Everything Thread - Cup of Harmony 71

by **Vangaziland** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 7:17 am

Prince Fritz Evacuated By Helicopter During Azadeshian Riots

Fritjof Vang is in Azadeshia for the Indian Champion League. The Vannish Royal recently invested into a club team called FC Bakati North. He was located in a hotel, spending time between matches. On word that future games would be moved from Dhalapur to Halapur, a rapid relocation plan was put into effect.

It's not clear whether the helicopter was local police or private security, but Fritz was quickly shuttled to the next city.

"It was best to avoid a bad situation", said a spokesman for the Royal Security Bureau. "Many roads were blocked off. Driving to the next city would have been sticky. So we coordinated a local helicopter to make the move."

Fritz has come under fire by footballers from both New Gazi and Vangaziland for buying a stake in an Indian club team.

Oskolde, Vannish midfielder, was one who spoke out. "The state of Vannish club football is not great. We could use investors like him with our local clubs. They could use the prestige. Instead he's going way out to India to try to make a profit off the growing economy. If top Vannish athletes continue to focus on basketball because of the higher salaries, our World Cup team will continue to struggle."

Oskolde scored the lone goal in Vangaziland's 2-1 loss to Coldfield. It was the result of a good clearance, to good midfield control. Tuusen won the header and kicked it to the wing. Hjoerleif took it downfield and sent a well timed through ball to Oskolde.

A deft move got the freestyler turned association player past one defender. The keeper came off the line just as Iskolde sent a lob forward. It penned the top rail and dropped vertically on the impact. But there was hardly any celebrating. The team was still down 1 goal and time was winding down.

"I think people take my investments in a club team too seriously", said Fritjof Vang. "I hope to bring Vannish players to the competitive leagues there. I truly think the fast up and coming sports market is in India", he continued.

"I've spent a lot of time in the region recently, including a conference on investments and diplomacy. With such a large population, the investment possibilities are obvious. But with the sort of projects we've proposed, we can also help a lot of people improve their quality of life. This football team is a side investment, which will also help from an advertising standpoint. My deal into FC Bakati North came with all sorts of business ties."

The deal came with sponsors like Vannish Motors and Vann-Bands which would begin to advertise during games and on the stadium's various screens and boards.

"As far as club football, the Indian Champion's League just has so much potential. Today it's just beginning. There is the chance a day will come when the entire world tunes in to see what's happening with Indian football", said Fritz Vang.

The deal also coordinated broadcast rights to bring FC Bakati North games to markets in the Mainland and Outerlands like New Gazi, Wrexwic and the Esportivan Territory.

Jessica Franssen, WGPC driver and WGP2 acting-Principal, is also considering investing into an Indian team.

by **Platerdam** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 10:24 am

Platerdem National Football Association Team

BASIC INFO

Who are we?: We are your friendly neighbourhoods Platerdam, since 2015 we are known for our goofiness and our love for sports, music, RP and Off-Topic stuff. And now, with a radical change of uniform and logo design, we are back in track, baby!

Our team: We've been part of several sports tournaments, even though we haven't won any of those, we have special hopes for our third World Cup, you know how they say: Third's a Charm. In this time, our U-18 wonder-boys are going to be included in the National Squad after giving an exceptional performance at the Sporting World Cup. With this young boys by our side, the team is ready for the cup. Be prepared, Multiverse. Here comes Platerdam!

KITS

SQUAD

TECNICAL TEAM

RP PERMISSIONS/IMPORTANT STUFF

Style: +1.5

Most common goalscorers (The players shown here are in the First Squad):
1-Gallagher
2-Decker
3-Ranucci
4-Scorazzi
5-Taylor

Most common yellow card receivers(The players shown here are in the First Squad):
1-Atkinson
2-Thompson
3-Scorazzi
4-Ranucci
5-Bentley

Most common substitutions:
1-Mills - Ranucci
2-Thompson - Owen
3-Boyd - Hernández

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes.
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes, but TG me first.
RP injuries to my players: Yes.
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Hand out Yellow cards to my players: Yes.
Hand out Red cards to my players: Yes, but TG me first.
Godmod Other Events: No.

by **Bostopia** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:13 pm

The Emperor was sat at his desk, looking down toward the ancient road that went through Fort Boston and past the Castle, the road which Fort Boston built itself on, as an important waypoint for travellers. Fort Boston Castle was built on a hill, allowing it to overlook miles of the road so that any bandits attacking trade merchants, or any rival armies, would be seen – and dealt with – quite quickly. The Castle itself replaced an ancient hall which archaeological digs had found to be quite well fortified, improving over time until it’s demolishment. Some of the ancient wooden walls and flooring remained below the basement, miraculously preserved during the building of the current building and accessible to a very privileged few. It was decided that the wooden walls would be left on display, though behind glass, but the floor itself would be uncovered.

The fortified village, being built where it was, also meant that many of the rich merchants travelling between ancient Monham and Glennick’s Rock would gladly pay for protection from the Fireward in Fort Boston, who would offer lodgings for the night and armed guard to and from the borders of the area. As the merchants steadily got richer, they could pay for that protection to be furthered, thus there would be armed Fort Bostonian guards protecting larger areas and each successive Fireward’s authority was spread over a larger area as new watchtowers were built further and further away from Fort Boston itself. This eventually led to Fort Boston’s borders clashing with other areas, who would either surrender to the Fireward’s authority, or attempt to resist. It was resist that some did, with now only ridge and furrow marks in fields marking where some ancient settlements stood before being destroyed in battle by one side or the other. In any instance, this pattern was what led to Fort Boston eventually becoming the dominant power on the Isle, using its wealth and military to subjugate the other towns.

The Emperor, still hailed as Fireward of Fort Boston, had been dreaming recently of a distant past, of approaching men lit by firelight approaching in the darkness. He knew these men were a danger and yet still he approached, almost duty bound, before the glint of a knife in the darkness put an end to everything and he awoke. This is why he was staring out of the window, contemplating what had been and whether this dream was any indication of his own future.

‘Emperor...’ Haelwen began, walking toward his boss, ‘are you all right?’ The Emperor turned to face his aide. ‘Yes, Haelwen, thanks. Just admiring the view.’ Two women were stood by the side of the heavily-used road, trying to persuade people to convert to their religious movement. They’d changed their tactics from a few years ago, rather than stopping people in the street, they would not stand quietly by their leaflet stands while waiting for someone to approach. Unfortunately, that was usually just the same loudmouth trying to persuade them of the error of their ways, although he was harmless enough and likely just looking for some company.
Haelwen was concerned for the Emperor. ‘Sire… you seem distracted. Your mind’s clearly not at ease’ he said, pausing for the Emperor to harrumph at him ‘perhaps you ought to seek some solace? You could visit your Lodge outside of town again?’ ‘Last time I was there, Haelwen, I got twatted on the head by a large branch’ the Emperor said, rubbing the top of his head as if the bruise was still there.

‘It did do you good Sire!’ ‘Yes! Yes. It did. But the memories are still quite painful.’ ‘Yes, Sire, the headaches you’ve been getting since. Perhaps the old Hall, then? You think that does you good.’ The Emperor nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, Haelwen my old friend. I’ll head down to the Hall’, he said, smiling at Haelwen on his way out of the room toward the elevator. Once in the hallway, he pressed the button for the basement. The elevator stopped three times on the way down, once on the 2nd Floor, where a member of the Royal Staff entered with a young family member, who was being given a small tour of where his father worked, then on the ground level to let them out (the boy, now with a souvenir pen, waving excitedly at the Emperor as the doors closed), then finally reaching the basement itself.

The basement was, more or less, a storage area and car garage, heavy fire doors acting as an airlock from the rest of the Castle. It had been much expanded over the past couple hundred years, to accommodate coaches and horses and eventually cars. It was more recent expansions which had uncovered what was left of the ancient building, the rest of it being covered in dirt and rock, used as foundations to the present-day Castle. The Emperor walked across the storage part, past what was almost a cavern of a warehouse, his bare feet turning cold and soles becoming more dust covered, full of boxes and crates, to a small, locked metal door in the concrete wall on the other side of the room. He took a small metal key from one of the inside pockets of his jacket and turned it in the lock, pulling the door open toward him and brushing the soles of his feet before stepping onto a metal platform above what was left of ancient Fort Boston, lest he take any modern-day dirt in with him other than the thoughts of his dreams which were polluting his mind.

There was a light switch on his left as he took two steps into the room, which he used to help him see his path forward, toward the spiral staircase that lead to ancient floor level. Once the lights were on, the Emperor turned slightly and shut the door behind him, ensuring he wouldn’t be disturbed. He turned back around and looked over the inside of the old strongpoint, the one which had defended the village, then the town, before it was decided it was no longer fit for purpose and needed to be replaced.

The Emperor stopped on those thoughts. Perhaps he needed to be replaced? Was that what the dreams were about? No. No. It wasn’t that. Something else was going on. He hated that feeling of having a muddled mind but not knowing why. He took his jacket off, hanging it on a hook on the inside of the door, so he now only visible wore his white shirt and suit trousers. He carried on forward, taking another couple of steps before reaching the spiral stairs, which he went down carefully, before finally feeling his toes press onto the dirt floor.

He felt better. There was something about stepping onto the floor your ancestors walked on that always comforted him. They were all of course long gone, but their presence seemed to linger in the air. The Emperor paced a few steps around the floor, noting the central fire-pit, still dug out in the floor. Leading to and from what was assumed was the front door, the floor was slightly lower, showing the levels of use this entryway had had over the centuries. Just to the right of this was a particular pair of footprints that seemed set into the floor and almost left purposely preserved, even in ancient times. He knew he was alone, but the Emperor still looked around before attempting to step his own feet into the prints. It was a bit tight, but they fit. The Emperor stood in his thoughts for a few moments, before trying to step out of the prints.

One foot came out fairly easily, but the other was taking a little more persuading. After a bit of grunting, and some minor panic thinking he really was stuck, he managed to pull his foot out, dislodging a stone he hadn’t noticed in the process. Just as he looked down in the horror of ruining an ancient artefact, there was a click, and a hatch in the floor popped up.

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 2:31 pm

"We're in the Cup of Harmony, now what?" Katherine asked herself from a hotel room in Qasden* in good old Atlantian Oceania. She surveilled the hotel that the Dragonflies were put in. There were much worse accommodations that the team was put in just from her memory. This hotel had it all, basically: practice pitch nearby, comfortable rooms, indoor pool. And the perennial two people per room, except for the training staff. The team used to be about 30% women, but that contingent shrunk to just 4 out of 23 for this World Cup and Cup of Harmony. That meant there were still exactly two rooms for women, and that also meant drawing straws for who would stay in which room. The men on the team were far more peculiar in that: Cirelbourne players didn't want to share with Bruncester players, Miradela and Branvón players are even less friendly together. Meanwhile, lifetime rivals from Tanques and Aminey wanted to be put together for intelligence on the other team, and to represent the French-speaking part of Ko-oren. Same went for Katashi-Kanatsu players with Alara players, not for the language, but for sharing the eastern islands as their home. That usually took nearly an hour for those that didn't have a standard roomie. Meanwhile, Katherine, Cláudia, Lynn and Chloé had it easy. All are from different parts of the country (south, southeast, north and bay respectively) and play different positions (defence, goal, midfield and attack respectively). It didn't take long: Katherine shared with Cláudia in the old room (average age 34,5) while the other two were in the young room (average age 25). She was just about to put her stuff in order in the room when her phone rang. It was head coach Katanmak Juliasterinthen.

"Hey Katherine?"

"Yes, Katherine speaking..."

"Are you on your way to the coaches meeting?"

No! She never let anyone know when exactly she would leave the squad to join the training staff. During the World Cup she announced she would make the jump, and there was some pressure on her to make her decision quickly. However, she hoped that by not disclosing the 'when' part of her decision, she could put it off for just a little while.

"Sure, where are you?"

