World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

"Fifty callups?"

"Yes."

"Really, fifty? You think that's necessary?"

"I wouldn't have asked for it if I didn't."

The conversation was quickly becoming tiresome and frustrating for Anne-Sophie Groothuis. She would have thought SCFA President Ailen Koirala could understand her better than this by now. They'd worked together for, what was it now? Nine years? Ten? Groothuis had never requested so many callups to training camp for World Cup Qualifying before; it was true. She'd never had such a need for depth of skill before though. First and foremost, the expectations for herself and the team had been raised by last cycle's performance. No longer was qualification the stretch goal that would by itself make the campaign a success. Qualification was now the expectation, along with a respectable group stage performance. Not only that, but their schedule in Group 9 promised to be an exceedingly difficult one. There were no easy stretches at all, with quality opponents to face during every international break. Not only that, but the final match would likely be one of the most difficult, with the Black-and-Reds set to host the Cormorants of Nephara in a contest that would likely have major implications on the final standings at the top of the group. The matches against the other top teams in the group were closer to the beginning of the schedule, with the Black-and-Reds slated to face fifth seeds Eraman, fourth seeds Tumbra, and third seeds Huayramarca all in the course of four matchdays. Northwest Kalactin and Delaclava were ranked a bit lower than those three, but were still quality opponents, and would come back to back. Groothuis knew that without sufficient depth to allow for fatigue and injuries, her team would not reach the end of this marathon schedule. She thought she'd expressed as much in an email to Koirala weeks ago, but apparently her references to "larger numbers of callups than usual" had not been explicit enough.

"The clubs are not going to be pleased with this. My phone will be ringing within five minutes of publishing this list if we go ahead with it."

"How many times have you told me that my job is to manage a football team, and not to worry about public perception."

Koirala laughed, "So it's my problem, not yours then?"

Groothuis felt her shoulders unclench. When Koirala turned to this sort of mildly self-deprecating sarcasm, it always meant she'd already made up her mind to go along with Groothuis. She just had to spend another couple minutes talking herself around to it. "Not in so many words, but I always take the decision I think is best for the team's performance."

"I know that, Anne-Sophie. I'm just really not looking forward to explaining to two dozen odd club chairs why we absolutely need to call their player up to sit on the bench during the break." Koirala held up a hand to forestall Groothuis's rebuttal. "I know, Anne-Sophie, I know. If it's necessary in your view I'll make it happen. Just do me one favor."

"What's that?"

"Win. They'll forgive us anything if we win. If we don't, we'll never hear the end of it."

Home Schedule and Venues:

MD01: ERM  v  SRS @ Daulapura Stadium (cap. 40,000), Daulapura, Daula, ERM
MD02: SRS  v  MTU @ Lugina Computing Field (cap. 20,450), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD03: HUA  v  SRS @ 
MD04: SRS  v  TMB @ Sunergy Field (cap 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD05: OSY  v  SRS @ Red Bull Stadium, OSY
MD06: SRS  v  NWK @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD07: DEL  v  SRS @ Golden Phoenix Field (cap. 150,000), DNAC, Catherina, DEL
MD08: SRS  v  OCI @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD09: NPH  v  SRS @ Farham Arena (cap. 88,046), Sabrefell, NPH
MD10: SRS  v  ERM @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 38,600), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD11: MTU  v  SRS @ 
MD12: SRS  v  HUA @ Raftel Park (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD13: TMB  v  SRS @ Trenton Park, (cap. 74,500), Lakewood, Severn, TMB
MD14: SRS  v  OSY @ Eichlen Stadium (cap. 37,500), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD15: NWK  v  SRS @ 
MD16: SRS  v  DEL @ Castle Street (cap. 57,300), Jaglan, Algolia, SRS
MD17: OCI  v  SRS @ Emperor Boston Stadium, (cap. 60,000), New Ranton, OCI
MD18: SRS  v  NPH @ Albrechtsson Park (cap. 65,400), Damogran, Algolia, SRS

[Legalese]

"So, did you see the lineup for the World Cup?"

"Which one?"

"The current one, of course."

"You know, when I asked the blue guy about that, he asked "which current one?"

"Two problems with that statement. First: just calling him the 'blue guy' is pretty shitty -- don't do that. Second: I don't think he's actually 'blue' -- more of a pale-white, with a bluish tint/hue."

"...are you going to not even touch the whole question about which current World Cup?"

"Nope, but did you see who Legalese is running out for 89?"

"I did. Why does it look like the CAFA lineup. Are they even trying to qualify?"

"First: losing to a boat isn't as bad as it sounds -- have you ever tried to score a goal with a boat in the way? Second, we didn't even lose to the boat -- and the World Cup is a completely different animal. Basically, a bunch of tossers, and some elves in our group. Either we'll get lucky and make it through, or go home."

"That's okay, there's apparently other world cups, especially if this isn't the only current one. Do we know how many of them there are?"

[Nyowani Kitara]

Background Info on NYK
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Two years have passed since Part 6, and the entry of Nyowani Kitara President Boaz Akongo into chemotherapy secretly on the island of Xilindao, off of the western coast of mainland Yuezhou. Under the guise of "friendship missions", Boaz Akongo went into intense chemotherapy sessions once a month, while largely shielding the general public about his disappearance, and generally shielding intelligence agencies as well, making public appearances with Ren Qiang consistently in Xilindao to throw any scent off his trail. However, Dr. Valter Abelsson has been unable to make serious progress against the cancer. The cancer has come back with a vengeance, and President Akongo is weaker and weaker. Rumors have spread around the New Kitaran political establishment asking what is wrong with the President, although obviously he will admit to nothing.

It is to a point where Doctors feel as if it is unsafe for him to fly on a weekly basis all the way to Xilindao, as the constant flights back and forth between Communist Yuezhou and Nyowani Kitara take a serious toll on his body. In the below scene, he is bedridden in the Presidential mansion in the center of Dewayo. Only his daughter and Vice President, Nafuna Akongo, his oldest son, Malik, his most trusted bodyguard, Gustav, and his primary doctor, Dr. Valter Abelsson, are allowed to see him in this condition.

Nafuna Akongo was standing next to her Father's bed, alongside Gustav. Over the past two years, her Father, when he was healthy, had done his best to show her the reigns of the state. There were certain things she'd have to learn how to do, technical things. How to understand the state's budget. A crash course in military tactics- it was possible that she could be a head of state in quite dangerous times. How to read through the daily national security briefing. Understanding specific jargon in all of those areas. She was an elite high school student in They were surrounded by enemies, and Nyowani Kitara was sure that the United Republics government would like nothing more than to see the Government fall.

Then, of course, there were the things that only Boaz could teach her. And Boaz knew only one way to rule- respect through fear. Nafuna was at a serious disadvantage with her father's condition. Just 19 years old, she'd be the youngest human head of state in Rushmore, except for maybe a child constitutional monarch somewhere. And she'd be thrown into a strange situation. Unlimited power? Yes. But she had spent most of her formative years going to school in Tikariot, under a secret name. It was a good idea- her education at a private school in Tikariot was excellent, and she was an elite student. Their schools were far better than Nyowani Kitara's, and she was able to gain a great understanding of foreign culture that she otherwise never would.

But of course- nobody knew that her Father would be diagnosed with cancer. All that time abroad meant that almost nobody knew who she was, both in and out of country. But because of the long-term plan to send her to school abroad, in secret, she was almost never publicized in Nyowani Kitara media until her sudden ascension as Vice President. She was not put out to show. Besides baby pictures, she rarely attended state functions. The plan had been for her to even attend University in Tikariot, and then bring her home to start her political career. Instead- she couldn't even get her high school diploma before she was launched into politics.

How could she, who was so young, who lacked the connections within Nyowani Kitara, in the face of much older, very ambitious men, garner their respect and establish the same fear that her Father did? At her Father's side, over the past two years, she had started to build those connections. Military connections. How to use both the stick and the carrot. She threw lavish parties for General over the past two years, building those one on one connections with drunk Generals. While those largely failed, where she was really able to build connections were with the intelligence and the police. People who thought the state was too centered around the Kitara Revolutionary Forces(KRF, aka the Nyowani Kitara military), people who wanted a radical change of who was in the political establishment. People who thought there should be other paths to the Politburo outside of the military.

It did give her serious pause, to think of what could happen. But now, she would talk to her Father. "Nafuna, my darling daughter." He said from his bed.

"Yes?" Nafuna said to him. It was strange to talk to him when he was in this state. He was weak.

"Turn on the game." Boaz Akongo said. "You know, I may not have much longer to live- but I want to watch our first World Cup Qualifier. Besides you and Malik, this national team finally entering World Cup Qualifying may be my legacy." The room was stunned. Boaz, of course, was aware of his deteriating condition, but this was the first time that he had ever sounded like he was truly giving up.

"Dad?!?!" Nafuna exclaimed, with tears starting to run down her face.

"I have accepted it, my dear daughter." Boaz Akongo said. "If my last hours are today, I will at least watch the Nyowani Kitara national team play." They put the game on, and the President sighed. Gustav was even driven to tears at the moment. "I have taught you everything that I know, Nafuna. I apologize-" And he broke, with tears running down his face while the pre-game commentators spoke. "I apologize for everything. Hopefully, we have done enough to secure your succession. But trust your family. Your brother- he is loyal to you. Gustav- he is loyal to you. Your friends that you have made in recent years, they are loyal to you. Those are the people that you have to trust."

"But father-" Nafuna started to say as tears were flowing down her face.

"Do not be sad that I am dying." Boaz Akongo said. "You are my greatest success. Be glad that I lived. Be happy for the life that we had, for the moments we were able to share. And Gustav." Boaz said, turning to his lifelong friend. "Tell Valter that I thank him deeply for what he has done. But I will take myself off of these treatments." They sat, stunned. "My time is coming. Gustav, we have been through it all together. You have been the most trustworthy person that I have ever known." And the two men. "At least, I get to spend my last moments with you guys. Remember Nafuna- trust Gustav, and trust your brother, above all else."

"Speaking of, there is one more member of this family. Where is my son?"

---

Malik Akongo, the same day as the above events

The President's older son had spent the last two years plotting and planning his next moves if his Father would meet his demise. Of course, now being 28 years old, he was still young for a politician- but he had matured basically overnight. Now, of course, he still partied and lived his life. He did that for two reasons. One, he did not want anybody to become suspect that he would have serious plans to be a threat. And B, he wanted to keep his options open.

Over the last two years, he grew to come to truly not like his remaining family. He could not help but feel a sense of betrayal every time he saw his sister and his Father, and that was enough of a motivator for him to do what he was planning to do. He spent his time building a base- not among the Dewayo establishment, but much further south. He had met an underground group in Inhalo, in the far south of the country.

It was a group that was not really involved politically, at this point in time. But they had a much different vision for Nyowani Kitara than the one offered by the Kitara Progressive Workers Coalition. One where the radical leftism of the KPWC would be replaced and overthrown- a vision that he agreed with. One where the Kitara people would be respected. The Kitara people were on an island out here. They were surrounded by foreign nations that did not look like them, that did not speak like them, that did not have their history.

