World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

by **Busoga Islands** » Thu May 27, 2021 7:42 am

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Breaking down World Cup Qualifying- Who will be the top two from Group 16?

Artem Kohut celebrates a goal for the national team

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLAND- It has been a wild ride so far. After a few subpar World Cup Qualifying performances from the Islander national team, Alexander Bumba has seemingly found the right combination, and has our small nation on the path towards our first ever World Cup Qualification. Of course, nothing is won, and nothing is guaranteed- this is one of the tightest groups in World Cup Qualifying, and with three games left for a bunch of solid teams, a whole bunch of things could happen. We could win the group, we could go to the playoff, we, after having been top of the table since Matchday 3, could miss out on the top two entirely and earn a one way ticket to the Cup of Harmony.

With only three games left in the campaign, it's clear who is competing for World Cup Qualifying berths in this group. There are four teams in serious competition for the automatic spot and the playoff spot. But the question is- who will get them? We're going to analyzers the teams in positions 1-4 right now, their remaining games, and our prediction in what we believe to be the most exciting World Cup Qualifying group remaining.

Busoga Islands
Table Position: First. Tiebreakers: Pasarga(overall GD), Ethane(overall GD), Blouman Empire(H2H). Remaining game(prior result against opponent): West Zirconia(0-0 home draw), Ancherion(2-2 away draw), Freeport Isles(2-1 home win)

In a sense, we've never had a better opportunity than this one to qualify directly. Not only are the playoffs well within reach- but we can indeed go out here and win this group. There are two teams with 30 points in the group right now, and that would be us alongside the Blouman Empire. We're tied at the top of the table, but since we beat the Empire twice, including a 4-1 blowout win on Matchday 12, we hold the head to head tiebreaker over them now.

And think of our last three remaining opponents. None of the teams ranked ahead of us. All 3 of our remaining opponents are already eliminated from qualifying for World Cup 88. So on paper, that puts us in a great position. But then, of course, these games are not played on paper. They are played on the pitch. So while we have a great chance, there is one thing that is worrying- our prior performances against our three remaining opponents.

WE didn't look great against any of them. West Zirconia may be in last place in the group, but we struggled to a 0-0 home draw against them last time. Can we create opportunities in the away tie? And more importantly- can we take them? These type of road games make or break a World Cup Qualification campaign, and it's imperative we go and get three points in Rushmore. They're scrappy and resourceful. It won't be easy. But if you want to make the World Cup, those are the types of games that absolutely must be won.

And then, of course, the final home game of the campaign- Ancherion. We struggled hard in Ancherion on Matchday 8, being quite fortunate to earn a point. We're going to have to do much better than that. That game has been moved to Lakiska City Cricket Park to accomodate the huge demand for tickets. Busoga fans will be rocking. Birla will be there. The President will be there. Can we restructure a gameplan that they punctured so dearly at their own house, and find a winning strategy?

As for the Freeport Isles. There's a lot of history there. Remember- at our Baptism of Fire, they knocked us out. We both beat each other in the group stages of our home soil AOCAF. But if we're in a position to qualify for Matchday 18, expect a massive number of Busogan fans to make the short trip across the water.

Blouman Empire
Table Position: Second. Tiebreakers: Ethane(overall GD). Remaining game(prior result against opponent): St. Trinians(0-3 home loss), Pasarga(2-2 away draw), Ethane(3-3 home draw)

The Blouman Empire are level with Busoga on points, but behind on the head to head tiebreaker with our own nation. Therefore, they are second. But they, like our own country, control their own destiny- win their last three games, and they can finish no worse than second.

Unfortunately for them, they probably have the hardest remaining schedule of any team. St. Trinians are their first opponent. Not only is St. Trinians still alive, but St. Trinians blew out the Blouman Empire in the Empire. And then, of course, this side ends the campaign against the surging top two ranked teams in the group- a red hot Pasarga, and a red hot Ethane.

It's a brutal schedule ending. But that toughness of schedule makes us think, while they are in a strong position right now, it is unlikely that they will be able to produce the form required over their final three games of the campaign to finish in a top two spot in this group.

Pasarga
Table Position: Third. Tiebreakers: St. Trinians(H2H). Remaining game(prior result against opponent): Ethane(2-4 home loss), Blouman Empire(2-2 home draw), Gatchingerrak Union(0-1 away loss)

It's been an up and down campaign for the Wanderers, who have already fired their manager. And yet- this is a team chalk full of talent, capable of getting hot at any time. And look at what they have done. Despite all their struggles, they've pulled together enough wins to sit, while not in a qualifying position, just two points behind pole position. Remember- it doesn't really matter where you are in the standings during the campaign, as long as you are top two after MD18.

They have some massive games looming, however. One of the themes here- outside of Busoga, the four sides who are still alive will see a lot of each other over the final three matchdays. Pasarga opens these final three matchdays with a visit to Ethane that could go a long way in deciding which one of those two will be seriously competitive for a spot in the World Cup Finals. A lot of travelling though- away games to Ethane and the Blouman Empire are not easy.

But if there's any team capable of navigating those two tough games, back to back, it is Pasarga. While they should easily dispatch of the Gatchingerrak Union on Matchday 18, it will be those two away games that will do the most to determine whether that match has World Cup stakes, or if it is simply a warmup match for the Cup of Harmony.

Ethane
Table Position: Fourth. Tiebreakers: Pasarga(H2H). Remaining game(prior result against opponent): Pasarga(4-2 away win), West Zirconia(4-4 home draw), Blouman Empire(3-3 away draw)

Two of their final 3 games at home. For a team that has looked really out of sorts for the entirety of the campaign, they've shown enough flashes to find themselves in a decent position. Yes, they are more than game out with only three games remaining, being 4 points outside of the top two. But the toughness of their remaining schedule, with home games remaining against both Pasarga and the Blouman Empire, are both a blessing and a curse.

They have the ability themselves to take points off of two teams in front of them, and to do so against both on their home field. The World Cup 87 co-hosts will have their hands full, however. They resurrected their campaign on the last matchday, scoring a late winner in Lakiska against the Busoga Islands to ensure they take all three points. But yet- although they've beaten Pasarga once, does not mean they can do so again. It's Pasarga. Former World Cup champions. Original Rushmori nation.

Can they make the climb? The world Cup may look out of reach, but a second win against Pasarga would put qualifying right back on the table. This is indeed their moment. Can they get back to the World Cup Finals?

St. Trinians
Table Position: Fifth. Tiebreakers: Busoga Islands(H2H). Remaining game(prior result against opponent): Blouman Empire(3-0 away win), Gatchingerrak Union(1-1 home draw), Grandistania(4-5 away loss)

They probably have the next easiest schedule remaining of the five teams who are alive. But they are also in the most dire position- 5 points off the pace. Their game against the Blouman Empire on Matchday 16 is exactly what it looks to be- an elimination game.

Fortunately for St. Trinians, they are capable of taking 9 points out of a remaining 9. Are they consistent enough, talented enough, to do so? Maybe, maybe not. But the schedule surely allows for it. Blouman Empire is second in the table, but remember, St. Trinians already beat them 3-0. The final two opponents are simply not that good, but St. Trinians did not beat either of them. To finish in the top two, St. Trinians likely needs 9 points from 9, or at least 7 while beating the Blouman Empire, and a lot of help.

It's been a very encouraging campaign if you are a fan of their national team. World Cup 89, maybe? But they will be able to go to the Cup of Harmony most likely with their heads held high.

Moneyline Odds Guide
Betting Odds- Finish first in World Cup Qualifying Group 16
Pasarga: +25
Busoga Islands: +25
Blouman Empire: +75
Ethane: +175
St. Trinians: +750

Betting Odds- Finish Top 2 in World Cup Qualifying Group 16(whether nation finishes first or second is irrelevant)
Busoga Islands: -50
Pasarga: -25
Blouman Empire: +25
Ethane: +50
St. Trinians: +400

Betting Odds- Nation to finish World Cup Qualifying with the most points
Turori: -100
Eura: +100
Farfadillis: +125

Betting Odds- Parlay, odds of both Banija and Busoga each getting 6 points across Matchdays 16 and 17
Parlay: +550

by **Bollonich** » Thu May 27, 2021 8:00 am

The New Fermont Post

Valentians disgrace Bollonich; BFF falls to a new low

It was yesterday when all the World Cup Qualifying teams received invites to a party held in Valentine Z after the 18th match day. This was clearly an effort to mock our Bollonischian traditions of welcoming footballers home and also this is an effort to show off. We Bollonischians, who also consider ourselves Patriots must condemn such disgusting action taken by the Valenians to undermine fellow World Cup nations and ourselves.
What is most shocking and ultimately most hurtful to us is that the BFF accepted this invite and the players shall be directly flying from Glaskopolis to Valentine Z. And it is not only the BFF, other nations such as Atherea and Eshialand have also confirmed that they will be present. It is shocking to us the common people as to how these nations are being so naive. Do they not contemplate or understand how the Valentians have hugely malicious intentions on these invites and even if they do not kill the players by blowing up the stadium, they still are undermining our authority as a nation. It is integral for our government to spot this danger to our national security and immediately call the players back. This invite is a dangerous one, which foretells the intentions of the Valentians to be malicious, and harming our players is something we cannot risk now. Countries like Atherea and Eshialand should also be able to understand otherwise as to what this invite truly means.
It is currently up to the BFS, to make the decision after a large (barely 10,000) number of Bollonischians protested against this. The BFS is most likely to rule in favour of the BFF and this resembles how poisoned our system truly has become today.

by **Valentine Z** » Thu May 27, 2021 8:28 am

Post 7 – The only blowing up is calorie intake.

"Oh, man, some people just not take this so kindly," Valentijn mused, along with the other Valentians who were all looking at her with the rather solemn faces. Was this too soon? Was this somehow coinciding with some solemn event that the Valentians forgot to do a spot check of? Even if a few of the responses have been positive - at least in the news - this one is hitting them a little too hard, perhaps reminiscent of the NSSCRA 10 fiasco that they have recently been through.

"We really should have taken more time with this," Chief Senator Annette thought, with Jolyn nodding beside her, "Still, that is not really your fault, Val. I mean, for one thing, it's good to tell people earlier about the festivities. Plus, we were going out in good spirit."

"Besides, if we somehow decided and managed to hurt or kill them all, you can bet that we will be blacklisted for eternity. No more WC for us. Hell, no more international sports for us, even!"

"제길, I really hate these baseless accusations," Charlene went, a little flared up before re-reading through the entire newspaper section, "They at least should have some degree of responsibility, or hell, prove to the world that we DO have malice, not just "Oh, we THINK...". Well, maybe it won't last that long. Today's news, will be tomorrow's yesterday. But you know what they said: You can be the best strawberry cake in the world, but some people will still prefer chocolate."

"Oooh, that's a keeper. Where is that from?"

"Haha, ahh, it's from this video I was watching about relationships, and just being a person. Good stuff, I should show you later, Gwen."

In a bit of a disbelief, but still somehow positive that this might just blow over, Valentijn gathered everyone over to her desk and started her briefing on the party and what to expect on, as well as to prepare for the next match. Matchdays 16 and 17 - They will be up against Gergary, then Hispinas, the former being at Fate Stadium. This time, other than the training, she briefed up on the individual players on their strengths and weaknesses. "Clarissa, dear, you are the only offensive so far. You are doing pretty well, but yes, seize the opportunity when you can. I believe in you! Holly, your blocks are getting better, I am seeing improvement on the fields. Please do keep at it, and don't get intimidated.

For the defenders, Anastasia: You need to better your stance a bit, otherwise you seem to be okay. There were blunders, but I won't pin this on you. We know that there are people out there playing for keeps. Jacob, less aggression, please. You tend to overstep on the boundaries a little, not in terms of injuring other players, but you tend to be away from Holly a bit too often. Just be careful with that, a'right? Marcus, not a lot of complaints, friend, though you are still very susceptible to getting tackled too hard due to your height. Mandy, you are doing great, but try not to run around too much, save your energy.

Midfielders, hmm. Augustine, good form overall. Not a lot of feedback so far. Genki, your kicks are extremely impressive, I dig it! I might send you off alongside Clarissa for the next game, or next round, maybe. Adrian, good blocking, but you can certainly move back for other Valentians to assist you if needed. Jolyn, good plays, but you tend to stick a little too much in the back. You can try going out, just not as far as Jacob here. No offense, of course! And lastly, ahh, Gwen! Good form and a lot of stamina! Though your kicks could use some improvement. Just a little bit, you are not awful, just improvements."

"All right, ladies and gents, that will be all," Valentijn continued before taking a sip of water and jotting down more notes, "Wishing you guys all the best on the fields tomorrow. Come on, make me proud!"

"Considering what we have went through with NSSCRA 10, where did we go so wrong to get constantly dragged under the mud for no fucking reason?"

by **Graintfjall** » Thu May 27, 2021 8:29 am

Græntfjall – 3 (2)
B. Ernestisson; Lúthersdóttir, T. Ernestisson, Kristersson (69’ Jokulsson (81’)), Markusson; Jvarsson (84’ Guðmannsson ), Álvgeirsdóttir; Mensdóttir, Guttisdóttir (84’ Miansdóttir (90+2’)), Heikkisdóttir (33’); Bergmundursson

Galeanna – 2 (0)
Burton (15’ o.g.), Robinson (50’), Reeves (77’)

Murphtannia – 0 (0)

Græntfjall – 4 (2)
Hárlaugsdóttir; Lúthersdóttir, T. Ernestisson, Reynarsson (65’ Kristersson (71’)), Markusson (35’); Jvarsson, Bjørnsson; Mensdóttir (64’ Álvgeirsdóttir ), Guttisdóttir, Heikkisdóttir (67’ L. Rögnvaldursson ); Þórhallursson (7’, 61’, 78’)

Galeanna players taken from BoF roster.

The Snow Wolves didn’t so much keep their chances alive as keep their noses above water with a pair of wins. Realistically, they are still no longer in control of their World Cup destiny and with their most difficult set of matches coming up, against Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom and Audioslavia, could record two wins – and still fail to qualify if Poafmersia continue to win. “We’re in the unpleasant situation of now having to hope other teams lose rather than just being able to make our own destiny,” admitted veteran right winger Bríana Noahsdóttir, who has earned a surprise recall.

The Zeta Rekan game at the Grander International Arena should have been a moment of triumph for one of Steinaux’s own, with Hrærekur Jvarsson set to play his 100th international game – the first Græntfjaller to reach the historic number – but he has been ruled out with a recurrence of his old back injury. It means that, on Steinaux soil, the team will be led by former Gunzlach legend Jason Þórhallursson, voted captain by his teammates for the first time after his return from suspension. He atoned for past indiscretions by thumping a hat-trick, the second of his NT career, past an indifferent Murphtannia, whom the Snow Wolves recorded a second 4 – 0 win over.

Earlier they had been pressed far harder by Galeanna. An own goal and a Hanne Heikkisdóttir free-kick gave them a 2 – 0 lead at the half, but Galeanna scored twice to level, and it took a late header from substitute defender Stefan Jokulsson to snatch the win and cling onto three points. More goals conceded by Björnólfur Ernestisson proved the last straw, and Gabríella Hárlaugsdóttir stepped up (wo)manfully to record a clean sheet against Murphtannia and keep the #1 jersey for the big coming clash, which also see Álfar Ásvaldursson and Emeli Vilbertsdóttir back in the fold after their earlier injuries.

23 player squad for MD16–17 (expected starters in bold): Hárlaugsdóttir, B. Ernestisson, Jorgesson; Lúthersdóttir, T. Ernestisson, Reynarsson, Vilbertsdóttir, Björnsdóttir, Matteosdóttir, Thorleifsson, R. Rögnvaldursson; Ásvaldursson, Miansdóttir, Guttisdóttir, Tronsson, Grímólfursson, Álvgeirsdóttir; Noahsdóttir, Heikkisdóttir; Þórhallursson (c), L. Rögnvaldursson, Dannysdóttir, Jonathansdóttir

second

“…yes I authorized the mission, and yes I’d do it again. Any loss of Græntfjaller life is regrettable but great sacrifices sometimes have to be made in the war against tyranny. During my own time in the armed forces, I wasn’t afraid…”

“Afraid of what? You were sat behind a desk in a supply depot fifty miles behind any action! Papercuts?”