"Ground floor, past the lobby, out the front door, to your right, keep walking"

"Isn't that the outdoor bar?"

"Right you are. Guess you know where you needed to be all along. See you soon!"

And with that, the call ended.

Katherine headed outside. She never told the coaching staff of the 'when' part of her decision, but she did raise an expectation with Katanmak, whom she always played next to in defence in the national team. This special bond had made it even harder on her to keep her intentions hidden and to put her decisions off. She had also not told anyone on the team yet. If the coaching staff did decide to promote her to the staff immediately, maybe Cláudia would have the entire room by herself anyway.

Being honest to herself, she did want to join the staff right away. She had no clue what Katanmak's promotion to the position of head coach was all about in the first place, let alone the strange training schedule that came after. Home study. Lots of team meetings. Barely any time on the field. She needed to know what was going on there.

*OOC not 100% sure if the matches scorinated by Qasden are played in Qasden
Also OOC: this is a continuation to the World Cup Qualification series, but I think I've got all of the most important info here.

by **Mercedini** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 3:03 pm

2017 MERCEDINIAN REWIND
Part 1

Tune: Zayde Wolf - Born Ready

Daniel Alishkaerni returns to the World Hit Festival for the second time hoping to bring home Mercedini's first song contest trophy ever. He returns after he placed fifth in his last appearance with the song 'The Way You Make Me Feel'. This time, he brings a new flavour to the contest with an epic indie rock song titled 'Don't Tempt Me'. Mercedini has had a recent dip in form as of late and they are hoping to bounce back after both Samuel Borlaviac and Anja Tella both placed seventh in both of the previous two editions. There's hope that Mercedini can follow in little Cosneolta's footsteps and chalk off their first ever WHF victory in Vodiznad.

Alishkaerni hails from the region of Rafelonia where he grew in a musical household, but only had his first big breakthrough when he released 'The Way You Make Me Feel' and then subsequently chosen to be a WHF representative. He worked on his debut album since that appearance with some of those chosen to be released as singles, 'Don't Tempt Me' being one of those. It was a hit on the Mercedinian Hot 100 and was subsequently chosen from a shortlist of hits since the last World hit Festival. If Daniel can improve on his placement last time then Mercedini could have themselves another podium and a potential victory, but with more nations joining and with the World hit Festival becoming more and more competitive edition after edition, it may be an uphill battle from here on out.

Before boarding his flight, Alishkaerni said in an interview "The last time I was in one of these types of competitions, it was definitely an experience. I am thankful that ENM chose me once again to represent my country in the World Hi Festival, and I hope to go at least one better than last time. The fans have been tremendous in supporting me and I hope they will be there in full force in Vodiznad. We hope that we will put on a good performance for the fans and maybe we can put some points on the board for our nation!".

Representatives on ENm have promised that they will pull out all the stops for their performance and if it falls for Mercedini, it will be the first time Mercedini will win the WHF, following Rachel Nollov's victory when she was part of the Cosneoltan act last edition. Will Mercedini win that elusive WHF trophy? Only time will tell..

The song begins with the stage mainly black but with an orange hue on the stage, nothing on the stage is yet visible, although the orange hue does give us a small clue as to the things on the stage, it's just that the audience and viewers don't know that yet. The camera begins from an elevated central position in the arena with white beams of light being scattered away from the stage and across the rest of the stadium. As the introduction gets more intense, the beams of light focus and turn to face a figure at the centre-rear of the stage. The figure reveals itself as Alishkaerni who lifts the microphone up to his face to sing the opening verse of the song.

Flames are splashed onto the LED screen behind him as he walks from the rear of the stage to the front, they then fade into the darkness and return for the third line, matching the beat of the song to give the song more impact. There are three male backing singers at the edge of the stage which are briefly shown during cuts after every two lines of the opening verse.

Even when the earth trembles
I'll stand strong and cast my spell
It’s just the way I’m assembled
There’s power in every cell

White lights flash to the drum beat of the pre-chorus, as the central camera has now switched to a zoomed in, close-up of the male vocalist. He shapes his hand into the shape of a gun and points it towards his temple before pulling the imaginary trigger and pointing towards the audience for the second line. He steadies himself as the camera fades to black for the start on the first chorus.

Pull the trigger, I won’t blink
My other foes, they’re extinct

Flames on the LED screen fly up behind Alishkaerni as he begins to sing the chorus, bathing the stage and the front portion of the audience in bright orange and red, adding to the intensity of the beats in the chorus. He stretches his arms out and opens his body language up to the audience while staring into the camera while he sings the title lyrics of the song. For the second half of the chorus, he interacts with the LED screen behind him, giving the audience the impression that flames are being emitted from his hands when he lifts them up or he is wafting the flames around himself as he swings his fingers in front of his body. As the chorus comes to an end, he buckles his body, spins and takes a knee which mirrors the music which is distorting in a downward pitch movement. The lights fade from white to a deep orange before the camera fades to black and cuts to the second verse.

I’ll wake up, vacate your lies
We’ll see through your veiled disguise
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

Flames will rise, ignite the ground
I will swim, leave you to drown
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

After ending the first chorus on one knee, Daniel rises up from his position, which is captured by the central camera that is now encapsulating the portion of the stage he is standing on. As he rises up from his kneeling position, a ball of flame burst from the centre of the screen and morphs itself into a set of wings which he stands in front of and flaps from time to time to add a bit of realness to the piece. He walks to left of the stage and the wings follow him, it's almost as if it was choreographed before hand. The wings are diffused and turn into smoke and fade into the darkness as Daniel walk to the front of the stage as the second verse ends.

Don’t ever play with my fire
We both know what that’s gonna do (yeah, yeah)
I’ll be the one who shines brighter
Outshine the black hole in you

The stage returns to darkness with the central camera zoomed in so much that Daniel's face and the dark background are the only things the audience can see at home. The crowd sees the lights in the arena flash white to the drum beats of the song before all moving to focus on the song's main performer, the light that is focused on Daniel is mostly absorbed but the small percentage that is reflected gives him a glowing appearance, it's just the only the crowd can see it, but it does raise a small cheer from the Mercedinian fans.

Pull the trigger, I won’t blink
My other foes, they’re extinct

The flames return to the stage once again but this time actual flame jets fly from the front of the stage as Daniel takes a knee and pounds the ground in time with the music which matches up with the LED cracks in the stage, the final punch at the end of the first half of the chorus cracks the black LED floor which shatters into many pieces leaving a black shard which Daniel is kneeling on with the rest of the floor being a pool of lava which is flowing to wards the audience's side of the stage. He gets up from his kneeled position and walks backward towards the LED screen with the shards forming a path as he walks to make close to the LED screen as the chorus comes to a close

I’ll wake up, vacate your lies
We’ll see through your veiled disguise
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

Flames will rise, ignite the ground
I will swim, leave you to drown
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

The camera then moves from the left hand side of the stage and sweeps downward, flying above the heads of the audience until it sweeps by the front of the stage. Flame jets flicker from the stage and turn on and off without any order, this is mirrored by the strobe light which are flashing so much it would give a normal person an epileptic fit. They all flicker to the tune of the violin in an intense sequence of events on stage. The sequence ends with an inception style horn which blares as the beams of light turn red while the rest of the stage goes dark.

Just shine you light brighter, brighter
Just shine your light
(Ahh, just shine your light brighter)
Just shine you light brighter, brighter
Just shine your light

The camera moves up on the blackened stage and moves towards Daniel who is illuminated by a single while spotlight above his head. He is in the centre of the stage of one knee and staring down at the ground, meaning only his back and the top of his head can be seen, although the audience can gather from his silhouette where the rest of his body parts are. Red beams of light surround his body but are only seen around him and in no way do they reflect or show up anywhere on his body. He looks up and into the camera while holding his pose before standing up tall and letting out one long powerful note, leading us into the next chorus.

Just shine you light brighter, brighter
Just shine your light

The stage explodes back into life for the final chorus in the song. Orange and red flames appear on the LED screens on the floor once again with white beams of light working their way around the arena. Daniel has a detemrined look on his face as he points his finger into the camera before the shot changes to an elevated central camera moving forward yet still encompassing the entire design of the stage including the audience in front of it. He walks to the very front of the stage and makes it at the end of the chorus with the corwd waving their flags and enjoying the performance.

I’ll wake up, vacate your lies
We’ll see through your veiled disguise
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

Flames will rise, ignite the ground
I will swim, leave you to drown
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

The flame jets and strobe lights return along with more effects on stage to add to the intensity of the song. A smoke machine is turned on along with a wing machine which blows the smoke around causing a vortex of light and smoke and chaos which Daniel is happily standing in the middle of while he sings the lyrics to his song. The camera performs a series of sweeping shots yet again across the arena. The final flames wash away the lights and colours and reveal the black background, all of the lights, smoke machines and wind machines are turned off as they are no longer needed after this point.

(You were warned) Just shine you light brighter, brighter
(Oh just don't tempt me) Just shine your light
(Oh just don't) Just shine you light brighter, brighter
(You were warned, don't tempt me) Just shine your light

Daniel goes on one knee once again and is lit by the spotlight above his head aswell as the camera light which is up on stage and giving the audience a close up as home. He looks up ahead of him and then back into the camera singing the words with purpose and intent while the male backing singers give their final accomanyments with their vocals.

As Daniel sings the last couple of words to his song, the camera which was orignally filming him moves off stage to make way for the view of the central camera. He stands up tall with a rather masculine pose which ends his performance, flames burst and the wings of a phoenix form behind him which earns a cheer from the audience as it symbolises the end of the performance.

I’ll wake up, vacate your lies
We’ll see through your veiled disguise
You were warned, don’t tempt me
You were warned, don’t tempt me

The crowd goes wild with the Mercedinian portion of the crowd waving their flags and bouncing up and down like a bunch of drugged-up mental patients. Daniel blows a kiss and waves to the crowd before thanking them in Izmeduan and then English. "Hvala Izmedu, thank you very much!",

At the end of the performance, streamers in the Mercedinian colors were launched in celebration of Daniel's winner reprise. The Mercedinian delegation began to dawn on the stage to congratulate their winner, as the credits began to roll on the 34th World Hit Festival. Of course, this wasn't going to be the very end of the party for Vodiznad. The show may be over, but it was still WHF-mania in Vodiznad. The city planned to celebrate Daniel Alishkaerni's win before he'd have the chance to go back home. At the last frame of the festival, the legendary after-parties began...

by **Savojarna** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 3:18 pm

Sjoedrhavn's Peaceful Revolution: Broad Left Coalition Stands

Following the contested elections after the forced resignment of Chairman Johan Carlsen, there was a lot of insecurity over who should lead the new government. The KPS had lost its majority in a historic election, as such a movement had never happened before. Today, however, the leaders of the former government parties KPS and AP stepped in front of the public to declare that they had found a new coalition, together with the newly established Syndicalist Union. Such a left block had been considered impossible previously due to the SU's resistance, however, the Communists had decided to give in to their demands. This resulted in a de-facto-split of the KPS, but the Pragmatist wing of the party had decided to support the government formed under the leadership of Chairwoman Viktorija Petrova. Petrova, in another unprecedented move, turned down the election as Chairwoman of her party, leaving the moderately pragmatist Bergman in that position in an effort of keeping the two wings together. This means that ultimately, we can expect a big shift of Savojarna's policies to the left.

The new government carried over two ministers of the old Revalainen government, namely Foreign Minister Axel Nordman, who scored points with the left wing thanks to his assertive foreign policy against Eura, and the former Health Minister Grigori Temarov. Surprisingly, the Vice Chairmanship has been given to the SU, which many assume was a demand of the Syndicalists to ensure their loyalty. The new Vice Chairman is former SU Co-Chairman Dmitri Nurayev, who stepped down from his party duties and gave them over to Aleksandar Pasic. His old colleague, Nikolaj Söder, assumed the post of Minister of Labour, another key position to the SU's program. Kristina Nyström, the AP chairwoman, was crowned Interior Minister, traditionally seen as the third position in the cabinet. The most striking fact about the new cabinet is its complete lack of pragmatists, which may lead to further instability in the KPS. Our specialist Mr. Johan Ervik stated: "This is a highly unusual decision, however it may be good for Savojarna in the long run. The people had clearly voted against another KPS-dominated government, so this is probably a good move - but a highly dangerous one as well".

