World Cup 91 [roleplays]

by **Bollonich** » Sat May 28, 2022 11:11 am

Foreign Minister opens up about Kitaran elections, Dagan Royal Crisis and Tumbran relations

The past few weeks have seen major developments in terms of international affairs with multiple crises having drawn attention from all over the multiverse. One such international event was the landmark elections in Nyowani Kitara with the UPF’s win opening the door for better relations with Bollonich following the catastrophic and chaotic civil war. The UPF despite failing to secure a majority in the elections, a coalition with JVV to get the required majority would give them the required advantage. The impact of this electoral victory will be felt in the domestic reconstruction of Nyowani Kitara while also having a massive impact on the international position of the nation. This shift can be seen with Bollonich’s Liberal Government itself, which has promised positive relations with the Kitaran government following UPF’s victory promising an attempt to repair relations broken off during the civil war.

Louis Hill, Foreign Minister wrote:The Government would firstly like to congratulate Muhoozi Kulan on having won the elections and been elected to the position of President. We are eager to resume and work on Bollonich-Kitaran relations once the new government comes to power. We have consistently maintained a neutral stance with regard to the conflict domestically and shall continue to do so on such matters. However, looking at a freely elected government having been elected, we feel now is the time for us to properly work towards realising the huge potential of Bollonich-Kitaran relations and Pavolan cooperation. We shall be looking to cooperate with the current Kitaran government to work out realms of possible cooperation and for future economic and commercial collaboration in the region.

The success of the UPF has also been similarly emulated in Cassie III’s legal victory over Princess Brianna’s challenge to the Royal Throne of Cassadaigua. This succession crisis indeed caught the attention of multiple monarchical states around the multiverse. That however certainly was not the case in Bollonich due to the quite foreign idea of a monarchy which has not existed in Bollonich since the Royal Executions and subsequent Declaration in 1786 in which all surviving members of the Royal Family abdicated from their positions along with a formal dissolution of the Royal House and the establishment of the present day Bollonischian State as we know it. This lack of Royal perspective in Bollonischian society resulted in people perceiving this similarly to as they would a celebrity feud, meaningless and irrelevant. The government possessed a similar stance refusing to adopt a stance unlike some of our monarchical counterparts who adopted quite a strong backing for either of the individuals.

Louis Hill, Foreign Minister wrote:We would like to stress the fact that the government has never possessed a preference for either of the challengers. We would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to Cassie III on having won the challenge and been declared as the next Queen of Cassadaigua. The government of Bollonich shall continue developing and cultivating positive relations with Cassadaigua in the future.

Days after the Socialist Newspaper, Revolutio, covered the Northlands situation and the reason for nations opting for inconsiderate expansion of territory, the situation in Northlands has greatly escalated with the declaration of emergency in the region by the Tumbran Government following an attack on government building. Unsurprisingly, the Bollonischian Government has continued to pledge their support to the Tumbran government.

Louis Hill, Foreign Minister wrote:We condemn any attacks such as the Blackthorn bombings and pledge our utmost support to the Tumbran Government. We shall continue to work with Esportivan nations and the Esportivan Union to attempt to provide any form of assistance to any groups of people affected by the conflict. We hope this situation shall be diffused soon for the greater security of the region.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Sat May 28, 2022 11:20 am

Viimeiset pelit ovat horisontissa. The end of a WCQ campaign is always one filled with both joy and tears, where dreams are both made and shattered across those final few games and even the 2nd chances for some. Some are happy with the CoH and some are not, while others will try everything within their power to try and make the WC. Kimi-Suomi are one of those teams who are simple battling for pride at this point and while that may be painful for a few, we still have games to play...so let's get on with it, shall we?

First up was a road trip to Raspotochje and this one ended up being quite the spectacle for many across the universe to watch. This game had 6 goals combined and all you need to know is that whenever we took the advantage, Raspotochje always pegged us back. Both Kimi Airo and Valtteri Nordström were brought back to earth by Sunara Bjelova while substitute Teemu Räikkönen was brought back by Roberta Tadić in a game which the hosts did not what to give up at all. A 3-3 draw here is certainly not the best result we could've got from this contest, but a point was still a point all the same in this scenario and we will certainly take it.

Then came a respectable Thibaea back home in Pesä, which turned out to be a simpler game than the first one. Pesä was certainly up for a simple game and that is exactly what we ended up with here, with our side of things dominating possession and controlling most of the game alusta loppuun. Jyrki Bottas managed a brace, Maria Tuominen got the third and a 3-0 win was all she wrote. It was as simple as that.

Two more to go, away in Chromatika and at home to Saterun. Lopetetaan tämä vahvasti! NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Gyatso-kai** » Sat May 28, 2022 11:52 am

.:: From the ASPN Blog After Thoughts in a Blip ::.
1430 hours, 28 May 2022.2

Well haran… That didn’t go as planned.

With the debut/return of the Boarqupines to the World Bowl, I had this great series planned out; was going to cover the history of the Gridiron League, from its founding to floundering to its refounding and up to today…

But then I got sick.

Don’t worry, it wasn’t *that* kind of sick. Physically, I’m great… just ya know… mentally not so much. I’ve struggled with depression since I was thirteen years old; and after years of medications that didn’t work, and meditations that worked even less, and doctors and therapists who were about as helpful as a screendoor in Norg Bral (which for our multi-verse readers, is a rain-soaked province to the far north of Gyatso-kai, where last ‘rainy season’ it was raining for 128 days straight), I’ve kind of learnt to just take the mental health as it comes. Sure, some days it’s better than others, while other days it’s far from good…

But enough about me… what about our teams?

With the Boarqupines knocked out thanks to a H2H tiebreaker in the group , we put that gridiron series on the backburner – shame because it had such a catchy name – and wanted to shift our focus to the World Cup. The Bisons drew a tough group, and it was set to be an exciting tournament for all involved.

But hey… guess what? Depression…

So I handed off my responsibilities to another writer – actually, my editor did – and I sat back trying to regroup all while watching the Bisons go. And go they did… Arguably one of the best tournaments to date for the Bisons under Head Coach Wong Haru. A respectable 10-2-6 record as of this blog post, with just two matchdays left in the tournament. The last two matchdays are against two teams that the Bisons have had mixed results against – 3-0 against Natanians and Nosts and 1-2 against Kuriatia – so its really anyone’s guess what the final two matches will be and where the Bisons will go.

Is there hope for advancement?

There is, though slim.

Is there hope for Cup of Harmony, if we don’t advance?

There is, though slim.

Is there hope my columns will return?

There is, though slim.

********

Like everything else in life, we just have to do our best, and wait to see if it happens.

And I’m doing my best… or I think I am…

by **South Newlandia** » Sat May 28, 2022 12:03 pm

by **Brookstation** » Sat May 28, 2022 12:14 pm

I||II||III||IV|V|VI|VII|VIII|IX

The 20 is a blog series where authors of Brookstation's biggest football blog, The Beautiful Game documents the lives of some of the best players to have played in Brook soil. Aimed at inaugurating the 50th edition of the Harrison Shield, we document the lives of the players who define the top 20 football clubs in Brookstation.

COLIN TREDWELL:THE PRINCE OF DREAMLAND

It was the first matchday of the 1998 season and Regiis Dreamland were up against Space Coast Rockets but most of tge eyes were set on the young Vincent Del Aqua, who had made his entry in the club the previous year and had shown promising talent. Del Aqua did open the scoring for Space Coast, scoring a stunning long distance goal. However Space Coast weren't the winners of the match that would eventually end in a draw. Regiis Dreamland's goal would be scored from the edge of the box by a man who spent his entire career in Dreamland, a man whom Del Aqua himself categorised as one of the bests and a man who is undoubtedly Brookstation's best midfielder in history.

Born in 1971 in Saint Attajames, the capital town of Henry Islands, an isolated island near the Space Coast, Tredwell learnt the game playing in the streets of Saint Attajames. He would start his career playing for the local side. Initially a reserve player of the club, Colin would soon leap onto the main team and earn his team a ticket to the second division. Aged 20, he would leave his hometown for the first time to join Clube de Norwegian wood. A fifth place finish by the club and a campaign till the semi finals of the Harrison Shield further increased the value of Colin and now it would be time for him to join Clube's archrivals FC 69 Norwegian wood. His move to the club wasn’t appreciated by the majority of Norwegian wood fans but he soon managed to win the hearts of Norwegian wood fans with his great playmaking abilities. Even if FC 69 Norwegian wood is one of Brookstation’s best clubs at the moment, things weren’t the same three decades ago. At that stage, FC 69 Norwegian wood actually struggled and Tredwell’s arrival in the club saw the club getting demoted to the 2nd division.

Tredwell was aware of the fact that he had a career to build and hanging around in the 2nd division throughout the early stages of his career wasn’t going to help him. In response to FC 69 Norwegian wood’s unfortunate set of results, Tredwell departed his club for the third and final time in 1995 for the capital, Dreamland without knowing the immense fortune that was in store for him. In his 13 year long term in Dreamland, Colin would establish himself as one of the icons of the club.

Colin would score his first goal for Regiis on his third appearance for the club and Tredwell would go on to score on another five occasions throughout the season. This wasn’t something that would make someone a good player as scoring only six goals throughout an entire season is a really disappointing achievement. But Colin was more of a playmaker than a scorer. Colin had the ability to bring the entire game under his control. He always had the ball to his feet and literally every other player present on the pitch would follow Tredwell throughout the match. Colin was not a stout or strong player either and in fact he had one of the worst physiques in the game but all these factors didn’t halt Tredwell from becoming one of the greatest.

“There was magic in his feet. He could keep the ball glued to his boots throughout the match and none of us were able to match his wondrous display of skills.” Carlos Mcmanus (Rottenham United defender 1996-2000)

His first season at Dreamland would see the club finish just behind Space Coast Rockets with the latter having a very narrow advantage over Regiis. But in the following year, Regiis Dreamland would regain the title by defeating the very Space Coast club in both the league as well as the Harrison Shield. By that time, Tredwell received mass attraction from the media and he soon became famous throughout Brookstation for his consistent performances. His crucial performances in the 1998 Harrison Shield against Other side of Paradise where he constantly marked Other side of Paradise’s prolific striker and avoided them from scoring while Dreamland eventually took the 1-0 win and AC Dason where he concluded their semi final match with a perfectly elevated goal gained him his first Brook Player of the Year honour.

Tredwell dribbling the ball past Jude Ervin

Despite becoming Regiis Dreamland’s key player in the squad, the talent born in an isolated region kept himself away from the camera. During his upbringing, he was taught the importance of staying humble and respecting each of his opponents no matter how inferior they actually were. This was a lesson that Colin remembered throughout his career and even now he is known for having the best temper on the field. While his team’s strikers Lewis Colte and John Bedingham always fancied the camera and posed in front of the device after scoring a goal, Tredwell, the man who knew that the goals wouldn’t have been possible without his efforts, avoided the camera. He had developed a very good relation with the personnel of the club and he would always donate huge sums to peons, assistants and janitors who worked for the club’s facilities. These were further acts that made him extremely popular within Dreamland.

“In my team, me and the staff of the team hold the same value. Without their constant support, we can’t win and nor can we win without our teamwork.”

One of his notable performances came during Regiis Dreamland’s clash with Kars Club, once again in the Harrison Shield where the Dreamland side won the match 3-2. The man of the match was definitely John Bedingham who had scored a brace in the Pop Smoke Stadium that day but had it not been for Tredwell’s efforts, the club probably wouldn’t have been able to make it that far. Tredwell assisted Bedingham on his first goal by lifting the ball towards the open Bedingham who received the ball before nailing it in. On the second instance, he slid through the narrow angles between the Kars defenders to assist Bedingham for his second. The end of the new millennial year however saw Tredwell suffer from a disastrous injury but Colin, being a complete professional just brushed aside the media by saying:
“In a game of football injuries are bound to happen but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop playing the game.”

Colin Tredwell continued to play consistently for his club helping them to several other cups and titles over the years, Even as he aged, he kept playing well and thus he will remain as one of the club’s greats for a long time. At the age of 37, Tredwell finally considered the possibility of retirement and hung up his boots. He is a very principled and generous man and he is perhaps one of the last signs of humanity in this materialistic world. After almost a decade, Colin would come back in action for his beloved Dreamland side but this time as the manager. His arrival commenced with a standing ovation and he has helped his club to a completely unexpected Harrison Shield victory last year, having just been promoted from the 2nd division. Under Tredwell, several international players have joined the club and his everlasting presence in the Pop Smoke Stadium will always keep the fans satisfied.

MORE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :

Following a surprising draw against Banija, Brookstation ensures spot in the playoffs
Breaking history to make it better: The story of Bill Browne's Brook team that defied all odds
One last hurdle: Predicting Brookstation's crucial match in Squornshelan Remnant States
"A team that had 0 goals in their first match has now secured a playoff spot for the World Cup. This is why football is known as the Beautiful Game." says chairman of the Brook Football Federation

by **Vilita** » Sat May 28, 2022 2:13 pm

Floating Fortress Finale to Decide Group 13

Old Town Park, Billboard, Chartistan :: Ever since their lopsided opening match day defeat to the Holy Empire, Endur Rotropii and the Vilitan Jungle Rebels had been training hard, preparing for the rematch and looking for a great victory. They achieved just that using geographical and environmental surprises to their advantage, having a well prepared plan an outstanding execution to take down the #1 team in the multiverse and shift the power of Automatic Qualification destiny back into their own grasp.

