Campionato Esportiva 29 [rosters/RPs/results]

[Sylestone]

Group Overview:
Sylestone have been placed into Group D, where they will play all of their group stage games in the Hannasean city of New Ploppers. Mmm, shit. I’m liking this already. Here’s who the Sentients will be facing.

The Cars - Racing (11)
Sylestone’s first match is against Racing, a side made up entirely of cars. Easy. It’s not WGPC, people. Or cars, I mean. Yeah, anyway, we’ve got a pretty easy win here. Onto the next match, please. (Silently ignores the fact that we lost to them last Campianato.

Prediction: 6-0 win

The Newbies - Sahuarita (UR)
Well, we’ll give them a chance. They are only newbies after all. They might even grab a point against us. But probably not, unfortunately for them. They’ll definitely put up a good fight though, so you never know.

Prediction: 2-1 win

The Easybeats - Brenecia (1)
Finishing off the group stage is an easy three points against the excuse for a Pot 1 side Brenecia. They're so lame that they are even ranked first! Ha! Yeah, so anyway it's an extremely easy win, and another win should basically all but assure us a spot in the semifinals.

Prediction: 100-0 win

The first match is on tonight, see you then, suckers!

[Hallikshire]

Hallikshire's 23-player squad for CE XXIX

#1 - Celsus Becket, 27 (M) - GK - Hangshire FC
#12 - Alèxia Mahoney, 36 (M) - GK - Manclester City
#23 - Peadar Reinders, 30 (M) - GK - Holy Kangarsta FF
#3 - Ayokunle Christian, 35 (M) - LB - Holy Kangarsta FF
#4 - Den Benjaminson, 31 (M) - CB - Manclester United
#5 - Adolf Stenger, 33 (M) - CB - Manclester City
#2 - Lenz Kowalczyk, 30 (M) - RB - Hangshire FC
#14 - Ayokunle Christian, 35 (M) - LB - Holy Kangarsta FF
#15 - Campbell Belo, 27 (M) - CB - Manclester United
#16 - Hartmut Garnet, 34 (M) - CB - Hangshire FC
#13 - Jokovor Quick, 33 (M) - RB - Manclester City
#6 - Christianne Årud, 36 (F) - DCM/CB - Hangshire FC
#8 - Carley Van Bokhoven, 29 (F) - CM/DM - Manclester United
#17 - Leontiy Caulfield, 26 (M) - DCM/CM - Holy Kangarsta FF
#19 - Tarmo Hoefler, 30 (M) - DCM/CB - FC Tyrani
#11 - Marino Barros, 32 (M) - CF/LW - Holy Kangarsta FF
#10 - Tilisia MacLean, 32 (M) - ACM/CM - Manclester City
#7 - Cyneburga London, 36 (M) - RM/RW - Manclester City
#22 - Teodor Quick, 35 (M) - CF/LW - Manclester City
#21 - Love Vestri, 31 (F) - ACM/RM - Holy Kangarsta FF
#18 - Kazimierz Beckett, 31 (M) - CF/RW - Manclester City
#9 - Györgyi Lomidze, 30 (M) - CF - Hangshire FC
#20 - Dragoș Lindsay, 30 (M) - CF - Daris Si Solam

(#1 - #11 are starters, remaining are substitutes)

Manager: Silas Unterbrink, 47
The manager was appointed as manager following the formation of the Hallikshire football team about 4 years back, and will continue to take this team into the CE. Previously, he served as team manager of Daris Si Solam, leading them to a strong performance over his 8-year tenure, before he left to become the first manager of the Hallikshire football team. His playing style is rather flexible, being relatively balanced, but bringing forth a bit of attacking or defending flavour depending on the players. He builds his strategies around the players, and has chosen to go all-out defensive for this time, considering that the players prefer more defensive and ball-hogging strategies.

Demonym: Gothanitan (Referring to people of the Gothanita Isles in general); Hallikshireans (Refering to people of Hallikshire)
Style Mod: -4.8
Formations: 4-2-3-1 (Standard), 4-1-2-1-2 (Alternate)

I give permission for opponents to:
- Pick my players and substitutes, with preference to the starters in bold.
- Pick my goalscorers, RP and godmod my goals, subject to realism.
- Hand Yellow Cards to my players
- Hand Red Cards to my players, subjected to a maximum of (1 + how many red cards your players get) per game.
- RP/Godmod Injuries to my players, subject to realism. You describe the extent of injury, I determine the severity.
- RP/Godmod any other events, excluding any pandemic-related RPs.

[The Licentian Isles]

150 years ago in the Licentian Isles

The day had started like any other day did for me. I woke up in my flat in Glenmount, brushed my teeth, made myself a cup of coffee, and turned on LBC to get a look at the news before I made my way into the office. A variety of headlines made their way across my screen, I only picked up a few.

Abingdon Parish councillor jailed for fraud

Allen’s floated on stock markets for the first time

St Marnock’s farmer breaks national shearing record

Bloody hell, if that’s making it onto LBC’s national bulletin then it must be a slow news day.

As I pulled on my jacket and picked up my car keys, the sports report came on; the big story was Glenmount playing Abingdon Celtic this weekend. I muttered, “come on Town”, instinctively under my breath as I turned off the television and left my front door.

It was a normal day as I drove to the office as well. It was a relatively quiet time of year for our accountancy firm. I had a meeting in the morning with one client who was sure to bore the living shite out of me with her talk about her new investment in Allen’s, but other than that, nothing much to think about as I made my way out to the bland concrete industrial estate on the outskirts of town that housed our offices.

As I arrived, I quickly tapped out a message to my sister, Mhairi, who I was meant to be catching up with that evening.

Hey Mhairi, hope all is going well across the water. Still on for tonight? Love, Ally

I pressed send. My twin sister had moved not all that long ago to Dwile, the capital of Apox, our neighbours across the Licentian channel. Even if it was only a short flight from Abingdon, twenty minutes away from my home, to the Apoxian capital, it was the furthest we had ever been from each other in our 23 years of life, and I think we’d both taken a while to adjust over the past couple of months. We messaged regularly, whenever our schedules allowed, and had regular video calls to see each other as face to face as we could.

I put my phone away and walked up into the office. My boss was always strict about doing personal things on company time, and I didn’t fancy getting written up, so I kept my phone on silent in my pocket until my lunch break, when I walked into the courtyard with my sandwich, lit a cigarette, and went to check the latest news, and whether my sister had written back.

There was a brief update on the politician who been sent down for defrauding a constituent; the usual rubbish about fighting the conviction, the system is rigged, “I’m an innocent man”. Bullshit. I skipped the update on how Allen’s was doing, as I had been kept more than up to date by the client, who still appeared to be texting me now for some bloody reason.

It was the fact that the client was texting me that made me notice the lack of reply from my sister. This in itself wasn’t unusual. From everything she told me, she had the busy life of a woman trying to make her life in a foreign country (though I had my suspicions that sometimes she just couldn’t be arsed). That was fine though, it just meant I had something to give her a wee bit of stick for that evening on the call.

The afternoon passed as usual: boring calls, too many emails, and a copious amount of coffee to keep me from falling asleep at my desk. I was constantly debating if this was what I wanted to do with my life, but at the minute it paid the bills and meant I didn’t have to move back in with my mother, so I couldn’t complain too much. On my way home, I listened to the latest album from the Flight, headbanging a little as I sat in traffic.

I threw my phone and keys onto the sofa as I walked through the door. I checked the fridge, pondering over what to make for my dinner. I had enough decent veggies in to make a half-decent curry; the question was whether or not I could be bothered. I grabbed a can of cider from the fridge and dropped down onto the sofa, turning on the TV to LBC, where I’d left it tuned to that morning. I didn’t immediately realise it, but the anchor was currently reading off the story that would change the life of everyone in the Isles forever.

“Licentians have woken up this morning to find that the Isles currently has no working communications with the outside world. There is no immediate explanation for this disruption in service; a spokesman from BarTel stated that they were currently examining all of their systems from their hub in Colesham, but could not currently report a failure that would explain this situation. We’ll bring you more on this breaking news story as we get it, but for now let’s go back to our top story, the sentencing of Abingdon Parish Councillor Duncan Frasier to ten years in a federal prison for defrauding an elderly constituent…”

[Hannasea]

MD1 cutoff.

News

• Copper Ministry holds the line on bananas in Tactical Fruit Basket limitation talks: "We can rid the world of this evil menace"
• Crowds exceed expectations as almost seven Hannaseans attend national hateball team's first home game in three years
• Leading movies at the Hannasean box office: A Room With a View to a Kill, The Longest Journey to the Centre of the Earth, A Passage to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Weather: Warm, windy, light intermittent rain

---

Mercers Group
Ethane 2–0 The Hannasean Federation
The Grearish Union 1–2 Fhulghamous Peninsula

  Mercers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ethane                        1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Fhulghamous Peninsula         1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 The Grearish Union            1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 The Hannasean Federation      1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Pepperers Group
South Newlandia 1–0 Hallikshire
Gergary 3–1 Starcom Racing

  Pepperers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gergary                       1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 South Newlandia               1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Hallikshire                   1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Starcom Racing                1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Glaziers Group
Newmanistan 2–1 Nova Anglicana
Ancherion 2–3 Natanians and Nosts

  Glaziers Group              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Natanians and Nosts           1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
  Newmanistan                   1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Ancherion                     1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
  Nova Anglicana                1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Mongers Group
Brenecia 7–5 Sahuarita
Racing 1–0 Sylestone

  Mongers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      1   1  0  0    7   5  +2    3
2 Racing                        1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Sylestone                     1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Sahuarita                     1   0  0  1    5   7  −2    0

Management Consultants Group
Vdara 2–3 The Licentian Isles
Esportivan Darmen 3–1 Gouvanarch

  Management Consultants Group Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Esportivan Darmen              1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 The Licentian Isles            1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 Vdara                          1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 Gouvanarch                     1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Skinners and Tailors Group
Xanneria 4–1 Panarialion
Burgburgh 4–2 Vangaziland

  Skinners and Tailors Group  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Xanneria                      1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Burgburgh                     1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
3 Vangaziland                   1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
4 Panarialion                   1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Musicians Group
Hampton Island 3–0 A random Place
Damukuni 2–4 Tumbra

  Musicians Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Hampton Island                1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2 Tumbra                        1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
3 Damukuni                      1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
4 A random Place                1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Solderers Group
Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom 1–0 Nuovo Juvencus
The Golden Lotus 1–0 Ceyne Isles

  Solderers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Golden Lotus              1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom       1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Ceyne Isles                   1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Nuovo Juvencus                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Reminder that from MD2 on, scorination cutoff returns to 0900 UTC.

[Tumbra]

Damukuni 2-4 Tumbra
(4-3-3): 1 - Louis Addison; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Harry Henderson (23 - Louis Paterson - 83'), 5 - Johnny Brown, 3 - Russell White; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 8 - Craig McGrath, 10 - Adam Herlinger (16 - Phil Cole - 67'); 7 - Robin Vaughn (17 - Dean Cresswood - 82'), 9 - Neil Fraser; 22 - Marcus Sheldon

Scorers: Sheldon (19'), Sheldon (24'), Hughes (59'), Hicks (78')

ELECTION 2021
The Tragedy of the Liberal Party

With fifteen days to the election, the general mood in the Liberal camp is pessimistic. What exactly has gone wrong?


Liberal leader Anne Monteiro in Westmond. Labour are projected to win 45% of the first preference votes, with the Liberals on just 32% in the northern state, highlighting the job she has to do in these last two weeks of the campaign.

RIDGEWELL - "This election outcome is not pre-ordained," says the Liberal leader, Anne Monteiro at a rally. "With your help, we can bring the Liberals back to government, and right the course that Labour have set this country on in the past four years." Applause follows. A triumphant smile, as shutters go off. On the surface, an image of collected confidence. But the words "pre-ordained" give a glimpse of what the Liberals' view of the election is. They are losing, and losing badly. On current numbers, the Liberals would be reduced to just over 200 seats - their worst result since 1969, when Timothy Preston led a disunited coalition to just 214 seats after a blistering, bad-tempered campaign against the great campaigner, Malcolm Haywood, in his prime. A crisis of leadership has enveloped the party since Darren Hayes left the leadership of the party in 2017 - and he has flatly refused any effort to draft him again.