As it could be expected, the new government immediately took some unconventional and hard stances especially on foreign and labour policy. Axel Nordman has officially reacted to the release of the Rakhinin report over suspected meddling of Eura in Savojar elections through support of the Liberal Block, Savojarna's major capitalist party. The Euran government had called Savojarna a "flawed democracy", which is a completely ungrounded claim that they based on nothing except for the bad results of the LB, a free decision of the Savojar people. As the Rakhinin report had stated clear evidence for Euran involvement in the last elections, Nordman has followed up on his threats of a hard line and, as a first measure, stopped all flights of the nationalised IAS airline to Eura, as well as issueing a harsh note to the Euran embassy. Eura had not outright admitted meddling in our elections, but the Euran Prime Minister had admitted to having friendly relations with the LB and called the Savojar elections "not fair", without a note as to why that would be the case.
In terms of labour policy, there was another reinforcement of the unions within the country as a previously contentious bill about part liberalisation of the mining business was shut down by Söder, who announced that there would not be any change to the system of mine ownership under his watch. The previous government had advocated for a slight liberalisation which would have allowed collectives more power in land allocation, however, the Savojar government now made clear that free ownership among cooperatives were none of their priorities in mining. Instead, the current system of regional unions monitored through the local councils should be kept, and expanded by making them more democratically accountable to the councils of the Regions. This popular piece of legislation had been a cornerstone of the SU campaign following multiple instances of unions attempting to increase their influence across regional borders and trying to increase their own benefits vis-a-vis the regions.

by **Equestrian States** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 3:51 pm

Equestrian States | Atlantian Oceania | Multiverse | Politics | Sports | Entertainment

Ponies Accept Cup of Harmony Invitation, Already Eliminated

SOMEWHERE, Qasden - Sources have confirmed today that the Equestrian States national hoofball team has received and accepted an invitation to the Cup of Harmony from tournament organizers in Qasden and Ethane. Sources have also confirmed that the Ponies have been officially eliminated from the Cup of Harmony.

Citing the Equestrian States' well-established record of underwhelming performances and consistently failing to meet any expectations of success in the Cup of Harmony, tournament officials decided that it would be best for everypony if they just eliminated the Ponies now. "Let's be honest," one anonymous official said when reached for comment, "the Equestrians are just going to show up and either finish third in their group or be eliminated in the second round like they always are in this tournament. It would save everybody a lot of time and money if they don't even bother to show up. Thus we've decided to preemptively eliminate them from contention. We'll just assume they were knocked out in what I'm sure would be a heartbreaking fashion if Equestrian hoofball fans' hearts had not already been repeatedly broken on numerous occasions in the past."

Team officials reportedly have no plans to protest the decision to eliminate the Equestrian States as "they're probably right [to assume that the Ponies are doomed]."

by **Aggrey-Fynn Land** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 4:28 pm

AGGREY-FYNN LAND (AFL) NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

Nicknames: The Wavy Ones, The Red Bottoms (players)
The High Tide (fans)

RECORD: 29-8-23 (Competitions: 29-6-18, Friendlies: 0-2-5)

Games Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference
60	29	8	23	91	74	17

RANKING:
68th place, 9.11 points

NOTABLE GAMES:

TOP GOALSCORERS:

MOST CAPS:
*under construction*

PERFORMANCES:
Baptism of Fire 65: runners-up
World Cup 78: did not qualify
Cup of Harmony 70: quarterfinals
Independents Cup 3: third place
World Cup 79: did not qualify

TEAM HONORS:
Baptism of Fire 65 runners-up
Independents Cup 3 third place

Aggrey-Fynn Land's National Anthem- "Glory to the New Wave"

BACKGROUND

The 65th Baptism of Fire was Aggrey-Fynn Land's first jaunt on the international stage. The team got off to a rocky start in the group stage, where a 5-2 win against Miloscia was needed on the final day in order to advance. Aggrey-Fynn Land did very well at the tournament overall, going all the way to the finals. They finished second, losing a extremely close final in ~~Drawkaland~~ Drawkland to ~~Solsteed~~ Soltsteed, 3-2, with Emma Gryndhout scoring the winning penalty for the Stallions.

Aggrey-Fynn Land managed to punch above their weight in the World Cup 78 qualifiers. They beat The Isles of Avon (who were ranked about twice as high as them at the time) twice, and they thrashed Sarrbia (ranked 110th at the time) 4-0, which was Aggrey-Fynn Land's largest margin of victory at the time. With the help of unlikely victories against teams Aggrey-Fynn Land was expected to lose to, they managed to pose a threat to the other teams in Group 7 and have a shot at qualifying. However, Aggrey-Fynn Land's hopes of qualifying for the 78th World Cup were dashed after the 16th matchday, with a 1-3 defeat to Semarland.

Aggrey-Fynn Land had a good showing at the 70th Cup of Harmony. They got past the group stage on goal difference, with one win, draw, and loss apiece. In the Round of 16, Aggrey-Fynn Land got what would probably be one of their most memorable victories. They beat then-ranked #16 Ceni in a goalfest, 5-3. They then bowed out to the eventual champions Qasden 2-1, with Owais Lumière getting the go-ahead goal for the Blue-Reds.

Aggrey-Fynn Land ended their first cycle of international football by making a deep run in the Independents' Cup; there were many memorable games, such as their clash with Tinhampton, in which the Wavy Ones prevailed in penalties. However, their title run was brought to an abrupt halt when they faced the multiverse's #1 team Schottia, and were thrashed. After such a promising run, they had to settle for third place in the tournament.

The hiatus of the Lander soccer system made it more difficult to make selections for the national team for World Cup 79. Though there were definitely other standouts in the league's first year of play, Jerry Simmons decided to take the same team through qualifying, citing the "chemistry" that had developed as a result of many games playing together. This was in contrast to Donny Tremors' view that new players should be picked to bolster the skill level of a team which collectively is still quite inexperienced at the multiversal level. Whether Simmons' strategy of sticking to his guns will pay dividends is still yet to be determined.

THE TEAM

All players and staff are Lander unless otherwise specified; All clubs are Lander unless otherwise specified.

Manager- Jerry Simmons- 66 years old
Lovingly nicknamed "The Grey Fox" by his players, Jerry has been a part of the game since he was a boy. Due to his age, he has seen a lot of football, and his experience with the game shows through his tactical knowledge. His weakness appears to be his resistance to change; he has relied on the same crop of players for years, and has not changed his tactics much from when he first took the job. He has created a culture where the team punches above its' weight at multiversal tournaments, which won him the support of the LSA and the admiration of the fans, so at this point it really appears to be his job to lose; only an abnormally bad string of results would prompt the LSA to sack him, so he'll probably keep the job until he decides to hang his hat up.

Jerry Simmons plays in a defensively minded 4-4-1-1 formation with a style modifier of -2. His aim is to play a slightly conservative game. The plan is not to preemptively attack, but to hold possession and build from the back. The team holds back until they can find a hole in the opponent's defense, and then ruthlessly exploit it.

This is the typical starting lineup, barring injuries or suspensions.

KITS

The new idea behind the kits is simplicity and aesthetic. The LSA wanted the kits to look as clean as possible, and they tried to accomplish this with small changes to the previous home kit. The away kit has been scrapped completely for a new one with a white base and a single red horizontal line. The alternate has a red base, and was appropriately dubbed the "Red Wave" kit. The goalkeeper kit has undergone a big change, with the garish designs on the arms scrapped for solid light blue.

Home

Away

"Red Wave" Alternate

Goalkeeper

Permissions

In short, I'm cool with almost everything as long as it doesn't entail a) rendering my players or staff unable to perform their duties for a extended period of time or b) a mass booking of my players/staff. I will reciprocate your actions. When in doubt (godmodding etc.), TG me first.

by **Omerica** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:08 pm

Commonwealth Soccer Federation
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port Alexandre, AM 18-A40
COMMONWEALTH OF OMERICA
My fellow Omericans:

It has been a wonderful and humbling honour to have had the trust of the Omerican nation to lead the Omerica national football team. It may not have always been easy or even enjoyable, but it has been the adventure of my life. It has been filled with moments of which I have been immensely proud and moments which I would rather soon forget, but it has always been interesting and exciting each and every day to discover the next challenge that would confront us.

I have no regrets about my tenure as manger. I would change nothing about the manner in which I have conducted myself, one which I firmly believe I can be proud of, or the direction in which I have taken the national team. I have always welcomed the debate in the national conversation and I believe that the vision which I presented has been for the benefit Omerican football, even as I appreciate the fact that not everyone may have always agreed. I welcome the next chapter in the history of Les Incorrigibles, a name of which I have been proud to bear, and the next chapter in the history of the sport in our great Commonwealth.

We have challenges innumerable to overcome, but we are a nation of tenacity and perseverance. We have never known when to quit or to surrender and we have always been rightfully proud of our passion, our determination and our grit. We are capable of climbing any hurdle and we are willing to carry on for as long as it may take to succeed.

We still have a long way to go, but I believe that we are on the right path. But I also believe that the time has come for me to pass on the reigns. With a new, reformed federation and a new generation of footballers taking up the mantle of the Commonwealth, it is time for another changing of the guard. My part has been to rebuild Omerican football from its ashes, to discover the next generation of Omerican talent and to bring Omerica back into the fold of international football. I have succeeded at that and it will be up to my successor to lead Les Incorrigibles into the next saga.

“Incorrigible” has been defined as unreformable, unmanageable or unalterable, as beyond hope. It has also been defined as “impossible to improve or correct”. It is truly impossible to improve or correct our optimism, our drive and our desire for success. I firmly believe that these are positive traits that will carry us a long way. I firmly believe that Omerica is destined for greatness and I am proud of the part I have played in making that into reality.

I want to thank everyone who has been there along the way and everyone who has made this job the experience of a lifetime. I will remember this time I have had and the people I have had the privilege to share it with fondly.

Thank you, Omerica.

Yours truly,
Ryan Pritchard
Former Omerica national football team manager

Bureau du Président de la Communauté de l’Omérique
Palais de la Fédération
Cercle-de-Congrès, PS 01-A00
COMMUNAUTÉ DE L’OMÉRIQUE
Office of the President of the Commonwealth of Omerica
Palace of the Federation
Circle of Congress, PS 01-A00
COMMONWEALTH OF OMERICA
Friends, Omericans, countrymen:

I warmly wish you a Happy New Year. I pray that all of you have enjoyed a great winter holiday and a very happy Christmas.

2017 has come and gone and a new year is on the horizon. In this new year, we must confront many challenges and questions that will define our future as a nation. Some of these questions are immediate to us: the question of our jobs, of our healthcare, of our education and of our security. Others are more distant, but none the less pressing: climate change, globalisation, automation and our relations with the world.

Our economy is thriving and our nation is competitive. Our people are compassionate and honest, our culture flourishing and our land beautiful. It is our task to make sure that our prosperity is sustainable and that its benefits can be enjoyed by all, now and into the future.

These challenges are not easy. The answers will not be simple. As a nation, we must confront these challenges with all of our energy.

The debate on the issues we face will doubtless continue as our tradition of direct democracy demands. You will have the opportunity to shape the future of Omerica through your vote and through your voice, to hold your elected officials to account and to decide the questions which most affect your lives. That is the strength of our democratic tradition. It provides all people the opportunity to shape the future in a tangible way, to bypass the representative and place the most pressing issues on the national agenda.

