World Cup 86: Roleplay Thread

by **Trolleborg** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:14 am

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s we, TTV from the Stadium of 1st December. Our team play last group game of WCQ86 against Kita-Honde.

We can say without exaggeration, that the whole country celebrated the victory in the penultimate game, which opened the way to the World Championship for our lads. Undoubtedly, the team would be met by a huge crowd, and no persuasion of the highest level, starting with the national leader, would have helped avoid it, but the captain and head coach of the team made an appeal not to arrange celebrations until the end of the tournament, as the one game still ahead. In it, our guys had to prove who they were face-to-face with one of the grandees of world football, and try to confirm that latest string of victories were not a chain of accidents and "the luck of fools". Kita-Honde, after a sudden defeat from Fluvannia on its own turf, as we all worry, wants to recoup on upstarts, and we all have in mind 0-3 defeat in the first game. Three points give them ticket right into the world cup, almost any other result condemned team to the excruciationg pain of the playoffs.

TROLLEBORG – KITA-HONDE 2:0.

Our team, as it turned out, was not dizzy with success. Lads entered the field with full composure, play very carefully and at the same time with great dedication, not allowing opponents to do as they are able in their best moments. The first real moment near the Kita-Honde goal was created already in the 3rd minute, but Kerr missed the net from several meters - however, his position was really difficult. Then the whole bunch of our players had the opportunity to open score - notably Valgren, Gulbranden, again Kerr, and it was Gulbranden who was lucky at the end. He successfully took advantage of a long and accurate pass from the flank and accurately put his head where needed to score.

The success of our guys did not lead them apart from the way they take, they continued to play as they played, however, until the break there were no serious opportunities to change the score.

In the second half, the game was all about the same, and it seems that the guests were very seriously influenced by the setback in the last game, they did not seem emotionally to move away from such an unexpected defeat, they did not make a real moments at the gate of Kotsson, but at the opposite the gate dangerous situations constantly developed. We even saw Troger come to serve a head shot after the corner, which he hasn't done in international games for a very long time.

Towards the end of the game, the referee punished the guests with a penalty kick, which Kerr converted calmly,

and, perhaps, in the last minutes our guys could have brought the score to a devastating one, having equalized the balance with Kita-Honde, but could not do it. Nevertheless, 2:0 is a victory, and the victory is not accidental, really worthy and stylish.

Our guys deservedly ran a circle of honor around the stadium, and then millions of Trolleborg City residents and billions of country citizens everywhere enjoyed a solemn fireworks display in the honor of our national team.

TTV congratulates all football fans and everyone who cares on winning the qualifying tournament group. We hope that it was interesting for you to watch our broadcasts and we hope that you will continue to stay with us.

Finally, we remind you that the national leader will go on the air with a speech dedicated to our players tomorrow.

by **Terre Septentrionale** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 12:19 pm

Terre Septentrionale easily beats Squornshelous in first leg

Vogsphere, Squornshelous - It was really unexpected, Terre Septentrionale won a playoffs game 6-2 against Squornshelous, who are participating in their 40th qualifications. This is our biggest win, tied with a 6-2 win against Lashnakia in the BoF 70, a 6-2 win against Unimon in the 86th World Cup qualifications and a 7-3 win against Hwiccemark in the same qualifications. Luckily Squornshelous granted us our visas in time plus a few hundreds more for our fans and players' family.

Terre Septentrionale attacked at the 5th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed to Sandrine Fontaine who dribbled with the ball and passed to Sandie McCracken who kicks it and it's a goal! Squornshelous tied the game at the 17th minute when Lucia Krupin made a cross to Tove Anker who kicks it in the net and the game is tied at 1-1. Sandie McCracken was dribbling with the ball at the 22nd minute and she kicks the ball when Iosif Chaika tackled her after she shot. Chaika got a red card for his late tackle, so his team will play with 10 men and women for the rest of the game, and the Nordiques gets a free kick. McCracken has to be carted off the field and Zvonimir Kordic replaced her. Roksana Kolodziejczyk takes the free kick, she shoots and she scores! 2-1 Terre Septentrionale. The Reprezentacja Nordycki added another goal at the 30th minute, on a corner kick when Élisabeth Normandin kicked the ball in the penalty area and Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz headed the ball into the net. 3-1. Terre Septentrionale attacked at the 41st minute when Roksana Kolodziejczyk dribbled with the ball and passed to Zvominir Kordic who made a cross to Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa. Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa kicks the ball and it's in, 4-1 Northmen and this is the score at the halftime.

Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa scored her 2nd goal of the game at the 57th minute when Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk made her a short pass and she kicks the ball into the net. the score is now 5-1. Squornshelous answered back immediately at the 61st minute when Natalia Berglund dribbled with the ball and passed it to Havard Popov who kicks it and he scores. Terre Septentrionale's lead is reduced to 5-2. the Northmen scored again at the 79th minute when Przemyslaw Tkocz, who subbed in at the 69th minute, dribbled with the ball and passed to Roksana Kolodziejczyk who kicks the ball and it's in. She also scored her 2nd goal of the game and the score is now at 6-2 for Terre Septerntrionale. This is the final score.

BOXSCORE

5th minute: Sandie McCracken assisted by Sandrine Fontaine
17th minute: Tove Anker assisted by Lucia Krupin
22nd minute: Roksana Kolodziejczyk (free kick)
30th minute: Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz (corner kick)
41st minute: Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa assisted by Zvonimir Kordic
57th minute: Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa assisted by Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk
61st minute: Havard Popov assisted by Natalia Berglund
79th minute: Roksana Kolodziejczyk assisted by Przemyslaw Tkocz

YELLOW CARDS

12th minute: Sandrine Fontaine
34th minute: Slawomir Skrzeszewski
69th minute: Ralf Tjaeder

RED CARDS

22nd minute: Iosif Chaika

2nd leg

The 2nd leg of this playoffs series will be played at Stadion Hydro-Polnocna in Trzebiegoszcz, Township of Pomerania. Iosif Chaika will likely be suspended for this game because of his red card, unless Squornshelous decides to appeal his suspension. Sandie McCracken will be out for a couple of weeks and Zvonimir Kordic will replace her in the starting XI.

Starting XI: Vainqueur - Niedzwiecki - Skrzeszewski - Brzezanczyk - Normandin - Ksiezniakiewicz - Fontaine - Kolodziejczyk - Waclawczyk - Cwierczakiewiczowa - Kordic

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski,
Senior writer,
La tribune Septentrionale

by **Busoga Islands** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:32 pm

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

BISA announces they will stick with O'Donnell despite 'dismal' World Cup Qualifying effort

Jay Khano runs for the ball during World Cup 86 Qualifying

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLAND- To say that World Cup 86 Qualifying was a disappointment for the Busoga Islanders would be an understatement. THe only way to describe this cycle would be to say it was an 'absolute, outright, and complete failure', in the words of BISA(Busoga Islander Soccer Association) officials. There were hopes for the Islanders heading into the campaign. While the group was a tough one, our performances in World Cup 85 Qualifying offered hope. We were on the edge of the Finals, although we could not make it, and we won our Cup of Harmony group for the first time ever. We were ranked as high as #45 in the KPB rankings for these Qualifiers, and in Pot 3, there was certainly a chance for us to make a run at 2nd place and make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. O'Donnell ran with largely the same squad that was in World Cup 85 Qualifying- just now a few years older. From Pot 3, we fell down four places, all the way to 7th. We only earned 19 points across 10 games, a terrible performance for a team ranked as highly as we were, in the top 50. And it is seen in our fall in the rankings- we fell a stunning 17 places, from 45th in the KPB to 62nd- from a strong Pot 3 side to a mid-level Pot 4 side, in terms of World Cup Qualifying. Where we were hoping to maybe move into the top 40, and keep this project moving forward, we instead took a large step backwards.

Bethany O'Donnell, the Brenecian manager, did not mince words. "This is not what we were looking for- this campaign was a disappointment." She told reporters after the campaign dismally, with a 3-0 home loss to an already eliminated Mercedini. "The standard is held higher here. I understand why fans are disappointed. They were expecting much more than this, and we are capable of much more than we gave over the course of the last 18 games." Of course, with the huge fall in the KPB, one might expect that she might be fired. Somewhere else, maybe. But BISA's President has committed to her overseeing the project.

Here is what he told the media. "Obviously, we aren't happy with this performance- nobody is. But we have to say this- do we want to start over, again, or are we capable of improving upon this? I believe that we are. This is a bump in the road, but everyone in sports has to overcome adversity before they can reach the place that they ultimately want to go. We believe in O'Donnell- the performances in the last World Cup Qualifying campaign, and in the last Cup of Harmony, specifically, make us believe that she is the right person to continue to lead us."

Now, there's a lot to unpack there. But let's skip all that- his statement is best understood by what he didn't say. What somebody in his position knows is absolutely true, but couldn't say. We aren't BISA executives, however, so we'll say it- managing the Busoga Islands is one of the toughest jobs in international football. Why? This is a small nation. We are a nation of 9 million people. A small country, where cricket is equally popular as soccer. We only have six professional clubs in the country- and there is no locally controlled domestic league, they all compete in Banija. Now, of course, that's beneficial- the Banijan Soccer League is the 12th best soccer league in the sport, according to the IFCF ranks, and they got the money to match. Club football would be much, much worse if those six clubs were on their own.

Another thing that makes this difficult is, of course, the inevitable comparisons to Banija. We are a small fish in a big pond. The Glorious Southwest is a difficult place to play. Siovanija & Teusland is rising quickly up the ranks, and is set to make the jump from 'good' to 'elite'. Valanora has won the World Cup 5 times. Both Equestria and Farfadillis have won in recent years, with Equestria winning World Cup 83 and Farfadillis winning 84. And of course, the nation where our clubs compete, Banija, is ranked #1 and just went 18-0-0 in World Cup Qualifying. Somebody, please beat them in the World Cup- the last thing this world needs is for the Banijans to get their hands on a trophy. But with our nation's history as a former province of Banija, and with our domestic clubs competing over there, it's the natural comparison.

When you combine expectations without resources, it makes for a lot of unhappy fans. Plus, this is the type of job that needs stability. Those big nations will always get huge managers. But how attractive is this job? On it's own, who knows? But when you combine that there is talent here, and at least some resources, you can make it attractive if you offer something else- stability. If we're a small country that is known to be quick to fire its managers, we're doomed. O'Donnell is committed- she is at an age where she isn't using this as a launching pad into another big job(we think, anyways). But that commitment back to her can pay dividends in the long run, even if this was a terrible Qualifying campaign.

All of that is true. And are legitimate reasons why you would continue to commit to O'Donnell. We'll see what happens in the Cup of Harmony(if we make it- the oddsmakers have us at about a 50/50 shot to get into the tournament). But, of course, then you get to the rumor mill. There are big changes coming in club football in Banija- but of course, we do not know what. The Banijan Soccer League has announced that they'll let their media rights deals expire at the end of the season. Now, of course, that is something that is rarely seen- usually, these deals are announced one year before the old ones expire. But letting them expire implies change is coming, a big enough change, we assume, to positively influence media rights deals, to the point where the league is willing to start those negotiations mere months before the next season begins.

What changes are those? Structural? We have no idea. Technically, BISA has no formal influence in the RBSA(Royal Banijan Soccer Association). The six Busogan clubs are full members of the RBSA, of course, but not BISA directly. They have no direct vote on changes in the RBSA's domestic structure- only the 68 club owners do. Naturally, however, there is some cooperation between BISA and the RBSA. But rumor has it BISA is fighting hard for the Busogan clubs. Fighting hard for what, exactly? We have no idea. But if big enough change is coming to the domestic football structure in Banija & Busoga, BISA may not be in a position to conduct a coaching search for the national team. Admittedly, we're spitballing here, but maybe they think that they need to focus their energy on the club side right now, and leaving the veteran manager in charge is best while they figure out what the heck is happening in Banija.

