World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

by **Free Republics** » Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:02 pm

World Cup 81 Roleplays

Designed by 3WD of Vilita

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Welcome, formally, to the 81st World Cup cycle! Brought to you jointly by the Kingdom of Banija and the Federation of Free Republics.

This is a thread to post your roleplays. Roleplays can be previews, match reports, epic stories about your nation, dialogues, short speeches, television programs, news stories about your nation or whatever else you can come up with! We'll also be including information about the schedule, the group draws and the host nations plus whatever else we deem necessary.

World Cup 81 Finals - Group Draw

Group A

Darmen(21)
Pasarga(10)
Apox(42)
Banija(32)

Group B

Mercedini(22)
Nephara(6)
Nova Anglicana(48)
Turori(11)

Group C

Ethane(15)
Farfadillis(2)
Eshan(36)
Sargossa(20)

Group D

Valanora(12)
Cassadaigua(29)
Qasden(25)
Vilita(5)

Group E

Free Republics(33)
Chromatika(8)
Saltstead(37)
Equestrian States(16)

Group F

The Holy Empire(4)
Starblaydia(14)
Barunia(26)
Ko-oren(40)

Group G

Audioslavia(27)
Eura(1)
Kita-Hinode(28)
South Covello(9)

Group H

Cosumar(13)
Brenecia(3)
Commonwealth of Baker Park(30)
Mriin(17)

Schedule

Saturday September 29th - Group Draw
Wednesday October 3rd - MD1: 1v4, 2v3
Friday October 5th - MD2: 4v3, 1v2
Sunday October 7th - MD3: 2v4, 3v1
Tuesday October 9th - Round of 16: A1vB2, C1vD2, B1vA2, D1vC2, E1vF2, G1vH2, F1vE2, H1vG2
Thursday October 11th - Quarterfinals: SR1vSR2, SR3vSR4, SR5vSR6, SR7vSR8
Saturday October 13th - Semifinals: QF1vQF2, QF3vQF4
Sunday October 14th - Third Place Playoff: SF1 Loser vs. SF2 Loser
Monday October 15th - Final: SF1 Winner vs. SF2 Winner

Groups A-D and all knockout round matches involving those 16 teams through the Semifinals will be ICly held in Banija and OOCly scorinated by Free Republics. Groups E-H and all knockout round matches involving those 16 teams through the Semifinals will be ICly held in Free Republics and OOCly scorinated by Banija. The Third Place Playoff will be held in Banija and scorinated by Banija. The Final will be held in the Free Republics and scorinated by Free Republics.

Free Republics Cutoff Time (Qualifying and Playoffs): 8-10 AM North American Eastern Daylight Time
Free Republics Cutoff Time (WC finals): 9-11 PM North American Eastern Daylight Time
Banija Cutoff Time: 10 PM North American Eastern Daylight Time

The above schedule is subject to change.

by **Banija** » Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:03 pm

National Information

The Kingdom of Banija is a country that classifies itself as a semi-constitutional monarchy. A nation that is freshly a member of Atlantian Oceania, it is led by the Kabaka(which translates to King), and the current monarch is Kabaka Albert III. The Kabaka, alongside with the Waziri(translates to Foreign Minister), whom he picks and dismisses solely at his pleasure, is the Head of State and responsible for the country's foreign affairs. Upon reaching age 25, the Isebantu(Crown Prince), becomes the Waziri by constitutional right.

Following the disastrous Banijan-Equestrian War, which saw, among many other things, the independence of the Busoga Islands, elected governance was suspended within Banija for a year. The Kabaka, of course, ruled directly. But, of course, return to democratic governance was established. The elected unicameral legislature is the Lukiiko(Parliament), and the Lukiiko is responsible for governance of domestic affairs. The Katikkiro(Prime Minister) is elected by the Lukiiko. Currently, due to the discrediting of the right, the Social Democrats, Banija's most left-wing major party, has won the most recent elections, a strange notion for this traditionally conservative nation. The established church is the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, most commonly known as Puritan Mormonism. 88% of Banijans identify as adherents to the state church, while freedom of religion is generally respected by the law.

Due to the massive influence of Puritan Mormonism in this nation, they are relatively socially conservative. Abortion in this country is outlawed unless the mother's life is in danger, and polygamy for males is legal. The church's Universal Call to Motherhood, which teaches that the destiny of each and every woman is to give birth to children and raise faithful Puritan Mormons, has heavily shaped the nation's view on the role of women in society. Therefore, it is against the law for any professional sports teams based in Banija to have men and women on the team. However, this law only applies to teams based in Banija, which is why it is perfectly legal when foreign-based teams, either for away games or when Banija hosts tournaments, to have people of any gender. Meaning that the ban on co-ed sports does not apply at this tournament, except for the Banijan team itself. Consumption of alcohol and the recreational use of marijuana in Banija is legal. Due to Mormon tradition, however, the purchase/sale of coffee products is illegal within Banija- however, the consumption is not. Fans and teams are allowed to bring in their own coffee products as long as they are declared at customs, where it is then taxed per pound.

Banija's currency is the shilling. The exchange rate to the NationStates Dollar is 1,000 shillings to 1 NSD. Conversion kiosks will be available at all hotels and at airports to exchange your money, as well as any banks. However, using the NSDs directly to purchase items is only guaranteed at stadiums and hotels- vendors outside of stadiums or hotels are not required to accept NationStates Dollars. Fans are also advised that street vendors will only take cash, according to Banijan law- as an issue of security to prevent against credit card theft.

Of course, Banija is a 3rd world country by modern economic standards. A general lack of development in Banija, we are a country with excellent sporting infrastructure, but little else. Most roads are dirt, and public transit within cities is via the boda boda, though each team will have two 45 passenger busses to transport players, coaches, staff, family, etc... To and from the hotel to the games and practices. The climate of Banija has a lot of natural rainforest and jungle, which means that there is no winter, only wet season and dry season. Temperatures generally range at their coldest around 60 degrees farenheit, and at their hottest around 110 degrees farenheit. For the duration of the tournament, average high temperatures will range from 60 to 85 degrees farenheit.

Banijans have a tendency of being relaxed about time. While, of course, things like flights and matches will run on time, this is something that is observed generally, especially at restaurants. It is considered standard to arrive about 15-20 minutes late for a restaurant reservation, which is something Banijan authorities would like to make note of for travelling fans and visitors to the country for this tournament.

The two major international airports within Banija are Istria International and Busukuma International, for the largest city and capitol city, respectively. All the cities hosting games have their own airport, but teams/fans will have to fly in via the two international airports, and then take a connecting flight to their eventual destinations.

Locations

Istria, Moravica
Banija's largest port and largest city by population, this is in the Moravica region, in Northwestern Banija. It is a city of 3 million people, and it is known as Banija's economic capitol. It is largely considered Banija's most diverse city. Historically, this city served as the second capitol city of the Kasanke Tribe, the historical predecessors of the modern Banijan nation. It is one of two Banijan cities with a major foreign population- the other being the nation's capitol, Busukuma. There is even a Kalactanian Hockey League team hosted in the city. Nearly a third of the city holds citizenship of a country other than Banijan. More of those come from the Royal Kingdom of Quebec or the Busoga Islands, but people come from all over Atlantian Oceania and the rest of the multiverse. It is also known as Banija's wealthiest city and primary economic hub. It is home to Banija's oldest university, and to the country's biggest airport.

Stadium

The stadium in Istria is Kabonero III Field, with a capacity of 48,000. The stadium is named after Kabonero III, the monarch who united the country's modern day territory under his rule, and the first to rule the country with the name Banija. There was controversy when Banija hosted the Baptism of Fire as this stadium was not selected to host matches in that, due to a failure between the RBSA and Istria City FC, the stadium's operators, to reach an agreement on revenue splitting. However, one was reached for this tournament, and Kabonero III Stadium will host games at World Cup 80. The stadium is located on the city's oceanfront, and is considered to be on the city's best real estate.

Matches Held Here
Both Group C Matchday 1 Matches
Group D Matchday 3- Qasden v. Valanora
Quarterfinals: SR1vSR2

Herzegovina City, Moravica
Banija's oldest city, the city by its current name is over 800 years old, when it was first conquered by the Kasanke people. It is a city with a population of 1 million people. It is the heart of the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The national religion was started in this city, and the church's world headquarters, the Herzegovina Temple, is the multiverse's largest Puritan Mormon church. The Bishop of this church, formally titled the Patriarch of Herzegovina, is the most senior member of the church, and the joint head of the global church, alongside His Majesty, the Kabaka. It is home to Banija's largest university, Northern Moravica University. It served as the seat of government for the Kasanke Tribe. It is also the capitol city of the Moravica region. As the original home of the predecessors of the Banijan monarchs, all reigning monarchs are buried on the grounds of the Herzegovina Temple.

To get to Herzegovina City directly from abroad, you will fly into Banija via Istria, and then take a 50 minute high speed train ride North to Herzegovina City.

Stadium- Star Field

The stadium in Herzegovina City is Star Field, and it has a capacity of 62,600- the biggest stadium of any Banijan club team in the country. This stadium was, of course, a shoe-in to host games- when you consider capacity, ease of transportation, and size of the city, it was a no brainer. The stadium is home to Herzegovina City FC who, two seasons ago, became the only BSL team in the history of the league to finish a season undefeated- 31 wins, 7 draws, and no losses.

This stadium in Banija's oldest city will undergo quite an upgrade for the World Cup Finals, paid for by Herzegovina City FC to enhance their own revenue streams. With Articala Electrical providing power to the stadium, and Lighthouse Lightworx adding a number of screens, the stadium is not only the biggest in the BSL, it is now clearly the most modern stadium in Banija's domestic league, even if it is one of the oldest stadium's in the league, thanks to Herzegovina City FC's partnership with the pair of Vilitan companies.

Matches Held Here
Both Group B Matchday 1 Matches
Group D Matchday 3- Cassadaigua v. Vilita
Quarterfinals: SR1vSR2, SR3vSR4

Busukuma, National Capitol Region
This is the nation's capitol, located on the country's Southern coastline. Puritan Mormons believe that their God told the-then chief of the Kasanke, Kabonero III, that he should conquer all of the land that is currently Banija, gave the country it's name, and put the capitol in the South. He did it, made Busukuma the capitol, and declared himself Banija's first Maharaja, or Emperor. As the nation's capitol for over 400 years, the city has been the spot for many major events in Banijan history, and the seat of plenty of foreign embassies, a large foreign population, and Banija's first airport.

The city, of course, is known for having two airports- the public, international airport, called Busukuma International, and also the non-public airport, named Ssuuna International Airport- reserved for the royal family and their guests, elected national politicians, foreign diplomats, and the point of entry for high-ranking officials to avoid the general public. Heads of State/Government, Foreign Ministers, WCC officials, host committee members, and national teams, upon their first arrival into Banija, will fly into Gonzaga International.

Stadium of the Restoration

The national stadium, the Stadium of the Restoration, sits 91,835. It is the country's largest soccer stadium, and, of course, it is the national stadium. On the stadium's site, in 1835, the Banijan monarchy was restored at this site in Banija's first declaration of independence from the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. When the RBSA was formed, it was the obvious site to build the national stadium. The original facility sat 69,000, and was then, as it is now, Banija's largest soccer stadium. It was home to the Banijan national soccer and gridiron teams, and hosted plenty of international tournaments, including the Finals of a World Bowl and a Baptism of Fire. However, the ageing facility needed to be rebuilt so that one could fit the WCC's 80,000 seater minimum requirement to host a World Cup opening match.

The bid from AEP, an architectural firm from Siovanija & Teusland, won the bid to build a new Stadium of the Restoration on the same site. The brand new stadium's capacity, according to the bid, is a nod to Banija's history, of the year that made the site famous in 1835. It has a retractable natural grass surface, used for soccer, and a retractable articifial turf surface, used for gridiron football and during ceremonies like coronations. There are no gaps between the stands, while the South Stand is a single tier, designed to amplify crowd noise. The stadium contains 35 suites, 1 of which is always reserved for RBSA executives, and the second always received for His Majesty, the Kabaka.