Two days prior, he had a conversation with Dr. Valter Abelsson that had changed everything. Under the guise, of course, of asking on behalf of his father. And the doctor diverged in Malik. There was no way that his Father would last another month. Maybe a few weeks left, at best? Malik should spend time with his family.

Malik thanked the Doctor for the news, but instead of going to spend time with his father, he knew that he would have to take his chance. So he planned it. One day to get his affairs in order here in Dewayo, give an excuse. And then- take the first train to the southern corner of the country. He knew that, barring a medical miracle of the highest magnitude, he would never see his Father again. And the chances of seeing his sister, at least in good times, were low. As he looked outside the window on the train, he did shed a few tears.

But those were replaced by his resolve in favor of the decisions he was about to make. His sister was far too young, far too immature, to lead Nyowani Kitara. She had grown up secretly in Tikariot, she was 19, and was about to become both head of party and head of state? In his mind, everybody was too afraid to speak truth to the power that was Boaz Akongo. But while he'd disappear now, Malik Akongo would be heard from soon enough...

[Mytanija]

Three men sat at a table in a high-end restaurant sat on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea. Below them the waves were lazily washing against the rocks and fishermen’s boats were idly bobbing in the water. There weren’t too many high-end restaurants in the city of Severyan and those that did exist were all in locations such as this, with scenic views over the old city which crouched silently next to the picturesque bay. Not too many of the locals could afford to dine in such a place given the population’s relative poverty, it was a privilege usually reserved for rich tourists from other parts of Mytanija or from further afield across Rushmore. It was however increasingly a privilege which local footballers could avail of too, specifically those who ply their trade for Ararat Severyan, due to the improving economic situation Mytanar football found itself in. These men had money, some even had it at a young age and they were determined to enjoy themselves given the situations it allowed them to step away from.

“Are you finished with that?” The young waitress asked, gesturing towards a plate of half eaten octopus on the table with her free hand. In the other was a precarious pile of plates which appeared as if they could topple over at any moment. The three men trusted in her ability to keep them upright though, they ate here fairly regularly and she knew them all by name. She was good at her job.

“Yeah, all done Eliza, thanks,” said the eldest of the trio, Pedja Kasun. He was a giant of a man, a few centimetres off 2 metres in height and muscular enough without being too bulky. The build of an international goalkeeper. “I think these two have lost their appetites a little.”

“So there was nothing wrong with the octopus?” Eliza raised an eyebrow as she leaned closer to the table to pick-up the offending plate.

“Nope,” Pedja replied with a smirk. “All good as it always is. We’ve just got some pre-match nerves.”

“Come on now,” Eliza replied, moving away from the table slightly. “The opening game isn’t even for a few days, what are you two worried about?”

“You know what? I’m not even sure.” One of the men grinned sheepishly. He was the middle of the three in age, not quite as tall as the eldest but physically imposing enough that you wouldn’t particularly want to bump into him in one of Severyan’s dark alleyways. Ermin Urankar was now a left-back by trade, but he had grown up as a left-sided midfielder and everybody knew that that meant a whole boatload of defensive responsibilities in Misel Ravnjak’s Ararat team.

“Are you even going to get on, Ermin?” Eliza asked quizzically, with a slightly surprised look appearing on Ermin’s face. “Like, no offence meant at all, but surely Milcic plays in the group opener? Do you remember what happened last time when Repin tried to mix things up in the early games?”

“We’re going to have to start choosing other places to go for dinner here lads,” Ermin said, only half joking. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m hoping he’ll give me a chance. Getting in the squad for the group opener suggests he backs me anyway, I guess? Being selected in front of Srdan Vukovic can’t be a bad thing…”

“Well, only if he’s not got a knock or something…” Pedja said, winking at Eliza. Ermin’s face turned thunderous momentarily. “We’re only winding you up. Work hard in the few days we have with the squad before and who knows, you might start if Repin likes you.”

“What about you anyway Omer?” Eliza asked the youngest of the three, the best technical footballer of the trio, Omer Kuhar-Arh. A talent who had attracted admiring glances from Mytanija’s biggest club, Atletik Thessia, with their suits seeing him as a potential successor to the iconic Jasno Odonelec. He was staring out at the sea, towards the fishing boats and he had to blink to bring himself back to the conversation.

“Sorry Eliza, what was that?” He asked.

“I was just asking what’s up with you. You seem a lot quieter than usual, are you nervous for joining up with the team?” Eliza asked, the breeze whipping a lock of her hair across her eyes, she blew softly to get it back out of the way. She couldn’t risk dropping a plate by trying to use her hands.

“Oh, no, not really. I’m really excited to be honest. It’s going to be good fun, there’s some lads I’ve played alongside with the under-21s that I’ll get a chance to link-up with again.” Omer explained, before pausing to take a breath. “And I’ll get to train with Jasno Odonelec, I can’t tell you how buzzing I am to do that. Pedja’s been telling me all about him.”

“So what’s with the long face then, kid?” Pedja laughed. “You’ve looked like you’re being sent off to fight for the Otpor or something all night, same as Ermin.”

“Apparently the weather’s changing soon, there’s a summer storm coming in.” Omer responded, as if it was the most understandable thing in the world.

“Wait, why are you worried about that? We’ll be in Esca.” Ermin replied, a look of confusion spread across his face.

“And it’s not like we aren’t used to the weather here anyway,” Pedja said. “I’ve lived here for over thirty years for fuck’s sake.”

“It’s not that.” Omer said quietly. Eliza stood with a knowing look on her face, concern dawning across her features. She was a couple of years younger than Omer, but she came from the same part of Severyan as his family and she knew them well. They were from one of the rough port neighbourhoods, a family of fishermen who often felt more comfortable on water than they did on land. Omer was likely going to do something that generations of his family had never managed due to his footballing ability. Actually get out of Severyan. At the age of 21 he wasn’t yet in a position to help them all out, his dad and three brothers all still worked on the fishing boats.

“They’re not going out are they?” Eliza asked. Omer squirmed a little.

“They already are out.” He answered grimly. “Somewhere in the Modraine Sea.”

“Oh, shit.” Pedja replied, his face turning slightly ashen. He had lived in Severyan for over thirty years after all. He knew just how many families lost fathers, brothers and sons to the sea when they were just out trying to earn some money on the boats. Winter storms were bad because the water tended to be colder, but summer storms always seemed more vicious. It was likely placebo, more due to them being a bit rarer than the winter variety than them actually being more dangerous, but summer storms carried a certain reputation among the natives of Severyan.

“Do you know when they’re coming back?” Eliza asked, still holding the tower of plates steady.

“Supposed to be back on Wednesday night.” Omer’s gaze remained out on the sea. “They might not even see the game.” The air around their table turned cold. Omer’s demeanour was suddenly understandable. The match was on Tuesday. His father and three brothers – all working on the same boat – returned the day after. A summer storm was brewing and they would likely be caught in the middle of it, somewhere out in the Modraine Sea. Omer hoped they could all make it back in one piece. They might miss his first international game, if he was to play, but them being back to see him play another one was way more important to him.

He just hoped they could make it.

MYTANIJA SQUAD FOR MATCH VERSUS HEBITAKA (H)
Goalkeepers: 1. Pedja Kasun (Ararat Severyan); 12. Semir Besak (Mipojoseon [QUE]); 24. Lazar Obradovic (Liria Prizren)
Defenders: 2. Damir Milcic (Anomalies [CMT]); 3. Grigorij Savicevic (AC Izotz Zubia [AUD]), 4. Mojmir Anac (Olympic Thessia), 5. Dino Racic (Libertas Bergheim [SVJ]; 6. Patrik Odonelec (CA Paulinthal [PAS]); 25. Ermin Urankar (Ararat Severyan); 14. Bigger Mbala-Ekakia (Atletik Thessia), Kamil Jernejec (Chromatik [CMT]), 16. Josko Omerovic (Olympic Thessia); 17. Slobodan Vujovic (Royal Rumiatzi [ASG])
Midfielders: 7. Alen Hrdaljko (CA Paulinthal [PAS]), 8. Tahir Fejzuli (Mâ Âlâmëómë [FFD]); 10. Jasno Odonelec (Atletik Thessia); 23. Zijad Kurtcehajic (Atletik Thessia); 18. Vilim Kupresak (Olympic Thessia), Mersudin Smajic (Liria Prizren); 38. Omer Kuhar-Arh (Ararat Severyan)
Forwards: 9. Jezdimir Ocokoljic (Energija Chernovets [STL]), 11. Damien Gannot (Sabrefell Athletic (NPH); 21. Dejan Zgela (Damogran FC [SRS])

[Kaldtfjell]

Dear diary,

It’s me again, and I’m going to actually try and keep up with this diary this time. I tried to while we were in Banija, but there was a lot to keep us busy while we were there. Now, there’s a lot more time between games, so I’ve got the time to try and write things as we actually, really, travel around the world to try and get to the World Cup!

I feel like I’ve been incredibly protected from the world throughout my life. Until going to the Licentian Isles, and then to Banija, I’d never left Hornungsvagr other than quick trips to go skiing and things like that. I always thought that Hornungsvagr must be the greatest city in the world. It’s a gorgeous place, looking over the Hovdingshavet, with all its little colourful houses. I’ve heard some people use the word “quaint” to describe it, and I didn’t ever really know what they meant until I saw what other places were like.

Seeing St Bart’s was really a wake-up call for me as to just how big the outside world is. Especially being in one of the Dutch areas of the city, it was amazing to see just how diverse and friendly that place was. Then there was Istria, which was something else entirely. The stadium there had hosted the Olympics, and 80,000 people could fit in it. I’ve never seen that many people in one place, and I’m not sure I saw that many when we played Cabo Azure honestly. Istria itself was another huge, diverse city, even bigger than St Bart’s, and it honestly just took me off my feet. I’m glad I wasn’t playing that day, because I almost felt dizzy from all the noise that surrounded us.

As we prepared for the World Cup, we travelled once again to play Tumbra in the city of Columbia. They’re another Esportivan nation, not actually all that far from us, but it felt like another world. They took us to the cleaners, we lost 3-1, but that shouldn’t have surprised anyone really, they’re much more well established than we are. The fans were surprisingly welcoming. I’m so used to Kaldtfjeller fans, who are rabid and angry, which is good when they’re on your side, but not so much when they’re against you. It’s like they’d all rather be watching guys fight at an ice hockey match than us kick a ball around and not physically tackle each other.

I wasn’t the only one that was thrown off when we travelled to other places, especially Tumbra. Egil had been just as surprised as I was as we travelled the world, and we talked a fair bit as we explored the Licentian Isles and Banija this last few months. Viggo was shocked to another level though. This trip to Tumbra was his first time abroad, and you could tell that he was just starstruck by being somewhere that’s just so different from home. I wonder if there’s something to the fact that it’s all the young guys who are taken aback when we travel. It just doesn’t seem to bother guys like Sindri, Tollak, and Snorri, but maybe it’s an age thing: those guys are a lot older than us.