The only problem for the Rebels was they still had 9 more matches to play in order to reach their World Cup 91 Qualification goals - and they would have to win every one of them to old off the powerful Empire. The Rebels would have a good stretch of momentum following their victory over the Holy Empire, getting their own revenge over Geektopia on Matchday 14 with a 2-1 victory followed by a thrilling 5-1 thrashing of new Eestiball, the second time that the Rebels were able to thwart the attack from the giant knob of an opposition in a cartoon roundel. Unfortunately for the Rebels their magic run and path to the World Cup Finals would hit a major speed bump in the form of a song.

The Jungle Rebels got continued top-rate performances from Fyin Miateal who scored the opening goal against Geektopia while it was substitute Diamoa Waviino who scored their second career goal for the National Team that would end up being the game winning goal in the 2-1 result. The Rebels would return home to face New Eestiball and had the lead within a minute of kick off when a long range shot from Jakku'u Naboyavi found the target on the games very first attack. Fyin Miateal would keep pace on their fantastic campaign so far scoring yet another goal which would ultimately be the game winner in the 11th minute. Vilita would double their lead before the half with each of the high-flying Tlikara siblings finding the scoresheet as the Rebels would lead 4-0 at the half.

The secon half, however, was a more even affair as Soldarian FC based Reino Kononen - making their debut in goal for the Vilita National Team, would have the embarrassing task of taking the ball out of the back of the net after a goal scored by a doorknob. Luckily, it would be the only goal that Kononen conceded on the day and a late tally from Treasvo Tlikara, the attackers second of the game, would allow Vilita to cruise to a 5-1 victory and hand Kononen the victory in their first match in goal.

The Jungle Rebels would receive another test on Matchday 16 when they would travel to the Old Town Park in Billboard, Chartistan for a critical matchup against a team fighting to stay in the playoff hunt. It was no surprise that the 68,000 fans in the stands came prepared with songs and kept the atmosphere buoyant in the Chartistani Capital city. With Zelkki Milake Jr. making their first appearance in goal for the Jungle Rebels since the famous 3-2 victory over the Holy Empire, Vilita appeared a little disjointed at the back and it would be that indecision that would cost them the games first goal 13 minutes into the game. An errant back pass from Riku Kasslin toward Narri Sebapilo didn't have quite the power or direction required which allowed Little Exnash to sprint onto the ball in their home stadium much to the delight of the local fans. With the crowd yelling "Shooot!" and the Vilitan defense collapsing on the Chartistani legend, they would instead calmly chip the ball across to the center of the area where captain Holly Smier waited unmarked and easily finished past Milake Jr. to put the home side up 1-0. Rotropii would keep the team unchanged for the second half with confidence in the team's ability to fight back but when Little Exnash scored the second for the Hot 11, it was time for the Rebel Staff to act. As Dr Combbrush led the home fans in a newly composed song chastising the futile Vilitan effort to defeat Chartistan in its home stadium, Rotropii made wholesale changes to the Rebel Roster introducing Teero Alatalo, Letirpsi Vulitn and Diamoa Waviino in quick succession. The changes worked as the Rebels carried a much large possession of the play and looked the more likely to score over the final thirty minutes of the match. They would finally do so in the 83rd minute on a corner kick when Lentali Purama's in-swinging delivery fooled everyone and went straight into the top corner of the net untouched. Unfortunately for Rotropii that would be the only goal the Rebels could get on the board and the defeat would cost them control of their Group 14 destiny.

 Vilita 2 - 1 Geektopia	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 56' Fyin Miateal:: 91' Diamoa Waviino             
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 59%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 3 :: Geektopia :: Possession: 41%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 8
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Awukchu L’bakka, Narri Sebapilo, Injyua Klizlo, Riku Kasslin, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Trezisi Rokopolis (Diamoa Waviino 68'), Fyin Miateal, Imauka Lkomorak (Sami Samii’i 45'), Treasvo Tlikara, Antiviv Davaflei (Kunaro Tlikara 15')

 Vilita 5 - 1 New Eestiball	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 1' Jakku’u Naboyavi:: 11' Fyin Miateal:: 25' Kunaro Tlikara:: 43' Treasvo Tlikara:: 77' Treasvo Tlikara          
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 55%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 6 :: New Eestiball :: Possession: 45%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 9
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Reino Kononen, Narri Sebapilo, Tero Alatalo (Sami Samii’i 45'), Awukchu L’bakka, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Fyin Miateal, Letirpsi Vulitn, Trezisi Rokopolis, Enzoril Alabonni, Treasvo Tlikara, Kunaro Tlikara

 Vilita 1 - 2 Chartistan	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 83' Lentali Purama              
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 50%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 6 :: Chartistan :: Possession: 50%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 12
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Narri Sebapilo (Tero Alatalo 62'), Injyua Klizlo, Awukchu L’bakka, Riku Kasslin, Trezisi Rokopolis (Diamoa Waviino 65'), Jakku’u Naboyavi, Fyin Miateal, Lentali Purama, Kunaro Tlikara (Letirpsi Vulitn 63'), Takaara Milanzi

After the defeat in Chartistan, the Jungle Rebels returned home to Vilita and would play their first match in 10 games at the home stadium of the Vilitan National Team, the Tivali-Ring Stadium in Alikki-Corra - Vilita's Modern capital city. After having conceded twice against Chartistan, Eastal Lunar's Zelkki Milake Jr. was relegated back to the bench and Ukamai Talingri, the Baker Park based goalkeeper who had already posted two shutouts earlier in the campaign would be back in the lineup for Rotropii's Rebels. The Rebels would look comfortable on the ball from the moment the match kicked off, dominating the possession and outclassing the Castle-Flagged nation for the second time in the campaign, improving their all-time World Cup record against the Rushmori nation to 5-2-0 in seven matches having continued their streak of never having been defeated by Astograth in a World Cup Finals or World Cup Qualifying match.

The star of the match for the Rebels was midfielder Khrusan Mlianko who scored a goal in each half while Treasvo Tlikara scored the middle goal in Vilita's comfortable 3-0 victory. Unfortunately, despite the victory the Jungle Rebels were still out of the mix as The Holy Empire continued their winning ways elsewhere in Group 13. While Rotropii's side were showing flashes of brilliance that certainly bode well for the future of Vilitan Footsport, the inexperience was also causing moments that demonstrated they still weren't quite at the peak of their performance. This was never more apparent then in the three game stretch from Matchday 18 through 20 where the Jungle Rebels dropped two points and finished the haul with just a +2 Goal Differential against the bottom three teams in Group 13.

The fear was building on the Jungle Rebels sideline as they trailed unpleasant by a 2-0 scoreline half an hour into their Matchday 18 fixture. Here, the Jungle Rebels were losing to a side that had never won a World Cup Qualifying game. Ever. Here, the Jungle Rebels were losing to a side that had never earned a point in a World Cup Qualifying game. Ever. All the hard work that Rotropii and the Jungle Rebels had done to be taken seriously after losing the opening two games of the World Cup 91 Qualifying Campaign would be firmly undone and then some of they were the first side to ever suffer Unpleasantly at the hands of Unpleasant. It was then for the first time in the campaign that the veteran presence of Eastal Lunar FC's Limu Katarakhna came into the forefront. While the rest of the Jungle Rebels started to panic internally at the thought of having to come home as Unpleasant losers, Katarakhna kept their cool and used a bit of skill to claw a goal back just before the half time break and entirely change the composition of Rotropii's half time conversation.

In the second half the Jungle Rebels would complete their fight back with goals from Takaara Milanzi and Sami Samii'i securing all three points for the Vilitan National Team, if only just. While it was job done and utter embarrassment avoided in the Unpleasant Lands, the Jungle Rebels return to Vilita for a battle in the Castle did not go as they would have hoped. Using the power of the Dark side, Darkmania took the Lirai Asku Castle as their fortress and fought back after an early Vilitan goal from Treasvo Tlikara to hold the Rebels to a 1-1 draw. It was a crucially damaging result in the Group 13 standings as it knocked the Jungle Rebels down a further peg from The Holy Empire and now not only would the Vilitan's need to win out the remaining matches on their schedule in order to catch The Holy Empire for the top spot in the Group and its Automatic Qualification Spot.

 Vilita 3 - 0 Astograth	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 8' Khrusan Mlianko:: 66' Treasvo Tlikara:: 72' Khrusan Mlianko            
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 66%:: Shots: 10:: Corners: 11 :: Astograth :: Possession: 34%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 2
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Injyua Klizlo, Tero Alatalo (Riku Kasslin 63'), Mikaela Äijälä, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Fyin Miateal, Trezisi Rokopolis, Letirpsi Vulitn, Khrusan Mlianko, Treasvo Tlikara, Antiviv Davaflei (Kunaro Tlikara 61')

 Vilita 3 - 2 Unpleasant	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 44' Limu Katarakhna:: 52' Takaara Milanzi:: 66' Sami Samii’i            
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 55%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 8 :: Unpleasant :: Possession: 45%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 3
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Injyua Klizlo, Hothat Iciiplak (Lentali Purama 65'), Narri Sebapilo, Letirpsi Vulitn, Fyin Miateal, Jakku’u Naboyavi (Trezisi Rokopolis 80'), Sami Samii’i (Diamoa Waviino 67'), Limu Katarakhna, Takaara Milanzi, Antiviv Davaflei

 Vilita 1 - 1 Darkmania	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 9' Treasvo Tlikara              
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 9 :: Darkmania :: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 12
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Narri Sebapilo (Imauka Lkomorak 45'), Awukchu L’bakka, Hothat Iciiplak, Trezisi Rokopolis (Letirpsi Vulitn 60'), Jakku’u Naboyavi, Sami Samii’i (Riku Kasslin 25'), Fyin Miateal, Lentali Purama, Treasvo Tlikara, Takaara Milanzi

Star Arena, Star, Star United States :: While the Jungle Rebels struggled to convincingly secure results against the worst that Group 13 had to offer, there was at least one shining light to come out of the matchup against Star United States at the Star Arena: Antiviv Davaflei. A highly regarded prospect from the Rebel Academy, Davaflei quickly became a fan favorite among the youngest of the Vilita National Teams followers particularly due to their presence on twii.tur using the handle @adavaflei. While Davaflei was part of the squad that kicked off the World Cup 91 Qualifying Campaign for the Jungle Rebels against the Holy Empire on Matchday 1, head coach Endur Rotropii has used the 16 year old youngster only sparing throughout the campaign thus far. The Matchday 20 fixture against the Star United States would be just the fourth start for Davaflei but by far the most impressive as they finally had the opportunity to show the multiverse some of the talents that Rotropii had recognized and trained into them back at the Rebel Academy. In just over an hour on the pitch Davaflei would score the first and second goals of their internationstatal career including the game winning goal as the Jungle Rebels held on for a 2-1 victory after the Star United States pulled a goal back late in the game through substitute Marilina L. Arreolla.

Though Rotropii's Jungle Rebels had dropped needless points over the second half of the campaign that had taken away their control of the Group 13 table, they had still guaranteed at least a playoff berth for the team and would still have an opportunity heading into the final two matchdays to qualify Automatically for World Cup 91 - if results would go perfectly in their favor. Ultimately, it would all come down to the matches on the boat as the Autonomous Vessel Nation held the key to Group 13. The 'boat' had already taken a bite out of the Holy Empire earlier in the campaign and they would have to do it once more for the Jungle Rebels to have any chance of finishing atop the table. Even if Aut-Ves-Nat could defeat the top ranked Holy Empire side, however, the Jungle Rebels would still have to make up a +10 Goal Differential over two games against Garifunya and... Aut-Ves-Nat, the very team they need to defeat The Holy Empire to even stand a chance at the top spot.

Ultimately it is likely to fall back on the dropped points against Chartistan and Darkmania as if it were not for those the Jungle Rebels could simply have won their final two matches and started booking their tickets for Graintfjall and Farfadillis. It will be no easy set up match for the Rebels as Garifunya will need at least a point over the Vilitan National Team to stand a chance at overtaking Astograth for the final playoff spot in the Group. The Jungle Rebels will have to do all they can to average +5 Goals against their opponents Garifunya and Aut-Ves-Nat and if they are unable to do so they will be locked in to a second place finish in the Group.

 Vilita 2 - 1 Star United States	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 32' Antiviv Davaflei:: 42' Antiviv Davaflei             
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 57%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 4 :: Star United States :: Possession: 43%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 10
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Narri Sebapilo (Mikaela Äijälä 25'), Injyua Klizlo, Awukchu L’bakka, Fyin Miateal, Jakku’u Naboyavi (Takaara Milanzi 45'), Trezisi Rokopolis, Letirpsi Vulitn, Nii'arala Milaaso, Treasvo Tlikara, Antiviv Davaflei (Diamoa Waviino 67')

by **Saterun** » Sat May 28, 2022 3:39 pm

The Promised Land: A Journey Through Saterun Football
By Kalvin Hsemer

Part 2, Chapter 3: The First Half

The first half of the first season of Saterun football's top domestic league was expected and unexpected. There were predictable results, and some complete shocks. In order to truly do it justice, I've taken a look at the first half season from the major teams, and their victories, losses, triumphs, and disappointments. The main teams I will be evaluating will be Tsear FC and AC, Real Anasb/Anasb FC, Ajac Football Club, Futsworth United, and Mieteng City. Some had more substantial results than others(and so will get theoretically longer paragraphs), but all were important. So how did they do?

Let's start off with Tsear FC. If you recall, they were the phoenix club of Siaman CF, a team that dominated the Island Cup. Their success certainly carried over. When the pundits gave pre-season finish expectations, FC were expected to finish top. They had a large financial backing, being still supported by Lila Gazzati's daughter, Astrid, and used some of it to build the 57,000 seater Tsear Tsuperdome. They're just hilarious, aren't they? Anyway, with a mammoth stadium(by Saterun standards, at least), improved training facilities, and critical new signings, FC were ready. They stormed the league, winning 12 times in the first half of the season(15 games). They drew once and lost once. They had a firm hold on the title. Spearheading this domination was international Thiago Esparza, who racked up 10 goals in those 15 games. He had similar scoring profusion in the national team too. This squad was certainly something to be reckoned with.