The leadership, then, first passed to Geoffrey Osbourne - a two-term MP who had mostly been on the fringes of the party since his election, and by the end had made it up to a Minister of State. Promising a bold, new vision for the future for the Liberals, promising to govern more in tune with the backbenches - which had largely been ignored under Hayes' leadership, and nearly led to a backbench revolt over several environmental measures - and introduced a hint of populism to the party platform. Swept into office after beating Bernard Molloy - the former Minister for Defence, a man of the establishment but a relative light-weight - his yearlong tenure at the dispatch box opposite the Prime Minister ended in ignominy, in the midst of sinking poll numbers, a rudderless Shadow Cabinet and the furthest reaches of the right rapidly deserting the party for a revitalised Conservative Party.

A "cabal" - as Osbourne would later describe the group - of former ministers from the Hayes administration would later band together and move a spill motion against Osbourne's erratic leadership, citing dismal poll numbers (at their nadir, just 13% of voters preferred him to the Prime Minister) and a series of controversial statements regarding Mytanar and Xinhuanese immigrants. The notable members of this group included former Finance Minister Edward Merryweather, former Transport Minister Lawrence Carlyle, and of course, former Education Minister Anne Monteiro. The spill motion was carried, but only just - of the 216 Liberal MPs, just 112 voted to declare the leadership of the party vacant. The National Party members, of course, did not get a vote.

Mild-mannered, mostly moderate and seen as the middle-of-the-road candidate after "red Liberal" Stephen Johnson announced his opposition to Osbourne's leadership as well, Monteiro was pushed to nominate herself despite her initial reservations on taking on the role. The other two candidates, as were revealed in internal party leaks, thought they had "too much baggage" to effectively overcome the factionalism that had been slowly enveloping the centre-right. They were proved right - Monteiro gained 99 votes on the first ballot, as compared to Osbourne's 93 and Johnson's 24. On the second round, Monteiro gained all of Johnson's voters, propelling her to the leadership.

In a sign of reconciliation, Monteiro offered Osbourne the position of Shadow Leader of the House, which he accepted. With him out of the way, Monteiro began assembling a Shadow Cabinet that looked remarkably moderate. Merryweather declined to serve, citing his age; Carlyle was given the shadow Labour portfolio, and the rest were doled out in such a way to placate all wings of the party, but almost inevitably would lead to conflict later down the line.

Two years on, Monteiro has struggled to make an impact. While her moderate credentials enabled her to stand out against Osbourne and Monteiro, they counted against her in the public sphere. With less-than-stellar Prime Minister's Questions performances and in general, the right wing of the Liberal party openly began criticising Monteiro, until she declared a spill motion in April 2020 that saw over two-thirds of the party vote her back in - something which shut them up, if only temporarily. A resurgent Monteiro went on the offensive, but the small poll bump following her show of strength soon died off, and the Liberals soon found themselves back where they started.

This problem has largely stayed throughout the election campaign. Criticised for a manifesto light on policy, for going too aggressively against the Prime Minister during the first debates (perhaps a symptom of institutional misogyny, however, rather than of her performance during the debate itself), and criticised for a lackluster campaign that really has not shown why the Liberal Party deserves to return to government, the Liberal Party now finds itself disunited and in place for a distant second finish on April 9.

With growing rumours that the National Party wishes to extricate itself from its current coalition agreement, negotiated in 2009 - which saw the National Party branding disappear on the federal level, candidates adopt the Liberal Party banner but yet, as shown above, not allowed to vote for the Liberal Party leadership; all in return for the Deputy Prime Minister post when they were in government, a certain number of cabinet posts, and certain policy planks being co-opted into the Liberal party policy. But yet, this policy, to the Nationals, has returned increasingly dismal results - where they used to run over 130 candidates, some even against Liberal candidates - they have been reduced to just 85 at this election. National Party leader Richard Hinchcliffe, a scion of the Hinchcliffe family that has long dominated the National Party alongside the Beaumont family, has openly expressed his dissatisfaction at the agreement, but has not indicated whether the Nationals will seek to leave the coalition, which has existed in some form since 1935.

With a disunited caucus, a squeeze on the right by the Conservative Party and dismal poll numbers, there have been rumours that even if Monteiro manages to keep the Liberal Party's numbers above 230, she will be gently asked to go. Possible successors include the Shadow Transport Minister, Henry Pandon, the former Senate Opposition leader, Peter Lindner (who is running for office in his home state of Iswilyn, in the safe seat of Gepine) and Shadow Housing Minister, John Murray. Murray, however, with a margin of just 0.8% in his marginal seat of Guillemard North, first has to face off the challenge of not being enveloped by what looks like a Labour landslide before casting any ambitions on the leadership.

Three candidates who have been mentioned as possible future Liberal leaders; Pandon, Lindner and Murray.

But whomever takes on the poisoned chalice of the Liberal leadership has to deal with the increasingly rebellious National Party, a fractured caucus and a challenge to fight back against the left, who look nigh-unstoppable under Mr. Everett. And if their caucus is further reduced at the election, then they might have trouble even bleeding in new talent.

Certainly, a dismal state of affairs on the right.

[Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva]

Lions fall short yet again

One-goal losses in the Campionato Esportiva are becoming an increasingly common sight for fans of the Nova Anglican national football team. In the three Campionatos the Lions have participated in in recent times, the Lions have suffered through an 0-2-5 record. All five of those losses have come by a single goal. In CE 27, the Lions fell 1-0 to the Golden Lotus and 2-1 to Newmanistan. In CE 28, the Lions were shut out 1-0 by Racing, then lost 2-1 to the Fhulghamous Peninsula in a game where a win would have put them through to the playoffs. And now, in the opening game of CE 29, the Lions have suffered yet another one-goal loss, losing 2-1 again to Newmanistan.

In the first half, or at least for the majority of the first half, the Lions held their own. The 4-3-3 of the Rockets pressed hard, but the back line of Reed, Thayer, Woods, and Fuller held firm. The Rockets outshot the Lions in the first 40 minutes 8-4, with Tim Hopkins of Newfield being required to make three saves to keep the game scoreless. Nova Anglicana's attackers, led by Darren Williams and Freddy Beal of Newfield and Archbishop, respectively, did their level best, but couldn't find the net, only putting one shot on goal. In the 42nd minute, Newmanistan were awarded a free kick from not too far outside the box. One perfectly placed ball and header later, Newmanistan were on the board, leading 1-0. They would carry that advantage into halftime.

In the second half, the Lions tried to press their advantage in the midfield. Having four midfielders to the Rockets' three, it seemed like Will Bartholomew was constantly finding ways to link up and pass around, over, or through the Rockets to his midfielders. Despite this edge in possession, they didn't find much success. Through twenty-five minutes, they'd only outshot the Rockets 4-3, with a single shot on goal. But as a Newmanistan attack was stopped, Bradley Fuller, another Newfield stalwart at right back, surged upfield and got the ball to Olympique's Luc Gagne. Gagne is a young slasher of a right midfielder, and he pushed up, then took the ball into the heart of the defense. At first this looked like a mistake, but he deftly laid the ball off to Williams as the defense closed in around him, and Williams, alone with the shot, buried in the back of the net past keeper Matthew Costner to tie the game. The stadium wasn't exactly full, but there were enough Nova Anglican fans to make some noise. But only ten minutes later, Newmanistan put together a perfect sequence of passing and moving, showcasing wonderful footballing intelligence, and carved up the Nova Anglican defense. The shot was wide open and Hopkins didn't have enough time to react before he was diving in a futile effort to stop the ball. With fewer than ten minutes to play in the game, the Lions were again down by a goal, 2-1. They tried their best, but the Rockets held them at arms' length for the rest of the game, and when the final whistle blew, the Lions had lost yet again by one goal.

Meanwhile, in the other game in the Glaziers Group, 26th-ranked Natanians and Nosts upset Ancherion. It appears they were paying attention after all, knocking off a team that was 16 places ahead of them in the rankings. Whether this is a good or bad omen remains to be seen. It could be that this means Ancherion is vulnerable, and the Lions have a good shot of taking them down on MD3, or it could means that N&N is more formidable than previously thought, and the Lions might be in trouble in their next game. Either way, with a loss to Newmanistan in the first game and N&N's win, it means Nova Anglicana has to come through on MD2. If Newmanistan defeat Ancherion as expected, and the Lions lose to N&N, then those two teams will have qualified and the Lions will be eliminated. Even with a Newmanistan draw, a loss would mean the Lions are eliminated, as they would trail the top two teams 6 and 4 points to 0. A draw would be useful, but it would mean the Lions would need to defeat Ancherion, and at least by rankings, they have a better shot against N&N. So a win is almost essential here if the Lions expect to move on to the playoffs.

[Sylestone]

A parody of the lyrics of this song.

We know
We lost
We really shit the bed
Bloody hell - not again
We shit the bed against Racing

No clue how it happened, well hey
We still have a decent chance of progression
A couple of wins, well hey
Brenecia is an easy one

See ya later, see ya later
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
See ya later, say the cars

We shit the bed against Racing
Losing to a bunch of cars again
We really shit the bed against Racing
Lost by a single goal against a bunch of cars

How on Earth are we so shit
Why do we suck at regionals?
When can we finally win a CE game?
Or are we gonna shit the bed forever?

Ha, they say!

HA HA HA HA YOU GUYS SUCK

This is stupid
Not again
Racing destroyed our hopes again
A bunch of cars
Playing football
Well I guess it works against us

No clue how it happened, well hey
We still have a decent chance of progression
A couple of wins, well hey
Brenecia is an easy one

See ya later, see ya later
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
See ya later, say the cars

We shit the bed against Racing
Losing to a bunch of cars again
We really shit the bed against Racing
Lost by a single goal against a bunch of cars

How on Earth are we so shit
Why do we suck at regionals?
When can we finally win a CE game?
Or are we gonna shit the bed forever?

Ha, they say

HA HA HA HA YOU GUYS SUCK

They whoosh past us
At 100 miles and hour
They cross the goalline
And drop the ball in
"We're gonna B-B-B-B-B-B-Beat ya all"
"Watch Out!"
""We're gonna B-B-B-B-B-B-Beat ya all"
"See ya later!"

See ya later, see ya later
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
Whoosh, lmao, mao, mao
See ya later, say the cars

We shit the bed against Racing
Losing to a bunch of cars again
We really shit the bed against Racing
Lost by a single goal against a bunch of cars

Ha, they say!

HA
HA HA HA HA YOU GUYS SUCK

[Sahuarita]

Starting XI MD2, v. Sylestone Espinar-Sánchez-Espiga-Guillén-Gallo-Cortés-Quesada-Morillo-Dávalos-Sáez-Covarrubias

Brenecia 7–5 Sahuarita
Sahuarita:
 Covarrubias 13’, Quesada 21’ + 68’, Morrilo 53’, Espiga 83’
 Sáez 37’
 None
 Sarmiento 67’
 Sáez 67’

Brenecia:
 Russell 8’, Parrish 17’ + 43’ + 90+1’, Waters 58’, Townsend 76’, White 61’
 Giltanen 71’
 None
 Roscommon 81’, Caitiff 86’
 Watrermark 81’, Deal 86’

Well, what a game it was today. We played a great game, despite the scoreboard. Holding Brenecia, number 1 in the region to a 2 goal difference? That’s great. And as a cherry on top, we netted 5 goals of our own, and we saw the true power of some players such as Christian Quesada and Huge Espiga. Both of these guys may come in as key parts to the national team this World Cup cycle, and it’s just getting underway for Sahuarita.

The Baptism of Fire is the one tournament that this team is heavily looking forward too, as they have a shot to put themselves on the map as a rising force in the world of football. If they can score a great performance there, the Q word (yes qualification), may be on the table after a few cycles. While that may be far out, most writers in the nation are optimistic about the chances of the squad this cycle, citing that players such as Quesada and Sáez could be game changers.

Speaking of Anthony Sáez, he certainly didn’t have his best day today, however he can look to rebound soon, and he will have a chance against the Sentients of Sylestone. Sáez, despite being one of the best scorers in the group, was not even able to manage a goal of his own in this high scoring shootout, and was subbed out not too long after halftime passed in the 67th minute.

After a quick goal by Fortune Russell, the Sahuaritans got straight to work as Rubén Covarrubias scored the very first goal in team history, off a beautiful cross by Morillo. Brenecia answered back, however the Sahuaritans would not let it go off easily, as Christian Quesada netted his first ever anticipated goal in his NT career, on a 26 yard free kick from a Caithe Shepard foul.