Anyway, I wanted to write about what’s coming up! Tomorrow is our first game of qualifying for the World Cup. We’re actually playing it at the Hovdingsarena, the first time the national team has ever played at home I think. The team we’re playing against are San Ortelio, and I think they’re pretty good from what I know. I had a little chuckle when I saw their KPB ranking, but don’t tell the boss.

Speaking of the boss, he’s been doing his best to be motivational. You can tell that there’s a little bit of pressure on Sverre, he’s desperate for us to succeed. He might have had success with us at SFK Hornungsvagr, but weirdly there’s even more pressure on him from the Hovding now, even though he’s not managing the club the Hovding owns any more. The Hovding seems really keen for us to succeed, he wants to see us qualify he told us. I don’t think that that’s going to happen, but don’t tell anyone I said that!

Anyway, I’ve got to go. Practice for tomorrow’s game calls. Speak to you soon!

A. F.

[Flavovespia]

World Cup 89: The Prologue

World Cup 89, and Flavovespia will go into their 7th qualifying campaign hoping to finally break through the ceiling to make the World Cup. At 55th in the world, not their highest rank, it’s certainly not going to be an easy task, and as with most sides outside the Top 2 pots, the odds aren’t particularly in the favour of Flavovespia. But nothing is settled until the final whistle of Matchday 18 and then the playoffs if needed, and every team starts on zero.

Before any football is played, or any draws are made, the Flavovespian squad is announced, and as ever everyone had an opinion it seemed. Much of the talk has been about the defenders Marcus McCormick has brought to the squad. The only one of the CAFA Cup 1 squad not returning is Daniel Lansdell, with both Neil Wright and Ronald Ireland being called up instead. Criticism has come from the fact that underperforming players in the eyes of fans and pundits kept their places, and added to the squad are Wright, previously labelled inconsistent, and Ireland, a 31 year old debutant who is likely not to be a long-term solution. Tactics have also been called into question, with a 4-3-3 being strongly considered, and there’s a lot of talk it just doesn’t fit the players chosen. Somewhat harshly, #McCormickOut has already been posted a lot on Hive, Flavovespia’s leading social network. Nevertheless, Marcus McCormick knows the FFA can pull the trigger quickly if results falter, his interim stint as manager of Flavovespia began in just the 5th Matchday in World Cup Qualifiers 86.

Flavovespia have been drawn into Group 17 of the qualifiers. A group that has been a real mixed bag of opinion, some point to it being a wide open group, others saying the relatively high position of teams from their pots could make it tricky for the likes of Flavovespia to make the Top 2. Of particular note is the tough opening for Flavovespia. A side who often struggle away from home early on, Flavovespia have 3 of the first 4 away from home, including a trip to Commonwealth of Baker Park. Their only home game in the opening 4 games is against Pot 2 Jeruselem. Here’s a preview of the 9 opponents Flavovespia face, in game order.

Kiltoch

Fresh from Baptism of Fire 76 come Kiltoch. In that tournament, they went 1-2-2, failing to reach the knockout stages, but nevertheless not a terrible performance. Nicknamed Pokestar, they play an attacking 4-3-3 formation, a formation Flavovespia may acquaint themselves with. Justin Matthew through the middle will likely be key to attacks, with Max Tennyson and Nicolas Candella out wide. On paper one of the easier games, Flavovespia face them on MD1 away, then in Saints Park on MD10. Flavovespia however often struggle early on, and the World Cup Qualifying debutants will be fired up to get a good result. Dropped points here, and Flavovespia’s qualifiers will be starting off badly.

Jeruselem

One of the most experienced nations in all of the qualifiers, Jeruselem have made 47 appearances at the World Cup proper. Until qualification last time out, their previous qualification was in World Cup 82. Last time out they made the Round of 16, only to collapse in extra time in a 5-2 AET loss to Valanora. Nicknamed The Princesses, they play in a pink kit, one of the more unusual colours. They play a conventional 4-4-2, but it’s fair to say their manager Pekora Dancer, and much of the team, can be anything but conventional. Likely seen as a team to beat to make it into the Top 2, Flavovespia play them in Highland Road on MD2 and away on MD11.

Eshialand

A nation in their second qualifying campaign, Eshialand are on the up and will likely be looking to target the Top 100 ranking after this cycle. Baptism of Fire 75 winners, Eshialand followed it up with a respectable 7th in World Cup Qualifiers 88. They won their Cup of Harmony 80 group, before defeat by Eraman in the Round of 32. The Owls, as they’re nicknamed, play a 4-3-2-1, with a bit of an attacking edge to it. Jacob Harran, Alice Carroll are two younger forwards already with an eye for international goals, so too does midfielder and captain Melissa Carey. Flavovespia play them on MD3 in the Eshialand City SuperDome, before the return fixture on MD12 in the Hornet’s Nest. The Eshialand press seem pessimistic about their early games, but Flavovespia will hardly be marking this MD3 fixture down as an easy win.

Commonwealth of Baker Park

Since qualifying at the first attempt, back in World Cup 80, Commonwealth of Baker Park have never since failed to make the World Cup. They’ll go into this group with good confidence of making it a 10th qualification in a row. Nicknamed The Bees, it’ll be a battle of the stinging striped animals when they face off against The Hornets. Commonwealth of Baker Park may be bringing a squad young by their standards, but it’s still very experienced. Their squad depth for qualifiers is very strong, which’ll certainly play into their hands over the course of 18 games. Another side who like to attack, they’ll be playing in a 3-4-1-2. Commonwealth of Baker Park have travelled twice to Flavovespia before, winning both times in Hadford Hill, so they have form in Flavovespia. President's Park, Shirley will host MD4, where Flavovespia will be turning out in their purple third kit, and Hornet’s Nest hosts MD13.

Polkopia

A returning nation to international football, Polkopia come in rankless, but certainly not talentless. Polkopia are yet another side in this group who favour attack over defence, their formation of choice is a 4-5-1. Yakoby Kosyo, despite being only 21, could be key for them in attack as the lone striker. However he is injury prone, the main knock on his overall ability. Maksim Pašin will also be a goalscoring threat, especially from long range. Polkopia’s gold and black home kit is one of the nicer kits of the qualifiers. The purists however, will have a lot to say about #3 and #6 going to backup goalkeepers. MD5 takes place in Highland Road, MD14 in Marshupov Arena, Peeto

Aut-Ves-Nat

Aut-Ves-Nat are known well to nations of Anaia, as they won the inaugural CAFA Cup 1. Before that, they debuted last cycle. They made the Round of 16 in the Baptism of Fire 75, before an 8th place in their qualifying group. Try to find Aut-Ves-Nat on the map, and you may struggle however, Aut-Ves-Nat is the Autonomous Vessel Nation, a nation on a boat. As it seems with most nations in this group, they play an attacking style, so goals galore it could be. Aut-Ves-Nat’s roster from the CAFA Cup 1 has an age range of 5’997, from the 6’000 year old Hesediel the Warrior to 3 year old Martin Fitoussi, quite possibly one of the largest in international football. They may not be ranked that highly by the KPB rankings, but they definitely know how to win games. Flavovespia travel to Aut-Ves-Nat on MD6, before Rovers Arena hosts them on MD15.

Xanneria

Xanneria are one of the more well known nations of this group, who despite their current ranking, could well consider themselves in contention to try and make the World Cup. Last time out was a bit of a slump, only 8th in their qualifying group before a Round of 32 defeat to Saltstead in the Cup of Harmony 80. To say Xanneria would play an attacking style would be an understatement, it’s practically in the DNA of Xannerian football. Whilst no Flavovespian-based Xannerians appear to be in their roster, the Super League has seen some Xannerian faces. The Maroons (who don’t appear to actually wear maroon kits) will be an exciting opponent for Flavovespia to face. City Arena will be the home venue for MD7, before XanAir National Stadium II is pencilled in as the tentative host of MD16.

The Jovannic

The Jovannic narrowly missed out on a playoff berth in World Cup Qualifiers 86, and went to the Cup of Harmony 78, but since then haven’t been in the World Cup Qualifiers. Their rank may have dropped as a consequence, but not their resolve on the pitch, and thus they can’t be underestimated. The Emperors, as ever in Group 17, play an attacking style, hardly a surprise with a 4-2-4 formation. Jovan Ilohil will be their key player, the captain has great dribbling, agility and passing skills. He has 20 goals in 30 games, and still hopes to deliver more. The Jovannic came from Pot 8, but won’t be an easy opponent. Great Jovannica Stadium hosts MD8, the final home Matchday for Flavovespia, MD17, is at Seafront Stadium.

Sajnur

Last but by no means least is Sajnur. 6th last time out in World Cup Qualification was a little bit disappointing for a Pot 5 team, so they’ll be coming out this time to make amends. A variety of formations can be deployed for Sajnur, and as you may have guessed, they’re an attack-minded team. They play in a purple kit with a red sash that is well respected by kit reviewers within Flavovespia. Sajnur have plenty of players spread across other domestic leagues, including captain Jessica Siafik who plays for Brenecian side Kingsgrove. Flavovespia host Sajnur on MD9 at Saint’s Park, before the potentially vital game in Sajnur on MD18, the venue TBC.

Hive reacts

Hive is the leading social media network of Flavovespia. Used by many Flavovespians, from politicians and footballers to your Average Joe, it can be used to voice reactions to just about anything. FFD is teaming up with Hive to publish some of the reactions from the World Cup Qualifying campaign, from “Hive VIP’s” (denoted with a V symbol), to everyday fans. Here are some of the pre-qualifying reactions.

[Squidroidia]

RIVALRY

Squidroidia vs HUElavia

Chapter 1 - Here We Go Again

The whistle blew for full time in a packed stadium out in the White Winter Queendom. Much to the shock and dismay of the Squidroidian national team and their fans, a draw against Murphtannia knocked the Inklings out of the Cup of Harmony. Adam Johnson couldn't believe it himself. Group stage, final day, luck just wasn't on his side, and he had to suffer what the Squidroidian NT of the 79th Cup of Harmony dealt with - Going home early.

The days since then felt like a blur to the manager. He didn't quite remember IAC 13 other than the opening stage and the fact that they lost to Indusse in the Quarter-Finals, Squidroidia's worst result since that day in Havynwilde that spelt the beginning of the end for Mito. And then came time for him to imput his selection for this World Cup, the 89th of its name, with the finals in South Newlandia and Tikariot.

Shit.

By his fault alone, the team was exactly the same as it was in Cup of Harmony 80. No changes. No reserves to be called up. He planned on getting reserves in like was common for the past 3 cycles, but no dice. Squidroidia, the 61st ranked nation in the multiverse according to the World Cup rankings, was still relying on a 36 year old Takemoto Shingen between the sticks rather than the up and coming Kaede Akiyama, and prospects left right and center lost their chances at making the World Cup squad for one more cycle.

...He wasn't thinking about that. Adam knew his group. Brenecia were in and looked like a lock for the automatic spot. Le Choix, outside the top 100, were ready to make a name for themselves. And Squidroidia had 2 rivals of their own... Kohnhead and the big one. HUElavia.

