sidelines. They were immediately noticed by players, who eyed up the two men with interest. It wasn’t often that one would see the founders of the league that they played in. “We’ve got everything that you planned. The speech, the fireworks, and the like. We made sure that the fans up behind the end zone have some flares too that will go off before kickoff and make a nice effect. And the cameras are set up to catch all of it. It’s going to be visual shock and awe, and it’s going to be great.”

“I knew you’d get everything sorted out, I just wanted to check,” Petro said, and the two owners pushed their way through players and support staff to stand at the edge of the Proles sideline and watch as Alex Passos, thirty three year old professional gambler and team owner, emerged and headed to the center of the field to address the crowd at his new stadium. He’d been one of the ones to make all of this possible. His enthusiasm when buying into the league had convinced other owners to jump in, and his high profile reputation had gotten other big names to take the league seriously and give it a real chance.

“For the first time in more than two decades, professional football is back in Endelos!” Passos shouted into the microphone, turning to look at the fans behind the northern end zone, who roared. “Tonight, the Helmberg Proles make a comeback! Tonight, football reaches Nordskania! Tonight… The KFL rises! The G League has had its day and Redvale has had its time as the football power in this region, but the truth is, the best league isn’t over on the big island. No, it’s in the territories, and in Nordskania! Tonight, we show that to the world… Tonight, we show everyone how football is meant to be played. In the traditional Redvali and territorial fashion, roughly and aggressively. While we do it, we’re bringing glamour back to the game. The G League is afraid of doing that, and they’re afraid of us too because they know how much of a sleeping football giant that Endelos is. However, we won’t let them stop them. Welcome, everybody, to the KFL!”

The crowd roared as Passos dropped the mic, and as he started walking back to the sidelines, there were bangs that rocked the stadium as purple fireworks shot from behind both end zones. While the speech had been given, the grounds crew had been using the distraction as a chance to set things up for the Proles to make their entrance. They’d moved some equipment next to the tunnel, and the team had gathered there where they were receiving a speech from their captain, twenty five year old former Janford College cornerback Bruno de Luca. “You have a chance to make history tonight. Not many players can say they’ve played in their league’s first ever game… Make sure the record books remember it as a win! Proles on three! One! Two! Three!”

“PROLES!” roared the team in all black, with purple helmets. Bruno de Luca led them out as the captain, while Kallie Boston continued a Markham Academy of the Army tradition by running out with a massive sledgehammer in hand. She’d turned into the face of the team since signing for them, and even now, with her complaints about the female KFL outfit, she looked completely confident. Those complaints were the last thing on her mind, and she also wasn’t thinking of how she wasn’t fully protected. The only thing that she cared about was getting a win for this city and this team, and it was obvious that the game was the only thing on her mind.

As she ran out, more fireworks shot from the area next to the tunnel, making the air smell like smoke to anyone that was seated nearby or anyone that was standing at the sideline. Alex Passos was right there on the sideline to talk to the players and encourage them as they filed onto the benches and the area around them, and as the starters ran out to get into formation for kickoff. They’d be the ones kicking the ball off, which worked out quite well for getting the stadium atmosphere going earlier. “Just watch, the visual shock and awe isn’t over yet,” Stefan informed Petro, as they stood by the sideline with the players and watched the Proles kicker stand over the ball.

Electronic hype music blasted through the speaker system, and everyone was ready to go as the kicker watched the ball and then the referee blew his whistle to tell him that he could kick off. Game time. The music was drowned out by the sound of the crowd shouting in anticipation as they waited for the ball to be kicked, and then the kicker finally started his run up and took four steps forward before booting it downfield. The crowd erupted into a chant, or more specifically, the fans in the end zone did. “H-E-L-M-B-E-R-G! HELMBERG! HELMERG! Shalalalalalala! Forza Helmberg! Shalalalalalala! Fooooorrzaaa Helmberg!” they chanted, and there were flares that were lit as soon as the ball was kicked.

This was exactly the kind of atmosphere that Stefan wanted, that would make them unique and different from the G League. They’d crossed the atmospheres of gridiron football and association football, and the result was something new that couldn’t be found in many other places. They just had to hope that they could keep everything going as well as it had been going, and that nothing strange would happen to derail their progress…

=====

The Masloka Marauders were up by a 17-14 margin at halftime after two touchdown passes from Joseph Cody-Yi, and one touchdown pass from Kallie Boston for the Proles. The game was going well by anyone’s standards, with a lot of deep passing and some exciting runs too, and the defense was being played very aggressively. Both teams didn’t want to concede and had stopped their opponents on third downs multiple times despite the halftime score not really conveying that, and the offenses had been going all out to beat their counterparts by any means necessary. The Marauders had a more strong offensive line and were getting better play from their quarterback. And that made sense, with their quarterback coming from Quebec, a country with better college football than Redvale. The Proles, on the other hand, were throwing the ball on most of their downs and were outpacing the Marauders with quick slant passes and plenty of mid length passes.