In searching for the answers to the questions that define our times, it is important that we listen to each other and understand each other. We must never forget that there is more that unites us than divides us. We may speak differently, worship differently, work differently, love differently or live differently, but we are united in our desire to make our Commonwealth the best nation it can be. We are united in our belief in the universality of human rights and in the strength of government by the people, for the people and of the people. We are united in our desire for well-being and community and a stronger, more prosperous Omerica that benefits all of its inhabitants.

I am confident in our ability to face the challenges which we are presented with. Our resilience is one of our greatest strengths and our courage in the face of adversity is worthy of admiration the world over. With these, we can achieve anything. With these, I am confident that 2018 will be the greatest year in our history and that 2019, 2020 and the years beyond can be even better.

I pray that all Omericans enjoy happiness, health and success this year and into the future. Happy New Year and God bless Omerica.

Yours faithfully,
Léonide Marie Cremaschi
President of the Commonwealth of Omerica

In witness:
Christine Grace Wesley, Deputy to the President
Justin Alexander van Schoorl, Federal Councillor
William Iain Rainier, Federal Councillor
Raphaëlle de la Grace Espina, Federal Councillor
Jean Sébastien de Felice, Federal Councillor
Fernande Annelise Siena, Federal Councillor

by **Banija** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:43 pm

Kadongo Kamu take all three points from Cup of Harmony opener with Tewedros scoring the match's lone goal

Teammates celebrate an early goal by John Tewedros(#8)

QASDEN- The Kadongo Kamu had worries about their form entering this tournament. They, of course, had lost 7 of their last 8 matches, including losing their final 3 world cup qualifiers and their 3 pre Cup of Harmony friendlies. Which meant, of course, 6 losses in a row for the boys in green, and worry that this team would fall flat in the Cup of Harmony. But, at least for the current moment, those fears have been dispelled. John Tewedros scored on a volley in the 33rd minute, and the Kadongo Kamu held on for a 1-0 to open up the 71st Cup of Harmony.

Banija started this game on the attack early, and wanted to take the game to their opponents. The players knew that with the way their schedule was backloaded, with their highest ranked opponents coming last, and the fact that they had a bye on the final matchday, that they would absolutely need to take maximum points from an early game like this if they truly wanted the opportunity to make the knockout stages. So, of course, the Kadongo Kamu hit them hard. With Mavuto hitting the crossbar from 35 yards out in the 4th minute, the players meant business and had their opponents on their heels.

They would take the game to their opponents, of course, and create plenty of opportunities. This team, except for the last couple of world cup qualifiers, played the entire qualification campaign with free-flowing creativity, and ferocity. They wanted to score on teams, and their aggressive style is what allowed them to have upset home victories over teams like Eshan and Chromatika, who both qualiifed for the World Cup Finals. They seemed to be knocking on the door for the entire first half.

And then, of course, there was a foul on the edge of the box. It was on the left hand side, so the angle did not allow for a serious attempt at a shot, but it allowed for a decent cross. Afolayan hit the ball across the face of goal, towards the back post, and in the 33rd minute, John Tewedros headed the ball into the back of the net to give his squad a 1-0 lead over their opponents. The players celebrated, and the Banijan fans started filling the stadium with chants and singing. They dominated the rest of the 1st half, as they went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Although the Kadongo Kamu dominated the proceedings in the first half of play, their opponents dominated play in the second half. Banija ceded possesion as they had to defend, and even Elijah Riga made his competitive debut for the Kadongo Kamu, as he entered the pitch in the 55th minute, relieving the game's goalscorer. This team kept possesion well, and defended well, and they had a lot to do to make sure that they would be able to hold onto this lead.

Somecoldwetisland's best chance to split the spoils came in the 85th minute, when Crinkly Joe had a great opportunity to score. He had been fouled, just 20 yards away, and he lined up to take free kick. He shot the ball over the wall as it bent, but a brilliant one handed save from Kasekende tapped the ball around the post, and that was that opportunity. Kasekende caught the incoming corner kick, and Somecoldwetislands did not seriously threaten after that. Banija won a close, tense game, 1-0, where they did just enough to get maximum points and give themselves a way too early to be talking about this lead in the group.

Randolf Cherry praised his players for their performances. "They played extremely well, and everybody who was on the pitch gave us good minutes. John Tewedros, one of the team's veterans, was able to score the goal that we needed to get on top in this matchup. But everyone played well. Kiggwe Mavuto kept the ball moving. Wasa Jawo and George Wangolo anchored the back line, and played with passion and fire, the fire that you expect from playing in a tournament of this caliber. We have a good mix of veterans and youngsters, but most of all, we have 23 hungry young men who are here to win."

Ultimately, Randolf Cherry said that the win was good, they have to build upon it. "I've always said this- one win, by itself, means nothing if you cannot build upon it. Our win against Chromatika was important because it was the spark that set a fire- that revived our world cup qualification, even if we ultimately fell short. It represented the progress that this team has made to becoming a major player on the world stage, and we need to have the same attitude with this win. Put it in our back pockets, and move forward. Pridnestrovia is an excellent side, with plenty of talented players. We're going to need to find ways to improve, on our finishing, on keeping possesion, and it will be a tough task to accomplish our goals that we have for this next game- taking all three points."

Ultimately, he is correct. Isaac Georgiadis will be familiar with more than a few players from their side, as many of them ply their trade in the Fleftic Premier League, which is the league where Isaac Georgiadis plays for Riuwee United. So that will be a big game for Banija's star central midfielder. This is an especially tough side to break down, so Banija should expect long spells of possesion with many lower quality chances. Banija's distance hitters, namely Mavuto and Georgiadis, will have to see if they can do something special from range, as the chances of breaking them down completely to get in close seem extremely small.

They will, however, have to guard against the counter attack. George Wangolo will be responsible for in form center forward Boyan Metodiev Radev, to make sure that he doesn't get behind the defense on a swift counter-attack. Banija will try to get the lead early, and take Pridnestrovia away from their preferred pack-it-in playing style, to try and open up the game a little bit. They will not want a very closed game, as one counter-attack can only ruthless finishers like RADEV to score on the Kadongo Kamu with only minimal opportunities. We will see what happens, but this will be quite the battle for Banija to take three points from this match.

by **Liberated American Provinces** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 6:10 pm

Liberated American Provinces

Ranking: 201
Formation: 4-3-2-1
Style Modifier: -1
Trigram: LAP
Nickname: The Rattlers
National Stadium: Robert A. Wollen Park

Manager: Dennis W. Wallace

Sqaud:
1 - Tom Harvard - GK - 31 years old
2 - Yacoub de Andre - DF - 21 years old
3 - Gonzalo Ramos - DF - 28 years old
4 - Bradley Michaels - MF - 28 years old
5 - Cameron Jefferson - DF - 27 years old
6 - Darius Nagleberry - MF - 25 years old
7 - Johann Aronsson - FW - 23 years old
8 - Clint Proudman (C) - MF - 28 years old
9 - Robby Forester - FW - 21 years old
10 - Chris Pullastick - MF - 19 years old
11 - Louis Fellini - FW - 21 years old
12 - Will Hamad - GK - 29 years old
13 - Maximilian Antoni - MF - 22 years old
14 - Kelly Costa - MF - 23 years old
15 - Jon Rivers - DF - 24 years old
16 - Wilfred Pfannkuchen - MF - 18 years old
17 - Joe Z. - FW - 29 years old
18 - Morris Jordan - FW - 22 years old
19 - Zach Graham - DF - 32 years old
20 - Paul Brest - MF - 24 years old
21 - Matthew Bushes - DF - 30 years old
22 - Jo Guzman - GK - 22 years old
23 - John Fabianson - DF - 26 years old

Starting XI

RP Info:
Choose My Goalscorers: Yes
Godmod Goalscoring events: Yes, but semi-realistic
Injure Players: Yes, but no death
Godmod injury event: No
Red card player: Yes, but only 1
Yellow card player: Yes
Godmod other events: No

by **Soltsteed** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 6:10 pm

Jan-Peter Wietdal’s flat, Eswelle
New Year’s Eve

KÖNINGLIK SOLTSTEEDISH FOOTBALLSBUND — ROYAL SOLTSTEEDISH FOOTBALL FEDERATION
Mr Wietdal:

As I am sure you are aware, the Royal Soltsteedish Football Federation has been very pleased with your performance thus far, with a few limited exceptions. Unfortunately, the performances of the Stallions have created advanced expectations and the stagnation of the national team in the last cycle has failed to satisfy the Federation’s Executive Board. We are concerned that the early performances of the Stallions, namely a Baptism of Fire win and one of the best performances among débutantes in the last World Cup qualifiers, may not be matched or improved upon if the current trajectory of the national team is maintained.

With Soltsteed in Pot 1 of the Cup of Harmony draw, this is an ample opportunity to put a second piece of silverware in the trophy cabinet and it is up to you to get it. We are demanding nothing less than a semifinal run. If you cannot achieve that, AOCAF will potentially be your last tournament.

Your job is secure for the moment, but we are expecting a result to come forth quickly and progress towards World Cup qualification to be made in the near future if you are to keep it in the long-time. If you cannot satisfy the Board and to why you should remain in your post, there are plenty of people both in Soltsteed and abroad who are more than capable of taking your role.

Sincerely
Christién Aleksanderssen
General Secretary, Royal Soltsteedish Football Federation

Jan-Peter stared at the dinged up medal on his wall, retrieved from the pits of the city by some kind soul, and sighed.

“I should have sold that damn thing off ages ago.”

Minor success had gone to the Federation’s and the nation’s heads and now people were frankly expecting too much, Jan-Peter thought. Things weren’t going to be perfect all the time. There were going to be bumps in the road.

Wietdal pored over the list of nations in the group.

Anthor. Maybe the slightest bit overrated, but still capable of packing a punch. Fourth place in a ten-team group isn’t a position to be ashamed of, but damn was it close. Maybe Soltsteed could get one over on them, but that would be a massive question mark.

Yesopalitha. A dormant danger. If anyone could do some damage to the Soltsteedish back line, it would be them. They knew how to attack and attack well, banging in goal after goal after goal. Their defence might not be great, but it might not be relevant.

Bojikstan. Highly underrated and incredibly dangerous. Perhaps the worst team to draw from Pot 4 and the one team who could totally derail the Stallions’ hopes and dreams. They may have been struggling, but never underestimate the power of will.

Omerica. A complete utter joke. If there was anyone less deserving of a spot in the tournament that the so-called “New Gazi”, it was them. They might try to plaster over their past, but is there really a point? The match would be a Soltsteedish win for sure.

The Stallions would get a run for their money. After all, what goes up must come down. And given the composition of the groups, a semifinal run would be a tough ask. If Soltsteed were to get there, it would take a metric shit ton of luck.

“Why do I even keep this job?” Jan-Peter queried himself.

It wasn’t a rhetorical question. With the mercurial nature of the Royal Soltsteedish Football Federation, Jan-Peter was legitimately wondering if he would be better off in another line of work. Managing a youth team couldn’t possibly be as bad as this seemed to be.

Looking up details on the opposing sides ahead of the flight to Ethane, Jan-Peter found something interesting: a resignation letter. Ryan Pritchard, the Omerica manager, had thrown in the towel. The letter was sappy and maybe a bit disjointed, but it was refreshingly honest. It brought a tear to Wietdal’s eye. He had actually found it sad when Electrum had defeated a broken and demoralised Omerica in Philibiscostal in what some would have justifiably presumed to be the last Omerica international in history. Even for their faults, no one deserved that kind of harsh fate. Even if he didn’t take Omerica seriously, Wietdal had to admire a man who gave so much for a sport and a nation he loved.

“What a damn shame,” Wietdal proclaimed to no one. “Can’t wait to see what fool they get to replace him.”

But that would be the last thing the Stallions would face. Anthor was first.