HUElavia was always seen by Inkling supporters as their greatest rival ever since they took to the pitch in IAC X. That was because they were knocked out of IAC X by them in the Semi-Finals, ending a fairytale run thanks to one Ayuka Hamada's strike past the keeper. 1-0 HUElavia. They would meet again, in the Semi-Finals of the Squidroidia hosted IFC 2, on home soil. They would again lose 3-5 against an inferior B team that HUElavia put out. Kohnhead had played them multiple times before and they had a rivalry in college football between KSU and the Squidbreak, Poafmersia were always seen as the big players in Independent football and were the team that everybody wanted to beat, and yes Murphtannia always seemed to bring about bad blood no matter the circumstance, but HUElavia was their biggest rival.

And this would be the stage. Inkopolis City Stadium. World Cup 89 qualification. Opening game. Already an opening game at ICS seemed like a lost cause - Squidroidia hadn't even gotten a point in a home opener for qualification, and they were all opening games - Wymondham in 86, Wreckeria in 87 and Huayamarca in 88 all gotten the spoils of victory and left Squidroidia on the wrong foot only 90 minutes into qualification. Surely this was going to be the same. Despite the money about to be poured into the SSL, the foreign clubs buying into Squidroidian talent, and everything this country has been to, they seemed to be cursed on Matchday 1. Always playing the opener to a packed crowd at the national stadium before their hearts, all 50,000 of them, got crushed. It could very well have been the curse put on them for beating Poafmersia in the IAC X groups.

It would only seem natural for them to possibly break it against their biggest rivals.

With only the top 2 teams in each group having a shot at qualification, and 4 teams wanting them (Brenecia, Kohnhead and the rivals who play in white and yellow respectively), something, anything, had to give. 2 teams would have to be sent to the Cup of Harmony, while the other 2 would have a chance to play on the world's biggest stage, playing for the title of footballing kings and queens over the multiverse.

Squidroidia didn't want to miss out on the 4th attempt. They were better than this...

Or so they thought.

RIVALRY - Squidroidia vs HUElavia
Chapter 1 - You are Here!
Chapter 2 - First Blood
Chapter 3 - A Perfect Hill to Climb
Chapter 4 - Frustration
Chapter 5 - Round 2
Chapter 6 - When All is Set and Done

[Cassadaigua]

Catching up with the soccer team,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

It’s time to start thinking about World Cup 89, as qualifiers get set to begin later today. Things are pretty similar to the last World Cup in regards to their being eighteen groups of ten. Of course, this time, we need to play in one of those groups instead of watching from afar as athletes showcased their skill and scribes from around the world wrote comprehensive game reports about them. Or, perhaps they chose to let readers find out about the game themselves as they told other stories. Many of those stories were fascinating, and if you took the time to read all of them, you would not have felt that it was time wasted. World Cup soccer brings out the best in all writers, it seems, no matter what they choose to focus on. Regardless, there are 180 nations that participate in qualifying, and hopefully around two-thirds to three-quarters of them will allow us to understand something about their nation, no matter what that something may be.

My focus here at the Concord Heights Times is to focus on the soccer team, so for the most part when you see something from me, it is going to be simply talking about the game. Sometimes we go into great detail, but other times we lean towards getting to know the people associated with the story. Talking about the Fillies is a pleasure, as after all, we know this team expects to qualify for the World Cup. It is not always a cakewalk, and in the current system, if you have two teams battling it out pretty good, a top ranked team could finish with a great record, but a point back in second spot. They’ll probably get that automatic spot for second place teams, but no one ever wants to count on that. Deeper groups cause all the more drama. Many will like that, and we felt it was entertaining to watch last time out. This time, we could do without all of that.

Cassadaigua will be in Group 16, and have to deal with Mercedini as their biggest challenger. However, it is not only the Golden Eagles to be concerned with, as 44th- ranked Geektopia is an up and coming side, and you can never rule out Qasden. After all, maybe it will be one of those World Cups where they let us know who is on their team. Teams with triple digit ranks and unranked nations obviously are ones that we should beat, but it never works out that way. There’s always a sleeper or two in qualifying, and that sleeper comes from Group 16, then that aforementioned drama will intensify. We’ll get a chance to see how good this team is, as well, right away, since the Fillies open up in Mercedini.

As we look at the roster, you are not going to see all that much that is different. That is because this really has the “last hurrah” look of it in regards to personnel. Rachel Schanke, Meghan Wolcott, and Preston Newfeld are all 33 years of age so you don’t know for sure if they will be back. Schanke even debated whether or not she would be back for this World Cup, saying that she really wanted to stay at home and not get involved with international travel. Schanke is the same age as NSSCRA driver Stacie Houston, who stepped down from regular stock car driving to give birth to her first child. Rachel, while congratulating Houston on all of that, seemed to be reflecting on her own life very hard in terms of starting a family. Usually Cassadagan athletes retire from sports in their lower to mid-30’s so that they can start a family, with the better athletes usually going to around 33-35. I’m going to talk about Schanke and that topic in the future, so for now, we’ll move on. There are other players on this team in that range, too. Danielle Cotter is 32, and Courtney Graham is 31. This is not an aging team across the board, as Rachel Schanke has 25-year old Jenna Frontiera up front with her, and 26-year old Morgan Rosenblatt is becoming the heir apparent to Meghan Wolcott very quickly. In goal, Kenzie Schnapper is ready to get a lot of starts from Danielle Cotter, too.

In regards to the goalkeeping, manager Brittany Byers has mentioned that this will not be a qualifying campaign with one keeper getting pretty much ever start. Cotter will start in goal against Mercedini, but other than that, expect Schnapper and even Cynthia Kerr to see a handful of action. Of that decision, Byers stated, “All three of them are playing at a high level and have deserved the chance. It’s not a case of one person failing to win the job and is actually the opposite, they’ve each shown that they should have the job. This should be a strength of the team.”

The World Cup is hosted by South Newlandia and Tikariot this year. Each are well known nations to Cassadagans due to having top notch baseball programs, but they have each seen their soccer teams follow suit quite well. It is the second time that they have hosted something right after we did, as they hosted World Baseball Classic 51 after we hosted the 50th.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: I'll promise I get the final three episodes of Circling The Wagon up soon, honest. In the meanwhile, please enjoy the following teaser for my next roleplay arc, The Temple of the Living God.

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OPINION: How to get away with racism

You don't.

[Rangers FC]

Haw haw haw, ya bunch of wankers! It’s me, Broxi the Bear, and I’m back once again to grace your screens with some words of wisdom. But this time, I’m not going to bother with advice. This time, you’re going to see some words that flow. Words that rhyme. Words that taste like lemon and lime. (Disclaimer: words may not actually taste like lemon and lime. Do not lick your screen, even if my poems are really good.) Anyhow, enough of me talking pish. Let’s take a look at some of my poems!

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Broxi Bear’s gonnae
Kick fuck out of you

Roses are red
Daisies are white
All of our rivals
Are gonnae do shite

Roses are red
Tulips are orange
Nae fucking words
Rhyme with orange

Roses are red
Flowers can bend
I have to inform you
That this is the end

Wasn’t that such a lovely poem? I certainly think so. I think the second stanza really brings an aura of brilliance into this poem, and it’s rhythmically beautiful. Words really can make you feel empowered, eh? Now, onto my next masterpiece.

All other teams are second rate
It isn’t a competition
Their players and staff are out of date
We’re winning this edition

Our arrogance will surely help
Unless we fuck it up
We’ll look like utter fools, welp
It wouldn’t be a dub

I’m busting rhymes like mad
My lyrics are so fly
Other poems are bad
Lose? I’d sooner die

My word, what a poem. I’m so good at this. You’ll all surely agree. I love myself. This is why I have always given such great advice, believe me. In fact, I’m so confident about this that I’m willing to ask someone from another nation to challenge me on my poetry skills. Nobody will. You know why? Because I’m brilliant. Anyhow, here’s my last poem for tonight.

Bom Bom Bom
Ba Da Ba
Bom Bom Bom
Ba Da Ba
Bom Bom Bom
Ba Da Ba
Bom Bom Bom
Ba Da Ba

(Bom Bom Bom)
BA DO BE DI DO BO BA DA DA
DA DO DO DO DA DEEEEEEEE
BA DO BE DI DO BO BA BA BA
DO DA DA DA DO DEEEEEEEE

(Bom Bom Bom)
WA WO WE WI WO WA WA WA
PA PO PO PO PA PEEEEEEEEE-

Hang on, sorry, sorry. This one’s shite. I apologise for screwing up your regular viewing with some rubbish poetry. I do hope your eyes are okay, because mine are burning from reading that.

On that note, it’s time to end tonight’s episode. Make sure to send me your ideas for poetry, and don’t forget to join me next time for some more wondrous rhythms and lyrics by me, Broxi.

Oh, and if you don’t like my poems, you can send me your hate mail too. I will publicise it, and I WILL respond! I’m Broxi, after all - king of poems, king of clapbacks, king of advice.

[Mertagne]

So, just state your name, your age, and the position you play in for the camera, please.

"What's the point in this one, again?"

It's a promo. It's for the TV. We're doing it for some of the squad to help the nation get to know you over this qualifying stint.

"Okay, whatever. My name's Luka Hazaluta, I'm twenty-eight years old, and I currently play as a left back for the Mertagne Senior team."

The blue screen had been hastily set up around him, and the flurry of cameras, boom operators, and other staff was a bit nauseating. Luka had never really liked closed off spaces, or heat, and therefore the ring lights that were focused on him like a band of angry hoop-shaped crisps tugged at his nerves.

Can we get that again, but can you sound a bit more cheerful? At the moment it's a bit flat.

"Alright." Luka's voice raised a semi-tone and he put some more of a smile on his face. "Hi, my name's Luka Hazaluta, I'm twenty-eight years old, and I'm one of the two starting defenders on the Mertagne national team."

Fantastic. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Describe yourself in three words. Make sure to use the question as part of the answer.

"What's the question? 'A bit about myself' or the 'three words' bit? You haven't made it very clear." Luka squinted into the light.

The three words part.

Luka sighed. "Okay. If I had to describe myself in three words, I'd say I'm determined, speedy, and resilient."

Can you perhaps change that last one? Maybe something a bit funny? Like, are you 'bubbly'? Or are you 'catty'? Or are you, like, 'hungry', but in like a double meaning way? You know, because you're a bit thin.

He wasn't exactly gaunt, but Hazaluta was a bit on the thin side. He wasn't the tallest person on the team, which helped hide it a little bit, but being thin helped him run faster, anyway. "Haha." he laughed, weakly. "If I had to describe myself in three ways, I'd day I'm determined, the fastest, and really humble."

Fab. Now tell us a bit about where you grew up? Try and make sure the end of the story is about you playing football.