[audible audience laughter]

“I wasn’t afraid…”

“Scant consolation to the families of young Græntfjaller men sent off to die for a pointless cause in a foreign jungle.”

“It is not a pointless cause to defend…”

“Defense against a bunch of pygmies waving around pictures of priests?”

“Enough! I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion, and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids!”

[audible audience confusion]

“ppprrreeeccciiiooouuusss … bbbooodddiiilllyyy … fffllluuuiiidddsss…”

Háttmark Harbinger

ND

ElectionBONK

you

feelings

Yes.

natural

like

always

Ddder…

not

* Græntfjall does not have a big tradition of lawns, given the weather. Most Græntfjaller houses do, however, have lovely rockeries, often featuring small houses for færie spirits and lucky charms to ward off kraken attacks.
** Because Gunzlach and Steinaux lie either side of the Odinsfluss river, ‘crossing the river’ is an expression for switching support. It is mainly used by Gunzlach fans to refer to glory hunters who’ve switched their allegiance to Steinaux, and also plays to the gentrification of Steinaux compared with the rundown working-class Gunzlach.

PHORCED-ACRONIM #016

With just a month to go before the election, there’s time for a couple of ‘~~October~~ August surprises’, both at home with damaging accusations against…

0: Queen Júlíana
1: Zóphonías Juliusson
2: Kaija Michaelsdóttir
3: Sigjón Þjóðbjörnsson
4: Aríaðna Fjölvarsdóttir
5+: Hrærekur Jvarsson

…that they…

0: committed sexual misconduct
1: broke into the Vatnshlið Hotel
2: promised favorable treatment to banks and corporations
3: are a Manchurian candidate
4: used a private email server
5+: are in league with krakens

PHORCED-ACRONIM #017

…and abroad, in…

0: Jabal Akhdar
1: Ha’Yarok
2: Mlima Kijani
3: Mont Vert
4: Berdeng Bundok
5+: Lǜ Shān

…thanks to release of…

0: a last-minute peace deal
1: hostages
2: details of a secret arms trade
3: video of a terrorist leader
4: oil from a supertanker
5+: footage of a kraken

by **Montana Verde** » Thu May 27, 2021 8:53 am

Montaña Verde – 1 (1)
Dolfo; Castiglione (36’) (84’ Roberta ), Edelberto, Jairo, Justin; Edgar (89’ Moreau ); Cristo Díaz (70’), Bregmann; Primitivo; Thiago Montilla, Osito (79’ Páez )

Igratia – 0 (0)

Eraman – 1 (0)
Buayan (79’)

Montaña Verde – 1 (0)
Dolfo; Castiglione, Edelberto (32’) (50’), Jairo, Justin (53’ Moreau ); Edgar; Cristo Díaz, Kristjana; Primitivo (83’) (90+3’ Julia Varela ); Thiago Montilla (85’ Morterero ), Osito

Too little, too late, as the Condors managed two of their better performances after already being eliminated. A defensive masterclass by Edelberto, Jairo and Edgar shut down Igratia after Castiglione had fired the Condors into the lead with a ridiculous banana kick. Then at Eraman, a worthy 1 – 1 draw against higher ranked opponents was duked out despite domestic concerns overshadowing the match. Eramanian prime minister Tun Sengalang Petara announced during the game that he would not be seeking re-election, which seemed to preoccupy a quiet home crowd; back in Montaña Verde, Primitivo’s levelling blast was greeted with the delirium that might have been expected to accompany a 5 – 0 thrashing as the 10-man Condors, who’d lost captain Edelberto to a silly ticky-tack second yellow, held on for the draw.

Squad update: Arquímedes will play for the suspended Edelberto; Thiago Montilla will wear the captain’s armband. Justin took yet another knock but is retained in the squad and will be a matchday call on fitness.

by **St Trinians** » Thu May 27, 2021 9:04 am

The St Trinians team was left battered and bruised after the game against Pasarga. Going up against the World Number 11 on their home turf was always going to be a challenge, regardless of each team’s performance in this cup. With both teams tied on points, there was even more incentive to win. It had proved a serious battle for the St Trinians. Vojmil Topić got the home start off to a strong start after finding the net from the edge of the box. Soon after, Dottie Carmichael “accidentally” struck Salai in the solar plexus with her elbow. The Paragan striker went down in the box and Müller added to the score for Pasarga from the penalty. Dottie escaped with a yellow card.

It was a bad start for the St Trinians, but thankfully Speight was able to get around Ács and chip the ball over the keeper. That put St Trinians back within a goal. That margin looked under threat when Carmichael picked up her second yellow and Müller once again stepped up to the penalty spot. But Becket pulled off a miracle stop. After misreading Müller and comitting left, she threw a foot out and somehow connected with the ball. She followed it up by recovering quickly enough to be ready for Müller’s attempted poach of the loose ball, and managed to knock it to Swindlehurst, who swiftly cleared. Becket had a lot of praise heaped on her at the halftime break, but Amy made sure they all knew they weren’t done yet.
“Let’s get out there and win this, girls!”

The St Trinians tried, but with the crowd behind them, it was the Pasargans who got the first goal of the second half. Salai got around Swindlehurst and was able to slide the ball past Becket. A fourth goal for the home side soon followed, this time headed in by Erik Földessy off a corner. With the score at 4-1, the St Trinians threw themselves into the attack. Shot after shot rained down on Mezei’s goal, but he was able to handle everything that looked promising. With their aggressive playstyle cranked up to max, the St Trinians also fell into the habit of rough play. Both Miracle Butler and Essie Gardner picked up yellow cards, while Temperance Butler was sent off for putting Topić in a chokehold.

Despite the loss of a captain, the relentless assualt on Mezei’s goal continued. Eventually, the St Trinians reasoned, something had to find the back of the net. So it proved, with Granger giving the visitors some hope of a comeback with a rocket that tore past Mezei’s defences and into the goal. However, the team’s hopes were soon dashed by the Pasargans, who set up a brilliant counterattack to score their fifth goal of the match, Müller getting the final touch.

St Trinians were not going to give up without a fight though. The relentless pressure on the Pasargan defence continued, and it earned them a corner. Speight got a good look at the ball, but as she went up for it her head collided with the elbow of Judit Kádár. Speight went down, but soon came up with murder in her eyes. She grabbed Kádár, and things would have gone badly for the Pasargan defender if her teammates hadn’t immediately jumped in. The St Trinians players, never ones to pass up a fight, immdeiately joined the fray, and there was a lot of pushing and shoving. When the teams were finally seperated, the referee had to go to the video to work out who to charge. Kádár received a red card for the initial contact, and both Granger and Speight were sent off for their actions in the fight. Speight took the send-off in particularly bad grace. Despite the fact that her lip was cut and she had a black eye, Elisabeth refused to seek medical attention until after the match.
One of the reasons Speight didn’t want to leave was because she was anxious to watch the next play. Because Kádár had initially brought down Speight, it was a penalty to St Trinians. However, Elisabeth was their usual penalty taker. With Granger off the field as well, it fell to Comfort Maitland to take the shot. She nailed it, wrong-footing Mezei and burying the ball in the top right corner.

Unfortunately their wasn’t enough time left on the clock for the St Trinians to make up the 2 goal deficit, and the game ended with a 5-3 victory for Pasarga. The loss was especially devestating for St Trinians as it meant they drop to 5th on the ladder, behind Ethane and their victorious hosts. While qualification is now an unlikely but still possible reality, Amy was more than satified with her team’s performance. She knew too, that they would continue to bring the same intensity to every match. They knew no other way.

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu May 27, 2021 9:10 am

After all this time and after all the wins TJUN-ia had experienced so far in WC88Q, some of the cynics. were beginning to wonder if the "DrawMaster" era of TJUN-ian football had, indeed, come to an end. In our young history, especially since WC85, we used to heavily rely on the draw for getting points but in recent times, that reliance has gone away and now we rarely see the Jags have to split the point in a Qualifying game. This time, however, two draws came at once and both may be crucial heading into the final 3 games of the campaign.

Up first was the CEA's swansong as Tainkong hosted Bongo Johnson looking to go 3-0 once again. This game would turn out to be a 6-goal festival of football that the crowd at Tiankong Stadium really enjoyed despite the final score. Joe Green took the lead in the 23rd for the hosts, but Bongo Johnson was looking to salvage their terrible campaign by any means and Speedy Wheels provided two goals of his own within the final 5 minutes to get the visitors the lead at the break. The 2nd would be all about the bench, with the final 3 goals all due to substitutions: Archer Andrews' equaliser in the 56th, a counter-attacking goal by Balthazar in the 67th and the eventual-equaliser by Prince Carter in the 87th. Tiankong has to settle for 2-1-0 instead of 3-0, but it's still an undefeated run all the same!

Then came another huge night for us all as the Jags travelled to the impressive Mavuto Field in Hoima to take on the #6 team and undefeated Kadongo Kamu of Banija. That 2-3 defeat in Szensky may have been sad for us, but it definitely showed that TJUN-ia could fight with the best in the sport on their day and tonight would do this as well. This game would be a defensive showcase as both teams were pushing for crucial points in the latter stages of this enthralling campaign, the hosts obviously seeing much of the ball in the early stages due to their blatant ability. Kausu Dione got the ball past Harold Gylfisson in the 34th and Banija were certainly the better team of the first half, looking pretty good on route to another dub in Group 13. But substitute Carlos Pique didn't like this at all and so, after coming on before the restart, he headed the ball past François Tantoh after a superb Peliniho cross to level the scores after only 90 seconds. The rest of the contest would see TJUN-ia on the defensive, trying with all their might to hold off both Banijan offence and Banijan crowd and take something from this fixture. They would do this successfully, taking a famous point off the Kadongo Kamu on the road in what could be seen as our graduation ceremony into the next phase of TJUN-ian Football...potencially.

As it stands with 3 to play, TJUN-ia is 5 back on Banija but 5 ahead of Oberour Ar Moro (who we face in the capital on the final day). Only a truly terrible run-in will see us avoid finishing Top 2 in Group for the 3rd-straight campaign, so our main attention can maybe begin to switch towards the 2nd Placed Rankings. The best 6 runners-up make the tournament automatically and TJUN-ia are in 8th as it stands, behind the Squornshelan Remnant States and Omerica only on goal differential. With how tight the race for a place within the elite of the sport is becoming, these final 3 games could well and truly make or break our Qualification hopes for WC88. With 9th placed Ibixa coming to town in time for Szensky's WC88 swansong and a road trip to midtable Astograth coming up next, every point TJUN-ia can claim until the very end will be very crucial indeed. As a wise man once said, this is where the fun begins...GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 13)
MD1: vs Malandrin (UR) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 6-4 (T-3rd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD2: vs Euran Oceania Territories (86) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 2-1 (3rd)
MD3: @Shreekaristan (354) W 5-3 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD4: vs Srednjaci (253) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 2-3 (3rd)
MD5: @Bongo Johnson (139) - Murbley Coliseum, Bongo Johnson? W 1-0 (1st)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD6: vs Banija (6) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 2-3 (4th)
MD7: @Ibixa (173) W 3-2 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD8: vs Astograth (24) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 3-2 (2nd)
MD9: @Oberour Ar Moro (82) - Parade Grounds, Regium W 3-1 (2nd/6W-0D-2L/18pts/+8GD)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD10: @Malandrin (UR) L 0-1 (2nd)
MD11: @Euran Oceania Territories (86) - Flynn Arena, Fligsive W 5-4 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD12: vs Shreekaristan (354) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 1-0 (2nd)
MD13: @Srednjaci (253) - Blue Oyster National Stadium, Katanija W 3-2 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD14: vs Bongo Johnson (139) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong D 3-3 (2nd)
MD15: @Banija (6) - Mavuto Field, Hoima D 1-1 (2nd)
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD16: vs Ibixa (173) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD17: @Astograth (24) - Grand Duke's Stadium, Rumiatzi
----------------------BOOT IT!----------------------
MD18: vs Oberour Ar Moro (82) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City

by **Sharktail** » Thu May 27, 2021 9:31 am

Sharktail-2
Gaby '14
Virman '34(Badhri)

X1 vs Pius:
Maxter(GK) • Harold • Yusri • Hidawi(Harizul m61) • Irfan •Chandra • Badhri • Azaim • Balang
Gaby(c) • Virman(Win Aziz m75)

Pius Desurongcrandis-0

Sharktail-3
Rawilson '39
haziq '59(Chandra)
badhri '74(Gaby)

X1 vs Graintfall:
Asra(GK) • Harold(John m66) • Yusri • Hidawi • Irfan
Chandra • Nik Akif(Badhri m62) • Azaim • Rawilson
Gaby(c) • Haziq

Graintfall-2
Guðmannsson '55
Álvgeirsdóttir '85

Murphtamia-1
Athony Boland '43

Sharktail-2
Virman '61(Gaby)
Harold '84(Azaim)

X1 vs Murphtamia
Asra(GK) • Harold • Yusri • Hidawi • Irfan(Haizul m 72)
Chandra • Nik Akif • Azaim • Rawilson(Balang m56)
Gaby(c)(Haziq m73) • Virman

Sharktail-1
Gaby '59 pen

Asra(GK) • Harold • Yusri • Hidawi • Irfan
Chandra(Rafdi m61) • Nik Akif • Azaim • Rawilson
Gaby(c) • Virman(Win Aziz m80

Audioslavia-3
Eurico Da Rosa '7
Tiago Brown '48(Gabriel Oteiza)
Leonardo Ceron '88(Moses Moxey)

SHARKTAIL POST EP 50
NO REGRET

Few years ago, i have seen a lot of my old colleague, old teammates, old friends, one by one take off their uniform, wave at the fans, and left. Time passes, more will go, leave behind all the past. They said their times has ended. They cannot fight with young boy spirit. "Its their times now." Always that word come out from their mouth.

In the start, i look at them, they are great, they are superior, they are awesome. Every praises, i can describe about them, how they were. But when i look them left, where will all that praise land. It on us, the remaining. It not a burden. We more than happy to be trusted by everyone. We are sighed not because we feel burdened by that. We sighed because we failed to pay back what they praise us.

When this land are far from any kind of football. No one know us. No one look for us. Have you ever heard about the first generation, the starter, the pillar. The first generation who become the first to bring the pride, the pride of the country, the dream, the aim. All this have been done, so the next gen will feel it, will keep going forward. The first generation make path, the next generation push and design the path.

When i reached 30, i already know i at my limit. I know my body more than anyone. I know how far i can go, how fast i can run, how hard i can fight, how high i can jump. 'It their time." The word that i hear a few years ago, it always popup in my brains, out of nowhere. When i see a young generation, a junior play, i slowly understand that word. This world keep improve. The more time past, the more change happen. Rules, playstyle, everything can be changed. I just happy i can still follow up with this new generation, can still perform at my best. It no joke, more skill being created, the playstyle being complex. I love to see how much it improving.

That time i looked at senior, now they looked at me. Ofcourse i dont want to show them i weak. I don't want to show them i useless. I give everything, all my effort in training, in match, every single minutes i ran, not just to show them i can do it, but also to show them i can be here alongside them. I can still play whatever style they newly created. I can, i can, i can. I put that in my mind. All the hardwork will pay off. That how i motivate myselft. But that will not stop the ending from coming. It will come, sooner or later. And for me, i have already look at everything i can see, i have play the highest level i can reach. Even my biggest goal i failed to achieve,i will leave it to other generation. I will not claiming anything if they doing it. Just i hope one day, the blue jersey with shark logo will be there, in the world Cup. I hope.

SFA announces the final home match of WCQ88 that will held in Stadium Biru will be the final appearance of Sharktail Legend, Gaby as a National Team player. Secretary of SFA, Dato' Megat Omar in press conference yesterday confirming about all of this. He said, as the thanks for all the contribution and achievement of Gaby with the National team, it's enough for SFA to give a proper farewell for Gaby.