Jan-Peter packed his bags for what he assumed would be a short trip. No point in taking more than I’ll need. He calmly proceeded out the door and to the airport for a journey to New Sarum. The adventure had begun.

by **Ethane** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 7:11 pm

Match Day One Cutoff - Groups A-D
RP Prompt: As we step into the New Year, people are inspired by the new start and want to make a difference; in their family, community, or in their country, or the world. Everyone is inspired by the fresh start a new year supposedly brings. Therefore, my prompt for you is to include a person making a difference in their community/family/country/world in your RP. (This is only to give you ideas to RP and following or not following the prompt will not affect your RP Bonus in any way.)

RESULTS

Group A
Omerica 3–1 Yesopalitha
Soltsteed 4–0 Anthor

Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Soltsteed                     1   1  0  0    4   0  +4    3
2 Omerica                       2   1  0  1    5   4  +1    3
3 Anthor                        2   1  0  1    3   6  −3    3
4 Bojikistan                    1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
5 Yesopalitha                   2   0  1  1    3   5  −2    1

Group B
Bostopia 0–1 United States of Devonta
Osarius 1–1 Aggrey-Fynn Land

Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 South Toronto                 1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 United States of Devonta      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 Aggrey-Fynn Land              2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
4 Osarius                       1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
5 Bostopia                      2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group C
Dunnes 1–1 YueZhou
Darmen 2–3 Buyan

Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Buyan                         2   2  0  0    8   2  +6    6
2 YueZhou                       2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Dunnes                        2   0  1  1    1   6  −5    1
4 Darmen                        1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
5 Lisander                      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group D
Eastfield Lodge 4–2 Taeshan

Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Natanians and Nosts           1   1  0  0    5   1  +4    3
2 Eastfield Lodge               1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
3 Taeshan                       1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
4 Amazonesta                    1   0  0  1    1   5  −4    0

by **New Gazi** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 7:33 pm

Gazilian Players Invest In Pan-African Green Thumb Initiative

Three Gazilian soccer players joined a nongovernmental organization funded by private citizens, with many businesspeople and celebrities on the exclusive list of investors. The organization also receives funding from the Order Of The Purple Cross, a Vannish NGO.

The farming initiative helps grow crops ranging from industrial, to agricultural to medicinal. Many of the plants are used domestically, especially agricultural. Here, specialists with the NGO help refine irrigation and layouts while also introducing healthy genetics of a variety of crops.

Rice can be grown in a few places that just need investment to turn a handful of family farms into a multi-million dollar industry which will be large enough to help grow crops for use throughout nations affected by Order of the Purple Cross Disaster Response.

OPC members nations each had the chance of donating up to 200 million dollars upon signing the pact and joining the Order. Many generous leaders invested funds into this generalized buy in. A small percentage of that fund is being used to finance this pan-African imitative.

Making the news before the first few matchdays of the Cup of Harmony, players Uffe Diya, Imari Lefisse and Amare Contee each made donations between 3-5 million dollars, buying into the farming initiative. The fund would be used to invest in farms throughout Western Africa. One tribal nation would grow industrial Cannabis, with machinery and irrigation financed by The Initiative.

It would produce equipment for ropes and other products which may face tougher growing regulations in more restrictive environments. This nation was also turning waves of pomegranate groves fed by a pristine river, into delicacy drinks for high quality supermarkets in Vangaziland.

Others would grow lettuce and cabbage for domestic use.

"I think these are two projects I'm glad to buy into", said wingman Uffe Diya. "This will put economic resources into nations that have a ton of development ahead. "We hope that when the lands begin to enjoy the sorts of first world amenities we enjoy in New Gazi, including soccer teams, that these crops helped them get there."

A small percentage of the funds will also fund medical grade cannabis farms throughout the marshy savannah in unincorporated West Africa.

"Just by providing a large scale buyer for their fruit groves, we're helping to improve quality of life in the villages", said Imari Lefisse. The Vangaziland-born dual citizen spoke about the investments on a late night sports talk show.

"We're paying for their equipment and providing first class engineering support to help develop their farms. This is will grow even more funds over the years", Lefisse continued.

The donations are part of a larger movement of investments into humanitarian aid by celebrities. President Malcolm Ibori called for a holiday which would coincide roughly with the timing of the Cup of Harmony. It would be called the 'Day of Harmony'. The first Monday of a Cup of Harmony week, the President proposed, should be a day of Gazilian investment into humanitarian causes. Being located in Western Africa, helping neighboring nations would become a major priority in the first world African nation.

With it becoming a national holiday, Gazilians had the day off work, paid, and were told to spend the day's pay on gift giving. It could 'be as simple as buying a friend a drink", the President said.

The comment mixed with turning the next day off caused many people to donate to a few aid groups, and many more staying up late and buying rounds of drinks for friends and strangers at Gazilian pubs.

"It's fun to have a part in what became a sort of bar holiday", said striker Amare Contee. "But we hope Gazilians are just as generous when donating to aid groups as they are at the pub."

by **Qasden** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 11:03 pm

MD2 CUTOFF - Qasdonian Side

RP Prompt: With 2018 in full swing, only time will tell whether we progress for the better or worse. For your prompt, include a being of great power making a major change to some aspect of a city/region within your nation. (Following or Not Following the prompt won't cause the change in RP Bonus)

Group E

Mercedini 0–2 Juvencus

Group E                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus                        1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Filindostan                     1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1  
3 Northwest Kalactin              1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Mercedini                       1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group F

Pridnestrovia 2–0 Banija
Flardania 0–0 Equestrian States

Group F                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pridnestrovia                   2   1  1  0    3   1  +2    4
2 Banija                          2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
3 Equestrian States               2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
4 Flardania                       1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
5 Somecoldwetislands              1   0  0  1    0   1  -1    0

Group G

Vangaziland 1–0 Mattijana
Apox 2–1 Coldfield

Group G                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Apox                            1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Mattijana                       2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
3 Vangaziland                     2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Coldfield                       2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
5 Platerdam                       1   0  0  1    0   2  -2    0

Group H

New Gazi 1–1 Savojarna

Group H                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                         1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 New Gazi                        1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
3 Savojarna                       1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Liberated American Provinces    1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

by **Mattijana** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:17 am

Mattijana Off To Winning Start At Cup Of Harmony

MFO SPORT

Mattijana won their first group stage match of the 71st Cup of Harmony in Qasden, with a routine 2-0 victory over World Cup Qualifying group-mates Platerdam.

Having won 4-0 on the final day of qualifying, manager Dusan Vukoja and his team were keen to notch up another impressive victory over their familiar opponents and got off to a good start when Mathilde Lekarisa turned in an excellent low cross from Sofiane Bisrali just inside the first 10 minutes.
Platerdam showed few signs of a comeback after the early goal, but at least managed to keep the Mattijanan attack out having conceded. Marko Hojbjerg went close with a curling effort from just outside the box dipping just wide of the post. Andreas Weiss also had a header well-saved by Platerdam goalkeeper Saho Jaramillo after a corner was flicked on by Edvard Crajasovic.
Platerdam held on until the break, but any hopes of a rejuvenated line-up after half-time were dismissed shortly afterwards as Mattijana continued to knock the ball around at their quick tempo. Mathilde Lekarisa missed a golden opportunity to double the lead when she sliced a pinpoint pass from Katarina Jakupovic over the bar from 10 yards, shortly before another drive from Jakupovic was tipped around the post by Jaramillo.

Platerdam did manage to stir up a few nerves with their first proper attack of the game though. Paul Scorazzi slipped his marker on the left hand side and whipped in a delicious ball towards Sam Gallagher. The striker had time to take a touch before pulling the trigger, the ball taking a deflection off Mattijanan captain Katija Burnisevic before clipping the base of the post with Lucija Handanovic stranded.

With a slightly shakier atmosphere amongst the Mattijana supporters, the team rallied and finally managed to grab a second goal through an unlikely source. Katija Burnisevic collected a loose through ball in her own half and brought the ball forward at startling pace, like the Rugby fall-backs that Mattijana hopes to welcome for the 26th Rugby World Cup. The centre-back layed the ball off to Marko Hojbjerg, but contnued her run forward, collecting the ball on the left edge of the penalty area from Bisrali. She then cut inside of opposing captain Javier Bentley and curled a shot past Jaramillo, the ball kissing the post on its way into the top corner for Burnisevic's first Mattijanan goal.

With the deserved second goal finally going in, Dusan Vukoja chose to bring on Sophia Velezia and Daniella Alaba for Bisrali and Weiss whilst Mattijana once again began to knock the ball around at pace. Jessika Struna blasted a half-volley over from Jakupovic's ball in before Jakupovic herself hit the post with a deflected snapshot from the edge of the box.

Mattijana didn't find the third goal, but never looked like letting their opponents in and eventually settled for the 2-0 win, with Coldfield's 2-1 victory over Vangaziland meaning Mattijana top the group, albeit after only one game.

Mattijana manager Dusan Vukoja after the match:

It's a really great start for us. We knew we could have a really good match against Platerdam and I think we kept up a really good tempo through the whole match. It would have been nice to score more and I think we maybe should have, but it's a good win for us and we'll look forward to the match against Vangaziland.

On Katija Burnisevic's first Mattijana goal:
Katija's was great for us in qualifying. She can carry the ball really well for a centre-back and play some nice passes. She works really hard with the team in training and she's an excellent talker on the pitch, so I think she's really deserved the goal today and it's been a long time coming. She's become a lot more assured on the pitch recently and I think she can be an internationally great defender in a few years time.

Mattijana captain Katija Burnisevic after the match:

It's definitely a really nice day for me. I think we needed the second goal to kill the game at that particular moment, so it was great to get the goal and help the team to another 3 points.
On her finishing skills:
I used to play in Central Midfield a lot at school and even under 23 level, so it's a fairly familiar position to me. I didn't really know I still had it in me to score goals like that, so it's nice to see I can still put the ball in the right place. I love the contribution I can make at the back though, so I probably won't be playing up top any time soon and to get the clean sheet today was really satisfying as well.

Platerdam Manager Christopher Patton after the match:

I think we were a little dissapointing today. We never really got the kind of possession we wanted and the Mattijanan midfield were very good at breaking up our play when we had the ball and very good at holding onto it themselves, so credit has to go to them. We were unlucky not to score with the Gallagher chance, but I don't think we really deserved any points based on the balance of play.

by **Juvencus** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 5:19 am

Matchday 1 was a success!

The players celebrating their second goal

Mercedini XI:
GK:Daniel Hosset
CB:Harry Ossun
CB:Liam Dosic
RB:Isaac Catessic
LB:Callum Aznelik
CM:Adam Kraljic(Subbed off to Johnny Markus 58')(Yellow card 44')
CM:Johannes Nymark
RM:Ross Presic
LM:Tim Crasic
CF:Daniel Dostalok(Subbed off to Charlie Alotic 81')
CF:Ben Chillotov

Juvencus XI:
GK:Taddeo Bulgari
CB:Nicolò Bassi
CB:Amaury Félix(Yellow card 3')
CB:Valerio Scarpa(Subbed off to Dudu Madeiros 68')
CDM:Filipe Rodrigues(Subbed off to Gian Landi 79')
CDM:Nino Russo
RM:Hugo Grec(Goal 78')
LM:Angelino Alberighi(Assist 78')
RF:Demetro Laterza(Subbed off to Oriol Vives, 61')
LF:Joaquim Martell(Assist 37')
CF:Santo Silvestri(Goal 37')

The first matchday of the Cup of Harmony was played yesterday between Juvencus and Mercedini, after both teams receiving a bye in the actual first day of the competition.
Juvencus managed to emerge victorious over a strong Mercedinian opposition with a 0-2 scoreline, after a quite back-and-forth game between the two sides. In this matchday,
the talent of the two players playing in Mercedini, Grec and Alberighi was truly shown.