At this stadium, the RBSA is working with Articala Electrical of Vilita to maintain an Arcticala Arena interactive zone at the stadium for the duration of the tournament, as well as to provide power to the stadium for the duration of the Finals. Lighthouse Lightworx, also of Vilita, will provide permanent screens at the stadium to make the lighting and visuals at the new spiritual home of Banijan sport, and the historical home of the Banijan monarchy, absolutely state-of-the-art. Helped paid for, of course, by Banija's participation in the Echani Path to Prosperity.

Matches Held Here
Both Group A Matchday 1 Matches
Group C Matchday 3- Eshan v. Ethane
Semifinals: QF1vQF2

Jinja City, Hangaza
This city of 2 million people is Banija's largest inland city, and the second largest city in the entire country, in terms of population. This city is the economic center of the Hangaza region, even if its political capitol lies towards the East, in Aissa. Being an inland city, of course, it is not know for its diversity- nearly the entire city are native Banijans, even if many are from rural Hangaza. Historically, the city is known for being the spiritual home of one of Banija's minority ethnic groups- the Akamba. It is also sight of the first battle of the Kasanke conquest, when they moved from the Moravican coast to take over the entirety of what is now Banija.

Stadium- BCEL Stadium

This stadium has a capacity of 52,400. Sponsored by the soft drink company BCEL from Baker Park, it is the only corporate sponsored stadium being used on the Banijan side in World Cup 80. It was built to attract matches for the previous Baptism of Fire, and is considered one of Banija's premier stadiums. It is home to Banijan club Jinja City FC, one of Banija's Super 5 clubs. They had a streak just end where they had four straight consecutive second place finishes in the league.

Matches Held Here
Both Group B Matchday 2 Matches
Group C Matchday 3- Farfadillis v. Sargossa
Third Place Playoff: SF1 Loser vs. SF2 Loser

Busembe, Kitara
The first four cities on this list were shoes-ins. Absolute guarantees. You couldn't ever hold a tournament in Banija and ignore those four cities. As for the last cities, there was a lot of debate. One of the four winners of this debate, of course, and one of them was Busembe. Busembe is the capitol of the Kitara Region, with nearly 300,000 people within the city limits. It is, of course, on the country's west coast- but not a port city, like Istria, Herzegovina City, or Busukuma. The city, in fact, isn't what's memorable. The reason it was chosen, of course, was because of the stadium. The Kitara Region is known as Banija's hottest region, however, and so that means expect both the temperatures and the humidity to climb very high in games that are played at The Wolf's Den.

Stadium- The Wolf's Den

The stadium's name pays homage to the stadium's operators, the Busembe Timberwolves of the Banijan Soccer League. It has a capacity of 44,000, so it is one of the smaller stadiums awarded World Cup matches- however, it is also seen as one of Banija's highest quality stadiums. It is one of Banija's most intimate stadiums, with the fans being extremely close to the field. The intimacy, as well as ease of access from Busukuma International Airport(just a 45 minute train ride to the Northwest) are some of the major reason why this stadium was chosen.

Matches Held Here
Both Group D Matchday 1 Matches
Group B Matchday 3- Nova Anglicana v Mercedini
Round of 16: D1vC2

Aissa, Hangaza
As mentioned above, there was a lot of debate over the last four stadiums that would be picked. Which ones would they be? With legitimately competitive bids from 7 different stadiums to be in that final group of four, of course, there were bound to be disappointed cities and regions. The Hangaza region, of course, is not one of them. The region, dominated economically by its economic core in Jinja City, will provide a second host city, in its regional capitol, Aissa. A city of 477,000, it is nothing remarkable on its own. This is a notoriously difficult city to access, just a few miles from the country's eastern border with Geisenfred. It is a one hour bus ride from Jinja City.

Stadium- Hangaza Unified Stadium

The Hangaza Unified Stadium is a behemoth of a stadium, with a seating capacity of 55,000. It is, of course, the home of Aissa United FC, who aren't exactly one of Banija's most prominent clubs. Still, the stadium is the second largest in the Banijan Soccer League. The stadium was chosen for its stadium capacity, and nothing else- it is a great stadium, but its location, all the way out in little Aissa, made it seem as if the stadium was unlikely to get chosen. The city had a rabid soccer fanbase, however, and if hooliganism is to hit anywhere, it is to hit in Aissa, a city where the drinks certainly flow freely.

Matches Held Here
Both Group A Matchday 2 Matches
Group B Matchday 3- Nephara v. Turori
Round of 16: B1vA2

Dodoma, Bunyoro
The Bunyoro Region got a rude awakening with Bwubanza City Soccer Club's recent relegation, in stunning fashion, from the Banijan Soccer League. Previously seen as a lock to host World Cup matches, that relegation threw it all into doubt. Would Bwubanza City's revenues fall enough to prevent them from making the necessary upgrades to host World Cup football? There was, of course, the other city in the region to consider- Dodoma, a city with almost 800,000. Locals joke that while in the rest of Banija, there is dry season and wet season, in Bunyoro, there is wet and wetter season- it has some of the highest rates of rainfall in all of Atlantian Oceania.

But where to put the matches? The existing stadium in the city isn't big enough, with a capacity of 33,000. Then, of course...

Stadium- Paa Nyeupe

Paa Nyeupe, translating to "The White Roof", is one of two brand new stadiums built for the 80th World Cup Finals. It will debut in this tournament, and, of course, be the future home of Bunyoro Regional Sporting Club. With a stadium capacity of 48,600, and with revolutionary field drainage technology, thoughtful considering the amount of rain that this region gets, this will be some of Banijan engineering technology on full display. Due to the unique structure of the roof, the sound is made to go down onto the ground, and many expect this will be the tournament's loudest venue due to that stadium design.

Matches Held Here
Both Group D Matchday 2 Matches
Group A Matchday 3- Apox v. Darmen
Round of 16: Round of 16: C1vD2

Hoima, Ankole
Now, while Hoima wasn't a shoe-in per say, it was never really going to be left off of the host list, was it? One of five cities in Banija with at least a million people, it had to be chosen. It is not a multicultural city, as is true of most of Banija's inland cities, but it is more diverse than Jinja City. Banija Air is headquartered in this city, as the city's economy relies on commercial airliner manufacturing. The weather in this city is known as some of the best in Banija- almost always temperate, and not much humidity. Of course, there is alittude, as the city is located three quarters of a mile above see level.

Stadium- PG Arena

With a stadium capacity of 44,500, it is well above the minimum capacity of 40,000 required to host a World Cup match. The stadium has hosted games both in the Baptism of Fire and the World Bowl, and is the home stadium of the Hoima Warriors, one of the Super 5 Banijan Soccer League clubs. A stadium with a lot of history, its bid to host World Cup matches was nearly beat out by Mugisha III Memorial Stadium, which would have given the national capitol, Busukuma, a second stadium. The city will be out to prove that they, indeed, were deserved of being selected to host World Cup matches, and give the fans who visit this city a party.

Matches Held Here
Both Group C Matchday 2 Matches
Group A Matchday 3- Pasarga v. Banija
Round of 16: A1vB2

by **Free Republics** » Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:04 pm

Free Republics National Information

History of the Free Republics

The Federation of Free Republics was formed in 1767, following decades of revolutions in the Lunia region. In the previous few decades, there had been a wave of revolutions. The ideas of liberalism had become popular in the region, as Abram Schmitts, an economist from Shostistan, wrote several books promoting the benefits of capitalizm. Soon, absolute monarchies fell throughout the Lunia region. The Kingdom of Saintland remained unaffected by this wave of revolutions, due to its self-imposed isolation.

Following the revolutions, there were now many Republics scattered throughout the region. These Republics faced seemingly constant attempts from reactionary elements to reverse the revolution and bring back absolute monarchy. They also had trouble trading and communicating with one another. The newly free, with a lowercase f, Republics had numerous antiquated laws and contradictory systems of measurement in effect. A foot in Vorita was 2 feet in Amolotopia and a meter in Roxawa was a decimeter in Nejax. It was a total mess all around. This mess was made even worse by the multitude of languages spoken in the different Republics. As they sought to eliminate trade barriers and forge closer ties between one another, their efforts resulted in confusion. In the days of absolute monarchy, the inability to speak one another's language was a benefit, since kings were always waging wars against one another. However, as the Industrial Revolution heated up and brought an unprecedented degree of prosperity to the land, they could no longer maintain separate languages, separate measurements and the arcane laws and regulations that were hindering commerce in the region.

Then, a rebellion broke out in the Republic of Roxawa. The rebels sought to abolish all property, all laws and even government itself. Rampaging around the countryside, they attacked government buildings, vandalized property and stole whatever they felt like. All the while, they spoke of total freedom. Terrifying the Republic's well-armed militia into inaction, the rebel crime spree continued for weeks. Fear spread throughout the region that other "rebellions" of this sort would soon break out, providing the perfect excuse for the Federationists. The leaders of 77 Republics throughout the region agreed to send delegates to the city of Baseton in Amolotopia to discuss an appropriate response to the rebellion. This was a pretext, which was seized upon by the Federationists to push their "Constitution" scheme.

The Federationists proposed that a document called a "Constitution" would establish a new unified government of all of the Republics, known as the Federation Government. This would be a relatively weak government, as the Republics would remain mostly autonomous and generally free to do as they wished in governing themselves. The Federation Government would have an enumerated list of responsibilities, such as promoting commerce, maintaining a common foreign policy and common immigration policy and several other minor tasks, such as the option to establish a national postal system.

The Constitution guaranteed a number of fundamental rights. Among them are the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and the right to own weapons for the defense not only of oneself and of the Federation, but also against tyranny. Other provisions of the Constitution prohibited unreasonable searches, cruel and unusual punishments and double jeopardy. The document also included a strict prohibition on the practice of slavery and declared immediately and permanently free any "slave" that was brought within any territory subject to the Free Republics. The Federation Government has the power to pass any legislation it deems necessary to free slaves. While ratification was controversial, due to the feeling among many people that the Federation Government was too powerful, it was eventually ratified by the electorate in each of the original 77 Republics. Today, there are the number of Republics in the Federation is well into the hundreds.

The Constitution created a bicameral Legislature and an executive branch where power is shared equally by the 2 heads of state. The Assembly is the popularly elected branch of the Legislature. Originally, it used a first-past-the-post system, but this was later changed to proportional representation after political parties and coalitions became the norm. The entire Assembly has always been up for re-election every second year. The Senate, by contrast, is a purely appointed branch and Senators serve for life terms. When a Senator is elected to another office, he becomes an inactive Senator, but other than such periods when he may serve in other offices, he is a Senator for life, without exception. Each Republic may appoint a new Senator every second year and Senators are appointed in the same years when Assembly elections are held. Finally, the Consuls are elected to 8 year terms, with a new Consul elected every 4th year. This means that every other Assembly election is held simultaneously with a Consul election. The Constitution prohibits any Consul from serving more than a single term per lifetime. Originally, Consuls were also elected first-past-the-post, but that has since changed to a 3 round system. In the first round, the top 2 candidates, plus any other candidates that get at least 10 percent of the vote advance, assuming that no candidate gets a majority of the vote. The second round sees the top 2 candidates advance, again assuming that nobody wins a majority of the votes cast. In the third and final round, whoever wins the majority of votes cast is elected. Both Consuls have and have always had full power to veto any act of the other and former Consuls automatically become Senators upon the expiration of their term in office.

The government of the Free Republics quickly moved to standardize the system of measurements used throughout the Federation and adopt English as the national language. To help transition the Federation to an English-speaking nation, the Federation Government established a system of schools funded by the Federation Government, which ensured that the next generation would speak English and identify themselves as Republicans, rather than identifying themselves by their home Republic and speaking their Republic's native language. A substantial minority of parents resisted this effort, but children were allowed to go to school and learn English, whether or not they had parental permission. By 1830, almost everybody spoke English and identified as a Republican, not an Amolotopian, Roxawan, Voritan, Schost or whatever the demonym was for their home Republic. This brought about a more unified society. Around this time, education was returned to the Republics, most of which eventually adopted a voucher based system.