On the other side of Tsear, it wasn't going so well. AC were the lesser known(and poorer) rivals of FC, and it started to show. They only pulled 3 wins from those games, and lost 10 times. Their manager was sacked at the halfway point, and Justin Villa had quite a takeover job to do. One abject showing was their pitiful loss at home to their rivals FC. They conceded twice in 20 minutes, and then barely managed to hold on for the rest of the half. They conceded two more in the second to round out a dreadful performance. One fan said, "I was disgusted. They were all over the place, and FC dominated possession. We had no attack and certainly no defense." AC would get their revenge later, but that'll be in a few chapters. Right now, AC had to stop wallowing in their regrets and get back up. The A Liga could be punishing if they didn't.

Another city has two teams. Anasb is the current capital of the nation. It's two teams are Real Anasb and Anasb FC. This paragraph focuses on the latter. Anasb FC were ranked 4th in the pre-season rankings, but were 3rd by the halfway-point. As will be seen later on, the failure of their rivals opened the door for them to shine. They had a sensational team, with national team callup Mitzinho front and center. He would later win the season golden boot, and plundered 9 in the first half. Like Thiago, he had similar success on the international level. Anasb's back line was also solid, with many Saterun defenders being found in the Lion's defense. It was going pretty well. Manager Ashton Nichols signed his two-year extension after AFC's 3-1 win over rival Real to close out Real's 4-game winning streak in the beginning of the season. Some critics said that the owners had been too hasty, but Nichols proved his value. Had this WCQ campaign gone differently, he could have been a candidate for NT manager. That's just one example of how well it's been going at the Leeuwenpark.

Across town, it seemed equally as good...for a while. Real Anasb had won 4 games in a row to kick off their first season, and then won another 2 after the loss to AFC, but the season started to derail from there. They managed win another 4 times for the rest of the half, but large losses and slow draws diminished those victories. By the halfway-point, they had slid into fifth. It wasn't entirely their fault. Tsear FC was having a phenomenal season, and Ajac Football Club, Futsworth United, and AFC were making the top competitive. Real's falter in momentum sunk them. For most teams, 5th would be acceptable, even good, but Real had been ranked at second in the pre-season, and considered 5th a failure. Especially when AFC were riding high. They needed to turn things around, and quickly.

Ajac Football Club were the most unexpected on this list, and are mainly here for their first five games. Of which they won all. Ajac managed to win all five of their openers, and were top spot. Ajac were ranked 8th at the beginning, so this wasn't too huge of a surprise, but it was still unexpected. Unfortunately for them, their season also derailed. Also like Real, they sort of managed to recover. Fans were given hope when Dominic Rivera and Andrew Hansen put together a dynamite 4-0 rout of rivals Qeuthun FC, but that was the last of Ajac's wins in this half. They had fallen to 6th by halfway.

Futsworth United were the central powerhouse. They had dominated the Central Premiership for years, and had several runs at the Island Cup, although they never won it. They rarely ever played teams outside of their region, and so it was very hard to determine how they would fare. Initially, it looked good(a 0-4 away opener triumph against Ias Club Football), and just got better. Futsworth were 2nd, but they were also locked in a tight race with AFC. They didn't have as much money as their competitors, but Kameron Boyd was a master manager. His man-management skills were praised by players and pundits alike, and he also signed a two-year extension. Futsworth scored 17 times in 15 games to round out an impressive first half to the season.

Mieteng City are the final notable team on this list. They were put to finish third, but also initially faltered. There have been many success stories in this list, but a noticeable failure to perform came from City's Yósef. Arguably the best player in the league, the Saterun native only scored four times in 15 matches. This drought is what many people suspect to be the reason for his non-inclusion in the NT for cycle 91. He was supported by other players, most notably Simão Líston. Simão stepped up in Yósef's wake, and knocked in 10. He also had two world-class midfielders in Klaas McNeil and Kaka Sarabola, both members of the NT. But City were still a place lower than they were supposed to be. It would take the second half of the season to determine who was truly the best.

*******

Abbas slowly walked back into the team locker after the loss to Cabo Azure. He mentally replayed why they had lost. It was mainly because of the Claws' slow response to counters. The defense needed to be at its best. But he needed to think about the future. As he arrived in the locker room, he saw the player's forlorn faces. Work had to be done. He quickly went to a graphic of the group table. "Listen, lads, we still have a chance. That's the only think we can think about right now. Here's my assessment: It is entirely in our hands to finish 4th. Cabo Azure may have beaten us here, but they have a game over us, and can only get a maximum of 37 points from this campaign. We still have two games left, and can get a maximum of 39. We can still beat out those bastards. And if we got 4th, I woudl be very proud of you all." The players nodded their somber assent. "But we can still achieve a play-off spot. Unfortunately, it is not entirely in our hands. We could theoretically get 2nd, if Chromatika lost both, we won both, and HUElavia only won one, but that is extremely unlikely. Our main goal is third. If we win both and HUElavia drops a point anywhere, that play-off birth is ours. But it'll be tight. We certainly can't drop points. I'll see you tomorrow." It may have been an abrupt ending, but Abbas needed to think.

He headed back to his office, in downtown Daxler. Most of the other staff had gone home, but he needed something. He unlocked his door, and dug around in his office. Finally, he remembered. His tactics books. He pushed them aside, and took out the board hiding behind them. His tactics board. He had discarded it after beating Gyoric 4-0 in the IAC 15, but he felt he needed it again. Every moment counted. It was time to make his mark. Maybe, just maybe, he could bring Saterun to its first World Cup. But enough of that. He locked his office back up again, headed down the stairs, and went home.

by **Chromatika** » Sat May 28, 2022 4:01 pm

Matchday 19: Chromatika 1-0 Cabo Azure @ The Shock, Wirr Tsi, Capital District, Chromatika (Cap. 51,350; 18,000 Seats)
Goal: Gainsbourg '15
Starting XI: (4-1-4-1) - Fillar J. (C); Fillar, G. - de Aea - Anbient - Ighv; Zuniga; Wen - Hauser - Fillar, B. - Kuznetsov; Gainsbourg.
Substitutes: Ingram -> de Aea ('59), Kruetzberg -> Wen ('65), Aimée -> Ighv ('73)
MVP for Chromatika: GK Juxon Fillar
Matchday 20: Stresia 0-1 Chromatika
Goal: Kuznetsov '60
Starting XI: (4-1-4-1) - Fillar J. (C); Fillar, G. - de Aea - Anbient - Ighv; Zuniga; Wen - Hauser - Fillar, B. - Kuznetsov; Gainsbourg.
Substitutes: De Saint-Pierre -> Fillar, G. ('68), Si -> Zuniga ('73), Fillar, E. -> Kuznetsov ('80)
MVP for Chromatika: GK Juxon Fillar
Matchday 21: vs. (97) Kimi Suomi @ Chromatik City Field, Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika (Cap. 100,000; 32,200 Seats) and Matchday 22 @ (116) Al Qurija
Predicted Starting XI: (4-1-4-1) - Fillar J.; Fillar, G. - de Aea - Anbient - Ighv; Zuniga; Wen - Hauser - Fillar, B. - Kuznetsov; Gainsbourg.
Reserves: GK Kathie Begley, GK Lorée Bautista, RB Victoire De St. Pierre, CB Damon Ingram, CB Giles Ken, LB Ipati Aimée, RW Emilie Kruetzberg, DM Kara Larriet-Cortes, DM Mare Si, AM Alissar Pheon, LW Edith Fillar, ST Paskal Toussaint.

With everything on the line and the possibility of not even making it to the playoffs for the second cycle in a row, the Anomalies turned to one of their best seasoned players, GK Juxon Fillar. The team's Captain and the eldest of the Fillars showed up when the team needed him the most, pitching back-to-back shutouts against Cabo Azure and Stresia as the Anomalies moved to four points clear of third in the group with a game in hand, and five points ahead of fourth and fifth place.

Now, all they really need is more than a point in their last two matches against Kimi-Suomi and Al Qurija, and they'll make it to the fateful double-legged playoff where it will all come down to the draw. There are plenty of big names struggling either in the second or third spots in their respective groups, so it remains too hard to call whom the Anomalies' opponent will be, though there are plenty of names to avoid like Tumbra, Tikariot, and Mytanija, to name a few.

"We have no control over that at all," stated Manager Sandra Sybill after the narrow away victory at Stresia where a VMK strike ended up being the deciding margin, "We can only make sure we complete the campaign in the best way possible and then hope to get a favorable matchup."

Juxon Fillar's form actually gives the Anomalies the best defense in the group at 22 goals conceded in 18 games. After only scoring 7 points out of the previous 18 possible, the return of form is something the team sorely needed.

"We are up to the challenge," stated Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov confidently when asked about the potentiality of facing a top team in the playoffs, "But it'd be nice if we didn't have to dodge a buzzsaw."

Chromatika will finish their qualifying slate against Kimi-Suomi at Chromatik City Field before heading to Al Qurija for the finale, hoping to keep up their momentum.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Sat May 28, 2022 4:43 pm

By Peter Davis

After we took 4 points in a cycle we may have prefered to take 6, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia knew that these 3 games in 4 Matchdays would determine their fate in this WCQ Campaign. Whether or not WC91 is seen as a solidification of our status as a Qualification Contender or a missed opportunity and a return to the Cup of Harmony once more. Legends and memories will be made no matter what, for better or for worse, and we need to be ready for every eventuality possible. Of course, David Seems and Li Xiu Ying can only control what is possible to control...and we had one game and a few prayers to determine our final cycle paths.

That game would come in the NAU for the very first time as República Guanacasteca made the trip to the Stade de la Victoire in Roi Ville. It certainly was a perfect venue for a game of football and while many hoped that the name of this stadium wouldn't act as a jinx upon the Jaguars, the fans certainly brought the passion many were hoping for. The game itself was fitting of a final of a major competition, a game entrenched with prestige despite the perceived gap between the two sides. Both the Jaguars and Los Cerdos certainly wanted the three points on that night and while things were certainly tight, one team knew they had to win a lot more than the other. It would be Manu Kepelewako who get that all-important goal in the 67th and that would be all she wrote from this game, a simple result that was more than needed in these times.

During the bye, we could do nothing but watch Bollonich...the only team we can pass in this battle for the playoffs. They lost 2-1 at home to Cardenao during our win, so the gap would temporarily fall down to 1 point heading into our bye week. The game Bolonich played away in Guanacasteca was certainly a classic but in the end, they did what they needed to do with a 3-2 win. The gap remains at 4 points with two games to play.

And so, it would all come down to the final 2 games of the season...as we should've known. Let's face it, that game away in Bollonich is going to be the biggest of our entire campaign for very obvious and very understandable reasons. We HAVE to win, or else we eliminate ourselves before the final day. If we do win, then Bollonich goes on their bye while we host Muralos at the Estádio do Pacífico in a potential game where a win would see us through and a draw would have to go to tiebreakers. Simply put, we need all 3 against Bollonich and any against Muralos to have the best chance of progression. Simple as that. It certainly won't be easy but right now, our fate is within our hands...just like it was in the hands of the Royal Court of Cassadaigua as they made what the Government of TJUN-ia called "the right call".

Two games to drag ourselves to 3rd. No matter what, we have to be ready as all hell. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 9)
MD1: vs Kyhun (310) - Salam Liljamie Stadium, Al Kalifa W 3-1 (T-2nd)
MD2: @Pasarga (15) - Stade de Torgos, somewhere in Pasarga L 0-3 (7th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD3: vs Barunia (55) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 4-1 (4th)
MD4: @Tikariot (40) - Citadel of the North, Fort Viljan L 2-3 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD5: vs Schima Bas (89) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo W 2-1 (4th)
MD6: @Ziwana (232) - Ziwanicell National Stadium, Birnin-Likulu L 1-2 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD7: vs Cardenao (277) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town W 5-1 (4th)
MD8: @República Guanacasteca (137) W 4-3 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD9: BYE
MD10: vs Bollonich (85) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu L 1-3 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD11: @Muralos (117) L 1-2 (4th/5W-0D-5L/15pts/+3GD)
MD12: @Kyhun (310) W 5-1 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD13: vs Pasarga (15) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City L 0-2 (4th)
MD14: @Barunia (55) - Memorial Stadium, Edwardton, Marion D 1-1 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD15: vs Tikariot (40) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky W 2-1 (4th)
MD16: @Schima Bas (89) W 4-2 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD17: vs Ziwana (232) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas D 0-0 (4th)
MD18: @Cardenao (277) W 3-1 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD19: vs República Guanacasteca (137) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville W 1-0 (4th)
MD20: BYE
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD21: @Bollonich (85)
MD22: vs Muralos (117) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico

by **Krytenia** » Sat May 28, 2022 4:57 pm

Deep in the bowels of the National Elite Football Centre at Walton Park, the home of the Krytenian national team's training facility, a room is dimly lit. At their desk sits Brelk-Xeral Erv, poring over their notes on the Dragons' most recent results. Their concentration is broken by the door opening, the brighter lights of the corridor revealing assistant manager Graham Lawton...