"He know about himself more than us. Even us not take part or disrupt his private life. Whatever his reason is, we respect his decision." Said Dato Megat. However, this farewell seem a bit tricky as the final home opponet for Sharktail was Poafmersia. "It may not be the best option to choose for a farewell for our legend. However, no matter what the result in the end, the one that we want to show is our gratitude. Win or lose, we will always stand behind Sharktail, we will keep supporting them. No matter how good or bad it end, let them know they have a fans behind them. Let give him our final thanks. I would also show my gratitude and thank you to Poafmersia team for willing to accept our request to give guard of honours to Gaby before the match. Thank you very much. Last, i as the voice of SFA, we want yo say thank you for Gaby, starting from zero to hero, thank you very much."

by **Xanneria** » Thu May 27, 2021 9:58 am

Former Maroon now in the fast lane to new career?
Extracted from http://www.xtrasports.xan/XCAR.htm

XANNERIA - In his heyday Doby Bunkirk was known as one of the best prospects in Xannerian Football, for two cycles he made the most beuaitiful passes in Xannerian Maroons history. But then a couple of desicions later and he vanished. Well He vanished if your not into Auto Racing. Bunkirk is now race car driver. Yes, the heir to Mark Hailey is now racing around ovals and other assorted shapes at a race track near you!. Bunkirk who comes from an automotive family was a memeber of the XCAR Racing team Bunkirk Motorsports. A Team his dad started in 1994. Now a days Doby has gotten into race management for the team whose known as one of the top teams to run the New Tyre based "Petty" brand. In Fact it's know his families ties to Petty that leas to Schottian outfit Port James to gain sponsorship from Petty.

The Royal Chicken #54 is the car Bunkirk co-owns with his family.

Sadly the career for this talented Xannerian Mid didn't work out as planned. The Port James team was stout but never a top contender and while Bunkirk did ride out a tempest of Schottian football at the end of the 2020s and this left Bunkirk without many options as his big selling point was a sponsor deal had had with Petty. Now after that he ended up with a new career goal, be like his dad the famous racer Mike Bunkirk. Doby started racing on small ovals near the teams shop in Warrick Point, Hastings and eventually rose up the ranks, in 2029 Season Bunkirk made his national touring debut for the family team while driving a #08 Petty Pacemaker int he XCAR Trucks series race at the Utopian Park Raceway near East Rowe. He qualified for the 24 truck field in 15th spot after running 5th in the qualifying heat race. He ran 77 laps before overheating knocked him out, relegating him to 22nd out of 24 trucks. Rumors have it he may run a team car to his families ride in a few events but time will tell!

by **Barunia** » Thu May 27, 2021 10:11 am

JK: Hi there, I’m John Kelly, and welcome to the Sports Report. With me we have friend of the show, star of the Porthaven Piranhas, it’s Nina Cotton.

NC: HI John, thanks for having me back.

JK: Always great to have you here Nina. Now you have all the news from the world of hockey, but before we talk about the premier league, let’s talk about football and World Cup qualifying. As always, this campaign our man on the ground has been Sam Hobson, and he joins us now via satellite. Hi Sam.

SH: Hi John, Nina, good to see you.

JK: Alright Sam, we have some bad news, so let’s have it out.

SH: That’s right, although it may come as no surprise, the Suns are now officially out of contention for the World Cup. With 3 games to go, the Suns have picked up a measly 16 points from 15 games. To put that in perspective, currently the lowest team in Group 8 who is still able to qualify is Frestovenia, and they have 30 points, or almost double what the Suns picked up.

JK: Now this has renewed calls for Coach Rafael Barrios to be sacked. Do you think that’s likely to happen?

SH: If Barunia make it into the Cup of Harmony, I would expect him to lead them there. The turn-around doesn’t give the NFB much time to find a replacement, and if they have anyone lined up in the wings they haven’t said. So expect the Cup of Harmony to be the real test. If Barunia do badly, I think that will be the end for Barrios. Remember, Johnson salvaged his career with a second place in the tournament. Barrios is probably going to need something similar.

JK: Okay, so regardless of who is coaching the team past this world cup, what does Barunia need to get back into the top of the tournament.

SH: Look, that’s a really hard question. You know we talk about rebuilding, but they’ve been rebuilding for 6 or 7 cycles now. At some point you need to look at the culture and find what exactly is the issue. It could be the league, are we not getting players the international exposure they require? Is the league too short or too long? That’s some things for the NFB to look at.

JK: Alright Sam. Well, we’ll check in with you for the last couple of games, and hopefully the Cup of Harmony as well.

SH: Not a problem John. See you.

JK: Well, the Suns may be doing it tough, but it’s good news for your Piranha fans Nina. You had a massive win this week.

NC: That’s right, 6-2 against the Edwardton Eels.

JK: Congratulations on your two goals as well. The Eels of course, not having a great season, despite being last year’s cup winners. But it’s a different story for Notre Dame, who have been the surprise stand out this year.

NC: Absolutely. I mean they’re a great team. They beat us easily earlier in the season – in fact they got to the top of the table after that match.

JK: Also one of the last teams in the league to be associated with a university. Of course, the league moved away from fully integrated university teams when they moved to a full professional setup, but there are a few teams who still have connections. What’s your take on university teams Nina?

NC: I don’t see a problem with them. A lot of people get upset because the players aren’t students at the university like they used to have to be, so they say they’re not representing the school. Well I play for Porthaven, but I’m not from there, I’m from West Barunia. But I represent the city when I play, and the fans don’t have a problem.

JK: That’s a good point. Players are recruited from all over, and can often play for different teams, often in different states, even rival teams. That’s part of the sport.

NC: You know, I played in the old University Premier League. It was good fun, but it was a massive commitment for a student. Let’s be honest, the UPL setup was terrible as well. The attempt that they made to integrate it into the NHL pyramid was a complete failure.

JK: So you think the current system is better?

NC: Of course. The last system, you could be relegated even if you weren’t in the relegation zone, just because you were a university team, or you were the lowest team from a particular state. Now there’s no special rules for each league. If you’re at the top you get promoted, at the bottom you go down. Simple.

JK: Ok well if we can move on, and speaking of going down, Notre Dame aren’t leading the ladder at the moment. So they got hammered by Newland 5-1 last week, and could only manage a draw against the Lilyford Dolphins this week. That’s left the door open for Delmars to take the top spot. Delmars currently lead the league in goals, with 55 scored so far in the competition. Nina, are they a serious finals contender?

NC: Yes, absolutely. I mean, there’s so few points between the top teams that it’s still wide open.

JK: Well, let’s have a look at the table. You said it was tight, but this is seriously close. Delmars is in first by a point, Broncos are a win from 2nd. But if you look at the pack, from Porthaven, so 4th place, all the way down to 13th place you’re just counting down by 1. That is one of the tightest competitions we’ve seen in recent years, and we’re a little way over the halfway mark.

#   National Premier League  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Delmars City              21   13   3   5    55   40  +15    42
 2 Notre Dame HC             21   13   2   6    41   36   +5    41
 3 North Islands Broncos     21   11   5   5    37   27  +10    38
 4 Porthaven Piranhas        21   11   3   7    46   39   +7    36
 5 Newland Bulls             21   11   2   8    52   36  +16    35
 6 Whitefeather HC           21    9   8   4    44   34  +10    35
 7 South Dropshort Iron      21    8  10   3    41   34   +7    34
 8 Haven City                21   10   3   8    45   43   +2    33
 9 Lilyford Dolphins         21    9   5   7    46   40   +6    32
10 South Coast United        21    9   4   8    45   43   +2    31
11 Edwardton Eels            21    8   5   8    48   45   +3    29
12 Trinity Reds              21    5  13   3    39   34   +5    28
13 Harvey Town               21    8   3  10    36   46  −10    27
14 Bay City HC               21    7   2  12    32   39   −7    23
15 Odessa United HC          21    5   3  13    31   48  −17    18
16 Evita Perez HC            21    4   5  12    30   48  −18    17
17 Newland City HC           21    3   5  13    29   46  −17    14
18 Millers HC                21    2   5  14    29   48  −19    11

JK: Right, well, we’re going to take a break. When we come back, Nina will be giving us a closer look at the game between the Piranhas and their fierce rivals the Eels. See you soon.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Thu May 27, 2021 11:05 am

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

IT'S STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so with those two qualifiers done we're now just three games away from potentially qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since WC 79. And of course our last three games had to include fucking Valanora and Geektopia. I mean sure, at this point we and Valanora are the only teams who aren't mathematically eliminated from going to the World Cup. But given how this current qualifying campaign is structured, only the top six second-placed teams are going to the World Cup alongside the group winners. Right now Abanhfleft are the second-best second-placed team out of them all because of course we are, but it's Abanhfleft! We all know this country can cock it up with three games to go. You just watch. Anyway, that's stuff that we can talk about in the future. Right now, I want to focus on some points that I've learned and/or realized throughout this international break and talk about them. Don't know how many points I'll cover today but I will definitely cover at least one. Maybe two. Who knows? Let's just get started.

1. The WCC is still as corrupt as I thought it would be
All right lads, a few months ago I talked about how Deniria managed to screw up so bad that they actually got the WCC to act against them. The suspension of their national team from participating in future qualifiers this cycle was reportedly mooted alongside substantial fines and points deductions. I remember saying that I'm okay with whatever sanctions the WCC imposes on Deniria so long as they don't mess with our 8-2 victory over those bastards. Now, two months later, guess what? Deniria are still playing, and they're still somehow able to take points away from other teams without any consequences! Thankfully they didn't take any points away from us, but for those teams that drew or lost to these buggers, well, you've got to feel for them! It just doesn't feel right for this team whom everyone thought was going to be kicked out or whatnot to still be playing and to have any draws or wins that they tally actually be counted on the official record. And you wanna know why? Because the bastard WCC got a gift in the form of a thing that starts with "m", ends with "y", and has a "one" in the middle. I've always felt that all FAs are corrupt one way or another, but when you consider that the mother of all FAs itself has an unstoppable desire for satisfying its own greed, you really can't blame any of the FAs now, can you? It's just human nature to want to have more than anyone else. Hell, I've got access to hundreds of thousands of football matches across the universe via my laptop and I still want even more games. Man is just bloody insatiable. And anyone who says that not all FAs are corrupt are either naive or straight up lying.

2. There's no home advantage when it comes to scoring goals
You would think that when a team is playing at home, the players would be more likely to want to do better because they've got tens of thousands of their own fans watching them, right? Well, Abanhfleft apparently does not! Throughout the current qualifying cycle, Abanhfleft has scored more than two goals per home game only once, and that was early on against an out-of-sorts Eastfield Lodge and a not-so-outclassed Grearish Union! All other games that Abanhfleft has played at home so far has seen the women's team score only either one or two goals. At least we haven't been kept scoreless at home, but that's little consolation, especially for a country that prides itself in being a purveyor of attractive attacking football. But it is kind of strange when you think about it though. Of all the games where we've scored at least four goals or more in this cycle, all of them happened away from home. I've already mentioned the game against Deniria where we beat them by 8 goals to 2, but we also scored 4 goals away to Electrum, Adab, and Mytanija; and just recently we won 5-3 over Grearia. Meanwhile we were only able to score 1 goal against both Electrum and Deniria. I just have no idea why this is. It just happens. It's just the way we are. We just can't convert our chances when we're at home, apparently. And I'm telling you, one day this will cost us. It almost cost us against bloody Deniria already! If it hadn't been for Hiroko Kellerman we would have suffered an embarrassing 0-0 draw at home against a bloody bunch of bastard cheaters! Just fuck off already, will you, Deniria?

3. What comes next will define our future World Cup campaigns for years to come
Well, need I say more, really? Our next qualifiers sees us playing Valanora and Mytanija. Anyone who says that they won't be satisfied with anything less than four points is having a laugh. Come on now, lads! It's bloody Valanora! There's no way that we're winning against them, especially when we're playing them at their home! And Mytanija... just because we beat them once is no guarantee that we can beat them again! Both games against Grearia and Deniria was proof positive of that! And we've still got Geektopia as our last qualifier. Look lasses, all I want from you all is to secure qualification to the World Cup, but I also recognize that that's going to be difficult. I just don't want to see any cock-ups. If that's possible then that would be all right, but at the same time, I don't want to hope. It's true what they say: it's the hope that kills you...

Well, that's all that there is from me. If you've got comments and/or observations about the past international break then feel free to leave them in the comments down below. Until then, I've been the Man from Markovsky, still afraid that I'm about to be disappointed by my country once again for the nth time.

    ABANHFLEFT 2 - 0 ADAB
WOODWARD (27')
   RUSEV (59')

ABANHFLEFT 0 - 1 ATHEARA
                 FRAWNING (34' pen)

GREARISH UNION 3 - 5 ABANHFLEFT
   KLINE (29')       MAGOMEDOVA (11')
    DALY (54')       ROOS (22')
 McAULEY (61')       McGINNIS (35', 48', 76')

     ABANHFLEFT 1 - 0 DENIRIA
KELLERMAN (83')

by **Tikariot** » Thu May 27, 2021 11:14 am

Walking with Shadows
--- Chapter IV ---

Chapter I - Chapter II - Chapter III - Chapter IV - Chapter V - Chapter VI - Chapter VII – Chapter VIII

The four men look at her as if they had just seen a ghost, which given her being partially obscured by the rain is likely not the worst description. With confident strides she moves to and through the fence.

“Guess the girl that brought the bow to the gunfight wins this one.”

While the other three men still stare at her flabbergasted, James pulls the downed man out of sight, depositing him behind a large garbage bin.

“So, what’s the plan? I wouldn’t think to stroll right in through the front door?”

Sanford gives her a thoughtful look. “Maybe you could and distract them?”

She looks at James. “Really?”

“Well, actually that does give me an idea.”

She shoots him an incredulous look. “Are you serious? You want me to stay behind so I don’t get hurt, but you want to send me in there?”

“No, no, not at all. But you could help get them out of there.”

Now all four sets of eyes are on him.

“Look, we have no idea how many people are actually in there, but I would strongly assume more than four. What if we move the somewhere else and park the car next to the building, Jacob places some small charges and detonates them and make it look like it’s threatening to collapse. They’ll definitely come out, so Sophia can call them over and say that her car is stuck and she’s afraid the building is going to fall, asking them to help get it going. With Nurisema in it, it’ll be heavy enough that they will need a few guys at least, while I’m sure some will try to check the building to make sure it doesn’t fall on theirs. That could give us time to get in.”

Sanford looks at him. “And then what? We have no idea where the thing could be or if there are still some others left in there.”

“Well, if we don’t get any of them out, we still have the same problems and more people inside.”

“But she—”

“She approves of the plan and now get your asses in gear, I don’t want to catch death out here!”

Sophia looks at them with clear impatience and James just points at her and signals for the other three men to start realizing the plan. As they run off, James holds back Sophia for a moment.

“Thank you.”

She smiles at him. “Do you really think I would let you die?”

He blushes.

“You have no idea how hard it is to get Nurisema to get used to somebody!”

With that she walks off, leaving James behind with a confused look on his face.

*****

Half an hour later all preparations are done. The van is well hidden, the explosives are in place, Crowe prepped Sophia’s car to not start just enough not to create any bigger damage but still be credible, if checked.

“OK, we’ll go back in and try to hide somewhere close to the entrance. Then Jacob will detonate the devices and they hopefully all come out and then see you, try to help you on the other side of the building and allow us to get in.”

Sophie looks at the building and the car. “Are you absolutely sure that it will not really fall on the car?”

Jacob nods confidently. “Yes, I placed the charges so that wall is not compromised at all. Most damage will be in the front, where it’s the most visible.”

Sophia looks at James and nods in agreement. “Once they get me going, I will circle around and go to where the van is hidden. Now what will you do, if you are not done inside by the time they come back?”

Before James can say anything, Jacob interjects. “Some of the debris will fall in front of the entrance to their headquarters, so if it all goes as planned, they will be busy clearing that up, buying us more time.”

Sophia takes a deep breath. “Let’s hope it goes as planned.”

Sanford grumbles. “I hope that dog is not going to chew up that van.”

Sophia sighs. “He does not eat cars. And with the noise of the explosions I could not have him here, he would totally freak out!”

James looks at his troop of misfits. “Alright, let’s do this!”

As they turn to leave, Sophia puts her hand on his arm. “Please be careful, ok? Nurisema would be crushed, if he lost you.”

“Nurisema would—”

“Come on, James!” Thibodeaux’ bass voice comes from the rain.

James looks at Sophia. “I will, promised!”