It was just about time for the Proles to get the ball back, and they’d be attacking towards their rowdiest fans in the second half. The atmosphere that had started early had been maintained throughout the whole game, and they had a big advantage in that regard. It was their fans making all the noise compared to the 4,000 Marauders fans that had made the trip from Nordskania. Stefan and Petro were standing around the sideline and waiting for the players to come back, when someone from the TBC crew ran up to them and looked like he’d ran all the way from the upper deck where the cameras were broadcasting.

“I hate to break the bad news to you guys but there’s something wrong with our cameras. Looks like it’s a problem with the stadium, we’re not getting any power to them and we’re not going to be able to use the batteries for more than a few minutes,” said the man. “Either the outlets aren’t working or something else is wrong, but we won’t be able to use the broadcast angle. We have some ideas, but we wanted to ask what you two wanted to do.”

Of course. Things couldn’t just go perfect. There would always be some kind of major problem, as Stefan had found out throughout his life. “I’m assuming this happened at halftime and that the first half was broadcast using the normal views. Well… I’m going to say that you should do something out of the box and switch to using the battery operated cameras that are on the sidelines. Have someone run up and down the sidelines and get on the field when there’s room, and get some shots that way. If that works and the viewers don’t start rioting because of it, then we’ll finish the game like that. If not, I guess you have a backup plan already?”

“We can use the angle from behind the goal, but it’s not going to be ideal. The players are going to be too small and it’s not at all like the angle we shot from earlier, which is more like the all twenty two angle,” said the man, who Stefan figured was an intern. “Whatever we do, we need to make a decision quickly. There isn’t going to be much more time to change our plans with the second half starting, and we don’t want to have to cut off the start of the half on TV-”

“Then do what I said and have someone run the wireless camera up and down the sideline,” ordered Stefan, annoyed at how things were suddenly falling apart for the first game after they had started so well. “If the referees complain, tell them that I told the camera guy to get on the field because we don’t have any other good angles to broadcast from… Oh, and get someone that’s big and strong that isn’t going to run out of energy or get hurt too badly if he gets run over. Understood?”

“Got it, boss,” said the intern, before rushing back to relay the news to the TBC camera team. TBC was the network that had the most viewers right now, so that was the one that would make or break the ratings for game number one. If they didn’t satisfy their viewers tonight, the league would have a mountain to climb during the rest of the season… And now, the main cameras were out because of a stadium issue, and they would have millions of upset fans if they couldn’t figure out an alternate way to show the rest of the game without using the distant cameras at the top of the stadium. Yep, nothing was ever easy, and especially not in the business of sports.

[Darmen]

OOC: Regarding the timing of events, the current Cup of Harmony is taking place in summer of 2038, while the below story would have appeared in the morning paper's of New Years Day, 2037.

Movement for a New Darmen wins elections
Will need to form coalition to govern however

SCOTT CITY - The Honorable Napoléon Cockburn, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Super-Mare, and likely candidate to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Darmen, announced the results of the national election at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. As expected, the center-right Movement for a New Darmen (MND) received the most votes, winning 78 of the 162 seats in Parliament.

MND Chairman Tor Tong Lee, likely to become the first President of the Republic of Darmen, seemed calm and composed as he was mobbed by his fellow party members at the MND campaign headquarters following the announcement. He later made a brief statement to the cheerful supporters who had assembled in the Scott City Opera House, before the parties Deputy Chairman, Donald O'Donahaue, made a more prolonged speech. O'Donahaue, who failed to win a seat in the constituency of County Liverpool, will likely be chosen by Lee as a member of the Executive Cabinet, either as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs or Defense.

The 1,269,522 votes of the MND represented 43.33% of the total votes cast, although turnout stood at only 47.39% of registered voters, a far cry from the 65.52% who turned out for the elections to the Constitutional Assembly. The relative certainty that the MND would achieve victory is likely to have contributed to many voters remaining at home, although the rainy weather may also have played a part.