The government also banned trade barriers between Republics. This was an expected and noncontroversial move. The funding of the government by a tariff also proved uncontroversial, since politicians generally agreed that the tariff should be limited to revenue only and not used to "protect" industries from competition. However, an income tax was eventually adopted as foreign imports began to dry up. The Republican economy was simply too much of a powerhouse to justify importing goods from abroad. Discontent with the income tax grew as the government kept pushing it higher and higher. Finally, Paul Musgrove ran for Consul on a platform of capping all taxes at 10 percent of income. After his election, the amendment passed both the Assembly and the Senate before being sent directly to referendum. Voters in every Republic overwhelmingly voted for it and it became a popular amendment.

In the 20th century, the Free Republics became even more of an economic powerhouse, thanks to the capitalizt economic system. Business thrived in the FFR, as the nation became progressively wealthier. Over the years, the FFR has expanded its territory while remaining on the cutting edge of technological advancement. In the present day, the Free Republics have a population in the billions and are one of the wealthiest nations in the multiverse, with a correspondingly high rate of income inequality. The exact population of the Free Republics is unknown, due to a Constitutional amendment adopted in 1934, which prohibited the taking of a Census by any entity, whether governmental or otherwise.

Several years ago, the Free Republics were left leaderless following the death of both Consuls within the span of a few months, one of them via assassination. In the chaos, Reino Kulseth of the Holy Party was elected Consul and gradually obtained dictatorial power for himself at the expense of the nation's Republican institutions. Kulseth established a tyrannical government that passed laws against lying (despite routinely lying to their own people) and mandating the use of the word "thou" instead of you in most circumstances. Kulseth dragged the nation into a large-scale war that proved extremely costly for both sides and which led to his downfall.

In the end, the Republican people rose up against Kulseth and, aligned with several foreign armies, brought down Kulseth's "Holy Republican Empire" and brought back the Federation of Free Republics. Robert Nicholls, the father of Veleik Nicholls (leader of the popular revolt) and owner of Nicholls Enterprises, was named the new Acting Consul until such time as the normal electoral process could elect his replacement. However, the following election led to the rise to power of another tyrant, Consul Caleb O'Reilly, who jailed Acting Consul Nicholls and basically turned over control of the country to a hivemind of robots which oppressed the people of the nation until one day when hackers disabled the robots and Consul O'Reilly resigned from office, claiming to have been under hypnosis during his entire time as Consul. In the aftermath, Consul Nicholls was restored to power as the Senior Consul as the FFR geared up for another election. Consul Nicholls intended to spend his time as Consul restoring the Free Republics to its former glory and was relieved that the Republican people selected retired soccer player and current professional wrestler Kyle Bolton to be their new Junior Consul in the election.

Unfortunately, the left-wing extremists in a handful of Republics, who had previously scared many Republicans into voting for Kulseth and O'Reilly, rose up in a wave of anarchistic street violence. When the Federation Government adopted measures to stop the violence, the 32 Republics they controlled seceded from the Free Republics and declared themselves a Confederacy of Leftist Republics, which quickly became a state sponsor of terror. Consul Nicholls waged war against this rebellion and ultimately defeated them. After the conclusion of this short-lived civil war, Consul Nicholls introduced "charter societies" located in the 32 former Leftist Republics and sold off ownership of these autonomous societies, whose residents are prohibited from participating in Federation Government elections or sending any representation to Republica, to the highest bidding political extremist groups in an effort to address the FFR's political extremism problem once and for all.

With the extremist groups largely exiled to the charter societies, Republican politics is expected to be less interesting in the future, which should be good for political stability in the nation. This has already borne some fruit with the recent decision by the Free Republics to join the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement and negotiate other free trade agreements with the various nations of the multiverse.

Ongoing Election

The Free Republics are currently in the midst of an election to choose their newest Consul. The remaining candidates are Sebastian Trudeau (Responsible Progress Party), Scarlett Nicholls (Liberty Party), Julian Norberg (Radical Alliance) and Tsukihiko Fukuhara (Globalist Movement). Immigrants, permanent residents and even visitors who just so happen to be in the Free Republics have the right to express their views for or against any candidate, spend money on behalf of or against any candidate and even the right to vote in elections.

Sebastian Trudeau is the CEO of the Trudeau Firearms Company, which is the biggest gun manufacturer in the Free Republics. Trudeau advocates Universal Firearms Ownership (more specifically, an individual mandate to purchase a firearm), labor unions, government programs to guarantee a job to everybody who is able and willing to work, outlawing certain terms of employment contracts (such as intellectual property assignment agreements that grant an employee ownership of things employees create on their own time and contracts prohibiting workers from suing their employer in a court of law for violations of labor law) and increasing wages and the number of housewives by getting most women out of the workforce.

Scarlett Nicholls is the daughter of outgoing Consul Robert Nicholls and is a famous pop singer who has performed in several editions of WorldVision. She has also worked as a spy for the government of Falatulu, performing espionage in the Free Republics during the O'Reilly period and was a leader of the Legion of Lucifer group that resisted Consul Kulseth. Her campaign is primarily focused around the issue of gender equality and is closely linked with the National Baseball Team's Stand Up to Sexism campaign. She also advocates improving the treatment of workers and, like all members of the Liberty Party (including Consul Kyle Bolton), is strongly supported of the FFR's sex-positive culture.

Julian Norberg is a career politician from South Lakota who is a member of the Federation Assembly elected on the Radical Alliance list. He describes himself as being part of the "Radical Wing of the Radical Alliance" and fought against Consul Kulseth in the Legion of Lucifer. Norberg's platform reflects the "libertarian" mentality of the Radical Alliance. He wants to shrink the (already fairly small) Federation Government, lower the constitutional cap on tax rates to 8% (instead of 10%) and restrict the right of Republics to outlaw most so-called "victimless" crimes.

Tsukihiko Fukuhara is a member of Falatulu's Republic Legislature who emerged onto the national political scene when he unexpectedly won the first-in-the-federation Nessex primary earlier this year. Fukuhara was quickly purged from the Radical Alliance due to his lack of alignment with the party's radical libertarian ideology. An immigrant from the former Republican colony of Noburu Taiyou, which is now an independent nation in Esportiva, Fukuhara advocates a campaign to promote immigration to the Free Republics, unilateral free trade with all nations in the multiverse, applying intellectual property laws to works of purely foreign origin and rejoining the World Assembly. The Free Republics was a member of the World Assembly for a few years but around a couple years ago both Consuls agreed to pull the FFR out due to the impossibility of harmonizing Republican law and the Republican Constitution with World Assembly resolutions. Fukuhara advocates that Republican laws and the Constitution be changed in order to harmonize them with the letter and spirit of all WA legislation.

The winner of the election will work with an Assembly controlled by a coalition of the Liberty Party and Radical Alliance and a Senate that is dominated by centrist politicians. While Fukuhara and Trudeau in particular can expect some legislative resistance, political norms in the Free Republics generally permit newly elected Consuls to enact most of the legislative agenda that they campaigned upon.

Transportation

Just about every mode of transportation is an option in the Free Republics. Visitors for the World Cup may arrive at any seaport or airport in the Free Republics. Planes and ships may also be used to travel between cities. As the Free Republics spans 4 continents and many thousands of miles, the use of planes is recommended for long-distance travel.

Several private companies offer high speed rail between cities. It is possible to travel through most of the Free Republics on high-speed rail, although in some places you may have to walk across the city to a competing company's station to go to your desired destination.

The use of bicycles, although unregulated, is not recommended. The Free Republics are simply too vast a nation, so players and fans that travel by bike risk missing a match altogether.

Taxis are available in every city that will be hosting World Cup games. Most bus services cover a radius of less than 100 miles, so the use of buses is only recommended for short distance travel.

Automobiles are legal in the Free Republics and can be rented near any airport or seaport. Travel by automobile is possible to any nation located on one of the 4 continents upon which the Free Republics are located. However, as the Republican continents are located in Lunia, it is not possible to travel by automobile to-or-from the Free Republics and all other nations participating in the World Cup. Anybody who intends to rent a car is strongly encouraged to get a Republican drivers license, as foreign drivers licenses are only recognized in certain Republics. Most Republics will hand out a drivers license to anybody that applies and passes the driving test. The difficulty of these tests varies greatly by Republics. The test in Nejax is notoriously easy while the test in Amolotopia is notorious as one of the most difficult. Despite this, all Republics are required by Federation law to recognize out-of-Republic drivers licenses as valid. A wide variety of cars are commonly available in the Free Republics, such as SUVs, sports cars and pick-up trucks. Those that have money to burn may rent luxury cars or limos. The vast majority of cars on the road are produced in the Free Republics. Many roads, especially long distance roads, are underfunded and in poor condition, so planes and high speed rail are much more popular in the Free Republics.

Lodging

There are numerous hotel firms throughout the Free Republics. Participating nations will be required to pay for their own lodging. We encourage participating teams to visit hotels.co.republica and purchase rooms before the rush. Those that wait may very well end up staying in a cheap motel with holes in the walls and bedbugs under the sheets.

Those national teams that do not wish to stay in hotels may stay at various campgrounds outside of the host cities.

Weather

The Free Republics has a varied climate and as the World Cup will be held in the early fall, the weather will vary depending upon where in the country you are. Snow is fortunately not yet a possibility in the north and in mountainous regions but the weather may be cold in those regions. Rain and thunderstorms may appear anywhere in the country. The weather may also be unseasonably warm anywhere in the Free Republics but it can go from warm to cold or vice versa overnight. At this time of year, the coastal areas may be hit by tropical storms.

Language

The official language of the Free Republics is English and all government documents are printed in English. Most private businesses do not print anything in a non-English language. While the rise of xenophobia in the Free Republics has subsided, most Republicans still don't speak any languages other than English. The most common foreign language spoken in the Free Republics is Latin, due to the influence of the Church of Saintland in recent years, but its use is currently frowned upon because of the language's association with the former Kulseth dictatorship.

Currency

The Republican Thaler is the only widely accepted currency in the Free Republics. Financial institutions are generally willing to change Sanctii bullion, Acedonian Aces or Universal Standard Dollars into Thalers. Due to the large number of currencies in the world, it is impossible for financial institutions in the Free Republics to keep track of all of them. Therefore, it is highly recommend that everybody visiting the Free Republics get their currency converted into Thalers, USDs or bullion before entering the Free Republics. Non-Republican Thalers, such as the now-defunct Taxachusetts Thaler (which was notorious for its extremely high inflation rates), are not accepted as currency in the Free Republics and are not convertible into Republican Thalers.

Entertainment

There are a plethora of entertainment options in the Free Republics. Every quality hotel room comes equipped with cable or satellite television, including thousands of channels and an interactive program guide. No matter what your preferences, you can probably find something on Republican television that you'd want to watch. If you can't find anything to watch on TV, you can always log on to Sanctustube, a video sharing website from Saintland, and browse the uncensored version of the site, which has (illegal) copies of just about every television program and movie in the multiverse.

Virtually every town in the Free Republics includes a movie theater, which is a popular social hangout. Tickets are relatively inexpensive, to keep an endless flow of teenagers coming into the movie theaters. Concerts are held in the major cities on a near-daily basis and there are several popular groups in each major genre.

Nightclubs and bars are available in virtually every village, town or city in the entire Federation. The local laws do differ, but most Republics will allow anybody over the age of 15 or so to enter a bar or nightclub. Strip clubs and brothels are also popular, although the regulation of those establishments greatly differs in each Republic. Women should be forewarned that the definition of consent in the Free Republics tends to be somewhat looser than they may be used to. In particular, Republican law regards intoxicated individuals as 100% capable of giving consent to the same extent as sober individuals and holds such individuals fully responsible for their actions and choices while intoxicated. Republican law also applies a "reasonable belief" test under which non-consensual sex is lawful if the consenting party has a "reasonable belief" that the other party is consenting. Many bars and clubs also sell marijuana, which is legal throughout most of the Free Republics (despite the efforts of the Outlaw Marijuana Party to change this).