So, long story short- Bethany O'Donnell will remain in charge for the foreseeable future. She will certainly coach at the Cup of Harmony, if we make it, and at AOCAF LXII. There are all sorts of possible reasons this will be happening, none of which will be said out loud by her bosses. Expect her to change things up for the Cup of Harmony, and to bring in a number of new faces- lack of squad competition probably did not help the squad this time around. Fear not- they will do what they can to put that disastrous Qualifying campaign behind them.

by **Kandorith** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 8:54 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International
News From The Empire

Difficult Away Match For Kandorith

South Covello 0–0 Kandorith

As expected the match against South Covello would be a difficult one, the thing which wasn't expected is that it would be this difficult. A very rough and disorientating match full of errors and irritations was the story of the night and with that came a very agitated Hayabusa as he was warned by the fourth official.

There was an atmosphere of hostility towards the Kandorese fans and the Kandorese team as the match started which did not improve throughout the match. Hayabusa and the team however, would not concede to the verbal home side of South Covello. The match did suffer from it eventually; as Kandorith failed to put a ball near the net for almost the entire match.

The second half was not much better for the Lotus Warriors as the ultra-defense minded South Covello team tried to completely shut down the match but could not find any movement through the Kandorese midfield. Where Kandorith finally got more shots on goal and even on target, it started to look more hopeful. Hikoshige Matsushita launched an attack in the 70' minute and rocketed the ball towards goal where Katano was awaiting the lobbed pass. As Katano was shoved down by the South Covello defence the whistle sounded, surely it would be a penalty for Kandorith. But no, the penalty and appeals were denied and Masada Katano was shown the yellow for unknown reasons.

Hayabusa absolutely lost his temper after this yellow card as it was the second goal chance which was taken away from the Kandorese. Earlier in the match Masada Katano was ruled as off-side while he was clearly onside and the officials refused to hear any appeal and handed the captain, Tanaka, a yellow card for arguing with the referee after the debacle. Hayabusa yelled at the officials to take a look at the obvious foul against a goal scoring chance but it fell on deaf ears as he was ordered to calm down or else he would be removed from the field.

The match lasted until the 93' minute without any noteworthy events as Kandorith tried to launch one last attack before the 95' minute. All Kandorese players poured towards the South Covello goal and left only two defenders to go for an all-or-nothing attack but the South Covello defense would not budge. The last moment of the match saw an amazing shot from Hisakane Hayashi which hit the bar, but as the ball rebound and fell perfectly at the feet of Katano once again; he was ruled offside once again. In a final outburst Hayabusa was shown a red card directly as the referee no longer wished him on the field. The final whistle sounded as Hayabusa took a shot at an innocent water bottle with his right foot and the match ended in a 0 - 0 draw where for Kandorith it does feel as a defeat. Hayabusa later did not wish to comment on the sending off but ensured that the home-side advantage will be the match of the decade for the Kandorese team.

"We should have done better or found more holes in there defense that I must admit" Hayabusa said. "But eventually it wasn't just a match against South Covello but also the referee. I truly feel we were wronged a few times and should have had at least one goal. I will not say too much about it as I am in no position to do that and of course the match has been played and ended in a draw.

"I believe it should have been a win for us, but we will absolutely do better. Next we will meet them in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world and this is our home side. In our stadium we will show them what Kandorese football is about and this is where we will take the win. And I promise to behave towards the officials who will be leading that match" Hayabusa said as he stood up and chuckled.

The second leg of the playoff against South Covello will be one of the most crucial matches for Kandorith in recent memory as this will be the first chance to get to the World Cup for a long time. The fans are of course still hopeful and in the polls on social media the Kandorese are the clear favourite with a 90% vote for Kandorith winning, 9% of the match ending in a draw where Kandorith would win and eventually a 1% vote for a South Covello win. As the capital prepares for the match, the nation will pray and be ready to cheer on their team across the entire nation.

by **Chromatika** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:30 pm

Part 1: The Barbed Inn, Chromia
Part 2: The Emerald, Ming
Part 3: Killjoy, Cortez River
Part 4: Jordan's Talk
Part 5: Islander Dome, Myana
Part 6: Busukuma/Mid-Qual Thoughts
Part 7: Triple B, Deprí Sanar
Part 8: The Date, Alnio/Chromia
Part 9: Questions and Answers
Part 10: Before the Last Day
Part 11: TJUN-ia Preview

World Cup 86 Qualifying Playoff, First Leg:

Score: TJUN-ia 1-2 Chromatika @ National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
Goals: Mora '39, Victoriane '82
Starting XI: Tioux; Xiao - de Aea - Ken - Ilya; Victoriane - Armageddon (C) - Dragana; Mora; Andisori, K. - Vidal.
Substitutes: Will -> de Aea ('54), Dias -> Armageddon ('62), Kuzami -> Mora ('71)

NATIONAL STADIUM, TJUN-IA CITY, JB TJUN-IA -

A late tap-in from Kaytlyn Victoriane turned out to be the difference as Chromatika edged out TJUN-ia to take a narrow win, on the road, before heading back to their home confines in the Capitalizt Dome.

Vladimir Podolov opened up the scoring in the eighteenth minute when a Pedro Vasquez cross beat out Kai Xiao's positioning, leading to a one-on-one with Ferret Tioux.

Hermaeus Mora equalized with a free kick that snaked in to the upper right corner past the outstretched hands of Harold Gylfisson.

The game remained close after that with both squads having decent chances until a late counterattack by Kuzami led to the tap-in chance that Kaytlyn Victoriane completed.

The result gives Chromatika a definitive lead as the series moves to Chromia, as the two away goals will mean that if TJUN-ia were to win 1-0, Chromatika will still win via away goals.

"We are fortunate enough to be in this situation," stated Victoriane after the match, "TJUN-ia fought well and fought hard. They're definitely not a team to be taken lightly."

Giles Ken proved why he was starting alongside Henri de Aea by clearing four headers and providing many tackles in the Chromatik backfield.

As Richard Valens and Tim Landers are so close to qualification. Will the team make it?

Team Selection
PO2: vs. TJUN-ia
Starting XI: Tioux; Xiao - de Aea - Ken - Ilya; Victoriane - Armageddon (C) - Conrad; Mora; Andisori, K. - Vidal.
Reserves: Williams, Chapman, Anderson, Will, Austic, Thorben, Dias, Dragana, Kuznetsov, Kuzami, Sierra, Andisori, B.

by **Silver Commonwealth** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:42 am

(This is my last RP post ICly and basically a ''farewell'' one, so it doesn't count towards the score obviously)

Enrico was reading a bunch of papers with a concerned look in an office room of Salgado Stadium, and while he had called a meeting with all of SC's team's players (Both reserves and the ''main'' team) assistant coaches and even the manager Jesse Camacho, not much words had been spoken yet.

''What is wrong? You seem to be quite concerned, Enrico.'' Rafael Kanashiro was one of the first to break the silence - the third goalkeeper of SC's team, and the only on who hadn't been on the field at all during the World Cup, as Ximenes was chosen instead.

''You should already be able to tell what is going on by now, as we have been in plenty tournaments when awaiting for results.'' Enrico responded in a brash tone. ''Anyways, as it has become pretty obvious now, we didn't make it through the qualifications, and ended up getting eliminated from the world cup. What a great story to tell when we arrive back home!'' Enrico finished sarcastically.

''So, you can basically pack up your sports bags and put your SC's team uniforms in the closet because there is nothing else left for us to do than to piss off from this event.'' Jesse Camacho added to Enrico's words. Initially footballers didn't react much in words, although it could be seen that the results were devastating or at least unpleasant for them.

''But wait, what was our score?'' The defender Zanetti was the first one from footballers to speak up. ''Don't tell me that we are at the very bottom and didn't have at least some successes!''

''Well, we are in the 8th place on our Group's scoreboard, and I can imagine that the situation wouldn't look too better if we compared it to the rest of the nations in tournament, as we would fall in the category of nations which didn't perform so well. You can already guess that we had 10 loses, and that ain't looking too good right now''.

Then the team's captain Gabriel Vila had something to say. ''That essentially means that we're screwed when return home to our clubs and interviews - I can imagine that some of football thugs will kick our face to purple color!''

''Easy, easy.'' Enrico tried to speak calmly. ''As far as I know, the competition was hard from the beginning, and from a single group only the two teams at the top qualified, and in some it will be only one due of the second places in groups being in two play-off phases from which even more nations will be cast away, and I can imagine that for them the fan disappointment back at home will be even greater. So, I say that we actually did pretty good for the first time. Don't let your heads down - I am sure that most of people back at home will understand.''

After this attempt from Enrico to calm down his team there were lots of other conversations, with some of them being a chit-chat between the footballers, while others were discussing serious topics in which the manager and coaches would participate as well. ''So, this means that we can finally go back to home and rest/play against regional teams, then?'' One of the defenders from the ''main'' team (Eric Soares) could be heard in the middle of the loud conversations.

''Hold on, we aren't done yet.'' Enrico stopped Soares. ''There is still one task, or tasks rather, left for us - those are interviews to our media. Even with technically a single state channel there are countless of branches about various topics (Which isn't that much smaller in terms of numbers if compared to IRL media channels), and there might be some foreign reporters as well, so it will probably take quite a lot of time''.

Some time later the SC's team and Enrico were ready to be interviewed by SNN's reporters, but Enrico still had that eerily pressure of dread as he walked closer towards the main room with media microphones and cameras, as if he would be afraid of his future or even life. He was the first one to arrive, and his team would arrive soon after. While some of the footballers had got significant fame back at home, thus making several reporters to try seeking an interview from them, most of the SNN's reporters were focused on Enrico as he was the head of team and responsible for the training, preparations, and so on.

However, it soon got pretty chaotic as it was hard to make out what was being said as multiple reporters spoke at the same time, and there was crowding as well, due of journalists trying to get closer to Enrico.

''Calm down!'' Enrico spoke in a harsher tone. ''Speak one by one so I can understand your questions and answer them.''

The first reporter to ask Enrico a question was from SNN Brazil - a slightly tall woman with a suit from 1930s and brown eyes. It is likely that Enrico chose her to be first due of him being from SC's Brazil himself.

''We will start with the question which perhaps is the most popular one and to which people want to get an answer: How did your team perform in the Qualifications, and did it manage to pass?'' The reporter asked.

''Well, uhm...'' Enrico started slowly. ''Thing is, that our team...'' (Further interview and questions from other SNN's reporters omitted)

*** A few days later in one of SNN sports articles ***

SNN Sports

Our team doesn't make it through the qualifications, and thus gets eliminated from the World Cup 86!

''In the press conference Enrico announced that SC's team didn't make it through the qualifications, and thus was eliminated from the World Cup. It means that the international team will be assembled again only when it would apply for a new tournament, and until then the footballers would return back to their clubs, or to their regional team in case if they would be assembled for SC's regional tournament. Head coach Enrico, assistant coaches and the rest of the team would continue to give answers to questions of various reporters of SNN's mass media branches such as SNN Brazil, SNN South America, SNN Europe, etc, before leaving the World Cup 86 and the qualifications behind, thus finishing the chapter in a story. While obviously fans were disheartened about team not qualifying, most of them deep in heart would understand that such an outcome wasn't unexpected as SC's team would face a lot of strong foreign opponents in a setting it hadn't experienced before, albeit there were still some which were problematic in the streets and the cops still worked in heightened caution for days after the tournament until the heightened attention of football would die down, and it would be easier to control dangerous elements in regional matches instead. However, the outcome of this endeavor still sparked lots of debate within SC's football community about certain way of things in how SCFA has ran so far, especially about mixed teams - SCFA recently released a statement in which it was said that ''Sending a mixed team based on player skill is considered in future, and it is likely that some players from women's football teams could receive a ticket to World Cup tournaments''. While receiving condemnation from more traditionalist elements, some were relieved that ''multiverse had taught us a thing or two''.''