"I grew up in Plitterland, in the town of Acluda. A lovely town, just within the reach of New Fligsive. My first foray into sport was in track sprinting, but as a kid I used to play jumpers for goalposts with my mates after school. When I got a job as a courier as a teenager, though, the track sprinting fell by the wayside, but the football always remained. My mate convinced me to try out-"

Sorry, Luka. Great stuff there, but can you just drop the bit about having a job? We don't really want to talk about labour practices during the Insulation, if we can avoid it. Keep the school stuff, though, that's so great - maybe a more positive spin about how you liked football more than track?

The truth was, he didn't like football more than track. Football was just the opportunity he had. He was mostly tired after working as a courier for a faceless corporation that employed children for a pittance of a wage to deliver packages across town in a satchel, and playing as a defender in an evening kickabout meant you could just stand for a bit when the ball wasn't in your third.

"I grew up in Acluda, in Plitterland. A lovely town, just within the reach of Keers. My first foray into sport was in track sprinting, but as a kid I used to play jumpers for goalposts with my mates after school. I stuck with the latter as a teen, and my mates convinced to try out at Keers Kannoneers, as they believed I was good enough to do the real thing. Luckily, so did the talent scouts, and before too long, I was kicking about on the pitch with the best of them! I since moved to New Fligsive's Memory, and now I'm representing the nation in Nephara, at Chatswood."

Lovely bit about representing the nation. That's just what we want. Can you tell us if you're confident about the World Cup qualifiers? If you're not feeling confident, maybe just don't say.

Hazaluta rubbed his eyes. "I think we've got a tough set of battles ahead of us in this World Cup Qualifying - the forest around us has grown up since we've been away. I-"

No, no, nothing about the hiatus. It doesn't sell well. Be more vague, just reference the competition if you have to.

Luka squinted. "The competition is going to be really tough this year. We're going to have to give it our all, but I think we can finish somewhere where we'll all be proud of."

Excellent. Any matches you're particularly looking forward to? Preferably someone that Mertagnians are more familiar with. Vilita, maybe?

"I'm actually really looking forward to going up against Barunia. I quite like the Suns and it looks like they're currently going through an interesting period of self-reflection with regards to their coaching staff-" Luka's eyes lit up before he was interrupted once more.

That's a bit long, mate. Just a few words if possible.

"I'm really looking forward to testing ourselves against one of the best teams in the multiverse - Vilita." Luka said, with a hint of monotonality.

Nice work, we're nearly out of here. Just one final question - is there anyone really important to you that you'd like to mention? Anyone that helped you get to where you are today? Your parents? A friend? A brother?

"If there's one person that's made me the person I am today, it's got to be my..." Luka paused. And remembered. And grieved. "... It's got to be my..." His heart thumped in his chest. He started to sweat under the lights. The single red LED of the camera blinked, the lens staring into his soul.

Darkness.
Torchlight.
Shouting.
The clatter of steel on concrete.
The barking of dogs.

A high pitched drone settled into his ears. His breathing, ragged. He strained to get the words out. "If there's one... If there's a person that's made me who I am... I owe it all to... It's got to be... He did everything for me... I couldn't... I don't..."

*THUD*

Is he okay? Jenny, he's just collapsed on the stool. Get him a glass of water. No, I don't know what's happened - do you? Look, just... Yeah, I guess we've got enough. Pull him into the corner and get the next one in. What's their name?

---

So, just state your name, your age, and the position you play in for the camera, please.

[Chartistan]

"Doctor Lucas, World Cup 89 qualifying is fast approaching. Before you head on the plane to Reçueçn, what is your reaction on the group Chartistan have been handed?"

"Let's face it - We shouldn't be in the position for qualification. Not now, not next cycle, it's not within my ambitions. I know the draws in the Cup of Harmony have been a good sign for fans, but please, PLEASE don't put us in contention for qualification. Starblaydia and Quebec and Reçueçn are all in this group with us. I would love it if this team pulls off an upset against one of these teams but let's not book our tickets to Walstreim."

"What about the captain situation? Royce seemed like the guy to go with up until roster day, then the charts intervened and Namjune will once again captain the side heading into this qualification campaign. How do you feel?"

"It's not my job to select the captain, it's the charts who decide the captain. I'm disappointed Royce didn't get the chance to get the armband, I knew him since the Wonder Cup when he was just a goalkeeper struggling against Starcom Racing, he had the popularity to warrant the captaincy and complete the journey of the lifetime and now I have to deal with stans breathing down my neck. I know Namjune is good, he scored that insane goal against Darmen and all, but Royce is my captain."

"A 3-4-3 formation is unorthodox to you, as you have always trusted on a 4-2-2 system. What warrants the change, and why do you think it might be better per say than the formation Chartistan has always relied on since the start?"

"We have too much talent to warrant just 2 forwards. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but from Exnash to Yamjune all of these fellows deserve to be in the attack. I know for Exnash and Latte we had to convert them to midfielders, but if we don't have a goal with the front three we have of Rogers, Royce and Yamjune, slap White on, bring a forward off and move either of them to their appropriate positions. It's gonna work like a charm, just you wait."

"And what about your choice to act as player-manager for this cycle? Do you think that desperation's going to settle in and you have to be in the attack for the final few minutes of the game?"

"Being player-manager has its upsides and downsides. Being one would mean I'm more hands-on when it comes to operations if I'm on the pitch, but it's a game of risk. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. I don't expect to come off the bench and play for my beloved country, but if it happens it's because I'm desperate. I have to throw the kitchen sink to see what ends up sticking. So glad I don't have to deal with Barney this cycle..."

"Thank you for your time Combbrush, good luck in qualification."

"Thank you very much. Exnash! Cue the trumpets!"

[Sendhang]

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DAY 20 - MONTH 3 - YEAR 7

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Melayuan in the 89th World Cup qualifiers

Six nations from Melayu Archipelago will have a try at qualifying for the 89th World Cup in South Newlandia and Tikariot, something that no Melayuan nation has ever achieved. Are we going to see the first Melayuan nation in the World Cup? Who will it be? Let's take a look at the 6 Melayuan nations in the 89th World Cup qualifiers.

Sharktail (71) - Group 1

Sharktail was the first nation to start its international journey among the 6 Melayuan nations participating in the 89th World Cup qualifiers. They debuted in the 81st World Cup qualifiers before missing the next 3 World Cups. They made their comeback in the 85th World Cup qualifiers in which they almost made it the World Cup after finishing 3rd. They were drawn in Group 1 this time alongside nations such as Starblaydia, Independent Athletes from Quebec, Recuecn, and Indusse. It's a tough group for Sharktail but I reckon they can give a good challenge. Prediction: 3rd

Pemecutan (78) - Group 11

Pemecutan is the second-highest ranked Melayuan nation in the 89th World Cup qualifiers. This will be their fourth attempt at qualifying for the World Cup after making their debut in the 86th World Cup qualifiers. The closest they came to qualifying was in the last cycle where they finished fourth. Pemecutan was drawn in Group 11 for this cycle alongside nations such as Banija, Zwangzug, and Abanhfleft. Tough. Prediction: 4th

Eraman (85) - Group 9

After Sharktail, Eraman was the second nation to start their international journey among the 6 Melayuan nations participating in the 89th World Cup qualifiers. They debuted in the 82nd World Cup qualifiers, a cycle after Sharktail. They have come close twice to qualifying to the World Cup, finishing third in the 83rd and 85th World Cup qualifiers. They made a return to the international football scene last cycle after missing out on the 87th World Cup qualifiers. Eraman was drawn in Group 9 this time around alongside nations such as Nephara, Squornshelan Remnant States, Huayramarca, and Tumbra. It will take a miracle for them to make it out of this group. Prediction: 5th

Acastanha (109) - Group 7

This is Acastanha's third appearance in the World Cup qualifiers after making their debut in the 87th World Cup qualifiers. They have finished fifth in both of their previous campaign. They were drawn in Group 7 alongside nations such as The Holy Empire, Graintfjall, Saltstead, Equestria, and Sarzonia. Finishing 5th again can be considered a success. Prediction: 6th

Sendhang (164) - Group 5

Sendhang came back after making their debut in the last World Cup qualifiers in which they finished in a disappointing ninth place. They were drawn in Group 5 alongside nations such as Valanora, Yuezhou, Vdara, Legalese, and Gyatso-kai. I can't see them qualifying to the World Cup but finishing ninth again will be disappointing. Prediction: 6th

Lathamford (192) - Group 18

Lathamford is a newcomer to the international football scene. This is their debut in the World Cup qualifiers. They have been promising in the Baptism of Fire where they finished third. They were drawn in Group 18 alongside nations such as Chromatika, Eura, Darmen, and Sylestone. Qualifying to the World Cup on their first try is a tough ask. Prediction: 6th

[Britonisea]

Latest News
Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin
http://www.bvc.com/news

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12th September 2021
Serving nationwide

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Who is...Blake Johnson?

Who is...



Blake Johnson

He was part of the ABEN Union football team and is now making his debut at the World Cup. Blake Johnson has gone from shaving sheep in his backyard to international superstar. Can Blake stop the shots coming his way?

Britonisea returns to the World Cup for the first time in a few cycles and unfortunately starts at the bottom of the pack - unranked. Every team at the World Cup believes they can beat the country and see the Britons as a simple walkover and whilst that might be true, the Britons will be trying their best to absorb the experience in preparation for the future where the Britonish manager, Daniel Kingsman, believes Britonisea could do very well. Daniel believes that it will "take time for the Brito Boys to make any sort of impact. The country might come last in the group, it might come fourth - we just don't know. I know my boys can go out there and win, but other members of Group 15 won't think so. The international fans won't think so either. To be honest, not even our very own will believe we will win." Ahead of our first match against 37th-ranked Omerica Stade Just-Cartier - a 40,000 seater stadium home to Athlétique Trois-Fleuves (not our most successful football team Athlétique Nationale!), Britonisea is expected to lose...majorly...but Blake Johnson is hoping that Britonisea's men won't be too rattled and scared ahead of the powerful and rather offensive Omerica team.

Blake Johnson was one of the three goalies at the Olympic Games for the joint ABEN Union team which came as a shock to him and the people around him. Born in Queensland, Queenshire - an Authority¹ home to 200,000 people (which, to put that into comparison is third of the population of Zone 1 in Doportedas or just over half of the population of the Borough of Strata in Telm which hosts matches against Bollonich and Vajlahrys). Queenshire is one of the middle Authorities in Britonisea, mostly being up in the great hills and mountains of the country which stretch down the centre of it, nicknamed "the spine". Blake Johnson was no strange to trembles from the ground with his home being near a minor fault line, but due to the rich soil underneath him and his father's drive and passion in the farming industry, he had a well off upbringing. Unlike most kids in the country, with many being interested in sports such as tennis, track and field or even sports that take place on the water, Blake was interested in football much to his father's disapproval. Blake remembers his father saying, "You want to just go out there and play about with balls for money? You know how bad that sounds?" but accepts that his father probably wanted him to work on the farm when he gets older. After some talking around by his mother, who was fully supportive of Johnson's dreams, his father was happy to send him off to the only football school in the Authority, Queens FC - where he learnt a lot, enough to bag himself a spot on the ABEN Union team for the Olympic Games and here on the Britonish team at the World Cup.