In the past, pro wrestling has been a popular form of entertainment in the Free Republics, especially among guys between the ages of 13 and 30. The wrestling company in the Free Republics put on extremely violent and sexualized shows. As their shows grew more explicit, their ratings steadily increased to the point where they were once of the most popular programs on television in the Free Republics. The Republican Wrestling Conglomerate attempted international expansion at one time, but the rise of Consul Kulseth and the restrictions he imposed on the content of their programming eventually drove them out of business. Abelino Sagese, their former owner, established the New Republican Wrestling Conglomerate, but it is not quite as popular yet as its predecessor. The issues of the NRWC have been exacerbated by its recent decision to fire an executive because his wife was a vocal critic of certain radical forms of Christianity on social media. This inspired the National Baseball Team to launch a campaign called "Stand Up to Sexism" to promote gender equality in Republican sports and eventually forced the NRWC to back down, apologize and offer the executive his job back. All-Taiyou Pro Wrestling of Noburu Taiyou has recently attempted to enter the Republican market and even held a number of events in major arenas earlier this year after purchasing arena dates from the National Basketball Team due to the numerous delays of this year's IBC tournament.

Republican entertainment has been hit hard by the Kulseth and O'Reilly regimes, but businesses in that sector are currently trying to revive it. The Republican video game industry, long dominated by the RepublicSoft Saint, a device created as part of a partnership between RepublicSoft and the Sanctii government, has been hit particularly hard due to RepublicSoft's extremely close ties to the Kulseth regime. Republican gamers are currently enjoying the Miktondo Flip, a Taiyouese import that was the first to release of a new generation of handheld gaming devices while increasing numbers of Republican computer users have begun migrating to open source alternatives to RepublicSoft's Doors operating system and Citrus Computing's cOS mobile operating system, particularly after the free upgrade to Doors 12 was discovered to contain numerous backdoors designed to aid the efforts of the Kulseth government to spy on its citizens and Citrus Computing was discovered to have collaborated with the O'Reilly regime. Even Googol's Cyborg mobile OS has come under much criticism of late for overly restricting the freedom of its users. One of the more popular open source operating systems is Perestroika.

Important Laws

For the most part, visiting teams and fans will not have to worry about any unusual laws in the Free Republics. While public nudity statutes remain on the books in many Republics and around half of the Republics restrict the use of hard drugs, pornography, prostitution, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis are generally legal. In fact, pornography is legal everywhere in the FFR, as it is recognized by the Federation courts as freedom of speech. While many of these activities were barred at the request of the Kulseth regime and later barred again by the O'Reilly regime, there has been a push since the fall of the dictatorships to legalize them as widely as possible. However, laws against abortion tend to vary between Republics and some Republics have made it a crime to utilize their transportation infrastructure to travel to another Republic to procure an abortion. Public opposition to abortion has been growing in recent years, so more and more Republics are passing laws restricting or outlawing abortion.

Some Republics have their share of silly laws. The Constitutional provision prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment" does not have as strong of an effect as you might expect because the Federation courts use an 18th century definition of cruel and unusual punishment. While nobody's going to be hung, drawn and quartered or tortured for evidence, several backwater Republics do practice some rather bizarre punishments for crimes. If you're going to run into any legal problems, it will probably be in some backwater Republic, since they have historically been the main power base of extremist politicians in the Free Republics. You may also run into problems in the charter societies as they are not required to follow the Federation Constitution and are generally run by extremist groups. Even under the Kulseth and O'Reilly Consulships, the federal system remained largely intact, so many of these extremist politicians have been in power since the days before Kulseth's rise.

In particular, women visiting the Free Republics should be mindful that sexual consent is defined slightly more broadly than they may be used to. The Free Republics has traditionally had a very sex-positive culture for the most part and has tended to be suspicious at times regarding the reliability of accusations of sexual crimes. The different sexual norms in the Free Republics have caused several international incidents in the past. Sexual norms changed during the Kulseth regime and have yet to fully return to the way that they were. Given Kulseth's popularity among Republican women, it is doubtful that the old sexual culture will ever be fully restored but there are many Republicans who long for a return to normalcy, including the old sexual norms, and the nightlife industry is currently bigger and more successful than it has been at any point since the rise of Kulseth.

Stadiums

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:08 am

Exposition

You ever get the feeling that you suddenly wake up from something that you were dreaming, yet you don't really know why you wake up in the first place or why you didn't remember the dream if you have just dreamed it. That was what happened to the Leader when he woke up in a cold sweat in his own office. He was breathing heavily than usual and he felt..scared? What kind of behavior would make him behave like a coward? He wasn't scared of anything, but seeing how he has forgotten what he was afraid of, then he was in the clear. "Just a bit of a swing, many would say. Yeah. Just that." The Leader said, noticing how it was morning. Why would he sleep in his office? Didn't he have-

"Leader! You're awake!" General Emmanuel Jones barged into his office, holding a dossier with some information on it, saluting for the Leader, before starting to open the dossier folder. "Emmanuel Jones! I just woke up! Let me, at least, get my bearings!" The Leader made sure his outfit was all neat, though he wanted to know what Jones had to say. "Well, I do tend to get grumpy in the morning. I shall apologize for my behavior. Go on." The Leader said, where Jones started looking over the first document in the dossier. "Leader, as you may know. The World Cup 81 is here and I have already gotten the team from last year, which I'm starting to do training to get them focused."
"Are you feeding them the recommend diet that includes orange slices, snakefish, and water?"
"We making sure none of the players stuff themselves with fast food. Just let me control them and they will be eligible to play."
"So who is hosting the World Cup? Equestrian States?"
"No, Leader. They hosted the previous one. Banija and Free Republics. I know how you feel about the two of them, but you don't hate them."

"No, Jones. I don't hate them. I'm cautious for them. It's some bad blood that out nation was involved with the two that I need to make sure nothing horrible happens." The Leader said, where Jones looked like he was about to say bad news. "Leader. We got some good and bad news about Kahe Island." "Let me guess. They blew up one of our civilian air crafts, as I predicted?" The Leader asked Jones, where his look confirms the Leader's suspicions. "We send in the decoy. Whole thing was on auto-pilot the whole time. A bit ironical that they had trashed a small reef when the wreckage hit the water. Anyways, the airport to leave Kahe Island is destroyed, unless you count sea planes or boats. I already planning on sending spies to deal with the threat of both the FKF and several TrenchSea workers that are escalating the crisis."

After what has happened on Kahe Island, the militia seemed to be attempting to round up tourists from Main Nation Ministry. However, seeing how Kahe Island was within Main Nation Ministry's terrority, all the Leader had to do was contain it, among other things. "Well, it's going to be a bit of a pain for me. Can't be that bad, though." Jones checked the last document, which was from the Ministry of Science. "One more thing. A scientist from the Ministry of Science have made that they claim to be an important discovery that can help determine how we die." Jones said, where the both of them thought it didn't sound true.

"How does that work, though?"
"Well, our scientist has built a machine that can predict your death with a blood sample. He claimed that it seemed to be based on a similar design from an unknown part of the multiverse. He did the testing with several prisoners, where each of them got the predictions of DELAYED PARACHUTE, TRAVEL ADVISORY, and BEAR. The prisoner who gotten DELAYED PARACHUTE died when a soldier training with doing HALO jumps, attempted to deploy their parachute while in the air. The parachute failed and somehow the soldier was falling towards an outdoors testing area where the prisoner was and landed on them, killing them both. The one who got TRAVEL ADVISORY escaped from prison and was killed by an assassin posing as someone-" Jones was about to finish the sentence, but the Leader decided to finish it for him. "They got killed by someone posing as an agent from the TRAVEL ADVISORY? And let me guess. The one who got BEAR got killed when he was doing some prison work outdoors?"

"I didn't know we even have bears in our nation, Leader. Anyways, the scientist claimed to have gotten a prediction that seems obvious, but claim to be extremely vague." Jones said, where he told the Leader the scientist's prediction. OLD AGE.

by **Dreamplanet** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 4:56 am

DREAMPLANET ANNOUNCE NEW KITS

Dreamplanet's kits last time were made by Make, a Dreamplanetian kit maker, and this time they joined the Football Association in making the new kit for the new season.
The kit is a simple design, much simpler than their first season. With blue sleeves with a green stripe on the shoulder and a red base with green shorts and blue socks. The away kit uses the same pattern, only with a red shoulder stripe, white base and blue shorts with green socks.

Last Monday, the Dreamplanet Football Association Chirper posted the above picture with the caption "Our new kits for the #WC81 Qualifying campaign, what do you think? #DRP" and soon the chirp was met with thousands of replies. The above picture depicts the kits for the Dreamplanetian captain, Luis Silva, we can see that as it uses his number and has the captain's armband. On Chirper, some people had this to say:

Carolina Figueiredo
@carolina95

This kit is too pretty to lose with, please make us proud. #DRP

6:59 pm - 9 July 2004

9Rechirps12Likes

Aaron Hungar

@ahungar17

The team is buzzing to play with this kit, can't the match against Juvencus come any sooner? #JUVDRP #Tricores

7:41 pm - 9 July 2004

10,329Rechirps12,037Likes

Pedro Correira
@pedroscd

Not as pretty as our last kit, but not bad either. #DRP

8:11 pm - 9 July 2004

23Rechirps7Likes

On the 13th of July, Dreamplanet held the official kit launch near the construction zone of the new Dreamplanet National Stadium, the Apex Arena. Fans were able to have a "meet 'n' greet" with their heroes and the new kits by Make were able to be purchased. When it came to the kit presentation, the players had a bit of a kick about to see what the kits were like. Luis Silva said "These kits are very comfortable, and I can't wait to play with these against Juvencus." and that was the tone of the squad, as the team are brimming with confidence.

Dreamplanet will play with these kits for the first time against Juvencus in the "Tour des Amis", and following that Dreamplanet will play Oscioru, Czarna Gora, Santgi, Sharktail, Busoga Islands, United States of Devonta, Rakivland and finally Damukuni to wrap up the friendlies.

Update
Dreamplanet went on to play those nations, losing 3-0 to Juvencus and 1-0 to Baptism of Fire debutants Oscioru and Czarna Gora. Dreamplanet's first wins came after beating Sangti and Sharktail 1-0, however they went back to losing ways, losing 2-0 to Busoga Islands and 8-3 to the United States of Devonta, the matches against Rakivland and Damukuni are yet to be played.

by **Sharktail** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 6:28 am

Sharktail announce new kit for the national team for WC qualify and world cup or cup of harmony.

This kit designed and inspired by krbustan sport company.
Credit for them.

Sharktail will wear this kit on the friendly tour for the first time.

by **Vilita** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:31 am

3WD 'Among Finalists' for WC81 logo & branding

Lonngeylin, Vilita :: Lonngeylin-based design firm 3WD is reportedly one of a small group of entities being considered by the organizing committee of the 81st World Cup in Banija & Free Republics as the brand consultants and design firm charged with producing the graphical theme surrounding the competition. It is believe that there may be as many as four design firms and brand consultants involved in the World Cup 81 committee's search for an identity but 3WD is believed to have been the first firm to officially submit a brand proposal to the World Cup 81 organizing committee.

3WD has a long history of working with sports teams and entities to create an identity for public consumption. 3WD was formerly one of the most influential companies in all of Vilitan sport including being the official kit supplier for both the Vilita and Turori National Teams as well as providing kits for other National Teams such as Krytenia, Kaze Progressa, Eauz and Lethislavania. Their biggest fame, however, was likely as both official supplier and as kit sponsor of Jungle Strike FC. After excessive growth cut into their profit margins, 3WD left the kit production business and sold their kit templates and production equipment to Tropicorp Sports. Retaining the design and identity shops from the large corporation, a more streamlined 3WD focuses on design consultancy and brand awareness across both the sporting and retail sector.

Representatives from 3WD reportedly just returned from an in-person trip to Banija - just a relatively short trip to southwestern Atlantian Oceania where it is believed that their initial proposal received praise from members of the organizing committee, hand shakes and a promise of further consultations regardless of the outcome on the branding front for the 81st World Cup

The design, which it is believed to have included a focal point of a a traditionally numeralized '81' stylized with the flags of the Free Republics and Banija crossing diagonally across the face. A version using the more ancient numeral form was also considered but due to the larger footprint of the numeral set ( L X X X I ) it was the preference of the organizing committee to utilize the simpler two-digit numeric form. The names of each host nation were also present but in a more subdued charcoal form with their stylization representing the spirit both nations bring to the competition. The World Cup lettering shimmering in light gold to resemble the finish on the World Cup Trophy itself, to be presented at the conclusion of the tournament to its champion.