After then, the game would swing back and forth, and was even tied 3-3 at one point of the game. However, Brenecia was able to run away with it in the end, and a goal on a PK by Dreigiau Parrish sealed the deal, and let him complete his hat trick on the night. Overall, solid game, we can look to improve, it it is very solid work going into our next game. We’ll see you soon, go Sahuarita!

Tejedor’s Corner
“Hey Franco, are you impressed with your teams performance in the last game? You played a very skilled Brenecia team to an extremely high scoring shootout, and kept it close”
Tejedor: Of course. Our offense played amazing for what we expected from them, and it was great to put up 5 on them, while we could improve on defense, I was very happy with what I saw today.

“Out of all the players, who’d do you think had the strongest game to start and build from?”
Tejedor: To be honest, I think that Hugo Espiga had a great game to start out with, he played an extremely strong offense in Brenecia, and was able to infiltrate into the offensive side quite a bit. The number of goals don’t do him justice, you had to watch him to understand.

In the Loop (With the Players!)
Question of Sáez, you had a rather disappointing game today, do you think there was anything in the recent days that lead up into a performance like this?
A. Sáez: Well, I think that I just wasn’t out there today. I took a bad tackle, and then ended up getting substituted out in the 67th minute, it was a tough game, but I trust myself to rebound from it.

Question to Quesada, are you happy with your performance today? 2 goals is something to be happy about, despite the loss you guys ended up taking.
C. Quesada: Well, on a personal level, I was happy with what went down. However, we didn’t end up winning the game, and this is one that we could’ve won, I felt it in us, so I think I could’ve done more for my team today.

Question to Gallo, you were responsible for letting through many attacks that led into Brenecian goals today, do you have any plan to fix your tactics up ahead of the game against Sylestone?
V. Gallo: Well of course. I am always looking to improve my game, and my first game on the international level here was proof that I do need to fine tune parts of my game. I plan to focus particularly on watching more film of the Sylestone attackers, and planning accordingly.

¡Politica! (Domestic News)
Pre Primaries Poloing for National Party Head of Government Comes In
Carlos Montreal: 29%
Juan Espiga: 21%
Christian Morillo: 20%
Undecided: 30%

While it remains a close race for the Far-Right National Party, nominating a popular figure such as Montreal or Morillo will make their polling jump far higher. This may be the first race where they have an actual shot to contend, as the rise of Far Right politics, and extreme Social Conservative continues in the nation. The National Party has proposed deporting All non-white or native immigrants, in an effort to “stop the power struggle of the nation.”

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

THE COLONY OF THE FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL TEAM

The Colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula (Full-Gah-Moose) was first established on 6 December 2008, when Fleftic explorers landed on what was then a previously undiscovered continent. These explorers landed on a large peninsula that they named Fhulghamous because of its rich and lush green forests. One of the explorers then fell into an old mine shaft while exploring the peninsula and discovered that the entire peninsula was lying on top of one of the biggest diamond deposits ever discovered by mankind. Once the explorers announced their discovery to the Fleftic government, the Democratic Republic Army Corps of Engineers was quickly dispatched to help speed up the establishment of the colony by helping in constructing settlements and assisting in constructing mining facilities to extract the diamonds within the land.

The Colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula was officially established as a colony of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft on 6 September 2010 following the signing of Democratic Republic Act No. 2340. The colony's capital would be Port Thimpodopoulos, named after Sergeant Major Pythagoras Thimpodopoulos of the Army Corps of Engineers, who tragically died of a heart attack during the construction of the settlement that would eventually bear his name. Today, Port Thimpodopoulos has a population of ten million, accounting for just under half of the total population of the colony. Other cities in the colony were Besanza, Tadoki, Haritzaga City and Thereisnogodabad, home of Multiverse Premier League club Thereisnogodistan FC.

The colony is under the leadership of Governor-General Petrarchos Kulbano, brother of Minister of Colonial Affairs Demetrios Kulbano. His rule saw the Fhulghamous Peninsula's ascent to being one of the most economically-productive colonies of the Democratic Republic, but due to the colony's distance from the mainland Governor Kulbano is slowly beginning to treat the colony as his own personal fiefdom. This was one of the reasons why he had decided to send forth a petition to send a national team to the Di Bradini Cup, the Multiverse's top under-21 football competition. Unfortunately due to some last-minute troubles, the Fhulghamous Peninsula's team was not allowed entry into the Di Bradini Cup, leaving many people in the colony a bit unfulfilled. But when another chance to send forth a national team revealed itself, Governor Kulbano was quick to submit his team's entry, and this time he made sure that the wouldn't miss out on another chance at participating in an international competition.

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of Nation: The Colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula
Demonym: Fhulghamousian, Colonist
Team colors: Green and gray
Style modifier: +3.00 (Yet another very attacking side)
Manager: Antonis Papadimitriou (54 y/o, Fhulghamous Peninsula)

STARTERS
GK: Filippos Economatos (31 y/o, Palaeiologi, vice captain)
RB: Charalambos Kontides (32 y/o, Nou Philippopolis)
RCB: Sotirios Rapteas (29 y/o, Esquadrille White Rabbits)
LCB: Sotiris Baratos (33 y/o, Besanza Emeralds)
LB: Ossama Abboud (29 y/o, OGC Nou Nicaea)
RM: Efthimios Metaxas (36 y/o, Airbus Fhulghamous Besanza, vice captain)
RCM: Karim Khouri (27 y/o, Sfaxspor)
LCM: Platon Metratos (31 y/o, Airbus Fhulghamous Besanza)
LM: Hossam Issa (29 y/o, Heliopolisspor)
RS: Pablo Gimenez (32 y/o, Emekasis Sportif)
LS: Wessam Shammas (34 y/o, Haritzaga Albion, captain)

RESERVES
GK: Husani Safar (29 y/o, Palaeiologi)
GK: Oriol Rey (34 y/o, FC Aeaea Albion)
DF: Francisco Jose Juarez (31 y/o, Haritzaga Albion)
DF: Idas Gianopoulos (28 y/o, Airbus Fhulghamous Besanza)
DF: Eric Alferez (27 y/o, UD Nuevo Carthago)
MF: Mutlaq el-Aboud (24 y/o, FC Aeaea Albion)
MF: Leander Biros (26 y/o, Charalambos FC)
MF: Hamad al-Majid (22 y/o, Heliopolisspor)
MF: Odion Tahan (31 y/o, Emekasis Sportif)
FW: Manuel Cueva (30 y/o, UD Nuevo Carthago)
FW: Arturo San Martin (31 y/o, Deportivo Pequeña Mellila)
FW: Julian Elvira (23 y/o, Nuevo Guadix CF)

NOTES
If Shammas is substituted and the Fhulghamous are leading or drawing, Economatos becomes captain.
If Shammas is substituted and the Fhulghamous are losing, Metaxas becomes captain.

KITS (by Adidulas)


HOME STADIUM (ARENA MARINOS, PORT THIMPODOPOULOS)

Arena Marinos is the home ground of both FC Marinos Thimpodopoulos, which plays in Abanhfleft's Premier League (first level of the Fleftic football league system) and the Fhulghamous Peninsula national football team. It has a total capacity of 35,673 spectators. Now back in service after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake caused part of the stadium's roof to collapse and devastated the capital city of the colony, necessitating a lot of repairs.

RICHARD DAWKINS PARK, THEREISNOGODABAD

Richard Dawkins Park has a capacity of 23,171 spectators. Following a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that devastated Port Thimpodopoulos, all Fhulghamous Peninsula home matches were held in RDP in Thereisnogodabad while repairs were being made on Arena Marinos. With Arena Marinos now fixed, both the Fhulghamous Peninsula Football Association and Thereisnogodistan FC have reached an agreement in which RDP will serve as an alternate venue for national team games in recognition for the time that Richard Dawkins Park served as the home stadium of the national team following the earthquake.

RP PERMISSIONS
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes (I decide severity)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes (3 per game)
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes (1 per 2 games)
Godmod other events: Yes (TG me first)

[Xanneria]

Xanneria takes down newcomers 4-1
Excerpt from http://www.xtrasports.xan/nationalteam.htm

HANNASEA - The start of a tournament can be crucial for the momentum of a team playing in a regional. In regional tournaments there are many factors outside of the traditional ones for the Qualifiers. Nations in regional tournaments can be quite spectacular when they are fresh out of the gate like a juicy recently cooked burger pattie from our new rival nation Burgburgh. So when you face a new team or a team that has even been long dormant, there is a huge air of unpredictability. Take Mytannia for example. They crusied through the Copa Rushmori last year after a major hiatus. No one can say they saw it coming, though as more often than not a new nation or returning nation will end up like Astograth in the prior CR and get run over by smaller nations despite being a comeback host. The Maroons played a fresh face team from the local area called "Panarialion". The Maroons took down the young team with a 4-1 victory. Brower and Cup Winners Cup bound striker Kyle Facon each got two goals in the romp. Most Importantly the potent midfield, the bread and butter of any Xannerian team looked great, Anton Vito played midfield with the feisty demeanor of a defender and the young Tashani league vet was by far the big star. He actually got things going by taking a pass from the forward playing for "Panarilion" and got the ball over to Bonchek and eventually over to Flacon for the first goal. In fact once the game was 3-1 coach Rhule put in two new legs for 4 DMs and we finally got to see wonder kid Xander Washington. Xander in his debut did look a bit shaky but it was more likely than not just the nerves. Even the legends get nerves, unless they are that jelly fish from Quemorr Isles.

In the end though the next game will be the one that matters most. Burgburgh is a regional player and can mess up even the most seasoned Brenecia team. Burgburg beat a bunch pf players from Vangaziland whose names I can't say by a score of 4-2, so when these two high powered offense clash it will sure to be fun!

Xanneria - 4
Falcon 22' 86'
Brower 40' 52'
Panarillion - 1
??? Forward 32'

[The Licentian Isles]

150 years ago in the Licentian Isles

I don’t think anyone realised at the time just how much life had changed on these Isles of ours.

Normally, when a large change, like a whole country just being shut off from the rest of the multiverse, happens overnight, you can look back and see a pattern or a progression. Even if it wasn’t apparent at the time, you would imagine there were a lot of little things happening along the way. It’s like the old story of a frog in a pot of water; when it’s put in the pot, the water is cold, and as you slowly heat it up it doesn’t notice the incremental change until it is far too late; the poor wee bastard has already boiled alive.

Strangely, that wasn’t what happened here. Millions of people spent an inordinate amount of time trying to plot out if there had been any signs of change. There were plenty of conspiracy theorists; those who proposed that there had been some supernatural intervention, that Licentians were being punished for some huge transgression by whatever being they proposed had taken a view on our actions. The most prominent of those was devoted to some being called Margaret, and insisted that things would only change and revert to the norm if we sacrificed, for some reason, rubber chickens. Obviously, the sensible population very quickly dubbed these groups as raving lunatics, but it didn’t change the fact that there was no clear reasoning or explanation for what had suddenly happened to us.

For all the time that I personally would spend in the coming years pondering and researching what could have come to happen, very little changed for me in the days that followed that first news bulletin. After watching it, I just believed that it would be some sort of temporary problem; that some eejit had cut a cable somewhere in the Channel, and we would be back up and running in a few days. I did try to ring Mhairi that evening, on both her Apoxian phone and on the old one with a Licentian card that I knew she still had in her new apartment. I didn’t get any answer.

The days continued pretty much as normal for a wee while. I went to work, had my normal boring days, then came home and waited for communications to return. Eventually, it began to set in that things may have been more serious than they originally appeared to be.

It was after four days that I really started to become anxious. I had never gone this long without speaking to my sister since the two of us were born. Anything could have happened to her, and I wouldn’t know about it or be able to solve it, because she was out of my reach, and there was no way to contact her. I found myself compulsively refreshing news sites; LBC at first, out of habit, and then just anything that I could get my hands on. I needed to understand what was happening, or even just have some semblance of when things would be normal again, of when I could speak to my sister again.

It took a week for us to receive any sort of information from those in power. We knew it was bad when there was a press conference announcement from the Federal Council of the Isles. The four people that ran the country in many ways did not hold press conferences; most decisions were made within parishes, so there was just no need. Except now, there seemed to be a need for it. I’ll be honest, when I saw that news, my heart sank. I knew that whatever they were going to tell us, it couldn’t be good if it was coming from the Council. Even then, I don’t think I was truly prepared for what eventually came.