''In the Group 6 (Also called as ''Toilet Group''), SC ended up in 8th place, only below Sylestone and Southwest Eastnorth, and while it isn't a particularly great spot, readers should keep in mind that it was the first time when our players participated in such an event. SC had 18 points overall, 3 draws, 5 wins, and 10 losses, along with 27 GF, 44 GA, and GD in negatives: -17. Only country which automatically qualified from 6th group was The Holy Empire with only a single draw and loss, and 49 points, while Audioslavia got to playoffs with 38 points overall, 12 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses. As we can see, there are 24 countries which already have automatically qualified, and 12 which still have a fight ahead for their spot in next stage of World Cup through playoffs. After doing quick calculations, it seems that only a small amount will squeeze through the last trial of fire by playoffs. The list of countries from all tournament groups which qualified or are in playoffs are below.(In brackets there is the number of the group)

Qualified: Brenecia (1), Hampton Island (1), Ko-oren (2), Pasarga (3), Eura (3), Nephara (4), Siovanija and Teusland (5), Turori (5), The Holy Empire (6), Banija (7), Vilitia (8), The Sarian (8), Valanora (9), Reçueçn (10), Mriin (11), Trolleborg (12), Kelssek (13), Equestria (13), Farfadillis (14), Cassadaigua (15), Starblaydia (16), Zwangzug (17), Baker Park (18), Savojarna (18).

Playoffs: 95X (2), Terre Septentrionale (4), Audioslavia (6), Chromatika (7), Kandorith (9), Squornshelous (10), TJUN-ia (11), The Hinodejin Empire (12), Graintfjall (14), Quebec (15), Darmen (16), South Covello (17).''

''It is unknown if SC's international team of Association Football will participate in future World Cup events, because while SCFA has considered such a possibility, thing is that the funds for sport also aren't limitless, and other sports associations have to receive their part too. Also, not all of SC's regional ministers and people are fine with spending money for the sports tournament, and would rather prefer seeing it go towards rebuilding the infrastructure and investing in security. ''They throw the money for preparing their team for a sports event such as world cup, while it could have instead gone for funding the introduction of modern food industry in the poorer regions, especially considering that some of them still use ration system due of the lack of supplied products.'' A politician from SC's Peru-Bolivia remarks in a meeting. Also, most of the players of SC's international team have went back to their Brazilian clubs which are preparing for regional tournaments instead. So, right now one can only speculate when, or if at all SC's international team will be assembled together again for an another try in the World Cup tournament of multiverse. But, even if they didn't pass through the qualifications, so didn't a lot of other teams, as qualifications were a tough business. And in the end they are still our team!''

by **Audioslavia** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 5:30 am

Jeremy Jaffacake gave his phone the smuggest, most self satisfied punchable grin he could muster. And this was Jeremy Jaffacake. It was really quite smug.
"Yeah, Squornshelous" he said, audibly if to himself. "It's not nice being unexpectedly hammered by four goals at home, is it?"
"Jesus, Jeremy" came a voice from across the room. Daphnaes Hanson, known to most by his stage-name Defecating Daffodil, stopped gaffa-taping cables to the ground and looked over his glasses at Jeremy. "Are you still harbouring a grudge about something that happened in World Cup 5?
"Yes" said Jeremy. "No point in harbouring a grudge for a temporary amount of time. I mean it's not even a grudge if it ends, is it? Then it's just a strop"
"That doesn't make any sense" said Daphnaes
"Of course it makes sense" said Jeremy. "What's the point in being the kind of person who holds grudges if people find out that, after a certain amount of time, you tend to stop caring. Being the kind of guy who will plant and nurture a grudge forever kind of makes people, y'know, not want to mess with you."
"Maybe you should hold grudges at all?"
"Maybe you should be less ugly?"
"I'll remember you said that"
"Good. You're learning"
"6-2 though" said Daphnaes. "Squornshelous are seven kinds of screwed"
"2-6" said Jeremy. "And Squornshelous are seven sacksworth of shit in a six-shitsack sack"
"Bet you can't say that fast" said Daphnaes. Jeremy took a deep breath.
"Seven-satchmo-sassy-sit-a-seven-six-seven-sack-sack" said Jeremy
"Nailed it in one take, well done" said Daphnaes, going back to his gaffa-taping.
"How long are you gonna be? We need to get recording" said Jeremy
"Two minutes. One minute if you get off your butt and help"
"Just leave it" said Jeremy. "Just let the cables scatter across the floor. It's not as if anyone's going to trip, fall and hit their head and forget everything"
"You did that twenty minutes ago" said Daphnaes, bringing a frown out of Jeremy
"...no I didn't"
"Yeah you did. You shouted at me to 'get those cables put away you yellow fuck'"
"No I didn't" repeated Jeremy. "No. Twenty minutes ago I was sat in the corner over there, telling that canary he was a pillock"
"Exactly" said Daphnaes. "That wasn't a canary. That was me"
Jeremy thought for a moment.
"So. Running order for today's podcast" said Daphnaes, patting the last cable down. "We'll start with Squornshelous - you can do your anti-Squorn shtick - and then we'll look at the Audioslavia game. Anything particular you're going to want to say about the match?"
"Only that we could send the Audioslavia under 13 girls team out there to play the second leg and still hold Darmen to a draw. They're about as penetrating as..."
"Do not finish that sentence" said Daphnaes. "And... and are you sure you want to tempt fate like that? We all remember Abanhfl...
"We don't talk about that playoff" said Jeremy, quickly.
“The playoff where you hired an aeroplane to drop pamphlets all over Abanhfleft giving them a guide to the country that was hosting the Cup of Harmony that year, and then you lost on away goals and had to go to the Cup of Harmony yourself and then you told yourselves you were going to win the CoH and become the third team to get the Grand Slam but then you lost and ended the cycle with nothing?”
“Yeah that playoff” said Jeremy
“Thought so” said Daphnaes, sitting in his seat at the opposite end of a small desk to Jeremy. Two large microphones all but obscured his view of the Audioslavian. “I’m ready to start if you are”
“Aye” said Jeremy. “No mentioning Abanhfleft on the podcast”
“Of course” said Daphnaes, with a grin. “Of course…”

<uptempo dutch electronic music plays>
“It’s playoff time, and it’s Idiot Podcast time as we analyse Wednesday’s World Cup playoffs and look ahead to this Sunday’s return matches. Will there be no fury like a team Squorned as the ‘Psychychoes’ look to avenge their midweek terra-fying, and we analyse Audioslavia’s crucial away win over Darmen, but dar-many of you remember what happened just five cycles ago, when Audioslavia lost to Abanhflef…”
<two seconds of silence>
”Do you find your skeleton just goes un-used for most of the year? Well consider your lazy bones problem solved with the new app ‘Skullshare’, where you can rent your skeleton out to…”

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 9:04 am

By Peter Davis

You hear that? That's the sound of Playoff Football in TJUN-ia City. The National Stadium had already seen 3 contests in the 18 previous games but now, it hosted the greatest of them all: Game 19. TJUN-ia was in the playoffs after drawing with Tikariot on the road, adding more success to an already successful campaign for David Seems and his Jaguars. A spot in the upcoming Cup of Harmony in Sylestone and Ethane was practically secured already, but the prospect of reaching the World Cup itself is something no mortal can refuse to fight for. And so The Anomalies of Chromatika, ranked 36th in the WCC before the campaign began, came to the JagBase for the first leg of this playoff fixture.

David Seems and his counterpart in Krytenian Richard Valens knew this match would be critical for the entire series, as TJUN-ia's woeful home form would take on Chromatika's woeful road form. With both team's strengths focused on the 2nd leg in the recently-renamed Chromia, any advantage taken here would set the tone for the game at the Capitalizt Dome. Seems' starting 11 was the same 11 he has selected ever since being made manager of the Jaguars after BoF71. Vice-captain Harold Gylfisson in goal with a back 4 of Aron McKenna, Mohammad Kallah, Nicolas Umkala and captain Jeff Donaldson. A midfield 3 of Pedro Vasquez, Peliniho and David Johnson was just behind "the Big 3" TJUN-ian attackers of Vladimir Podolov, Joe Green and Kepo Ulawaya. The 4-3-3 in its purest form. Valens, on the other hand, preferred the 4-3-1-2 with Ferret Tioux starting between the sticks. The back 4 was Kai Xiao, Henri de Aea, Giles Ken and Valence Ilya with a midfield 3 of Kaytlyn Victoriane, captain Enigma Armageddon and Jazmin Dragana. Hermaeus Mora played as an attacking midfielder for the front 2 of Keira Andisori and Olimpia Vidal. Both sides knew what type of game they wanted to play and, as such. many expected an entertaining fixture once it kicked off.

Once the game did kick-off, the National Stadium was fired up and ready to see this extra game of TJUN-ian will. Both sides knew an advantage in leg 2 was a must and so the game was tight from the get-go. In the 18th minute, someone did break the deadlock: Vasquez duping Kai Xiao to send the ball to Podolov, who made no mistake in the one-on-one with Tioux. The crowd erupted (the home crowd at least) and TJUN-ia were suddenly on top. A few minutes later though, the Anomalies would get an equaliser: Mora's free-kick couldn't be intercepted by Gylfisson. The rest of the half was tight, with both Green and Vidal missing chances, but half time arrived with the scores still level.

The 2nd half would be just as tight as the first, and both teams wanted the win. Even though they would have the away goals advantage if the game ended 1-1, the Anomalies continued to attack and the Jaguars did the same. Archer Andrews had an effort blocked by Tioux, Mora would have the same luck with Gyfisson. But someone had to break this deadlock, and it came down to Mora's replacement on the field. Mimi Kuzami countered a TJUN-ian attack brilliantly, leaving Victoriane to slot home with ease. It would be lead the Chromatiks would hold onto, despite the best efforts of Ulawaya in injury time.

A home defeat is sad for TJUN-ia, but it was expected by many considering recent history. Chromaitka will now host game 2 with not only a goal advantage, but the advantage of the away goals rule. For the Jaguars, the road to Newmainstan and Drawkland was falling away but it wasn't out of the picture at all. We didn't do a Squornshelous and lose 6-2 at home, so at least that's something. The aim is simple: TJUN-ia must win by scoring 2 goals or more in order to advance to the great tournament itself. Hard? Yes. Possible? You bet. GO JAGS!

PLAYOFF - vs Chromatika (36)
1st Leg (National Stadium, TJUN-ia City): L 1-2
2nd Leg (Capitalizt Dome, Chromia):

by **Graintfjall** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:28 pm

Excerpts from The Fußball Show with Jessika Jünkindietrünk.

Jessika is showing highlights from the first match, concluding with Alexander’s late save that denied Kate Huitema-Omeasoo.

Caption: ‘Petter Erlingsson, Steinaux’

four

Caption: ‘Olle Tobiasson, journalist’

says Olle.

As Amanda’s face appears and Jessika moves over to talk to her on the high quality state of the art screen, Olle turns a shade of off-white and tries to hide behind his moustache.

(On a slight delay.)

Jessika turns to her guests.

Jessika coughs.

Even projected from Quebec, the force of scorn in Amanda’s eye-roll is overpowering. Jessika quickly jumps back in.

fuck

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:18 pm

Running Up That Hill

PART 5 (33) - Transatlanticism

‘Well, they certainly spent a great deal of time welcoming us,’ Eileen told Asher, after the military parade was finally finished. With a few hundred-thousand people having gathered for the occasion, they were really feeling squished and felt that this was a right time to get out and maybe chat for a bit more.

‘It’s flashy, with lots of soldats, tanks and fanfares.’ Asher chuckled, trying not to make too much of the comment. ‘At least we could clearly see those lines along the municipal squares.’ In all honesty, neither of them really paid much attention. Distracted and tired, they were just ready to visit the National Museum of the Sicoutian Resistance before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Neither Asher nor Eileen were the fans of so-called military marches. Sure, they had both went to the Royal Wedding Parade between Christine II and HRH Caspian, the Duke of Halifax, but those parades, of anything royal besides the funerals (and even they would often be accompanied with the galas and balls, as the late monarch and his late father had both desired), were jubilatory. Instead, whatever they had to go through for a couple of hours, with various Sicoutian chants narrating the greatness of the Sicoutian nation...it was far from what they had really desired.

‘So….apparently they asked me to be a ceremonial pitcher for tomorrow’s game.’ Eileen said, trying not to make too much out of it. ‘What does Mr. Catcher think of his beautiful, talented girlfriend pitching in Val-Maurice tomorrow?’