He turns and runs after the others as Sophia looks at the quartet hurrying off. “And I would be, too…”

*****

James and the others have found a spot close to the entrance of the headquarters, away from the gates as they expect everybody to bolt straight towards the explosion site, not worrying about anything else for the time being. He nods towards Jacob and the tall blond man pulls out the remote activator. He quietly counts down with his fingers, then presses the button. Despite Jacob’s assurance that it was only small devices, the sound of the explosion is deafening nonetheless. From their vantage point they can see part of the front of the building collapsing outwards, consistent with a gas explosion, pieces of metal and stone blocking the gateway for any kind of vehicle. As expected a group of men breaks through the door, looking at the devastation next door, most of them rushing towards the gate. At that moment the high-pitched shriek of a woman pierces the rush of the rain, startling the remaining two men, instinctively run towards the noise. As they cross through the gate, James motions for the others to make their move. Still as quietly as they can they enter the building, making sure that nobody is surprisingly coming back. Sanford points at the wet footprints they are leaving behind, but James can only shrug as there is nothing they can do.

The inside of the building is not quite what he had expected. One huge, open space, a group of old, stained couches sitting to one side around a low plywood table, a kitchenette in the far corner, beer bottles and cans strewn around a large, overflowing plastic bin, pizza boxes and other take out leftovers making a not-so-neat pile of their own. A large Dhaencunorian flag hangs on one of the walls, with the party’s motto “One Blood, One East Dhaencunor!” underneath. The stairs to the second story are broken and clearly not usable, ruling out the second floor, making their lives, hopefully, easier. After making sure that nobody else is in the building, at least from what they can see, they fan out. James had described the container, hoping that they did not break it apart just yet. To the side are a couple of doors, one of which is a mess of a storage room, consisting to good parts of beer and nooze, another is a makeshift bedroom with a couple of dirty mattresses on the floor, but the third is a completely different story. Looking through a crack in the door, James sees that it is an office with a large desk, a bear of a man sitting behind it on a laptop and the tube of the decree right next to him.

James signals for the other three men to move over quietly and he tries to explain the situation with gestures. Jacob takes up position at the door of the building to keep an eye out while Sanford and Crowe stand next to the door. James gives a nod to each of them and then starts to wail with as much pathos as he can. “Oh no, it’s bad, it hurts so bad, don’t think I’m going to make it!”

The door to the office and the man rushes out, stopping dead in his tracks when he sees James, an obvious intruder. He reaches for a pistol in the holster to his side, but again stops dead in his tracks when he hears the clicking of two safeties next to his ears as Sanford and Crowe cock their guns. With unexpected speed he suddenly turns and twists, grabbing Crowe’s arm and launching him over top of himself, the gun clattering away. As he turns around again, he comes face to face with Sanford, just as tall and wide, but as the man sees the colour of his skin, seething anger wells up in him, despite the gun trained at him.

“You are the reason why this province is in such a mess! You are going to—”

James hits the man over the back of the head with the butt of his gun, who crumples down in a heap. “—remain silent,” he finishes the sentence. He wastes no time in grabbing the tube off the desk, quickly checking that the seals are still intact. As he starts to move towards the entrance door, Jacob is coming running over. “We’ve got company!”

by **Adab** » Thu May 27, 2021 11:25 am

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

May 29, 2033 / 29 Safar 1455
Deniria 0-3 Adab
Yargab (30’), al-Kufa (60’), Orlev (77')

NEWS | WORLD CUP
By: Elymur Amwan

Adab demolish Deniria as elimination looms

The Adab national team’s outing to Deniria ended with success in the form of a 3-0 victory, even as players and staff come to terms with the prospect of elimination from the World Cup 88 qualifiers.

The Denirians, who currently find themselves in the midst of cheating allegations, were simply no match for the visitors, who outclassed and outpowered them throughout much of the match.

The Adabians dominated possession of the ball almost right from the start of the match, with the attacking trio of Enlilbani Yargab, Rebekah Yissakar, and Jushur al-Kufa running circles around the Denirians and piling pressure on their defenders.

Yargab produced the first goal of the day, a magnificent left-footed strike into the Denirian goal in the 30th minute courtesy of a Yissakar cross, another sign of the budding partnership between the veteran striker and the young star which has been likened to the relationship between a master and his apprentice.

Jushur al-Kufa nearly added to the visitors’ goal tally in the 42nd minute, but a mistimed shot sent the ball wide to the Denirian keeper’s left and missing the net.

Nevertheless, Adab’s dominance continued in the second half as the Denirians tired under the constant pressure. In the 60th minute, al-Kufa finally gained revenge for his missed goal, this time barging past a slew of Denirian defenders onto the penalty box and shooting right to the center of the net, with the Denirian keeper having advanced too far in an attempt to meet the ball.

Veteran midfielder Ephraim Orlev secured victory for the visitors in the 77th minute with a header from an Emma Arthur corner, after the Denirians had sent the ball over the goal line to the left of the goalpost amid an Adabian onslaught.

The win ensured that Adab remained in fifth place in Group 4, separated from Electrum in fourth by goal difference. The Group 4 table has shown little movement over the past few matchdays – with Adab’s recent four draws in a row no doubt contributing to it – and with the qualifiers winding down, the Adabians are now coming to terms with the prospect of elimination.

Kaykali: We have done our best and will continue to do so

In the post-match press conference, Adab manager Saad Kaykali praised his players’ performance and insisted that the players “have performed to their best” during the qualifiers.

“I have no complaints regarding their performance,” Kaykali said. “For about half of this team this is their very first World Cup experience, and to perform very competently against more experienced teams is no failure at all.”

Kaykali insisted that he is not worried about elimination. “We aim highly, but we also try to keep our expectations realistic. I would say that we have exceeded our expectations, and the AFA [Adab Football Association] certainly agrees with me.

“I told the boys and girls to keep their heads up high and continue doing their best. I know we have done our best and we have the support of the entire nation.”

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

May 31, 2033 / 2 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1455
Adab 0-2 Valanora
Ludwig (32’), Saxstrom (73’)

NEWS | WORLD CUP
By: Lugalzagesi Zababa

Valanora puts Adab out of World Cup amid Group 4 bloodbath, but heads remain high

A loss to 2nd-ranked Valanora ended Adab’s chances of qualifying for World Cup 88 on a day which saw the door to the World Cup close on eight out of ten teams in Group 4, but manager Saad Kaykali stated that he is happy regarding the team’s overall performance and looking forward to a potential Cup of Harmony invitation.

Playing at the Adab City Stadium, hopes were high among home fans that the team could pull off at least a draw, if not an upset win, and perhaps even continue their sometimes quixotic campaign to qualify for the World Cup. It was not meant to be, though.

The much superior Vanorian team immediately asserted their stamp on the game, their experience and training showing as they constantly beat the Adabians to the ball and outmaneuvered key players such as Alulim Sinmuballit, Emma Arthur, and Enlilbani Yargab.

With the ball so often out of their possession, the Adabians found themselves unable to mount an effective offense and were forced to spend long stretches of the match defending their own half of the pitch.

Vanorian star player Lothar Ludwig successfully broke through the Adabian defense in the 32nd minute, outrunning defenders Taymour Frangieh and Tansu Altun before putting the ball past keeper Mohammed Marramzi’s right and into the net.

As the match dragged on and hopes for an upset faded, the home fans continued to cheer on their team, no doubt appreciating their Herculean efforts throughout the qualifying phase. Enlilbani Yargab nearly gave fans another cause to cheer in the 50th minute when he penetrated to the Vanorian penalty area, with his shot only barely saved by keeper Julius Miljeteig who had to throw himself to the ground to stop the ball.

The Yargab near-goal was the Adabians’ high-water mark in a second half that overall continued to be marked by Vanoran dominance of possession. Eventually, Harlem Saxstrom ensured victory for the Vanorans with her goal in the 73rd minute, courtesy of a Pánfilo Veliz corner that Saxstrom skillfully converted into a successful shot into the net, barely sliding past the Adabian defenders who converged on her as she received the ball.

The Adabians spent much of the rest of the match defending their own net against Vanoran attacks, with a final attempt to score – by Jushur al-Kufa in the 85th minute – easily parried away by Miljeteig.

Adab’s loss confirmed the end of their dreams to qualify for the World Cup, going down to sixth place in Group 4 with 22 points as Mytanija overtook them for fifth place following their 1-4 triumph over Eastfield Lodge. This day, however, saw eight of the ten teams in Group 4 officially eliminated from the qualifiers, including both Mytanija and Eastfield Lodge. Valanora and Abanhfleft’s 37 and 35 points, respectively, had become too much to overhaul, with third-placed Electrum having amassed 25 points with only three matches remaining.

Kaykali looks forward to Cup of Harmony, receptive towards Valentian party invitation

Despite the elimination, Adab manager Saad Kaykali assured journalists at the post-match press conference of his pride at the team’s performance.

“My boys and girls, they’ve done their best. Heck, I’d they’ve done more than their best,” Kaykali said.

“To draw and even win against a series of teams which are much more experienced, it’s a great achievement, especially considering that some in this team are still quite young and this is the first time they’ve experienced the World Cup qualifiers.”

Kaykali then said that he is hoping for an invitation to the Cup of Harmony. “My players have performed excellently throughout the qualifiers and I think they very much deserve a shot at the Cup of Harmony.

“I have nothing but praise for my team. They’ve done everything that I’ve asked of them and more. The nation ought to be proud to have these eleven excellent people representing us on the football pitch.”

The Adab manager, who has served on a one-match contract basis since his rehiring for Independents Cup 12, also confirmed that he has yet again renewed his contract for another match and will continue to do so until either the end of the World Cup qualifiers or the end of their participation in the Cup of Harmony, assuming the team is indeed invited.

Kaykali also reacted positively to the invitation to all World Cup 88 teams to a party held by the nation of Valentine Z in the city of Naypyithaw.

“If the party doesn’t clash with our schedule, then the players will be free to attend, as long as they promise to be on their best behavior and come back immediately if needed,” Kaykali said.

As for the manager, he does not see himself attending the party.

“I’d like to spend my free time resting, maybe visit my daughter, and begin to re-focus on my real estate company. If we do get an invite to the Cup of Harmony then I’ll dive right back to work as manager of the national team.”

by **Savojarna** » Thu May 27, 2021 11:44 am

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
No more margin for error ahead of Vilita matchup

By Jaukka Halanen

Five weeks after the heart-wrenching 4-4 at the Bjurman against the Squornshelan Remnant States, Savojarna have no more margin for error as they receive Eshialand tomorrow and travel to Vilita three days later. The Northlights are in dire need of points, but could secure at least a temporary second place with a win in Vilita. An unexpected injury makes things harder, however, as Flemming Skov on the right wing is labouring with a thigh issue. Are Savojarna ready to step up to this large challenge?

Savojarna’s WCQ88 campaign

October: Savojarna (29) 3-2 Sendhang (322)
November: Pluvia and the Saxean Isles (146) 1-2 Savojarna (29) / Savojarna (29) 4-2 Lisander (95)
February: Savojarna (29) 1-0 Hebitaka (127) / Squornshelan Remnant States (60) 3-3 Savojarna (29)
April: Savojarna (29) 0-0 The 14 Stars (UR) / Eshialand (203) 0-1 Savojarna (29)
---
Summer: Copa Rushmori 37
[OOC: From here onwards, Mikaela Rangren will be replaced as head coach by Daniella Strauss (NPH)]
---
September: Savojarna (29) 1-2 Vilita (14) / Devonta (75) 2-2 Savojarna (29)
October: Sendhang (322) 4-2 Savojarna (29) / Savojarna (29) 1-0 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles (146)
November: Lisander (95) 0-1 Savojarna (29) / Hebitaka (127) 1-3 Savojarna (29)
February: Savojarna (29) 4-4 Squornshelan Remnant States (60) / The 14 Stars (UR) 2-3 Savojarna (29)
March: Savojarna (29) vs Eshialand (203) / Vilita (14) vs Savojarna (29)
May: Savojarna (29) vs Devonta (75) / play-offs

The tenor after Savojarna’s victory at the 14 Stars had been cautious, as a win against an unranked 9th placed nation is not cause to celebrate for the world’s number 29. While the team itself seemed in a stable state, the fans were direly aware of the need for points after their clash with direct competitor Squornshelan Remnant States failed to produce the expected and hoped for three points, which would have lifted the Northlights back into the Top 2. It was already the second such mistake after their stumble against Sendhang, and as a result, things are now looking tough for the Northlights.

With the remaining games being 203rd-ranked Eshialand - a clear must-win game - and 14th ranked group leader Vilita, whom they could overtake with a victory, as well as 75th-placed Devonta there are few options left to score those crucial points. Their competitors from the Squornshelan Remnant States are facing 10th-placed Lisander tomorrow, and the 14 Stars on the second game of the month. With Eshialand following in the final game, the SRS have the easier remaining programme as well as the direct lead in the tables. Savojarna therefore will probably have to resort for a win over Vilita unless they get some unexpected support from the other teams; Vilita themselves are also unlikely to provide much assistance against Hebitaka and Pluvia and the Saxean Isles.

The challenge got significantly harder two days ago as Flemming Skov had to leave the Högvald camp after sustaining a muscular injury in practice. The Admiral Storevik rightback has been instrumental in providing forward movement on his side, already a chronic weakness under good conditions - losing him will considerably weaken Savojarna’s defence. The task is not made easier by the fact that no less than five players are risking suspension through yellow cards (Nweke, Poulsen, Forsberg, Dmitriev, and Aarsoy). We expect Strauss to rest part of that group to ensure a strong team against Vilita, but it is at the very least not making anything easier for the squad of the Northlights. It will be important for Savojarna to close the ranks and ensure that there are not too many chances on Vilita’s end, and then striking swiftly on the counter. The latter part has worked remarkably well against the 14 Stars and Hebitaka, and also over long parts of the SRS game; however, last month has not been kind on Savojarna’s defence, with question marks raised over Iiro Pakanen’s head.

Thankfully for the Finn, his main competitor Aleksandra Virulainen has shown to be a team player after training last afternoon. “I’m not here to challenge Iiro over a few rough shots. If I’d lost my place every time I made a mistake I’d not have been a footballer past nine years old. We all want to go to the World Cup and that requires fighting together. I’d go to the World Cup as a number two over going to the Cup of Harmony as a starter every day, and this is our strength as a team, we are a squad”. The feeling has been echoed by captain Victoria Maersk: “Savojarna is team play. We are fighters. Daniella [Strauss, ed.] understands this remarkably well, I think it also clicks with how the Nepharim think, and she completely banks on this too. I believe that is what we need, a team that stands all behind this idea, and a system that uses our strength, and she is giving us right that. Every piece we need is here, and all we need to do is to take that step. We’ve beaten Banija, surely we can also beat Vilita?”

Lineup vs. Eshialand (4-4-2):
Starting XI: Pakanen - Pedersen, Zirkova, Nymark, Viipuri - Voynov, Maersk ©, Lundell, Jashkin - Smolov, Jacobsen
Bench: Virulainen, Kiivälä, Dmitriev, Forsberg, A. Loeseth, Ilkkanen, V. Loeseth, Poulsen, Aarsoy, Midtjaer, Smolov, Ehlers
Lineup vs. Vilita (4-4-2):
Pakanen - Pedersen, Dmitriev, Forsberg, Viipuri - Voynov, Maersk ©, Poulsen, Jashkin - Nweke, Ehlers
[b]Bench: Virulainen, Kiivälä, Dmitriev, Forsberg, A. Loeseth, Ilkkanen, V. Loeseth, Lundell, Aarsoy, Midtjaer, Smolov, Jacobsen

by **San Ortelio** » Thu May 27, 2021 11:47 am

“Romeo, it’s not like this for me.”

Elisa often wondered how the present would have looked like if she would have said that line. But on that night, she went for “Romeo, it’s mutual” and one thing led to another. When she stepped out of the bedroom the next morning, she knew she had crossed the Rubicon, there was no way back now. A part of her felt ashamed and it was with reluctance, but also a sense of duty, that she took to calling Dennis as soon as possible. It is the kind of conversation no one wants to have per phone but as he would not be back in San Ortelio for two days, it felt simply underhanded to keep from telling him. Elisa tried, twice, thrice and eventually got Attilio on the line. It is funny how the nation knew him as the sympathetic midfield hope for the future – for her, he was the slightly scruffy, funny best friend stereotype. However, there was no sign of his usual quips.