In the press conference, they announced that it appeared that some force was preventing anything from leaving the area of ocean that surrounded the Licentian Isles. Not just communications, but boats, planes, and a myriad of other things were now stuck in the Isles until further notice. They could not give us any explanation as to why. They couldn’t tell us when things would change. All they knew was that something inexplicable had happened, and that for the foreseeable future, we were cut off.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried that evening. I broke things in my flat. I rang Mhairi’s phone, and became angry when all I could hear was the beeps that indicated I couldn’t be connected. The beeps that would become the bane of my existence for many years to come.

There wasn’t the kind of anarchy that you would expect to occur in a situation like this. I think that people were just too shocked to really react to what they were being told. Some, who had never left the Isles and never planned to, didn’t see why people were getting so upset, and those that were upset just didn’t know how to deal with what was happening.

On my part, I began acting like a man grieving the death of a loved one. I took time off work. I shut myself away in my home, barely ever leaving and seeing the outside world. I found myself calling and texting Mhairi’s phone regularly, even though I knew that nothing would come of it. I think for a long time, I hadn’t come to terms with how I was feeling, or even with what had actually happened. In many ways, I was a grieving man. I didn’t see any way that I would see her again, my sister, the person who had been my rock since the day we were both born. It felt like someone had taken a pair of shears to the unbreakable bond between us, and done their level best to hack through it. It felt like my life had forever changed. In many ways, it had.

---

Vdara 2-3 The Licentian Isles

Vdaran Goals - A. Petras (5 mins), A. Manolakis (82 mins)
Licentian Goals - F. Watson (28 mins), R. Grant (43 mins), T. Weiling (89 mins)

LBC’s Player of the Match - Ruaridh Grant (The Licentian Isles)

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA

By Taylor Larson,

As Newmanistanian sports fans prepare for World Baseball Classic 51, we get a little bit of international action with the 29th Campionato Esportiva as we try to determine the region’s best soccer team. That’s about all that it has done lately, though, and is not a harbinger for World Cup success. Think about the last three winners: us in #26, only to disappoint in World Cup 85 qualifying. Xanneria in #27, only to not qualify (though that is more expected), and Hampton Island in #28, as they failed to qualify for the first time in three World Cups. Is it cursed, then? That might be going a little far, but it is interesting to see that this regional tournament does not foreshadow much. Others will chime and say that Esportiva is notably lagging behind Atlantian Oceania and Rushmore right now in the sport of soccer.

The Rockets will be expected to be one of the better teams in the competition being hosted by Hannasea, as shown by their #3 rank. The hosts have sold out the naming rights to sponsors so we’re going to be in what is known as the Glaziers Group. As a nation, we don’t know much else about Hannasea right now but they were almost going to play in the last World Baseball Classic, but ended up withdrawing their application. They have never participated in the Campionato Esportiva, but the voters still felt as though they would be ready to host the competition. The reason for this confidence was attributed to some connections that people there had (at least I was told that), so here we are. Newmanistan will be opposed by Ancherion and Natanian and Nosts, as well as not “that” Nova Anglicana. That Rockets already played the satellite of the World Baseball Classic 49 champion, which they reference as their Admin Zone, and defeated them by the score of 2-1. It is a little unclear right now as to who the Rockets’ biggest concern is within the group, so they will be taking the cliche approach of taking it one game at a time, and only worrying about the team that you are playing.

We’ll see how this goes. I know there are Newmanistanians that have made the trip to Hannasea, so I would be interested in getting replies from them as to what they are thinking about the country, in general. Personally, I am not making that trip, and remaining in Pocono City and reporting on the games while here, as my bigger task begins pretty soon with the World Baseball Classic.

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

TFW YOUR COLONIES ARE BETTER THAN YOU AT SOMETHING

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so here we are at the 29th edition of the Campionato Esportiva and something appears to be missing here. Oh yeah, that's right. There's no Copper Cuprum in here! It's just the Fhulghamous Peninsula representing the APOC sphere of influence—I mean Coalition, in this tournament, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, to be honest, the way the qualification for the Campionato was structured, it was pretty inevitable that the Colony and the Chiefdom were going to have to fight over a single qualification spot in the CE. They played out a boring 0-0 draw at Arena Marinos before the Colonists went all in and abused the away goals rule to get through to the CE at the expense of the Miners thanks to a 4-4 draw.

But enough about qualification. We're in the Campionato Esportiva now, and for once, this team actually won its first bastard game in the tournament! Looks like the strategy of hiring only from within is starting to pay off somewhat. Except it didn't in the first two tournaments that the Fhulgs did it. Christ above, when your national team plays better when selecting from a pool of players that plays all over the multiverse and is therefore exposed to a variety of playstyles and philosophies instead of a team selected from players who have never set foot outside of your borders before, you know you done goofed up somewhere. Then again, what else would you expect from a colony that is for all intents and purposes being run as a personal fiefdom by a man who believes that aliens have visited us thousands of years ago and taught all the ancient cultures about sciences and technology and whatnot? How long has Petrarchos Kulbano been Governor-General of the Fhulghamous? Twenty bastard years? Dear God, it really is his personal kingdom.

Anyway, the Fhulghamous Peninsula were up against The Grearish Union. They're a relatively new side, new in this context meaning that they joined the Campionato Esportiva after both the Fhulghamous and Copper Cuprum. They're a pretty decent side, I remember these guys slapping around either the Peninsula or Abanhfleft itself someplace. Maybe a youth tournament or the Independents Cup? Nah, it can't be the Independents Cup. Or maybe it is? I don't even know anymore, my brain is getting confused. Anyway, Fhulghamousian locals, basically just one step above non-league amateurs, going up against what I can only assume to be a fully professional outfit from the Grearish. Yeah, these guys have no chance in hell. Well, guess what? The bastard little-better-than-part-timers actually went and won the bloody game! Wessam Shammas may be 34 years old but he can still find enough space inside the penalty area to set up a picnic and take his fucking time to pick which corner of the net he's going to send his shot and if it's top or bottom. Freaking wonderkids half his age don't even have the luxury of having the time to look for a space inside the box to do even a straight no-nonsense shot. And you're telling me this part-time footballer who's a third of the way through his lifespan can literally ballroom dance in front of the opposition goalkeeper can afford to play around? What in the world is the world coming to?

And then of course you follow up that incredible goal with a pretty basic one from a set piece that you would expect a lower-league team would do. I don't know about you, but there's just something about watching a corner kick become a bullet header just screams lower league side to me. Of course I know many people in the Fleftic Premier League have scored bullet headers from corner kicks, even Ludogorets! I'm just opinionated, not stupid. Although, to be fair, those two things can go hand in hand. Anyway, still makes me think it's a lower league thing. Maybe it's because Platon Metratos flopped hard with Imperial Markovsky before going back to his native land.

And then there's that bastard own goal. Just... Christ above. Have you ever had a look at those video compilations of goals which seem to defy the laws.of physics? Yeah, well, Efthimios Metaxas' own goal was one of those. To be fair, he was being pressurised by one of the Grearish forwards so he had to pass the ball to someone else. Any other day and that ball goes to Filippos Economatos' feet no problem. But this one time that Metaxas didn't need to score a banger of an own goal, the stars just aligned to make life a little bit more difficult for the Colonists. He hit the ball in just the right place, sent it flying at just the right angle, and gave it somehow the perfect amount of spin needed to curl up in the air and then back down when anyone least expects it. Truly a goal that broke the laws of physics. And somehow that didn't break the Fhulghamousians because they managed to hold on to their lead despite a furious Grearish countercharge in the last fifteen or twenty minutes or so.

Anyway, that's all there is for me. If you've got any comments about the Fhulgs' game against the Grearish Union or predictions versus Hannasea then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I've been the Man from Markovsky, disappointed that a bastard fucking colony is doing better in football than our own bastard country.

█THE GREARISH UNION 1 - 2 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
 METAXAS (71' o.g.)       SHAMMAS (10')
                          METRATOS (42')

[Hannasea]

MD2 cutoff.

News

• Data privacy bill makes its way through the Senate: click here to add your email, phone number, and bank account info to keep updated!
• FHL season hurries to conclusion as teams realize they forgot to play half their matches
• Electro-klezmer, blackened death throat singing, and speed chamber music: profiling today's hot musical trends
• Weather: Cool, strong wind, heavily overcast

Mercers Group
The Hannasean Federation 0–1 Fhulghamous Peninsula
Ethane 4–1 The Grearish Union

  Mercers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ethane                        2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6 Q
2 Fhulghamous Peninsula         2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6 Q
3 The Hannasean Federation      2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0
4 The Grearish Union            2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Pepperers Group
Hallikshire 0–0 Starcom Racing
South Newlandia 2–3 Gergary

  Pepperers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gergary                       2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6 Q
2 South Newlandia               2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 Hallikshire                   2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
4 Starcom Racing                2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1

Glaziers Group
Nova Anglicana 3–2 Natanians and Nosts
Newmanistan 3–3 Ancherion

  Glaziers Group              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Newmanistan                   2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
2 Nova Anglicana                2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
3 Natanians and Nosts           2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 Ancherion                     2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1

Mongers Group
Sahuarita 0–1 Sylestone
Brenecia 1–0 Racing

  Mongers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      2   2  0  0    8   5  +3    6
2 Racing                        2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
3 Sylestone                     2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Sahuarita                     2   0  0  2    5   8  −3    0

Management Consultants Group
The Licentian Isles 1–0 Gouvanarch
Vdara 2–4 Esportivan Darmen

  Management Consultants Group Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Esportivan Darmen              2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6 Q
2 The Licentian Isles            2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6 Q
3 Gouvanarch                     2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0 E
  Vdara                          2   0  0  2    4   7  −3    0 E

Skinners and Tailors Group
Panarialion 0–1 Vangaziland
Xanneria 2–1 Burgburgh

  Skinners and Tailors Group  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Xanneria                      2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Burgburgh                     2   1  0  1    5   4  +1    3
3 Vangaziland                   2   1  0  1    3   4  −1    3
4 Panarialion                   2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

Musicians Group
A random Place 1–1 Tumbra
Hampton Island 2–0 Damukuni

  Musicians Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Hampton Island                2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6 Q
2 Tumbra                        2   1  1  0    5   3  +2    4
3 A random Place                2   0  1  1    1   4  −3    1
4 Damukuni                      2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0 E

Solderers Group
Nuovo Juvencus 0–2 Ceyne Isles
Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom 2–2 The Golden Lotus

  Solderers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Golden Lotus              2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
  Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom       2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Ceyne Isles                   2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
4 Nuovo Juvencus                2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0 E

[The Licentian Isles]

149 years ago in the Licentian Isles

I don’t often talk about the moment where things turned around for me after the Isles had been shut off from the rest of the world.

In a time when it felt sometimes like every waking moment was hell, I often sought my solace in sleep. There were times where it didn’t come as readily, but when it did it was the escape from the constant rumination. I couldn’t stop thinking about whether I had seen my sister for the last time in my life. The thought horrified me.

There was one dream that recurred for me over that first year after we were closed off. It was the most vivid recreation, at least that I could imagine, of the day that I saw Mhairi for the last time. We had spent the day prior at our parents’ home in Mossybank. It was a tiny little town, the exact stereotype of a Licentian hamlet. My parents lived in a cottage with a thatched roof that overlooked the village green. We had watched a game of cricket from the front yard the day before, eating sandwiches and drinking far more wine than was really advisable. It was beautiful, and the only thing that took away from it was the fact we all knew that Mhairi would be gone the next morning.

When we woke up the next day, Mhairi’s flight was only a few hours away. The Isles aren’t exactly a large place, and Mossybank wasn’t far from the airport in Abingdon, but nonetheless, there was that usual air of mild panic as we threw Mhairi’s cases into the car. She was never going to be late for her flight, but I think that thought was my way of distracting myself from the fact that it wouldn’t be long until she was jetting off to her new life in Apox.

Our parents had decided to stay at home; our dad had been struggling with his back for a while, and they were avoiding him sitting in the car for any decent period of time. It was for that reason that they waved us off from the village green, as it had become my job to drive Mhairi there. Even though I didn’t want her to go, I was her only way of getting there, so I didn’t have a choice.

When we got there, I couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. I wasn’t ever prepared to spend that long away from her.

“I’m gonna miss you sis.”

“You’re an eejit Ally; I’ll be able to visit all the time, it’s not like I’m never coming back.”