The first half started with the Mercedinians on the ball, pressuring the Juven side, with Crasic leading the attack from the left side, passing it to Dostalok, the latter which got tackled by Félix. Félix received a yellow card and jeopardized his team in the starting minutes of the game. The free kick was taken 27 meters outside the box, Crasic was the one taking it, he shot it right in, Bulgari saved it somewhat abrubtly before Bassi kicking it completely outside the box for the game to continue. A few minutes later, Juvencus went on the counter, Nino Russo kicked the ball deep for Laterza to receive it, he shot it wide. In the 34th minute, Mercedini was on the offensive again, but Dostalok's shot went wide. Juvencus quickly countered, Bulgari shot the ball deep, Alberighi headed it to Martell and the latter with a through ball found Santo Silvestri who shot it in, making it 0-1 in favor of Juvencus. Alberighi had the chance to extend the advantadge by scoring another one in the 44th minute but he was pushed by Kraljic, the first half ended in a 0-1 scoreline.

The second half started off just like the last one, with a Ben Chillotov shot hitting the cross bar. But the Mercedinians didn't stop there, with a well-weighed Nymark through ball finding Chillotov one-on-one with Bulgari and while he chipped it over him he was unlucky, as the ball went just above the crossbar. The gli attaccanti went on to the counter-attack, with Silvestri missing a grand opportunity to extend the advantadge in favor of Juvencus. In the 63rd minute, Mercedini came the closest to scoring a goal in the entire matchday. A corner kick resulted in a Dostalok header which was saved right on the goal line by Bassi. In the 78th minute, Alberighi sprinted in the left side with such speed that the Mercedinian defenders couldn't catch him, he crossed it in, Silvestri and Laterza couldn't capitalise but Grec was there to rocket the ball in, making the scoreline 0-2. No chances followed in the end of the game, the scoreline remained 0-2 until the end, giving Juvencus its first Cup of Harmony win.

The team is currently sitting first, with 3 points, in the 2nd place with have Filindostan and Northwest Kalactin, which tied with each other in the first matchday of the competition with an 1-1. Last is Mercedini, which we beat. Tommorow the team's getting a bye and in 2 days from now, we're facing Filindostan, which beat us in the pre-World Cup Qualification friendlies, this time we may need some sort of a vengeance for that, in the place that matters. Last matchday, in 3 days from now is against Northwest Kalactin, we may need to beat both oppositions to ensure qualification to the next stage.

by **Platerdam** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 6:51 am

National Team expresses condolences to the fallen Platerdem soldiers at North Accitania.

CUP OF HARMONY
ETHANE
In the last match of Platerdam against Mattijana, at Ethane, both teams took a minute of silence in honour of the fallen Platerdem soldiers that fought in the North Accitanian war. During that, the International Peace Anthem was played, a sign of protest against the war that already took the life of dozens of Platerdems.

This is not the only highlight of this game, the match was a tough match against Mattijana, who smashed the Platerdem team 2-0, Scorazzi was the losing star of this game, getting chances, and attacking, trying to open the sides, so our Forwards could shoot. Mattijana's defense was flawless, everytime we had a close chance, either defenders Crajasović and Neumann closed the way, and Handanovic had a perfect perfomance, stopping every shot that trespassed the Mattijanian (?) defense.

Platerdam's team didn't played last night, but, they will today. This maybe our last chance to get somewhere in this Tournament, they'll probably exchange the team with the U-Eighteen team. You know the ones, Mills, Halls, Tocci, Boyd. All of this amazing players will be on the field tonight, let's hope the best for our team. And let's win this thing, Platerdam.

IN OTHER NEWS:
- Presidential Elections delayed.
- The Room's screening at Orkney was a success.
- The Emoji Movie banned from Platerdam due to high levels of cringe.

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:10 am

Eastfield Lodge line-up

GK: Korbin Harvey
CB: Emely Towers
CB: Lucas Bacon (<> Tajo Carr-Ponce 68’)
RB: Eskama Nagi
LB: Hamaad Siddique
DMF: Hugh Ilyess
AMF: Malenna von Kraus (<> Methuselah Wallis-Iqbal 75’)
AMF: The Doctor
RWF: Breta Glibin
LWF: Charmine Berretti
ST: Tia Drenas (<> Kaiya Mohd 75’)

Taeshan line-up

GK: Jacob Jingleheimer-Smitt
CB: Jamie Fasnacht
CB: Edison Trueblood
RB: Alexander Kaiba
LB: Alex Turniquette
DM: Randall Abl Bakr (<> Wilhelm Quinones 61’)
RM: Geoffrey Klingenberg (<> Ensign Petersheim 72’)
LM: Janson Jewsbury
AM: Enrique Fuegahita
ST: Aleksandr Denisov (<> Horatio Galludet 78’)
ST: Miles Snavely

Eastfield Lodge 4-2 Taeshan
Drenas (21’, 68’), The Doctor (41’), Carr-Ponce (84’); Snavely (61’), Fuegahita (89’)

68% - Possession - 32%
12 - Shots - 5
8 - Shots on Target - 2
9 - Corners - 2
7 - Fouls - 15

Location: Brannigan Stadium, New Sarum, Ethane
Attendance: 55,243
Referee: Ontreeala Altariiz (Turori)

A Tia Drenas brace helped Eastfield Lodge on their way to defeating Rushmori rivals Taeshan 4-2 in their opening game of group D in the 71st Cup of Harmony.

Second matchday of the group stage campaign, and Eastfield Lodge and Taeshan would play their first matches of the tournament due to being in one of the four-team groups. Two teams with a very evenly matched history between them (both head-to-head and more generally, both being rather abject failures on the international stage), and the top two seeds of the group, both expected to advance to the round of 16. Natanians and Nosts could well be spanner in the works after their 5-1 victory over Amazonesta in the opening match of the group, but for now the two teams would be focusing on trying to get the upper hand over each other. To that end, both managers named full-strength starting XIs, although manager Shabeen Ahmad III opted for a more playmaking style, naming Olympia defender Lucas Bacon ahead of Royal Jam stalwart Tia Philip, to combat Taeshan’s notoriously frustrating park-the-bus tactics.

The match started much as everyone as predicted beforehand - Eastfield Lodge with most of the possession and on the front foot, Taeshan sitting back inside their half with 11 men behind the ball at all times. It was a drab first few minutes, with Eastfield Lodge passing the ball amongst themselves trying to probe for an opening, and Taeshan putting little pressure on the ball at the halfway line, remaining solid and compact. The first shot in the game was a long hopeful 25 yard effort from the Doctor about 9 minutes in, firing a loose ball narrowly over the bar with his first touch, not dipping enough to trouble Jacob Jingleheimer-Smitt. Taeshan offered very little going forward in the first half, their one opportunity in the first half coming after about 15 minutes in when Miles Snavely fired a free kick wide of the far post, beating the wall although Korbin Harvey seemed to have it covered.

The deadlock wouldn’t remain for much longer however, as the favourites began to crank up the pressure on the Taeshani defence, exploiting the rotation of the front five around the opposition back line to draw players out of space - Breta Glibin’s cross was perfectly aimed at one of these spaces, and with perfect timing came Tia Drenas to head the ball past Jingleheimer-Smitt for the opening goal, Jamie Fasnacht having failed to track her run into the space giving her a free header. That goal did begin to open things up, as Taeshan previously seemed content to play out a bore-draw. Now, they would be forced to come out of their comfort zone and start attacking a little. But whatever attacks they tried to put together broke down quite quickly, and they couldn’t find another shooting opportunity before half-time.

Taeshan opening up favoured Eastfield Lodge greatly on the other hand, as it allowed the midfield more space to move the ball around in, and von Kraus nearly doubled the lead shortly after the half hour mark when she had a half-volley from the edge of the box tipped over the bar by the keeper. Emely Towers nearly got herself onto the scoresheet from the resulting corner, her bullet header cleared off the line by Alexander Kaiba guarding the far post. The honour of doubling the lead would fall to the Doctor however a few minutes before halftime, showing off his individual skill with a wonderful solo goal - picking up the ball on the halfway line on the wing, he ran down the touchline, beating Kaiba for pace, before cutting inside him and curling a ball beyond Jingleheimer-Smitt into the far corner of the goal - one of the best Eastfielder international goals scored in recent memory, and Eastfield Lodge would go into half time two goals up in a vital match.

Taeshan had to change something over the break if they wanted to get anything out of this match, and clearly they changed their gameplan, if not the personnel or the formation, as they came out a much more organized unit. The second half started off more evenly balanced as well, as both sides enjoyed a lot of the ball, but there was little end product as both defences held firm. Taeshan did come close in those early exchanges through Aleksandr Denisov, who managed to run onto the end of Randall Abl Bakr’s long ball forward, but being ushered away from goal by the Eastfielder defence meant his acute angle shot could only find the side netting. At the other end, Tia Drenas came closest to extending the lead with a driven shot inside the box that hit the outside of the post via an outstretched boot - Breta Glibin also came close when she failed to capitalise on a poor backpass, Jingleheimer-Smitt stretching himself well to block the shot. But on the hour mark, the outcome of the game became a lot more uncertain, as Miles Snavely outclimbed Lucas Bacon to head home Janson Jewsbury’s cross, brining the scoreline to 2-1.

Taeshan’s ears were pricked up, sensing a comeback was on, but the hope did not last long as Tia Drenas popped up into the box to nod home Charmine Berretti’s corner completely unmarked, much to the chagrin of the Taeshani goalkeeper and the management. 7 minutes between the two goals, and Shabeen Ahmad made the decision to cut one of their routes to goal, by bringing on Tajo Carr-Ponce for Lucas Bacon specifically to deal with the aerial threat that the Taeshani attack posed. It worked, as he won header after header in the box, frustrating the strikers to no end. A couple more substitutions minutes later signalled that Eastfield Lodge were ready to defend this lead to the finish, with the more conservative Methuselah Wallis-Iqbal coming on for von Kraus and Royal Jam striker Kaiya Mohd on for Tia Drenas. It worked, as the game began to choke once more in midfield, with Taeshan struggling to find openings.

The game was put beyond all doubt 6 minutes before stoppage time, when a corner won by Mohd whilst time-managing was converted by Carr-Ponce, using his tremendous height and strength to beat the keeper to Glibin’s cross. 4-1 to Eastfield Lodge, and that meant three points were pretty much guaranteed. Taeshan would get a consolation through a brilliant free kick from Enrique Fuegahita on the stroke of 90 mins, but aside from that they couldn’t find another way back into the game, and the game finished 4-2.

All-in-all, a good performance from the favourites, although conceding two goals to Taeshan shows that some work still needs to be done defensively. Whether this means changes need to be made for the match against Natanians and Nosts in the next round of matches is still up in the air - they are a more attacking outfit, but have much less experience at this level of international play. Beat them, and Eastfield Lodge will likely not have to worry too much about the final match against Amazonesta, with a place in the next round all but guaranteed.

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Line-up to play Natanians and Nosts (4-1-2-3)
Harvey - Towers, Carr-Ponce, Nagi, Siddique - Ilyess - The Doctor, von Kraus - Glibin, Berretti, Drenas
No injuries or suspensions

by **Filindostan** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:36 am

OOC: Had an unplanned night out with friends, and with less time to make an RP plus a match report/preview, that will come in my next RP.

NATIONAL | BUSINESS | PROVINCIAL | INTERNATIONAL | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT

FOOTBALL
FFF launches Piala Pilindo - Tournament bracket revealed

SAN MARCO - The Filindostan Football Fedration (FFF) has launched the first edition of the country's national football club competition, the Piala Pilindo. In a short launch ceremony held in the FFF headquarters here in San Marco, the chairperson of the federation herself, Estie, was very elated to announce the format for the inaugural tournament, which will determine the Filindostani entry to the Cup Winners' Cup, which is well-known to the multiverse as the Cygnus Cup.

The format of the preliminaries include a regional tournament, which will be contested by football clubs outside the Filindostan Football League (FFL). This means that only four teams from the regionals will make it to the first round of the competition, which mean that one team has to win their respective regional tournament in order to have a spot in the Piala.