She knew Asher wasn’t going to be so comfortable with bringing sports when in unfamiliar situations, so it was all too clear to both of them that Eileen did this to catch his attention. For a guy who loved all forms of sports, and wrote about them to make half his living, Asher was particularly careful not to say too much about it. It was one of the things that he had long conditioned himself the first time they had dated, and accidentally kept around with him since then.

‘Oh, I have three words, Eileen.’ Asher gestured a pause. He was relieved at least- it’s not like the higher-ups had only expected her presence and not his, but then that’s just his selfish self speaking mostly. ‘You, Go, Girl!’ He smiled and gave her a loose hug, before quickly letting it go in the middle of the street. ‘That’s a fucking dope news...and they said tomorrow as well, right?’

‘Yeah.’ Eileen smiled graciously, her hair slowly strumming as if they were the piano keys made of ancient Ivory pieces. ‘Honestly, it’s an unexpected but genuine gesture that they asked over breakfast earlier today. Not usual we see a minister coming all the way to Edmundston, they said, so I just decided to...agree with it.’

‘That’s great….I’m glad nothing went badly with it.’ Asher took a breath in relief, after realising that nothing was lost when he failed to appear in time for breakfast. ‘Do you need any catcher, my dear Plongeon?’

‘Stop being silly, Ash,’ Eileen stopped midway, raising both her hands before moving them to her shoulder. ‘We’ll have time after dinner. Let’s just go on walks, while it’s still cool outside...as grandmaman used to say, Sicoutian summers are gonna start soon and those, you see, will be hot and blasting barnacles.’

Right….Asher recalled as he slowly gathered his thoughts. He still remembered how this new, Portnoian Sicoutimont, even with his preexisting knowledge and previous degree in history, was still a country he wasn’t so familiar with. It’s different than how it was for Eileen, who was familiar with its folklore and how some of the antique objects still remained in the De Ramaut Place, situated in the Highmore District of Montreal. He remembered how the place, though dusty and filled with enough relics from comedy of errors (only two of the eight rooms there were occupied when he last visited there with her last October), held that allure. Something timeless, foreign, yet long dusted, perhaps dating back to the last hurrahs of the Quebecois Commonwealth and many old regimes, before they were to face the test of time.

Probably because we can’t get it back, he thought to himself, as they started walking again to their hotel, to pick some stuff up before they were to head to a museum. While he was sure Eileen knew of the changes that had occurred over her life, with Sicoutimont being a victim of unexpected climate changes, a revolution and transformation into an authoritarian state, he wasn’t sure if those allures were still going to greet them, as they eventually head north to Val-Maurice and Lac-Drouin and the battlefields in coming days. Heck, even the climate may not even be the same...

...Perhaps what’s there at that dusty house may be the most of what her and I still grasp from old Sicoutimont….I don’t know.

Later that night...

‘Well, the day in St-Simeon’s quite something, no matter how you’d wanna put forth the propaganda side of things.’ Asher Lundrigan was resting in his hotel bath, after a long day in St-Simeon, on the Eastern coast of Sicoutimont. ‘Their insistence, for one, is something to say.’

He was having hard time trying to explain how the day went, from the Sicoutian military parades held in the middle of St-Simeon’s downtown or the afternoon tour of the Palisades, the famed iron castle built by the ancien regime in the 1800s. The confusion, of course, was partly over whether the locals seemed to have a particularly unilateral way of understanding their history, or whether the Quebecois guests were in disgust over how their ancestors’ service was left viewed on the sidelines.

Now, having decided to go back to his room earlier than intended, Asher was on phone with his college friend Charles, who’s been working on the House of Commons under the conservative (author’s note: this means Centrist in Contemporary political scale) Parti Quebecois. ‘Their understanding of history, factionialist at its very heart, is something that some may sympathise in, but it is not something that can be endorsed, I’m afraid.’

His friend wasn’t surprised. ‘Perfectly understandable. Their nation runs under a slightly different governmental model to start with, and we know this means that certain loopholes and telephone courts could exist.’ Charles, long familiar with the rhetoric and the public awareness of it, was in his parliamentary office with a glass of gin, trying not to speak too out of fashion. Having a long day at his office, he just decided to spend his overnight hours gaming and handling some documents for leisure. ‘You know, those are usually the most fun ones to talk to.’ Charles responded, aware that this talk was being recorded. ‘It’s like having a cookie filled with…..’

‘Marmalades?’ Asher asked.

‘Similar, though I do not have the right term for you.’ responded Charles, trying not to spill his glass into the folder placed right above his table. ‘Explosives’, they were written. ‘You see, Sicoutian French is neither of our strong suit.’

‘Certainly not, because the vocabulaire there is entirely different from what Academie Quebecoise stated.’ Asher wondered how many days Charles spent in his apartments as of late. He remembered how Charles, during their entire undergraduate days, used to commute from a decent, 4-room apartment on the South Shore, which he and his brother inherited from their parents at the penultimate year of Lycee-de-Levis. He wondered if the apartment, which was as untidy as a large flat of two sociable undergraduates could be, was still under the same shape. ‘It’s almost as if the language there...had remained fossilised on its own. Which is quite fascinating, to say the least, if you are a linguist.’

‘I could imagine so.’ Charles responded as he turned his chair around, before starting to drink from his bottle of Gin again. ‘Anyhow, it must be fun getting to travel, and see how the time froze.’

‘I guess that may not be a bad way to describe,’ Asher responded. ‘The blocks of old apartments was one thing on the outskirts at least. Architectural marvels, those blocks- quite reminiscent of Prof. Salmond’s ‘Early Origins of Apartments and Urbanism’ course. You’ve taken it before right?’

‘Wish I did.’ Charles started drinking again. It was a quiet, perfect May night in Quebec City, and he knew this was the right time to do so. ‘Must have been that semester when I was too busy not to stare into suits and skirts-’

‘Oh you.’ He chuckled. ‘You need to stop drinking too much while gaming about at times. It’s never good for you, especially when you chat on message boards, be on phone and roleplay. Have you never learned from what happened last Halloween?’

‘Oh right- that time when I shared to a bunch of online strangers a picture of me in work uniform with few MPs? Yeah, that’s fine. Doxing’s not really my concern, you know. Parliament could care less if I game there, granted I polish the speeches and bills as asked.’ The security risk when travelling to Sicoutimont had been no secret to most high-profiled Quebecois visitors, who were always given specific governmental instructions and pamphlets to avoid certain outlets and websites when in the country. Both Asher and Eileen, due to different reasons (former being a journalist and latter actually being a high-profiled individual), were informed of this way in advance and did their best to stay out of line. So far, it’s been working. Of course, this did not prevent either from being not as careful with their phone calls. ‘People have tried to accuse me of shit over some past life grudges in those forums too. The classic St-Croix problem, where everybody knows each other, or everybody envies each other. So petty and silly- I get tired of them because it’s the same ole ‘no you can’t because year 2035’ bullshit- but that’s where I reserve my pity for.’

‘Easy. But then, pity is easy to buy these days…..I’d rather if you tackle them for chuckles, as if it’s a rugby scrimmage,’ Asher chuckled, seeing that his friend’s back to his usual self. Now it’s going to be somewhat fun to talk to, that’s what he thought. ‘And just bite until every bit of the flesh comes out and you could see their bones. They may scream but you won’t be hearing them scream. You can’t hear people scream online to start with, unless you stream shit.’

‘No, no, I’m not doing that.’ Charles shrugged, his body slowly moving around. ‘I mean, you could already see me where I work- Parliament has their own channel for that, and it’s not like I’m far from it either. Now tell me, how does their parliament work?’

‘I haven’t been there yet.’ Asher found this as the right timing to head. ‘That’ll happen in Lac-Drouin, though I don’t know if there’s much entertainment to be found in the congress where the Sicoutian Patriotic Workers' Front dominates in all fronts…’

‘Still, it should be interesting enough to see how that goes.’ Charles said, also feeling like he’s ready to drink once again. ‘Call me back when you’re there, eh? Or just wait until Valladares if you want to. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Sounds good.’ Then they hang up the phone. Asher stared into the sight just outside of him. He was still having some trouble adjusting to the new environment, but at least there was a possible element to take away. They had made it through two days of fanfares, fireworks and casual conversations with little trouble. Now, with the minimum expectation being set, the rest of the journey was going to be easier. Most importantly, they only had to spend three more days there.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:32 pm

Black-and-Reds to Skip Cup of Harmony

At a joint press conference, SCFA president Ailen Koirala and team manager Anne-Sophie Groothuis made an announcement that caught the nation by complete surprise. "After due consideration," President Koirala explained, "the SCFA has elected to decline its invitation to Cup of Harmony 78." The decision will end a run of five straight cycles in which the Confederacy was invited to, and competed in the Cup of Harmony. Competed, though, is perhaps too generous a word to describe the last two editions, where the Black-and-Reds failed to advance from the second round despite being the top seed in their group. This, combined with the team's underwhelming fourth-place showing in qualifying, seems to be the primary motivation for the decision to stay home this cycle. Groothuis decried a culture of complacency and entitlement which she still views as the primary reason the Black-and-Reds have failed to make the finals and break into the top 30. "There is an expectation for this team, and in the footballing culture of this nation. Perhaps we won't qualify, but we will always warrant a Cup of Harmony invitation. I think it's important to make a statement here that this is not our goal, and it never should be." She did not rule out the possibility of participating in some manner of events during the year or so before IAC 11 rolls around, but unequivocally voiced the opinion that her team was not at all prepared to enter a tournament that aims to crown the "Best of the Rest."

In another shocking move, Groothuis has also proposed that her team should attend the second leg of the playoff tie between Terre Septentrionale and the Imperium, who advanced to that stage by virtue of their second-place finish in group 10. The Septentrionaux smashed the Imperials 6-2 in Vogsphere in the first leg, so this game seems largely a formality, but she suggested her players could do with the motivation, and the example. "The Imperium has passed us in the rankings, quite frankly, because they've been a much better, harder working, and more consistent team for some time now." Groothuis said that she would not compel any player to attend, but hoped they would choose to do so. "I think there's a lot we can learn from attending the match in Trzebiegoszcz about the way teams that truly have the drive and desire to make the cup play," she insisted after being bombarded with questions by skeptical journalists present. Whether she actually proposes to have her team study the match for their own instruction, or if this is more about making a statement of purpose, it could actually prove just as effective as refusing to allow them the opportunity to attend the Cup of Harmony. Many across the Confederacy have been saying for years that this team needed a culture change, and Groothuis seems determined to be the person to bring that change, no matter whose toes she has to step on in the process.

by **Squornshelous** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:19 pm

Sweyn Petrov read over the communique sent to him from the Emperor's staff once again, as if the text might yield something different. It seems our assessment of your aptitude was premature. The toothless bastard was going try to pin the playoff disaster on him.

It had well and truly been a disaster. Six goals conceded at home! It had been eye catching enough that pundits the multiverse over were talking about it, and other teams on the wrong side of the aggregate were consoling themselves that at least they hadn't pulled a Squornshelous. That artifact Jaffacake had piled on as well. It would take immortality to have as much spare time as that man seems to come up with. On top of the humiliation of the lopsided score, Chaika had gotten himself suspended for the second leg, leaving Lagerkron to choose between Breiner and Cherenkov at left back. Personally, Petrov favored Cherenkov, but he saw little point in attempting to influence Lagerkron's decision. Needing five goals and a clean sheet to advance to the finals, or some equally specific and absurd scoreline, losing a major contributor from the backline was yet one more kick in the teeth. Who lined up for the Imperium would make little difference in this, a match that would soon be lost to the dustbin of history.

The communique wasn't really about football though, Petrov knew that much. A convenient excuse to block my advancement. He had, perhaps, underestimated the Emperor's information network, and analytical capabilities. While few ordinary citizens might realize it, Minister of Sport had always been a powerful and influential position, facilitating forming connections with diverse branches of the omnipresent imperial government. Since the return to international play, it had only grown more influential. The (hang the revisionists, tradition trumped spelling in Petrov's opinion) Pschychoes' rapid rise through the ranks had propelled him ever more into the public eye. Something he had plans to make good use of.