“I know, but I’m still processing the fact that we’re going to be spending any time apart, never mind that long.”

“You’ll be fine. I’m just a phone call away, you know that.”

“I know.” I gave her a long hug and held back the tears as best I could. “I love you Mhairi.”

“Love you too bro.” There was a pause. “Now give me my bloody bag; I have a flight to catch!”

I chuckled and handed the bag over to her, and watched as she walked into the terminal of the aerodrome. I remember being incredibly sad, even more than I expected when I’d pictured the occasion prior to that day. Maybe something was trying to tell me that this was even bigger than I had ever imagined. Maybe I was just dealing with it badly. Who knows?

I often found myself recalling that day over and over in my mind. Whether awake or asleep, it was all that I could think of a lot of the time. However, there was one particular day where that memory, coming to me in a dream as I slept at home, was followed up by something that hadn’t actually happened on the day.

As I watched her walk away in the dream, as I had done hundreds upon thousands of times, the picture faded slowly in my mind. I found my unconscious self transported to a room with Mhairi. It vaguely reminded me of the house we grew up in in Glenmount. The same old leather sofa, cracked in places from where we’d sat on it for long periods of time. The wee coffee table in front of it, an old oak thing that my parents had got as a wedding gift. The picture on the wall, a painting of sailboats cruising around Garton Bay. It didn’t feel right though. It was that strange kind of recreation you often experience in dreams, with everything just fading away rather than ending as it would if it was real. It was unsettling and yet when I looked over and saw Mhairi stood up, looking towards me, all sense of anxiety fell away as if a wave had washed over me.

“Mhairi?”

“Hello Ally.” She almost seemed like she wasn’t there; like if I reached out and touched her, she wouldn’t dissolve. So I didn’t.

“What is this?”

“This is me reaching out to try and pull you out of all of this despair that you’re in.” She was speaking with a smile on her lips, the reassuring older sister she had always been, even if she had only been born half an hour before me.

“Is this real?”

“Of course not you bellend!” Even as the dream version of her swore, it was as if it was a term of endearment, as it always had been between us. “This is all in your head, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you back on track.”

“What if I never get to see you again Mhairi?” I was tearing up at this point, all my emotions coming out.

“Right now Ally, you’re barely getting through the days. It’s as if you think the more depressed you get, the world will take some sort of pity on you.” She looked me in the eyes. “That’s not how it works. What you are doing won’t fix all this. So go out and do something positive. That way, when we do see each other again, you’ll have something to show me that you can be proud of.” At first, I didn’t know how to respond. The more I thought about it though, the more right she was. I couldn’t fix this by hiding in myself, and even if there was nothing I could actually do to fix it all, I should at least go out and live my life.

“Okay.” I lifted my arm towards her, trying to hold on. “I miss you Mhairi.”

“I know. But we will see each other again. That’s the mentality you have to have; at least we’ll have stories to tell that way.” She looked towards me, that look in her eyes that always meant she had something inspirational to say. “Don’t let this destroy you Ally. Grow.”

At that, I snapped awake. I hadn’t wanted the dream to end, I had wanted to stay in that place forever. I sat on my bed for a while. I didn’t cry, surprisingly. I just had that last word repeating in my head, urging me to carry on.

Grow.

---

The Licentian Isles 1-0 Gouvanarch

Licentian Goals - R. Grant (47 mins)

LBC’s Player of the Match - Lyle Hughes (The Licentian Isles)

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

Cup Of Harmony 29 Report
Match 1 & 2

---

Being placed in the Solderers Group made coach Stanimirć think back to his childhood. "I lived a few towns over from where the bombing campaigns took place, pretty sure my eyebrows grew up thick to protect from singeing." he said in reference to the ethnic tensions that were rampant over twenty years ago. "It's fitting that we're top seeds in a group of soldiers," Marko Zup told me, "My father was in a security team that arrested leaders of the largest separatist group of the decade." Others didn't have an opinion on the group name, but they sure enjoyed the draw. An unnamed assistant chuckled in my presence about the opponents, "I've never even heard of the Ceyne Isles," the geographically challenged young man said with a scoff. Nobody was nervous this time around. Losing in the last few tournaments was in the rear view mirror.

Zeta Reka kicked off their campaign against Nuovo Juvencus. Some ten Campionatos have gone by since this non-oldest Juvencus were last seen in action and their first matchup back was a defeat. Simeoniwić darted into the box seventeen minutes into the match, and Rawić's pass arrived as the seconds hand finished one of its ninety cycles for the match. A few more attempts were made at the goal, two of which came from Rawić and one more from Arnald Gal, however these shots were all caught masterfully. A late shot from Juvencus was blocked by Ali Faruq in his first consequential matchup on the national team. Player of the game Rawić popped a very tiny bottle of champaign after the win. "We've got to be in this for the long haul," the reserved young man told me while he gave out wrist bands to promote his charity venture, "There are two matches next against teams with a modern track record that shows we need to earn our wins."

Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom 1–0 Nuovo Juvencus

---

GK: Zlatko Wukowić
LWB: Zaur-Luka Igorić
CB: Ali Faruq
CB: Wlad Wlad: 30', v74'
RWB: Yuri Kewić
DM: Stani Gröss: v61'
CM: Stanimir Rekawić
AM: Želmir Kolarowić (c)
LF: Arnald Gal
CF: Bogdan Rawić
RF: Miloš Simeoniwić: 18'

---

Subs
DM: Nikola Branić: ^61'
CB: Lukabor Illić: ^74'

---

Possession: 46%-54%
Shots: 9
On goal: 4
Saves: 4
Fouls: 9
Corners: 9
Offsides: 0
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0

The next nation to test Zeta Reka would be The Golden Lotus. Last time The Golden Lotus finished second in the groups stages behind the eventual champs, and were knocked out by the runners up. Perhaps playing them is fortunate. Stanimirić moved a few backups into the starting rotation, and each of them last the full ninety minutes. Perhaps it was a mistake to include them, as the Rekan back line gave up two early goals for no compensation. Discipline was also in issue in the side, as three yellow cards were given out. Luckily Wlad Wlad isn't out yet, he didn't play the match. With issues facing the side, Stanimirić freshened the attack. Imilić came off the bench to score just minutes into his national team debut. I spoke with the young man after the game, "I got a goal man, yeah - scored a lot before. Really good to score now." He was right, the goal helped draw the game, but it took one more. Marko Zup had done a lot in Chromatika off the bench, and he came on with vigor. Zup made a run, and lost the ball. The ensuing counter press put the ball into Jorowić's control, and he crossed low so that Rawić feet could finish the job.

Minutes later the Rekan team was tied in the group table, facing a match up against Ceyne Isles. "With Nuovo Juvencus out and winless, Zeta Reka can't rely on The Golden Lotus flopping." Sportswriter Djoko Weljkowić wrote about the Rekan group stage situation "With no game left, and an easier match for our rivals, the match should be treated as must win, lest we lose." However, I found people on the ground were less cavaliering. I sat down with former team captain Rybki after the matchup. "We're a point in safety," Rybki said, "I think we can be cautious. Our country always attack well, that's why we can score six against the world's best. But, we also temper ourselves, it's the Rekan way. Rybki had come to visit the team's base of operations, shaking hands with the younger players who grew up watching the former Baptism of Fire runner up, and also Rybki's teammates who still represent the nation. I said my fellows to a very friendly Rybki, and then asked him who would win the next matchup. "I don't really know." Rybki said at first, before he pondered and walked his fingers along the door frame we were standing at. The former player of the season then spoke, "We're the stronger side as of late. They on the other hand have players who are in the football cultures of heavy hitting nations. Rekan players haven't been in places like Nephara, or played in Brenecia for as long. What I do know is that the Rekan game is never an underdog, even when it is."

Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom 2–2 The Golden Lotus

---

GK: Branislaw Mucić
LWB: Zaur-Luka Igorić
CB: Bartolomej Wladmirowić
CB: Lukabor Illić: 52'
RWB: Yuri Kewić: v59'
DM: Stani Gröss
CM: Stanimir Rekawić
AM: Želmir Kolarowić (c): 21', v80'
LF: Arnald Gal: v67'
CF: Bogdan Rawić: 83'
RF: Josip Jorowić

---

Subs
RWB: Jad: ^59', 62'
LF: Wladmir Imilić: ^67', 71'
AM: Marko Zup: ^80'

---

Possession: 52%-48%
Shots: 12
On goal: 5
Saves: 3
Fouls: 13
Corners: 7
Offsides: 0
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0

[Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva]

Lions taste victory for first time in years

It is well known that Nova Anglicana, despite qualifying for the World Cup on multiple occasions and even achieving some success in the Cup of Harmony, has not competed in qualifying for the World Cup for many years. Instead, they have competed in each of the last three Campionato Esportivas as their only non-exhibition football matches. Over three editions and seven games, they hadn't won a single one, quite a long drought. But the Lions put that winless streak to rest in their most recent CE game, defeating Natanians and Nosts 3-2 to improve to 1-0-1 in the competition.

The Lions went on the attack early in this one, with attacking midfielder Colby Parker of Sanctuary FC slicing through the Natanians & Nosts defense in the seventh minute. He then dropped it off to Archbishop's Freddy Beal, who buried the ball in the back of the net as the keeper was unable to recover in time. This early goal put N&N on the back foot, and the Lions scored again in the 19th minute, a header from Bradley Fuller off of Dave Sorensen's excellent cross into the box. Up 2-0, the Lions then seemed to get a bit complacent, while N&N perhaps woke up for the first time in the game, incensed at having allowed themselves to fall behind so quickly. For the next twenty minutes, the Lions found their role reversed from the first; suddenly it was N&N who were finding the holes in the defense, dribbling aggressively, and putting shots on goal. Tim Hopkins made four saves over that time period, keeping the Lions on top by two goals. But N&N would break through in the 42nd minute, with a crafty midfielder deking more than one Nova Anglican defender before knocking his shot off the wood of the goal. Hopkins, having dived to stop it, was unprepared when the ball rebounded to the feet of the Natanian forward, allowing him to easily slot the ball home to cut the deficit in half right before the teams went to the locker room.

The first fifteen minutes of the second half were a cagey affair, with both sides passing back and forth, probing for a long while before shooting. It was as if the smash-and-grab, reckless abandon style of the first half had converted to an almost tentative approach. Maybe both teams were a little gassed; maybe they had both rectified their defenses to repel the first half tactics of their opponents. In any case, Luc Gagne, always the energy guy, put on a burst of speed and dashed into the heart of the Natanian defense. Maybe surprised by this sudden intrustion, a defender brought him down and the Lions had a free kick just outside the box. Will Bartholomew stepped up and found the head of Darren Beal, who met the ball just ahead of the keeper's outstretched arms, and restored the two-goal lead with just a shade more than twenty minutes left in regulation. Up 3-1, the Lions played much more conservatively, which earned them the victory. N&N did manage, in a late-stage push, an 86th minute goal, but the Lions won possession back not long after that, and managed to mostly run the clock out, playing keepaway until it was practically no longer possible for N&N to steal a late goal. The team and fans went wild after the game, celebrating their first non-exhibition win in half a decade.

Meanwhile, in the other game in the Glaziers Group, the top two teams in the group went head-to-head: 3rd ranked Newmanistan and 10th ranked Ancherion. This top-tier clash ended in a 3-3 draw, resulting in one point each for the two teams. The standings now read thusly: Newmanistan 4 points, Nova Anglicana 3 points, Natanians and Nosts 3 points, Ancherion 1 point. The Lions are on the brink of the playoffs, and hold their own destiny in their hands. If they win, defeating the Ancherites, they will advance, no matter what. Even a Natanians & Nosts defeat of Newmanistan (unlikely) would still result in the Lions going through, as they and N&N would have 6 points each and the Lions would actually advance as the top team. If the Lions don't win, they can still advance with a draw and a Newmanistan draw or defeat of N&N. An N&N victory would result in the Lions and the Rockets being tied at 4, which the Lions would lose on head to head, unless Newmanistan lost by two goals or more. They would not advance with a loss. So they must get a result in their next game, and hope for Newmanistan to win if the Lions' result is a draw. It will not be an easy game, as Mamadou Kaur and Ancherion will be hungry for victory, not wanting to get bounced early like Vdara. The rising star of the World Cup lost to Esportivan Darmen and the Licentian Isles to fall out of contention. But the Lions will have some confidence from their first victory and perhaps they can overcome Ancherion's superior skill to emerge victorious and earn a spot in the Round of 16.

