World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

by **Equestrian States** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:09 pm

Roleplay

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World Cup 79 | Cup of Harmony 71 | Baptism of Fire 67

Welcome to the 80th World Cup, being hosted by the Equestrian States and Starblaydia!

This is where you should post your roleplays, whether they be multi-part epics, short-but-sweet journal entries, or anything else that you might come up with. We'll be adding information regarding the schedule, group draws, and anything else we deem necessary to this post as the tournament progresses.

Finals Groups

Group A

Starblaydia (21)

Free Republics (40)

Nephara (9)

Abanhfleft (24)

Group B

Turori (15)

Ethane (18)

Juvencus (38)

Farfadillis (2)

Group C

Drawkland (19)

Schottia (1)

Electrum (10)

Buyan (37)

Group D

Valanora (12)

Baker Park (76)

The Holy Empire (6)

Ceni (16)

Group E

Equestrian States (41)

New Gazi (35)

Vilita (13)

Banija (62)

Group F

Chromatika (7)

Barunia (48)

Cosumar (14)

Sargossa (28)

Group G

Brenecia (8)

Eura (5)

Damukuni (26)

Savojarna (45)

Group H

Darmen (36)

Mriin (17)

South Covello (3)

Pasarga (11)

Finals Draw - Pots

Qualifying Groups

Qualifying Draw - Pots

Tournament Schedule

Finals - Group Stage
The group stage will consist of each team playing the others in their group once in a single round robin. Starblaydia will scorinate his groups (Groups E-H) at approximately 3:00 PM EDT (19:00 UTC). Equestrian States will scorinate his groups (A-D) at approximately 11:00 PM EDT (03:00 UTC). The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.

Friday, May 25: Match Day 1 - 1v4, 2v3
Sunday, May 27: Match Day 2 - 4v3, 1v2
Tuesday, May 29: Match Day 3 - 2v4, 3v1

Finals - Knockout Stage

Thursday, May 31: Round of 16 - A1vB2, C1vD2, B1vA2, D1vC2, E1vF2, G1vH2, F1vE2, H1vG2
Saturday, June 2: Quarterfinals - SR1vSR2, SR3vSR4, SR5vSR6, SR7vSR8
Monday, June 4: Semifinals - QF1vQF2, QF3vQF4
Wednesday, June 6: 3rd Place Playoff - SF1 Loser vs. SF2 Loser
Thursday, June 7: Final - SF1 Winner vs. SF2 Winner

by **Equestrian States** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:10 pm

LONELY MULTIVERSE
The Approx Guide to the Equestrian States

Introduction

The Pony Principality of Equestrian States is a diverse country inhabited by dozens of sapient species, each contributing to the nation's proud culture of tolerance and giving the Equestrian States a reputation of compassion and kindness. Tradition and innovation have combined well in this Southwest Atlantian Oceania nation, rapidly bringing it into the modern era after centuries of isolation from the rest of the multiverse. This Lonely Multiverse travel guide is designed to be the ultimate companion for any tourist (regardless of their species) visiting the Equestrian States, and is loaded with every tip and bit of advice one needs to have an safe and enjoyable stay.

History

Originally colonized by sapient equines (commonly referred to as ponies) from Magical Equestria over 2000 years ago, the Equestrian States was first established as a largely-autonomous overseas territory of its motherland. As a colony, the Equestrian States was fairly prosperous, developing a matriarchal society similar to that of Magical Equestria and other prominent Pony Lands nations. Several decades after the first ponies set hoof on the islands now part of the Equestrian States, however, the rise of a mysterious and chaotic entity known as Discord led to the government of the growing colony to adopt strict isolationist policies to avoid attracting the attention of Discord.

Several centuries later, the anarchic reign of Discord in the Pony Lands came to an end, though the Equestrian States remained firmly entrenched in its isolationist policies. Having formally declared its independence from Magical Equestria during the rule of Discord, the Equestrian States was reluctant to turn away from the policies which had allowed it to escape the turmoil faced by the rest of the region. Yet another cataclysmic event, just over a millennia ago, saw the known world embroiled in conflict with itself and the fledgling former colony sunk deeper into isolation for the next several centuries.

However, about 200 years ago, the long-standing policies separating the Equestrian States from the rest of the region gradually began to erode with the rapid growth of international maritime trade. Though it would take until just 50 years ago for the remaining isolationist policies to be overturned or made obsolete, foreigners began to take note of the Equestrian States and its northern location in the Pony Lands. What finally drove the ponies of the Equestrian States to abandon isolationism entirely was commerce, with the nation's location being perfect as a refueling and stopping point for ships traveling from outside the Pony Lands.

Active membership in the Coalition of Ponyist States (a military, economic, and political alliance famed for its quick, efficient, and merciless dealings with nations actively persecuting sapient equines and other non-humans) gave the Equestrian States reason to become heavily involved in international politics and trade. Within a decade, the Equestrians entered the modern era, utilizing magic in creative ways to avoid industrial pollution wherever possible and speed the nation's development.

Today, the Equestrian States is an advanced country that has successfully merged tradition, magic, and technology. With an economy dominated by tourism, agriculture, and the mining of precious minerals, the Equestrians have found their niche in the international community. Thanks to its location in Atlantian Oceania (after some magical miscues led to the nation relocating from the Pony Lands), the Equestrian States has become a travel hub for many visiting the region from around the world, and the nation is easily among the more prosperous and safe for foreigners to visit.

Geography & Climate

The Equestrian States is best described as an island nation. However, most Equestrians live on the largest island, which is referred to by locals as the mainland, due to its size and role as a population and commercial center for the country.

The mainland is mostly flat grassland and plains, though forests and hilly areas exist and are generally scattered throughout the island. Running north to south are the Harmony Mountains, named for Mt. Harmony near the capital city of Canterlot. The mountain range divides the mainland into eastern and western geographic regions, and was once home to dozens of active volcanoes. However, no eruption has occurred in the Harmony Mountains in over 800 years, and the range is believed to be inactive. The ancient volcanic activity on the mainland (and on many of the Equestrian States' smaller islands, as well) resulted in mineral deposits from which Equestrian miners have extracted gold, silver, and other valuable materials for export.

Two notable exceptions to the mainland's grassy majority are the Everfree Forest and Southern Desert. The Everfree Forest is more of a jungle than a temperate forest, and is widely considered the most dangerous region in the Equestrian States due to its large numbers of wild carnivorous species, some of which would be considered "mythical" by foreigners. Within the Everfree Forest is the city of Everfree, located along the banks of the Stampede River and home to the largest population of non-equines in the nation. A number of more typical temperate forests surround the Everfree Forest itself.

The Southern Desert is (as one might expect) a dry region located in a small pocket of flat land surrounded by the Harmony Mountains near the southern coast. The only major population center in the Southern Desert is the small city of Appleoosa, located in what could be considered by some as a cooler oasis.

But where things begin to get weird for the average tourist is the Equestrian States' weather. Due to the magical nature of many of its inhabitants, the Equestrians are fully capable of creating, manipulating, and otherwise controlling the clouds and weather. This gives them the ability to determine where and when in rains, snows, hails, or any other . The Equestrian government is very actively involved in coordinating the pegasai of the country to generate and control weather patterns favorable to the Equestrian States inhabitants (and its many farmers, in particular). As such, the odds of an Equestrian weatherpony giving an incorrect forecast are almost nonexistent, unless you happen to be in the Everfree Forest (the only region of the Equestrian States where the weather is practically impossible to control due to a prevalence of wild magic).

Travel

Travelling to the Equestrian States is generally easy, as most methods of interregional travel are available to visitors from outside Atlantian Oceania. Most international flights to the Equestrian States arrive at Canterlot's Harmony International Airport, but other regularly-used airports such as Manehattan's Royal International and Stalliongrad's Friendship Heights International are easy to find flights to. However, it should be noted that pilots flying to and from the Equestrian States internationally must receive additional certification due to the nature of the Equestrian States and much of the surrounding area. Because of this additional requirement for pilots, some airlines do charge extra to cover the training fees.

Once in the Equestrian States, there are many other options for travel. Rental cars, taxis, and busses are easy to find in the larger cities such as Manehattan, Stalliongrad, and Everfree, though one might notice that most vehicles are electric-powered. But while cars and busses are regularly used in some cities, there are also several in which their use is limited to emergency services (most notably in Ponyville and Canterlot's Old City district) or is totally banned (as is the case in Cloudsdale).

However, the limited use of automobiles is balanced out by the proliferation of trains for travel between and within cities. Some of the more prominent and historical lines (such as the Ponyville-Canterlot Express) still use steam-powered engines or high-speed trains designed to mimic the classical appearance of an Equestrian train. Subways are also a common feature in Equestrian cities, spreading underground to connect many places of interest for foreign tourists. Cloudsdale is the only city where cars, buses, and trains/subways are unavailable.

But in the end, the most common method of travel in the Equestrian States is one's own two feet (or whatever you have to walk on). Few Equestrians drive or use public transportation unless they have to, preferring to take in the clean air on their way from place-to-place.

Culture & Society

Religion

Any analysis of Equestrian culture and society must begin with its majority religion and guiding philosophy: Harmonism. A dualistic religion, it revolves around the physical sun and moon deities, Celestia and Luna, as well as the six principles known as the Elements of Harmony. The religion's origins are near-impossible to determination, though it is widely believed to begun shortly after ponykind first encountered Celestia and Luna over two millennia ago. Unlike other religions, Harmonism lacks a written scripture or centralized multiversal organization to create such writings, occasionally resulting in disagreements between Harmonists from different regions. For the sake of brevity, we will only be exploring the most common spiritual and secular beliefs held by those from the Equestrian States.

As stated earlier, the central beliefs of Harmonism include the worship of the Regal Sisters (Celestia and Luna) and adherence to the Elements of Harmony. Immortal and, according to spiritual Harmonists, capable of moving celestial bodies through magic, the two Regal Sisters are worshiped (or at least respected) by ponies throughout the multiverse as living goddesses. Some have recently begun to question the actual power of the Sisters, though it is widely accepted among ponykind that they are the two most powerful magical beings in existence.