"Hey boss, just checking in on you. You've been holed up in here for three hours straight."
Erv checked their watch. "So I have. I...honestly hadn't realised."
"You OK? You seem a little...distracted."
"It's nothing, really. Just trying to focus."
"Have you tried turning the lights up?"
"I did. It hurt my eyes. This is...not ideal, but I needed to try something to help we work better."
Graham looked unconvinced. "And is it working?"
Erv sighed loudly. "No. No it isn't."
"Didn't think so, boss. I'm going to be honest, there was a reason I dropped in."
Erv looked up at Graham quizzically. "Oh?"
"Can I be honest with you? I mean, brutally honest."
"Graham, if there's something wrong, you can tell me, it's OK."
Graham shook his head. "It's not that. Well, it is that, but it's not something wrong with me."
"I'm not sure I follow."
"I'm worried about you, Erv. A few of us are, players and coaches." Erv opened his mouth to speak, but Graham cut him off. "Don't get me wrong, your work ethic is exemplary, and the team is fine. Just some of us have noticed you've been a bit...well, let's just say that you've not been yourself lately, and it's starting to become a concern. We...we want to make sure you're OK."
Erv seemed almost to fold in half in their seat. A long, awkward pause followed before they deigned to speak. "Honestly, Graham, I'm not OK. This job...it's like nothing I've experienced before. Managing a national team, this I can do. I feel I did good work in Brenecia. But here? I feel like I can't even sneeze without it being commented on by the media or some fool on Chirper."
"That explains the interview, then."
"The interview?"
"Your interview with Rami Niblick before the Sannyamathland game. You seemed a little off, then. If I'm being entirely honest, you seemed a little cold, uncaring, and we know that's just not you."
"Really? I haven't seen the footage."
"Look it up, trust me."
Erv gently rubbed their temples. "Maybe I should do that now. I'm getting nowhere with" Erv gestured at the haphazardly strewn documents, "this, maybe it will allow me to clear my head a little."
"Did you want me to leave you be for a bit?"
Erv considered the offer for a moment, then shook their head. "No, I'd like you to stay here. I feel...I feel there is more."

After the pair watched the video...
"That...I feel I barely remember saying any of this," Erv said, staring into the middle distance, "perhaps it is worse than I thought."
"Perhaps what is worse?"
"The media bubble in this country is insane, Graham. I meant it when I said about the sneezing."
"Oh, I understand. Rami's one of the more considerate ones - there again, he's been in your shoes himself."
"He did mention that, yes. Said it gave him a newfound respect for the professionals." Erv's face became more serious. "The rest of them, though? I feel like I don't get a minute to think. And you know I like to think, Graham. I feel more focused when I can just get on with the job, and all this? It's more than just distracting. It's exhausting. It's not just that, either."
"Something else on your mind?"
"Perhaps. A few things. Nothing I can speak about. I know I can talk to you, Graham, but there are things that have happened that I'm not ready to process myself. Personal things. Maybe...maybe I came here too soon. Maybe I should have worked through everything first."
"You're not...thinking of leaving already, are you?"
"No." Erv's brow furrowed. "No, I don't think that is the right thing to do. I would be letting everyone down. And by everyone, I mean all of you. The people who put their faith in me to do the job, the staff I have around me, and, most importantly, the players."
"Have you considered talking to anyone about this? Besides me, of course."
"I don't know if I could. These things need more thought, and I'm not inclined to think about it right now. I have a job to do."
"Look, boss, I think you should. I understand that you want to do a job, but you don't have to go through this alone."
"I-" Erv struggled for the words, "This, this is what I need to do..."
"If you think so, then I understand. But I need to say something."
"What would that be?"
"It's OK to not be OK. It's OK to admit you're not OK. We have people here. Mental health professionals. They deal with anxiety in footballers and coaches, if nothing else they can offer counselling. And I'm always here to listen if you have issues."
"That's a worrying sentence, that. 'Mental health professionals'. You think I may need to go that far?"
"I can't answer that, boss. You know you better than I do. It's just an option if you feel you need it. In the meantime, I have something that might help." Graham reached into his pocket and produced a small clear plastic bag with a green substance inside.
"Graham, I know that stuff's legal here, but I would never partake."
"What? Oh! Nooooo. It's chamomile tea. I find it helps me relax."
"That I can do."
"Tell you what, let's make up a couple of cups, and go outside for a bit. How does that sound?"
Erv said nothing, but slowly nodded.

Around an hour and two cups of herbal tea later, Graham and Erv sat on a bench on the edge of the complex. A fox darted between the trees on the other side of the fence. Erv mused over their third cup.
"This is good stuff, Graham, but I think there's something that would make this taste even better."
"What's that?"
Erv broke out a small smile. "Six points."
Graham chuckled. "Always."

by **Saint Eleanor** » Sat May 28, 2022 5:14 pm

World Cup 91 - nineteenth matchday of qualification
Saint Eleanor 1 (Harriet Williams goal 63')
Reorganized Portugal 0

THE SAINT ELEANOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
OUR PROMISE TO EVERY TICKET-HOLDER

If you have a ticket to a Saint Eleanor home match - whether a home fan or visitor -
we want you to have the best possible experience. Therefore, we will:

1. Do everything possible to let you into the stadium
2. Not stop you from entering your seat in the stands without good reason
3. Use effective, proportionate, and least-restrictive means to deal with problematic fans
4. Ensure that all Saint Eleanor League and Charles Trump Shield clubs follow the above three steps when they play at home

Signed by SEFA President Donald Lucas and all clubs affiliated with SEFA: January 1996

OOC: Just to be clear, the Liam West/Dale Nicholas manoeuvre described in Fort McKinley's latest RP is canon. No guarantees I can push out the taFrexala interview before cutoff, but I'll try.

Bridget Coombe: "I make absolutely no claim to being perfect"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers talks to one of Saint Eleanor's brighter, younger things about service - and precious little else
Originally published on Wednesday 2nd February 2000

Bridget Coombe might quite possibly be Saint Eleanor's best defensive midfielder, although that's not saying much. She can plug in at the centre of defence, too, much like Alex Martins of Grand Beach, although that adds little more. What does matter, then? "My parents. They are so typically Eleanorian - he served in the Army until recently, she still teaches philosophy at the Parkside Community School - but I'd say they made me a better citizen and a better person. It's a good thing I still live with them." What were they like? "Boring, but not disciplinarian; I try my very best to be like them. I've had a couple of people [most notably James Warwick, The Reporter's sports editor] compare me to Kaia Larriet-Cortes of La Nueva Avenida and Chromatika, but the comparison is unfair because firstly, I am by no means guaranteed to win every single header I challenge for, and secondly, I was never destined under any circumstances to play football."

Coombe joined striker Dekamela weMexala in Parkside's 1992 Charles Trump Shield, and "I tried my best in all of the games but she did much better; we'd gotten a couple of easy games in the early rounds but were unlucky to find ourselves up against the Boys' Preparatory in round three, even though I tried my best for all of the games. I was very much my year group's 'geek goddess' and mostly blended in with the high achievers in the science subjects, but this being Parkside district, I was blessed to be part of a particularly good cross-country team too, and I sometimes ran 5Ks and the odd 10K over the summer holidays. I'd never actually played football until one of the players broke his arm and they thought I'd be a good midfielder because I was a good long-distance runner." Unlike in many countries, diets in Eleanorian football are surprisingly uncontroled, and although she insists that "I'll eat a lot of things - that does includes red meat - sportspeople need to stay hydrated and the only logical way I can think of doing so is by drinking water; alcohol kills your liver, soft drinks kill your teeth, energy drinks kill your heart, those fancy coloured liquids with electrolytes are overrated and nobody in the Saint Eleanor League will ever dream of touching them, and I hated the only cup of coffee I've ever had. I sometimes have fancy, naturally-decaffeinated teas - green tea, redbush tea, herbal teas, and so on - but really, it's just water that makes you calm and maybe a bit smug. I try my best to stay healthy, but I think Dekamela was being a bit optimistic when she came up to me a few weeks after I started playing for Occidental Olympic in 1994 and said I'd live until I was 100. I was eighteen-and-a-half!"

What were, so to speak, the three most influential games of her career? Everyone else I've asked has gone in simple chronological order. Coombe doesn't, and with very good reason: "Everybody remembers the last game of the 1998 season for two reasons. Firstly, it was against Independence 1975 - who we'd defeated earlier in the season in only the second game I'd ever been unavailable for - and we were 3-2 down with a ridiculous amount of injury time gone. Secondly, after Samuel Short got a corner in with a few seconds to go, I found enough tenacity to go up, get my head on the ball, level the match and - as it so turns out - win the first title in Occidental Olympic's history. I was fairly consistently getting on early threats from James Trott before they could go much further, but while I'll admit he had a bit too much for me for the first goal, their equaliser didn't involve him at all. I don't normally play in defence, but I will if I have to, and the aftermath of Mike Derry's dismissal and Trott's subsequent setpiece definitely warranted that, although they were happy to defend their lead for some reason. Did that explain why I was asked to go seventy yards up the pitch when we got a corner in the last few seconds? Possibly!"

Cathy Winchester was on the opposing side that day, as with so many others; "other than my colleagues from Olympic, she's one of my closest friends on the national team; I gave her more than a bit of a hug after the match. As she pretty much said, we like talking about appropriately intellectual things, going to restaurants and maybe the local NLF Club sometimes, and shopping every now and then. I actually do like the leather jacket she said she got me a couple of years ago and - along with the classic long-sleeved shirt, pleated miniskirt, tights, sensible ankle boots and maybe a little umbrella when the conditions get really terrible - it's been a big part of the all-black uniform I've been wearing a lot this winter." No, Bridget, you're looking for Penelope Campbell, our Chief Arts and Fashion Correspondent. "I wouldn't be interested; most Eleanorian footballers dress like middle-class people who have a couple of kids at the local community school. Given the ridiculous outfits I've seen on some foreign players in the more gossipy bits of The Reporter, however, I'd say that's a compliment."

Next up is the first game of the 1995 season, a 2-0 win over Nova Aegis. "As is well known, I was reading physics at the University at the time; I enjoyed the subject at school and I still do, but it's definitely big on the numbers and it can be mentally torturous on occasions. Between that and my Olympic duties, I don't think I'd have enough free time for a love interest on the side, and I'll probably remain single and childless for the rest of my life - which means more time for football! Funnily enough, around the same time, George Guest, Aegis's 29-year-old striker, captain and only bona-fide star, was apparently going out with someone of the same age, to be polite; I mean, it is Bramblewood. But then again, he's George Guest, nobody touches him, not even his wife bothers to tell him off, he says it was just for a few trips to the coffee shop and goes back to smoking pot or whatever, and they're in the typical doldrums by the time we turn up at the Workers' Coliseum, which absolutely deserves its reputation as the most dangerously atmospheric stadium in the country. We were at them all the way, I'd argue, and George was absolutely fearless: he'd do literally anything and everything, short of trying to end Scarlett Gilbert's playing career, to make sure that he was the one deciding the momentum of the game - which, for the record, had absolutely nothing to do with his mass or velocity. It wasn't exactly my job to stop him, but what I could do - once I got the ball, was pass it forwards, of course, to people who wanted the ball, needed the ball, and could get good chances with it. I don't think George got a single shot on target in the end, but Dekamela - her again - scored twice. The first time was an almost inexplicable solo run; the second time, I'd decided to win the ball from Anne Hoar instead, get it over to Chris Barker at leftback, then watch as he just charged halfway up the pitch and set her up to double the lead."

Finally, she goes for last season's 3-2 defeat at home to Newbanks United. "Yes, I know! Squidroidia's government hasn't had the best relationship with international football recently, but Newbanks United were being financially supported by them during their first season and they had a few good Squidroidians on their team. They should absolutely not have been underestimated, and I quite honestly think [Fetakela] Manuta underestimated them, especially after we'd defeated them 3-0 on the Eastern Fields - despite Short's best attempt to make us listen. Nobuyuki [Ishida] scored two good goals before half time and at the break, we regrouped and Short took the initiative again; I'm the closest thing Olympic has to a classical central midfielder, so he looked me in the eyes and told me that I just was not thinking hard enough about how to stop Emma Francis and Rachel Woodhouse from setting up Nobuyuki with these clear and incisive efforts. Eleanorians typically use man marking but without any serious midfield support, that's out of the window for me, so I always have to focus on dealing with whoever has the ball and whoever they're likely to give it to and I quite honestly do not remember missing a single tackle in the following forty-five minutes, although a couple of interceptions may have slipped my mind. Unfortunately Wayne Crawshaw scored with a few minutes left, and that was over the top from Kōji [Katou] but I definitely chased Wayne down and tried to reduce his chances of scoring - that was probably Ottilia's [Berg] fault, but like Emma and Rachel, she's nineteen and in the next few years, I think she can make her name as one of the unlikelier Olympic legends. I make absolutely no claim to being perfect, but the fact both Manuta and [United manager Ian] Graham both singled out my performance after the match made me really proud of my achievements."

Coombe has attracted a surprising number of fans within the national team camp, but has only been an infrequent presence on the field so far. "One of the most important things I learned from primary school was that the manager makes decisions based on what's best for the team, not based on what I want! Priscilla Evans has a good working relationship with Harriet and Steve that began during the Baptism of Fire; she knows their respective strengths and weaknesses, she completely gets how they fit into her plan, and she thankfully hasn't made any serious errors over the campaign so far. If that means I won't make regular starts over the next few World Cups and just play when the starters can't or just won't be fielded, for example, I'd be perfectly fine with that; I don't think Katie O'Donnell is a regular for Kitara [AA] but she isn't complaining." What would she do in case another 1998-style dispute broke out within the camp? "I hope that doesn't happen, fingers crossed, but I'd just keep my mouth shut! If I criticised her - and I'd never do that - I'd be thrown overboard; if I supported her, people would think I'm a tattletale who wants good players who disagree with me removed. Obviously squad harmony is important, but I've never really been one to talk and I'd much rather be selected for my performances than whether I say all the right things."