“Hi Elisa,” he sighed, audibly annoyed that he was used as an intermediary.
“Is Dennis…”
“He doesn’t want to talk to you.”

How he knew it always puzzled Elisa, but maybe he just had a sixth sense for these things.

“Tell him I’m really sorry.”
“I…” Attilio hesitated. Maybe he wanted to shout at her for hurting his best friend, but he decided to fight that battle at another time, “I will.”

For the next few days, Elisa texted – she at least wanted to hear him once more, maybe have a coffee and iron out the biggest creases. She could see from the confirmations that he read them, but Dennis never replied. The nagging feeling in the back of her head wore out and in the end, Chiara gave it the last push towards the exit when she claimed that ‘one can only send a hundred messages’.

And so it started all awkwardly familiar. Romeo tried to impress her with a fancy dinner, tickets for a strange modern art exhibition, a weekend to the countryside, … At first, all was very enjoyable – Romeo was an interesting man after all. Unfortunately, he was quite sure of that himself. This started to play up when they worked together at the documentaries for the radio – especially as working together became a euphemism for him taking the lead. They even managed the football broadcasts as partners, much to the pleasure of about everyone at RODEO, Salvatore in the first place. When he exclaimed they were ”the best we ev’r ‘ad”, Romeo informed whether he hadn’t been already for a year of two.

In hindsight, she had no clue why she didn’t see it yet back then. Because now the trips were further apart and some nights, Romeo was out without as much as a signal.

Because now, she wondered what would have happened if she had said: “Romeo, it’s not like this for me.”

Elisa had followed the fall-out through the various headlines – well aware that the newspapers only knew half the story and made it their own.

SPAVIERO BACK TO SECOND VIOLIN
In-form Jessica Murphy definitively wins the starter position for Pesari

AND THE REST IS ISTOREYA
Why home loss against ninth seed shows the Ortelian lack of attacking depth

SPAT SPUNGE SPAVIERO
Falling out between NT manager Di Tane and young talent

HEY DENNIS – IT’S CLOSING TIME!
Star striker carried out of pub day before Serie A game

VITALI RECEIVES FIRST CALL-UP AGAINST VALLADARES
Meltdowns from Spaviero and Gozzi open up opportunities for young Haïtiens forward

WHO NEEDS SPAVIERO?
Success in Swangard with goals from Canova and Cadili

Elisa was worried, truthfully. But what could she do? As long as he stood by the distance between them, she could only accept that.

The morning of the confrontation with Siovanija and Teusland, Elisa came in earlier than usual for her shift. With the visitors picking up their pace drastically after their abysmal start, having only dropped a handful of points in their last eight games and stringing together a series of clear victories, there was quite a chance that it would be curtains after this confrontation for I Spada. Romeo desired to make the potential last competitive game a “personal bit of art” – a fancy way of saying that she would spend a few hours stringing together his various propositions. Ginevra was closing up her broadcasting block with a particularly amusing listener who enquired about the consequences of the Foxy Declaration on the wellbeing of animals.

When she entered the technical room, Eugenio looked a bit taken aback. Over time, she had grown accustomed to the quirks of the grumpy veteran technician – especially as he, without that many words, showed he had grown fond of her and appreciated her professionalism. As such, he had opened up more and more, so it was nothing for him to snatch the paper and his coffee and trail it along to the ‘dungeon’, the nickname given to a room which in theory should function as an archive, but in practice acted as the garbage depot for the company and work space for Eugenio to unscrew old equipment. Hastily, she went after him, holding her own cup of brown hold.

“Happy to see you as well,” Elisa tried to open up with some humor.
“Yes… Yes,” Eugenio replied – the circuits in his heads clearly being overloaded by something.
“Is everything fine?” Elisa asked.
“Yes… Yes,” Eugenio repeated himself, “just… ehm…”

He waved around a bit with his mug, scrambling for words.

“Just a bit tired?” Elisa released him from his conundrum – whatever it was, it would surface anyway. “No worries, I’ll pick it up in half an hour so you can go home early – there’s always time in Bernardo’s block to prepare other things.”

Eugenio nodded, visibly relieved.

“By the way,” Elisa pointed, “is that today’s paper?”

Staring to the paper in his hand as if he was unfamiliar with the concept of the printing press, Eugenio slowly shook his head despite the large headline claiming “TONIGHT’S THE CLASH WITH THE GOLDHORNS”.

“Can I have it for a second? Just to make sure Romeo doesn’t miss a thing for the intro.”

Without much ado, she grabbed it from his hand, but he halfheartedly tried to keep his palm on the right-bottom corner of the opening page. Slightly annoyed – you can be tired, but you can still cooperate – she snatched it but froze in mid-air as she saw the headline which was revealed.

SPAVIERO MISSING
Striker no longer seen after feisty all-nighter in Quebec three days ago

by **Flavovespia** » Thu May 27, 2021 12:03 pm

Hampridge Westwood

Overview

The region of Hampridge Westwood is almost like 2 smaller regions combined into one. Hampridge covers a lot of the south coast, and contains the municipalities of Boleland Wood, Ellerstone and Saltearth. Westwood used to be just one large city-region, but in the recent changes to local and regional government, now comprises the municipalities of Garden City, the largest “planned city” in all of Flavovespia, Panford and Linvale, two smaller towns in the region, and Westwood, now largely a collection of smaller settlements. Hampridge was once considered a decent region in the old days, but a bitter split between pro-republicanism Boleland Wood and the other two settlements put paid to that. Given the relative geographical isolation of Hampridge Westwood from the major cities of Flavovespia, and its small population, the region has struggled to gain importance in national affairs.

Municipalities

Boleland Wood Code: BO Population: 288’237 Land Area (sqkm): 2’731 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 106
Ellerstone Code: ES Population: 265’091 Land Area (sqkm): 969 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 274
Garden City Code: GC Population: 289’086 Land Area (sqkm): 231 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 1251
Linvale Code: LV Population: 44’562 Land Area (sqkm): 241 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 185
Panford Code: PA Population: 74’557 Land Area (sqkm): 344 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 217
Saltearth Code: SE Population: 257’998 Land Area (sqkm): 1’559 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 165
Westwood Code: WW Population: 73’774 Land Area (sqkm): 3’663 Population Density (pop/sqkm): 20

Geography

The geography of Hampridge Westwood is one of the reasons the region has potentially struggled in terms of population and prestige. To the north of the region lies part of the Occidenton mountain range, with some sharp hills in places. Westwood, Boleland Wood and Linvale have a lot of woodland outside urban and agricultural areas, in particular towards the higher, less habited areas of the municipalities. On the coast, Garden City, Panford, Saltearth and Ellerstone all lie not far about sea level, if at all in some cases. Garden City and Panford are generally more protected from severe coastal weather, and have been built on better foundations, both literally and figuratively. Saltearth and Ellerstone have suffered problems with being built on land very close to sea level. Parts of Saltearth, as the name implies, are high in salt content, creating coastal salt plains and marshes. This in terms inhibits land usage. Ellerstone and small parts of Boleland Wood also suffer similar issues, although Saltearth is most known for it.

Transport

Hampridge Westwood by and large, is serviced by one main road, the M1 motorway. It passes through or close to most of the population of the region at some point. For a while that was the main road, routes through the Occidenton mountain range were slow and narrow. However the M8, beginning in Garden City, connects the north and south in Westwood, via the Westwood Tunnels. This provides a quicker transport link to St Astons, and is hoped to be a driver of economic development, although some critics consider it a potential white elephant. Garden City is the only Flavovespian city that has both its own dedicated cycleway, and planned bus lanes integrated into the original layout. Innovative at the time, and it’s aged well, especially when environmental ideas took off. Recently plans have come about for an airport in the region, to service a large part of the nation, but feasibility studies have raised significant concerns.

Economy

Hampridge Westwood is a bit of a forgotten region economically in Flavovespia. It was one of the last to urbanise and grow considerably in population, and thus was on the back-foot to begin with. Whilst the founding of Garden City kick-started some development in the area, much of the industry around there was less glamourous. The saying “don’t see how the sausage is made” being quite literal in the case of some food factories established in the area. One exception to this was Ellerstone. It carved itself an identity as an arts, media and entertainment capital, and became nicknamed the city of “stars and fast cars”. In recent times, Garden City has begun to be seen as one of a fair few newer business friendly areas, and investment in the area is slowly equalising it to the better off parts of the nation. Its eco-friendly nature by design is also helpful in that regard.

Politics

Hampridge Westwood is quite divided even between neighbouring municipalities. Garden City has shown higher support to the Socialists and recently the Greens, with the Alliance Party also cropping up well from time to time. Boleland Wood has generally been something of a bellwether seat, it’s not been dominated by one party. Liberal parties like Flavovespia Forward and the Democratic Conservatives do well in Ellerstone, with the Socialists weaker there. Saltearth has been a bastion of support for the Freedom and Democracy Party at their strength, but is a municipality that can be quite unconventional, often a seat where the “flavour of the day” parties gain support. Linvale, Panford and Westwood meanwhile, lean more to the right, but at the same time have a healthy level of support for the Greens.

by **Darmen** » Thu May 27, 2021 12:13 pm

The Convention Center in Brham was buzzing with action. Journalists were running this way and that, trying to interview or photograph anyone of any importance they could possibly get close to. A gaggle of municipal councilors were surrounding a regional party leader, attempting to get their names on the regional list at the next parliamentary elections. At least one supporter of the Libertarian Socialist Party was loose in the Convention Center and security wasn't letting anyone, not even former Interior Secretary Gunter Rier get in their way of apprehending the possible disruptor.

After picking himself up from being knocked over by an overzealous security guard who was sure he had spotted the unwelcome intruder, Rier retreated to a quiet corner of one of the Convention Center's many hallways. Rier was alone with the only living thing near him being a decorative plant, the perfect place to collect his thoughts before reentering the convention floor and resuming his lobbying duties for leadership candidate Alex Quinn. Not being an active politician, Rier didn't have a vote at this particular convention, but he still had political and social capital he could employ to help his old friend become the next Republican Party leader.

Rier was just about to leave the corner of the hallway when the decorative plant sneezed. Rier thought this odd, Plants don't normally experience allergies, do they?

Rier approached the plant and carefully pulled a handful of its palm leaves in one direction and another handful in the other direction. Staring back at him calmly, was an old friend.

"Never were a fan of crowds were you?" Rier asked the man.

"Not unless there's a football somewhere nearby," answered Tor Tong Lee, extending his hand to greet his old colleague. As Rier went to return the hand shake, he let go of the palm leaves he had parted, so that a passing Convention Center employee could only see Rier with his right hand plunged deep into the plant and shaking its leaves. She simply looked at him quizzically as she passed by, muttering what Rier could only assume was "crazy politicians" and disappeared down the hall. "She didn't see me did she?" asked Lee, peeking his head out from around the plant.

"No, I don't think so" replied Rier, before asking, "Now what exactly is the former President of the Republic and Honorary Chairman of our party doing hiding behind a plant?"

"I'm hoping they'll miss me long enough to make O'Donahaue take charge of the balloting process," responded Lee. "I didn't come to this convention just to be paraded in front of everyone and preside over a bunch of formalities and read out results. I came here to... to..."

"Yes?" inquired Rier.

"Well, honestly, I've no idea why I came here. Quinn asked me to show my support, maybe get a few undecideds to vote for him, that sort of thing. The party wants me to oversee the balloting. But... have you seen this place‽ I'll get mobbed if I go out there. I should have stayed home."

Rier placed his arm around Lee's shoulder and began guiding him down the hallway towards the main convention floor. "We'll sneak in the back way," Rier assured Lee, hoping that there weren't any clever journalists who had the same idea.

The two men made there way towards the meeting room, being spotted only by the same Convention Center employee who had spotted Rier fondling the plant earlier. As they passed her, Lee held a finger up to his mouth and she scurried off as confused as she had ever been in her life.

Lee and Rier entered the floor of the convention through a side door. The room was dimly lit and full of the 870 MP's, MRC's and MC's who would be voting for the next leader of the Republican Party. Camera crews were also present and journalists were hurrying to get last second interviews before the balloting began. In the back of the room Alexander Woodrow was busy delivering last second comments to journalists and potential voters alike and drawing much of the attention away from Lee and Rier. Rier pointed towards a table in the rear corner and said, "We'll sit there, I'll be back in a few," before disappearing into the crowd to resume his own last second lobbying duties.

Up front on the main stage, the party officers began taking their places to oversee the balloting process, including the current interim leader of the party, Donald O'Donahaue. O'Donahaue had been Lee's right hand man for all twelve years the later had been president. As O'Donahaue took to the podium, he was searching the room for one man in particular, the man who was supposed to be doing his job at this particular moment. As O'Donahaue's eyes scanned towards the back of the room, he was sure he had seen a man dive under his table. He turned towards an aide not far away and mouthed the words, "Back corner, under table," before turning on his microphone and calling the delegates to order.

* * * * *

Lee and the party officials were having a heated argument. Lee desperately didn't want to speak in front of the crowd, he'd congratulate the winner sure, but no way was he giving a speech. The party's PR coordinator was trying to convince the former party leader that it wouldn't look good to the public for their former leader to not be more involved, especially as Lee's popularity was still fairly high. The party treasurer was certain he could boost both party membership and donations by 24 percent if only Lee would deliver the speech he had prepared.

"It's a six minute long speech," pleaded the Treasurer.

"Which is six minutes too long," responded Lee.

"All those viewers on television were promised you'd be here," said the PR coordinator.

"And I am here, I'm just not going on there," responded Lee as he jabbed a finger in the direction of a television camera.

The argument was interrupted by the arrival of O'Donahaue, who was using the opportunity provided to him by the Libertarian Socialist — who had finally managed to make his way onto the convention floor and was busy covering Berbari mayor Caleb Morris with silly string — to step away from the main stage and force his former boss to fulfill his duties. This had been one of O'Donahaue's major tasks during his time as both Foreign Secretary and Vice President. As much as he admired Lee's ability to be a leader in cabinet meetings and to deal with various politicians and difficult political decisions, Lee's ability to interact with the public was abysmal and his borderline obsessive love of football had once led O'Donahaue to lie to his superior about a Valladar invasion in order to prevent him from appearing as an All Green in a World Cup match. O'Donahaue was convinced Lee would never have made it in politics had he lived in any other country.

"For heaven's sake Lee, you can't hide from people forever," said O'Donahaue before explaining to Lee that he would have to read the results of the fourth and final ballot and introduce the winner before they gave a speech. "If you don't want to say much, fine, but you're going to at least stand up there and give people something to look at. Pretend like you give a damn at least."

Before Lee could object, O'Donahaue had quite literally pushed him out onto the stage. The room erupted into cheering as Lee walked reluctantly to the podium. O'Donahaue reached the microphone first in order to introduce Lee, "After a bit of a delay, I'm glad to introduce former President and Republican Party Honorary Chairman Tor Tong Lee to deliver the results of our final ballot."

Lee knew he had no chance at making a getaway now, but O'Donahaue made sure of it by hooking Lee's arm with one of his hands and yanking the former president into place behind the microphone. The applause of the crowd died down as O'Donahaue placed the results in front of Lee.

"The result of the final ballot is this," began Lee, "Alex Quinn has received 420 votes..." Lee was interrupted by an equal number of groans and shouts, "and Alexander Woodrow 450. Mr. Woodrow has won and I invite him to come up and..." Lee never got to finish and he was glad that was the case. The charismatic and outgoing Woodrow had already reached the podium, he had practically sprinted there, and had already shook Lee's hand and began his victory speech. Finally, thought Lee as he began to shrink back behind Woodrow, the new leader's words being only white noise as Lee's mind moved on... Finally a chance to get back to what I truly love...

by **Sargossa** » Thu May 27, 2021 1:27 pm

The historic Venado Market in Daroca had been home to the port city’s traders for nearly two centuries. Fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, spices, the colours and smells were quite the experience. The stallholders shared jokes with their regular customers and used their best patter for the tourists, for whom the market was a regular stop. Or they should have been. For there was one day every couple of years or so when the Venado wasn’t the centre of attention. When the noise and atmosphere was leeched away to a large building down the street. Nestled on the edge of Daroca’s market district sat the Estadio Bolero. And the national team were in town.