He certainly will try his best at the World Cup as he did at the Games. During his matches (the first two), he failed to allow his opponents to score a goal and while the World Cup will present a new set of challenges for Blake, he says that he is very excited about it. How far will Britonisea get against Omerica? Let's find out!

¹ An Authority is an administrative area, similar to counties, parishes or provinces.

[Vdara]

Football?

(OOC: I have used this image as an RP before - in the Cup of Harmony - but it’s one of my personal favourites, so I have reposted it here for my and everyone else’s enjoyment.)



(Fun fact: Football? is Vdara’s most popular football magazine. Didn’t think so? Well… it is now! Expect more issues of this as time passes. For now, enjoy the one sitting right in front of your eyes.)

[Saltstead]

MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: This post does not necessarily represent the personal opinions of the author about any person, place, thing or idea. Read with caution.

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The Beet

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The Beet Sportsbox: World Cup 89 qualifying preview — Why everyone in this group hates Saltstead!
Everyone in World Cup qualifying Group 7 hates the Saltsteadish Confederation and we here at The Beet are here to give you the juicy details on why

What the hell is this nonsense, Mr Frosticus?

South Newlandia — Can you smell it in the air? The smell of freshly cut grass, pumped-up balls, noxious nationalism and drunken idiots puking in the stands. That’s right: it’s World Cup qualifying time once again! And with the draw freshly made, we can now confirm that Saltstead have topped their group! We have now officially won the title of most hated nation in this group. So crack open a bottle of sparkling wine as we go on a tour of Group 7, because we did it!

The Holy Empire hates us because we are “heretics”. How do three beings who are not equivalent to each all equal one God and how can you still call that monotheism? Make it make sense! Expect the Holy Empire’s lovable band of monstrosities to be accompanied to Ashwell by a flock of priests, presumably to cleanse the Royal City of daemons or try to convert Saltsteaders to “save [our] souls” or something like that.

Gräntfjall hates us because we are not Gräntfjallers. This isn’t unique to Saltstead, though: they hate everyone in this group besides themselves! Rumour has it that any Gräntfjaller with dual citizenship would automatically hate themself with a passion that burns brighter than a thousand suns because they aren’t totally Gräntfjaller. (Suns, of course, famously do not exist in Gräntfjall.)

Saltstead hates us because we are Saltsteaders. If there’s anything a Saltsteader doesn’t like, it’s another, slightly different Saltsteader! Wait… that’s leftists we’re talking about… The main point stands, though. I mean, the Royal Saltsteadish Football Association still fields a national football team after the sheer embarrassment of World Cup 88 qualifying. That alone ought to be enough evidence to prove our point.

Equestria hates us because we are not actually horses. We love horses and have made a white horse our most cherished national symbol, but we are very much not horses. Of course, this is obvious due to the incontrovertible truth that horses do not actually exist. Just like Gräntfjall’s obsession with krakens, the mere existence of Equestria and its inhabitants is a mere figment of our collective imaginations.

Sarzonia hates us because they got lost in Nepharan waters on their way to blow us out of existence. To make matters worse, Sarzonians are also a bit salty that their attempts to strongarm Saltstead into voting down a constitutional amendment they didn’t like backfired so spectacularly and now they can’t have any of Saltstead’s dank salt anymore. Thankfully we have lawyers next door if they try to stir up any more trouble.

Acastanha hates us… probably for the same reasons the Holy Empire hates us, but they’re also too busy hating themselves to do anything about it, given the Catholicism and all. They’ll probably get around to flooding Ashwell with priests and maybe rotate the Dörvarwe ninety degrees while they’re at it, because it’s really bugging them. We only wish they also had cuddly eldritch horrors, too, but alas…

Brookstation are too chill to hate anyone, BRO, but if they were they hating type, they would hate us for not being too chill to hate anyone. You just have to go with the flow and have a good time. So let’s just all take a chill pill and enrol in Brookstation University so we can maybe have some multiversal peace after all. We’re going to go get Sarzonia’s application ready while we finish up the rest of this list.

India is took busy breaking into half a dozen different nations to hate us at the moment. Since Indusse of the region of India was not enough for the multiverse, we now have a Republic of Indian States, a Democratic Kingdom of South India and now a knockoff of the RLstates nation of India. We will get back to you when we figure out why this India in particular hates Saltstead, ideally before the end of qualifying.

Ostankin hates us because we are not monochrome. Black and white are truly quite nice, but a splash of colour never hurt anyone. (Though the flag of Ostankin looks suspiciously like a television station logo.) Also, Ostankin continue to toil under their reactionary dictatorship while we Saltsteaders threw off the shackles of ours decades ago, though we suspect this may be a source of jealousy more than hatred.

Nether Fortress hates us because we live in the light on the surface world. There is nothing a Netherian Fortressian hates more than direct sunlight and all the nations in this group (except Gräntfjall, of course) have plenty of it. Saltstead will start off their campaign in the Nether Fortress and will thus have to escape it to avoid forfeiting all seventeen subsequent matches. Wish us luck.

Zug um Zug was just added to this group before we got this article out so we don’t know why they hate us yet, but we will get back to you when we find out. If we had to take a guess, maybe it’s because we were in this group before them? Either that or we don’t have as many tractors as they would like. Maybe we should spend some of the salt money on those instead of a national football team… —TB

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Also on The Beet

• The World Cup 89 Organising Committee Legal Department resign all at once
• Saltstead shocks Anaia and the world by not renaming anything “Foxchester”
• Forget Quebecs, Indias are the newest hot commodity among nation names
• The Beet Opinion: Is it time to start firing Christiane van Åupħen continuously?

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★
The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association
Royal House of Sport, Ashwell

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Zug um Zug : Saltstead
Cup of Harmony 80 knockout stage — Round of 16
Colossal Arena, Snelling, Zug um Zug
Starting line-up (4–5–1): Christijn Sänt-Andreas (captain); Frans Richard, Dijter Ackerdiħ, Sebastien van Can, Victoria Rothöüf; Johanne Geuberts, Nico Swart, Anne Hodmaker, Nicholas Tiberius, Aleksa Pascal; Edvard Rothås
Substitute bench: Kathrinita Äsħes, Julij Kåler; Gunner Stepħenssen, Pijr Josefssen, Johan van Tilborg, Yorg Handel; Marina Jager, Benni Sħåul, Violeta Igesleven, Theodor Felicianus, Aleksa le Duc; Reinhard Åubreħtessen

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[Torisakia]

OOC: Yes I used a picture of Jerry Trainor for the logo. He's the first person that came to my mind when I thought of the name "Bort" (aside from that one Sesame Street thing).

Ok so we're back. After several, several months of dealing with the courts, attorneys, media, heavy sanctions, and a bout with botulism, Sports with Bort is back in operation. With perfect timing too, as Torisakia is back on the international stage for the first time since the Kiragate sanctions began with an appearance in the 89th World Cup. Though they actually played in the latest AOCAF Cup, but technically that's regional rather than international. They also played in the Baptism of Fire, you know the small tournament for newcomers to the World Cup. Even though Torisakia is no newcomer, they had never played in the BoF before so they were allowed to participate. The BoF actually served as a good testing ground for the team, which went surprisingly well as Torisakia made it all the way to the semifinals and ended up getting 4th place. Afterwards, some roster shuffling and personnel tweaking was done to form the current squad for this here event.

The team lost a lot of players due to the Kiragate scandal and disagreements on signing bonuses and stuff like that, not to mention guys like Johnny Kelso and Logan Brantley retiring. We've essentially had to move most of our substitutes from last World Cup up to the starting lineup while adding in some new players from around the domestic leagues. We've also changed up our formation a bit, moving from the old 4-4-2 to a more modern 4-3-3. Our goal is to have a more efficient offense while not letting up on the defensive side too much. It seems to have worked fairly well it the two events we've played in prior to the World Cup, with a combined 20 goals for. Defense still leaves a bit to be desired as they gave up a combined 14 goals against, but that will likely come with time. Overall, the team has played surprisingly well coming off all these sanctions, including a "death penalty" that prevented them from really training for a few months. Come to think of it, wouldn't the "death penalty" actually mean shutting down the entire team for good? At least that's how it worked in the TCAA with Northern Baptist University back decades ago. Sports Law has never been my strong suit. I should ask my attorney.

Torisakia starts off the 89th World Cup with a match against Blouman Empire, a top 75 team in the world. They play a similar style to what Torisakia is going for: a 4-3-3 formation with an offensive mindset. When two similar strategies like this match up, it usually means it'll end in a draw, at least in Torisakia's case. Biggest thing to note is that it's the first matchday, and very rarely will the outcome make or break a team. There's 18 matchdays in total, so Torisakia would have plenty of time to recover from a loss or draw. Speaking of, Torisakia will host 9 of those matchdays in venues around the country. Tokai Memorial, Vinewood, Mustang Alley, Kirk & Hilton Heights, and Estadio Nacional de González Isla will serve as the venues this time around. Each will host two matches except for Mustang Alley which will only hold one. It's good to see the team using a variety of venues instead of just playing every match in Tokai Memorial like the days of old. It's basically like a big band tour. Maybe they'll even sell shirts with a list of every city they've been to. I still have my shirt from the 2010 Red Night Tour, though it's heavily faded and many of the iron-on letters have fallen off so now it reads "_ed _ig_t _o_r". In totally unrelated news, I have a cousin named Ed Igtor and he was going to handle the Sports with Bort site while I was dealing with my legal issues but he decided to get arrested for embezzling T$599 million from the national treasury by sending them random bills which they paid. So that was that.

In any case, I'll be back later to reflect on Torisakia's match with Blouman Empire and talk about some other random things that I feel may hold some type of meaning. Until then, if you have any legal issues make sure you give Chuck, Eiye, & Cheize a call and you could receive a settlement of T$1 million. Call Chuck, Eiye, & Chieze at +395 LAW-4-YOU. That's +395 LAW-4-You. That's +395 529-4-968. Seriously, it's not that hard to convert letters to phone numbers. Did they not teach you guys this in school? What is the Ministry of Education doing? Maybe they need to be the ones investigated.

[Farfadillis]

"I do not drink. Is not good for body." His grave voice, raspy because it was seven in the fucking morning, did not intimidate the man in the slightest. He nonchalantly poured Vyacheslav a glass of whiskey and set it in front of him. He then poured one for himself and downed it in seconds.

"I do not mean disrespects, but why are you here?" The man did not even look at him. He just absent-mindedly stared at his apartment.

"The feng shui's all wrong here, you know." Vyacheslav stared at him, unamused. "Doesn't matter. Drink up, I'm here to make you an offer, and you're more likely to make the correct decision if you don't think too much."

"I do not drink." He replied, sternly.

"Commendable! Just what I look for in a player. Professionalism! And height. You're very tall. I like that!" He gestured towards the glass of whiskey. "You know, this bottle of whiskey was very expensive, and I bought it just for this occasion. I ran it by your manager, he said you can drink with me."