The six Elements of Harmony are Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. These Elements exist both as philosophical concepts as well as physical objects capable of great power that contain the purest magical essence of the aforementioned virtues. The philosophical aspects of the Elements are more central to Harmonist faith as a set of morals to guide one throughout life. They are, for the most part, fairly self-explanatory, except for Magic. The sixth element has been connected not only to the ability of equine Harmonists to use magical spells, but also to the drive for new knowledge or understanding. It also has been connected to the power of friendship, and is mentioned in the most common Harmonist saying: "Friendship is Magic".

However, Harmonism has expanded from its spiritual roots (particularly as more non-equines are exposed to harmonist teachings) to become a secular philosophy as well. Secular Harmonists generally try to follow the virtues of Harmonism, though they generally do not believe that the Regal Sisters are physical goddesses. The expansion of Secular Harmonism has also led to the traditional virtues being adopted and woven into other religions as well, such as Christianity. Excluding the overwhelmingly Spiritual Harmonist equine population of the Equestrian States, the most common religion is Harmonist Christianity, which is especially popular among the human inhabitants of the nation.

Language

Traditionally, ponies have spoken in their native Equestrian tongue; however, since the emergence of the Equestrian States into the international community, laws have been passed requiring citizens to be capable of speaking multiple languages. The most common non-Equestrian language is easily English, which is spoken by approximately two-thirds of the population. It should be noted that some English words have been altered by Equestrians to better fit the equine majority, as the use of "everypony", "anypony", "hoofball", and other such words are modifications of the more standard English words. Mastery of many different languages is especially common among Unicorns, and as they are generally the ones more involved in business, are easy enough to find for foreign visitors. Numerous translating services exist throughout the Equestrian States, and airport bookstores generally contain a plethora of multilingual dictionaries for purchase.

Food

As one might expect from a nation dominated by a species of herbivores, many traditional Equestrian dishes are vegetarian in nature. The proliferation of such food is also furthered by the general lack of agriculture for the purpose of raising up animals for the slaughter. To hurt another living creature is, to many Equestrians, simply unthinkable. However, the Equestrian States is not only inhabited by equines, but also by griffons, dragons, and humans (among others). Restaurants do exist to cater to these non-equine species, and do serve a wide variety of meats imported from outside of the region. That being said, it would be unwise to be seen in public eating a hamburger made from beef or any other meat product as many Equestrians are disgusted by such foods. This can make finding food difficult in smaller cities and in the nicer areas of the larger ones. A general tip would be: if your waiter looks like a herbivore, don't ask them for a cheeseburger or steak. Equestrian cafes are fairly creative with what they can do with non-meat products, and the bread and pastries are oftentimes better than what you might find in other nations.

Drink in the Equestrian States also differs significantly from other nations around the multiverse, as the most common alcoholic beverage is hard cider, which can be found at virtually every bar, pub, and restaurant. Ponies generally refrain from drinking too heavily, but other non-human sapients such as griffons are known to consume vast quantities of alcohol in a single sitting. We advise our human readers to graciously decline any drinking challenges offered, as one is unlikely to win, and drunk griffons can be notoriously temperamental. Beer is a distant second to cider, in terms of both popularity and availability, though bars and eateries which cater to human tourists will often keep domestic Equestrian brands in stock.

Inter-Species Relations

As the Equestrian States is home to a wide range of species, it is practically impossible for any visitor to the country to avoid seeing a member of another species, regardless of where they might be. Unicorns could pull this off in certain neighborhoods of Canterlot, and Earth Ponies could do the same in isolated rural areas, though foreigners will often stumble across other species upon entry into the Equestrian States as customs officials are perhaps the most diverse Equestrian demographic.

Relations between the three major pony races have not always been smooth, and some tensions still exist today despite the educational system's teaching of acceptance and tolerance. However, inter-species violence is very rare within the Equestrian States, as is violence in general, with the possible exceptions coming from dragons, griffons, and other more naturally-aggressive species. Angering a dragon is about as dumb as it sounds, and is not advised unless one has a death wish.

Visitors to the Equestrian States are also advised to avoid appearing speciesist to locals, as Equestrian society could be described as having a herd mentality, where an attack against or insult towards one person might be considered an attack on all those around that person. Thus, some words to avoid using in the Equestrian States are: horse, mule, foal, or donkey. Calling a pony any of those terms is likely to result in a backlash towards the offending individual, as they are considered to be offensive unless one is actually speaking to a sapient horse or donkey, which are both easy to tell apart from ponies through their size and general lack of bright-colored fur or manes.

Venues for the 80th World Cup

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Note: If you want more information on the Equestrian States, be it specifics on a stadium or city, hotel names, or anything else that you might need, feel free to send me a TG or contact me on the #nssport IRC.

by **Starblaydia** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:11 pm

In association with the

Starblaydia - Host Information

Background

Simeone Di Bradini, former Starblaydia Striker

Starblaydia is one of the oldest nations still playing in the World Cup, having debuted in World Cup 15. It also has one of the most successful national football teams in history, having won a joint record five World Championships, the last coming in World Cup 47, with their last Final appearance coming unexpectedly in World Cup 63. They have also won six AOCAF Cups from their north-eastern corner of the sporting superpower region of Atlantian Oceania, been victorious two Under-21 World Cups, and a number of other non-WCC affiliated tournaments such as the Olympics. Starblaydi citizens have served as President of the World Cup Committee for seventeen of it's seventy-nine cycles, with the legendary Simeone Di Bradini, slightly less legendary Giovanni Lopez and Starblaydi cult hero Lex Panarii all taking the helm of the governing body in that time.

Starblaydia are among the most successful World Cup nations of all time, having won a joint-record five World Cup titles. They have won a total of eighteen tournament championships, which also includes six championships at regional level in the AOCAF Cup, Men's Olympic gold medalists and four other minor tournament wins. Starblaydia are ranked fourth on the all-time list of footballing nations, as measured by the Spaam Ranking System, and were inducted into the World Cup Nation Hall of Fame after World Cup 27. To date, twenty-four Starblaydi players have been entered into the World Cup Hall of Fame.

History

Starblaydia first entered the World Cup for the 15th edition, beginning a long regional rivalry with now three-times Champions Vilita, and first qualified in the 17th edition. After co-hosting two consecutive Baptism of Fire tournaments with Vilita, the SFA progressed to win the bid to co-host the highly-successful World Cup 20 with Bekkside neighbours Druida. Five tournaments later, Starblaydia won their first world title, defeating Rejistania in the final of World Cup 25 in Kaze Progressa and Audioslavia. They repeated the feat in World Cup 28, knocking off Bedistan on penalties in The Archregimancy and New Montreal States, and finished as runners up in World Cup 31.

A decade-long government-enforced hiatus kept Starblaydia out of the World Cup from 35-37, before the SFA re-entered in World Cup 38, finishing as runners up in the Baptism of Fire. Qualifying for the World Cup the very next edition, they made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals, where they promptly had their largest defeat ever handed to them by home team Valanora, thrashed 7-1. The SFA then became the only body in history to host and co-host all three WCC tournaments in a single cycle, as part of the ‘über bid’ for World Cup 40, with WC and CoH co-host Krytenia. Valanora would take this, their first of a record-equaling five crowns so far, and the only team to defeat them in the knockout stages between World Cups 40 and 44 was Starblaydia, twice in Semi-Finals, when they went on to win WCs 41 and 44, with Valanora taking 42 and 43 in one of the great all-time national rivalries in the World Cup. World Cup 47 saw the two nations meet in the Final for the first time and Starblaydia, in Valanora, defeated the Maruaders to claim their record-breaking fifth world title.

Starblaydia's only notable performance since that time has been in World Cup 63, where they unexpectedly made the Final, otherwise their involvement in the most prestigious tournament in the world has been fairly inconsequential. Not so this time around, as World Cup 80 marks the third time the world has come to Starblaydia as part of an all-Atlantian Oceania bid.

What to expect in Starblaydia

Lady-Protector Korra Starblayde

Starblaydia is an enormous, old, multicultural and economically powerful nation, where the year is 2234. The country is named after the legendary 'Star-blade' sword wielded by the semi-mythical King Oberyn in ancient times.

It's often said 'there's no such thing as a bad job in Starblaydia'. Despite the fact your favourite Tuesday night Han takeaway meal of sweet & sour cocoabo (a number 53 on the smartphone app) with egg fried rice (#110) and a couple of nellie spring rolls (#124) now gets delivered to your door by drone, the jobs to build that app, cook that food and maintain those drones at a moment's notice are so well paid there's barely a job description that fits the 'blue collar worker' any more. Everything needs to be rapid-reaction, 24 hour, instant turnaround, in a nation full of over thirty billion people that demand instant gratification as a human right. Your taxi 'driver' is only there to provide the conversation and take the wheel if something breaks, so they have to have charm, personality, knowledge and lightning-fast reactions at any given moment over a ten hour shift. They're not even required to punch the destination into the autonomous vehicles, but few Starblaydi would go as far as to trust entirely everything to science.

It is a consequence of such a great and influential history in politics, economics and the sporting arena that current Starblaydi find it very difficult to live up to the achievements of past generations. The population is still hard-working, certainly, still efficiently producing the goods and providing the services that Starblaydia had always done in order to keep its position as one of the world's 1% of strongest economies. On the surface, Starblaydia is still one of the most powerful nations on the globe. It is in many ways, however, a shadow of its former self. It is an old nation, with largely an old mindset compared to the vibrant and agile economies and populations of more recently founded countries.

There are, however, still people with that spark that made Starblaydia great, still forward thinkers with the energy, enthusiasm and most importantly the ambition to change things for the better. They, crucially, don't want to specifically go back to the old days and so-called 'golden eras', but want to build a brighter future for one of the great nationstates of the world that has turned in on itself. They see a sleeping giant, an eagle ready to soar and a a major global player that can take its rightful place back at the top table of the international scene. All it needs to do is take those first steps. Steps that they can provide and nudge the great, old country in the right direction.

In Starblaydia, particularly the capital city of Jhanna, you will find whatever nice cuisine from around the world that your'e after, if you know where to look. Public transport in the form of trains, trams, buses and taxis are bright, clean, efficient, and moves millions of people per day to their destinations in environmentally-friendly comfort like clockwork. Drones cut their way through the skies with ease, delivering all manner of goods direct to your door in flight paths that (mostly) match the roads beneath them. The Internet of Things is particularly prevalent in Starblaydia, with vast amounts of data shunted back and forth through hyper-fast internet cables as a matter necessity.