Unlike Kandorith and South Newlandia, the two teams either side of them at the pinnacle of Group 10, Saint Eleanor won both of their qualifiers against debutants Reorganized Portugal, including last weekend. "I mean, they have Cristiano Ronaldo - did you think we were going to have an easy time stopping him? Although this was a home game, the coaching team wanted to balance unpredictable tactical conditions with the need to rotate the squad around a bit for games against lower-ranked teams, so they made the decision to take the starting strikers out, put myself alongside Harriet and Steve to balance out any potential trouble in central midfield, give Adam Denby a much-needed start to keep our attacking force creative and competitive, and give a few chances to other players on the fringe, too. I'm not going to say they made the right decision - that would be very selfish of me - but I'd definitely say we all worked together to benefit from good forwards positions and keep the defensive lines attentive in order to secure the best possible outcome. H scored a really nice free-kick, too, which is always a positive."

In the interests of clarity, Bridget Coombe is not your average Eleanorian footballer. She is, of course, typically understated, unpretentious, and remarkably willing to sacrifice personal glory for collective triumph. But she is also a dutiful, organised, and strategically switched-on figure who combines an unexpected attacking impulse with a well-rounded - even non-aggressive - defensive toolkit, all of which undoubtedly helps her to patiently do whatever the management asks of her. It would not be too much of a stretch to argue that she could work in literally any other job imaginable without breaking out into too much of a fuss; she definitely seems to be an appropriately diligent footballer.

by **Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom** » Sat May 28, 2022 5:27 pm

RekanSport
Football Star's Charity Promotes Good Living
By Anastasia Gfrörer

A day after the penultimate home tie for Zeta Reka, team captain Bogdan Rawić boke ground at what will become community building in the Haark Okrug in rural Hügeltaldom. The act wasn't a one off by any means, as Rawić's self named Rawić Foundation, forged from the man's early life in Ogroven villages, continues to serve communities to this day. Even through all the challenge faced with running such an operation, Bogdan remains proud, yet humble of his charity's accomplishments, and looks to expand the Foundation.

The Rawić foundation had been to the Haark Okrug once before, but now did work in Süddorf. Süddorf, a village home to a six hundred residents, has slowly grown in population over the years, but has dealt with some of highest rates of poverty in the federation. The community building being built is planned house some organizations from the area, chiefly a rural medical rehabilitation center that is needed desperately in eastern Hügeltaldom. The building will also house an indoor gymnasium for young people, to keep them out of the troubles the region can bring to poor youths. The Rawić foundation was the creation of Bogdan Rawić, and he sat down with RekanSport while in Süddorf to talk of his foundation's goals, performance, and future plans for those in need.

“Potokstrom, my okrug, lost its metal working business when I was a child to private interest,” Rawić told RekanSport, “When industry left us, there was little in my village, and less elsewhere in the region. A village called Drvenasti-Potok lost almost all its men of working age, and without a store to buy food from, vendors simply sold milk and bread from their own trucks.” The conditions of poverty were something effected everyone in Potokstrom. A young man who would become Zeta Reka's most popular footballer, Bogdan always wished to do something for his community and others like it. After making money from playing for high level clubs, collected multiple Rekan brand deals, and investing wisely, a then twenty three year old Rawić created his Rawić Foundation. “Our first work was in Potokstrom, helping the villages. Our 'Rebuild The Villges' project is our most famous project so far. To see what's been done makes me humble.”

“Things have been good in these years,” Rawić said before describing what his foundation does, “We've seen great work in Hügeltaldom, helping the communities which have no adjusted to the agriculture industry's changes. After Zeta Reka played Audioslavia, the foundation went to an Adelgrün. We provided the people in Adelgrün with agricultural equipment, and the means to keep it refurbished. I personally helped lay the foundations of an education building for the youngest in school.” Sport is a component in The Rawić Foundation's work. At the new school building in Adelgrün a small football pitch was installed, allowing some of the young to play. “Games are something children benefit from,” Rawić said, “A few can make it their living, yes, but even for those who can't sports are something a young people can sink their teeth into. I know too many young men who ended up serving hate and crime because of the social life it offered.”

“To see what's been done makes me humble.”
~Bogdan Rawić, Rawić Foundation Founder and President

“Even with all our virtues, we can only do so much,” the diminutive man with a large heart explained, “Infrastructure isn't in our control. We can't control the roadways, or the bridges. We also can't make the economy flourish in these areas, only keep them afloat until things improve.” Rawić is not as politicly neutral as his charity, and is an outspoken public proponent of distributional economic policies, often using the adage “More money is more money” when comparing charity to tax funded programs. Sometimes Rawić's activism has harmed his charity's outreach. One year ago, an okrug controlled by the right wing parties Civic Unity and Hügeltaldom Progressives denied the Rawić Foundation a permit for a works project in the locality stating, “A foundation founded by the socialist supporters of the redistributionist prime minister Watroslaw Jeličić is not welcome.”

Despite the challenges, Rawić is confident in his charity's outlook, and had ambition, telling RekanSport “Every project so far has been, to me, a big success. Zeta Reka, and Hügeltaldom are places that have good people, and making it easier for them to do work, and to live, is something I'll always be proud of. The foundation can also expand, there's places we can grow, the wider region and even beyond. Look at this next world cup, I feel more can be done for Farf peoples.”

RekanSport Top 6:
World Cup 91; The Small Lead Is Defendable Special Free Article
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Kožalopta Bicentennial Ceremony Announced
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by **Wreckeria** » Sat May 28, 2022 5:33 pm

From: “The Tales of a Dead Country – The Story of Wreckeria’s World Cup 91 Campaign” by Gord Radcliff

10: Harmony (?)

“This isn’t a one-year team.”

The last few weeks for Wreckeria’s international football team had not been pleasant. The team hadn’t won a match since beating Juvencus 5-2 over a month ago, and had gone back to a poor form that more people expected than they’d like to admit.

Gadria tied Wreckeria, 2-2. The Forbidden Territories tied Wreckeria, 0-0. Starblaydia beat Wreckeria 2-0. Savojarna beat Wreckeria 4-1. Turori beat Wreckeria 3-1. It was almost as if some force had it out for Wreckeria, that they hated the fact that this national team without a nation was doing so well. Regardless of the circumstance, Wreckeria just couldn’t get the job done, and it was frustrating for all the Wreckerians as well as their team.

But still, as I spoke to Marvin Byrnes on the eve of their home finale against Flavovespia, he was still optimistic.

“You were asking me if this was a success, and I would say yeah, it’s been a roaring success,” he tells me. “When this campaign got started, I think our goal was to make it to the Cup of Harmony. Make it to the Cup of Harmony and not completely embarrass ourselves, you know, and produce a team that could actually do something good.

“Well, the season gets started, and it turns out we’re better than what we thought we were,” he continues. “I don’t think anybody expected that we were gonna be as good as we were. I think we led the group at one point, I think we came close to leading the group at other points. We contended the whole campaign up until about a couple of matches ago, so to answer your question, this has been an absolute success. This has been a greater success than I had any idea we’d have.”

“It builds a good foundation for what this team’s gonna do in years to come, you know, and that more than anything else, is what we wanted. A good foundation for the future. Next year after that, we’re gonna be contenders. Mark my words.”

“So, you don’t think…”

“This isn’t a one-year team, Gord,” Marvin tells me. “I’ve got a five-year plan ahead of me. World Cup 92, we make it to the Cup of Harmony and win. World Cup 93, we qualify for our first World Cup proper. World Cup 94, we get out of the group stage and into the knockouts. World Cup 95, we go further, and World Cup 96, we win the whole damn thing. This team is capable.”

Gord Radcliff looked out at the scene he was looking at. He was in the press box of Unification Stadium, where fans were filing in to see Wreckeria’s match against Flavovespia. He had planned on writing more of this chapter than this, but he had gotten sidetracked. The last few weeks had been a struggle for him as Wreckeria’s World Cup hopes faltered and collapsed by the day.

But there was still an outside chance. Wreckeria needed to do something incredible on this evening and in one week to make it to the playoffs, but it was an outside chance. What he did know, however, was that he didn’t want this ride to end. He’d be there for Wreckeria during the Cup of Harmony if that’s where they’d go.

At the very least, he did hope he’d be here this time next year. The night before, he had called Hapiloppian Sports Quarterly, his publication, asking to become the permanent Wreckerian Football reporter. His editor was noncommittal, stating they wanted to see what their financials looked like after the World Cup qualifying run ended. But they liked what he had put out, and really liked the idea of a book he was writing about the campaign.

That book would be called “The Tales of a Dead Country,” citing a name that some more snobbish Hapiloppians had for Wreckeria – “a dead country.”

Best of all, Gord Radcliff could shake the name “Hap O’Loppa”, a name that had become an albatross around his neck after some very unfortunate articles he had written for the Hapilopper City Herald about auto racing that ruined both his, and the Herald’s reputation. He could finally be taken seriously.

But he wanted to write another chapter after this one, and he didn’t want it to be about a Cup of Harmony.

by **Delaclava** » Sat May 28, 2022 5:53 pm

The Phoenixes are still holding on. What next?

The Delaclava national team finds itself in a peculiar spot with two games remaining in their World Cup qualifying campaign. Pitted against top competition like Ko-oren, Poafmersia, and Nyowani Kitara, the Phoenixes started a remarkable 9-2-1 and vaulting into second place in the group, trailing the lead by just a point. They took a top-three spot - good for the playoffs - early on and still have not let go.

But following a three-game losing streak, including granting Football Tiger their only win, and a subsequent run of five points in the last three games, the Phoenixes are perilously close to letting go of that spot at the last gasp. A group win was out of the question long ago, second place out of reach (but mathematically, not impossible). They hold onto third place with just a one point lead over Poafmersia (whom the Phoenixes have played to two draws) and a three point lead over Sharktail (Delaclava won 1-0 in Crystal Lake). The Phoenixes finish with a trip to Sharktail before returning to face Southwest Eastnorth in Cleopatrana.

Delaclava can hang onto its spot with positive results - particularly against Sharktail, who is looking to attack if the Phoenixes falter. Or, if Delaclava fails to keep pace, they will likely lose grasp of their playoff berth for the first and only important time.

It can't be said enough how important the next two games are for the Delaclava team. Regardless of outcome, it's important to take stock of the overall success of this season. But even with low initial expectations, a failure to close the show here may well signal the need for some changes. We take a look at what either result tells us.

What if the Phoenixes miss?

First of all, what a run for this team. The realistic goal for the Phoenixes this campaign was to simply compete, to work themselves into the qualification picture if they could, and they've done just that. They have been the surprise story not only of this group, but of the entire qualification picture, one of a few teams looking to upset the chalk predictions. If you count back to the second half of the last campaign, Delaclava put together a stretch of 11-7-1 with only a loss to Ko-oren and wins over Nyowani Kitara (twice), Juvencus, Sharktail, Equestria, and Xanneria (who is technically, mathematically alive). This is a team that is ready to play in the World Cup - if not now, soon.

...but some changes would need to be made, and perhaps that starts from the top. Boris Ishutin, the manager for Coldwater, wasn't exactly an expected pick to lead this team, but he stepped into this role admirably and transformed this team into a more deliberate, defensively responsible squad that has still shown glimpses of its trademark aggression and prolific offense. From there, it depends on what you make of the team's collapse; is it the natural result of a long and stressful qualifying effort, or should the Delaclav Football Association be concerned the squad has stopped responding to him? The defeats to Football Tiger and Gnejs were utterly listless, and it's a problem if the Phoenixes can't beat Xanneria or SWEN when they should be in their best form.

Out with the old... It's harsh to call it for George Ross, the goalkeeper who has been such a consistent presence for this team for so long, and has perhaps had his best season yet. Only Ko-oren (of course) and Gnejs have allowed fewer goals, and Ross' play has been a big part of that, especially in a 13-save clean sheet against Sharktail. But the 31-year-old is noticeably slower and has largely made up for that with his supreme experience and game savvy. That's all well and good enough - until it's not. The kids like Finian Cloarec, Padraig McElroy, and Canon Burwell are just as capable and ready for their shot, and maybe it's time to invest in them. And at right back, there is a need for a youth injection with Josh Torres at 32 and Arnau Mata close behind at 30; there needs to be a better long-term plan there.

...or back in with the old? Otherwise, this team is young - 20-year-old Marc Champagne and 21-year-old Mathias Gretler regularly starting on their first World Cup teams, Emil Mišalko and Durgali Baxayev still with room to grow. No disrespect to Lukas Meyer, but he isn't exactly a natural leader, and you have to wonder if the team could have used the wealth of experience from Kazuo Martin, Dathan Ingram, Keaton Durbridge, Donato Girardi, Valentin Gusev, even Ryan Keating. This team will get better and maybe you can leave them to their devices, but it can use all the help it'll get.

But what if they make it?

It's a dream come true. As stated above, the goal was to compete, to put themselves in position to qualify, and reaching the World Cup playoff (for the first time) does just that. The Phoenixes will have to come out best against a high-quality team over 180 minutes. But at worst, Delaclava will have pushed and fought to the very end of qualifying, and that's a better disappointment than the alternative. At best, the Phoenixes finally reach their first World Cup since the 56th edition.

Sign Boris Ishutin an extension immediately. Ishutin's impact on this team is obvious already, but if they can rebound from their recent slump and get the points they need to clinch their playoff spot? You need a manager who can bring out that kind of resilience in his team. It's the biggest thing that's been missing from the character of the Phoenixes over the past several years. Ishutin was the unexpected choice to get here, but he was the right choice.

Don't be afraid to try some things in the next competition. Whether it's the World Cup or the Cup of Harmony, Delaclava has shown that it's found the foundation to put together complete games and win matches. Now, it's time to experiment. What combinations of players haven't you tried before? What about new formations, new approaches to attacking? With an eye on the future, this is time to find out what will make this team tick for years to come.