[Fhulghamous Peninsula]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

THIS IS JUST PLAYGROUND BULLYING ON A HIGHER LEVEL

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so once again the bloody Fhulghamous Peninsula are showing us that they are somehow superior to the Democratic Republic itself. I mean, all right. I get it. We're shit. No need to rub it all over our faces now or anything. Anyway, you Fhulgs have got nothing to be proud about right now. I'm just gonna say it right here and right now. You bullied those Hannasean ladies off the park! Literally! Jesus Christ! Did you see how Sotiris Baratos literally threw Maya Davidson off of the ball? He's lucky that he only got a yellow card for that! The Fhulgs might be able to get away with rough-and-tumble hardman shit like that in their home league but this the Campionato Esportiva! Even they've got to have some bastard standards once in a while.

I guess it's kinda understandable though. The guys are getting a little bit frustrated at that point. The Fhulghamous Peninsula have had the lion's share of possession and chances. The Hannaseans have been basically pinned inside their own half for nearly a whole hour by that point, but despite that the Colonists have not managed to find the back of the net. Oh, they actually did, or at least Pablo Gimenez did before the linesman ruled it offside. I mean, the call was correct, but after numerous misses in the minutes before, if you were in Gimenez's shoes, you would probably feel more than a bit miffed about seeing your goal called off for offside. So these lower league fogeys got to kicking around the ladies of Hannasea. Granted, they were already doing this the whole time before, but after Gimenez lost a goal thanks to offside, the kicking around got a little bit more... obvious, shall we say. Now obviously I do not condone violence against women, or really, violence against anyone, but in a way I do understand where these Fhulgs are coming from. It's shockingly easy to start lashing out at your opponents when you feel like things aren't really going your way, and unless you're extremely disciplined you will act on those feelings. That's just the way us humans are, sadly.

But then there's always that one guy who just has to take it too far, and that guy happened to be the aforementioned Sotiris Baratos, who had no reason to go for a studs-up tackle on Rebecca Morgan yet he did it anyway. The marching orders had to be issued. This of course forced Antonis Papadimitriou into a formational change to three at the back, which I honestly don't get, but then again Papadimitriou is a manager and I'm not, so what the hell do I know? Anyway, the breakthrough for the Fhulgs would come from the result of such a formational change. Francisco Jose Juarez is a man who's apparently comfortable playing the "right back" in a three at the back formation, so in he goes to replace Charalambos Kontides, and it turns out, the bloody bastard's an aerial threat as well! The fancy tiki-taka Wexlerball didn't do so well against Hannasea so it's back to good old lower league set piece tactics for the Colonists! Christ above, when you think about it, if the Fhulgs had decided to stick to their guns and just set piece the Hannaseans to death, well, they might actually have been thought of as tactical geniuses! As it is though, they look like a bunch of non-league semi-pros who've bullied these women on the pitch just because this is the only place that they could get away with it.

Anyway, that's all that there is for me. If you've got any comments of your own about the match against Hannasea or predictions against Ethane then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I've been the Man from Markovsky, disappointed that a bunch of farmers from our colony is doing better than our own national team.

HANNASEAN FEDERATION 0 - 1 FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA
                           JUAREZ (79')

[Xanneria]

Sluggish and soggy Xanneria pulls out the win versus Burgburgh
exceprt from http://www.xtrasports.xan/nationalteam.htm

HANNASEA - It did take a while but now the Maroons can sleep comfortable at night knowing they won! A 2-1 victory sees the Maroons lead their group as the Maroons beat out a charming and resilient Burghburg team 2-1. The game was played in a rather humid swamp as there had been horrible rains during the morning of the match and it seemed as if a kayaking contest was to be partook of rather than a football game. But alas the sun did shine by the start of the match with a brutal beaming sun scorching the waterlogged lake. And when I say lake I meant the pitch. It became quite apparent the humidity of having a water logged pitch would be a factor. Heck even Coach Rhule was seen, very early on in the game stripping down to a wifebeater and his slacks, just cause of the horrid humidity. On the pitch it didn't seem to effect the athletes battling back in forth, what did hurt the maroons,albeit temporarily, was the actual water on the pitch and not the water in the atmosphere. an errant Xander Washington pass ended up falling short due to water and it was Burgburgh's Celeste Forester who got the ball as a result and saved it from swampy doom and into the waiting feet of “Sunshine” Lewin. In Fact they kept taking advantage of these bogged down Maroons and if it was for the overly optimistic shots of Lewin it could have been a rout in the favor of the cattle workers. Once halftime hit though we could see the field dry a bit more and soon it was obvious that gave the maroons an advantage.

The Maroons started off with a bang! Kyle Falcon and Andre Gasey teamed up to attempt and get a goal in and while there were some hardcore passing moves that would make any ballhandler blush with envy they got the best of themselves when the shot Falcon took bounced off the upright and was picked up by. Levi Odell. Odell then threw the ball lightly across his body as he was in the lower side of the pitch to what he hoped would be Jojo Gärtner but it hit one of the most waterlogged parts of the field and suddenly a 20 player mad dash for the ball was on, as Odell didn't notice the blunder till it was to late. The Dash was won by Falcon who then promptly got one by the massively out of place and distracted goalkeeper.

The remaining goal was scored in minute 72' the winner as it turned out was a more traditional goal but as the ground dried the speed of forward Andrew Gasey shown and he got a breakaway from the Burg' defenders and put one right by the goalie Odell. Meanwhile the next game will see an ol' freind of the Maroons show up. Vangaziland has rejoined regional football and was placed in the group with Xanneria. The first non-freindly game Xanneria ever played was a Campionato Esportiva match against Vangazaland. The Maroons lost 2-1 and this will be the first time the two teams faced off since that fateful day 18 years ago.

XANNERIA - 2
Falcon 49'
Gasey 72'

BURGBURG- 1
Lewin 12'

[Tumbra]

A random Place 1-1 Tumbra
(4-3-3): 1 - Louis Addison; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Harry Henderson, 5 - Johnny Brown, 3 - Russell White (18 - Marcus Bradley, 78'); 6 - Vincent Hicks, 8 - Craig McGrath, 16 - Phil Cole ; 7 - Robin Vaughn, 21 - Dylan van Heirolf (9 - Neil Fraser, 67'); 11 - Philip Cohen (22 - Marcus Sheldon, 67')

Scorers: Robin Vaughn (38')

OOC note: Despite the Couno Herald being the national paper of record, it is mostly seen as having a left-of-centre/liberal bent.

ELECTION 2021
Out of the Ashes, a new Conservative Party
Alan Spalko has transformed the Conservatives' image since he took over in December. Will he be able to ride that wave into Parliament?


Federal Conservative leader Alan Spalko in Georgia. He has never left the state throughout the election campaign, insisting that state Conservative parties run a loosely-unified yet coherent campaign.

NOTTINGHAM - When Alan Spalko took the reigns of the Georgian Conservative Party in 2017, he became the first of a "new wave" of conservatism, or so he proclaimed. A new strand of conservatism that would move away from the tired, old brand of conservatism that had long been associated with stagnation, unnecessary moral panics and being seen as the party of angry old people who couldn't keep up with today's politics.

Instead, Spalko said, his party would advocate for true conservatism and patriotism - to ensure that control of Tumbra would remain with Tumbrans, instead of having jobs continually moved overseas. A party of the people, for the people, focused on Tumbran values and the return of power to Tumbra. Tightening immigration. Promote Tumbran patriotism, something which Spalko observed was "lacking in our schools and all, creating a generation of people who only [...] know how to criticise our fair country, making it far weaker."

Controversial? Definitely. The 43 year old got his start in politics as a Liberal party activist, participating in the Young Liberals. He left the party, however, in 1995, and joined the New Democratic Party, which had just sprung up as a means of protest against the Liberals. Their sole MP, John Burchamp, then-MP for Finnley, had left the party after decrying it for having sold Tumbra out on the international stage, allowing multinational companies to dictate policy and refusing to oppose Labour's policy on lenient immigration. Spalko was enthralled by the veteran MP, and was one of the first people to join, helping to create the Georgian New Democratic Party.

He didn't run in the 1996 elections, where the infamous "Triple Alliance" of the Conservatives, Tumbra First and New Democrats contested as a unified figure on the right, ran candidates in all 650 seats (a first for the right) and came within inches of denying Labour a majority government. Instead, he actively campaigned for Mr. Burchamp in Hendon, who held his seat by a wafer-thin margin. Ultimately, support for the Triple Alliance vanished as soon as it appeared, and the NDP merged with the Conservatives in 1998.

Spalko wasn't the biggest fan of this move - after all, the image the Conservatives had throughout their early years (and some would say they still hold on to, today) was that of an anti-Communist, hard-right vanguard at a time when the left-wing Social Democratic Party was gaining momentum and looking likely to hold the balance of power in Tumbra. Over the years, however, their image remained as it did even as the SDP mellowed out, and managing to pick up a reputation of a party of racists, evangelicals and the like. The disparate wings of the party were never in full agreement with each other, but their main motivation was to deny Labour a majority, but they just didn't like the Liberals enough - whom they decried as "pansies" or "stick-in-the-muds", unwilling to properly resist what they saw as Labour's gradual extension of the federal government's power throughout the 60s and 70s. The alternative, however, was political oblivion - he was now persona non grata to the Liberals. So he made the jump, and became his new party's youth wing leader in Georgia in 2003, being elected as state party leader in 2017. Immediately upon becoming party leader, he pulled support from the Liberal-Moderate government, denouncing it as not being conservative enough.

This brings us back to his "new" brand of conservatism, or whatever he proclaimed it to be. The 2018 state election was Spalko's first test, and the manifesto the Conservatives released drew attention at first for not just the content within, but for the detail of the policy presented within as well, which had far outstripped the length and breadth of any effort released by any Conservative Party so far. An expansion of the state safety net was one thing, but Spalko wished to get the power to control migration levels into Georgia, and he promised to lower them by a lot.

On the campaign trail, Spalko attracted attention for being brash, outspoken and a solid critic of pretty much anyone. He didn't just campaign against then-Premier James Cooke, but against Prime Minister Kenneth Everett as well, decrying them both for being in bed with each other and conspiring to sell out Tumbran jobs to other Esportivan countries, or the gradual social degredation of morals amongst his own generation. When called out, he simply responded that he couldn't give a damn - that he was just speaking truth to power. He campaigned especially hard in northern Georgia, which had been hit hard by the recession of 2015, and his words definitely resonated with the region that just so happened to be socially conservative.

The Georgian Conservative Party gained 5 seats in that election, vaulting them to 10 seats. Spalko himself won his own race in North Nottingham, getting a majority of first preference votes. The swing away from the Liberals was 13.8%.

So what has made Spalko so attractive that he managed to wrest away the leadership of the Conservatives from long-time leader Avery Mitchell, for whom their leadership conference last year was meant to be a crowning triumph - given that he'd managed to secure the merger of the other party in the Conservatives
sphere of influence, Tumbra First? Was it his message of economic populism and nationalism? Or was it his youth and charisma, making the Conservative Party actually an attractive prospect to vote for rather than something people would rather either hold their noses and put the "1" next to, or actually voicing your support for the party out loud instead of something to keep quiet about?

It, as always, is more complicated. But the now federal Conservative leader looks likely to win the seat of Nottingham - which he's contesting in - by a large margin. Whether he'll be able to bring in any of his fellow candidates, who have all been given large scale roles in the Georgian campaign, remains to be seen. Robert Breyer, his de facto right hand man and major policy wonk, is contesting in Waterford. Kathleen Nielsen, who masterminded Spalko's unorthodox campaign, is contesting in Coville, where she goes up against former Cabinet Minister and veteran MP John Harrison, requiring a 16% swing to unseat him. Courtney Kemp, who has been responsible for many of the ground events, contests in Golade, while Jacob Licht, the deputy Georgian Conservative leader, is contesting in Medine. Spalko, who hasn't left the state of Georgia - instead telling state Conservative parties to effectively run their own campaigns, but with a unified message - is focusing all in on the Erie region that took his party from 5 seats to 10 in that 2018 election, in the hope that the previously-flagging fortunes of the Conservatives will be revived.

All 5 have a shot of winning their seats. Despite the current Herald prediction that the Conservatives will gain just one seat - that of Spalko's - things could very well change if a polling bump improves the Conservatives' numbers yet again. Will that pose a problem for the Liberals' path back to government? Or will it force them to change tack, moving back towards the right and allowing another party to occupy the middle?