"You're lying."

"I'm not! I really did contact Thjorgias before coming here. I needed to know your address."

"No, not that." He pointed at the bottle of whiskey. "That's Whiskey Malamuerte. Cheapest in Farolera."

Manguele crossed his arms. "You seem to know a lot about whiskey for someone who doesn't drink."

"Agapeto likes to take some to practice sometimes."

"I'll... uhh... take note of that, then, since he's on my radar too. I hope you don't mind it when the lads call you a snitch."

Vyacheslav just raised an eyebrow. He was utterly confused, but confusion had sort of become the default since moving to Farfadillis, so he just sighed, frustrated but calm. "Please, I do not understand anything you say. Just explain what you do here."

"How many cups do you have?"

Vyacheslav looked towards the kitchen, confused. "Uhhh... three? Four?"

Manguele facepalmed. "No, Vyacheslav, you have zero cups. Football cups."

Vyacheslav crossed his arms. "So you come here to insult me." Manguele poured another glass, then handed it to the Savojar, who once again ignored him.

"Well, yes and no. I've come here to insult you as a friend." He smiled and looked him in the eyes. He could notice the sales pitch was not going well. "As a future friend! You know how you've never won anything in your life, and you've got a fat chance of making the national team?" The alcohol made him, perhaps, a tad too sincere.

"I just have to play better. I'm playing good, in good team, in good league. I will be noticed."

"Wake up, Vyacheslav. You're not in their plans, never have been. You played in a Di Bradini Cup, big fucking deal. To them, you don't even exist. I'm sure 95% of Savojars don't even know who you are." He paused. "Sorry, that was a bit too direct. Drink up."

Vyacheslav eyed the glass of whiskey. "If it wasn't Malamuerte..."

"Well, it's actually Malamuerte mixed in with water, if that helps."

Vyacheslav timidly grabbed the glass and drank up. "So. You. You are here to make me an offer. You want me to play for national team. Right? Or am I misunderstanding."

"You're very much understanding." He looked pensive for a moment. "I think."

"So you want to sign me for your team? And that is why you talked to Thjorgias? I didn't know he want to sell me. I think I play well..." Vyacheslav refilled his glass. Manguele chose to take his sweet time to correct him.

"No, no, Vyacheslav. Thjorgias does not want to sell you. You're an important part of his team."

"So your team wants to offer La Nueva Avenida many money, then sign me? What is your team? I heard Royal Rumiatzi, but I looked it up before you visit and you were sacked."

"You're getting close!" Manguele smiled. "So, tell me, how attached are you to Savojarna? Like, the country? Are you the type that stands to sign the anthem, gets a tattoo of the flag, complains about immigrants, that kind of thing? You know, the so-proud-to-be-Savojar type?"

"... yes, yes, no."

Manguele raised an eyebrow. "You've got an honest-to-Cagafuegos tattoo of a Savojarna flag?"

"In my chest, yes."

"Ok, that's gonna make for some very funny jokes in the future, I'm sure." He chuckled in disbelief. "I think this means you won't be quite as open to my offer as I thought you'd be. But here it goes: I want you on my team."

"I know that."

"But my team is actually the Farfadillis national team. National team. Not club. That's why Thjorgias was fine with me tapping you up."

Vyacheslav looked even more confused, for a second, before shaking his head. "Bad joke. I am not Farf."

"True, but nobody is. Ask your Farf teammates. They're all Faroleran, aren't they? Except for Aixenxó, who is Ferdullaelan. Not Farves. Farves don't exist anymore."

Vyacheslav did not reply. He did not know what to say.

"I mean that literally, by the way! It's a long story—and a bureaucratic mess—but, basically, anyone can play for the Farfadillis national team. Literally anyone. The team does not represent a national entity, so we can do whatever we want when calling up players. So here I am, offering you, a two-meter-tall, blonde, pale Viking who speaks thickly-accented, but actually quite passable Faroleran, to represent Farfadillis."

"Instead of Savojarna."

"Instead of no other country, because Savojarna won't ever call you up." He poured Vyacheslav another drink. The Savojar drank.

"You are mean..."

"I am the opposite of mean. I am generous! I see what they don't see, and I want to make the most of it. I think you can have a good international career, Vyacheslav! Just not playing for the country you were born and raised in, which you... appear to love so much as to have its flag plastered over your chest and sorry I can't get over how strange that is. Anyway, what I want to say is: I want to give you a chance to truly prove yourself. At the highest level. We've got a better team than Savojarna, even. You could make them regret ever ignoring you."

"Hmm..."

"Imagine the headlines! 'Savojar Becomes Key Player For World Cup Winners, Questions Raised About Selection Process' or something like that."

"Getting ahead of yourself, there."

"I'm dreaming big, Vyacheslav. And you should dream big, too. Though not big enough to believe you could land a starting spot for Savojarna. Because that would inconvenience me."

"Let me think over."

"Take your time. You've got a few weeks before I call you up and you have to make the choice." Manguele looked around, something catching his attention. "Say, is that a chessboard over there?"

"Yes. I play chess sometimes. Want to play?"

"Sure."

"Do you like chess?"

"Yeah, a bit. But mainly I want to play it to get in your good graces. When you want to give off a good impression, sometimes it's good to manipulate the other person using their interests. Like, say, if you were South Newlandian, and you were going to judge a piece of writing, you'd probably like it more if it mentioned chess."

Vyacheslav shook his head. He'd stopped trying to understand the tangents Farves could go on long ago. He set up the chessboard. Deep down, he knew what his answer would be, as much as it pained him. Too good an offer to pass up. Or was that the Malamuerte speaking?

[Huayramarca]

OOC: This RP has a video that will help to understand it better: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CgvhiW ... sp=sharing

The scene was worthy of a gala in the Mushuc Runa lounge of the Hotel Real Inca. The crème de la crème of Huayramarca football was present, representatives of the National Government, representatives of "eva", the technical sponsor of the national team in terms of sports clothing and some fans involved in the staging of what appeared to be an important announcement for the Huayramarca football team.

A long wait, some members impatient and others taking snacks at the tables next to the main stage, a long table with typical dishes from the highlands and coast such as Cuy a la brasa, anticucho, aji a la gallina, etc. A huge amount of chicha morada and even ayahuasca for the closing party decorated the place, it was a real all you can eat, all that until a deep lightning sounded, the lights of the hall dimmed and people were alerted, but it was nothing more than special effects followed by the artificial roar of the wind through more special effects and a powerful fan pointing to the podium.

A folk music ensemble appeared, all dressed in traditional Aymara dress, and they sang a song quite symbolic for the resident people of the altiplano, a majority in the nation of Huayramarca, "Florcita del ande" (Little Flower of the Andes). Murmurs were heard which later turned into a serenade where the people sang “¡Háblame de ese pueblo! Niña querida ¡Viviendo en las alturas junto a la tierra y la Pachamama!” while people from the Huayramarca Football Federation and representatives of "eva" appeared to begin the gala.

The representatives arrived and said "For us it is a pride to represent our roots, to dress our national team with quality, to show the world the identity of our nation". After being interrupted by applause, Joaquin Almeida, the representative, said "I am proud to have renewed, once again, our link with the Huayramarca Football Federation as technical sponsor for 3 more years, that is why, in commemoration of the agreement, we have renewed the uniforms of the Huayramarca team, which has given us so much pride in recent years". The anticipation in the crowd was completely evident, people trying to put on their glasses, and even defying the ban on taking photographs at the event, something the guards had to act quickly to prevent leaks from people not accredited beforehand.

The new president of the Huayramarca Football Federation, Ernesto Choque, was sworn in at the ceremony, after which he said "It is a new day for our football, the beginning of a project that seeks to take the sport step by step, with the aim of building a reputation at regional and, why not later, global level, in order to support the transformation of our nation, hand in hand with the Citizen's Revolution that the National Government is promoting.

Some murmurs were audible, but, he continued, "We are not looking to politicise sport, on the contrary, we are looking for allies to boost it economically and infrastructurally. This is a national project and not a question of egos, it is Huayramarca that matters, not the prestige of a single head." Ernesto drank water and continued "The agreement with 'eva' is to highlight the importance of supporting our people, a home brand and with high quality, as well as boosting our image as a nation abroad, and what better way to do it than with the outfits worn by our best representatives in football." After these sentences, the acceptance contract was signed with "eva" and the Huayramarca Football Federation.

The applause was prolonged, the people remained in their seats until a video started, that made the calm return.

The video shows a group of people with musical instruments heading towards a group of houses, in which there are two women sewing clothes in traditional indigenous methods, after which the group arrives, celebrates with the people and socialise while singing and showing off their best clothes. The festival seeks to represent the joy and colour of the people of Huayramarca, as well as taking into consideration the significant role that light and stars have socially. Right after a person playing a guitar, the uniforms start to appear one after the other on display, with different landscapes and messages that identify the idiosyncrasy of Huayramarca.

An interesting thing is to see how aspects of landscape, indigenous beliefs, even political and socially accepted ideas in Huayramarca were mixed in the background of the uniforms. At the end of the video, applause was heard as a speaker shouted in Quechua "¡Jallalla Huayramarca!" Which translates to "Long live Huayramarca!".

[Graintfjall]

[South Newlandia]

Expect this to take me a bit longer

Edit: THE's roster came in after the deadline, but just barely. Since I hadn't started scoring yet, I have elected to count it for MD1.

[Krytenia]

The Two Heads
By Rami Niblick in Aleiusia, Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom

WHEN the KFA changed the national team's badge to its current appearance, many wondered why they chose two heads for the dragon. The KFA claims it is a representation of both history and vision, with one head looking back on the nation's illustrious(ish) past whilst the other looks ahead to a bright and successful future. However, given the team's performances in recent tournaments, both at senior and under-21 level, I'd like to posit another theory.

On the one side, there's Krytenia in knockout play. If it's a game to be decided on the day, the gravity of the situation seems to kick the team into an extra gear. Their victory in Cup of Harmony 78 was followed by three more final appearances - albeit all losing ones - for the senior team, whilst the Wyverns were only denied the absolute bants of winning the 50th Di Bradini Cup by the entire might of the Vilitan Cove. Paul Davis, and Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips before him, have clearly had little problem motivating the team and instilling that "don't get eliminated" mentality for these games.

Unfortunately, the other head therefore represents the dark side - Krytenia in group play. Whether it's the World Cup qualifiers or the first phase of a major tournament, the Dragons seem to find any way they can to make life far more complicated for themselves than they need to. It's still a rare sight for Krytenia to win their opening match in a tournament, and the number of times we've gone into the final match of a group with either a mountain to climb or the breath of elimination close behind us are too numerous to count.

Which brings us to the present; the qualifying competition for World Cup 89. With Krytenia just about scraping into Pot 2 for the draw, this set of qualifiers represents the best chance in a long time to make it back to the final thirty-two. Of course, we're not foolish enough as a nation to think it'll be easy. We've had our fingers burned too many times by the likes of Drunk People At The Local Tavern, Sulsuland, and Rangers FC to be deluded into that fallacy. Nor will the team (you'd hope) underestimate the quality of the opposition. The likes of Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, San Ortelio, the Grearish Union, and Damukuni have no right being ranked as low as they are, which means the race for second place is likely to be tighter than Jeremy Jaffacake. It could even develop into a scrap for first if Pasarga are in anything less than top form.