World Cup 81 will be the first World Cup ever hosted in Banija which has previously hosted only the Baptism of Fire Cup at the World Cup Committee level. It is the second World Cup that will be hosted in the Free Republics with the first being World Cup 68 - which was also co-hosted by a nation in Atlantian Oceania - that time being Legalese. It is expected that branded merchandise will sell well in both countries as the rare opportunity to host the multiverse's longest running competition results in a fever pitch of fandom both amongst locals and the flood of foreign tourists that will arrive once the field is set for the World Cup Finals.

by **Rakivland** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:17 am

https://www.nationstates.net/nation=rak ... id=1079434

by **Starblaydia** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:33 am

264 Years. 1,000 Victories.
Starblaydia riding a wave of momentum

Ázëwyn Fëanáro shows off her AOCAF 56 Third Place Medal
with a Starblaydi Journalist

Anyone who claims to remember when Starblaydia were this good is either an Elf, a Simeone Di Bradini-esque construct of reality-warping conceptual energy, or lying. It's not just that Starblaydia's senior national team racked up their 1,000th win in their history as they took their 3rd place medal at the most recent AOCAF Cup, their 17th time on the podium in the multiverse's longest-running and most prestigious regional championships. Nor is it just that they've steadily increased their tallies in the past three World Cup finals, earning, effectively, one point, four points and seven points from their appearances at the greatest sporting tournament in the world. It's not even just the fact that they're the thirteenth-best team lining up among this enormous field attempting to Qualify for the Cup - ranked at 15th in the world, with both the first and ninth-best teams in the multiverse declining to try and add to the single World Championship they've each acquired so far. It's more than that.

What this group of players possesses is a genuine belief in pushing forward to claim their place in history. They're not trying to meet the expectations of a century ago, because even the most ardent of Starblaydi fans have consigned that to the distant past. It's nearly 140 years ago that Starblaydia were World Champions, after all, which might as well be ancient history and can - at most - be described as the beginning of football modernity. Almost as much of the Cup has passed as had already done so when Starblaydia last won the title. Memories are not fresh, pressure from your elders and former players is largely unheard of, and the players' haircuts and national teams' kit styles are both something that might as well be from another age of the world, no matter how many times certain fashions come back into style.

In fact, their only link to that glorious past is the manager, Ázëwyn Fëanáro. She has two World Cup Winner's medals in her trophy room, holding the distinction of scoring the winning goal in a World Cup Final when Starblaydia beat Valanora - several human lifetimes ago now. Since taking over after the disastrous AOCAF53 she's led Starblaydia to two straight qualifications and three Finals appearances, courtesy of co-hosting the last Cup. She brought Starblaydia to their 1,000th win, managed in precisely in 1,652 matches across World, Regional, Olympic and other tournaments.

For this side, Fëanáro has picked only two non-humans in Dorn Garkadrum and Hanar Nauglamír, leaving out her compatriot elves entirely. Gone are the standouts Daeron Avathar and Soronúmë, who both took the field as starters in the AOCAF, the latter also being in the World Cup 80 squad, and there's also no sign of Minheled Earisil, Palanadu or especially the burly Carnophin Narquelie upfront, given how light Starblaydia are up front in terms of total caps and goals among their players. What Fëanáro appears to be doing is using them only as stop-gaps, handy players who she knows have experience and quality to spare. Of course some elves would improve the team, Soronúmë in particular one would think, but that wouldn't help the improvement of football itself in the nation.

We can see it even in the Starting XIs of the last few tournaments - players with less than ten appearances for their country lining up to face the finest in the multiverse because that's all we had in those positions. If you put Earisil, Avathar or Canion into the side alongside Ryku, you'd improve it for a tournament, sure, but you wouldn't improve it for the next one. And when Ryku retires in, presumably, the next six or seven years, who else gets put alongside the elf in the heart of the Starblaydi defence - another elf? In this squad, continuing the example, young Sami Viipuri, 23, has beaten out the older Tupu Alofa, 27, to the main spot. The two defenders between them have precisely 5 appearances for Starblaydia, but without this opportunity to gain international experience, where would their development come? If individual human players can't progress throughout their careers, learning and growing into their roles to pave the way for others to come after them, then there's no real international game in the land, just a bunch of eternal elves playing forever, while humans attempt to plug the gaps when they decide to go into management, administration or swap nations in the case of one arrogant bastard.

Ázëwyn Fëanáro is working in conjunction with SFA President Tororin Halatyrion and they aren't just growing the national team's prestige, they're also building a future on which the nation can really believe in. At some time in the future, whenever that may be, the Elves will stop playing for Starblaydia. They know this, and they know that what they will leave behind is the solid structure and deeply-sunk foundations of a human side that is ready, once again, to take it's place as a world leader. This ancient people are continually striving to allow those that come after them to inherit a national team programme that has the potential to rise to the top of the pack and claim the World Cup on its own. One that can, even without the Elves, go on to record another thousand wins.

by **Juvencus** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:50 am

TOUR DES AMIS TEST AN ABSOLUTE SUCCESS!

The refreshed team's friendly campaign was a massive success, with an undefeated record to show it

With many of the players quitting and the squad's morale being down, nobody believed the new additions to the national team's roster would bring not only good depth but good results in its first matches as a team. The gli attaccanti toured to nations from all over the multiverse, both high-ranked and not only bringing victories or ties and netting 2 or more goals each game. The new revitalised offensive play, gave wins against many high profile nations in the likes of Darmen as well as rivals Sargossa.

In particular, the addition of a young roster to fill in the spots of older players was great, Patxi Etxberria's fast paced play as well as solo pressure created by him is enough to make most teams collapse, as noticed by the match against Dreamplanet, on which he scored a hattrick. Or maybe the great chemistry of Tore Christian with the rest of the forwards is enough to save the team from diffucult situations, just like the 2-2 tie against Cassadaigua despite being 2-0 down at half-time, on which he put an amazing performance and gave 2 game-changing assists.

The team's overall play has massively improved since the last world cup and the disastrous Independent Associations Cup campaign. The latter saw Juvencus at its lowest of lows as a team, only managing one win and scoring 3 goals the entire campaign, as well as a 4-1 thrasing to global football minnows Adab. With many players retiring from international football and with the assassination of Anastasio Campana the "Tour des amis" gave a spark of hope to people that have been mentally tired from the team's recent mediocre performances in major competitions. With heads up, people believe this new squad can bring more wins against even stronger opposition, since most of the old players are at their peaks and could easily help with the improvement of the younger additions to the roster.

What is perhaps most surprising, is the faith that the FA has put to August Toset and his crew despite these recent mediocre performances and we will see where Juvencus stands against its opponents after the group draw which takes place on July 12th, 2019.

by **Shayla** » Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:40 am

Shayla has recently announced it's kit for the 81st World Cup, it's first international tournament. The kit was designed by King Consort Jonathan Barkley, who also manage the team. However The SFC has announced a deal with Eunorima Jersey Company, to make future jerseys for possibly the Cup of Harmony and the Next WC Cycle. The Kit is shown below.

The SFC has announced 3 Pre-World Cup Friendlies: one against Dreamplanet and a home-away against Blanue

by **Ndaku** » Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:54 pm

How to survive in the United Human Federation of Ndaku

blog by: Furaha Salomon

Furaha Salomon was born and raised in Lumumbaville and graduated with a Master's from the University of Lumumbaville in 2115 with a double-major in History and African studies. She is a blogger and is active in the Association of Post-War Efforts (APWE), the Pan-African Association of Ndaku (PAAN), as well as a number of other influential organizations, and seeks to continue to share her knowledge and wisdom through the means of education in the schools and other institutions of Africa.

So the World Cup 2125 is going to kick off in about 2 years. Ndaku has never qualified for a world cup, given how prestigious and controversial it can be; from unfair referees to corruption, and sometimes even due to voodoo. Whatever it may be, any football fan would agree that it is indeed, THE beautiful sport.

This wonderful country has always given birth to many athletically gifted men and women, as well as some of the brightest and wisest also. Ndakenes have always had a natural sense of hospitality when it came to receiving foreigners, which is the reason why nearly the whole African continent was colonized and plundered in the 18th and 19th century.

We are in the 22nd century in today's time, and times are MUCH more different today than they were in the 18th and 19th century. Africans today do not maintain a level of hospitality to where they are naive as to the potential destruction the people they're welcoming could do to them. No, not anymore. Africans today are much more awake and united, and they are ready to fight. In everything they do, the African will fight until the end and fight for their father, mother, sibling, and the entire village, but most will fight for God. Nonetheless, Ndakenes love receiving foreigners, because they are the ones who make Ndaku such a great nation. From the beautiful sun-kissed complexion of the people, to the vibrant culture, the Ndakenes represent the praise-filled hearts of mankind.

But what must one need to understand if they were to visit Ndaku during the World Cup cycles? What are some things to be aware of and to be wary of? I took the time to gather as much as I know about my country to help you who seek to explore this United Human Federation.

The people
Ndakenes, when it comes to football, are incredibly cheerful and will make a lot of noise when their team is winning. But if their team is losing, they will make sure the opposing team understands that whatever the case may be, Ndaku was supposed to win that match. Opposing fans often would get into fights with Ndakene fans, but opposing NONHUMAN fans? I know there have been several cases in the past for Ndakenes being sentenced to jail for attempted murder of opposing nonhuman fans, or just nonhuman people involving a football match. Yes, the Ndakenes are very speciesist people, but hopefully, the local law enforcement that day could have sympathy for the nonhuman fans, because the police are also known to be extremely lenient toward a human convict in some human-nonhuman dilemma. The only reason why Ndakene convicts who engage in conflict are brought to justice is that of social media.

As a human foreigner, you'll probably have the best time of your life interacting with the Ndakenes here. You might get lucky and find your wife or husband from Ndaku. Oh, that's another thing I should probably inform you all, is that Ndakenes CAN party. Yes, it is known, for those who are in the know, that Ndakenes, in general, are either Christian or Muslim, but these folks are NOT the same in their church or mosque as they are out on the streets. Now, I speak for those who do not take their faith as seriously as others; those who take their faith seriously tend to respect those who are out of faith and exhort with longsuffering and kindness. Well, I can say the majority of them, because there do exist some who are quite extreme and can point a finger faster than a chicken running for its life from your presence. So go and enjoy and explore Ndaku, for her land and her people will welcome you like a brother or sister.

But you, nonhuman foreigners, I wish you the best of luck, because Ndakenes aren't the friendliest to nonhumans because of the violent history engraved in many people's minds. With all of the urban and rural legends and conspiracies in the past between humans and nonhumans, Ndakenes do not play when it comes to nonhuman horse crap. You might be lucky to find a Ndakene who will leave open the door for you without slamming it in your face. My advice would be to go support your country, do your thing, and maintain low expectations towards the Ndakenes you'll meet, for not all of them will tolerate your presence. Because of security in the stadiums, you should be safe.

The cities
Now the world cup qualifiers are to take place in Lumumbaville, the capital city of Ndaku. In the majority of Ndaku's cities, there are tourist sites, for tourism is a major contributor to the Ndakene economy. Lumumbaville, being the capital city, has tons of sites to see. In my opinion, Lumumbaville, Valor, Babul, and Midland are really one of the best tourist cities to consider visiting upon your stay in Ndaku for the qualifiers.