That, Spalko would say, is a problem for the Liberals. Because he couldn't give a damn.

[Hannasea]

MD3 cutoff.

Lots of cliffhangers will be resolved today.

In parliament, will the Agriculture Bill pass unamended, with the tireless efforts of the lobbyists to add a rider legalizing carcinogenic fertilizers sadly going in vain?

In the hit soap opera Emergency Lawyer Hospital & Order, will Dr. Samantha declare her true feelings for District Attorney Rick before the pre-trial motion to give her identical twin sister who was abducted by aliens a brain transplant?

In finance, will the Central Bank inflation report do anything to stop crypto hucksters claiming that their alt-coin currently worth 0.00001 guild coins is going to the moon any day now?

In football, will Hannasea manage to score even a single goal in a tournament they are hosting?

no

Mercers Group
The Grearish Union 1–0 The Hannasean Federation
Fhulghamous Peninsula 1–2 Ethane

  Mercers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ethane                        3   3  0  0    8   2  +6    9
2 Fhulghamous Peninsula         3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6
3 The Grearish Union            3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3
4 The Hannasean Federation      3   0  0  3    0   4  −4    0

Pepperers Group
Gergary 4–1 Hallikshire
Starcom Racing 4–4 South Newlandia

  Pepperers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gergary                       3   3  0  0   10   4  +6    9
2 South Newlandia               3   1  1  1    7   7   0    4
3 Starcom Racing                3   0  2  1    5   7  −2    2
4 Hallikshire                   3   0  1  2    1   5  −4    1

Glaziers Group
Ancherion 2–4 Nova Anglicana
Natanians and Nosts 3–4 Newmanistan

  Glaziers Group              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Newmanistan                   3   2  1  0    9   7  +2    7
2 Nova Anglicana                3   2  0  1    8   6  +2    6
3 Natanians and Nosts           3   1  0  2    8   9  −1    3
4 Ancherion                     3   0  1  2    7  10  −3    1

Mongers Group
Racing 2–0 Sahuarita
Sylestone 0–1 Brenecia

  Mongers Group               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brenecia                      3   3  0  0    9   5  +4    9
2 Racing                        3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6
3 Sylestone                     3   1  0  2    1   2  −1    3
4 Sahuarita                     3   0  0  3    5  10  −5    0

Management Consultants Group
Esportivan Darmen 0–3 The Licentian Isles
Gouvanarch 3–0 Vdara (forfeit)*

  Management Consultants Group Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Licentian Isles            3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Esportivan Darmen              3   2  0  1    7   6  +1    6
3 Gouvanarch                     3   1  0  2    4   4   0    3
4 Vdara                          3   0  0  3    4  10  −6    0

* The actual result as scorinated was Gouvanarch 0–1 Vdara. Because Vdara left the region during the tournament the hosts consider this a forfeit, but leave it to the overall organizers to decide which result to use for ranking points purposes.

Skinners and Tailors Group
Burgburgh 4–0 Panarialion
Vangaziland 0–1 Xanneria

  Skinners and Tailors Group  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Xanneria                      3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Burgburgh                     3   2  0  1    9   4  +5    6
3 Vangaziland                   3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
4 Panarialion                   3   0  0  3    1   9  −8    0

Musicians Group
Damukuni 0–1 A random Place
Tumbra 0–0 Hampton Island

  Musicians Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Hampton Island                3   2  1  0    5   0  +5    7
2 Tumbra                        3   1  2  0    5   3  +2    5
3 A random Place                3   1  1  1    2   4  −2    4
4 Damukuni                      3   0  0  3    2   7  −5    0

Solderers Group
The Golden Lotus 0–3 Nuovo Juvencus (forfeit)**
Ceyne Isles 3–3 Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom

  Solderers Group             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom       3   1  2  0    6   5  +1    5
2 Ceyne Isles                   3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
3 The Golden Lotus              3   1  1  1    3   5  −2    4
4 Nuovo Juvencus                3   1  0  2    3   3   0    3

** The actual result as scorinated was The Golden Lotus 0–1 Nuovo Juvencus. Because The Golden Lotus went CTE during the tournament the hosts consider this a forfeit, though only the margin of victory was affected in any case so it had no bearing on advancement because even as scorinated Ceyne Isles would have had the superior GD.

Playoff seedings:

                               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Ethane                        3   3  0  0    8   2  +6    9†
 2 Gergary                       3   3  0  0   10   4  +6    9
 3 Xanneria                      3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9†
 4 The Licentian Isles           3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
 5 Brenecia                      3   3  0  0    9   5  +4    9
 6 Hampton Island                3   2  1  0    5   0  +5    7
 7 Newmanistan                   3   2  1  0    9   7  +2    7
 8 Burgburgh                     3   2  0  1    9   4  +5    6
 9 Nova Anglicana                3   2  0  1    8   6  +2    6†
10 Racing                        3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6
11 Fhulghamous Peninsula         3   2  0  1    4   3  +1    6†
12 Esportivan Darmen             3   2  0  1    7   6  +1    6
13 Tumbra                        3   1  2  0    5   3  +2    5
14 Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom       3   1  2  0    6   5  +1    5
15 Ceyne Isles                   3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
16 South Newlandia               3   1  1  1    7   7   0    4

† Ethane and Gergary, The Licentian Isles and Xanneria, Nova Anglicana and Racing, and Esportivan Darmen and Fhulgamous Peninsula, were sorted on IC coin flip (OOC simulated match using RP bonus in lieu of rank).

No re-seedings to avoid group stage rematches were needed.

Round of 16

(1) Ethane v South Newlandia (16) @ Swordbreak Road
(2) Gergary v Ceyne Isles (15) @ The Big Mong
(3) Xanneria v Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom (14) @ Jellyblooble Bay Park
(4) The Licentian Isles v Tumbra (13) @ Mercer Park
(5) Brenecia v Esportivan Darmen (12) @ Butterpond Street
(6) Hampton Island v Fhulghamous Peninsula (11) @ Katie Walsh Stadium
(7) Newmanistan v Racing (10) @ Oceanbay Park
(8) Burgburgh v Nova Anglicana (9) @ Moontide Park

[The Licentian Isles]

149 years ago in the Licentian Isles

That dream truly did have an impact on my life after that day.

It might seem like an incredible cliche to have changed my life so much based on a dream, but after the year that I had, I couldn’t really do anything else. It was such a clear signal that I needed to do something different. Even if it was made up in my own head, I had my sister’s voice echoing in my head.

Grow.

I began to search the internet to try and see just how many people were feeling the way I did. After the first few weeks I had shied away from reading other people’s accounts of friends and family members who were stuck outside the Isles; it was simply too much of a trigger for my own misery, and I didn’t need any more of those. Now, with Mhairi’s words filling my mind, I sought out things that I had avoided for so long.

It turned out that in the past year many people had written and spoken about their struggles with losing their nearest and dearest to whatever had befallen our nation. There was a strange dynamic to a lot of their accounts, one that I very much recognised in my own thinking. It was the idea that we had no clue what was happening to our loved ones across the rest of the multiverse. Uncertainty is such a difficult thing to deal with anyway; in our situation over the past year, uncertainty had strangely become one of the few things that we could be sure of in our lives, like death and taxes.

There were many different angles to this fear of what had happened to our loved ones. Many people had experienced the same thing as me: they had lost their rock. Whether it be a parent, grandparent, or older sibling, their role model had suddenly vanished from their life, with no means of contacting them. Some were experiencing opposing feelings. Maybe it was a child or younger sibling that had gone, someone who they had protected with all of their being for as long as they had known that person. Now, they felt guilty about no longer being able to keep that person safe, and not knowing what may befall them. Still others ruminated on the final conversation between them and their missing loved one, and regretted whatever had occurred on that occasion. An argument with a parent, a lover’s quarrel, a terse conversation with their closest friend. Now, within our strange paranormal bubble, they could do nothing but ponder what may be their final words to that person.

Looking at all of these experiences, I was struck by the similarities to those feelings that people would have when a loved one died. I was reminded of grandparents dying, and feeling a similar way about those final conversations. However, it was not exactly the same. In death, there was a certainty. You knew that nothing would change, and that person, whoever they may be, was not going to come back. You could reflect, sure, but there was no possibility of being able to change what had happened.

Here, however, we came back to the insufferable uncertainty that plagued us all. For all we knew, there could be things happening in the outside world; a chance that all of this would go away, and we could see these people once again. It meant that there was another angle on which you could become stuck in your own thinking. I had often found myself pondering what I would say to Mhairi if she came back, thinking about how amazing it would be to see her again.

The more I read and watched, the more that I saw my own struggles in the people across the Isles. We were all experiencing a national tragedy, and while some of us were more acutely affected than others, it seemed that there was no support system. It was as if the country didn’t know what people in my situation needed. Was this my calling? My opportunity to grow?

A few days after I dreamt about my sister, I wrote to my boss to resign from my job at the accountancy firm. In all honesty, I don’t think that they would have been sad to see me go; I hadn’t given much of a shit about that job for years, and my productivity had been further reduced since the Isles were cut off. I was grateful to have had the job for as long as I had though. It meant I had some savings put away, a safety net that I’d kept for a rainy day. I don’t think anyone would argue that in the past year, it had absolutely chucked it down.

I spent the next week shut in my flat, but for a different reason than before. I was writing like a man possessed. I didn’t know what to call what I was putting together. A plan? A manifesto? A call to action? Whatever it was, it demanded all of my time.

By the end of it, I had written pages and pages of text. I had summarised what I had seen online from the past year. I had theorised about what was missing to support those people affected. I had summarised how the government could act to better us all. I had come up with a plan. I would publish this online on the same day that I took it directly to the building housing the Federal Council in Montfort. I would become an activist, and advocate for the needs of the people experiencing situations similar to myself. The one thing that I wasn’t sure of was how to name this new venture. I hoped that this would become more than myself, that it would resonate, and people would join me in demanding action. So it needed a name. After a wee bit of time, I realised that the name had been rolling through my head the whole time, in Mhairi’s words from that dream.

I would name it “Grow”.

---

Esportivan Darmen 0-3 The Licentian Isles

Licentian Goals - A. McGregor (21 mins), R. Grant (36 mins), A. van Oers (68 mins)

LBC’s Player of the Match - Arlo McGregor (The Licentian Isles)

[Xanneria]

Nerves abound as Xanneria preps for playoffs
excerpt from http://www.xtrasports.xan/nationalteam.htm

HANNASEA - It's been a story that has dogged the Xannerian national team as long as time has itself. Well for the last 12 years at least it feels like. Ever since the Cup of Harmony 78 where the Xannerian Maroons got out to a fast start only to falter in the Ro16, it's been a huge problem for the Maroons. Now with the 1-0 win over Vangaziland in the last matchday the trepidation of having a early exit is there. With the Maroons having gone a total of 1-2 in the last three Playoffs it's not good. Now after a 1-0 win, the Xannerian team was moved to fourth place in the overall seeding but controversy has arisen as seeding was done by a straught ranking of the top two teams rather than a placement. This means a tough Zeta Reka team will face off against the Maroons as a 14 seed. Zeta Reka finished fourth in the prior CE and is one of the up and coming world powers in football and especially in Esportiva. In fact they went undefeated, but had two draw and came away with a lower than should be 4 points.

As for the game, it was clear that the Vannish team was overmatched. the 1-0 scoreline should reflect more about the nature of how Coach Rhule coached. Rhule got a goal in fairly quickly from Kevin Bryse, who was put in with a 3-3-4 line up and it was seen as a good goal for the young player who has recently announced intentions to move abroad, his team Newport United was relegated last season but Bryse himself was never the issue. This versatility should help him out in the long run for his career. Another player intending to move was goal keeper Markus Portsman. Portsman has played for CAP a Valladar newcomer but it appears that the team may be a Valladar Yo-Yo team instead. Portsman will also be looking to move on after this TW and this game will sure help his stock. With all these players looking at moving on maybe they'll put up a good showing for the teams prospecting for a OM or a GK or even an ST/OM combo. We could use some against Zeta Reka.

XANNERIA - 1
Bryse 15'

VANGAZILAND - 0

[Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva]

Fleet-footed fullbacks pace Lions past Ancherites

It's official! The Nova Anglicana Lions have not only broken their seven-match winless streak, but they have an actual winning streak, defeating 10th-ranked Ancherion 4-2 in the Campionato Esportiva. They have also returned to the playoffs for the first time since CE18, though that does include a stretch of non-participation.