Inside the stadium an expected capacity crowd were taking their seats. Out on the pitch the Sargossan players were being put through their paces by fitness coach Luis Miguel Sacristán, a gentle drill ahead of another crucial World Cup qualifier. Head coach Brian McAllister stood on the sidelines, deep in conversation with assistants Gregory Wallen and Miguel Marí. As he talked his gaze hovered over the white clad visitors going through their own warm up at the other end of the pitch. Sargossa’s qualification campaign was hanging by a thread. Holding The Holy Empire to a draw had been a magnificent achievement, meaning The Corsairs had avoided defeat to the third ranked side in the multiverse on both occasions in this campaign. But the result had allowed the Independent Athletes from Quebec to put two further points between them and Sargossa, stretching the gap to five.

Realistically it meant that McAllister’s charges need to win all three of their remaining matches, and hope against hope that the Quebecois cocked right up at least twice. Their opponents at the Bolero were well cast as spoilers in this story. Silvedania had come into this campaign as sixth seeds but had enjoyed a highly impressive campaign. Prior to their most recent double header Caroline Barbier had led her team to seven wins in thirteen games, with just two defeats. Largely on the back of a rock-solid defence. Then came a surprise defeat at the Islands of Ventro and a battling home reversal against The Holy Empire and suddenly Silvedania were on the cusp of elimination. They needed a win in Sargossa and for the Quebecois to drop points to have any chance of advancing to the World Cup Finals for the very first time. Despite those two recent defeats the denizens of the 10,000 Islands still enjoy the best defensive record in Group 3, with just twelve goals conceded in their fifteen fixtures. Although a full quarter of that total had come courtesy of players bedecked in Sargossan darker blue.

The stadium buzzed with noise as kickoff approached but there was something else in the air too. Forty thousand homes fans felt it. As did the hardy few thousand who’d spent their hard earned vilattes on trips to Olde Rushmore. The air crackled with tension. Fifteen hard fought matches had been played but for the two nations facing off in Daroca, one single defeat now would probably see their entire campaign come crashing to a premature end.

by **Drawkland** » Thu May 27, 2021 1:57 pm

E X P I R E D ...

As requested, Cam arrived in Kayo and met up with Nicole the day before they planned to go to the Elstrund Valley. The pair had some fun on the town and later did a workout before getting an early bedtime for their flight the next morning. Nicole was curious as to why Sarah hadn't yet shown up or told her anything about her flight plans. She'd tried calling a couple times but Sarah never answered, and they woke up the next morning to a text message from their former teammate.

"'Sorry I didn't make it there, I didn't get tickets in time. We'll meet you at the valley later today.'" Nicole read the text aloud. "Who is 'we'? She's not bringing anybody with her, is she?"

"She didn't say she was ..." Cam was equally confused and a little alarmed. "You don't think she told anybody about what you're doing, did she? This is supposed to be confidential, I thought."

"You're right, I have to keep this under wraps. I don't think Sarah would've told anybody though, she's not really that kind of person."

The rest of the morning went off without a hitch, as the pair flew into an airport a few hours away from Elstrund Valley and got a ride the remainder of the journey. What they saw there came to surprise them, however.

Elstrund was a massive tree. The base of the tree and its abovegrounds roots are so large that the Elstrund Roots (a domestic team in Drawkland's league) played in a stadium literally whittled into the roots of the tree itself. There was plenty of space all around it, with a settlement the size of a small town surrounding it. This wasn't even counting the thousands that lived on the wide and developed branches of the tree's canopy. Despite all this, it still had a peaceful air around itself, with a majority of the valley still being kept intact in its natural splendor.

Nicole and Cam were dropped off at the Root Field, where the immaculately-kept natural grass pitch was often used as a public park type area when pro matches or practices weren't in session. They were expecting to see Ellzidan, maybe nobody, and maybe just Sarah. What they saw instead came as a shock.

As they got out of the car, it wasn't just Sarah present, but her half-brother Andrew Arrowsword and his boyfriend (Cenian tennis prodigy) Liam Penderyn as well. Even worse was that there was somebody else present - none other than Katie Madison of the old Kick Corps. There was absolutely no reason she should be there. Worse, now Nicole and Cam would have to be more discreet when talking to Sarah about the Quest.

"Hi everyone!" Cam put on a smile first and went to greet the fellow athletes. Nicole lagged behind, starting to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. When she got closer she could see the sheepish and slightly angry expression on Sarah's face. It must've been her fault.

"Hello! Long time no see, you guys!" Katie replied in sickeningly sweet fashion.

"Yeah, it's been awhile." Nicole forced a laugh, but it was kind of obvious.

"What? Not happy to see me?" Katie asked innocently.

"No, that's not it at all, I just ... wasn't expecting to see you here!" Nicole replied quickly. "What brings you out here anyway?"

"I heard there was a reunion happening here! Not many people came, though."

Nicole shot a glance at Sarah, who refused to meet her gaze, instead preferring to watch herself toe at the grass.

"Well, not much of a reunion, just a small get-together. Just between us friends!" Cam butted in.

"I really appreciate it. Is the elf going to be here?" Katie asked, looking around.

"Who knows? She comes and goes as she pleases," Nicole lied. It was only a matter of time until Ellzidan showed up, and she'd have some explaining to do. But first, Sarah would have some explaining to do to her. "Cam and I are going to put our luggage up. We'll be back here soon. Sarah, will you give us a hand? The rest of you can just sit tight here."

"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" Nicole hissed as soon as they were out of earshot of the others. "Why are they here?"

"I ... might have fucked up," Sarah admitted. "You know when y'all called me the other night? Apparently I had a little too much to drink and I ended up telling Andrew and Liam what I was doing this weekend. They don't know about the Quest or anything, they just think this is supposed to be a vacation get-together thing with me. Also, it's been awhile since Andrew was in Drawkland and he wanted to see the Valley again."

"That doesn't answer the bigger question though." Cam jerked her thumb back in the direction of the field. "What is that bitch doing here?"

"That's where I really screwed the drawk." Sarah sighed. "You guys know I have a penchant for drunk texting, right? It turns out that I texted Katie a bunch, calling her a bitch, stuck-up, all words that aptly describe her but you shouldn't say over text. She seemed pretty mad, so I told her to come fight me. She asked where, I'm not sure if she was being serious, but I was inebriated so I ended up telling her my plans to come here this weekend. She doesn't know about the Quest or anything either, as far as I know."

"This is going to be way harder to pull off," Nicole lamented. "We were supposed to do physical and hand-to-hand combat training with Ellzidan, but now I don't know how to offload the rest of these people without being suspicious."

The trio filled each other in as they offloaded their luggage into their respective rooms. Having stayed at Elstrund before, they knew where Ellzidan would have their rooms prepared. When they came back to the field, Katie, Andrew, and Liam were still there, and no elf in sight.

"Welcome back! Find everything okay?" Katie asked.

"I know my way around, thank you." Nicole answered, a bit coldly.

"No need to be so rude, I was just- oh, hello there stranger!" Katie stopped midsentence and looked behind the trio.

It was none other than the immortal Ellzidan, standing in a soccer kit and cleats and a whistle draped around her neck.

"Welcome to Elstrund Valley, everyone." Ellzidan began speaking with her captivating voice. "There seems to be a few more people here than I anticipated. Are you putting together a little fellowship, Nicole?"

"What? No, it was all just-"

"No time for all that right now. It's time to get warmed up, and then the training for you and your party will begin."

by **Kandorith** » Thu May 27, 2021 2:14 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International

Akira Watanabe sees parallel with society.
Football and society, two worlds with a lot of similarities.
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

^{SHARE THIS:}

TENKYO, KANYORI — The Kandorese stand on a decisive night as the qualifications are almost at an end, with only three games to go it is for Kandorith to win them all and at least draw to Drawkland and try to catch up on the two point difference with them. The hope is; the number one and two slipping up in the upcoming three matches. For Kandorith it is Watanabe and his empowering vision leading the Bushi Narehiko or Lotus Warriors, the national team of Kandorith.

We sat down with the manager of the Lotus Warriors, Akira Watanabe.

"My faith in the people around me and all people is almost as prominent as the faith I have in myself', Akira Watanabe stated. "I always tell younger players to keep their head down and appreciate what they got. In reality, this is not the aim and something I have done in my life."

What Watanabe is actually saying, is there is only one aspect in his vision on football that really changed throughout the years, which is: 'Attacking is not the most important in the game'. "You really have to look the qualities of your players of course, but this is not the only thing that matters, you also have to invest time in looking at the qualities of the opponent; their strengths and weaknesses and from this you have to really get to know them and anticipate their play."

Akira Watanabe was a footballer in his youth and one of the most successful managers in the history of Kandorith. He successfully managed teams like FC Tenkyo, Higashu Frontale, Hayazawa Vissel and now the Kandorese national team.

"Human behaviour, I have noticed, is more difficult to steer in any direction than anything else. This is because everyone has their own traits and vision on how things should be done and achieved. All new advances in football and the technology surrounding football are one factor - what people eventually do with it is a complete other story, that's what it's all about.

Society as an example
"I believe in a social way that society is on a regression. The entire society, not just in Kandorith but worldwide, is going straight against all that is needed to bind a team together. In football we all have to look out for one and another, we have to take care of each other and protect each other. Computers and implants of course play a very significant role in this development both in technology and the human mind. The image of humanity is a lot less important than it used to be in the eyes of people in your direct environment. We are online almost 24/7 and indulge ourselves in games, braindances and other virtual worlds to talk to people. The difference is, you're not really talking to people but images, avatars, of them. When this happens: you are less likely to be able to compare yourself and your behaviour to the behaviour and consciousness of others.

"As manager in football I have to find an antidote for all these changes and try to set an example for everyone through communication and implement my vision into theirs - and yes sometimes I have to change my vision or slightly adjust it when needed, but the most important thing is to maintain my vision and strict communication. That last thing is not always easy as with younger generations discipline is sometimes associated with old authority and something of a by-gone era.

"How can I ensure that we are all coming together and work towards one single goal, to bond as a team and put down a performance as individual players and the entire team that can awe the entire nation? Maybe I have been blessed with coming from a large family with six siblings, but I have noticed that a lot of younger people are more individual and into themselves than the last generation and they have not really learned to put the needs of the many before the needs of the few. Discipline is a behavioural code which is not just something agreed upon between two people, but something which you hold high and won't throw out of the window at the first signs of resistance and tough days. It is of the absolute essence that I keep this from happening and to maintain it, sometimes correct my players on their behaviour.

Discipline is not just behavioural
"As a manager I have always tried to set rules in stone which are accepted by the entire group and not just the players; but the entire national team. Next to those rules I believe there should be enough room for players to show the world who they are. Discipline in football goes beyond the game discipline, if you have no discipline off the field, you will not have it on the field either. The thing about discipline is: it's not just behaviour, it's also a mindset.

"I have always believed that discipline is one of the most important traits to have, but for a lot of my players, who are used to living in complete freedom to do as they please, it'might be difficult to deal with my authority. I think the most important thing is to be a proper human being and in my instance this means you keep your promises and you work to what you have agreed on. If you are a manager yet not a proper human being, you will lose all the players you work with in due time.

Authority is not a given
"Back in the days the title of manager was more than enough to have a certain obedience towards you. This is no longer the case, and this is a very good change in football. I know that I have all the marks of the old football culture and can appreciate the days of old more, yet I believe there are a lot of good things in the new football culture and this is one of them. One should not just get authority but earn it. You should always set the right example towards your team.

"Too many leaders are mostly absorbed by improving themselves rather than their environment, their vision is often blurred by their goal of being the best and only the best. To me this is not logical at all and a prominence in bad coaching. The combination of clarity, logic and setting the right example is a quality which people can and will truly follow. Being a leader has never been a merit in my opinion, because I think some people are natural born leaders. Gaining knowledge, insight and understanding the people around you is a whole other story, or being a kind and loving person in today's society, essentially building the qualities of being a good leader and growing into a great leader. Now that is a merit.

Believing in others
"The essence is clarity, honesty and emphatic communication. I really hope that all people who have worked with me in the past and present day also think of me in that way. a person who would not only think of themselves, but sometimes thinks of the people around them and had faith in them. I try to truly believe in everyone around me, all my players and my staff and try to put myself in their shoes.

"Young players often ask me: could you give me any advice? Which I answer with: 'just be yourself'. As manager I have learned that this is not always the best thing to do, sometimes you have to let some aspects of yourself go. At the beginning of your career you have to be open for constructive criticism, and with that criticism in mind you get to know yourself even more than you already thought you did.

"What I have truly discovered throughout this journey: everything starts with yourself, but it does not end there, because for the sake of the team you sometimes have to be able to forget about yourself and put everything in the hands of others."

by **Zwangzug** » Thu May 27, 2021 2:25 pm

The Bassabook Baritone

-Former national team captain Martin Scallop has expressed his admiration for South Newlandia news bureaus for constructing elaborate puzzles to detail their players' exploits. "I very much hope that [REDACTED] follows all proper licensing procedures to secure his pet Owlephant," said Scallop. "From what I hear, those things are dangerous!" However, he was disappointed that one of the categories was about "best goal." "This is a clear example of takilan statistical bias, considering that defenders score much less often and their displays of skill are harder to summarize by a clear moment." Scallop did admit, however, that including rookie, and substitute center back, Sean Wu was a nice touch. "His goal that [REDACTED] was very elegant!"

At press time, fans were pointing out that it's totally cool to include goalkeepers as well, they score penalty kicks all the time in video game simulations.

-Kirk McDonagh has stepped down from Ephesian FC upon the confirmation that he will return to international management, this time with Pasarga. "He was a cool guy, and I wish him the best," said Jaclyn Burkhart. Jesse McWhorter concurred: "I mean he could get a little frustrated when the framing of history as an eternal struggle got co-opted for non-economic ideological frameworks, but other than that, he brought out the best in us." It is unclear if the capital side will look abroad at the next transfer window, or join other clubs in lacking an attention to such details as publicizing their manager's identity. But McDonagh's vocal political proclamations made Ephesian's tactical extremism seem almost normal by comparison, and a person like that is hard to replace.

-News from Electrum reports that nobody is likely to be reading this anyway, which is great, because I have a word count to make and I finally have an opportunity to share some of my controversial opinions that might get pushback if anyone actually read them. For one, the Divine Host of Archangels cult is pretty screwed-up. I mean, it’s not the business of the state to tell people what they should or shouldn’t believe, or punish them if they try to proselytize. I know I’m lucky to live in a country where government takes that kind of thing seriously; not everyone has those rights. But on the flip side, it’s the responsibility of the individual believer to either make sure they’re living in a deliberate commune away from the rest of the world, or alternatively, recognize that not everyone has the same metaphysical beliefs you do. If you have to start every quotidian encounter by acknowledging the presence of the Worshipful Seraphim or whatever, and expect your interlocutors to do the same, don’t be surprised when nobody is willing to do business with you.

Whew, glad to get that off my chest! In other news, I think the editor’s mother is—[We apologize for the inconvenience. The remainder of this column in the digital edition has been replaced by a fancy automatic spreadsheet that updates in real time with potential playoff matches based on the results in other groups. If you’re still reading this on paper, please use the enclosed blank space to draw a cute picture of a cat or something.]

(Idmar 11, Munshi 45+2, Sibal 72)

(Haugen 49)

by **Valanora** » Thu May 27, 2021 2:26 pm

After a frustrating draw against Electrum, it was being wondered if their fellow Rushmori counterparts in the often believed cursed footballers of Eastfield Lodge would be up to the task of their regionmates and deny the Marauders the three points they desired to maintain pole position at the head of Group Four. Both Rushmori outfits had seemed hellbent in the first half of the campaign on frustrating the Marauders through a style of play that statisically made them look the superior against the second ranked team in the WCC rankings. However in the Rushmori's trip to the Eternal Empire, they would at last be brought under the full weight of the Vanorian juggernaut and would find themselves on the wrong end of a drubbing where the Marauders had the quality of the play even if the scoreline might have suggested a more close affair.