The government, a constitutional monarchy, is headed by the much-admired Lady-Protector Korra Starblayde, Duchess of Sideria. She was elevated to that position after the death of her father, former Starblaydi international captain Lord-Protector Julius Starblayde - himself the third child of the legendary Tiberius Starblayde. The Starblaydi Parliament is known as the Sjarondai, filled with Honourable Representatives voted for by the people, and overseen by the Praetoran Council, the senior of the bicameral chambers.

Stadiums

A classic Starblaydi flag mosaic at Victory Park, Vecchio

Group A
Foundation Road, Jhanna - Iskara Daii FC (75,000 capacity) MD1 1st listed match, MD2 2nd Match, MD3 1st Match
Jader Barbahlo Stadium, Jhanna - Jhanna United FC (96,000) MD1 2nd Match, MD2 1st Match, MD3 2nd Match

Group B
Hallad City Stadium, Hallad City - Hallad Reavers (49,000) MD1 1st match, MD2 2nd Match, MD3 1st Match
Bekkside Arena, Tabeck - Tabeck FC (33,000) MD1 2nd Match, MD2 1st Match, MD3 2nd Match

Group C
Victory Park, Vecchio - Vecchio Victors (48,000) MD1 1st match, MD2 2nd Match, MD3 1st Match
Iota "Big Eye" Arena, Penningworth - Penningworth United (82,000) MD1 2nd Match, MD2 1st Match, MD3 2nd Match

Group D
Silverlands, Corinth - Corinthian Spirits (71,000) MD1 1st match, MD2 2nd Match, MD3 1st Match
Jhanna City Recreational Ground, Jhanna, - Jhanna City (51,000) MD1 2nd Match, MD2 1st Match, MD3 2nd Match

Round of 16
Stadii di Quercus, Farça - FC Farça (99,000 capacity)
Sports Hall, Karak D'Ragh - Karak Ungor Chiefs (60,000)
Iota "Big Eye" Arena, Penningworth - Penningworth United (82,000)
Foundation Road, Jhanna - Iskara Daii FC (75,000 capacity)

The World Cup Final will be held in Starblaydia for the first time.

Quarter-Finals
Jader Barbahlo Stadium, Jhanna - Jhanna United FC (96,000)
Silverlands, Corinth - Corinthian Spirits (71,000)

Semi-Final
Stadii di Quercus, Farça - FC Farça (99,000 capacity)

Final
Stadii Di Bradini, Jhanna - National Stadium (196,754)

by **Northwest Kalactin** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:09 am

“Oh hi there Wendell.” said Matt Hall Midfielder of the Kalactanian team
“What’s sup, Mātt.” said Jakerein
“Well buddy did you hear that the team is going out for dinner tomorrow night at a Indian place.” said Matt
“Interesting I like Indean places.” Said Wendell
“Hello there Troops.” it was Luke Dillan Striker from the team
“Hello Luke I see you will get some UICA pleying time with your team.” answered Jakerein
“Oh Yes im very excited you get to play in the champions cup with Kempsey United. Said Dillan
“Yes although teams from north prairie are trying to sign me but I don’t want to play for north prairie I want to play here for Kempsey United.” Said Wendell
“Hi Guys.” it was Hue Grebv a defender
“Hi Hue how is your head doing remember from the Baptism of fire 2 years ago I just wanted to punch that King guy.” Said Wendell
“It’s doing good now I hope we don’t play Filindostan though.” Said Hue
“I was watching that game on TV I wasn’t on the team then.”said Matt Hall
“Weren’t you on the U-21 team then.” Said Luke
“I was.” Said Matt
“Okay well bye guys gotta Go” Said Wendell

by **Tobiasia** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 1:34 pm

TTV News with our sporting correspondent Peter Barley

Once again the World Cup has returned to our screens, and this year hosted by the EqueStar duo.

As we journey into the footballing world, we’ll be dissecting some of the teams, players and fans of the tournament. However we thought we’d start with some of our homegrown players of the national team of Tobiasia, so we’ve invited 3 onto the couch tonight! Please welcome: Fraser Philips, Rosa Uzele and Percy Matthews!

•Peter Barley (Host): so let’s start with you Percy, how’s this season been?
•Percy Matthews: I’ve loved every minute of it honestly, wearing those gloves for my team has been brilliant, and I like to think I’ve helped us get far.
•PB: you certainly have, especially in the Western Cup with that stunning penalty shootout against your rivals Southside. What a performance you had you saved all 5 shots!
•PM: that was fantastic for me, probably my career highlight (except the World Cup of course), and I mean it was a bit of luck but I was so happy with that.
•PB: I’m sure even your derby rivals will be backing you in EqueStar we can tell you that. Now Rosa, what about you, you’ve taken the whole league by storm with your display how did you manage?
•Rosa Uzele: well I cant say I’m the best striker in the league of course, but I think the thing that helped me was giving me a first team place. That meant I could actually be involved in football and I was playing alongside the best, so I guess it just rubbed off.
•PB: it certainly did, what a display, the youngest woman ever to lift the golden boot at just 21 years old, how did that feel?
•RU: Brilliant. There’s no other words really it was brilliant. Obviously I was gutted not to win the league but I can honestly say it was the best moment of my life.
•PB: well I hope you continue that streak for the National team. Now Fraser my you’ve got a difficult challenge, captaining this hopeful side into the World Cup.
•Fraser Philips: well it seems daunting, but the team are so good, they’re talented and well behaved, and I can honestly say I think we can achieve qualification this time, if the country gets behind us.
•PB: I’m sure they will, now I wanted to ask you something. We’ve all seen the replays of your bicycle kick goal against Britonsea 2 years ago, any plans for something like that?
•FP: aha well I don’t think so, that was mainly luck really. I mean the goalkeeper was so far out I saw the opportunity, so when that right back launched it over my head I just reacted and it went in from maybe 30 yards out or something. That’s definitely my best goal no doubt about it.
•PB: it was brilliant! Now that’s all we’ve got time for folks, so we’ll be heading back to Richard and Stacey with the news, travel and weather.

by **Free Republics** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:01 pm

News Magazine

West Saintland: King Petrus XX Dead, King Paulus XVI of East Saintland Announces Claim to Throne
By: Gustavo Li Fonti

The ongoing crisis in Saintland has significantly worsened as King Petrus XX of West Saintland suddenly collapsed and died this morning as he was entering the Parliament building in St. Petrus. The cause of death is reportedly heart failure. Immediately, the King of East Saintland, King Paulus XVI, declared himself the "One and Only True King of the United, Indivisible Kingdom of Saintland" and announced his plans to pursue his claim to the western throne by "any means that Iesus Christus and the Patriarch of His True Church deem necessary". This ominous announcement has left Saintland on the verge of a civil war as Prime Minister Leva Fadius (Feministvs Sanctvsterra) has stated "There will be no unification under patriarchal monarchy. The only unification of our land that I, a faithful servant of the Goddess, can permit is under feminist democracy. There is no other path forward for our land. Paulus Usurpus claims to be a 'king' but if he wants to be the 'king' of something, maybe he should start a restaurant chain. The one, the only true and legitimate ruler of the Queendom of Saintland is Queen Gloria."

The western Church and the western governmental institutions do, in fact, recognize Queen Gloria as their queen, in accordance with the Gender-Neutral Succession Act that passed around 25 years ago (Sanctii time) after King Petrus XX realized he would never have a son. The new Queen of Saintland was an accomplished baseball player who once captained West Saintland's National Baseball Team in several World Baseball Classics and broke the domestic record for stolen bases 7 times in a fantastic career. However, King Paulus XVI has announced his plans to "secure [his] rightful throne" and place his misguided feminist cousins in convents, where they can "repent of their sinful rebellion and get right with God".

The sense I got from travelling across both Saintlands today is that the entire island is a powder keg that is just waiting to blow. I would be surprised if this crisis did not lead to a renewal of the Sanctii Civil War in the near future. This is a developing crisis that will be of great interest to the international community.

Gustavo Li Fonti is a 20-year veteran reporter, who specializes in foreign news. He has worked for many newspapers over his career including the Republica Post, the New City Times and the Petrograd Tribune. He is a well-known and widely respected journalist who was recruited by Admiral Theriault to be our lead foreign correspondent.

Within 30 minutes after News Magazine's story had come off the presses, massive armies crossed the wall between East Saintland and West Saintland. Within hours, they had overrun the city of West St. Paulus while shouting "Deus Vult!" (OOC: As those who play Crusader Kings know, this is Latin for "God Wills It" and was a battle cry of Crusaders during the RL Crusades.). Prime Minister Leva Fadius would make a desperate plea to the nations of the multiverse:

Today, I cry out to everybody within the sound of my voice and everybody who sees this message around the multiverse. Today, our peaceful feminist democracy has been invaded by a foreign army that seeks to destroy us and subjugate us under the Iron Jackboot of Patriarchy. Today, the so-called "king" of the so-called "East Saintland", a bloodthirsty misogynistic warlord named Paulus Usurpus, has declared his desire to conquer our peaceful nation and to destroy, once and for all, our way of life. He has declared his desire to forcibly convert all of us to his evil patriarchal cult that corrupted the teachings of the One True Goddess. He has declared his desire to abolish equal rights for women in our territory and to restore so-called "traditional" gender roles. He seeks to enslave my people and to destroy everything that we have worked so hard for over many years. This is a disgrace and it must not be permitted to happen!