Very well, Lord Emperor. You may check my advancement for now, but if you think I haven't prepared for this, you're a fool. We shall see how comfortable that throne is in a few months time. He picked up the phone, and began to dial.

by **South Covello** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:26 pm

Beloved Goat Ruth Bleater Ginsburg Murdered by Anti-Goat Extremist

Beloved goat Ruth Bleater Ginsburg, who formerly belonged to Lord Almighty Gregory's menagerie of animals and Squirtles but later became a symbol of the anti-Gregist Revolution after she was seen draped in an Interim South Covellan Flag and the Robes of Justice and celebrating with Rebels as they raided the false deity's mansion, has been killed by an anti-goat extremist who claimed loyalty to an unspecified movement of goat eaters in Banija, South Covello Federal Police reported.

According to video footage, Ruth Bleater Ginsburg, who lived on an animal preserve with the other members of the former menagerie and their offspring, was frolicking in the fields eating grass, newspapers, and tin cans when a man streaked into the field and stabbed her with a knife, then attempted to make her into goat meat before being tackled and arrested by Park Police. He was taken to a field office and identified as Robert Guilloma, a South Covellan citizen. Upon interrogation, he proclaimed loyalty to Banija and stated "Goats are Food, Not Friends. I want to eat Ruth Bleater Ginsburg because humans are glorious and goats are our food." However, authorities say it is unclear if he actually has ties to Banija or if he is just pretending to have ties in order to intimidate goats and friends of goats. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity compared it to terrorists in the day of Reino Kulseth who would proclaim loyalty to the Christian State terror group. "Do they actually have ties or are they just trying to scare you? We're still investigating here, we'll let you know when we know more."

With World Cup 86 starting soon, Benitez also took the time to remind the Banija National Soccer team that a South Covellan witch doctor had previously placed a curse on them that they would never win the World Cup until the nation bans goat-eating after he was not allowed to enter the PG Arena with his pet goat for a World Cup match in Banija during World Cup 81. #TheCurseLives is now trending on Twii.tur, as are #RIPRBG and various other memorials to the beloved goat.
The Banijan Embassy was also unavailable for comment as of press time.

Thankfully, no other animals were physically harmed, although a Squirtle who watched the vicious attack is reportedly extremely traumatized and refusing to come out of his shell. A Squirtle Therapist is attempting to deal with him and make him happy and unscared again.

When asked how she would deal with the situation, President Luisa Benitez said Guilloma would be "dealt with harshly" and that if he actually did have ties to Banija, the South Covellan government would "certainly seek reparations." Meanwhile, Guilloma has been charged with one count of first degree animal abuse, one count of illegally causing death to an animal, one count of entering government land to commit an unlawful act, one count of murdering a protected animal, and one count of clogging a toilet in a national park since he apparently took a bathroom break before murdering Ruth Bleater Ginsburg and left an awful mess in there. He was released on his own recognizance, against the wishes of prosecutors, with Judge Martha Mays stating that criminals looking to make a point normally don't skip out on trial. She added that if the prosecution could prove Guilloma actually had ties to Banija and wasn't being blusterful, she would reconsider and potentially even remand him.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:29 pm

Running Up That Hill

PART 6 (34) - Just A Game

Mmmmmm......Asher gave a quiet buzz through his mouth.

There was something with Val-Maurice that dearly comforted him. Perhaps that’s why the Parc des Martyrs gave him a slight throwback when Asher entered the Press Box. Having been built in 1924 and routinely renovated, though not in the past twenty years, the stadium still holds up like an old relic from the town’s heydays as a mining town. The arena’s tall, green stands on the outfield, for one, always drew many eyes at how difficult and pitcher-friendly it was, and with the raucous cheer of the GVRT fans at home, you couldn’t help but to wonder how it would have been like on a different, less stressful era for everybody.

The former Sicoutian broadcasters, Fidel and Jacques, who were there with Asher and few others today, told him that Val-Maurice was the heart of Sicoutian resistance for that reason- the pride, the tenacity, and the urgency- and Asher couldn’t help but to agree to the matter. Perhaps that’s why the stadium still retained that pre-regime atmosphere, though it’s likelier they just didn’t give enough darn, Asher thought as he grabbed a glass of beer. The war and peace that coexisted in the city certainly had him think a bit to answer, and he was taking more time to appreciate the legacies and whatnot. The city, in some ways, was being more true to the past than any of the previous ones had been, and remained so, in the ways that classics students would talk about (when not drunk) in their classics field courses.

‘How are you finding your time in jolly, good Val-Maurice? Party officials have told me you’re the only Quebecois journalist allowed entry on the Cross-country train this year.’ The old, grey-haired Jacques asked in a mellowed, baritone voice of a 74-year old man. His voice, after all the years he had spent first on his podcast with longtime friend Fidel, still retained bits of the fame from the days of old. ‘I hope you’ll get to enjoy the match today- not often can etrangers say they had watched the match between le Metropolitain and good ole GVRT, the greatest baseball team in Sicoutian history.’

‘It’s indeed my honour to be here, thank you for inviting me today.’ Asher nodded, while watching a children’s choir sing the Quebecois, Cassadaiguan, Valladar and Sicoutian national anthems. Of course, the decision to snub the old anthems of the Novopetrogradian Soviet Union was noticeable, but what else were there to say about it? It was evident from the old times that the NSSR and all forms of Sicoutian ancien regime didn’t get along, and it wasn’t like that much had changed between the two when the Second Sicoutian Revolution happened when Asher was a toddler. While the culture of old may only remain in the pictures and archives, the systems that held the old world together continued to serve the new one.

Knowing that this was a formal occasion, with various dignitaries and sportsmen present, Asher stuck with a solid, pale suit with red and black tie, that’s topped with a 100th Commemoration Tour badge that he had received at the very first day of his travels on customs. On most occasions he’d have donned something simpler, whether it be a Kingston Tigers, Raptors or Quebecois national team jersey on summers, or a simple cardigan with sports jacket added on top, but that, of course, was on the Sicoutian Embassy’s List of What You Shouldn’t Bring.

‘How did you, and other Sicoutians, find all those years of isolation from the international sporting scene?’ Asher asked, as they watched the anthems end and Eileen slowly step onto the diamond for the ceremonial pitch. Unlike Asher, Eileen was gifted with the gold-and-black jersey of the GVRT Val-Maurice, the team of the Sicoutian Army reserves based on the metropolitan regions. ‘I remember reading when I was little, about the Sicoutimont of old, and how its sporting legacies used to be something to admire. A world cup qualification, finishing second in World Baseball Classic, et cetera-’

‘Hmmmm, it’s a tough one to answer, young man.’ Jacques responded, the long buzz seemed to suggest that it was a difficult question to frame around. ‘You see, what you tell me of the glorious days of Sicoutian sports….those were indeed the glory days.’ He responded, trying to find the right thread of thought, in order not to get himself in any more trouble with the authorities. Of course late Fidel, his good friend and the eternal broadcasting partner, would have given Asher a better answer but he had already passed away a year ago from stomach cancer.

‘Sometimes, you wish that those days would remain forever, but it’s not as easy as you’d think. All good things come and go, like how the elderly used to say when Fidel and I were younger.’ That was a good enough detour, Asher nodded, as he listened to the retiree speak. ‘It’s a good thing you asked, because Quebec was absent in international football for some time? Wasn’t it?’

‘Yes, though we did come back about three years ago.’ Asher nodded, trying to remind Jacques that the Grim Reapers, after many turns and whirlwinds around from a domestic scandal that led into the dismissal of the now-disgraced Prime Minister by late Jaccques IX. ‘It did take much effort, but at some point, the Grim Reapers had to come back, I guess.’

‘Good.’ Jacques nodded in satisfaction. ‘That’s sometimes how life works. Everything comes and goes, but when things do matter, and only if they really do matter, the people will want them to return. Sooner the later, the national teams will come back playing and the past unifies with the present. That’s the way to go.’

‘I’m delighted to hear.’ Asher understood where the old man was going with it, as they continued to watch the crowd cheer at Eileen, the visitor throwing the ceremonial pitch of the day. The return of Sicoutimont to international baseball, that’s been on everybody’s mind at the Concord Heights head office, when he had visited Concord Heights on a work trip a month ago. While there were no words on when or where the announcement was going to be made, or if it’s going to be made at all, the prospect of their neighbour and a past ally had gotten everybody to take a particular notice at any possible news coming from the other side of the border. Now Asher was understanding it, on the internal motive of why she was throwing a ceremonial pitch in middle of a city that particularly struggled, but still held the crown of Sicoutian baseball. It may be a struggling mining town, especially in the era of eco-communist society run by Alphonse Portnoy, but there were still enough in the city, whether in its battlefields or the diamonds, to be carried and continued from.

Of course, that wasn’t on the old Jacques’ mind, as he held a mild cup of Americano with him. ‘Anyhow, I am delighted he throws a mean curveball.’ Jacques said, giving a loose wink at Asher. ‘She really knows how to pitch! Not fast, but it's bloody filthy.’

'She does.' He smiled, remembering that it happened to be his girlfriend who threw the ceremonial pitch. No matter how he would have described it, he would have said the same as well.

by **Newmanistan** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:35 pm

[align=center]WORLD CUP 86 - NEWMANISTAN/DRAWKLAND

Cutoff for Qualification Playoff Leg 2

Didn't look up a video. No one watches them anyway, right?

Just breathe in, breathe out, if you are one of the involved teams.

by **Murphtannia** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 4:27 am

Match day 18

Murphy pulls up his socks, the game will begin soon, he thinks to himself *Well we didn't qualify, but it's been a good campaign, hell I've become the all time leading goal scorer. I suppose the pressure is off tonight, neither side has anything to play for but they are so much better than us. Here comes the manager better start paying attention*

Murphy (the manager) speaks "Well lads this is it, the final game of our World Cup Journey. I know we didn't qualify but most people had us favorites to finish last, and we can still finish as high as 6th. So we have all to play for, I also have good news, it's been announced we've accepted our invitation to the cup of harmony, so go out there today and show everyone why they should be scared of us!"

Murphy (the player) watches as everyone gets up and walks out, they look like they could walk through walls at the moment. He is captain today but he's gotten used to the added pressure.

Murphy continues with the pre-match until it's time to kick off. Hew can hear the roar of the Savojorna crowd but he can also hear the Murphtannia fans, it's a shame we never won a home game he thinks to himself, but he can make up for it by winning here today.

[The 30th minute] Murphy runs into space, he shouts "long ball, long ball" to Cartlidge, soon he watched the ball zip throughy the air *you know the drill now, extend your foot, catch the ball and sprint like your life depends on it.* he thinks to himself, and he does get the ball and starts his break away. *Ok I have the ball, just got to keep going, wait where did he come from, oh ffs.* the Savojorna defender makes the slide tackle and takes the ball from him, the chance is gone.

[50th minute] *I need to be more involved, it's been even so far but I need to do something. Wait jenk is making a run, ok who has the ball, Pallett* Murphy turns, trying to make eye contact wit callum "Oi, I have a plan lob me the ball", sure enough the ball finds his way to him. *Ok I have the ball, but they have 3 defenders on me, ok ok I've done this before, hold the ball, keep holding, keep holding, there his legs are wide open makle the through pass* he makes the pass and jenkins easily gets on the end of it.

(cuts to commentator)

"It's the 50th minute, Murphy has just played a brilliant through ball into Jenkins, who is now 1 on 1 with the keeper, jenkins takes the shot GOALLLLLLLL!!!!!!, OH MY GOD JENKINS HAS JUST SMASHED IT INTO THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET, HE'S GOING WILD, MURPHY'S GOING WILD, WHAT AN ASSIST FROM HIM. MURPHTANNIA 1 SAVOJORNA 0, TAKE A BOW SON."