The Coalition of the Left, despite finishing second with 30.36% of the vote, had a very successful election result as measured by their electoral swing. Compared to the MND's swing of 3.53%, the CoL's swing of 10.30% was the highest of any party. The CoL earned 50 seats in the Parliament.

The Royalist Party suffered the most, having lost many supporters after they failed to maintain the monarchy during the drafting of the Constitution, losing -12.59% of their vote and finishing fifth. They also failed to win a single seat, being the most supported party to do so.

The two most likely candidates to form a governing coalition with the MND, who are four seats short of having an outright majority, are the People's Party and the Frente de la Libertad Valladar. The two regional ethnic parties are both fairly centrist, and supported Lee during the elections for the Provisional President exactly one year ago today. Combined, the three groups will have 85 of the 162 seats. Those parties will however need the support of other parties in order to elect Tor Tong Lee as President, combined they have only 997 electoral votes, 34 short of the 1,031 needed to elect the President. The far-right Coalition for Darmen will likely be forced to support Lee in order to keep the CoL and National Civil Liberal Democratic Union out of the office.

Results
Party                                   Votes     Percentage Swing   MP's CA/MM's MLGA's EV's
Movement for a New Darmen               1,269,522 43.33%       3.53%  78  26      255      900
Coalition of the Left                     889,658 30.36%      10.30%  50   6      204      658
National Civil Liberal Democratic Union   383,893 13.10%       4.92%  21   1       88      281
Coalition for Darmen                      137,817  4.70%      -5.00%   4   0       25       70
Royalist Party                             62,849  2.14%     -12.59%   0   0       13       26
Frente de la Libertad Valladar             58,523  2.00%       2.00%   4   1       17       54
People's Party                             51,672  1.76%      -0.40%   3   1       14       43
Second Communist Group                     27,565  0.94%      -4.26%   1   0        2        9
Pan-Rushmori Party                         27,301  0.93%       0.90%   1   0        2        9
Islamic Union                              12,826  0.44%       0.39%   0   0        4        8
Alban Nationalist Party                     4,335  0.15%       0.15%   0   0        1        2
Darmen Libertarian Party                    3,921  0.13%       0.03%   0   0        0        0
Death to the State                             66  0.00%     New       0   0        0        0
Pragmatic Radical Party                        59  0.00%     New       0   0        0        0
Underground Element                            44  0.00%     New       0   0        0        0
No Overall Control*                             0  0.00%     N/A       0   1        0        0
TOTAL                                   2,930,051 47.39%	     162  36      625    2,060

Swing:   As measured compared to the results of the 2035 Constitutional Assembly elections
MP's:    Members of Parliament
CA/MM's: County Administrators and Municipal Mayor's, heads of the Local Government Authorities
MLGA's:  Members of Local Governing Authorities
EV's:    Electoral Votes, MP's votes count as 5, MLGA's votes count as 2
*The Local Governing Authority of Northern Chuckio County is split 5-5 between the NCLDU and MND, with neither side able to agree on a County Administrator.

To view full results, please go to: www.darelecom.dar/2036-election/results

The MND also dominated results in the local contests, earning the right to govern, either alone or in coalition, 26 of the 36 Local Governing Authorities. Their local coalition partners vary greatly. In County Eau Claire, they have aligned themselves with a single member of the CfD, while in Western Chuckio County they have teamed up with two members of the NCLDU and a single member of the CfD. In County Aylesbury, two members of the Royalist Party have joined the MND in a coalition there. In County Brham, the CoL and MND have teamed up, forming a 16 member coalition in opposition to the four members of the NCLDU.

While many of the governing coalition's in the Local Governing Authorities are awkward for the member parties, and may prove to be short lived, no governing situation is more awkward than the one in Northern Chuckio County. The LGA there is split evenly between the NCLDU and MND, each party holding five seats, and neither party willing to compromise and elect a County Administrator. While the two parties are rather similar in their economic policies, they differ greatly on social issues. There are no provisions for holding a second election to break the deadlock, and it may be one of the first major issues to face Tor Tong Lee if and when he becomes President.

Member's of Parliament will meet at noon today in the newly remodeled Parliament building to elect the first Speaker of the Parliament. Alex Quinn, and MND member from Western Chuckio County will likely be elected to the position. Tomorrow, all MP's and Members of Local Governing Authorities will meet to elect the President of the Republic. Parliament will then open for a short session on Thursday, January 15th, to last at least until Tuesday, February 3rd.