For example, in Lumumbaville, you'd find Wenzé Munéné ya Lumumbaville, which is essentially THE Lumumaville Mall. It's a huge plaza with plazas within itself filled with exotic stores, exotic restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, libraries, bookstores, even an amusement park! There are so many things at the Lumumbaville Mall that I am convinced it was designed to literally make it hard for tourists NOT to visit it. This massive Mall is a TO-GO place to visit, for it draws millions of people each year to experience this engineering icon. As if the things in it aren't enough to entertain you, the Lumumbaville Mall is located right by Lake Albert, which makes it a place to be if you wanted to seal a perfect and warm sunny day. Just outside of the structure itself, you'll find various restaurants, souvenir stores, hotels, and so much more that you would think that all of what Lumumbaville could entertain you with lies only at the Lumumbaville Mall! To learn more about this place, visit http://www.lumumbavillemall.nda/EN

Valor is the largest city in Ndaku, and it is also a city of history, where the history of this great nation is cherished, represented, and taught. Valor is also a very old city, and so you won't see as many skyscrapers than other Ndakene cities would boast; however, you'll find some fine and exotic-looking architecture and other grand sites. One place that many tourists who value history is la Grande Musée de Valor, or, Grand Museum of Valor. In it, you'll find various recreations, exhibits, artifacts, prominent specimen that speak over a million words, and so much more exciting things to see and discover. The museum is 10 stories high, all filled with exhibits that will leave you in awe and will shower you in the truth of this world and universe that we live in. For more information, visit http://www.grandmuseumvalor.nda/EN

Babul is a predominately Muslim city in Ndaku, and hosts the location of the المركز الإسلامي في بابول, or, the Islamic Center of Babul. It's essentially a museum that homes exhibits telling the story of Islam throughout the decades and the centuries, and how Islam has guided the nation peacefully, with the existence of Christianity, through the hard times and persecution faced by humans. At the Islamic Center of Babul, you'll also find the Mosque of Babul, as well as halal restaurants surrounding it. For more information, visit http://www.islamiccenter.nda/EN

Lastly, Midland. Now, Midland is a city in Ndaku that homes several military forts that belong to the United Human Military (UHM), and near Fort Bozondi (named after Alphonse Bozondi, a Major in the UHM during the Great Species War) lies Antigravitopolis, a tourist site that functions upon an antigravity system that the UHM developed during the Great Species War. Engineered right through Mount Moroto, the site was initially a top-secret project by the UHM to test various military gadgets and vehicles that were still going through design phases under environments undergoing alternating gravitational fields. Later on, after the war, the military opened it as a tourist site, naming it Antigravitopolis. More information can be found at http://www.Antigravitopolis.nda/EN

So, there's obviously so much more I could've included here to show you all why many tourists become citizens of Ndaku, and it's because of the warm hospitality that the Ndakenes posses and pass on, from generation to generation. May you all enjoy the wine and magnificence of Ndaku, as she welcomes all Fleshly brothers and sisters warmly.

by **South Covello** » Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:10 pm

John Green's Presidential Address

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As I have previously stated, it is our duty as former victims of tyranny to fight all tyranny anywhere and everywhere. A threat to freedom anywhere is, simply put, a threat to freedom everywhere. We fought tyranny in Saintland, we fought it in Sameba, and now we must fight it in another place.

"I am speaking, of course, of our Esportivan neighbors, Eshan. Eshan is ruled by a tyrant by the name of Revan Bernat. Although Mr. Bernat will try to claim he is not a tyrant, and he is, in fact, a democratically elected leader, we know better. Revan Bernat is a tyrant in the making, and is a threat to free people, in Eshan, in South Covello, and throughout the entire Multiverse. Left unchecked, he will prove to be as detrimental to Eshan as the so-called 'Lord Almighty' Gregory was to us. We must not allow his reign of terror to prosper.

"Therefore, I am asking the Legislature to take swift and decisive action to stamp out Mr. Bernat's tyranny before it is too late. I am asking the Legislature for permission to declare war on Eshan, to take out Revan Bernat, using lethal force if necessary. However, I hope it will not be necessary, so that Mr. Bernat can be taken alive and brought to trial for crimes against humanity and crimes against freedom. Should the Echani people wish to try him, they shall have the right of first refusal. Should they refuse to do so due to some blind and ungratifying love for him that can only be reminiscent of the cult we once were, we will bring him back here and put him on trial ourselves, for crimes against humanity and crimes against freedom. Upon conviction, he will be sent to Island Prison to serve the rest of his life in a solitary cell, in the same prison that houses the so-called 'Lord Almighty' Gregory and his former cronies. We must not allow Mr. Bernat's reign of terror to continue.

"Under our Constitution, the Legislature is required to vote on this within 14 days, but I encourage them to do so as soon as possible, perhaps even tonight if the Speaker wishes to convene an emergency session. Regardless, the Legislature will be in regular session tomorow, so they can and should consider it then. I will reiterate my Doctrine that I have said so many times before - a threat to freedom anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. And simply put, Revan Bernat is a threat to freedom everywhere.

"Good night, and may freedom ever be thy watchword."

President Green Urges War With Eshan, Reaction Swift and Negative

In a nationally televised speech earlier tonight, President John Green issued a formal request for a declaration of war against Eshan, calling their president Revan Bernat a "threat to freedom everywhere," and threatening to either take him out with lethal force or kidnap him to South Covello for trial if the Echani people were unwilling to cooperate. Reaction throughout South Covello was almost universally negative, both among politicians and among the general population.

Clara Santos (Southwest Knob), who was the first member of the Legislature to publcly come out against the Green Doctrine, reiterated her opposition saying "I have been against the Green Doctrine since Day One. I was against the War in Saintland, I was against the War in Sameba, and I am against the War in Eshan. I do not know what President Green's problem with Revan is, but we can't just intervene against every government we don't like. We need the money back home right now. That money would be better spent fighting poverty, improving schools, or any one of a number of things we could put it to good use."

But even longstanding supporters of the Green Doctrine have started to sour. Laurie Hillwood (Hortonbrook and Ponyville), who voted for the first two wars, stated "President Green has gone too far. I was enthusiastically for the Saintland War and reluctantly for the Sameba War, but enough is enough. Let's bring the troops home and spend that money on more useful things, or just give the people a tax cut. There are so many better things we could be doing."

Reaction outside the Legislature was also swift and negative. Activist David Hale, president of Young South Covellans Against War, stated that his group would organize sit-in protests on the lawns of the Presidential Mansion and Legislative Building until the war is rejected and the Green Doctrine repudiated. "My generation came of age just as we were gaining our freedom," he said. "We are tired of perpetual violence, tired of perpetual conflict, and young enough not to have accepted it as the way of life. We need to stop fighting, stop declaring other countries the public enemy, and just usher in an era of peace. We shall achieve freedom through peace, not through violence or endless wars and foreign entanglements. Enough is enough, President Green."

Speaker of the Legislature Darian Clarke (Freedom City Southwest) stated that a vote has not yet been scheduled on the proposed Declaration of War, but that "If we're mostly in agreement one way or the other, I see no reason why we can't just get this over with quickly." As for what that would mean, Clarke said he would have to talk to members during tomorrow's caucus before he could definitively answer that. "Sometimes the most vocal legislators are in the minority," he said, refusing to speculate further.

The weekly Legislative Caucus will be tomorrow at 8 AM, followed by a recess for lunch around noon, before the body is called to order for formal business around 1:00. South Covellans will certainly be following the news over the coming hours and days to see what happens.

It was also pointed out that Eshan is located not in Esportiva, as President Green claimed, but in Atlantian Oceania. A spokesperson for the President claimed he simply mixed up Eshan and the similarly-named nation of Ethane, which is indeed located in Esportiva. This only seemed to infuriate the opposition more, however. Orlando McGuillicuddy (West Moreland and the Highlands) commented on Tweeter that "The fact that our President seems not to know the difference between Eshan and Ethane, yet confidently declares one of them a threat to freedom, is deeply disturbing. Will he take out the wrong leader by mistake? #FreedomThroughPeace" Indeed, the young activist David Hale's message of "Freedom Through Peace" has become a mantra, with the aforementioned hashtag trending on Tweeter throughout the nation.

by **Adab** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:41 am

A Dance with Football
A look into the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them

Chapter 7: Saad Kaykali

Early 2011
Adab City Prison

Saad Kaykali sat solemnly on his prison bed and gazed at the clock high above him, its hands spelling out 7:25 a.m. That clock was one of the few things that his prison cell were furnished with, though he supposed he should be grateful to the authorities for placing him in a cell that was somewhat humane. Between the clock, the bed, the fan, and the small window on the door, the cell didn't offer much - would it be a prison cell if it offered more? - but at least it didn't actually constitute psychological torture.

It sure was better than being placed in solitary confinement, a fate that had befallen a few of his teammates, or sentenced to death.

Starting from 2008, Emperor Tizqar III and the government embarked on a mission to reform Adabian football. The sport, the most popular in the country, was never known for its sparkling-clean image, and the Emperor resolved to weed out the corruption and hooliganism that had become nearly synonymous with the sport once and for all. The Football Association, the national team, and the entire league system were suspended, putting effectively everyone employed by them out of a job. In what later became infamous as The Purge, hundreds upon hundreds suspected of involvement in the various scandals that befell Adabian football were arrested. Everyone from the janitor to the Football Association chief executive faced their reckoning. Many were freed after a short while, many were brought to the courtroom, and many received their punishment. Whether they deserved it or not, an enraged public lusted for justice, and many did receive "justice" in whatever form was meted out to them.

Saad Kaykali, of Baghdad City FC, was hailed as the greatest player of his generation, at least until the revelations started coming out and the allegations were sounded over radio, television, and the Internet. Following the suspension of football competitions, he, his teammates, and members of the Baghdad City staff were arrested, imprisoned, and dragged to the courtroom, charged with involvement in years of match-fixing. The judge shamelessly recommended death for all of them, which was pretty harsh considering that there was still a lot of evidence to go through. Saad was granted a reprieve after his lawyers proved that he was unaware of the match-fixing going on around him and in fact was merely "a tool" in the eyes of his teammates, who excluded the team captain from their plans because of his unwavering honesty, and the mafia, who couldn't afford to eliminate him because of his popularity.

His lawyers eventually managed to have him sentenced to "just" seven years in prison - the charge being that the team captain was negligent and failed to prevent his teammates from committing the crimes - for which he was rather dismayed and tried to force his lawyers to push for his complete exoneration, arguing that he had been entirely unaware of whatever his team had done behind his back. Requests for an appeal were rejected, though, and Saad had to accept his fate. All things considered, he was pretty grateful; he watched as his manager and some of his teammates were placed on the electric chair, received the injection, or went before the firing squad - some of the executions were opened to other prisoners and the general public to "make an example" - and he himself soldiered on. Still, Saad Kaykali the football star was now Saad Kaykali the prisoner. There was no denying that.

Deep in his contemplation, Saad stared blankly at the wall. He didn't notice the door inching open, nor the guard stepping into the cell in his boots. It took a tap on his shoulder for him to be brought back to his senses. "Come with me," said the guard, his deep, ravaged voice echoing across the dank cell. "Your lawyers want to see you."

Saad nodded, acknowledging his presence. He rose to his feet, his hands momentarily holding on to the mattress, and said not a word as he followed the guard out of the cell.

Saad had been in the visiting room a few times before. Certainly it was more comfortable than his cell; for one, it actually had an air conditioner. The room was empty but for a table and a few chairs at the center of the void, where his two lawyers had been sitting for a while now. They were a good team, Saad thought, and they had done much for him. Administrative hassles had kept them waiting for their client for more than an hour, but now they were face-to-face with him, and it was the best that he could do for them. The same guard stood by the door stony-faced, his posture reminding Saad of the Terracotta Army.

There were no documents on the table, no pen laid down, no stack of papers to go through; this was not to be a discussion of Saad's legal maladies. He noticed that his lawyers were quieter than usual; often they were the first to speak up, but this time, seated stiffly in the room, it seemed as if they were waiting for their client to speak. So Saad took the chance. "Thank you for coming, you two," he said, his face a mixture of contemplation and resignation. He leaned slightly over the table, his head sunken on his hands. "So, uh, I think by now you will have already informed the qadi court, and of course Maria and her family... I hope she's agreed to it. I don't want to make this even more painful to her."