...and that starts with doing better for Lukas Meyer. Meyer is the finest goalscorer in the history of this program as well as a very capable playmaker. Stop saddling him with some new striker every season and ask Meyer to babysit him as he fumbles through it. Meyer either needs to be the true focal point of the offense or part of a cohesive system that can share the ball more evenly, taking away some of his responsibility and giving him the space to be creative in the box.

Invest in the game. The DFA has wavered in its support of the national team, but have managed to develop a competent squad and a effective means of funneling talent into the higher levels of the game. Now, it's time to reward that with more funding, more marketing, more enthusiasm. The fans, and the present and future players deserve that. Don't let this campaign be a one-off.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:00 pm

Avalon

PART 8 - Dead Air

'Elderly and ageless differentiated can mean something, but it's a must for someone who isn't ageless to be elderly. Likely implication of the Lord or Lady High Spiritual,' said Christine, who had immediately figured that part out. She also felt a slight hinge that one of three personnages, given the recent turn of narratives, implied Eileen, but the third person would have had to come from the house.

It was then that, to her surprise, the television right in front of her was turned on, first to the buzz and the black-and-white image of dead air, before revealing a scene.

...But the first scene, while featuring Claire Lundrigan, was not what the regent had expected. The living room of the small family's hut, all coloured in black and white per retrograde tradition, was messy, the furnitures all mixed up, and there was nobody but her, mimicking the motions of her mother, playing the piano. It was clear to Christine that the girl, to her surprise, did not know how to properly play the instrument. But every time the eight-year old girl, who kept her eyes closed the entire time out of an actual fear, struggled through the keys, a loose golden thread would extend and surround her, before flying away to the corners of the screen....

'Poor girl, her and her siblings all with their grandparents back in Coxwell, but so far from where their parents are,' said Christine, sighing as she watched the threads slowly evaporate and disappear. Then the first scene ended, followed by another ten seconds of dead air. The silence, deafening, was more than enough to tell her that the time flew differently between her and the mortal world, which had included her duplicate on a state-visit to Cassadaigua.

She blinked. Then the second scene was turned on, once again Christine finding herself in front of a cold, cold scene:

...The second scene was much more simplistic one, with the colours no longer plain black and white, but including hues of Oxford Blue and silver. Christine saw that her son Alexandre was lying in his bed. A couple of posters, featuring the Concord Heights Royals and the Quebecois national basketball team (vintage Riley Jeon-Keane!)m, as well as extensive figurine collections of the Royal Quebecois Navy, dominated the walls of the young prince. The gigantic, decently-built prince was staring at the picture of Claire Lundrigan, with a glow in his eyes and face that Christine had not seen in some time. One thing that he may not have noticed, however, was that the picture itself was spreading golden-shaped pollen in the air. Almost as if...

'....That piano is not a normal instrument,' thought Christine, immediately realising what the prophecy had meant. 'I do not know when that piano's made of, and I do not wish to know, but they definitely function like the wheels in the sky.'

This was something that Christine, who thought she had control over it all, did not expect. For many years, she thought she had control over the narrative through her actions, with the blessings of the Lundrigans' marriage, something that she reluctantly granted, being the driver in ensuring that the lines of her own prophecy, which she had received as an agent of the land, would be materialised.

But now it was something else. With her own discovery, through the 1980s television screen that a single piano, could do something like that without her own action...she realised that the prophecy's 'either', no matter her reminders to Asher her longtime friend, may not have mattered either way after all.

Then the screen went back to dead air again. This time it would last for twenty seconds, before resuming to a different scene:

The third scene was markedly different than the first two. Not only because it had gone back almost seventy years in time, but because of how different everything looked and felt back then.

Of course, it makes sense. It was the summer of 1988, just half a year before the pandemic that had left thousands dead and much of nation shut for a few months lasting into early-1989. Joongyeong, the nation's historic capitol with large boulevards, freshly-baked baguettes and cafes in daytime and pochas in nighttime, was almost at the end of the 1980s. Marked with neoliberal economic policies and the increased dialogue between them and the Gatchingerrak Bloc of nations, the nation as whole was undergoing massive changes that while overlapped with tensions everywhere, excitement followed along.

That summer was kicked off with the Royal Wedding of HRH Henri, Prince of Abitibi, and Nathalie, a commoner of middle-class, Jewish background. It was the first royal wedding involving a member outside of the royalty (usually had meant foreign) or aristocracy, and thus symbolised a society that was willing to open itself up further, at least domestically so. They, Christine's grandparents, were children of the 1970s that had labour disputes, educational reforms, and rock n roll, and thus had had a more liberal, sympathetic vision of the country and its peoples.

While the wedding footage, recorded in full details by the QBC, were not shown, what instead showed on the television was that of the 1988 Joongyeong Quebecois Commonwealth Games. Held across the city of 4.5 million people, the entire city was filled with unexpected dose of postmodernist excitement that had not come since Summer 65's failures. Symbols and pictograms were minimised to their simplest, mimicable forms while bright prints of magentas, yellows, aquas and oranges covered the city, long viewed to be posh, intellectual and thus highbrow to its excess.

As the screen continued to show the patchy footages, Christine noticed her grandparents being part of the crowd, waving and conversing with them like normal persons. Smiling, jubilant and certainly glowing, they were living in middle of a summer that their granddaughter knew it wasn't really attainable in this day and age...

Then the television turned dark again. This time, however, there would be barely any time left before the final scene would show:

Thus came the final scene, as Christine sadly looked at the weary form of same Prince Henri.

It was 1994. The marshes and the murky waters stood firm and quietly, almost as if time had stopped around her grandfather, and there was a solitary island, which contained a small, wooden hut, in middle of it. Christine, noticing that his grandfather was in middle of that very 1994 as mentioned by Dr. Heo, figured out that she was witnessing a piece of his memory that was poured into the Garga Torc.

To freeze time, and all for that very journey that could realistically destroy a figure. There is that cruel, cruel parallel I have fallen under, Christine thought to herself.

And if a man has to cross the water to do so....who would he do it for? Men are simplistic creatures, and barring life-long missions which this scene isn't one, it takes a lot to do everything in such spark...and that must be her.

It was then that Christine realised that who the third woman was, just as her grandfather, the late Henri VIII, started crossing the water.

by **Eura** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:01 pm

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 16
Omerica 3–4 Eura
Scorers:
Robshaw 32, Malone 59, Woodman 85, Robson 89
Lineup:
1. E Palmer
4. J Menard
19. A Coles
5. T Green
6. S Erskine (sub Gates 72)
8. V Robshaw (sub Vincent 72)
11. B Malone
7. M Woakes (sub Bowman 81)
12. A Woodman
10. C Atkinson
9. S Robson

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 17
Eura 6–2 Kuraita
Scorers:
Atkinson 15, Mason 33, Almwood 40, Gates 47, Singh 62, 65
Lineup:
13. T Hammond
2. A Mason
4. J Menard
25. Q Phillips
5. T Green
3. L Almwood
24. J Gates
8. V Robshaw
7. M Woakes (sub Marshall 80)
10. C Atkinson (sub Stewart 75)
9. S Robson (sub Singh 60)

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 18
Natanians and Nosts 0–1 Eura
Scorers:
Vincent 63
Lineup:
1. E Palmer
2. A Mason (sub Coffey 85)
4. J Menard
15. K Sherwood
5. T Green
3. L Almwood (sub Reeve 72)
24. J Gates
16. O Vincent
18. D Bowman
14. S Singh
17. A Sharp (sub Vivier 81)

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 19
Eura 3–3 Arjunnagar
Scorers:
Woakes 13, Robson 62, Bowman 74
Lineup:
30. M Key
19. A Coles (sub Sherwood 45)
27. J Byrd
25. Q Phillips
6. S Erskine (sub Marshall 69)
29. F Brown
11. B Malone
7. M Woakes
22. O James (sub Bowman 65)
17. A Sharp
9. S Robson

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Dear President-elect Kulan,

I am writing to you firstly to congratulate you on your victory in the first representative democratic elections in Nyowani Kitara. This is a splendid moment for your country and one that should be savoured – the taste of democratic freedoms is sweet, and worth the struggles that must often be suffered to deliver it. I offer these congratulations not just in a personal capacity, but also on behalf of the Euran government and state.

I understand that the relationship between the Euran state and your predecessor, President Nafuna Akongo, will give you some cause for caution in your dealings with our country. The recent crisis that have befallen your nation have led to a complicated mix of alliances being formed for different reasons, and in some cases by governments and regimes that have since come and gone – including the previous administration in Bastion that made the decision to provide some support to President Akongo during the civil war.

For what it is worth, as the leader of the opposition at the time that Euran involvement in the conflict began, I strongly opposed this action. I felt at the time that it was the wrong thing for Eura and the wrong thing for Nyowani Kitara. In the interests of honesty, I should tell you that while I still feel my judgement was reasonable at the time, I do believe that the end goal previous Euran policy envisioned – the deliverance of democracy and a just legal order for your people – has been achieved, and I doubt this would have been the case had we (and our Nepharan allies) taken any other course.

So, instead or re-litigating the past, I am keen to look to the future, a future without President Akongo defining Euran-Kitaran relations. There are profound opportunities for our countries to work together on security, trade and development that we should continue to explore. Some of these are already in play. The recent completion of the Namboole base will no doubt provide a security guarantee for your country against cynical outside interests for the foreseeable future, as well as suiting Euran security interests. I would also like to reassure you that the Ian Smith Fund will continue to be fully secured and supported by the Euran government.

However, there are other potential opportunities to be explored. Part of my agenda for government is re-energising the Common Rushmori Community, and I cannot think of any better way to kickstart that process than by exploring opportunities for integration (and, if your people desire it, a pathway to membership) for Nyowani Kitara. It is also the intention of my government to provide a long-term commitment towards dealing with the long-term security risks in the Pavola area that have resulted from this conflict, including addressing the concerning emergence of dissident YPA activity.

That is all I have to say for now, but I am sure we will speak soon.

Harry Barnham
Prime Minister of the United Federation of Eura

Bong.
‘This is the evening news on EBC Radio, with Patrick Opperman.’
‘Thank you. Our lead story tonight is Cassadaigua, its supposedly resolved succession crisis, and the increasing controversy over its action in neighbouring unconquered territory, and the position of the Euran government – in just the last hour, a statement from Foreign Secretary Eloise Chadwick has dramatically lodged serious accusations against the government in Concord Heights, which continues to drive a military campaign into neighbouring territory. Ms Chadwick had this to say to the press corps.’
”Look, Cassadaigua has a very different system of government to us and we’re not going to tell them how to do things in terms of leadership or transition of power. But I think if we’ve learned from a lot of events across this region in recent years that, well, what really succeeds is democracy. And I don’t think ordinary Dagans have that option-”
“Foreign Secretary, what are you saying?”
“-I, well. What I am saying – what we are saying is that it’s one thing for the Dagan regime to have its own peculiar way of deciding who runs the country, that is of course up to them. But this matter over annexing new territory in a bloody, imperialist conquest is something else. Its seriously concerning that they are marching into unclaimed territory and simply annexing people without any vague consent or justification…and talking about clearing out people who don’t want to be Dagans? The way I see it, well, we have a word for that, a phrase even. Ethnic cleansing.”
‘You heard that correctly – the Euran Foreign Secretary, with the apparent sign-off of her government, has openly accused a major Rushmori state of attempted ethnic cleansing against an indigenous population. We’ll be talking to a government minister on these accusations on this evening’s programme, as well as reporters on the ground who are providing first-hand accounts from the little-known peoples of the Cooper River area, who face an unprecedented assault from Dagan security forces that many experts have compared to the colonial wars of old…’

Prime Minister Smith and Foreign Secretary Chadwick sat there, musing over the wreckage of the diplomatic hand grenade they had just thrown.
The Ticker grinned. ‘Well, at least your government isn’t so boring anymore, is it?’

by **Saint Eleanor** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:07 pm

World Cup 91 - twentieth matchday of qualification
Armbruster 0
Saint Eleanor 3 (Jessica Martin goals 36' and 82', Steve Pilchard goal 56')

Naresmet taFrexala: "Does anybody even know who I am, like?"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers asks the fledgling backup rightback about his surprising charge to the national team, and whether he can keep up
Originally published on Saturday 12th February 2000

Naresmet taFrexala may be known to friends and enemies alike as Narry, but he has few of either. "As far as I'm concerned," he argues, "I've always been isolated a bit from everybody: my mum and dad both work with people on a daily basis and I'd love to do the same, but I'm just not getting the connections I need and that really isn't good for anybody, especially not in this country."

taFrexala was the only member of the national team to play in 1993's Charles Trump Shield, where Queenston Community School went on their first of two runs to the last eight of the competition. "Football's big in Queenston, but it's not that big, really. We got Rick Goldsmith in '97, he's at [Hiyashi] Celestia now and odds are he's probably getting called up to the White Stars on this run of form, but this team had no stars. It had all my mates, though! We had Katie [Lawrence] and Javelin [Javexprona gaPraletema] and Danny [Daniel Blacksmith] and so many other people I shared classes with, and we had different interests and different job plans for once we left school after 1994, but we were all united by football, we had a clear task, good teachers, and we even dumped the Army School out in the second round." Joining Athletic Saint Eleanor, a short hop away from his old Queenston home, in 1995 should have been a dream move, "but it was the single biggest culture shock I've ever had. The manager was somebody I've never heard of, we had a bunch of players who were five years older than me or something - all good, but I thought hold on a minute, everybody around here's going to retire a few years from now, they have a pretty good football program at the local school, yet this club's idea of the future is getting someone from Queenston?"