Coming into the game, Nova Anglicana and Natanians and Nosts were tied on 3 points, while Newmanistan led the group on 4 points and Ancherion trailed at 1. A loss would have done nothing for them, while a draw would have forced them to rely on Newmanistan defeating Natanians and Nosts. Their fate was in their hands; a win would get them through.

In the first half, it was the two fullbacks, Sean Reed and Bradley Fuller, who got things going. In the Nova Anglican system, the fullbacks adapt as necessary to gain victory for their side. With the Ancherite 4-2-3-1 making it difficult for the Nova Anglican midfield to gain any purchase through the middle, the fullbacks commenced bombing runs up and down the sidelines. In the 14th minute, this paid off, as Reed was the recipient of a Will Bartholomew cross and headed it past Clyde Zenin of FC Armouri, giving the Lions an early 1-0 lead. Fuller's moment came in the 31st minute, as he forced a deflection off of an Ancherite defender that led to a corner. Dave Sorensen's in-swinging cross found Fuller's head as he soared above the Ancherite defense, and he made it 2-0 on the second header goal of the game. Ancherion asked for a possible pushoff by Fuller, but no call was forthcoming from the referee. The score remained 2-0 going into the half, despite a valiant effort by Mamadou Kaur in the 44th minute, corralling a pass from Yaqiza Halperin and blasting a shot on net, but Tim Hopkins made the difficult save and kept the clean sheet alive.

In the second half, Kaur, perhaps enraged by his stifling in the first half, worked his way around Matt Woods, the young defender from Springs FC, with surprising ease and this time, would not miss. His strike was simply too close for Hopkins to make an adequate defense, and the ball thudded into the back of the net in the 51st minute, cutting the deficit in half. The next ten minutes flowed in favor of Ancherion, as they had the majority of the possession and managed two more shots on goal. But Hopkins saved both of them and kept the Lions ahead. They needed this win and Tim Hopkins wasn't going to be the reason they didn't get it. In the 66th minute, Fuller struck again, pressuring Kolos Haynes and tempting him into a foul that resulted in a free kick. Colby Parker lined up, and in a surprising move, lined it over the wall and over the outstretched fingertips of Zenin, with the bolt of a shot crashing into the upper 90 of the net, making it 3-1. Following the goal, Parker was mobbed by his teammates near the corner flag as he did a power slide to celebrate. Up 3-1, the Lions went for the kill. In the 72nd minute, Luc Gagne scythed through the defense, and sent the ball across the face of goal, evading Zenin again and finding Sorensen on the other side for the easy tap-in. At 4-1, the Lions slow-played it, knowing all they had to do was avoid giving up three goals in approximately 20 minutes. Halperin found the net in minute 85, an absolute blast of a shot from outside the box, but it was too little, too late. The Lions took the game 4-2 and made their way into the Round of 16 for the first time in a long time.

In the other game, Newmanistan defeated Natanians and Nosts 4-3 to finish 2-1-0, atop the group, and earn the #7 seed. They will play 10th seeded Racing.

Who are the Lions' Round of 16 opponents? They will take on 8th seeded Burgburgh from the Skinners and Tailors Group. The Burgeoisie are ranked 12th in the CE, and come from a nation of cattle ranchers that live on a "high, dry, and sun-baked plateau". Therefore, one can assume they are accustomed to harsh conditions and are a hardy people. In the group stage, Burgburgh defeated 23rd-ranked Vangaziland 4-2, dropped a game to group leaders and 4th-ranked Xanneria 2-1, and blasted debutantes Panarialion 4-0. They finished with a record of 2-0-1, the same as the Lions and will be a difficult foe to defeat. The Lions have not experienced playoff football in some time, whereas Burgburgh at least made the playoffs in the previous Campionato. It will be a true struggle as the Lions take on their nominatively deterministic opponenents.

Should the Lions prevail over their ranch hand foes, they will face the winner of #1 Ethane vs. #16 South Newlandia. Neither will be an easy match, as both sides have had World Cup success and are ranked 8th and 7th in the region, respectively. But there's no point in looking ahead. The Burgeoisie showed an excellent attack and will be difficult to stop, so all the Lions' attention must be on them for now. If the Lions hope to advance to their fifth CE quarterfinal, they'll need to curb the Burgburgh attack and find the net themselves.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 0-0 Hampton Island
(4-3-3) 13 - Lennon; 3 - Hughes, 23 - Paterson (4 - Henderson; 66'), 5 - Brown, 2 - White (19 - Harris; 66'); 15 - Aitken, 6 - Hicks, 10 - Herlinger (16 - Cole, 79'); 9 - Fraser, 7 - Vaughn; 22 - Sheldon

Scorers: Nil

Player of the Match: Ryan Hughes

Follow-up to this post.

SPORT:A Look Into the TFF; A Thin Line between Politics and Sport

STRATON - The perhaps controversial plans to reformat the sizes of the six-division Tumbran Football League passed today, 92-36. All opposition came from Fourth Division teams, who were perhaps wary of the increased gameload they would now have to face in the new Fourth Divison, which will be expanded from the current 18 clubs in each geographical division to 24, increasing their matches per season from 34 to a record 46 matches. The move would be allayed with additional financial support for lower division sides, yet the prospect of additional finances was apparently not enough to sway the lower-league clubs to vote yes. In a press conference held after the vote, the Tumbran Football Federation (TFF) Chairman Jeremy Bennett expressed confidence that this shift would "lighten the load on our top division players, freeing them up to be fully rested for international club football...which as we all know is the goal. We're in this to go as far as possible."

The proposed move - which, along with the enlargement of the Fourth Division, would see the Premier Division, Second Division and Third Division lose between two and four clubs each - was sought out by Bennett, with the implicit support of the Big Six clubs of Tumbran football, as the league opens its doors not just to international competition but also to international players. Most, if not all, restrictions on foreign player transfers have been removed at the behest of all Premier Division clubs, who have dived into the transfer market for more foreign players and managers following the success that Banijan Kiggwe Siakam brought to Couno Rangers, as well as the five Qusmi who joined Couno Rangers and Fraser Valley. One player - Kingsbury United and Black Eagles' wonderkid Dylan van Heirolf - has already made the leap overseas, to Miruan City of Tikariot. Many more, such as recently out-of-contract Dan Galbraith, and Clyde Park's Neil Fraser, look locked on for a move overseas as well.

But why was this move even mooted in the first place? Perhaps much more can be read into, regarding the state of the politics of sports in Tumbra. The TFF is by far the most powerful sports association in Tumbra, with its only competition so far perhaps being the Tumbran National Olympics Committee, which has yet to participate in an actual Olympics competition. Most other sports have a limited level of professionalisation in Tumbra; such is the state of association football in Tumbra that even sports popular elsewhere in the multiverse like hockey, basketball and gridirion - the latter being almost exclusively a collegiate sport, perhaps gaining some controversy when a team from the Gamaliel State University contested in the World Bowl, attempting to masquerade as a Tumbran team. (The coach - one Charlie Brown - was later arrested for personating a public servant, and his case remains under investigation.) Even motorsports - the second most popular sport in Tumbra, and one that has seen one Tumbran represent it on the global stage - barely holds a candle to the Tumbran footballing scene. Football is, in essence, baked into Tumbran DNA, and has done so since the game was introduced to Tumbra by Quebecois merchantmen in the 1880s. Football is home to Tumbra's oldest sporting knockout competition - the Republic Cup, first contested in 1903 - and its oldest sporting league of any kind - the Tumbran Football League, first organised seven years later. It was the reason why Tumbran sports shied away from the international stage in the 1910s, when it independently decided to refuse entry into its leagues by all foreigners - a move later followed by other sports - and why the standard of Tumbran sports perhaps lags behind less populous, yet more successful nations, like South Newlandia and Chromatika.

The TFF's status, therefore, as the custodian of a big part of Tumbran culture and also as the governing body of the biggest sport in Tumbra led it to consolidate its power in many ways. Perhaps afraid of losing its hold on other sports, rumours have long circulated that the TFF's executive body have always sought to stymie the progress of other sports in Tumbra - including, most crucially, professionalisation. Has the TFF blocked the professionalisation of other sports, in a bid to keep its near-monopoly status? It is difficult to say. Domestic motorsports in Tumbra only began in 1990, after a long push by many a car enthusiast club and some behind-the-scenes wrangling by then-Premier George Daniels of Napier, a long race-enthusiast himself. A bid for hockey to go professional in 1996 was defeated at the very last minute by the tightest of margins, and this time they had nobody in the corridors of power to vouch for themselves. Collegiate football has been placed under many, many restrictions in Tumbra, so much so that people commenting on team managing to compete in the World Bowl were more so amazed by the fact that they managed to get away with it for so long without being detected, rather than the Misfits of Gamaliel State going 4-4 against much stronger, much hardened opposition. The TFF's stranglehold on the sporting world has allowed the domestic football scene to flourish, but perhaps at the expense of other sports.

And it is this expense that the Labour government have tried to rectify in the previous four years, but to no success. Another push is expected once a new government takes office (most expect it to be Labour, as in the latest Herald prediction), but the TFF, along with the Big Six, are expected to resist as hard as they have just as they have done any effort to lessen their power. But why the Big Six? How did this moniker come about?

The Big Six are perhaps an accidental bunch, but nonetheless since 1992 have grown to become the biggest six clubs (as their name suggests) in Tumbra. Comprised of Lakewood United, Couno Rangers, Serrapince FC, Inter Nantwich and Straton FC at first, the Big Five (as they were then known) monopolised league titles and cup wins between 1992 and 2012, when Lakewood City unexpectedly won their first title since 1978. Having repeated the feat five times in the intervening nine years, they began being counted as part of the gang on top of Tumbran football in 2014, after they won their sixth title. The six are now the most successful clubs in Tumbra together they have won 77 of the 111 top division titles. That level of success has also turned them into the biggest clubs financially in the country; markedly so, as well. The gulf between the big six and the club that managed to squeak into sixth last season (overtaking Inter Nantwich, to boot), Clyde Park, recorded an operating revenue about one-eighth the revenue that winners Lakewood City did. Their influence over the TFF have also grown immensely, as a result - the six are generally assumed to have an automatic veto over any proposal of the TFF; should any of the six express their disapproval of any proposal, it will generally either be withdrawn or shot down at the next voting session. They do not, however, have much power over what the TFF does propose; for all their crying out for a reform to the Republic Cup to save them from first-round embarrassment (as Lakewood United were subjected to last season), or the 50+1 rule that dictates that ordinary members must own at least 50% of all voting shares of any club; the TFF has remained adamant that their stance on these issues will not change. The clubs, then, do not control the TFF as much as they control the agenda for change; and the clubs know very well not to overstep any boundaries, lest the TFF scrap the system of voting entirely and return to control by fiat, as they did between the beginning of the TFL and 2005. In return, the TFF really only proposes proposals that they know that the Big Six will agree with or can be swayed around to, to maintain the illusion of progress being made. Such is the symbiotic relationship between the TFF and the Big Six; in return for the Big Six to not kick up a fuss about issues which the TFF deems important to the other 122 professional clubs, it occasionally gives tidbits to keep the Big Six happy, such as the lifting of transfer caps in 2014. This has led to progress on certain issues, of course, like player safety for head injuries and additional substitutes in league games, but progress has been close to glacial in most aspects.

For these reforms to pass, then, all six clubs must have approved of pretty much every measure the TFF came up with, and gotten the support of two-thirds of clubs, whether through genuine lobbying (as most Second Division and Third Division clubs may have agreed to, given the generous financial incentives lobbed their way), or having their arms twisted (most of the other Premier Division clubs, who might have been reluctant to see a shrinkage of the size of the league, were threatened with having their best assets harvested by overseas clubs). As the vote showed, not everyone could be convinced - but still, why would Fourth Division teams vote for, since they wouldn't see any tangible benefits from increasing the number of foreigners allowed in their squads, and they'd have to contest even more matches in the upcoming seasons?

At the end of the day, so long as the TFF and the Big Six are able to martial up the votes they need, either by arm-twisting or by generous financial packages, they will hold on to control of the TFF's agenda, so long as this dichotomy isn't shattered. Non-footballing sports, and indeed non-Big Six clubs even in football, face a long climb to the top of the greasy pole of Tumbran football - and the longer this control holds on, the more out of reach the top gets.