To the false "king" who seeks to usurp our True and Rightful Queen, I say only this: We will fight you on the plains. We will fight you in the mountains. We will fight you in the forests. We will fight you in the tundras. We will fight you in the air and we will fight you in the seas. We will NEVER EVER surrender to you and we WILL NOT submit to your evil patriarchal "god". We would sooner die free than live under patriarchy and we urge the people of the multiverse to recognize the righteousness of our cause and aid us in our fight to preserve our land and our way of life. Thank you and May the Goddess continue to Bless Saintland!

by **Razenthuria** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 5:49 pm

Roller-coaster week ends on a high for Purple Swans playmaker Eugene

_{Yellis Eugene in an Athletic New Victoria promotional image ahead of their battle with Old Birmingham City (Gaston North/Razen Sports Daily)}

_{NEW VICTORIA} - Only two days separated two highly-important matches for Athleitc New Victoria, once Razenthuria's premiere club, now a club simply trying to build off good play in recent weeks - and it couldn't have been more of polar opposites for the Purple Swans star in Yellis Eugene, who's come to revolutionize the team as he works to import and change the future of the side which was picked to be relegated by seaons' end. Instead, ANV has denied all expectations, instead managing to a fifth-place rank so far, one spot outside a Globe Cup berth by the end of the season - riding a wave of resurgence amongst its academy and a newfound direction under manager, Victor Kingsley who's making a case for manager of the year after a stunning performance from the side. New Victoria has not been a team short on stars of past, but in recent years has hit hard times, now, the team looks once again to reclaim its glory of past, and it seems that might happen, given the explosiveness we've seen from the side in recent weeks, being their stars in Eugene and Tommy Cox-Jean, under the influence of Manager KIngsley. Eugene has revamped himself as a bona fide star, rewarded with a place on the national team due to his hard work, and now, he's going to be taking on the best-of-the-best in the upcoming weeks, and there's a lot riding on his shoulders, people are going to want to see questions answered and have him assure the nation that he truly is a master for what he's been given. For a guy who rode the bench as a reserve only two seasons ago, to see him rise to where he is now, that's astounding, and a grateful rise for the small giant.

Last week, the Purple Swans endured a highly frustrating night, on the mark of poor defending and poor place-kicking, the Razen side failed to keep their quest for an appearance in the Cup of the Raza finals, as they were felled in the quarterfinals, suffering a horrendous 5-2 loss to A.C. Stonehenge, in a game that was mismatched from the get-go. While Yellis Eugene contributed heavily to both goals that the team was able to generate, it was obvious that the Razen side wwas simply outmatched, and their quality was terribly with sloppy play on both sides of the ball as eventually, the Razen side was felled with a penalty from Efrom Heartland, making the game 5-2 in the 86th minute. At the end of the game, the annoyance of Eugene was shown, as he would tangle with Stonehenge's Christ Temples, throwing a few punches, leaving both players bloodied as they were escorted off the pitch by referee and linesmen, and coming from the bench in the 30th minute served to further post his annoyance during the match. And it was obvious that the Razen side was outplayed by A.C. Stonehenge, serving to put a damper on a team that was suddenly competing, and competing actively for a Globe Cup slot, it showed that perhaps, they were not as good as we had once thought, and that served to intensely annoy Eugene during the match. Eugene would score a goal and set-up an expertly-placed goal for Jane Macpherson, with a volley into the box which was headed home by Macpherson, the team would take a 2-1 lead in the forty-eight minute, however, the game quickly unraveled from there as four players found the back of the net within the space of twenty minute for A.C. Stonehenge followed by a nail in the coffin from Heartland with four minutes left to go. Following his amazing play, at the end of the game, he could be seen in a team hung with two other starters - Cox-Jean, his close friend and Vance Kirkman, a quieter member of the team as they talked to one another as the game ended.

Said Kirkman after the game in a press release from ANV:

_{"When you lose a goal-producer and such a wonder player like we lost last year when Elbert [Alex] left for 206 Mitche, you've got to plug the whole as soon as possible, and Eugene's stepped off the reserves list to prove himself as a reliable member of our team, its a shame to see him in the shape he was earlier today, he's truly a great man and this has got to hurt, we had a real impassioned game today and its terrible the score sheet didn't reflect how we believe we played."}

Manager, Victor Kingsley, speaking after the match himself said, "Eugene had a great game, and the score didn't reflect this, but he had a wonderful performance, unfortunately, we weren't able to emerge with a win and that'll be bothersome for me for the next few weeks", and fans were upset too, ANV's supporters, the Geese Brigade was notably throwing insults as purple flairs launched thru the city of Stonehenge after their loss, fistfights broke out in a few pubs across the nation, especially in Stonehenge between opposing supporters, the Geese Brigade received numerous fines from both the ANV team and League RZN for excessive posturing, while Stonehenge's supproters, the Black Star Legion and Fortress also were handicapped for their poor performances and reaction to the events that took place. League RZN has said that hooliganism will ont be tolerated, and this possibly raises fears as visiting teams visist Momoa, which also plays home to the Razenthuria national team's supproters, the 6th Ward Ultras, notable for their violence and fearmongering they preach. Eugene himself was ushered off the field and chauffeured to the airport, following which, in two days, the Razen side was to play Old Birmingham City for the final game of the third quarter of play, ANV, who's competing for a Globe Cup berth has a lot riding on these games,a victory could very well propel them into the final game of the season in which this could set up a play-off with A.C. 317 Roses for a chance for a Globe Cup berth, which would be a stunning season for the Purple Swans.

Eugene's performance on Saturday was more of what was expected when the Purple Swans made him a multi-million dollar acquisition. His combination of playmaking ability as well as his high work rate make him the dream attacking midfielder for Kingsley's strange system - operating a foreign 3-6-1 formation, refined in the lower leagues before bringin it to League RZN. On Monday, as the match kicked off, against Old Birmingham City, we saw a spirited performance from the Purple Swans, riding on a two-goal performance from Eugene, settling in, the first one was on a corner kick, which bounced into the box, Eugene somehow rose above the defenders, towering above to knock it into place, as the Razen side took the lead in the thirty-foruth minute, leading to a celebration that was worthy of the Gods. The second came in the 58th minute, we have the wording here, "Eugene running, he gets the cross, dribbling towards Torgino, Torgino looks for the tackle, he misses...Gods, Torgino's on the ground, he scrambles as Eugene heads, Eugene dekes McGreen Eu-GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Eugene has scored!", and there, we saw it, Eugene proving he's the best for the team, as they took a decisive 2-nil lead that the Birmingham Boys were simply unable to come back from.

He's a god.

Right?

by **Kita-Hinode** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:05 pm

Hi! My name is Jolyne Moonstar. I'm not a native from this part of the world, having moved from Stuartland with my little sister and my brother. We work for the Asakawas, a rich family that owns a lot of companies and... well, they're only Satomi, the heiress that currently calls the shots and her young brother Katsu. Their parents passed away during an accident. We got hired to help poor Katsu socialize and... well, our parents themselves aren't exactly around anymore so... yeah, we owe them a lot.

Of course, we're... uh... usually involved in the schemes of our boss Katsu. And they usually don't end very well... But he was getting better, Han-Myeong, the bodyguard, was overlooking him these past weeks and...

[Jolyne] - He's... he's nowhere in sight, Han-Myeong!
[Han-Myeong] - You're kidding, right?
[Jolyne] - No... I looked everywhere. We might find him at school but... We didn't find any recording from our cameras showing him leave in the middle of the night... Suzie checked his room but didn't find anything and Jonathan was checking the Pokémon stable but nothing's there besides the Pokémon master bought a while ago.
[Han-Myeong] - Did he even take his Pokéballs?
Suzie walked up to the two before tripping on a wire and dropping all of Katsu's six Pokéballs.
[Han-Myeong] - Sounds like the answer is a no.
He gave a hand to the younger girl, who quickly rose back up, before bending down and picking up the Pokéballs.
[Suzie] - I looked everywhere, Mister Han, but besides him, everything was where it usually should be...
[Jolyne] - Look... whatever he did, he's clearly out of here. Didn't Miss Satomi ask anything about him yet?
[Han-Myeong] - Far from it. Miss Satomi is sleeping right about now.
[Jolyne] - You know, I never asked why you always seem to have a good idea of what Satomi is doing at a specific time.
Both Jolyne and Suzie slowly close their eyes, staring at Han-Myeong. He got a bit embarrassed but shook off the idea.
[Han-Myeong] - Look, we have to find Katsu. Anything else comes later. Understood?
[Jolyne] - Well... understood, but we have to go to school in an hour.
[Suzie] - We can't miss class, after all.
[Han-Myeong] - And we might find something at the school... Although I can't understand how he managed to leave like that. He seemed to be improving all well...

Alas, as they arrived at school a while later, Katsu was nowhere to be found.
His chair remained empty, a memory of the boy that would usually annoy some of his classmates.
They waited through all the classes until the time for him to arrive (even late) was finally over and all the students were to prepare themselves to leave.
Han-Myeong cursed under his breath.
[Jonathan] - Nope. Nothing. It's like our boss disappeared into thin air.
[Jolyne] - ...Say, mister Han-Myeong.
[Han-Myeong] - Yes?
[Jolyne] - I think I remember him being a bit miffed about something that happened at the Gym he attended.
[Han-Myeong] - You reckon Qasden might know something about it?
[Jonathan] - They did get a bit nicer to each other after that Xtreme Destroyers accident... Maybe she would help us out!
[Suzie] - And we can always call her meanie if she doesn't!
The other two Moonstars looked at the young girl, raising eyebrows.
[Suzie] - U-Uh... l-let's go ask her!

Qasden was, like usual, chatting with Flardania, her senior.
[Qasden] - Thank Arceus the classes are over... I'm dying to train Sundae today!
[Flardania] - You and your Glaceon again. And here I thought you were just against having classes with people that aren't that brother of yours.
[Qasden] - No... M-My mom made it pretty clear that I should take classes seriously. She has a...
She gestured that her ears were pulled by her mom.
[Qasden] - A way to really make you listen...
Flardania chuckled while the junior just patted her own ears.
[Han-Myeong] - Uh... Misses.
The two looked at Han-Myeong, who had approached the two, holding his backpack.
Behind him were the Moonstar Squadron, as usual, although they lacked their leader.
[Han-Myeong] - I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but we wanted to ask about our boss.
[Qasden] - Hmpf. He quit the gym.
[Han-Myeong] - He did what?
[Qasden] - He quit the gym, apparently he didn't appreciate our style of battling.
[Flardania] - Sounds like you're putting it mildly.
[Han-Myeong] - ...Damn. I hoped you'd have a clue on where he is now.
[Qasden] - Huh. Flardania thought he was sick or something.
[Flardania] - It was my best guess. Still...
She got up close to Han-Myeong.
[Flardania] - Maaaaybe I could go with you and help out in finding your master-
[Han-Myeong] - Uh... T-that won't be necessary. We'll contact the authorities. Thanks, though. Sorry to be a nuisance.
As the four left, Qasden giggled.
[Qasden] - I think he got a clue of something else though.
[Flardania] - Y-You noticed too...
[Qasden] - I am a Pokémon Trainer, after all, I should know how creatures react near- OW!
[Flardania] - I'm a human, I'll let you know!