It began on just the nine minute mark when Heike Schoß sprayed a pass out wide for Veliz to run on to and the winger calmly collected the ball and brought it upfield. Cutting in towards the box, it looked like the FC Capri man was going to go have a go himself before at the last moment squaring it across where Indra Söderström was waiting after making a dashing run from the wing herself, blasting one back across the goalmouth and into the upper corner. Josias Foster had no chance of trying to dive back across their body and were easily beaten, the home side striking first and early, letting the Marauders settle into a comfortable style of play. That comfortable position allowed them to dictate the game to their opponents and kept the Eastfielders on their heels, having to defend attack after attack, yet Foster was making good for that early effort and keeping the Marauders from having a bloated lead going into halftime.

The second half brought some momentum for the Eastfielders, as perhaps the Marauders thought that the victory was too well in hand to keep up the tenacity of the first half, particularly after Lothas Ludwig tapped in a low cross from Veliz on the forty-ninth minute. Yet it would be five minutes later that the Eastfielders would have their reply on just their second shot on target, after a trip of Accardi by Kluge outside the area gave the Eastfielders a dangerous spot for a freekick. With Torunna Soriano coming up to take the freekick, the Vanorian defense seemed to concentrate on the Eastfield Lodge attackers, letting Elouan Elbaz scramble free to the nearpost and put a powerful header past Julius Miljeteig in net. Alas for the visiting side, they would only have one more shot on target the rest of the game, with Miljeteig making the stop on Izzat Patton's effort in the eighty-seventh minute that tried to get a share of the points for the visitors. It was not to be and a routine performance brought the side one game closer to securing qualification.

A victory in Adab, combined with a loss by Geektopia traveling to Electrum, would be enough to secure the Marauders at least a top two position, which for the moment would mean automatic qualification even if the Marauders do not manage to maintain their grip on the top spot. While the home crowd seemed upbeat at the start of the match, that feeling seemed to sap away the longer the match went on, particularly after Ludwig put the visiting Vanorians up a goal just a few minutes past the half hour mark. Saxstrom would put any hopes of an Adab upset to bed in the seventy-third minute, converting a very well struck Veliz corner. It was very much a dominant performance and with the news of Geektopia being toppled over in Rushmore by the way of former champions Electrum, the Marauders felt a slight burden be lifted off their shoulders having secured at the very least a playoff spot.

Yet the history of the Marauders is not so renowned because of their ability of doing just enough to accomplish their goals, but because of the efficient and dominant might that they took the footballing world by storm back in the late 30s and nearly the entire 40s editions of the World Cup. Such was their dominance that the accent of the Marauders are marked by an era of the World Cup historians, including the immortal Starblaydi for whom the Under 21 World Cup is now named after. The match to secure a group title (almost) against Abanhfleft is luckily to be contested inside the Empire at the historic Hatire Memorial in Capri, where even a draw would not be considered a poor result. The Fleftic team is one hard pressed on the attack but equally opened up at the back, where the Vanorian team is a bit more tempered and well shored up in the back. It has all the makings of a close affair and with as much riding on the game, should bring out the best of the Marauders.

by **Audioslavia** » Thu May 27, 2021 2:53 pm

OOC: This sets up the events-of-Foxchester RP, which is taking its sweet time to come together

Foxchester, Starblaydia, ten days after the split

The doors at the front of hotel opened out onto Marble Avenue. They were made of glass, rotated and had the name of a rich Legalite chef-turned-entrepreneur-turned-excruciatingly-smug-television-bastard-turned-chef inscribed in gold leaf and turquoise. In direct contrast in every single way, the double doors at the back entrance opened out onto the bins-and-bookies laden Smith Street and were a mess of splinters and chips through its faded light blue paint. They were covered in grease and had one of those foot-high stainless steel bottom panels that served only to remind you of how many people kick doors open at just above foot height. The double doors opened, the light inside was switched off, and three silhouettes emptied out onto the cobbles, illuminated only barely by the dull pink flickering of a semi-functioning street-light and, eventually, an empty cigarette lighter chattering in the dark.

“You back in tomorrow? Said a rotund woman in a cagoule. The first man got his phone out and stared at it unblinkingly. The second man kept frowning at his unlit cigarette before finally giving up.
“Nah. They’ve got me a shift packaging chickenwire” said the second man, rummaging in his jacket pocket.
“Sounds fun” said the first man, still yet to blink
“It won’t be,” said the second man. “You got a lighter?”
“I don’t smoke” said the second man, staring at his phone. “Bad habit”
“How much money did you spend on Sugar Crunch Adventure today?” said the woman, sarcastically.
“I needed that fourteenth farm to speed up production of these lemons” said the man with the phone, still without looking up.
“Yeah. Well anyway, nice to see you again, take care”
“Yeah see you” said the man with the phone, as he and the woman turned and walked towards the bus-stop round the corner, leaving the second man to continue his quest to make fire without fuel.
“Harrison Harrison?” came a voice from the shadows. Harrison Squared stopped futilely flicking the wheel on his lighter and looked to the sound of the voice. It was coming from a small man emerging from the shadows. He was dressed head to toe in beige, with one of the beige garments being a mackintosh coat that was about as greasy as the door behind Harrison. He rummaged in the coat for a lighter - a gold one with seven letters on the front. “IBJJGNB” - and lit it in front of the man, who put the tip of his cigarette in the flame.
“Harrison Harrison. So… when I called you that time, and convinced you I needed to speak to you…”
“‘Convinced me’ is a nice way of saying ‘bribed me because’”
“Which is a not-nice way of saying ‘paid’, Harrison. When I called you, and offered to pay you… did you panic when I then asked you to make up a false name?”
“Yeah” said Harrison, taking a drag of his cigarette and looking away.
“I hope neither of your names are Harrison” said the man in the mac.
“Closer to that than I’d like,” said Harrison. “One of them, anyway”
“Yeah I figured out who you were,” said the man, putting his lighter back in his coat pocket, but not before lighting a cigarette of his own.
“I was supposed to have quit but, hey, sometimes life, uh, finds a way”
“Yeah I’m quitting soon” said Harrison, for the fourth time that year and the fifty-fourth time since he started, eight years ago. “Do we talk here?” he continued.
“Unless you want to be seen in a bar talking to Jeremy Jaffacake”
“I’m a temp” said Harrison. “If I lose my job I’d earn more money on the dole anyway”
“Why do you do it, then?” Asked Jeremy
“You ever been unemployed?”
“Sure”
“Unemployed and on the dole?”
“No”
“Wouldn’t recommend it” said Harrison. “What you got in that bag?”
“Beers. Sandwiches. It’s a warm evening. Is anyone going to be coming into this car park any time soon?”
“Buggered if I know” said Harrison. “Only done the three shifts here. There won’t be anyone here til the cleaners arrive. 6ish.”
“How about we sit on that bench, crack open a beer, and you tell me everything you know about that temp shift you did here ten days ago”
“The one with the politicians” said Harrison
“The one with the politicians” said Jeremy, producing a can of Batiob Pilsner from his bag.

Foxchester, Krytenia, ten days after the split

“Ah for fuck sake” said Rubio, watching helplessly as his flight to Audioslavia ticked over from ‘delayed, expected 3hr’ to ‘delayed, expected 4hr’. To the board’s right, a rotating plate clock kerchunked from 22:59 to 23:00. The shutters on the last open bar rolled shut. It was him and fourteen other people alone in an airport the size of two and a half airports, but for a handful of security guards and some airline staff retreating to the exit or to the much more comfortable staff rooms.

Rubio summoned a chocolate bar from a vending machine, stuffed it in his pocket and went for a walk around the airport, trying to find one of those vending machines that did an overly sweet and powdery espresso which, he once admitted, was his favourite type of coffee. To his right, a girl in uniform caught a glimpse of his tired expression and tried to offer him some comfort.
“Sorry, honey. Flights are a bit iffy, what with the sanctions. Airspace, oil prices, increased security. That flight got stuck in Tyrellia but it’s on its way. They’ll do a quick turnaround too if they can, love”
“Thanks” said Rubio “Honestly I don’t mind airports. Better if the bars are open though”
“I know love. And I’m sorry. Take care” she said, making her way towards the exit. Rubio found one of the coffee machines and took his double-espresso to the quietest part of the airport he could.

His phone chimed to the sound of the first verse of Black Sheep by Metric. Rubio pulled it out of his pocket and noted the caller ID was withheld. He didn’t even know they could do that any more.

“Yellow, Rubio Sanchez?”
“YOU’RE PERFORMING AN AUTOPSY OF THE FOX”
“I’m sorry what”
”IT’S MORE VIVISECTION ANYWAY. THE FOX HAS MORE TO SAY”
“Excuse me what the f”
”THE OTHERS YOU HAVE CONTACTED. THE CHAD AND THE HARRISON. ONE WILL ALWAYS LIE. ONE WILL ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH”
Rubio took his phone away from his ear for a second. The voice on the other end sounded like someone had run a bass-and-potato filter through it. He thought for a second.
“So if I asked Chad what Harrison would say if..”
”THIS ISN’T THAT SORT OF QUESTION”
“Well then I’m stumped”
”YOU WANT INFORMATION ON FOXCHESTER. I WAS THERE. I HAVE THIRTY MINUTES. YOU HAVE THIRTY MINUTES. ASK, AND I SHALL TELL”
“Jesus, fuck hang on I need to..”
”YOU DO NOT NEED A PEN”
“I won’t remember the exact quotes”
”YOU DO NOT QUOTE ME. I OFFER INFORMATION, NOT NEWS. INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING IN KRYTENIA LAST WEEK. THE BIG ONE.”
“I need a name” said Rubio, “I’m a journalist. This is nothing without a name”
”YOU DO NOT QUOTE ME. IF YOU NEED TO REFER TO ME, YOU CAN REFER TO ME AS…”
“..yes?”
”DEEP GOAT”
“Gross”

Cestravolpe, Audioslavia, ten days after the split

The Passaggio del Patriarcato is a narrow cobbled pathway that winds along the coast of the quiet yet extortionately expensive tourism honey-pot of Cestravolpe, a village-turned-town-turned-pretentious seaside retreat for families of bankers, politicians and other arseholes. Make your way along the winding road from the train station to a town centre that slopes seamlessly down to an artificial beach and you’ll have twenty minutes of the languid Cosuman Sea to your right and to your left will be a collection of ice cream parlours, quiet bars, expensive looking restaurants and cosy yet expensive bed and breakfasts. Most tourists will stop in the main part of town to sit by the sea, eat an ice cream and sip Marza, a local liqueur made of grapes and marzipan, but those with extra special pretentions will make their way up the hill towards the Sceriffa, a five-star hotel that looms preposterously over the otherwise quaint sea-side resort. All the buildings around it are short, pastel-coloured and crumbling adorably at the corners. The Sceriffa is six storeys of heavily tinted windows and jet black marble cladding but for all four of the building’s sides proclaiming the hotel’s name in giant neon letters. Visiting the town, you get the feeling you’re a lego person in a model lego town that someone has put a bottle of artisanal gin in the centre of. “When did they put that there? Does it even belong here? I can’t even see the bricks. Is someone going to take it away?”

It is along that path, and up that hill, and into that ridiculous hotel that a former politician had taken his family. He called himself a politician, but in reality he was just an overpaid political aide, as nobody would have ever voted for him even if he’d campaigned for free beer and deportation for whomever you didn’t like the look of. After a long evening looking at pretty old churches and museums and art galleries over the rim of their assorted smartphones and handheld gaming systems, most of the family had decided to retire early for the evening, the parents having drunk a little too much wine at dinner and the kids having eaten far too much sugar. The wife announced she was tired and she’d be taking the kids up to the room before collapsing onto the bed. The husband nodded, said he’d have a quick cup of tea and do a bit of work at the hotel bar: that work supposedly being to check the next day’s headline news and offer his services to whichever politico looked like they needed help, but in reality involved ordering a margarita, removing his wedding ring and seeing if he could get a quick tour of someone else’s hotel room.

The woman sitting alone on a comfortable-looking two-person sofa seemed a decent shout. A little older than he’d typically pursue when his wedding ring was firmly in his wallet, but she was wearing clothes and breathing oxygen so she was clearly up for it. He put on his best ‘I’m really really rich’ voice.

“Mind if I sit here” said the man, gesturing towards an area of the sofa directly next to, if not on top of, the woman. She made a show of smiling brightly. She looked momentarily like she was trying to blush.
“Sure, depends if you have a drink for me though” she said, nodding at her half-empty glass
“What is it you’re drinking, sweetheart?” said the man. The woman briefly seemed to get the word ‘sweetheart’ stuck in her throat, but she resisted the urge to vomit it back at him and regained her composure without him noticing.
“Vodka martini” said the woman, eventually. The man smiled disgustingly but would only get the first syllable of his witty repartee out of his mouth.
“Sha..”
“I take it however it comes” she said, which drew a kyuk-kyuk from the man as he sat beside her, summoning a barman towards their table by tapping at it impatiently and clicking his fingers in the air.
“Vodka martinio for the lady, per favorio” he said. “I’ll have another margaritio, please barmanio, gratsy”
“I didn’t know you spoke Italian” said the woman as unsarcastically as humanly possible, which wasn’t very unsarcastic at all.
“It’s the only language they understand” said the man
“What’s your name anyway, sweetheart” said the woman, though it seemed like the vowels of the word ‘sweetheart’ had given her a dull existential pain to say. The man paused for a second to finish his first margarita before answering.
“Chad” he said. “Chad McBad. Now how about we take our drinks upstairs to your place and, hey, you can slip into something more… naked”
The woman refastened the top two buttons of her shirt as she took her drink and finished it. It was water.
“Well it’s good to know you’ve no imagination” she said, in a deeper tone of voice this time, pulling a voice recorder from her purse. “It’ll be really easy to know when you’re lying” she said, showing it had already been switched to record.
“Wh..”
“Chad McBad is the ludicrous fake name I suggested for you over the phone” she said. “It was shortly after I’d told you you had a duty to the Audioslavian people - and to the Anaian and Atlantian Oceanian people - to collaborate with us to tell us everything you know about the Foxchester Declaration”
“But..”
“Shortly after I suggested the fake name, you told me I could interview you if I could find you alone and away from your ‘loving family’ at any point over ‘the next few days’. Well, Chad, here we fucking are. I have a ridiculously shiny hotel room upstairs where we can take our drinks and you can unburden yourself. Just not in the way you were thinking two minutes ago.” The man pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Or,” continued the woman, “I can find your poor wife and play her the tape of you trying to seduce someone, what, four minutes after your kids went upstairs. Complete with the phrase ‘slip into something more naked’, which I actually have to admit I quite *like*, if only for its originality.
“What did you say your name was again?” said Chad.
“Sue” came the reply.

Foxdale, The Plough Islands, ten days after the split

With a satisfying thwack, the batsman executed a sharp cover drive and gestured for his partner to get his ruddy socks on. A few seconds later, he returned to his crease having amassed two further runs for his team. A sparse crowd clapped politely. At the back, a gentleman in an off-white hat congratulated the batsman on a hitherto commendable knock of twenty-five.
“It certainly is good to have cricketing weather back at last” he said, waggling his glass of virgin apple juice at the man four seats to his right.
“Totally” said the man. “A week of rain. What are the chances?”
“Oh, the weather had gone unnoticed, I am afraid” said the hat. “Foxchester had beckoned me thence for that business with the Declaring”
“Good gosh, were you? I mean… did it?” it was sometimes difficult to piece together the grammar of Plough Islander English to find where exactly the auxiliary verbs were.
“I was in the room myself” said the hat. “Special administrative support for Cde Martin, you see”
“Gosh that must have been exciting” said the man, moving a few seats closer to the hat. “Would you tell me about it, mister…”
“Clark” said the man in the hat. “Frederick Winston Clark. Quite the accent you have there”
“Well, I’m not from around here, you see. The name’s… Daniel.”
“A pleasure it most certainly is, Daniel. And yes of course, take a seat. What do you want to know?”

by **Sylestone** » Thu May 27, 2021 2:56 pm

Rangers FC - Sylestone

Rangers FC (4-2-1-3): Gregorikis; Baranasikis - Aurisorikis - Balokun (Helanderikis 64’) - Taverianikis; Giakos (Kamariskis 52’) - Davidikis (▮ 89’); Hagiriakis; Kentis (▮ 35’) - Morelikis - Vright (Roofikis 75’)

Sylestone (5-3-2):Brick Wall; Ironing Board - Toilet - Washing Machine - Sofa (Nokia 82’) - Dishwasher (Drawer 65’); Stove - Spiderwebs (Bar Stool 48’) - Fridge; Tumble Dryer - Mixer

GLASKOPOLIS, RANGERS FC - The last time the Sentients played against Rangers FC, it was a game to forget. After the Washing Machine popped the ball in the 50th minute of the match, the away side won 1-0 as the Sentients began a run of bad games, including a loss to Talkasa and a draw to Sannyamathland, while also conceding three goals against Al Qurija.