(cuts back to Murphy)

*Yes it worked!, I imagine that just made me quite popular, but now I have to concentrate, the game isn't over yet.*

[80th minute] *Ok I've been moved into a LWB position, the manager wants to hold onto this win, Oh crap he's got the ball past Owen, I'm going to have to try and get the ball off him* Murphy breaks into a sprint, desperately trying to get back but there is so much ground to cover, he can feel his heart racing in his chest, his lungs burn as he struggles to catch his breath, but he's so close *I can't let him get past, I'll have to go in for a slide, and yes! I got the ball* Murphy with the inch perfect slide tackle.

[Full time] *Yes WE DID IT! Thats a superb win for Murphtannia, I guess all there is left to do is make my mark on the Cup of Harmony.*

by **Trolleborg** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:35 am

Dear compatriots and our foreign friends! I begin this speech with the desire to share joy from the great success of sports in Trolleborg. Three years ago we started our path in world football, and during this time we have received a fair amount of bumps – in fact a lot of this. In fact, there are so many problems on the way and sometimes thing seemed so unpromising that several times the question of stopping to participate in sports on the world stage was raised. Dear fellow citizens, together we followed the few ups and many falls and failures of our sport, together we empathized with our players, supported them in difficult times, sometimes criticized them when required. Today we all have a big and well-deserved celebration – and damn every further doubts!

We would also like to share our joy with those abroad whom the play of our players and the passion of our fans, our inventions and innovations did not leave indifferent. Thanks to everyone who supported us and wished us luck. In a huge and harsh world, it is always important to feel that your work finds a response in the hearts of all kinds of people. Our success is yours too.

Our fate in the future may be diffucult or not, and move in every direction by thousands of paths, but I will express the general opinion of the inhabitants of Trolleborg: we hope that our success will serve as an example, as a guiding star, inspire many and many not to abandon a business that has just begun or is halfway through. Fate in the football world is not wholly blind, but it’s the sum of circumstances, many of which are strong and unfavorable to those who start their journey, but they can be overcomed. With a lot of work, perseverance and innovation, with addition of little bit of luck, it turns out that you can succeed even when the field was seriously tilted. Perhaps this is the rarest combination of circumstances that fell to us. But it is still possible nevertheless! Therefore, my advice to those who will go to from the very bottom to storm the mountains by our footpaths or by its own way: do not despair, come up with something new, which no one has done before you, endure failures in the first stages, and maybe you will be lucky too. The sweeter the victory, the more difficult it was to get it.

I wish to congratulate us all again, and let's hope that this success is not the last! Hail the victory!

by **Terre Septentrionale** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:38 pm

Terre Septentrionale made it again!

Trzebiegoszcz, Pomerania - Terre Septentrionale made it again! The team blanked Squornshelous 3-0 and advances to the World Cup for the second year in a row! The 2nd leg of the playoffs was played at Stadion Hydro-Polnocna (which means Northern Hydro Stadium in English). Every players and fans came back from Squornshelous without being detained.

Terre Septentrionale is the first team to score (obviously) at the 28th minute when Roksana Kolodziejczyk passed the ball to Sandrine Fontaine who passed backwards to Élisabeth Normandin. Normandin gave back the ball to Fontaine who shoots and she scores! The Nordiques increased their lead at the 36th minute when Roksana Kolodziejczyk dribbled with the ball and passed to Zvominir Kordic who kicks the ball and it's in! The score is 2-0 at the halftime.

Terre Septentrionale got a corner kick at the 75th minute, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz kicks the ball in the penalty area and Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk heads it right inti the net. The final score was 3-0.

BOXSCORE

28th minute: Sandrine Fontaine assisted by Élisabeth Normandin
36th minute: Zvonimir Kordic assisted by Roksana Kolodziejczyk
75th minute: Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk (corner kick)

YELLOW CARDS

9th minute: Zdzislaw Brzezanczyk
48th minute: Anselmi Voronin
61st minute: Élisabeth Normandin

RED CARDS

None

World Cup 86

Terre Septentrionale is now officially qualified for the World Cup 86 held in Drawkland and Newmanistan. The draw will be held tomorrow evening. 18 group winners, 6 second placed teams, 6 playoffs winners (also 2nd placed teams) and 2 hosts are participating in this 86th World Cup.

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski,
Senior writer,
La tribune Septentrionale

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 8:33 am

Dear Chromatika,

Congratulations on your advancement to the finals of World Cup 86! We certainly played up to your level during the final game, but your talents on the field were just too much for us to handle - as it should be.

For TJUN-ia, it may come as a disappointment to come as close as you can get to the promised land only to fall at the final hurdle but, in many people honest eyes, they wouldn't have expected us in that position in the first place. After 6th in our debut WC and the disaster of WC85, no one knew what TJUN-ia was going to turn up here - and what we would do.

But we believe we have proven a point across these 20 games: that the Jaguars of TJUN-ia aren't just "another team in WCQ". We played some of our best football during this process and played some epic matches too - including our final 3 games against you and Tikariot. In TJUN-ian terms, this tournament was a great success and one to build on in the years to come.

So we shall leave Chomia as the same team who arrived here: a nation from The North Pacific looking to take its place among the elite of this sport. If we ever play again in the future, mark our words: The era of the Jaguar has only just begun.

Hope you cheer for us from afar in the upcoming Cup of Harmony! Go Jags!

Thanks,

David Seems
Li Xiu Ying
And the players from TJUN-ia

p.s. the URL links to a song from U1, sung by the Representative to Tajikistan in U2. It's TJUN in a nutshell.

PLAYOFF - vs Chromatika (36)
1st Leg (National Stadium, TJUN-ia City): L 1-2
2nd Leg (Capitalizt Dome, Chromia): L 3-4 (Chromatika advance 6-4 on aggregate)

by **Kelssek** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 3:38 pm

THE FOOTBALL ZINE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING
AGREED PERSONAL TERMS SINCE 162 F.E.

Kelssek’s World Cup prospects: [internal screaming]

There’s never really such a thing as an easy draw at the World Cup, but Kelssek’s task will be an especially tough one as they’ll have to find a way past Farfadillis and Eura in the group stage to stand a chance at being mercilessly crushed in the second round. Also in the mix is a team of “independent athletes” from The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, who are not sanctioned as a national team by that country’s sporting authorities despite no other team existing, or consist of the remnants of some mass doping scheme, or something like that. Obligatory anti-imperialist slur here, royalist pig-dogs.

And there’s the dilemma for a third seed: you’re also done for if you don’t take the three points against the ostensibly weaker team – knowing that the putative top two won’t let up either. Taeshan and Equestria found that out last World Cup when Kelssek was the fourth-seed banana skin which also ended up slipping through.

The current generation have never won against any of these three teams, whether their athletes were independent or not. That’s to say, the only country Kelssek has a history against is Farfadillis, who beat us twice in the World Cup 81 qualifiers. Many of the team know Eura pretty well, however; Ruslan Demetriev, Damien Halliger, Cory Greenwood, Matts Bogdanor, and Loïc Maçon-Petrault are all playing for Euran clubs.

With that said, what kind of squad selections should Andrea Crowe make? Should picking players who can do a job against the teams you know you’ll be playing be a factor? We look at some of those fringe players and the case for and against putting them on the plane.

Phillip Lozic
Debuting for the national team this cycle, the Burnaby SC central defender is probably a lock for the squad given Kelssek’s lack of depth in this position. He showed he can cope against top teams when given 60 minutes in the recent friendly against Siovanija and Teusland. Picked up 9 caps during the qualifiers and did fairly well against Siovanija and Teusland.

James McDonald
The Rolalas FC player is certainly world-class but he plays in the two positions Kelssek has no shortage of talent in – centre and left midfield. As proven as he is in top-ten league, it’s hard to see a case for picking him over Colm Ó Tuathail, Patrice Champetier, Rémy Dionne, and Gabriel Lapierre, who all occupy a similar place on the pitch and/or bring similar skill sets to the table.

Loïc Maçon-Petrault
More likely to make the team than not, the question isn't really about whether he's good enough in terms of skill but whether he can deliver in the high-pressure moments. The youngster is showing some flashes of brilliance and could well earn a few minutes depending on the situation. But whether or not he does, this clearly isn’t going to be his last World Cup. A year ago he was a raw talent who really needed to get some seasoning at a high level, having spent some time in the Euraleague, he's at least on the way there.

Andrey Yusupov
The Strathcona winger’s emergence couldn’t have come at a better time for a national team that has not had a proper right-sided attacker since Blake McDonagh decided to retire from international football last cycle. While Patrice Champetier, Ashley Douglass, and Shaheen Taleb have all taken shifts in the position and are probably better all-round players, Yusupov’s advantage is that getting forward swinging in crosses on the run is his bread and butter.

Cale Shaughlin
CS Saint-Rémy’s number one is not the only possible third goalkeeper, but he’s the candidate who played the most in the qualifying campaign, so he’s probably in. May even get a chance if things go badly wrong since Cathal Gallagher hasn’t been impressive this year, and the way things have gone at Kirkenes FC, Kai Poirier may need to adapt to having a slightly less calamity-prone defence in front of him.

Nacuémiró Buené
The 19-year old Farfadillis-born Burnaby SC left-back played for Kelssek in the Olympics. He earned his first senior cap in the Siovanija and Teusland friendly match after breaking onto the scene during the league season. But this would be a really long shot, and we’ll have to say he won’t be in the squad, despite the fun narratives it would create for us journalists.

SIOVANIJA AND TEUSLAND 3 – Ribbeck (20’, 49’), Bahr (83’)
Heuser, Steimle, Jager, Niedermayer, Vesele (Lotbiniere 45’); Kramer (Bahr 45’), Mihailov, Bliznakov (V. Dimitrov 64’), Kogler (Kokalj 69’), Tauscher, Ribbeck (Ilev 64’)
KELSSEK 3 – Maçon-Petrault (17’), Custworth (26’), Dionne (60’)
Gallagher, Liadon (Bowler 45’), Curtin, Lozic, Douglass, Greenwood (Bogdanor 69’), Blueman (Lapierre 45’), Dionne, Yusupov, Custworth (Buené 45’), Macon-Petrault (Taleb 64’)
Venue: Natinonalstadion, Stelburg (attendance 61,573)

Match report: A warm-up match for both sides, giving several players a chance to show what they’ve got with national team managers due to decide their final squads for the World Cup. Phillip Lozic and Loïc Maçon-Petrault probably passed their respective auditions, and Nacuémiró Buené didn’t stand out in his 45-minute international debut but that’s probably a good sign all things considered. Defence needs work, but we already knew that, and the home side were noticeably better in the latter 20 minutes of the match.

KELSSEK 3 – Taleb (pen. 29’), Bowler (62’), Ó Tuathail (66’)
Poirier, Bowler, Halliger, Lozic, Liadon, Demetriev, Lapierre (Dionne 70’), Ó Tuathail, Yusupov, Custworth, Taleb (Lister 84’)
KOHNHEAD 1 – Henderson (77’)

by **Mriin** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:21 pm

And now for the latest installment of Defecating Daffodil's series (youtube link) The Idiot Minute! The video you see here is merely a loose recreation of the actual video for perusers of the RL States platform; ICly Daffodil has much greater video editing skills than the author of this roleplay.

by **Trolleborg** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:19 am

Greetings, compatriots! It’s TTV from the Trolleborg International Airport. We will update your information with the latest news regarding our national team.

As you know, our team is one of the weakest in the tournament in terms of rating. She got a place in the fourth pot, and according to the results of draw receive assignment to Group G, the company got extremely difficult - Nephara (2nd place in KPB tables), Cassadaigua (13th), Siovania and Teusland (20th), and this, of course, clearly the death group – for us. We will play, by order of, with Cassadaigua, Nephara, Siovania and Teusland, and it will be in Drawkland, but it is not yet known exactly where. Of all three, we only dealt with S&T, and each time awry, be it the level of national teams or youth ones.
As our national leader put it, "under such conditions, any result other than three defeats will be considered a huge team success."

Our footballers left for the tournament yesterday. Despite the dubious prospects, the fans saw off their idols as if they had returned with a victory. First, the players of the national team, accompanied by the leaders of the country, meet with the people near the walls of the citadel in Trolleborg City

then they went to the airport through the crowds who had come to wish the team good luck, a huge crowd of fans of all ages was waiting for them on the spot,

so we had to postpone the flight for an impromptu autograph session that started right in the parking lot.