Han-Myeong and the Moonstars returned home defeated.
Katsu had yet to show up and they had looked pretty much everywhere.
They chose not to tell the authorities until they informed the one person that they dreaded giving news.
When they arrived, they found her watching a television, droned out.
[Jolyne] - Uh... M-Miss Satomi?
[Satomi] - ...
[Jonathan] - M-Miss Satomi... Are you OK?
[Satomi] - ...You didn't tell me.
[Suzie] - Huh?
[Han-Myeong] - Satomi... we didn't want to get you upset.
[Satomi] - And you reasoned not telling me about my brother was the right thing to do?
The four were silent.
In a way, they knew they were wrong for not telling her about the disappearance of Katsu but...
On the other hand, they feared what would be her reaction.
Satomi was known as the wiser, mature one of the Asakawas but that came on top of several restrictions that people usually didn't ponder too much on.
She was a Wild Card in all but name.
[Satomi] - I should've bought that damn gym.
Han-Myeong rose his head, confused.
Did Satomi really say that?
[Satomi] - That way, he wouldn't have left.
[Han-Myeong] - Satomi... I...
[Satomi] - You did your best, Han-Myeong. You did your best.
She got up from the couch, looking at him.
Her eyes were red from all the tears that fell down her face for the past couple of hours.
She was clearly distraught over her little brother.
[Satomi] - I should've been a proper parent. I know I'm not as good as my long deceased parents, may Arceus bless their souls but...
[Jolyne] - W-We screwed up, miss...
[Satomi] - You didn't. I heard from Han-Myeong you acted the way Katsu wanted...
[Jonathan] - B-but that's the problem, miss! We should've... we should've helped him become a good person!
[Satomi] - H-He's a good person...
She walked off, dropping a piece of paper.
Suzie, the smallest of the three Moonstars, picked up the paper and started to read it in a loud voice.
[Suzie] - "I leave, sister, with a wish stronger than anything I ever got. You'll be proud of me. Destroyer of many, the legend killer-to-be Hinode".
Satomi returned to the four, the six Pokéballs her little brother had tied in a belt she wore across her waist.
[Satomi] - It's time I become a good sister... and take him down before he becomes a monster.
She turned her back to the four, sighing.
[Satomi] - Those that want to find a way to bring our old Katsu back, follow me. Those that don't, feel free to rest. I'll be back at eight.

He stared at a sign painted in blood.
The young man smirked, bowing down in respect.
[????] - Enligthen me. Who are you and what do you plan?
[Katsu] - I'm Hinode...
He rose his head, smirking still.
[Hinode] - And I want to bring them all down.

by **Vietmihn** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:28 pm

Vietmihnese Newswires Conglomerated
WC80 GOALIE EVEN MORE POPULAR THAN EVER WITH LATEST VICTORY!

We present to you our best of the best sportscaster, Raul Garcia!

"Alright, here we go, as the soccer season comes late, with the civil war finally coming to an end, the soccer season is starting with a bang! Manila Central defeated Port de la Franco 2-0, much to the help of Manila's quite outstanding goalie, Joseph Aaron-Mason. The soccer rivalry between the two cities has been grinded to a halt under the communist regime, executing all that dared represent the former (now current) Vietmihnese government, including most or all of the former World Cup teams. That rivalry has been moved quickly back into full swing as the battles begin for the Cup of Vietmihn, a thing that is usually won by one of the larger city's teams, such as F.C Cebu, Manila Central or even Davao Soccer Club, however, Port de la Franco, with it's Hispanic identity and lifelong love of soccer, or football, as they call it, has been rising through those ranks. Even those on the other side of the Cup of Vietmihn admire the skill shown by Aaron-Mason, and support for him has only increased due to this victory." The coach of Port de la Franco, standing next to Raul Garcia, said, "No matter what side you're on, you gotta admit it, Joseph did great at that game, even my best players envy him," he says with a light chuckle.

He moves on to a picture of crowds with the colors of Manila painted on them, cheering in the streets.

"Manilan people, soccer lover or not, are cheering today, due to the glory won by this match, and all this spirit being held in during the surprisingly..." he pauses for a second, "anti-soccer regime of the communists."

by **Beepee** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 12:37 am

WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION PREVIEW

Beepee's continued foray into world sports takes another turn today with the World Cup qualifiers shortly to begin.

The Beepeean squad, which has won back to back tournaments is unlikely to challenge for what is undoubtedly the pinnacle of world sports. However, the Beepeean Football Association has stuck with its preferred squad for a third tournament, and has postponed the national leagues to focus its attention on this process. The Beepee squad is unlikely to go down without a fight.

Beepee is unbeaten in 15 matches (10 wins, 5 draws) however that run is expected to quickly come to a stuttering halt when the qualification processes begin.

Vonda Race, sports editor, sat down with Michael Forsberg, Head Coach of the Beepee squad for an extended interview.

VR: Your team has just won the 67th Baptism of Fire competition. Your thoughts

MF: We performed our wildest expectations. It was a very intense tournament. From our point of view it is certainly what we wanted to achieve even though we didn't think we could do that.

VR: How have you been preparing for the qualifiers.

MF: We've had a short turnaround but completed some training days. We will rest up before heading to our qualification matches.

VR: What are your qualifying hopes?

MF: every potential group will be a very difficult group, we have always shown a good approach to matches. The team has character, heart and passion and can also play football. Unfortunately we are not as established or as large as other nations do we'll find it difficult to compete in many instances.

VR: The squad were tested in the run-up to the World Cup qualification against strong teams. Did you want to prepare your team for the hard qualification group?

MF: Absolutely. We were certainly preparing for strong opponents like Baker Park and North Prarie. We just wanted to get used to the rhythm. You can still see that there is still a big step between these teams and our team.

VR: Given the short turnaround would you reconsider the preparation in hindsight - play 2 tournamnets again?

MF: I dont think so. I think it's very good that we are already challenging teams like South Toronto: their invitational cup was excellent. Playing a full calendar allows us to hone all the aspects that we will need us over the next few years.

VR: Who needs to perform this challenge?

MF: 32 year old Francois Shep, who plays for Catenham State University is a solid pair of hands in goal and him performing well will no doubt play a huge part in any success Beepee has in the competition. He played so very well in BoF.

Also, 24 year old midfielder Chris Patterson who prefers playing on the right, however is comfortable in any midfield position. Patterson has excellent ball skills, can whip in a mean cross, and is by far Beepee's quickest runner. Patterson provides stong leadership and works best with left midfielder Dirk Bolt.

22 year old Sam Veera, who plays for Mela Leuca is an adept finisher. Whilst his key weakness is heading, Veera makes up for this deficiency through his understanding of the importance of positioning and often loses markers inside the 6 yard area. Veera, who prefers his right foot, has excellent power and is often able to outmuscle his opponents.

Jason Baker, 24, is a key defender in the team shoring up the defence. The tall player is an excellent header of the ball and understands defensive tactics and positioning better than anyone in the squad.

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:29 am

No Surprises In Team Announcement,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

The Roster for the World Cup 80 team was officially announced this morning, and it contains no real surprises. After qualifying from “Pot 5" last year, expectations are high on this team on the 30-Cup anniversary edition of the World Cup 50 team. They will not experience that level of success this year, as much as we wish they could. Just because we can cross that goal off now, does not mean that returning to the World Cup will not be a mission for this team. After all, they love going to Equestrian States, as our fans always rave about the amazing hospitality in which their Ponies provide. Our older fans will be able to remind you that we really experienced that well in World Cup 67, when we had the opportunity to co-host with them. Now, that privilege belongs to Starblaydia, a nation as crazy for the color purple, as we are with pink. Starblaydia, like us, is a once proud and storied soccer nation that has returned and asserted themselves as a contender and a threat, but probably not going to win it all. We like Starblaydia, there are not many nations out there who really delve so deeply into the history of their nation and honoring players to the level that they do, instead of just letting new names come and go. That’s something that we do as well with the monuments in the end zones of Concord Heights for the player numbers in which we have retired.

As I look at this roster, there is no where that I feel surprised by anything. Perhaps, Holly Rosen being downgraded from a starting midfielder to a substitute is a mild surprise, but at 32, Rosen’s play remained good, but the development of both Sierra Mattison and Shelby Martin, each 23, who excelled on our Di Bradini 41 team that reached the semifinals means that coach Sweeney did not have to just pick one of them, and will go with both of them into the starting lineup. As Sweeney also coaches the Di Bradini teams, They’ve earned it, and as each player plays with an edge, that could benefit the likes of Hannah Ranucci. Ranucci moved on to play soccer internationally in Ceni, and from what we have heard, she has been pretty productive out there. Up front, Hannah will work with Taylor Campos just like she has the last two World Cups, so there will still be plenty of chemistry there.

The group draw has not been conducted yet, so it’s exciting to anticipate who we will be playing. I believe we will be a high end pot 3 team, but as we saw last year when we qualified out of pot 5, the pots don’t mean anything when you are out there on the pitch. Before I close this edition, I want to give a shot out to Commonwealth of Baker Park. I told all of you to watch out for them during the group stages of the Di Bradini Cup, and that they would be dangerous during the Baptism of Fire. They did great, and made it to the final. They didn’t win it, but don’t worry, we didn’t win ours either (merely a semifinalist) and we turned out fine! Congrats to the winner, Beepee. Now, will come the fun part.

by **North Prarie** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:19 am

P H I L I P
T R A N

Note: In North Prariean time, the Baptism of Fire was late Febuary-late March. It is now May.
New Qad Field, Qad City
North Prarie vs. Yezur
The 67th Baptism of Fire
March 6th

Philip Tran tore down the Qasdonian field. Chris was rocketing down the left sideline, darting by Yezurian defenders. The score was 1-0 Yezur. They were in the 84th minute. It was all dogs go. North Prarie couldn't lose to this team.
Philip looked back at Chris. He was now mostly down the field.
Chris was getting ready to cross it.
He suddenly hit it with his left foot, and the ball floated up in the air in an arc.
It was coming down towards Bradley Francis and a Yezurian defender, who were fighting for a good position in the box.
It came down.
Bradley headed it towards goal.
It was deflected by a Yezurian defender.
And it fell to the feet of Philip Tran.
Philip was shocked. He didn't know what to do with the ball at first. Then he took a deep breath, and ran by a Yezurian.
He kicked the ball towards the left corner of the net. The whole stadium was holding their breath.
And......