The competition, up to the semifinals, will use a replay system, which means that if the two teams draw their first match, then a match will be scheduled at the second team's home stadium, with extra time and penalties apply if the teams are still level. The final, which will be held at San Marco's Filindostan National Stadium, will be a single match with extra time and penalties if teams cannot be separated by goals.

The first round draw will pit the regional winners hosting a team who finished top four in the Filindostan Football Festival, each separated in their own semifinal block, meaning the winners of these matches will not face each other until the semifinals. The lower ranked team will always host the higher ranked team. Their opponents in the next round will be the winners of the matches between the remaining FFL teams.

First Round Draw

The logo of the Piala Pilindo as launched

The following sequence of matches will determine Filindostan's representative to the Cygnus Cup:

FR-1: Regional Winner Kabishawan vs Fortunas
FR-2: Kabanalan SC 004 vs San Lomar Cooperative
FR-3: Regional Winner Pelita Raya vs Perouno
FR-4: Polisi Pilindo vs Perokojak
FR-5: Regional Winner Tanjung Pagi vs Perotapam
FR-6: San Rafael Wardogs vs Perotres
FR-7: Regional Winner Kabunuklan vs Venividicci
FR-8: CSKA Filindo vs Perodos

QF-1: Winner of FR-1 vs Winner of FR-2
QF-2: Winner of FR-3 vs Winner of FR-4
QF-3: Winner of FR-5 vs Winner of FR-6
QF-4: Winner of FR-7 vs Winner of FR-8

SF-1: Winner of QF-1 vs Winner of QF-2
SF-2: Winner of QF-3 vs Winner of QF-4

Final: Winner of SF-1 vs Winner of SF-2

Based on what we see in the draw above, it will be a tough task for the regional winners of Kabishawan and Kabunuklan as they face Fortunas and Venividicci in the first round. Perokojak is also on the collision course with the Spartans, which they may face in the semifinals if the overcome the challenge of Polisi Pilindo and potentially Perouno, a direct consequence of failing to make it to the top four in the Filindostan Football Festival that they hosted.

We at Berita Filindo will be covering the regionals while full media coverage for the Piala Pilindo proper will be provided by Filindo Sports Television (FSTV).

SEE MORE NEWS

VAT-PLUS Law to take effect next month
Pula Garuda's Cup of Harmony campaign on jeopardy as they face Mercedini on a do-or-die match
Piala Pilindo regional tournaments to begin next month

Written by FSNA Staff.

by **Osarius** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:34 am

((OOC: Roster coming later. For now, use my last AOCAF roster as a general guide. Players will vary, but the starting eleven for my next match is in the spoiler at the end if you want it))

After a World Cup qualifying campaign that was both encouraging, and disappointing, Brent Steele has led his Firebirds to Ethane to compete in the Cup of Harmony. The first time an Osarian squad has done so in some fifty years. Evidently, the long absence has led to some confusion over protocol, as Steele's final squad of twenty-three was apparently not submitted on time, leading to some discussion over the validity of Osarius' opening game result -- a one-all draw against Aggrey-Fynn Land.

"There is a case to be made that none of the Osarian players in that game were legally registered to compete in the tournament," explains sports lawyer Joseph Oakes. "Which would then mean that the result is null and void, and realistically, should be awarded as a walkover to the Fynns." It's hard to dispute this line of thinking, but it has since transpired that the Firebirds' opposition on the day had also failed to meet the squad submission deadline. "Of course, in the case that neither side submitted their final twenty-three in time, the discussion shifts to whether any exemptions should be granted, and how that would affect other nations in their group. This, I believe, is currently under debate among the organisers." Oakes believes that both teams will be permitted to continue playing through the tournament as usual, providing their squads are submitted prior to the end of the group stage. "This is a common occurrence, in truth. So tournament organisers tend to be lenient, in order to maximise the spectacle for the fans. That's what this is all about really isn't it?"

All that aside, Steele has arguably bigger concerns, given his team's struggles to break down a resolute set of relatively inexperienced Fynns. "They mad it difficult for us," Steele admits. "But we got through in the end. It's just a matter of taking the positives from the game and building on those." When confronted on his team's lack of vertical incisiveness, and seeming over-reliance on the pace of Ryan Watson, Steele was less positive, however, taking a defensive stance and dismissing the concerns. "I don't think it's over-reliance to identify a strength and try to exploit it. Nobody said Osarius were over-reliant on Ezio Grassi when he was scoring 60% of the team's goals in all competitions. As for the passing, that just highlights my point about the Fynns making it tough for us. They closed off passing lanes and forced us to take longer routes to the goal. It's not a statement on our quality at all."

Within Osarius, some pundits have criticised the former Osarius international for "coddling" his players, and not being honest. "Brent knows the truth." Insists OSN's Tyrell Hamilton. "He's a defender. He knows how hard it is to shut down players with the quality of say, Ragnar Targaryen. Same goes for someone less obvious, like Federico Serra. Still talented enough to cause even the best defenders problems. Even Lloyd Allen, when he's on his game, can be almost impossible to defend against. We know we have the movement in the final third, I mean Aaliyah Johnson, despite being criminally overlooked repeatedly by Boldsport in the Galacticos Index, is arguably the best striker in the multiverse. Brent knows they should have done better, but to admit it now, would be to admit that failing to qualify for the World Cup was in no way a sign of progress. It would be admitting that his poor tactical decisions are the reason the Firebirds are not in Ceni or Drawkland right now."

Other pundits have shown some sympathy, with Laura Cormega, whose grandfather Roberto was considered one of the nation's foremost experts on tactical analysis in football, defending Steele on the academydropout.osr blog she took over when her grandfather fell ill. "What people are failing to realise about vertical passing lanes, when they argue that Osarius are too good to be shut down like this, is that they are actually exceedingly narrow if your defensive banks are aligned correctly." She wrote. Drawing on examples of Benedict di Corradi's Osarius -- not exactly renowned for their defensive organisation -- she went on to illustrate how even a half-baked defensive strategy can make things hard for all but the greatest attackers. "Defending is comparatively easy. This is why teams tend to build from the back. It's why forwards cost more. It's why the best players on the planet are usually forwards. Defending is less about creativity and guile, and more about focus and discipline. You can teach anyone to defend adequately, given enough time."

Steele does appear to be rebuilding Osarius, despite these frustrations, and he has done so "from the back", with intelligent, technically capable defenders playing crucial roles in this team. He has retained the rapid, counterattack potential that has always been present in Osarian sides, but is bringing a new level of tactical discipline and postitional awareness that hasn't really existed before. "Brent Steele's Firebirds are exceedingly rigid, as far as Osarian teams go." Writes Jonathan King, in The Caldera, a quarterly based in Grafite. "Historically, Osarius has taken pride in the national team's ability to find a way no matter what. We go forward and we create chances, we score goals, it's kind of our thing. And that's perhaps at the root of the current frustration. Instead of taking a proactive stance toward goalscoring, Brent Steele's Osarius is reactionary. Instead of the free-flowing attacking of di Corradi, the well-oiled machine of Sahota, or the intensity and drive of Lewis' champions, even the perplexingly intricate patterns of Robinson's Osarius ... Steele's Osarius does everything the easy way. They stay tight at the back, play the ball out carefully, and exploit any opening they see. If the opposition is organised enough to minimise those openings, Steele's Firebirds struggle, where di Corradi's or Lewis' Firebirds would have created another opening elsewhere."

What baffles most is that Steele has players in his squad who are more-than-capable of doing as those former teams did. So why won't he let them?

by **Vangaziland** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:15 am

Vangazi Look The Part In Meski Kit

126th ranked Vangaziland faced 84th ranked Mattijana in a battle between Esportivan nations. Although the Vannish mainland is located hours north east by air, ties directly through Barnicea give Vangaziland a major presence in Esportiva. The Empire is still developing skills on the football side of things, while rosters continue to be dominated by players from the Northern Mainlands.

"The Barnicean landscape could become the gold mine for future success", said FC Vang head coach, J. Fills. "With the addition of Barnicea into the official territories, dozens of players will be under the instant spotlight of our scouts. A few will probably get to try out. With the state of this team, four or five could end up in the program."

The Barniceans will add official Esportivan-born 'Vangazi', hailing from the Latin-Slavic people of Barnicea.

"They'll add a culture that's also tied to the love of the game", said midfielder Oskolde. "Northern soccer tries to copy the flair from places like Barnicea, but it doesn't come off as authentic. It's too focused towards the showmanship. I look forward to seeing what new talent will work its way onto future teams."

The current team is mainly made of mixed Scandinavian and African heritage. Future teams with Esportivan born Barniceans will add Slavic and Latin blood from a land where Spanish ships landed on a coast of Slavs and integrated with the land of sailors, fishermen and artists. Many also carry the blood of Moorish East Africans who led a ruiling caste for several hundred years.

One Vannish analyst says the Vannish national team, marketed as FC Vang is trying to 'look more Esportivan already'.

He was referring mainly to a 1-0 victory against fellow Esportivan nation Mattijana.

Ed Hjoerleif found himself the recipient as Oskolde sent forth a corner from the right. The Captain stepped forward and slipped past his defender. With the right positioning, he met the lobbing cross with a header that just seemed to only just outpace the keeper.

It was Vangaziland's lone goal of the match for an offense that looked mostly hurried. Mattijana would win the battle of possession, with a more established offense. Vangaziland just happened to get one to fall. Goalkeeper Teri Chambersen also had a big game in goal, finishing with a shutout.

"This game was definitely a highlight of my short career", she said. "You grow up watching the World Cup and then you find yourself in the Cup of Harmony against Mattijana. To walk away with a shut out is humbling."

The analyst, comedian Jeff Osstein, also pointed to the uniforms the team wore. They made by kitmaker Meski Sports. They are one of the few national uniforms made by a source outside of Vangaziland.

"The World Cup was different", said Aiden Hoss, an equipment manager who had a hand in the deal. "We felt having a uniform similar to the international standard was important. Teams usually showcase a bit of Vannish flair. We wanted more of a global vibe."

The team has 3 points in Group G along with Mattijana, Coldfield and Apox.

by **Darmen** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:17 am

OOC: All of these happen prior to the Cup of Harmony.

Monday, October 31, 2039
TO: President of the Republic Tor Tong Lee
FROM: Secretary of State for Culture and Sports Nur al Din Lambert
TOPIC: State of the Department

First off let me once again state how thankful I am to have been appointed to this job. It has allowed me to spend much more time with my family than I was previously able to.

That being said, after assessing the situation here at the Department, some significant changes need to be made, and quickly. Morale among the employees is exceptionally low,
the Fund for the Arts and Humanities is out of funds, and the Department does nothing for Sports. Seriously, this Department should really just be named the Department of Culture, that's all it does.

I'm not certain how much of this can be blamed on Jost MacKenna, but he clearly did not do a good job leading this department before I arrived. Half of my employees don't even now what their jobs entail, and the other half that does is very poorly trained in how to do them.

Please be aware that I will be making a rather large request for the 2040 budget, and I'll need every penny of it just to get this Department back on track. I may also make some cuts in the Department's workforce, and will certainly reorganize its branches and agencies.

We can talk more after the Cabinet Meeting on Wednesday. It is on Wednesday, correct? My personal assistant who should know these things, doesn't, and I'm a bit in the dark.
Hopefully we get things sorted out soon.

Saturday, December 31, 2039
TO: President of the Republic Tor Tong Lee
FROM: Secretary of State for Culture and Sports Nur al Din Lambert
TOPIC: New Years Eve celebrations

My wife and I would love to spend the evening with yourself and your wife. We were planning on going to dinner at the Haute Potato around six and then going home, but your plan sounds much better. I never have been in a hot air balloon before, it should be a fun experience.