So coming into this game, Sylestone were determined to make amends. However, inside a stadium filled to its 50,800 capacity with Rangers fans, all with their typical moustaches and big, obnoxious glasses, they had every right to be nervous. But when you still have a small chance at qualifying, you have to put all that behind you and focus on the game at hand.

To put it lightly, Group 6 was a clusterfuck. Tequilo, at the top, had 24 points, an abnormally small amount after 13 games. The Sentients, in fifth, had 20 points. In the middle were Sannyamathland, Trolleborg and Zwangzug, on 23, 22 and 21 points respectively. Furthermore, with Talkasa in last place and on eleven points, Group 6 were the only group to have no sides officially eliminated. Yet.

So when the Tumble Dryer made the first touch to kick the game off, every single Sylestonean, all 25 million of them, knew how important this game was. As a result, an estimated television audience of 4 million was recorded, one sixth of the total population of the nation. That is how important sport is to Sylestone.

In the fourth minute of the match, the Sentients provided the game with its first shot at goal, much to the distaste of the 50,000 strong crowd at the game. Spiderwebs, starting in the centre midfield for the first time in these qualifiers due to a tiring Bar Stool, made an immediate impact on the game. It took up the role the Bar Stool is so well-known for - distributing the ball with a series of intricate and accurate passes. It was from one of these that the Mixer, playing its first game since being red-carded against Talkasa, was able to dribble past Giannis Taverianakis, the Rangers captain and pass it into the box. The Tumble Dryer was there, ready to take the shot, but with Konor Aurisorikis and Leonidas Balokun right on its heels, the Sentient had no choice but to shoot. It would take pure chance for the shot to even be on target. It was not, as the ball missed the goalpost by about a metre, much to the amusement of the home crowd.

The Rangers had their first opportunity in the 10th minute of the match, with right-winger Cotis Vright running up the line with the ball, all the way from halfway. However, with the treacherous Ironing Board directly on his heels, he had do to all he could to even make it into the box. With the other four Sylestonean defenders keeping the Rangers forwards marked and the Ironing Board jockeying Vright, there seemed to be no way out. Nevertheless, he still managed to feint past the Sylestonean left-back and shoot for goal, but it was rushed. The Ironing Board groped for the ball and deflected an otherwise dangerous shot over the crossbar and out of play, much to the distaste of the crowd.

However, that brilliant piece of defending did not deter the Rangers. While the corner kick went to shambles, they were quickly back in on goal when Freud Morelikis received a through ball through the Sylestonean defensive line from Iani Hagiriakis, the Rangers FC attacking midfielder. Realising his chance, he shot for goal, but with such little room for error, had to get it perfect. He nearly did, but it simply wasn’t enough as the ball rebounded off the edge of the Brick Wall in goals and over the crossbar.

The following corner was much more accurate than the last one. Yanis Giakos took it but instead of going immediately into the goalmouth, passed it out to Boronis Baranasikis, in the hole just outside the box. He chipped it into the box, directly onto the head of Yanis Kentis. However, the deflection lacked power and despite a sliding shot at goal from Morelikis, the Washing Machine got to it before him and cleared it out of play.

In the 25th minute, the Ironing Board had the ball just behind the halfway line when it realised that, with Taverianakis off his line, could begin to build up an attack. Dribbling past Septies Davidikis, dragging him off his line, the Ironing Board managed to break through a hectic Rangers defence and hone in on goal. With no one to pass to and no defenders in sight, the Ironing Board punted the ball past Alanis Gregorikis in goals and into the back of the net. Sylestone had made their first step towards revenge and on the front foot. Could they get a third win in a row?

In the 34th minute, Rangers had their first opportunity to equalise the scores. Hagiriakis received a clearance out of the goalmouth from Baranasikis and began to take the ball up the field. The Washing Machine advanced on him while the rest of the defenders blocked passing opportunities to Kentis, Morelikis and Vright. With the Sylestonean midfielders marking Giakos and Davidikis in the midfield, Hagiriakis had barely any choice but to hold his own. And so he did. He successfully feinted past the Washing Machine and punted the ball forward, perfectly into a gap where Kentis could run onto it. He did, too, evading the Sofa’s desperate attempts to take the ball off him. When Kentis took the shot, though, he had to get the perfect angle on it to defeat the mighty Brick Wall. He almost did, but the ball scraped the edge, and rolled slowly towards the line. The stadium held its breath as Kentis and the Dishwasher converged on the ball. They touched it at the exact same time as it spun up into the air. The crowd watched, silent, as Kentis rose up and headed the ball towards the unguarded goalmouth… and came down directly on top of the Dishwasher. The ball rolled across the line, but the referee already had the yellow card out of his pocket. Rangers had scored… but the goal itself had been disallowed.

The next ten minutes did not produce many exciting events rather than the constant turnover of balls in the midfield, mainly due to the occasional poor pass or control of the ball. Up until two minutes into the designated three minutes of stoppage time, it seemed that Sylestone were going to cruise into the break 1-0 up. Their final chance of going 2-0 up occurred at this time, when the Stove took a corner, curling it directly into the box. The Mixer managed to get control of the ball, but shot it straight into a sliding Aurisorikis, deflecting the ball away from the mouth. It went directly to Balokun, who tried to clear it out but couldn’t get the ball far enough off the ground. It rebounded off Spiderwebs and flew into the air, directly to the Stove, of whom had run into the box to help clear the chaos. Realising its chance, the Stove shot for goal, but Gregorikis once again produced one of those gravity-defying feats, knocking the ball away from the goal to where Yanis Kentis could collect it. The Rangers goalkeeper landed on his face, stretching those typical Rangers glasses to their absolute limits, but alas, they remained intact. What sort of magic have they been imbued with?

After half time, the Sentients were back in on goal in the 56th minute of the match as neither side seemed to take the initiative over the first part of the half. Finally, the Washing Machine passed the ball up the centre to the Bar Stool, who had recently come on for Spiderwebs as Sylestone looked to bolster their midfield line. He managed to break past Lankada Kamariskis after feinting either way and knocking the ball through his legs. Then, noticing the Mixer standing unmarked, catching Baranasikis and Aurisorikis off their lines, the Bar Stool passed up. The Mixer took a touch, dribbled into the box, and shot for goal. It was along the ground, but a very powerful strike. Too good, for Gregorikis, as his full length dive could only scrape past his fingertips on the way into the bottom-right corner of the goal. Sylestone were 2-0 up and on the home straight.

Following the goal, the Sentients simply decided to shut up shop, despite there being over half an hour left to play in the match. Plenty of time for the Rangers to score a couple of goals. But the Sylestoneans were not going to let them. Going all out on defence would be the best way to stop them.

It didn’t stop the Rangers players from trying. In the 59th, 60th and 72nd minutes they all got close, but in the 74th minute, the Sentients were inevitably looking to score their third and all but seal the match. They nearly did, too. The Stove hit a wonderful cross into the box, directly onto the Tumble Dryer, who did not hesitate to take advantage of the disarray, shooting for goal. Gregorikis dived, but Aurisorikis got a foot to it as the ball ricocheted towards the other corner of the goal. In a moment of truth, Gregorikis lifted his foot off the ground while shuffling backwards, and managed to just keep the ball out of the goalmouth. So close, yet so far, as the ball rolled painstakingly out of play.

The corner was taken, but it was a poor one - shot directly into the arms of Gregorikis. He took advantage of the surprise and booted it out of the box, into the Sylestonean half. With immaculate precision. Directly to Morelikis. With only three defenders back, the Sentients were caught completely off guard. Yet, the Toilet, Washing Machine and Sofa still managed to hold him, Kentis and Kiamar Roofikis, having been substituted onto the field for Vright just moments beforehand. However, finally, Roofikis broke, past the Toilet, and shot for goal. It was a good shot, but not good enough for the Brick Wall, who had come out of the goalmouth to stop it. The ball bounced away, directly to Kamariskis, who had run the length of the pitch to join the attack. With the Brick Wall off its line, the centre midfielder shot for goal. Perfectly. It curled around the Sylestonean goalkeeper’s edge and crashed into the back of the net. The crowd produced a deafening noise. Rangers weren’t out of this just yet.

But they couldn’t take advantage of their moment of fortune. As time ticked away, the Sylestonean defence continued to live up to their reputation, stopping all attacks in their tracks. Not one got through. Not one. So when the final whistle blew, the Sentients had completely and utterly deserved the win, while the home crowd released a long chorus of booing. I mean, come on! They’re not fucking Celtic!

RANGERS FC - 1
Kamariskis 76’

SYLESTONE - 2
Ironing Board 25’
Mixer 56’

Sylestone - Al Qurija

Following the disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Al Qurija, the Sentients had dropped one place in Group 6, from third to fourth. It left them three points behind Zwangzug, in second place and six behind Tequilo in first. Trolleborg were in the gap between Sylestone and Zwangzug, on 26 points. Tough times.

Anyway, with an away game against fifth-placed Sannyamathland to go, closely followed by the Sentients’ final home game against Tequilo, Sylestone were in need of some luck. They needed results to go their way. Most importantly, they needed to win. And with Valentine Z, a nation well known throughout the multiverse, announcing a party for all teams involved in qualifying to enjoy after the final matchday, they needed some inspiration. So the Toaster, the Sylestonean coach made an official statement pertaining to these goings-on,

“I’ll tell you what, all. If we still have a hope of qualifying by the time kickoff comes about at Wayr Stadium in Zwangzug on Matchday 18, we shall go to this party. No matter how slim the chance, whether every single result has to go our way, or if a singular win will do it. That is what will define whether we go here. It’s all about the inspiration, after all!”

They’d better still be in contention. Because who knows how useful Sentient Household Objects could be at a party?

SYLESTONE - 1
Tumble Dryer 29’

AL QURIJA - 1
Gonzalez 64’

Schedule:

MD1: Sylestone 0-0 Talkasa @ Sunlife Stadium, Halpenley (cap. 52,000)
MD2: Trolleborg 0-1 Sylestone @ 1th December Stadium, Trolleborg City, Trolleborg (cap. 100,000)
MD3: Sylestone 1-1 North Japan @ The Trees Stadium, Pesfield (cap. 62,000)
MD4: Bollonich 0-1 Sylestone @ John Lennon Football Stadium, Vreton City, Bollonich (cap. 100,000)
MD5: Sylestone 0-1 Rangers FC @ Sentient Oval, Kirkham (cap. 29,275 toilet seats)
MD6: Al Qurija 3-4 Sylestone @ Petro Mohammed Stadium, Al Qurija, Al Qurija (cap. 98,000)
MD7: Sylestone 0-0 Sannyamathland @ Ground of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (cap. 43,000)
MD8: Tequilo 2-2 Sylestone @ Estadio Águilar, Tapalupe, Tequilo (cap. 81,810)
MD9: Sylestone 0-1 Zwangzug @ Chamberley Institute of Sport, Chamberley (cap. 109,300)
MD10: Talkasa 1-0 Sylestone @ TBC
MD11: Sylestone 0-0 Trolleborg @ Carson Stadium, Cleorough (cap. 80,000)
MD12: North Japan 0-1 Sylestone @ TBC
MD13: Sylestone 1-0 Bollonich @ The Bay Reserve, Betham (cap. 68,420)
MD14: Rangers FC 1-2 Sylestone @ Stadio Ibrosikis, Glaskopolis, Rangers FC (cap. 50,800)
MD15: Sylestone 1-1 Al Qurija @ The Furnace, Dodle (cap. 37,500)
MD16: Sannyamathland - Sylestone @ The Big Bowl International Stadium, Rowling City, Sannyamathland (cap. 100,000)
MD17: Sylestone - Tequilo @ Avondale International Sports Stadium, Avondale (cap. 99,000)
MD18: Zwangzug - Sylestone @ Wayr Stadium, Rackham Range, Zwangzug[/size]

by **North Japan** » Thu May 27, 2021 3:04 pm

Kyoto Herald
Daily News From Japan

A look into the life in North Japan

For Umi Takahashi, arriving in Japan at the age of 28 after a daring escape from the North "was like a dream".

The joy of this arrival in the west-oriented South Japan would soon give way to a difficult period of adjustment.

Every day in South Japan brought with it new challenged and when knowing literally no-one in the country, the differences only become larger. "There were many cultural differences and manners, I had to start all over again with my life and everything I had learned in my country of birth."

Takahashi is one of the thousands of defectors who have managed to escape the mysterious hermit kingdom of North Japan, which like North Korea is one of the strangest and gruesome places in the world. But for those who have fled, their resettlement in the South is not an easy path to take either.

For many it is adjusting to how their new adopted land looks at simple things like education, TV shows and electronics and the other hardship is adjusting to a high-tech and democratic society where people use bank cards and vote on political parties in general elections.

Especially Women are victims of the dictatorial regime of the North as they are routinely deprived of the basic freedom of expression or even access to certain events and buildings. The people of North Japan have no basic freedoms nor any commercial television as only one voice matters and that is the voice of the supreme chairwoman Aki Asami.

For Takahashi the turning point came a few years ago as she received a USB with clips of South-Japanese music videos and photographs of the life in Kyoto. "It was an absolute eye-opening moment." She recalled, "The women on the streets were pretty and free to do as they please. They did not seem to care about the police or authorities." This is where the comparison of this almost alien world and her own life would begin and she realized just in what situation she was living. "To learn about the outside world was strange, but I soon realized there was so much more to life than living in the North."

In North Japan, the police (which is a division of the armed forces) ensure that citizen do not step away from a set standard appearance, which for women means conservative clothing and short hair, checking their outfits on a daily basis. "The North Japanese system is to ensure everyone is the same, equal," Takahashi said. But next to the police, the role of common citizens is reporting any breach of rules or this 'equality'. Effectively making everyone a spy in the entire nation. If a person goes against the law, they are made to stand straight for twenty-four hours ar a police station, or, in more severe scenarios, sent to a labour or reeducation camp.

North Japan is an enigma to many which still perplexes experts, visitors and the casual observer who happen to hear about the place on the news.

The first thing the few visitors ask themselves is: What is just saw, was that real? Even documentaries reveal very little about the isolated nation to the North, which is believed to be mostly farmland plagued by famine and underdevelopment.

Reporters in the North face the same difficulty: absolute secrecy. Interactions with the North Japanese is very limited, and uncertain if those limited interactions are even authentic ones. One has to ask themselves: are these people honest and truthful or is it all another masquerade. For many it has become an art to try and read between the lines to find out what the North Japanese really mean and watching them very skilfully bend the rules a little bit and sidestep from the walls that defines every aspect of their being.

North Japan is a place out of reality. It stands apart with women being the the reinforcing image of the nation as it has rebuild from the previous Japanese War other than the image known to almost everyone; the mass parades, missiles, tanks and goose-stepping guards.

The many defectors can give us a glimpse into this strange world but even they rarely tell the entire picture as they are often traumatized by the horrors they have endured in the dictatorship. The first thing that is telling however on how isolated the nation really is, their Japanese is not even the same Japanese spoken here in the South. Through years of isolation even the language went from a dialect to a language on it's own.

The defectors are telling the same picture though, human rights abuses, or even the lack of human rights; famine, poverty and hardship. They come to the South in search of a better life but adjusting to Japanese society is not easy for them. Many defectors have never heard of part-time jobs or even having to look for a job. Most women find jobs in the leisure business, where man mostly turn to the construction industry.

For those looking for higher up jobs, there are subsidies and government programs to help them kick-start their new life. For example: defectors do not have to pay for undergraduate university degrees and those under thirty-five can even apply for a free university scholarship.

This does not help the case of the enormous cultural differences. Most defectors who successfully flee to the South have no friends or relationships to ask for help. They live isolated lives, fighting for acceptance in a fast-moving and modern society. Takahashi even spoke of feeling like she was not a human being to the South Japanese, or at least not an equal one.

With the government supporting these people to get them jobs and integrate them into society we are slowly getting to know what life is like in one of the most closed countries in the world.

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