Judicial divorce was one of the main methods used to dissolve a marriage in Islam. In this case, Saad had not heard from Princess Maria Ashurbanipal for a few weeks and had not seen her for months, having decided to separate from her when his legal troubles began in an attempt to spare her from the constant media attention. This was purely his decision, and his wife - who insisted on sticking by him no matter what - took it very hard when the separation occurred, but for Saad the stress from the media attention, his obvious inability to provide, and his then-uncertain fate meant there was no way the marriage could be preserved. From prison he had asked the Princess and their daughter Aida to "forget me for now and live your own life"; their association with him was becoming too much of a burden. Saad had considered the talaq method (the husband simply announced to the wife that he repudiated her) and having his lawyers announce it to his wife, but later opted for divorce in the courts, hoping that the formal and "less sudden" process would send a message to her that he was ending the marriage on good terms.

The lawyers sighed and stared at each other for a few long seconds. Whatever was conveyed between them in that moment, Saad couldn't see it. Khalid Murad - the older lawyer, one of the best in the country, a wily 65-year-old with a thick mustache and hair even whiter and more unkempt than Einstein's - finally took the initiative. "Yes," he assured his client, though his voice reeked of apprehension, "we have done that."

"Good," Saad replied, almost tonelessly. "So, what's the next step again? I suppose that's the one with the arbitrator, but by this point that's just a formality."

He saw that Khalid intended to say something, but instead the old lawyer found himself clenching his lips shut. If he weren't at a loss of words, then he sure wasn't letting them out, either. His eyes darted over to his side, coming down upon Eliyahu Remez, the quieter of the two lawyers but also the more diligent and meticulous. The implication was clear: Eliyahu was to deliver the news. He picked up the message. "The Princess and her family have been informed, and..." his voice trailed off and he lowered his head, unable to look at Saad. "...and..." he gathered up the strength to face his client, if rather halfheartedly. "...you must forgive me for delivering this terrible news, Mr. Kaykali. Your wife..."

Sensing that Eliyahu was going nowhere with his words, Khalid decided to take over from him. "Your wife has asked for the process to be suspended and begs that you consider a reconciliation." He stared squarely at Saad, letting his client take in his words. "Your wife has leukemia. She collapsed a few days ago and is currently at the hospital. The family had tried to inform you but this prison is such a godforsaken administrative mess they're unable to get through to you. Saad, I'm sorry, but she's dying."

by **Kelssek** » Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:26 pm

Head coach Kirk McDonagh leafed through a newspaper as he waited his turn at the barber shop. The Kirkenes Courier, with its 160-year history of quality journalism, remains the go-to source for trusted news and analysis for millions of readers in Kelssek and across the world, available in multiple paper and electronic formats to fit the needs of today's global citizens.

"Thick book you've got there," the barber commented.

"Capital is thick. This is a mere pamphlet," the 25-to-30-year old young urban professional shook a few stray hairs off The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. "It's mostly to impress people on the subway."

"Ah. 'The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living'. Good stuff, that."

Kirk instinctively looked up. Hmmm... he thought.

"Haven't got that far but it sounds a bit like one of those zombie shows on FlickNet."

Frank Carbonieri, petty bourgeiosie proprietor of a barber's shop in the bowels of a financial district skyscraper, brushed off a Maverit clipper and applied it to his customer's scalp. Reliable Maverit electric shaving products are trusted by hair care professionals to get the job done. "Not a fan of zombie shows. Bit old for the target demographic, me. Now what would ol' Karl say about the World Cup, huh? It really is a shame how commercial it's all gotten these days."

"It's just the way of the world you know. First thing that Football Kelssek did when they launched this new cup? Find a sponsor." Olympic Mayonnaise is proud to sponsor the Coupe des Patriotes and thousands of youth soccer teams nationwide with its preservative-free, traditional recipe. Part of a range of long-time favourites, with a taste the whole family can enjoy. "This trophy named in tribute to our revolutionary heroes, supposedly, and they tie ribbons to it selling mayonnaise."

"Ah yes. 'All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind.' I don't know if Marx had quite envisioned the NSN television deal, there."

Kirk chewed his lip. This was giving him a team talk idea.

"Now, is this the labour theory of value in play?"

"Hah! This haircut will still cost you 12 thalers, y'know."

by **Northwest Kalactin** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 9:43 am

Northwest Kalactin team preview
Help guys it’s Sporting Kalactin here with the annual World Cup preview let’s get started.
Coach: Damon Shceter is returning for another World Cup this year and he will be as ready as ever because this year because he has amazing project olimpo striker jimmy McCarthy, Mcarthey could signal the start for a new era or revolutionary strikers in Northwest Kalactin. The reason that is is because many players like jimmy McCarthys aggressive style of play also the defense is looking very strong this year as Matt Hall and Jake Dakota enter their primes.

Jerseys
We will be wearing the same jerseys as last World Cup.

Leader Vincent Monteil has also wished the kalactanians luck if you ever have a game in Gold Coast use the subway the streets are always packed.

by **Anollasia** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:17 pm

THE ANOLLASIA NATIONAL

English edition
Thursday, August 23, 2018

Anollasia determined to qualify for World Cup

Anollasian national team on the training grounds

By Alex Gorki and Ece Bayburt

JEFFERTON - The Anollasian Football Federation (AFF) had recently announced its intentions to participate in the 81st World Cup being held jointly by Banija and Free Republics. The AFF solidified the statement yesterday by announcing the full team roster and supplementary information such as kits and formations. As the qualifying round will be played in each of the participating countries, including Anollasia, the AFF has also announced which stadiums will be used. Qualifying matches played in Anollasia will rotate between Jefferton's James Anoll Stadium (capacity of 60 000), Anollton's Arthur Jefferson Stadium (capacity of 55 000), Bayville's Turquoise Stadium (capacity of 57 000), and New Istanbul's Mehmet Pasha Stadium (capacity of 59 000).

Anollasia's World Cup history dates back to the 48th Baptism of Fire tournament, which is, in a way, a prerequisite for joining the World Cup. The team's very first match was against Redaya, which they won 3-1. After that, the team plummeted to second-last of the group with successive losses and draws. Though the team managed to defeat Bisim 2-1 in the end, Anollasia was not able to advance and was eliminated. Anollasia played 5 games - 2 of which were wins, 1 of which was a draw, and 2 of which were losses.

The only time Anollasia participated in the World Cup was in the 63rd edition. Placed in Group 4, Anollasia started off strong, winning every single match. That was until the match with The Holy Empire, when Anollasia was defeated 5-0. After that, Anollasia lost the next few matches and then started alternating between win and loss each game. The team was eliminated, not able to keep up with The Holy Empire and Starblaydia, who were at the top of the group. Anollasia placed 4th in a group of 10 teams and played 18 matches - of which 10 were wins, 1 was a draw, and 7 were losses.

Looking back at the brief history of the Anollasian team in the World Cup, the president of the AFF, Bernard Koç, stated in a press conference, "I know our team will make us proud and do their best to represent Anollasia well in these coming matches. It is my hope that this will be the first time we will advance past the qualifying stages of the World Cup." Several players of the team also expressed excitement at the opportunity of playing in the World Cup. John Williker, the centre-back player of the team, told us he is "super thrilled" about getting to play in the national team. It is his first time playing on the national team and feels it is "quite different from playing in FC Anollton," his original team. Burak Akdağ, the centre-midfield player, revealed that this year's team is "a team that works well, [the team] get[s] along well" and said that he "feels we will do better this year." Yunus Terry, the popular centre-forward player, made an interesting observation. He said, "the national team is not like any team in the league. It's a team that pretty much all Anollasians support. Doesn't matter whether you support FC Jefferton, FC Bayville, or heck, even FC Geleture, we all have only one football team that are our ambassadors in the world."

You can watch the World Cup on NATV Sports or online at www.natv.an, starting Saturday, September 1.

by **Maryloupe** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:48 pm

23rd August 2018, 5 p.m.
Bizanc , Maryloupe

Blikervic was having his training at the Trenton Tryce Training Quarters. Well, maybe that was after training. He said goodbye to his teammates before departing to his home. He wanted to call his Mother to tell her of the good news: he was in the starting XI of the World Cup squad. No need of that. His phone rang. He answered it.
"Saraj, it is your mother," said the voice from the other side of the receiver.
"You heard? I was chosen--" Blikervic said before being interrupted.
"Dear son, I know that true, but it's no time to be happy. Come back home."
"I am on the way home."
"At Fieuresa, all the way back at the mountains, son." She was close to tears.
Saraj was too close to tears. Except for no reason.
"Don't worry Mother. I'll be coming." He replied.
Not long after, he was seen packing his bag. Frantically. He had sent some messages on the Trenton Tryce Let's Chat group. He was waiting for an answer. Just after he packed his bag some notification popped up. Blikervic went to check it out. It was from the manager. He allowed Blikervic to leave. However, he had to make up for the lost training sessions. Blikervic hadn't any time, so he rushed to the airport.

23rd August 2018, 8.20 p.m.
Bizanc International Airport, Bizanc, Maryloupe

Blikervic was at the airport, buying his tickets. Luckily he was the last one to book a seat on the earliest plane to Mount Hiller Airport. That was the nearest airport to his home. Had he missed that plane, who knows how long he had to wait?
"Stepoulos Airlines. ST234. Towards Mount Hiller. Please go to Gate 14. Blikervic had already gone through immigration checks. Now, he was locating his way to Gate 14. Maybe he was a bit to late, because his flight had a last call sign. He boarded the plane and sat on the designated seat.
Not before long the plane was in the air. Blikervic thought to himself, Why did Mother call me. And she was sad That thought bothered him. He could not get any sleep.
At around 10 p.m., the plane had finally reached its destination. Because of the time it was unsafe to travel on the mountain Track. Blikervic seriously did not care.
After a long while Blikervic had reached Fieuresa and started to look for his home. Upon finding it, he opened the door to see something he would never forget...
to be continued

by **Union of Socialist Alpine Republics** » Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:20 pm

Chancellerian address to the nation

Suddenly every TV channels in the Alpine Union is showing an empty lectern inside the Blue House and a voice-over says: "Chancellor Arijana Ibrahimovic is expected to speak live from the Blue House at any moment. She's announcing a new reform of our electoral system. We're actually in stand by, she can come speaking at any moment... While we are waiting, let me just say that the World Cup qualifications are starting in two weeks and the group draw will be oh... Arijana Ibrahimovic is ready to speak."

Chancellor Arijana Ibrahimovic: "Good morning everyone! I've made a big decision with my ministers. We have decided to change our electoral system, which exists since the Alpine Union was formed in 2019. Yes 3 years ago and we're already changing the system. What I'm proposing is a semi direct democracy based on a fictive RL states nation called Switzerland. Actually in the Alpine Union, people vote for a deputy, a senator and then he's doing whatever he wants but that's not democracy! Real democracy is when the people gather in assemblies and vote themselves on laws and things, actually no nation has a real democracy. What we're going to implement is a semi democracy system based on Switzerland, the RL states fictive nation."

"RL states, for those who never heard of it, is a browser game, you create a fictive nation and then you answer issues which is sometimes repetitive. The fun is when you join the forum and post factbooks, you also have a diplomacy forum and even a sports forum. RPing about sports is really fun and a guy who created a fictive nation called France won the latest world cup. the world cup was hosted in a dictatorship called Russia with the guy behind Russia using a "scorinator" to determine who wins. Actually I've found Croatia's Role-plays really creative, they weren't one of the highest ranked nation but they made it to the final and lost to France."

"The guy or the girl behind the RL states nation called Switzerland created a semi direct democracy. People still votes for an elected representative like in any other nations, but in this fictive nation, the people, if the don't like a law, can gather enough signatures and put the law under a vote in a referendum. People votes wether if they approve the law, so politicians thinks twice before making or modifying a law. You also have something called "popular initiative" which any citizens can modify the constitution by gathering enough signatures to put it under a vote."