Then our team proceeded to the aircraft and went to their destination on a charter flight of “Trolleborg Wings”. A huge crowd of fans lined up near the airport with plastic sheets of different colors so that one from taking off plane could see the huge waving state flag, complemented by the inscription "We are proud!"

In the next day or two, a lot of fans who decided to support our guys in their difficult test, will leave by the same route. All in all, from 7 to 10 thousand people are expected at each match of our team.

Official information from the FA regarding the squad:

TROLLEBORG NATIONAL TEAM

Nickname: Trolls
Total official games balance: +56=19–24 221 goals for and 158 against.
In the World Cup Qualifications: +34=15–13 144 goals for and 101 against.

NATIONAL TEAM

Team has three kits, usually using green one

COACH

The team is still coached by Morten TROGHIL – triumphator of the BoF.
In this tournament, however, he will have to completely change the tactics of the team, since the attacking fast game we are used to is most likely not suitable for the circumstances of our debut in the World Cup. At one time recently, the coach experimented with defensive line-up options, but not very effectively. It will be interesting to see how well everything comes out this time.

Goalkeepers
1. Tomas Kot Kotsson (28). Flexible and agile, quick-thinking, he, alas, don’t make miracles in the international games, but no one in our league look much better between the posts. And as a main goalkeeper in the BoF, three qualifying campaigns including successful one, two IAC, Melayu and South Pacific Championships, he amassed precious experience that no one else can count on.
12. Klemens Gould (26). Second-choice goalkeeper, with some up and downs on his road.
22. Marten Windass (35). Experienced goalkeeper with a lot of talent. In the time, he was like a Kot Kotsson, and albeit now he wasn’t so fresh and fast as in his heyday, but he knows many secrets of goalkeeper trade. Probably, this is his last major tournament, and it’s already known that he will have a farewell minutes on the field somewhere at the tournament.

Defenders
2. Nikolaas Laste (29). He was reliable left back, who has a tendency going forward, but in the recent years prefer to concentrate on his defensive duties, with a great success in the WCQ.
3. Kasper Wolters (26). One of the team brightest stars, he is right back by default, but he is very strong, very fast, have a very good shot and even better crossing skill.
4. Torgeir Dushegub (29). Known as a Column, this tall and strong player usually dominates a box both in the air and at the grass. Being always calm and confidence, he projected aura of such qualities around.
5. Aien Troger (26). He is fast, strongly build and extremely good in tackling. It’s very challenging to move into the box past him.
13. Torben Bagger (26). He was distinguished by composure and the right choice of position in the games of domestic championship, and he was called up to the national team due to the breakdown of the two key defence players, proved to be solid choice, and recently he managed shouldered some established players out of lineup.
14, Heiko Aldekamp (26). Useful addition to the team, can play both right and left defender, preferably first one, moving fast and tackling hard. Probably he will have much more time than usual on the tournament due to the less-than-brilliant conditions of Nikolaas Laste.
15. Morten Levenkrans (31). Full left back in the beginning of his career, he than move to the center, having considered almost impassable in both positions. Albeit right now not the fastest man on the field, he is very good man-marker, having excellent header and can be very useful when attacks began. He make six goal assistances in the WC85 campaign, receive good press after CoH, one of the few players of the team to have one, and was one of the better players of the whole squad in the WCQ86.
21. Joran Du Riis(24). Recent addition to the squad, fits perfectly into it, showing himself as a cold-blooded fighter, although some lack of experience in international games visibly hinders him.

Midfielders
7. Rolf Valgren (29). Quick-thinking, with a perfect understanding of game, seeing everyone and everything in the field, and with brilliant passing skills, this man can bring ball everywhere he wants. It is very possible, that he will be one of the greatest midfielders in the history of Trolleborg, have he not lacking some technique and speed. He definitely add something from international experience, but it will be seen, how much.
6. Hendrick Groningen (28). The defensive midfielder, probably the best in his generation, he was not selected to play in BoF and joined team by way, proved himself worthy of a place in the team, caused a lot of problems to the attacking players of the opposing teams. His talent of intercepting ball in the middle and using every possibility to begin attacks was fully appreciated by everyone – apart, probably, of his opponents.
8. Finn Finnsnes (29). Beginning his career as a right midfield\right winger, now he play more like attacking midfielder, moving by the whole width of the field. He was one of the creators of the victory in the BoF and success of WCQ-86. Despite age, he is fast, swift, smart, good dribbler and excelled in set-pieces.
9. Morten Troll (25). He is a brightest star amongst midfielders in the whole country. Genius of game, with a wonderful dribbling, beautiful technique, excellent pass and extremely good shot, he won many games for his local team single-handedly, but also a great team player. Highly probably, he will be a player of generation, and very probably, best player Trolleborg ever had. He brilliantly justified all the positive reviews of his game on the BoF, helping a team many times in difficult situations with its smart actions, and continue to do so in WCQ84-86, with many решающие голы забив сам.
17. Ruud Kolding (28). Left midfielder, covering lot of ground with his unbeliveable stamina, can press forwards or go back as team need. Albeit seen as a substitute, he won the hearts of fans and a strong place in the first team with his perfect game in the BoF matches, never giving fans a reason to be upset by the quality of his game.
16. Brutil Mogrin (28). Can play either in the center or as a right midfielder, with a nerves of steel and cold mind he will continue be a useful backup for any of the midfielders if need arise. Usually he was used as a sub for Groningen.
20. Mortimer Torquelston (25). Another man who managed to get into the team, although experts had questions about his game in friendly matches. Skillful winger, who can play at either right or left flank, very mobile and prove himself as a master in change direction of attacks. But he probably will mostly sit at the bank at the WCQ.
23. Alexander Bornitse Zach “Zhita” (27). Originated from the far-flung north part of the country, not well-known for a excellent players, he was an idol for his compatriots and find a place in the hearts of other fans. Almost devoid of what was known as classical football tecnique, have rather unusual style of play and often creates goal opportunities from nowhere. One example was BoF, when his visibly insane pass decided the outcome of the game in the quarterfinal. But he played quite pale in the WCQ and was dropped from the squad thereafter, but his workrate in the last two local championships give him a chance to return. Until the last day it was not known if coach take him into the Drawkland, with some pundits pointed onto the slightly younger Kenneth Pathmoor, who put decent performance in the last WCQ games as a better alternative.

Forwards
10. Stuart Kerr (29). Quick, brave, skillful, and having ability shot from everywhere in the box right despite defenders best efforts. Brilliantly confirmed his reputation as a prolific scorer, winning a prize for the topgoalscorer of BoF and add to his tally not a few goals in the other tournaments. After injury year ago he looked like fully regain his position and reputation, altought everything in the international football is fluid and unsecure.
11. Torfinn Skaloed (27). Intelligent forward as it was, he can move very quickly, constantly ahead of the defenders, successfully escapes from markers, and in case of need he often going back and successfully acquire ball here to begin attacks. But in the international game his performance is not very consistent.
18. Tom Gulbranden (28). Build like a very tall stone wall, he easily can tramp defenders if he wish to do so, but his strong leg shot, without any preparation at all, give him other opportunity to have a points of popularity with fans. It is looked impossible, that a man of such a stature can bring himself in the air at all, but nevertheless he is – strongly jumping and struck the ball by the head with deadly precision. This is what he prove in the BoF games four time in nine games, but WCQ85 campaign was much less successfull for him, IAC games give us even less joy seeing at his actions, and only at Pan-Pacific Cup did he regularly featured in team squad and find a net often. WCQ85 and WCQ86 seen him recovered from misfortunes and his goals is speaking by themselves.
19. Karsten Severin (24). This fast forward, who can conjured goal from nothing, are quite impressive in the last four seasons, and he has not scored less than 12 goals in any of them, but it is not yet clear how successfully he will compete with already proven players.

Team in the brand new red uniform

TEAM GAME

Altought fast and spectacular attacking play is what team accustomed for, but situation here is very different. Having three much-more-experienced and heavyweight sides against it, Trolleborg team, obviously, will concentrate on the defence.

Style –5.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but I estimate injury severeness
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes only for a last ditch fouls or two yellows, any other variants must be discussed with me
Godmod other events: No, but if you have something interesting in mind, let me know and we try to find a middle ground.

National psyche tell players to put everything even if odds are heavily against, so almost every match in the league played with high determination, and national team shirt obliged for even more. Unsportsmanlike behavior is highly discouraged even if in the interests of the cause, and national team players are required to meet the highest standards possible, so it is completely impossible to imagine a player of the Trolleborg national team faking injury or begging for a penalty. But players are not easily bullied, though, and more than able to stand up for themselves both as individuals and as a team, and have a strong inclination to go tit-for-tat in case of excessive brutality on the opponent’s part.

OUR FANS

Fans is a pride of Trolleborg and almost part of the team. Having already earning themselves a name and a good reputation at every place where national team playing last year be it basketball, hockey, rugby or football, they surely will make their presence seen and felt everywhere games will be held, with their usual pastimes like marching with songs, waving flags, try local cuisines, putting cultural performances and trying involve everyone around in all of this. They will give out some Trolleborg memorabilia like a ribbons, buttons, scarves and so on. As already become tradition, we ask host countries to allow a parade of fans with a live music before each game and a places for series of exhibitions devoted to gastronomy, culture and national traditions of our country. Also we ask allocate us some space in the hosting cities to make an exhibition of our cultural heritage and traditions with some traditional sport contests for a local citizens.

BROADCASTING

Trolleborg TV try to do it best to provide everyone with a 3D broadcasting of every game, altought you must understood limitations of technology, which was in their first steps. Problems with color shades, difficulties with communication channels and so on are rather often happens.

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 1:04 pm

The time is now,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Here we are, on the cusp of the greatest sporting tournament in the multiverse. World Cup 86 is about to begin, with the field of 182 ambitious nations being sliced down to the field of 32. There were many stories along the way, which have been told by beat writers from all over the World. A few nations that we are used to seeing in the World Cup will not be here. Others, who have been climbing up the charts, have made it here and are excited to make an impression. One good example of that is Cassadaigua’s first opponent once things get underway, as we meet Trolleborg. The competition is being hosted by Newmanistan and Drawkland, two nations that carry important symbolism in Cassadaigua’s soccer history. We know those two from different sports as well, but soccer is meaningful.

For Cassadaigua, the quarterfinal run in World Cup 49, co-hosted by Newmanistan, was big for our ranking boost, taking us from a nation that debuted in World Cup 43, and propelling us to not only being a nation that could qualify (which we did for the first time in World Cup 45), but could also have a shot at winning the whole thing. Little did we or the world know then, that we would end up winning the very next two World Cups, 50 & 51. Many of the faces on the World Cup 49 team did end up playing on the title runs, so the experience that they gained definitely helped out. Fast forward a bit, since Cassadaigua eventually took a long hiatus from international sports. When we returned, it was World Cup 78, and that was your typical unranked campaign, but in World Cup 79, as a pot six team, Cassadaigua quickly rose to the forefront and qualified for that World Cup, which was co-hosted by Drawkland. The two nations hosting the World Cup 86, as you can see, have played an important role for us, both in our earlier run and now in the run that we are hoping to make.

World Cup 86 qualifying went well, but so did qualifying in World Cup 85. In fact, since we made the semifinals in World Cup 83, we have been on a decline, dropping to the #13 ranked nation in the World. It’s a fair spot for us to be listed at, considering that on home turf we lost in the Round of 16 for World Cup 84 before the debacle in World Cup 85 and not making it out of the group stage. That was hard to swallow, especially for a team that scored 102 goals during qualifying and simply seemed to be on a high note. The team came crashing down to reality in the opening game of World Cup 85, thrashed 4-1 by the hosts, Mriin. Now, it’s World Cup 86, and this team that won their final thirteen games of qualifying is riding high. As Banija and Nephara have a bigger point total, that is a line to think about 13-0-0 to close out qualifying, with 50 goals scored and 19 conceded over that time. We could almost say that we called it at the Concord Heights Times, saying that a couple of the changes to the roster could mean the team doesn’t play to their full potential right out of the starting gate, but even we did not predict all that.