We'll be able to see the fireworks right? And from a safe distance? I'm not sure my wife could handle it if you decided the balloon should fly right over the fireworks zone,
she has a weak heart you know.

Anyways, let me know as soon as possible when and where to meet up. I'll be leaving work in an hour or two, just have a few more reports to finish reading and sign off on, minor stuff really.

Monday, March 19, 2040
TO: President of the Republic Tor Tong Lee
FROM: Secretary of State for Culture and Sports Nur al Din Lambert
TOPIC: Order of Darmen Nomination

I'm not certain if I'm actually allowed to make a nomination, there's a panel that does that I believe, but, if I am, I'd like to do so.

Mr. Alberich Goldschmidt, I'm sure you'll remember him, Vice-captain of the Darmeni national football team, recently announced he was donating all of his international match bonuses to poorer schools to help improve their football programs. This is truly a selfless act deserving of recognition, and, with both of us being biased old footballers, why shouldn't we extend our nation's highest civilian honor to him?

I mean, sure, there will be plenty of those who won't agree Goldschmidt's generous gift is beneficial to the nation. They'll have wanted it to go to the poor, or the hungry,
or the homeless, or to the arts... but football is such a massive part of the Darmeni economy and identity. This next generation of footballers, the ones that are in school now, need schools football so very much. There are no other opportunities for them to play organized football. If we ever want to return to the World Cup, or, if I may be so bold, win the World Cup, than are young players must be given more opportunities to play at an early age. Goldschmidt has made certain that this will be taken care of, at least until this department has a chance to increase its activities in sports.

Speaking of which, do we have any pending legislation on that? I'm tired of managing museums. It's all I seem to do.

From the Office of the President of the Republic

EXECUTIVE ORDER CONCERNING THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF SCOTT CITY

In response to the situation in the Municipality of Scott City

The Metropolitan Police Department shall resume policing duties immediately, all units of the Darmeni Army and Gendarmerie deployed in the city shall return to their bases within 24 hours.

The following persons are appointed to the Municipal Council of Scott City to fill the Councils vacancies, for a period of time not to exceed the current term of the Council:
Gunnarr Shine (Movement for a New Darmen) - as Mayor
Frode Gabriels (MND) - as District Attorney
Nero Willis (MND) - as Councilor for Public Safety
Ingolf Stumpf (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Richard Papp (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Davidu Rattray (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Gereon McAfee (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Claus O'Hannigain (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Hallbjörn McCoy (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Clovis Lehrer (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Gwillym Arbeit (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Casey Langlois (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Hyman Ryers (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Monty Bellerose (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Saturn Scheinberg (MND) - as a Common Councilor
Ebbe Ohme (MND) - as a Common Councilor

The State of Emergency declared for Scott City is hereby ended.

Ordered: July 26th, 2040
For the Period of: N/A

Signed: Tor Tong Lee, President of the Republic; Alex Quinn, Speaker of Parliament; Napoléon Cockburn, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

by **Banija** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:09 pm

Frustration evident for the Kadongo Kamu as they fall 2-0 to Pridnestrovia

Teammates reacting to a late second goal by Pridnestrovia to bury the Kadongo Kamu

QASDEN- The Kadongo Kamu had a tough, grind it out victory that took almost everything out of them on matchday 1, when they went toe to toe with Somecoldwetislands, before finally proving victorious with a tough, 1-0, grind it out victory over their groupmates. The story could not have been any different against Pridnestrovia. These team consistently packed tons of defenders behind the ball, allowed Banija to have 65% possesion, and allow Banija 15 shots, though only 4 were on goal, and only 1 shot came from inside the 18 yard box. The Kadongo Kamu could not break down this excellent defensive side, and quickly grew frustrated, as the second half saw them turned towards launching long shots as balls into the box could not reach their targets.

The first half was a tight, physical affair, where Banija held the majority of the possession, but the opposition was not going to be broken down. Crosses into the box where always met by Pridnestrovian defenders, and whenever they entered the final third, the defenders got close and were physical, outmuscling this Banijan side off of the ball, and consistently sending the ball booming deep into the Banijan half of the field, where Kasekende would gather the ball and send it to hsi defenders, who will play it up through the midfielders. It made for a boring first half, where Banija had a couple of long range shots that didn't seriously threaten the goalkeeper, while Pridnestrovia didn't have nay.

The second half was also a physical affair, but Pridnestrovia found a breakthrough in the second half. It came in the 58th minute, with Kasekende, once again, controlling the ball after a long ball. He sent a punt booming past the halfway line, and Isaac Georgiadis went for the ball alongside Pridnestrovian captain Vladislav Bogomolov. Isaac Georgiadis went up from behind and pulled him down with his hands, earning a fairly obvious yellow card. That, however, gave the Pridnestrovians an opportunity to score. The ball was passed to Pajari on the flank, who used his left foot skills to dribble past Banijan defenders and service a cross towards the middle. As soon as the ball left his foot, every Banijan fan's heart dropped as they saw Radev wide open across the middle. He easily headed the ball home, and Prindestrovia led 1-0.

From this point forward, the game started to get physical. Banija, while not dominating the game per say, had the vast majority of the possesion, and Pridnestrovia scored on their only shot of the game? Banijan players quickly grew frustrated, and began to push forward towards an equalizer. They were able to push towards an equalizer, when Bogomolov had a rough sliding tackle on Kiggwe Mavuto in the 72nd minute. He earned a yellow, and it would be Banija's prime opportunity. Mavuto's effort, however, flew inches wide, causing him to yell as the chance was lost.

They did not get another serious chance to score for the remainder of the game. Isaac Georgiadis was particularly frustrated, considering many of the opposing teammates were his rivals in the Fleftic Premier League. It showed in the 85th minute, when Georgiadis, the dominant central midfielder for this squad, competing for a header at midfield after a goal kick with Bogomolov, went up and almost tackled Bogomolov to the ground trying to get the ball. His physical style of play was starting to get to the Banijans, and it showed. Georgiadis had no choice but to be shown his second yellow in the 85th, and he will miss Banija's crucial matchday 3 game with 19th ranked Flardania, the group's top seed.

Banija's emotions were clearly getting to them in this frustrating matchup. Tewedros and Jawo both received yellows after that for dangerous slide tackles, while Mavuto was shown a yellow for chucking the ball at a Pridnestrovian defender for him to throw it in, and he hit him in the face. In stoppage time, Banija sent everybody forward, including Kasekende, for a last gasp corner kick. They did not score, and the ball was punched away, allowing Radev to score on an empty netter in the 1st minute of stoppage to give his team a 2-0 win.

Elijah Riga, who had just recently received his first call up, will now be called upon to take Georgiadis' place. "We played hard today, but unfortunately, we lost. We let our emotions get the best of us, and that is unacceptable. Some foolish yellows by a few of our players, who usually are level-headed. I understand the frustration, but we cannot allow this to happen. We must keep control over ourselves, and if we don't check our own emotions, games like this happen. We need to focus on staying focus, staying in control, and doing what we can to play our best possible game against Flardania."

This improves Randolf Cherry's all-time record as the national team manager to 12-12, a perfect .500, with an 11-9 overall record in competitive games. In his first 24 games as a the national team manager, he has not once drawn- that is a record for this team, though we don't know if that's an international record. He has, however, won one game in extra time, and has lost another on penalties, though those were both technically considered friendlies.

We'll see what he can do against Flardania. Banija has not had a storied history in the Cup of Harmony, getting last place their first Cup of Harmony and losing out on advancing in their second thanks to the second tiebreaker, goals for. And now, many years later, they are back, trying to finally make the elusive knockout stages at this tournament. Can they beat Flardania? A team ranked in the top 20 in the world, and the highest ranked team at this tournament, will be a tall order for this team, made even taller as they will miss Isaac Georgiadis due to suspension.

They have phenomenal goalscorers in Yabuta and Ichikawa, while Elijah Riga will have to see if he is up to the task of containing a stellar player like Ako Izumi, who is capable of torching the defense of the Kadongo Kamu with her passing abilities. It will be a tough one, but it is possible, as the Equestrian States did just hold them to a 0-0 draw while Banija was busy losing to Pridnestrovia. Ultimately, if the Dodge City central midfielder can step up and have the game of his life, Banija might have a shot. If not, then it's quite possible that this squad will, once again, be facing an early exit from a tournament that they cannot seem to solve- the Cup of Harmony.

by **New Gazi** » Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:25 pm

Uffe Diya and Imari Lefisse shared a suite in the downtown hotel currently housing the Gazilian team. Both players were married and had similar habits, so they tended to stick together on trips.

New Gazi was set to face Ko-oren. It was sure to be a tough matchup for a Gazilian side which snuck into the tournament in the bottom of Pot One. The Dragonflies featured a 5-3-2 and a tough defensive stance to help control possession. The game would be a fight.

The pair worked together at practice just a few hours ago. Now they were watching sports news shows, live from Vangaziland, over a large TV screen. A laptop was connected to the HDMI ports.

As a background conversation talked about domestic Vannish lacrosse, the two players spoke about the team.

"I'm surprised we only have one small segment on this show, man", said Imari Lefisse. The Scandinavian Vangazi said from a recliner. He adjusted the settings to lean back. It had a massaging feature that was good for his back. He didn't have it turned on now though, wanting to hear the show without the buzzing noise.

"I know", said Uffe Diya. Although born in Africa, Diya's golden skin showed he most likely also carried some of the Vann blood from the North. After a menu pops up on screen, the winger replies "Dude, they're doing two segments on the Indian Champion's League."

Lefisse replied in a huff, "Prince Fritz sold us out! If he invested in a Gazilian team or even a Vannish team, then maybe we'd be in the spotlight. What about the Vangazi playing in Africa? He knows about us." Lefisse seemed to be taking the situation personally, being somewhat of an expat, if not considering the dual citizenship laws.

"Face it, Prince Fritz isn't following you", Diya joked. "There's just more money to be made in India.""

"Why does everyone keep saying that? The same could be done here. Well, in New Gazi." Lefisse sat his chair up and leaned forward to grab his phone from the counter. He wanted to look up a few steps.

The story on the TV screen finally switched to the feature on New Gazi. A familiar image of Amare Contee dressed in his kit, smiling was in the corner of the screen.

"How often do they use that Contee pic?" Diya asked in a tongue in cheek fashion.

"More than enough."

The segment quickly showed the lone Gazilian goal against Savojarna. It was a speedy run up after two passes and a searching ball forward. Contee just got to it with lots of speed. The keeper was caught part way between leaving the line and leaping after the shot. The ball would curve to the far right and score.

It seemed like after only the quickest analysis, the topic quickly changed to the next event.

"That was so brief", Diya exclaimed.

There was a commercial break. When, the show returned the topic focused on FC Bakati North. Earlier there was a general overview on the ICL. Now the specific club team the Vannish Prince was investing in was getting coverage. The players grumbled, seeing the spotlight elsewhere. They tried not to focus on it.

Diya grabbed the remote and turned away from shots of a Bakati player running towards the goal.

"Let's just watch scary movies... Distract ourselves from this slap in the face by the Vannish media."

They were both half joking, but they did wish for as high of a profile as possible. They wanted their team to have the attention of the large foreign market to the North. Of course, Lefisse could look into getting onto the Vannish national team, FC Vang. But that could prove complicated. Lefisse hadn't exactly done wonders in New Gazi on a team which had still failed to qualify. Still, the Gazilians displayed a fighting spirit that gave them something to hope for.

Many Gazilians believe the team is just one strong effort away from a serious World Cup run. The first step to that, at this point, would be a strong run in Cup of Harmony 71. These two knew it and chose to distract themselves from it, by focusing on things out of their control. It made things easier. It was best to enter the games mentally neutral, or as close to that as possible. They had to decompress. Anxiety about performance wasn't going to help.

It was relaxing to blame the team's low profile on distant royalty. Hopefully, the team would show up on gametime to force their way into the public eye.

Everything Thread - Cup of Harmony 71

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