What three games does he feel most shaped his development - or neglect of it? Up first is 1996's 3-1 defeat to Occidental Olympic, which kickstarted the club's second collapse of league form in as many years since taFrexala arrived. "I was still new over there, but that result was harsh. It was really, really harsh. You listened to what Adam Denby said, but this result was a nightmare, honest to God: we did not have anything that even looked like it could pass for a game plan. This squad had been left adrift when it needed the support the most, challenging for the title with a big gap between them and second, and they said nothing to us at any stage; we were all over the place, we didn't know where they were going to attack us from, and despite some bright spots, we paid the price far more often than was necessary at all. Surely Adam Woolley would have said something - anything - but no, it was our responsibility to do the planning, and I've heard of players helping out the manager with tactics before but you can't expect all eleven of us to be managers! I tried to talk to him after the match and he said okay, we didn't do enough, I'll plan before every game and talk to you about what you need to do and why; while he's definitely been good at that sort of thing up to now, there are plenty of other reasons we should be critical of him. No wonder!"

Number two would be the dramatic 4-3 win over the Golden Unicorn in 1998. "I have no regrets about going into football, and while 1998 had lots of bad memories, this was possibly one of the best games - maybe even the last good game - we had. Before half time wasn't too much concern to me, I wasn't involved in any of Harriet Williams' goals and I tried to hold the fort against Matt Shilling, but despite me closing down on him at the start of the match, he just did a cheeky lob over Stuart Norton to give them the lead. That was the biggest lesson learned: stay on top of people, don't be reactive, especially not against Matt, and I was keeping a really close eye on him after the break. Did it work? Yeah, it did, because when Wayne Crawshaw scored twice, he wasn't involved in any of them, and I'd say while he had a couple of chances, he was hardly the man he was in the first half. I kept on trying to push forward and we got a couple to seal victory, but I was only involved in confusing their lot that we'd switched the play over - you did a good analysis of how Steve Pilchard did the same in Olympic's 3-0 win that season, and while my contributions weren't as big as his, I don't think we'd have won without them. We were five points on top, half the season to play, unstoppable - and we finished third."

His third choice is the 6-2 hammering of Hiyashi Celestia in the third-to-last game of the 1999 season. "We'd slipped a bit the previous round because we'd lost to Independence and Celestia got a draw against Grand Beach. Julia Atherton was a good player, she'll be a good manager and she has more attacking talent at her disposal than anybody in the club's history has ever had, but people are like 'you only got a draw against those guys? What the actual fuck, man? How do you think you're going to do any better against Athletic at this stage of the season?' I think the pressure got to them, honestly, because they came to our place, got onto the pitch and then folded like the wettest pack of cards you've ever seen in your life. I know I have a reputation for going up the pitch as a fullback, but I did that more often than I needed to, really, because a few players - myself being one of the bigger actors - were scurrying in an attempt to show them how bad their defence was, and Nightingale more than obliged to deliver - not everybody can score four goals against the people who want to snatch the title off them! We had the obligatory Harriet Williams special, too, but when it comes to my contributions - exploiting vulnerabilities, plugging defensive gaps, preventing promising efforts - I'd say I was really good. This time, we won the league, we were consistent all the way through the season, and we need to keep on getting good results and big results if we're going to be successful in the 21st century. In short, that's one of the games I'd like to look up to whenever I think about how I could hope with high-quality opposition, especially on the international stage."

But taFrexala has only played twice in the qualifiers so far, once as a result of regular starter Exandra Davies having been sent off in the previous game. "Exandra's a really good player and she's good friends with me, I'd say even best friends - but then she's a social butterfly, she's friends with everybody. She's much more innovative than me, not as fast as I am but definitely a bit stronger, throws just about everybody - including herself - off their game plan once she gets the party started, and dares to talk about strategies that I don't even want to think about. Those are all big advantages, but I haven't really gotten a lot of games and I'm thinking, does anybody even know who I am, like? Yeah, I'm that one young dude at Athletic but they hardly have any of the kids these days, everybody knows that, and the fact we won the league this season doesn't count for jack if we're losing so many players when you think like that. When you consider that other than her, the other rightbacks in Saint Eleanor aren't really that good, you really have to think about why the hell they called me up to serve here, unless this is yet another attempt at covering for the fact that my club is becoming less and less relevant to the national team."

By no means is Naresmet taFrexala widely known, except among Athletic Saint Eleanor's surprisingly long-suffering faithful, who have had to see him wait until this year to secure an inaugural Saint Eleanor League. They would do very well not to lose him, however: he is an astonishingly capable and talented wide defender who is unafraid both to stand up to opposing wingers and to strike out against the injustices facing him as a player.

by **Mytanija** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:09 pm

EPISODE 1: DIRTY OLD TOWN
EPISODE 2: START AGAIN
EPISODE 3: BEYOND THE SEA
EPISODE 4: STEP ON
EPISODE 5: I’M FEELING IT (IN THE AIR)
EPISODE 6: BLUE MOON
EPISODE 7: DON’T STOP

The title music begins to play and a video montage of footballers playing on muddy pitches whirs across the screen. The camera images are grainy, these are clearly some old-timey footballers, the programme is clearly set at some undefined point in the future looking back on the past. Images of the Mytanar port city of Severyan are interspersed between the football, along with street scenes from Severyan and the supporters of the only football club in the city, Ararat. Above all there is a focus on the legendary manager, Misel Ravnjak, he can often be seen drinking or smoking or even on a television chat show. Finally, the montage settles on the title image.

EPISODE 8: THE SHARKS ARE CIRCLING

“This much-changed Ararat side has absolutely ripped through the Jedinstvo Zavolja defence today, 4-0 for the Severyan side in western Thessia… They really have been a class apart haven’t they Andrej?”

“Absolutely Dino, the players who have come into the line-up have done the job. It’s very rare that a manager will make ten changes to his side for any game, but particularly a match in the National Cup where it can be so dangerous to do that sort of thing. It has worked for Misel Ravnjak perfectly though today, a 4-0 win and they can relax for the home leg next week.”

“Goran Stojkov was impressive from left-back, wasn’t he? He reminded me a bit of Ermin Urankar from there tonight. Petra Hall in the middle too…”

“Absolutely, I felt like everybody that came in did their job though, Miralem Mazar, Tine Prijatelj and Maurizio Scianna were all excellent too. A nice cameo for young Slavoj Okec off the bench too, he’s been so impressive in the IFCF Rising Stars Cup for the club so far.”

“The leader of the new generation for Ararat, he didn’t get his first senior goal for the club but you imagine he’ll get another chance next week in the second leg of this National Cup Third Round tie. It’s 4-0 to Ararat after the first leg and they’ll go back to Severyan very pleased.”

The footage showing the two commentators talking from their rickety gantry at some identikit Mytanar lower league ground changes, now showing Slavoj Okec back at Korecky Road. The forward is young and burly, still hanging on to some of his teenage features, not yet a fully toned athlete. He can be seen demanding the ball from his midfielders, pointing to where he wants the next pass.

“Okec asking for the ball from Petra Hall… Hall threads one through and here’s Okec, he holds off the centre-back, Okec! His first senior goal for Ararat Severyan! That’s 5-0 on aggregate for Ararat and surely the confirmation they needed that they would be in the hat for the Fourth Round.”

The footage flashes forward to the final whistle, the scoreboard showing a score of 4-2 to Ararat and an 8-2 aggregate win. The crowds file out of Korecky Road happy, chanting Okec’s name, the latest Severyan native to make it in the Ararat team. The montage then flashes forward to the draw for the next round:

“Number two, Ararat Severyan, will play… Number thirteen, Rotor Ravnina.” The balls are shown on the screen as the announcer speaks and then we’re back at Korecky Road all of a sudden.

“Misel Ravnjak has gone much stronger for this Fourth Round first leg match, it’s effectively Ararat’s first choice line-up with Petra Hall starting for Radovan Pogaenik and Goran Stojkov for Asmir Milosevic. They will feel confident here, coming up against lower league opposition, but we know how often upsets can be sprung in the National Cup. Misel Ravnjak will want the job done in the first leg if at all possible won’t he, Andrej?”

“Absolutely and with this line-up you would be surprised if they don’t. Kasun, Yuan, Koppenol, Kvasina and Mehic all in the team, Rotor supporters must be looking at that with a little bit of trepidation.”

The footage starts up again and instantly Ararat are on the front foot. Kvasina is running the show from the number ten position, playing a pass back into Petra Hall and the Tumbran instantly fires the ball out wide to Vasja Vansek. Vansek hits a low cross into Vido Mehic and he beats the defender at the near post to turn the ball into the net. A low driven effort from Kvasina puts another on the board, whilst Goran Stojkov is able to cross full-back to full-back for Neo Susec to add a third. Once again Slavoj Okec enters the fray and the powerful forward is able to bully the Rotor central defenders – both twice his age – to set-up Tine Prijatelj for Ararat’s fourth.

“Another excellent all-around performance from Ararat Severyan! 4-0 and they will believe that that is them into the next round after the first leg, a performance which held no drama and didn’t allow Rotor into the game whatsoever!” Andrej gushes. The footage shows Ararat easing past Rotor in the away leg too, with a pair of goals from the rarest of goal scorers, 38 year old Zelimir Apostolov and 34 year old Mevludin Kadic.

“You got through those first couple of rounds fairly easily, swatting aside lower league opposition on the way, right?” The interviewer asks.

“Sometimes they can be the hardest draws,” Pedja Kasun replies with a grimace. “People think ‘oh great, a draw against some third tier side, that’ll be easy’ but then they get there and it’s on a shite pitch, stands right next to the pitch, they’re all nearly 2 metres tall and they’re happy to kick lumps out of you on live television.”

“Yeah, I’ve got the scars to prove it too.” Mateja Stojkovic smiles. “As a coach you have to ensure everybody understands they can’t overlook these teams, too, that isn’t always easy. Misel did something quite smart by making so many changes for that first leg against Jedinstvo Zavolja. It was a real opportunity for the likes of Petra Hall to really demonstrate that she could be relied upon. She was really excellent, ran the show like Radovan Pogaenik – and even Dordo Urbanc – had been doing before her.”

“Do you think it’s more likely that the normal first team could overlook that sort of opposition?”

“No, the proof of the first leg against Rotor Ravnina helps us answer that,” Stojkovic smirks again. “But I do think mixing the team up as he did helps to keep people on their toes. It prevents anybody from becoming too relaxed. The gaffer was so good at making sure that didn’t happen, both when I was playing and then when I joined his coaching staff. He was so well-rounded, but he knew that especially.”

“And then the Quarter Final draw against Rudar Uchenik, all of the big three out, were you feeling confident at that point?”

“I think we were, as a group.” Pedja Kasun answers. “But we never spoke about it in those terms. Rudar had knocked Liria out on penalties, so we couldn’t overlook them. CDSA had put Atletik out. FK Arsika were still in, they had put Nyva out who had put 1896 Ebor out. There were some strong teams left. Litala ’93 and 1923 Esca both still in too. As a team we knew any of those teams could put us out on their day. We had to be right.”

“Rudar was always a tough game for us too. Their support had political relations with the ultras of Energija-Nuklearna, 1923 Esca and FK Magevskaya. Huge right-wing nutcases. They hated us with a passion, they hated Rauchnya. A trip there was as difficult as it could come from that point of view.” Mateja Stojkovic confirms.

“You had to go there for the first leg of the Quarter Final too, just how hostile was the reception?”

“Well, this is probably the bit where you can roll the montage…” Pedja Kasun laughs slightly.

“We can do.” The interviewer replies, knowing exactly how hostile it was.

“Ararat Severyan are making the trip down to Avnalia to play Rudar Uchenik tonight and Velenija is very raucous, the supporters here are giving Ararat the most hostile reception possible. The team bus got stoned on the way to the ground, the Policija had to intervene to allow the bus to get through the crowds. Then when the Ararat team tried to warm-up they have been pelted with missiles. The stadium announcer had to put an address over the PA system to tell the crowd that the referee was on the verge of calling off the game… Ararat manager Misel Ravnjak can be seen remonstrating with FSM officials, he is absolutely livid.”

“Quite rightly too, I don’t think I would want to play in these conditions Dino.” Andrej replied.

In the end the game starts, the Rudar players can be seen thumping into challenges on Lindse Kvasina, Radovan Pogaenik and Vasja Vansek. The referee has a job on his hands to marshal the game, handing yellow cards out like sweets. Captain Pedja Kasun leaves his penalty area several times when the referee has whistled the game to a halt to bark at him to get a hold of proceedings, physically pushing Rudar players away from his teammates. Rudar then pile the pressure on, hitting the post and the crossbar and forcing a string of fine saves out of Pedja Kasun. In the end, the final whistle goes, Ararat have survived with a 0-0 draw. The Rudar ultras rain flares down onto the pitch, Ararat’s players act quickly to get off the pitch and down the tunnel.

“Ararat have escaped with a draw here Andrej, but do you think there could be some mental damage done from this game?”

“Well it’s disgraceful that we’re even having to discuss it like that, Dino, they should not have had to deal with what Rudar’s support have done this evening. The FSM and Policija have a lot of questions to answer and you imagine Rudar as a club will get some big fines too.”

“Was that one of the most intimidating atmospheres you two had been greeted with during your careers?”

“Well, this is Mytanar football, isn’t it?” Pedja Kasun replies. “I think some of us get used to it, when you play for such a long time. I think myself and Mateja are perhaps in that category, but for some of the foreign players, Lindse, Mingrong, Chloe, Petra… It was probably a bit of a shock to the system. The bus got pretty badly bashed up, there were smashed windows, I think a few people were a bit rattled by it.”