In other words, it is imperative that the Dragons hit the ground running for once, especially as they face Zeta Reka - away - in their first match. Paul Davis' mission is clear: treat every game as a knockout match. That way, hopefully, he can get the maximum effort out of his playing staff and maybe, just maybe, get these lads to the World Cup finals at last. Onward!

[Atheara]

☵ Athearan Sport Ordering News
ASON.com.ah/more/Atheara/C
The website for all your Athearan sporting needs, and many non sport related stories!

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◯Log in or Sign up!|.Home.|.Football.|.Hockey.|.Baseball.|.Chess.|.FAQ & More▼

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More > Atheara > About It
Atheara, The Coldzone of Anaia Explained
You might have searched this up, because you want to know about Atheara more. You might have even asked yourself "What is Atheara?" many times to yourself to the point you searched it up. All that matters is that whether you searched it up or not. If you did, then this is the perfect site for us to explain to you, dear reader, on what Atheara is. And we will be highlighting the culture of Atheara itself more than what about the actual country, If you stumbled upon this randomly, don't click away! This site might contain some useful information if you visit Atheara, especially during the World Cup Cycle where Atheara is actively participating this cycle. This outlet of the website will be bogging down a general overview of Atheara, the people, and why Atheara is known as the "Coldzone" in Anaia.

Atheara is a democratic state ruled by a council of representatives running in groups to represent a state, that is currently located in the Northernmost region of Anaia, on the continent of Aurora. For the general populace, that's enough to know why Atheara is called the "Coldzone," their geographic location. But despite being located in a frozen wasteland, Atheara has a population of 120 million people strong. Since historically, the previous colonizers of this area, the Ancient Empire of Nordcalia - Gestova had focused on the living standards and condition of their settlers, which meant a focus on the infrastructure of the region. The country has a GDP of 7.86 trillion Arthertas which if converted to NSD would mean at around 15.72 trillion NSD in GDP.

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The city of Rekozia, in the process of the construction of several buildings.

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We move onto the people, which can be argued are an interesting part of Atheara. It isn't really diverse in a sense. At around 93% of the population claims to be Athearan, with Nordian or Gestovan descent (50% claim to be the former, and around 43% claim to be the latter). The remaining 7% consists of people from the rest of Anaia and everywhere else according to this factbook of sorts. Other than that, the behaviour of the people is quite unexpected for a country that has such a high feeling of national pride. Most Athearans are cold and distant on the outside, and it tends to be difficult to enter the "relation zone" of an Athearan. However, once you get to know them better, Athearans tend to actually be loud and mouthful when they want. Ever since the Athearan Civil War, Athearans tend to keep these loudful versions of themselves to themselves. There is really no need to show yourself onto society when you don't need it. Athearans also rarely smile randomly in public, and they only do if they have very good reason, or if they are up to something no good.

So, what is the reason Atheara is known as the "Coldzone" ? The answer lies by the fact that Athearans are distantly cold outside and the fact that Atheara is known for being a northern wasteland. Atheara is known as the "Coldzone" because they make themselves cold. They put a freezing blanket over themselves, as they do not want the world to see what it really means to be Atheara. Not because they don't want to, but because they feel like they don't need to do it. They distance themselves, it's more similar to a mindset or a thought/process of mind.

Atheara WCQ 89 Schedule
MD1: Atheara 1 vs 0 Eastfield Lodge   @Astena Stadium, Astena
MD2: Atheara vs Torisakia
MD3: Atheara vs Garbelia              @Rekozia Arena, Rekozia
MD4: Atheara vs Barhe
MD5: Atheara vs Usanguk               @Astena Stadium, Astena
MD6: Atheara vs Farfadillis     
MD7: Atheara vs Drawkland             @Rekozia Arena, Rekozia
MD8: Atheara vs Blouman Empire  
MD9: Atheara vs Valladares            @Astena Stadium, Astena

MD10: Atheara vs Eastfield Lodge 
MD11: Atheara vs Torisakia            @Rekozia Arena, Rekozia
MD12: Atheara vs Garbelia        
MD13: Atheara vs Barhe                @Rekozia Arena, Rekozia
MD14: Atheara vs Usanguk         
MD15: Atheara vs Farfadillis          @Astena Stadium, Astena
MD16: Atheara vs Drawkland       
MD17: Atheara vs Blouman Empire       @Rekozia Arena, Rekozia
MD18: Atheara vs Valladares

This outlet was written by Lary Ivelovik, he has written 18 outlets.

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Other Recent ASON Outlets...
Football: Atheara 1, Eastfield 0; Mugel Freekick, Harper Subbed in Net.
Chess: Miniature Chess Championships Begin, Ro64 Shock!
Baseball: The Trinover Cliffers, First Athearan Baseball Club?

Tried something different. Thanks to Tumbra for helping me slightly with the news header!

[Oberour Ar Moro]

"In the old days, chouchen was so strong that the drinker would fall backwards and wake up three days later after a single glass!"

The enthusiasm of the man giving the tour was infectious. But Salaün was clearly innoculated. He looked over the shoulder of the tour guide to the lightly rolling hills of Reyun in Oberour Ar Moro's southwest, partially covered by apple trees, until his eyes fixed on a park where boys were playing football.

"So what made chouchen so strong?" Salaün's wife Hermine was fully invested however. She was enjoying a lovely anniversary weekend in the country and was eager to learn.

"In the distant past, chouchen was made by fermenting apples and then putting whole honeycombs in the barrel. Those honeycombs may have made for a sweeter drink then, but the drink might then include dissolved bees and venom. So a drink with a unique kick."

Salaün wouldn't describe himself as currently kicked around and bored. He had helped in the planning of their sixth wedding anniversary and would have enjoyed it. But this long weekend corresponded with the beginning of Oberour Ar Moro's World Cup qualification effort. He wasn't going to see a second of the match, bad enough. What was worse was that the Football Management Committee had decided to spread qualification matches around the Dominion and this first game would be played in Genulca. The very same city Salaün and Hermine lived in. He could have bought a ticket and taken a 15 minute train ride to the match with his friends.

"You know that in Azorian folklore, chouchen was considered an elixir of eternal life. And more importantly," said the tour guide with an arched eyebrow, "an aphrodisiac."

Hermine giggled and squeezed Salaün's hand. He turned to look at Hermine, and he still couldn't believe she agreed to marry him. She was amazing and beautiful, but she didn't really get football. He couldn't help but question his luck. He gets married and crosses the country to move from Saida to Genulca. But when football moves to him, it'll be played on their wedding anniverary when he's off learning about chouchen.

Despite his best efforts, he was learning a lot. Chouchen is fermented apple juice and honey mixed with spices and then matured for a year. It is a rich, dense, and sweet drink, typically around 15% alcohol. While modern Oberour Ar Moro may drink beer and wine, but chouchen is the drink of old Azoria, and has developed its own hipster reputation. Les Ruchers du Cardinal, where they were touring, is one of many producers of chouchen in the Dominion, and like its compatriots, sends most of its chouchen over seas, from the port in Tylis into the Vaia Sea and off to the greater world beyond for restaurants to offer as an apéritif or as part of a sauce or in a cocktail.

The tour continued and Salaün fell a step behind, pulling his phone out and opening the New Game app. They had a preview of Oberour Ar Moro's qualifying group that he had wanted to read since before they got to the apiary.

Two years ago, Oberour Ar Moro's Dragoons were a single victory away from their first appearance in the World Cup. They're ranked 59th in the world, and were drawn from the thrid pot into qualification Group 15. But who are the nine teams that stand in their way of crossing that final hurdle? Let's meet them together.

Ardelark (259)
Matchdays 4 and 13 (at Cahufe-l'Eaue Stadium, Genulca)

Ardelark launched into international football in the most recent Baptism of Fire and had a solid run through the group stage. They went 3-0-2 and finished third in their group but were then practically floored by Lathamford in the Group of 16.

Baggieland (104)
Matchdays 7 (at Pont Baou, Sliema) and 16 (at Dartmouth Hill, Hawthorn)

Baggieland's Throstles are holding out their hearts, here in their fourth attempt to qualify for the World Cup. Will they boing their way out of Group 15 on the Dragoons' faces?

Bollonich (124)
Matchdays 1 (the Alarian, Salmudos) and 10

Bollonich debuted in World Cup 88's qualifiers without the benefit of a Baptism of Fire run. Despite this these dark horses impressed, with the high point in defeating their groups number one seed Zwangzug on the road.

Britonisea (UR)
Matchdays 2 and 11 (at Altair Stadium, Cyrene)

Take their picture off the milk cartons and welcome Britonsea back to World Cup football. The Brits were last seen in World Cup 83, where they racked up 8 points in 12 matches. But they hope they can start over again and begin the process of working to their first World Cup performance by World Cup 100.

Juvencus (70)
Matchdays 5 (at the Parade Grounds) and 14 (at Il Nuovo Stadio Olimpico della Pomena, Pomena)

A nickname for Juvencus's National Team is "Gli attaccanti" or The Attackers. The question will be if the Dragoons can out-attack the attackers and get the results needed to qualify.

Ko-oren (11)
Matchdays 9 and 18 (at Harbour Stadium, Stanton)

Ko-oren's Dragonflies have made a statement to every team they will face: "If they (the other team) can't score, they (the other team) can't win" If Oberour Ar Moro want to go to the World Cup, the last matchday's unstoppable-force/unmovable-object showdown will be one to watch.

Montaña Verde (146)
Matchdays 8 (at the Parade Grounds) and 17

Oberour Ar Moro opened Cup of Harmony 80 in Græntfjall with a 5-0 victory against Montaña Verde. The Condors may have been somewhat distracted by the civil war occuring at home. Hopefully they can use qualification to take them away from this big, bad world. Or at least distract them somewhat.

Omerica (37)
Matchdays 6 (at Stade Rue de la Victoire, Éternare) and 15 (at Harbour Stadium, Stanton)

Omerica and Oberour Ar Moro have created a little rivalry, playing each other five times since an initial post-World Cup 82 qualification friendly. The overall results are very even, as all good rivalries are, as both teams have won two matches a peice and shared a 5-5 draw.

Vajlahrys (310)
Matchdays 3 (at the Parade Grounds, Regium) and 12

The second and final of Group 15's Baptism of Fire debutants, Vajlahrys had a less successful run, going 1-1-3 and finishing fifth in their group. If they thought the Baptism of Fire was hard enough for them, they may have a tough time.

The sharp sound of a throat clearing caught Salaün's attention. His eyes jerked up, to see his wife had circled back and was now shooting him a dirty look. He mouthed an apology and put his phone back in his pocket. Back to learning about chouchen, and it was clear that he needed to be a better student. Football, unfortunately for him, would have to wait.

[Zug um Zug]