Philip saw the ball fly into the to left corner of the net. He looked up at the stands. The Prarie National Sports Center was almost completely empty, except for a couple of players' wives and girlfriends in the lower bowl. It had been months since that brutal miss at the Baptism of Fire. He, along with almost every Prariean sports fan, could replay it in their heads at any time.
The ball looked like it was going in.
The Yezur goalkeeper dived towards the post.
And the ball flew just inches left of the goalpost.
But Philip couldn't think about that now. So much had happened between now and then. He had joined a club in Tobiasia. His wife had gotten pregnant with their first child. He and his wife moved into a nice house in Tobiasia City, and bought a nice, navy blue Pompeii SUV.
But now he was back with the national team, preparing for the World Cup qualifiers at this fancy new stadium in Worchester.
Philip Tran would never let that miss happen again.

by **Vietmihn** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:15 pm

Rita's Villa,
Restaurant in Downtown Manila,
6:45 PM.

The coach of the national team was taking out their members- including the celebrated, yet tired, goalie for Manila Central, Joseph Aaron-Mason, referred to by his teammates as "Joe."
It was a rather nice restaurant, a place overlooking the beautiful downtown Manila, the capital of Vietmihn. Most of the team enjoyed the food, but what was really enjoyable to the team and the coach was the stories each of the teammates had. Two of the teammates, the goalie and a midfielder respectively, played on two opposing teams, and they each had funny- or sad, for that matter, stories from behind the scenes and on field.

"And then, did I already tell you the story when my coach was so obsessed with winning, that when we were discussing plans a teammate gave me a sly wink, and that same teammate remarked when we were walking out onto the field that we were marching into battle and the coach was our general?"
Everyone at the table laughed, the midfielder the hardest, and he remarked, "If he was a general, he was a good one, you won that 'battle', eh?"
Everyone laughed a bit harder. The waitress arrived with the food, and everyone paused the conversation to get their food and plates.
After that, everyone had a laugh that they had been holding in for too long at that joke.
The coach, who had been silent, spoke, to cut short the awkward silence caused by eating, "I sure hope we qualify, who agrees?" Everyone nodded, their faces full of food.

The waitress came over again. "How are you enjoying your food?" she asked. Everyone nodded, and the rest mumbled or spoke an agreement. The obviously pleased waiter walked out of the area.
The soccer team was looking forward to a year full of excitement, whether they qualified or not.
The rest of the dinner went by quickly, silence, deep in thought. It ended on a good ending, with a toast, a toast to Vietmihn and her allies, and a toast to the World Cup and the idea that she shall prevail.

Many of the team felt different ways about not only government, but the team's style, it seems as if they were people that would never get along if they were "normal" people, like a lawyer, or a chef.
The one main thing that brought them together was exactly what they were competing for, you could say for many the thing they were LIVING for, that thing was soccer, and the common urge to succeed.

_{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

The rest of that day, that week, and even that month, the minds of the athletes buzzed with the things discussed, the thing not discussed, and the massive event that they were going to do.
The entire feeling of the players, and the Vietmihnese people, was likely quoted the best by a forward in Vietmihn's best Youth Soccer League.
The young player, referred to as John, stated, "Usually, our nation is a cauldron of everything boiling together and clashing with each other. Now, everyone is united with the common feeling that their nation has a chance to be part of something bigger. That bigger thing is the upcoming World Cup 80."

It was not only the minds and feeling of the common Vietmihnese and the players alike, but social media and online chat buzzed, and continues to buzz, with the ideas and feeling of what will happen and who will do what during WC80. The World Cup has always been a time of excitement, but this year, it was immense, a feeling that everyone united under. Tired of racial and political conflicts and trouble, people were tired, and people were happy to unite under one banner, their nation, their football team representing that nation.

by **Ashkam** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:42 pm

-deleted because i'm going to write something better instead-

by **Acronius** » Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:50 pm

Twelve Times a Virgin?
Acronius attempt once again to win their first ever berth in the World Cup in its 80th edition
James E. Sudlow (@SudlowUP)
^{17/04/2018, 18:50 | Lionsgate, Acronius}

^{SHARE THIS}

LIONSGATE, ACRONIUS -- Many years afore, Acronius fielded its very first national team in the 68th World Cup qualifiers, one of many new, blossoming teams freshly Baptized by Fire. Many from the Class of 55 have long since vanished, while others found success in the sporting world, with one even taking home the World Cup two cycles ago. Their tales of glory, however, remain as foreign to Acronius' Blue Boys as they were on their first match-day in the 55th Baptism of Fire. After eleven cycles of the odd Cup of Harmony and repeated crashes out of the qualifiers by inches or miles, the Free Union's national football team has become something of a national embarrassment, if not a laughingstock. Time after time, their fans were promised progress, yet betrayed and disappointed with every passing cycle. There is perhaps no reason for anyone to support the Blue Boys anymore, but for the sake of tradition, we at the Union Post find ourselves compelled to, once again, give you a preview of Acronius' national football team, for the 80th World Cup qualifiers.

Times are once again tumultuous in Union Park, where another unsatisfactory qualifiers campaign saw Nepharim manager Russ Reucassel sacked. The Blue Boys played most of their inter-cycle games with Ryan Chimneys serving as player-manager, before the surprise recruitment of Massimiliano Abdullahi of the Federation of Free Republics, the former assistant of Rule Thériault. Abdullahi's arrival brought about several changes to the national team. The hitherto 4-4-2 diamond which tied the team together was scrapped in favor of a more modern 4-2-3-1 formation, as both Joe di Scampi and Jérôme Pasteur were cut from the squad in favor of André Traëger and newcomer Shin Kra, respectively. Their inclusions come as a surprise: Abdullahi thought it wise to field Traëger, AFC Defense's point-man, behind David Pascale in the unfamiliar position of a central attacking midfielder, while functioning as a second striker. Similarly, Kra was fielded out wide despite playing in a central role for State Défense.

The rest of the squad, however, remains quite the same. Talisman striker David Pascale was perhaps lucky to be included in the squad this time around, managing only a feeble 5 goals in 20 games so far for Whitehaven Triumph in Ceni, rightfully putting his form into question. Surprisingly enough, captain Marin Trésor also had a shaky season with Llamanese club Emerald City Harmony - despite winning the last two seasons back-to-back, Trésor, serving in a defensive midfielder capacity, struggled to keep a new-look defense together before eventually picking up an injury halfway through the season and seeing his club finish in a dismal 5th out of eight teams. Contrastingly, pacy left winger Antoine le Kervelec's reappearance comes as no surprise: "the Bullet" just wrapped up a monstrosity of a season with Eshan's Rosaria United, which saw him net 22 goals and provide 25 assists within the frame of 38 games, contributing to the club's eventual first-place finish in the league.

With Jérôme Pasteur out of the team, a 19-year old AFC Defense player by the name of Shin Kra will attempt to bolster the team through the right side in his first appearances for the national side. Following a choppy final season at the San Jose Sharpedoes which ended in the club's, league's, and nation's dissolution, former national team forward Joe di Scampi returned home a free agent, and, with nothing to show for himself, was promptly replaced by a more matured André Traëger, a reliable striker bouncing off an applaudable season at AFC Defense. As to why the 31-year old was fielded as an attacking midfielder despite having always frolicked in the six-yard box throughout his career, remains a mystery to everyone but Massimiliano Abdullahi. Ryan Chimneys survived into this iteration of the Blue Boys, albeit accepting a slight tweak to his position, being fielded further back as a defensive midfielder. Nothing has changed in the back four, with Paul Althusse, Pierre Paulois, Louis Maçon and Dimitri Péguy still holding strong in front of Marc de Brassaï in goal.

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Comments [ --COMMENTS-- ] | E-mail

521 comments

Seth Monroe · 4 minutes ago
Guess the "new face" team wasn't everything they hyped it up to be, huh?
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Yannick Tremblay · 7 minutes ago
The thing about World Cup qualification is that there's always next time if you fail.

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Michel Ortiz · 9 minutes ago
There's always hope.
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by **Maryloupe** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:37 am

The Bizanc Herald is interviewing Mr Munrich, the national team's manager, on what he expects from his lads. But, it didn't go well at all. Here's why:

Reporter: What are your expectations for this WC80?

Mr M: In WC79, we did badly in the qualifications thingy so I want to do better. The group stages will be reasonable, bout the round of 16 would be excellent. Any higher than that and I will freak out.

Reporter: At the first place why would you want to sign up?

Mr M: Are you crazy? You are so freaking out of your mind! Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reporter: Chill sir. I am interested, okay?

Mr M: Sorry. It's, it's too simple. We want Maryloopee to have a freaking idea of how a World Cup is like! Where is your brain?! Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reporter: [rolls his eyes]

Mr M: [runs out of the room]

Reporter: Well, there you have it. Heh.

Director: Cut!

by **The Macabees** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:26 pm

PART I

It was too long since the Golden Throne last played on the world stage. Even if it was only for qualification. Financial depression made financing such a team an unaffordable luxury for many years. Finally, the emperor agreed to set aside a small budget if significant supporting contributions were made by private team owners throughout the empire. That gave Anter Jora the opportunity of his lifetime.

"Oh the gods!" said Ilyn, her knees almost coming up to her hips as she jumped and waved her arms. "Are you taking me with you?" Her eyes were bright and as big as saucers.