Personally, I try not to be opinionated too much here, and especially not in a competition like this, so I will defer to the comment of former superstar forward Hannah Ranucci, #33, who retired after World Cup 84. “I feel sorry for Trolleborg,” Ranucci began, “I love their fans and the amount of passion that they have for their team, but don’t think for a second that the team will not be shown videos and tapes of the 4-1 drubbing that Mriin gave our Fillies on matchday one of the World Cup proper last time. That feeling sucked out the life of this team, and is something that they have been thinking about every day since they left Mriin, eliminated in the group stage. The pain. The agony of that. Just eating at you, over and over again. Things seemed so promising, and they were ripped away from us in a heartbeat by Mriin. Now, the time has come. The time has come to redeem yourselves. Redemption for you as a player, and for those who were a part of the team then, but aren’t now. I would not want to be on the other side of the field for this game. Whoever that was, was going to deal with a Cassadaigua team that wants redemption greatly. Trolleborg’s number came up first. By that coming up first, as the pot four team, this team further knows that they must get three points. They can’t be in a situation where they must get something against Nephara on matchday three.” Ranucci, the captain of this team for several World Cups, leading up to 84 knows what she is talking about. Furthermore, keep in mind that players who are back now and were also on the 84 and 85 teams are also looking to overcome the disappointment of losing in the round of sixteen at Dagan Airways Stadium to Eura.

Trolleborg, our first opponent, is playing in their first World Cup. I caught a glimpse of a TTV (Trolleborg TV) broadcast, showing all of the people that had lined up to wish their players the best as they would make the long trip out to Drawkland. It is a special moment, as after all, it was just as special when we qualified in World Cup 45, and then again in 79 when we returned from the extended hiatus. We are at the stage now in our progression where qualifying is an expectation, so you are not going to see that amount of fans wishing us well. There will be fans that do so, but they are expecting us to do well, not just wishing it. From there, you can see why the Trolls can savor the moment and make the most of their trip to Sonnel.

Now, let’s talk about Sonnel for a moment. Going to Drawkland is something that we have done many times before. It is not always in soccer, but due to playing in so many different sports, as both nations do, we have a lot of experience in making this interstellar trip. Every nation will have their advisors, doctors or other smart people that will do what they can to assist the team, but nothing beats having people who have done it and can share what they learned. The Fillies have that, as manager Stephanie Sweeney has done it personally while coaching. Once on Sonnel, and in Drawkland, there is nothing intimidating or special about being on another planet, as many of these people have done it before, or closely know those who have. Trolleborg does not have the same experience and cannot fall back on this advice as well as we can. Does this mean anything? We’ll have to wait and see, but you can put it in the “food for thought” section.

After Trolleborg, the Fillies play Siovanija & Teusland, who will be coming off a game against Nephara. We’ll cover that game in detail when it is time to do so, but that is a very pivotal match. Trolleborg, after us, gets to deal with Nephara. Poor Trolleborg. Welcome to the World Cup.

Nephara closes out our schedule in the group stage. The #2 nation in the World used their great run in World Cup 84 to advance from being ranked in the teens to being where they are today. It is in the perfect spot on the schedule for both of our nations, because if we take care of business in our first two matches, then the finale is nothing more than playing for pride. We’ve only played Nephara once in our history in World Cup play, and that was a 3-1 win for the Cormorants. Like we said, take care of business against the first two opponents and we don’t need to worry about picking up a point against Nephara. Of course you want to win the group, but we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.

Taking care of business starts against Trolleborg.

Will they do it?

Mriin 4, Cassadaigua 1.

See above. A lesson was taught last cycle. We'll see soon if they learned anything.

by **Zwangzug** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 3:06 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier

*Rocket Boosters Go For Launch: Newmanistan-Zwangzug would be a big-ticket series in the World Baseball Classic; the Rockets and Zebras have contested three WBC finals as opponents, with Newmanistan leading the "season series" 2-1. Even their group-stage clash in WBC40, with an inexperienced Zebras team facing off against a Rockets side that would take third place overall, was captivating. But in football, it's a different story. Yes, the nations' histories have overlapped--they co-hosted Cup of Harmony 33 that ran in parallel with World Cup 41. But this is the first time they've simulataneously reached the last 32, much less faced each other there. Tim Marley's hustle and endurance are known to 1./ fans who have watched him with Rovers United, but beyond that, it's anybody's guess as to whether the home side will be inspired by the spirits of Tundra Falls or pressured by the expectations of their fans.

Brenecia and The Sarian are the other members of Group A; the latter association may ring a bell not so much for defeating Zwangzug in CoH 60 but rather for the FFI campaigns of CF Bondstad, who lost to Arlington City and Spenson Suburbia in consecutive finals.

*Squad Goals: Brandon Sonnabend has dismissed speculation that he would adopt a more attacking style at the proper as "ridiculous cynicism." "Look, it's nice to score goals," he admitted. "And it's especially nice to score goals on such a large stage, where fans from across the world are watching and maybe even recording your achievements on some kind of wiki thing. But not only would it be foolish to switch our tactics up just for that reason, it would also probably be bad for team cohesion." Sonnabend added that screwing around with a national team's strategy for the purpose of manipulating the "away goals" tiebreaker was "unsavory gamesmanship, but still a more reasonable idea than the former."

Commentators and writers from the notably-unstable region of Farfadillis have spearheaded the charge for more comprehensive encyclopedias, a charge eagerly taken up by the Arlington Collective. "I won't lie, Farfadillis isn't the first place I think of when I think of methodical record-keeping and analysis," admitted Cheryl Woen. "But it could be worse. It could be a lot worse." She shuddered in lieu of elaborating.

Of course, even defensive teams like Zwangzug and/or the Sarian can produce plenty of goals. Zwangzug, in fact, scored two against all-out-defenders Verceola, through Jaclyn Burkhart and Akhil Sibal, but were nevertheless held to a draw thanks to Fisher Ellery and Martin Bartoš' goals.

*Dispirited?: Johan Idmar claims he has "no concerns" about playing in Newmanistan, a nation whose religious tolerance isn't always extended to openly-atheist visitors. "I trust the hosts will do their best to welcome players and fans from across the world, and I'm not here to prosyletize or argue, I'm just trying to play my game. And if the Tundra Falls crowd is vocal, well, fans can be a big part of home-field advantage!" (Presumably in reference to the spirits said to support the home nation at the Proving Grounds.) "Besides, I'm going to be too busy to go on any silly TV shows."

At the allusion to Idmar's appearance on Interreligious Sniping, surprise guest Mikhail Struve insisted on weighing in on Group A. "Brenecia are the team to beat, no doubt," he opined, "Brelk-Xeral Erv's done some great things with the side, and Lauren Cheney is a very deserving Galactico candidate. But I think most people are underrating De Bondsaari. Both their formational flexibility and their stripes are very attractive football, and they should advance along with the Patriots." Struve refused to give further details, but based on what we know of the Divine Host of Archangels' doctrine, this isn't the sect's hottest take.

Akhil Sibal, for his part, looks forward to visiting a country with a different culture. "Yeah, I got a new car when I moved to Chernovets, it was great," he said. "But since there's only a handful of us who know how, I'm guessing I'll have to shuttle half the team around."

*"History Majors Can Go Suck It": It will come as no surprise to many that the 1./ (First Division) has followed its own path to the top eight of the IFCF coefficients. A few foreign fans, however, may be disappointed in that not only is it hard to watch our games overseas, Zwangzugians watching reputable streams of overseas leagues may be just as rare.

The aforementioned encyclopedic efforts not only chronicle the past; they also tabulate which television channels have purchased broadcast rights to future league play. Zwangzug, however, have made no inroads into these deals. "I mean, let's face it, our economy isn't...particularly good," admitted a league official. "Or free, or anything. Sure, we might not be an autarky, but at least in these matters we're being left behind by more prosperous and interconnected associations, and I don't see that changing any time soon."

It was cautiously proposed that a country with a large and sports-interested population like ours could take steps to remedy such problems, but this idea did not go over well. "Who do you think we are, another admirably-developed country?" challenged another administrator. "It says somewhere in the laws of ~realism and ~diversity that one cannot have even a somewhat affluent or fortunate populace without an oppressive backstory involving colonialism, imperialism, and/or all the terrible things that history masochists are into. And frankly, bleep that noise. If having our matches pirated by savvy foreigners and failing to profit at all by it is the price we have to pay for being mentally healthy and able to sleep at night, then we're going to bleeping pay it, and bleep you."

These outbursts are par for the course in the uneven world of Zwangzugian pedagogy. Several members of Parliament, who probably spend too much time on microblogging sites, were recently found to be reblatting messages to the effect of "we need to stop teaching the dangerous myth that zwangzug history began in 1965, or 2007, or 512, or indeed any time at all. history is dumb, let's just learn math."

Correction: this article originally mentioned Mikhail Struve without pointing out that he is pledged unto the Worshipful Cherubim. The Courier doesn't really regret the omission, but my editor told me I had to say something nice.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Can Baker Park win the World Cup?
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail National Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth National Team arrived on Sonnel, reaching their destination in Drawkland at the southeastern city of Shire-Port--one of two hosts in the Ellzidanet region (the other being Elstrund)-- where the NT have chosen to make their camp.

As they were for the qualifying draw, BP were the last nation drawn of the 32 teams, placing them in Group H along with Audioslavia, Kandorith and top seeds Turori; the coincidences of the draw have parallels with the third occasion when the Commonwealth were the final nation drawn at a World Cup, for the group stage of WC 83 in Equestria & Banija.

Of the opponents that will line up against the Black & Gold in Drawkland, only the Bulls have a history with the Bees; their lone matchup was at the Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma in the final Group H contest in that previously mentioned Cup--a 3-0 BP victory that clinched a perfect record and a third successive advancement to the knockout rounds. Now, as then, the sides will meet in the group finale.

On matchday 1, 7th ranked Baker Park will go head to head with the 6th ranked Eels for the first time, and there is a connection to WC 83 that will probably not mean much in the bigger picture.

Turori were the second ranked side in the multiverse, having been the runners-up in World Cup 82, and the Commonwealth opened their fourth WCF against top ranked Vilita--the defending Champions--in Jinja City, at the BCEL Stadium with a shock 1-0 win. The Eels and Mriin were scheduled to play on MD 2 at the BCEL, which pulled the strings together; Turori based Cocoa-bo had entered into a licensing partnership with the Commonwealth's largest beverage producer on the eve of those Finals, which meant that the chocolately delectable was available for sale inside the stadium.
BP had faced off against the combined Vilita & Turori side in AOCAF LVIII in a famous 4-2 victory at Rogers Stadium in Endborough which propelled the hosts to the Semi-Final, so they will be looking to get the hat trick of victories over the Vilitan Cove conurbation.

The other side in Group H, Kandorith, can also be pulled into a tenuous connection to the WC83 storyline; appearing in the Finals after a long absence, The South Pacific nation is currently ranked 36 in the KPB, which is the same ranking that The Maccabees held in Group H when Baker Park faced them on matchday 2 at the Albert III Stadium in Dodoma.
The resulting 2-1 victory was memorable for the outpouring of emotion by the neutrals in the crowd of 48,000 towards the Commonwealth side in the wake of the recent State Visit that Kabaka Mwanga made to Baker Park, plus the fact that the NT kit for that match incorporated the Banijan flag motif on the sleeve trim.

On the topic of what the realistic expectations should be for this seventh straight appearance in the 32 team World Cup Finals, the answer seems to be obvious; having reached the semi-final while facing knockout matches against Starblaydia, Valanora, and eventual runner-up Nephara, then dropping the 3rd Place match to the current top ranked side Banija, there can be no question that this nations' finest group of players to wear the national team jersey should look upon anything short of a repeat appearance in the last 4 as a disappointment.

World Cup 86: Roleplay Thread

Boot It!: Playoff 1st Leg - "Home Struggles Were Expected"

WC86 Post-Qualifying

Cloudy, with a chance of Coup d'Etat

A final win to end a good campgain.

A Message Left In The Capitalizt Dome Changing Rooms

Who is online