"So, for the Union of Socialist Alpine Republics, I'm proposing a semi democracy based on this fictive nation called Switzerland. The lower house will be called National Council and represents the people. Elections will be held every four years and we'll use a party list proportional representation system. Each republic within the Alpine Union is a constituency and the number of representatives each constituency can elect varies. For exemble the constituency of Guiana will elect just one representative but the constituency of Prussia East or Chattahoochee can elect 50 representatives. Each political parties will have one or many lists of candidates per constituency (1 candidate in Guiana and 50 in Prussia East) and the elector will choose whichever list he wants to vote for. If he lives in Prussia East, he has to choose 50 candidates. He can erase a name from a party's list, put the name from another list in the list he chooses, which is called panachage, or use a blank list from scratch. He can also give two votes for a candidate, called cumulative voting, and the total vote has to be 50. Well this system is complex, i'm not sure if I understand it perfectly but this is the system we will use in the Alpine Union! The seats are awarded using the Hagenbach-Bischoff system, which I'm not sure to understand either."

"Then we have the upper house which will be called Council of States. The Council of States is the senate and represents the republics. Some Republics will only have one seat in the Council of States and other republics will have 2 seats. Councillors are elected by the population every 4 years. The lower house (National Council) and upper house (Council of States) together is called the federal assembly, which makes it bicameral and the two houses have identical powers. The lower and upper house can come together as a united federal assembly, which elect the Federal Council, the Administrative Chancellor and the federal judges. The Federal Council is a seven member executive council which constitutes the federal government and serves as the collective executive head of government and state. The Federal Chancellor and Vice-chancellor (in Switzerland they call it Federal President and Vice-president) are members of the Federal Council and rotates every year. The Administrative Chancellor (called Federal Chancellor in Switzerland) is elected every 4 years by the united federal assembly and only have a technocratic role. He or she attend the Federal Council but has no vote."

"We have exactly one year to put this in place and this new political system will be implemented next year for the next Federal Election which will coincide with the 82nd World Cup. I'm somehow busy so I won't answer any questions this morning, I'm sorry."

by **Pink Floyd FC** » Sat Aug 25, 2018 12:05 pm

An invitation to The Grand Vizier's Garden Party!

To celebrate the start of the World Cup qualifications, every participating nations is invited at The Grand Vizier's Garden Party. The party is held near Cambridge, Dark side of the moon (a replica of Cambridge, England) five days before the first qualification matchday and is entirely free.

When you land in Cambridge, Sisyphus will be waiting for you and he's going to take you to the Grantchester Meadows where you can Hear the lark harken to the barking of the dark fox Gone to ground. See the splashing of the kingfisher flashing to the water. And a river of green is sliding unseen beneath the trees. You can also hear Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict.

Then, Sisyphus will ask you to take The Narrow Way. Following the path as it leads toward The darkness in the north Weary stranger's faces show their sympathy They've seen that hope before. Don't be scared, even if you hear Mystery swelling, creatures crawling Hear the roar get louder in your ears You know the folly was your own But the force behind can't conquer all you fears.

Once you go through The Narrow Way you will arrive at the Grand Vizier's mansion where the Garden Party is. At the garden party you can meet Dan Dare, who'se done exploring Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania. Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten, and Eugene, please be Careful With That Axe Eugene. You will also meet Pink Floyd, who Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun during the latest Baptism of Fire, and you will see A Saucerful of Secrets. We won't tell you what you can expect at The Grand Vizier's Garden Party, to find out, you need to come. But we can tell you there's free marijuana from The Royal Kingdom of Quebec (because it's impossible to grow marijuana on the Dark Side of the Moon) and we'll have a live band called Pink Floyd who will play their songs from the album Ummagumma.

by **Maryloupe** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:15 pm

Group 8 Overview

Nah. Finally the groups(and pots) are out! It's time we examine the teams in Group 8, our group:

Ethane:
Ah, Ethane. The highest ranked team, will strive to make an impact, and I'm sure they will. 16th place is quite good, considering the fact in RL Mexico is 16th. They are guaranteed to also have some rivals, but I don't know yet.
Competitive Solitaire:
To me, not much is known about this 132nd team in the KPB rankings. But what I know is that they are ranked. Although they could be the dark horse that literally tramples everyone.
Leodomum:
~refer to Competitive Solitaire (and replace 132nd with 272nd)~
Extra: Being 272nd place its hard to see them even being in the top half of this Group 8, with all these competition.
Damukuni:
Damukuni. Damukuni, out of everyone participating in the WC81, has to be in Group 8. Alas, fate has come to torment Maryloupe, again. This 'equivalent to the RL nation Senegal in terms of football' country has faced Maryloupe in the playoff rounds last World Cup, only for Maryloupe to lose to them. Fingers crossed to hope they won't thrash us.
Unified Hispania:
~Refer to Leodomum, but change 272nd place to 214th.~
Palmer and Mapletish:
FYI they are two different nations. Both unranked and unheard of to I. I've nothing to say, but as time goes by we'll know how they're like.
Devonta:
OK. The nearest ranked team to Maryloupe, they're probably our rivals. They're most probably gonna end up on 3rd place.
Zeleny Hrebenia:
The second lowest in the group, its hard to see them making it out.

OK lads were done for now and the next 'episode' of Blikervic will be soonish.

by **Michine** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:28 pm

Denis Lapine (denis6718)
_{Goalkeeper for AS Locomotive and Michine. Satellite engineer, sports geek, and amateur anthropologist. Trying to get better at blogging in English.}

Hello, world!

Oh, shut up, it's tradition.

My name is Denis Alexandrevitch Lapine, and I am a freelance satellite engineer from Michine. I also play football, as a goalkeeper - quite well, in fact, if I might permit myself to say that; I am the main goalkeeper for our national team as well as for AS Locomotive (where I've been training three or four times a week almost as long as I can remember) and we are about to embark on our first ever campaign for the world's greatest tournament. And, for some reason, I am keeping a blog about it - shouting into the endless void and expecting wisdom back. I should know better by now, really.

Really, this is a bit of a project for me to keep me going during the preliminaries - what, you think sportspeople can be focused all the time? - and to improve my writing in English. It's not my first language (you might have guessed that) but I have to speak and use it quite often in my day job, because of it being the standard language of space travel. And I thought it would be nice if I could write something in English that didn't start with the words « payload specification » and was closer to actual conversation than continuing on for 200 paragraphs about solar panels. So, here I am !

Most of this will probably be about the football side of my life, so I might as well start; the groups have been announced for the preliminaries, and we've had a chance to dissect them before the UMF can officially notify us of who we're facing (no big surprise). We - as in, Michine - haven't got an *awful* group, but it will still be tough; we can rely on our unusual home conditions but travelling away is going to be a big problem, especially against Turori if their heat is anything like we had in Farfadillis during the last tournament. Nobody in the UMF who has a brain thinks we can realistically qualify, but Valentine (ever the optimist) figures we should give it our best shot - if nothing else, he says, we are laying the groundwork for future campaigns, and who am I to argue with that ?

Our first game though will be against Beepee. Yes, « Beepee ». I don't know how to feel about going from pages of energy efficiency ratings and packaging considerations to a text where I just have to type « Beepee » repeatedly - it's definitely more casual, I just did not think it would be this stupid (and I'm sorry if anyone from there is reading this, whether it's English or French in any dialect, « Beepee » sounds *really* stupid) ! Beepee (I should probably stop now) won the last Baptism of Fire before ours, but have dropped off somewhat since then, and in theory our defence should be reasonably sound against their usual tactics. In practice, though, I think I will probably be quite busy and they will have a huge home support; I don't know how many fellow Michiniens will make the very, very, very long trip. The one positive is that their stadium is covered (unlike ours !) which will minimise any wind effect, for which I will definitely be grateful...

Anyway, that is hopefully long enough for a first post; I've managed to get through it without getting distracted by kits, although I don't expect that to last.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and I'll do my best to reply to all of them !

by **Shayla** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:52 pm

It's Offical Shayla has been drawn into Group 3. Although some pretty powerful nations have been drawn into the group like Drawkland, Shayla dodge the top 19 teams. Overall 3 nations have a top 100 rating, So it will be inserting to see how Shayla can do against the lower ranked oppenets and if they sneak into a Top 4 in the group. HRH Jonathan Barkley says the team's goal is in the top half of the group.

Group 3
Kedroiqua (272)
Natanians and Nosts (66)
Mariarty (UR)
Barunia (33)
San Regada (134)
Egyptosian (262)
Shayla (UR)
Drawkland (20)
Kavagrad (214)
Omerica (85)

In other news Shayla's National Team went 1 and 1 in the pre-world cup friendlies against Blaneu who was drawn into Group 7.

by **Beepee** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:25 pm

BEEPEE WC81 Qualifying

Monday 27 August 11:46AM
Sports shockjock Colin Schpoert on his sportstalk radio show

SCHPOERT "The world cup has rolled around again and it's time to make Beepee feel like a waste of space in international competition.

We've just seen a rerun of the draw and the current disaster that is Beepeean Football has a tough draw.

It looks like its Michine up first! We're 90 places higher up in the rankings than Michine, but still were expected to lose. That shows you the sorry state of our team.

Let's take a call... Kikki, oh joy Its Kikki! Kikki Dabol what do you want to say.

DABOL: "i think our team are well rested this time..." *phone call cut off*

SCHPOERT: Well rested!!! WELL RESTED!!! What a joke, Kikki. Our team is so ill prepared for this tournament we'll have to scrap for every position in there. I wouldn't be surprised if we performed worse than the last dismal attempt at world cup qualification. Next called.... Irma

IRMA PHOUQUETTE: "let's be positive ab..." *interrupted*

SCHPOERT: Positive! Positive! What's positive about Beepeean Football just now. We play defensive! We can't win a match! We didn't even get to the finals of the Copa South Pacifica as one of the highest ranked teams! Our FA is so disorganised we missed the Baker Park competition, a fine upstanding competition by a fine Football Association. Disgusting!

Back to the phones.

DABOL: "How dare you cut me o"...

SCHPOERT: "Whatever Kikki! We don't have time for your inane chatter about how we won a previous tournament. We're only as good as our last tournament where we fell to a puppet! A puppet for goodness sake! We shouldn't be losing to such amateurs. Next caller!

ANDY KNOES: "Our team are a laughing stock. We should kidnap the Michine team and force them to play for us.

SCHPOERT: Good call there Knoesy! The Michine squad does have good depth to their team. There likely to hand us our own backsides at the end of the first game! I think we should petition the Beepeean Government to do just that!

Here's the thing! We always play the same way and if we can't change it up we're going to do as badly as we did the last time. Our team's so telegraph we might as well see if we can get cheap calls!

Thanks for listening and tune in next time to listen to me Colin Schpoert.

by **Competitive Solitaire** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:48 pm

Competitive Solitaire Football Association

Zagreb FC prospect Aleksander Marković in the 76th minute against Kyiv, Zagreb up 2-nil

World Cup 81
It was recently announced that Competitive Solitaire would be battling it out in Group 8 of the 81st edition of the World Cup and after an overhaul of the coaching staff and a few new faces in the senior squad, including the likes of Aleksander Marković, the FA is liking the odds of our team making it out of the group stage this year. Solitaire, ranked 132 in the KPB, is somewhat of a middle ground team what with being paired against 16th Ethane, 25th Damukuni, and 77th Maryloupe in comparison to 214th Unified Hispania, 247th Zeleny Hrebenia, and the two unranked nations Palmeria and Mapletish. With the designation of a new captain, Competitors are excited about the FAs chances this year. After an amazing season at Erste FC, Wolfram Kappel is expected to do great things for the squad and has proven in a handful of friendlies to have a great impact on the other players.

Last Time Out
After an embarrassing exit in the previous World Cup, winning only one game, the FA is hoping to use the new training personnel to their advantage, improving execution of the current tactics. A positive from the squads last time out was their Baptism of Fire run, topping Group A and reaching the quarterfinal, losing to Makhnovia 2-1 after extra time in their first international competition.

Hopes are High
As Competitors line the streets dawning their blue and white checkered jerseys, the senior squad is preparing in the capital city of New Zagreb for their departure and getting in one last training session on home turf before they leave for the international stage. Everyone is absolutely ecstatic and the lads are buzzing in the locker. Right now, with the changes brought in by the FA, everyone in Competitive Solitaire are excited with the teams chances at bringing home silverware.

World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

World Cup 81: Roleplay Thread

WC81: MD0 - 3WD - Logo Consultancy

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