"Uh, well,...they're only paying for my flight and hotel room, you know," he answered, combing the back of his head with his hand. "They don't cover expenses for girlfriends."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, her hand suddenly moving to her hip. "Are you saying you're not taking me? Are you freakin' kidding me? Why not?"

He stared at her with a blank face. "I just explained it to you. They only pay for wives and children, that kind of stuff. Look, you, me, we've been dating for six months. Why would you ever think that they would pay for you? Look, baby, I would love to take you, love to, but I just can't. You understand, right?"

Now it was her turn to stare at him. He could tell that something was boiling in her mind. Her eyes were no longer big or bright; her face was painted by a mean beauty now. "Do I understand? What kind of stupid ass question is that? No! I don't understand! If you truly wanted me to go with you, you'd pay for my ticket yourself. And you'd get us a bigger room for the both of us!"

"What!" It was his turn to be outraged. "I'm a junior analyst, it's not like I'm exactly rolling in the money, you know. Why are you being irrational?"

Damn it. He had said the wrong thing, again. Why did he always do that to himself?

She stepped closer to him, raising her finger. "You take that back," she said, bitterly. "You take that back, right now. I'm not kidding, Anter."

The logical thing would be to back off, approach the situation from a different angle. "I'm sorry, but you have to admit it's crazy to demand that your boyfriend of six months fund your multi-thousand dollar vacation to Starblaydia," he said, instead. "Let me ask you something. If you had to go on a short work trip, would you pay for me to come along?"

"This is the fricken' world cup," she shot back. "This is completely different. You're buying me a trip, and that's that."

He was quiet for a time. Dumbfounded in some way, perhaps. Not sure quite to say, for whatever reason. The kind of quiet a man holds when an ultimatum is laid down on him by a woman he is committed to. "And what if I say no? Are you going to break up with me? I mean, look Ilyna, I'd love to take you, but it's just not in the books. I'm not leaving for long, I'll be back soon enough. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about you, dimwit," she said, any love in her voice not just in retreat, but encircled and liquidated as well. "I want to go to Starblaydia. I deserve a vacation too, Anter! I slave all day for us, clean the house all the godsdamn time, and work a quarter-time job to help us survive. Plus, it'd be really cool to meet Enrik Nestor. You don't even think of me anymore!"

"Enrik Nestor!? Is this what this is about?" he exclaimed. "What do you think, Enrik Nestor is going to be interested in you?"

She lowered her head and rolled up her eyes that way that women do. "Oh, no you did not, Anter Deóhn Komo Jora. You don't get to disrespect me like that," she said, sticking him in the chest with her finger. "Plus, if Enrik Nestor saw this body, there'd be no resisting me. Don't you forget what you have."

"This really is about him, isn't it?" Anter chuckled. "He's a godsdamn famous football player, Ilyna."

Ilyna rolled her eyes. "This isn't about me, Anter. You are the one who's not bringing me with you to a vacation of a lifetime, and all just because you're cheap. You're cheap, I tell you."

"What the hell are we even talking about?" He was, by now, completely lost. "This is a fantasy."

Solemnly, she said, "I'm leaving you, Anter. I'm sorry, I don't love you anymore."

"Look, Ilyna, we've been dating for...six months!!!" he replied.

"F*** you, Anter, f*** you!" She raised a very specific finger as she walked past him and into their bedroom. He heard the long melody of an opening luggage carrier. "I'm leaving," she added from inside the room. "This is goodbye." Anter stood by the door as she packed her clothing into suitcases and bags. She said things here and there. "Don't you have anything to say? Anything"

"You're overreacting."

"Ugh, men!" She grabbed all her stuff any way she could, her back bent like a humpback's. "Goodbye, a**hole!"

Good riddance! was the first thought that crossed Anter's mind when she finally walked out, the front door slamming behind her with a bang. He smiled. All considered that breakup had gone rather easy. Not too bad of an argument, no violence, and he made it seem like it her idea to boot. His perfect summer had started perfect and was well on course to remain perfect. Soon enough, he'd be in either Starblaydia or Equesterian States, watching good football for free and getting paid to romance the ladies with his smooth díenstadi accent. There was a mirror by the door, above a table of dark lumber, that he looked at himself in, unbuttoning the topmost button of his shirt. "S***, I look good."

He walked to the couch and plopped down upon it, bending over to reach for the TV remote on the coffee table. Clicking something on, he watched for a bit before leaning back his head, closing his eyes, and falling asleep. He dreamed of all the exotic elixirs coming his way.

Finally, D-Day. He smiled when he first woke up. He knew it was the day the second the clock struck midnight, even while he lay dreaming, sprawled as he was on his small, twin-sized bed. Today he was flying out for World Cup qualifiers. Today was going to be awesome. It didn't even feel like 3 AM.

He hopped out of bed, jumped in the shower, then got ready to go. A town car — a town car! — picked him up at 4:30 AM. By 5AM he was at the airport, where he was escorted to the aircraft by bus. He could have never imagined flying with the team to watch football in a beautiful, foreign country. And he was completely single. Life could not be better.

Walking up the staircase, one of the aircraft hosts was waiting for him at the door. He showed him inside, saying, "Seat 47C."

When he looked inside he could not believe what he saw. He was flying with the national football team, and right there in the middle — with freakin' Enrik Nestor, the well-sculptured striker — sat Ilyna. And his hand was caressing her thigh. "Hi Anter," she said when she saw him. "Good news, it turns out they do pay for girlfriends to come along. Yay!"

And, suddenly, Anter Jora was in hell.

Edit 4/24/2018, corrected 'he' to 'she' in the dialogue.
Edit 4/24/2018, removed superfluous closing bracket from end of 4/24/2018 edit notes lol.

by **Poggers** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 6:33 am

ICTV NewsNational:

MA: Today the Poggers Soccer Team, starting to be called by fans as the 101's has started it's first training at Avaya Stadium. Jiff has the info on all this

Jiff: Yes the team has started training for the world cup today, and will be taking a fight to EqueStar to a 5 star hotel tomorrow. We have an interview with new head coach Rick Vincent.

Jiff: So what is your plan?

RV: My plan is to make some risks on lineups, and we now have the players who can do this. But first lets see what it's gonna be like

Jiff: What have you learned from this so far?

RV: I actually think I learned about the players to have the best, Lion Atom, The Sam Brothers, and Geno 'O Brian are some of the best players Ive ever seen

Jiff: What do you have to say of the viral video of 101's

RV: Well ummmm, that was a bit embarrassing on my part but well..... I really cant find anything to say.

Jiff: Thanks (Interview ends)

Jiff: From Avaya Stadium in San Jose, This is ICTV NewsNational.

by **Northwest Kalactin** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:37 am

This is my first RP but In French

"Oh salut là Wendell", a déclaré Matt Hall Milieu de l'équipe Kalactanian
"Qu'est-ce qui est sup, Mātt", a déclaré Jakerein
"Eh bien, mon pote, avez-vous entendu dire que l'équipe dîne demain soir dans un endroit indien?"
"Intéressant j'aime les endroits indiens." Dit Wendell
"Bonjour les troupes." C'était Luke Dillan Striker de l'équipe
"Bonjour Luke, je vois que vous aurez du temps avec votre équipe." Répondit Jakerein
"Oh oui, je suis très excité de pouvoir jouer dans la coupe des champions avec Kempsey United. Dit Dillan
"Oui, bien que des équipes du nord de la prairie essaient de me signer, mais je ne veux pas jouer dans les prairies du Nord, je veux jouer ici pour Kempsey United", a déclaré Wendell.
"Salut les gars." C'était Hue Grebv un défenseur
"Salut Hue, comment te souviens-tu du baptême du feu il y a 2 ans? Je voulais juste frapper ce type", dit Wendell.
"Ca va bien maintenant, j'espère que nous ne jouons pas à Filindostan", a déclaré Hue.
"Je regardais ce match à la télévision, je n'étais pas dans l'équipe à l'époque", a déclaré Matt Hall
"N'étiez-vous pas sur l'équipe U-21 alors", a déclaré Luke
"J'étais." Dit Matt
"Ok, au revoir, les gars doivent y aller" dit Wendell

by **Razenthuria** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 2:00 pm

Bunyoro links "a welcome discussion" say a flattered Jeffreys

_{Adam Jeffreys who has lead A.C. Stonehenge to their second League RZN title is in heavy talks with the Banijan side, Bunyoro RSC (Gaston North/Razen Sports Daily)}

_{DOMODO, BANIJA} - Adam Jeffreys is coming off a storied campaign this season as his team he managed, the A.C. Stonenhenge side successfully won League RZN's fifteenth season, lifting their first title in three years, and also giving much hope for the league - Jeffreys stunned the nation by announcing his plans to ply his trade in international play, formerly considered to be a contender to coach the Razen national team, it was instead determined that Jeffreys is now most-likely to fall to Bunyoro RSC, of the Banijan top league. Bunyoro is by no means A.C. Stonehenge, which is a top team in League RZN - he'll be left to pick up an over-30 team and rebound it to the former success of years previous, and that may serve as a damaging factor for his credentials, however, Jeffreys is certainly going to embark on an interesting journey, considering Bunyoro RSC invited Jeffreys to tour their facilities almost a week after A.C. Stonehenge lifted the domestic crown. Right now, the biggest concern amongst A.C. Stonehenge should be looking for a replacement to Jeffreys, the club has recently been interested in bringing a more-defensive outlook to the team as they prepare for the post-Jeffreys stage. The Razen man was an intrical part of the management of the Fullham Rangers in the early days of the Njiko RZN - as they rose to be the nemesis of the early golden age of the Purple Swans of Athletic New Victoria. Jeffreys earned his record, first as an assistant for Thunder Rivers at Fullham Rangers, before eventually switching to become a manager at Navy Club; during this time, it was considered a failure as Jeffreys Navy Club side finished the season in ninth place and barely managed to avoid relegation due to wins on aggregate. A.C. Stonehenge gambled when they turned to Jeffreys, alas, Jeffreys, three years after the hiring has now won a league title.

Bunyoro's announcement that Iphicrates Bella was to become a commissioner of one of Banija's lower-strung leagues, rather, Jeffreys becomes the first Razen manager to coach in a foreign league, and that's going to be a focal point for the next few weeks in Razen discussion circles. Sotnehenge will no doubt have to work around it and find a mnew manager, and they'll have leaking decisions to make concerning the future of the Starting XI, which will have to glue under a new manager. The fifty-six year-old goes on to Domodo most-likely, and reacting to what the papers said about him, calling him a 'fake' and 'money-chaser', he responded, "Bunyoro has made an offer to me, I have yet to except. While I value the time I spent at A.C. Stonehenge and managing at the historic Freeman Turf, I believe my time as a manager in the League RZN has reached its longevity". However, that might not be enough to convince the nation that he msut leave, a domestic manager could come to head at Freeman Turf, the most-likely being DIvind Lestrange, a manager in the RazenLeague 2, for top side Peachtree FC, there's going to be much to check for the team, as the two lower leagues conclude their respective seasons in the upcoming days (OOC - most-likely Tuesday). Right now, Jeffreys has spent a long time within Domodo, discussing with top officials from the Banijan Soccer League and Bunyoro RSC as for managing the side; we ask if his management will be a departure from that of Bella's, who lead a team mired in controversy and deplorableness. There is much doubt that Jeffreys will be single-handedly able to turn around the team, he has said that if he was to accept the job, concessions would have to be made for improving the team, lobbying to become President of the Chairman in charge of the side.

So.

It'll be interesting.

by **Northwest Kalactin** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 3:55 pm

It’s time for World Cup qualifiers social media is trending like crazy let’s see some of the best tweets

Princess Johanna
@Theprincess

Hey guys it’s the princess just giving you guys some support so boys from Northwest Kalactin go get it! #COYBIB

RETWEETSFAVORITE
62K103K

11:45 AM -

by **Maryloupe** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:10 pm

The Bizanc Herald

MARJURA SUFFERS FROM ACL(ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT), OUT FOR 2 MONTHS

Marjura suffered an injury during the Falanthsene derby, where his team, Arnhelm were facing Dezehn. Greens tackled him while the ball was with Marjura, which led him to fall down and gripp his knee, while Greens got a red card. He might not be able to play the first few matches of the qualifications.

"It is a very sad thing to hear, as he is our star. Without him, we might get knocked out," says the (freaking) manager Mr Munrich.

"I FEEL LIKE KILLING THE TACKLER TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!! A F******* RED CARD IS NOT ENOUGH!!!!!!!!" says a fan who wants to be called Ben. He will also miss the opening group stage match against Alwenton FC. That is sad. Super sad. Not only that, but he will have to call off his birthday celebration, which is tomorrow.

"It was accidental. Trust me. I'm sorry I did that, but it wasn't on purpose. I just--" Grens said before he was interrupted.

"Who say? Go to hell lah! YOu are not meant to be here anyway. Censored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ben said up there said as he was whisked into his car by his wife and son. Apparently the duo( Greens and the fan) almost got into a fight.

"I swear I will kill you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ben said as he left the Lineum Widera. Ben almost started a fight and could be fined if it accelerates into a riot.

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:59 pm

The Truth News

Main Nation Ministry Signs Up For World Cup 80

After several sporting events, Main Nation Ministry has managed to officially sign up for the World Cup 80, a soccer tournament being hosted by the nations of Equestrian States and Starblaydia. The Ministry of Sports has not yet released a statement regarding the official list of players who will be on the team for World Cup 80. Other nations that our nation is familiar with with compete in the world cup. It's important to show your patriotism and cheer for our sports teams, regardless if they win or not. Our team uniforms will be our traditional red, white, and black so it will be easy to recognize.

Rot Virus Still Rampant

The feared and now nicknamed by the public "Rot Virus" is still infecting individuals at several forest sectors and mining towns. Due to the tension, stress, and paranoia, most concerned parents have prevented their kids from attending schools. This action is illegal, however, as the nation demands that the youth of the nation must attend school through the typical Monday to Friday schedule. As a result, many parents have been fined for preventing their children from learning the most important education at our schools. It's important to note that any student who is visibly sick are usually quarantined and are killed, if their state don't improve in a week when using our nation's medical technology.

The Leader has been, as several behavior analysts describe, seems to regret officially establishing a democracy after the outbreak started. The top political candidates have been heated on handling certain issues, where many are already wanting the democracy to be abolished, as many believe that a democracy-less society would help in the handling of the Rot Virus. The causes of the virus are still a mystery, even it has started in one of the major forest sectors. Several scientists have said that it has nothing to be with the rumored bio-weapon leak in one of the nation's military storage facilities.

Military Plane Vanishes Over Desert Covered Island

In an unnerving situation, during a routine training mission and expedition for uninhibited land, a large military plane has reportedly vanished over the site of a recently discovered island. From a surveillance drone, an aerial picture has been taken, showing an island covered in nothing, but sand. After the disappearance of the military plane, another drone has been send to the area of where the island was, however the drone has vanished along with the plane. Currently, military officials are working on a mission to determine, if an unknown rebel terrorist cell has taken outpost at the island.

More news will be published later this week.

by **Newmanistan** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 4:31 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

EMPIRE RETURNS TO WORLD CUP

by Brianne Henry,

In Starblaydia, they like to host the World Cup in a numerically appropriate pattern. They first hosted World Cup 20, then after another twenty Cups, they hosted World Cup 40. After waiting forty Cups, they host number 80. Unintentionally, Newmanistan is following that pattern, having debuted in World Cup 40, after winning Baptism of Fire 27. After several attempts that mostly saw the Rockets fail to qualify and head to the Cup of Harmony to see who would finish 33rd, Newmanistan eventually stopped attempting to qualify, even before they disappeared entirely from the world sporting stage. After that hiatus, and several years after the nation returned to sporting competition, Newmanistan is back, fittingly, for the 80th Cup. The biggest soccer fans in the world could not be more excited and hope this isn’t a one-off, while others wonder, “why?” If we couldn’t qualify when we were ranked in the 30's and 40's all those years, what is the point of coming back, completely untested, and without any rank at all?

Since returning, Newmanistan has found their way back to successful results, winning another World Baseball Classic title, making a World Bowl final, and an International Basketball Championships semifinal. The team actually had a more competitive then expected run in the Campionato Esportiva. So perhaps that is why the nation is back, but certainly do not expect them to make any kind of run at qualifying for the World Cup. At best, maybe they can hang around in the battle for third a little while, and admittedly, wouldn’t it be fun to upset Darmen for third after they upset us in the World Baseball Classic 42 playoffs? As much as that would be enjoyable, don’t expect it.

I had a chat with manager Michael Stratton about the team, so here it is.

BH: Let me start first by congratulating you on being named the manager of the national team. That is quite an honor.

MS: Thank you, Brianne. It is an honor, for sure.

BH: What went through your mind when you heard that the Empire would return to the World Cup? It didn’t seem like it would happen.

MS: We were pushing to make it happen, but as you know, it has to have the Emperor’s approval, and we were just not getting that. The Emperor is a proud man, and he does not want to see our teams look bad on an international level. He knew it would be likely to happen, though of course we want to prove everyone wrong.

BH: What put him over the top?

MS: We kept pointing to our performance in the Campionato Esportiva. We had a great group stage before bowing out in the playoffs early. There’s no reason to think that we will look so bad in this tournament that it will be embarrassing. There is nothing embarrassing with losing to the best nations in the world, even though that is not our intention. We needed to make him believe that we could quickly get on the level with midpack group teams and finish qualifying with a respectable record, and perhaps make the 33rd place tournament, the Cup of Harmony.

BH: Even then, the word got out very late.

MS: It was last minute, definitely. But this is the team we sent to the Campionato Esportiva, even if the Emperor did not want us to reveal the names of the players to the world. They are hard workers and deserve the opportunity. Soccer is a great game, and it’s not like we don’t play it. We do, we just have been turned off due to past experiences, but people forget we do have proud World Cup moments, such as a Baptism of Fire title and three Cup of Harmony titles. Even though we’ve hardly ever qualified, that’s not a bad history in this.

BH: How much fan support do you anticipate?

MS: We’ll fill up the Proving Grounds. Our fans have been waiting a long time for this, and even the casual fan will have an interest in watching us take on some very good soccer nations. The top seeds in this group are nations are fans know. South Covello from baseball, Kita-Hinode from the Campionato Esportiva, and especially Darmen. So those games will draw crowds for those reasons, and then the games against the rest of the group will draw crowds because our fans will be hungry for wins. Not that they will be easier games, but they will be seen as more winnable. Coldfield and South Toronto have good sides, and Commonwealth of Baker Park comes off a good run at the Baptism of Fire.

BH: Realistically, what’s the biggest goal for the team?

MS: Just get as many points as we can. That’s all we can hope for. It sounds lame, but that’s the goal. Maybe we are in the mix late in qualifying, maybe not.

BH: Now the big question. Is this tournament a one time thing?

MS: No one knows. Obviously we hope that its not, but that’s not my call.

BH: Thank you, and good luck to you. We’ll all be watching.

MS: Thank you!

by **Beepee** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:30 pm

Sports fan, Kikki Dabol, sat expectantly at her computer frantically hitting refresh awaiting the draw for the 80th World Cup to occur. She was tired despite the excitement.... she had stayed up all night waiting.

Her beloved Beepee would be entering the competition for the first time and she was looking forward to booking trips around the world to visit new and foreign lands.

Mrs Dabol knew qualification was not going to be an easy matter for Beepee despite their successful Baptism of Fire campaign. Beepee are raked 144 in the world.

The draw began and Kikki sat transfixed to her screen. She waited patiently. There were a lot of teams to draw.

Team after team was drawn...

Then the glorious moment Pot 6... Beepee's pot. She had been noting down the different groups as the names as they been drawn. She closed her eyes crossed her fingers... Not Group 1!

She could feel the nervous energy grow within her.... still no mention....

Wait....

BEEPEE! she opened her eyes... Group 11? She scanned down her notes.... could be worse she thought... could be better too.

Kikki awaited patiently the end of the draw noting down all Beepees opponents and yagooging them...

Oooh fascinating... multi-spousal weddings.... strictly enforced bedtimes....
This is going to be awesome she muttered.

Kikki then went to Beepeean Airways website and booked her flights to each and every match.

Mrs Dabol went to sleep dreaming of cheering on Beepee in both word and gesture.