“We definitely didn’t play up to our usual standards, but I’m honestly not surprised with everything that went on.” Mateja adds. “We fought really well. Rudar made it difficult, they played up to the crowd, they went in hard on all our technical players. Pedja actually had a really good game too, he made a few big saves in the second-half. We got through the game and didn’t concede, that was the main thing.”

“So for the second leg, was it going to be a bit of an opportunity for revenge?”

“The gaffer did play up to that a little bit,” Mateja laughs. “He wanted the players to know that the fans would expect plenty of aggression, they had to show they wouldn’t be bullied. I think we did get bullied a little bit in the first leg.”

“Yeah, it was hard to watch at times for me, I was obviously a bit far away from some of the main incidents on the pitch. Playing in goal means you’re so far away from everything. That’s why I started charging over to everything, I wanted to remind the Rudar players that we were there, we weren’t going to get pushed around. I wouldn’t let them and then the likes of Mingrong, Chloe and Jonatan showed the same thing. It lifted us a bit.”

“You still didn’t do things the easy way in the second leg either though…”

“Not at all.” Pedja grimaces again.

Rudar players can be seen being shielded by Policija riot shields as they run out onto the Korecky Road pitch. The home faithful determined to get one back over the Avnali side after the events of the week before during the first leg of the National Cup quarter final. As the game starts Ararat soon get the upper-hand, Jonatan Rebernik crunching an unfortunate Rudar midfielder with a bruising tackle. The referee gives him a ticking off but keeps his cards in his pocket. Vido Mehic gets away with an unseen elbow, bloodying the nose of one of Rudar’s towering centre-halves. Pedja Kasun can be seen coming out to claim a cross and clattering not one but two Rudar players on his way back down. Accident or deliberate is left up to the viewer to decide.

A series of Ararat shots rain down on the Rudar goal. Mehic, Kvasina, Vansek, Pogaenik all getting in on the act. Unfortunately none of them beat the goalkeeper and time ticks on towards 90 minutes. A Mehic header grazes the crossbar. A corner falls to Chloe Koppenol and she puts the shot narrowly past the right-hand post. Finally the referee calls time on proceedings.

“We’re heading for extra time here at Korecky Road! Ararat just cannot get the ball in the net today and you imagine that Misel Ravnjak could be fearing the worst, they just might not have destiny on their side!”

The game restarts in extra time and suddenly Rudar are able to break, counter-attacking at speed and as a forward is put in on goal Pedja Kasun races out to meet them. He takes ball, man and a clump of the Korecky Road turf. The referee takes a second to decide if what he has just seen was a foul or not, eventually deciding to cross his arms theatrically to indicate that it was not a foul. The half-time interval of extra time comes and goes and a shot of the scoreboard shows that the game is in its 116th minute.

“A long ball down the middle by Mingrong Yuan… Vido Mehic knocks the ball down to Lindse Kvasina. You have to wonder how some of these Ararat players are still going at this point. Kvasina, she looks out to the right where she has Kadic. She turns back left, a threaded ball, Sjostrom’s running through here! The defender has slipped! Sjostrom is through! Sjostrom!!! Ararat Severyan 1-0! Viggo Sjostrom might well have put them through here! In the 116th minute! A delightful ball by Lindse Kvasina and a delicate finish by Sjostrom. Ararat only have to survive four minutes or so to qualify to the National Cup semi finals!”

Those remaining four minutes see the ball rarely leave the central third of the pitch. Eventually the referee puts the whistle to his lips and both sets of players collapse to the ground. Red and white flares light up the stands, smoke drifts over the pitch and some supporters can even be seen mobbing Ararat players. The magic of the cup.

“Just how exhausting was that match? The reactions in the stands were almost like you had won the National Cup there and then.”

“It was one of the toughest games I’ve been involved in,” Mateja Stojkovic says. “So thank fuck I wasn’t actually playing!”

“It was alright for me, I was in goal, but for some of those outfield players who played the whole 120 minutes and were involved in the goal. Vido, Lindse, Viggo. Wow. They put everything in. I’m not sure how they had the presence of mind to keep going at that time of the match.” Pedja Kasun adds.

“Immediately after it felt like we had come through our hardest possible challenge, honestly. Even for me as a coach it felt a bit like that. But then in the days after you recognise there is still a way to go, but it also helped to galvanise the group. Rudar very nearly held on to take us to penalties and who knows how that might have finished. Viggo got the goal to send us through. You realise then, you’re in the National Cup semis and you’ve come through a really tough tie. The players realised that they could do it, even in difficult circumstances. That was so valuable for what was still left to come in the remainder of the campaign.”

“Just before we go on to think about part of the remainder of the campaign, how did you feel about the semi-final draw? Ararat against FK Arsika with the second leg at Korecky Road; and Litala ’93 getting SK Elita Ryzaev.”

“I think we were confident we could do it against pretty much anybody at this point. FK Arsika and Litala ’93 were probably the two tougher draws, especially given the form Litala ’93 had been in the league. SK Elita Ryzaev played good football and could be a handful if they played at their best. We probably had the best team left though, we were confident. Having home advantage for the second leg was always nice, too.” Pedja says firmly.

“And then you had the other quarter final of your season, in the Copa de Campeones. Navel Sharks won the first leg with a single goal, you brought them back to Korecky Road. Mateja, how did you feel as a coach going into that match? Did the response to not being ahead against Rudar help or was it an entirely different situation?”

“Obviously it was a different situation. We were a goal behind already, thankful that it wasn’t more, Navel Sharks did well in the game in the Whirl Islands. We limited them though and that turned out to be key. The way it went in the end though… Oh wow.”

The footage starts with a wide-pan shot of Korecky Road, clad in red-and-white, crowds seemingly shifting forwards and back, up-and-down the terraces as the crowd surged. The songs from those same stands are loud, lauding their heroes for their exploits in getting to this stage. As the players walk out the pyrotechnics are set-off, flares are waved up-and-down in the ultras section, a choreography depicting a huge shark being caught in the net of an Ararat ultra was hoisted above the stand behind one of the goals. ‘LET’S GO SHARK-HUNTING’ was the tagline below.

“It is a sensational atmosphere here at Korecky Road as Ararat Severyan look to come from behind in this Rushmore Copa de Campeones quarter final. Navel Sharks hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg and Ararat will want to score early to level up the scores on aggregate at as early a juncture as possible.”

“Yes Dino, really looking forward to this one! Misel Ravnjak is without Jonatan Rebernik for this first leg, he’s out with a knock and that means it’s a big night for Miralem Mazar. He will have to be excellent to make-up for his teammates’ absence.”

Ravnjak stalks the edge of his technical area as the game starts, cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. Mazar gets a few early touches and tackles in and seems to feel at ease. Lindse Kvasina is able to get on the ball and begins to dictate the play, playing a little deeper alongside Pogaenik and the aforementioned Mazar. Vido Mehic gamely charges around up front, but there is a feeling of distance between him and Kvasina which makes Ararat appear a little off-colour. Sjostrom and Vansek are able to patrol the flanks, but can’t find the cross as they have been able to so many times over the course of the season.

“It all seems a little flat for Ararat here Andrej, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does Dino, I think Kvasina has to be pushed a bit higher. We’ve seen it a few times this season where she plays almost alongside Vido Mehic. It would give him a bit more support.”

The game heads into the second-half and nothing seems to be changing. Ravnjak continues to prowl the touchline. The Korecky Road crowd begins to get a bit restless, are they going to let this game slip away from them? Then, suddenly, it changes. Neo Susec, of all people, is the source of the change. For once he has decided to overlap beyond Vasja Vansek and the overload suddenly gives the Navel Sharks full-back a little bit more to think about. He is one against two. A problem. Mazar sends the ball out to Vansek and the problem only becomes larger.

“Vansek here, he has Susec overlapping if he can find him. He plays the pass, Susec is beyond the full-back and into the penalty area! Can he find a teammate! He goes it alone! Susec! That is exceptional play by the young full-back! A fine goal from an unexpected source! Neo Susec all the way from right-back! 1-1! Ararat are level, they are back in this match and there is still time left to find a winner!”

Despite Lindse Kvasina’s best efforts, a zipped shot which ended up a couple of metres wide of the post, Ararat cannot find that winner. It’s extra time once again.

“What were you thinking when this game also went to extra time, Mateja?”

“We were mostly worried about tiredness. We didn’t know if they could do it again. They had a lot of minutes in the legs and they were having to do it again. In some ways it was almost a blessing that Rebernik didn’t need to do it again.”

“Yeah, Neo did so well for the goal but at full-time he was cramping up massively. We had to bring Belmin Kodrie on for extra time, didn’t we? I’m pretty sure that’s where their goal came from.”

“Did you feel you could do it once that went in?”

“No.” Pedja laughs. “But then it was a bit of foreshadowing wasn’t it… We didn’t do it the easy way at any point during the latter stages of the tournament.”

The footage starts again, showing a physio attempting to stretch the cramp out of Neo Susec’s legs. The youngster winces, indicates that he can’t continue and the physio flashes a concerned look over to Misel Ravnjak. The manager instantly turns to Belmin Kodrie and the older player begins to pull his training kit off, revealing his match kit underneath. Shin pads are slipped under socks and boots are put on.

“It looks like Neo Susec can’t continue for extra time here,” The commentator announces. “Belmin Kodrie will come into this quarter final. Misel Ravnjak will just hope he doesn’t come into it too cold.”

The play starts up again, Navel Sharks have possession and attack straight down their left, Ararat’s right. Belmin Kodrie is instantly under pressure. The Navel Sharks winger looks to come inside before skilfully flicking the ball back towards the by-line, between Kodrie’s legs, olés rain down from the away section. The winger gets to the by-line and chips a cross to the back post, his fellow winger charges in and gets his head onto it. It isn’t the cleanest header, but it is effective, re-directed against the underside of the bar and into the goal. Navel Sharks are level on the night and ahead on aggregate.

“Catastrophe for Ararat! Navel Sharks are ahead! Misel Ravnjak holds his head in his hands. Can they get back into this? Navel Sharks can sit back and soak up pressure if they want to now. Ararat will be forced to break them down for a second time and that’s just to get this tie to penalties!”

Ravnjak immediately withdraws Miralem Mazar for Petra Hall. Vasja Vansek comes off for Maurizio Scianna. Ararat change to an uncharacteristic narrow 4-2-1-3, Sjostrom joining Mehic and Scianna as an auxiliary striker. Kvasina is behind them, a grimace on her face, the rather attack-minded duo of Pogaenik and Hall behind her.

“Ararat need two goals here if they don’t want to run the gauntlet of penalties… Asmir Milosevic brings the ball up the pitch from left-back. He plays it into Pogaenik, he’s dropped the shoulder to get past one opponent there, nice work in the middle.”

“Ararat really need to be a bit more aggressive in getting the ball forward here, Dino.” Andrej declares. “This is all a bit too slow, ponderous.”

“Pogaenik here, he plays it into Mehic’s feet. A quick lay-off to Scianna. Scianna, through to Sjostrom, the winger is in behind the Sharks’ defence! Sjostrom! Oh what a save! It’s fallen to Mehic! Mehic!!! Ararat are level! Ararat are level again! It is 2-1 to Ararat and 2-2 on aggregate! They got a bit lucky there, but Vido Mehic has put them back in this match!”

The Ararat players grab the ball from the goal and run back to the halfway line. It’s clear that they don’t want the game to go to penalties. Navel Sharks don’t necessarily want that either, but in a raucous atmosphere they probably want the game finished as soon as possible too. Their possession play after the goal was good, keeping the ball and building up, trying to get a second goal to put them back ahead on aggregate. Ararat are once again doing what they do best though, sitting in a formation, their 4-4-1-1, letting the opponent have the ball in front of them and waiting for the opportunity to spring forward. Radovan Pogaenik is withdrawn for Mevludin Kadic. Kadic goes out to the right and Sjostrom returns to his left-sided midfield position. Kvasina partners Hall in central midfield whilst Scianna plays in behind Mehic.

“Navel Sharks are being very patient here, Ararat are well-drilled in this type of football but the away side aren’t rushing things. Kvasina looks to pressure her opponent in the middle there, she’s come away with it! Here’s a chance for Ararat to break. She plays it wide to Sjostrom. The Oppic winger has a bit of speed, can he use it here? He’s past one and now the pitch opens up! A ball into Maurizio Scianna, can he get it wide to Mevludin Kadic? Kadic with the ball now, he crosses it in… Mehic! Mehic has put it in! That is unbelievable from Vido Mehic! The ball was behind him! He has somehow volleyed Ararat into a 3-1 lead! It is 3-2 on aggregate and Ararat are heading through in extra time here!”

“I can’t believe what I have seen here, Dino,” Andrej yelps. “Vido Mehic has scored one of the goals of the season, to be able to get the purchase on the ball there. The cross was actually behind him! He’s wrapped his foot around the ball and put it beyond the Navel Sharks goalkeeper! Excellent play!”

The atmosphere is ratcheted up another notch or two. The Ararat crowd know that their team is on the verge of something incredible, a Copa de Campeones semi-final, a run which they were never expected to make. The team respond, putting the game beyond doubt, Navel Sharks are suddenly a little more ragged as they search for the goal which will send the tie to penalties. The spaces on the pitch grow wider. Petra Hall intercepts a pass and instantly sends Vido Mehic running in behind, Mehic squares the ball for Maurizio Scianna and the Ausonean forward delays as the Sharks goalkeeper rushes out. The goalkeeper goes down and tries to grab the ball, but only succeeds in bringing Scianna down. A penalty. Ararat have the opportunity to put the game beyond doubt.

“Vido Mehic steps up here, he’s looking to complete an extra time hat-trick which will send Ararat to the Copa de Campeones semi-finals.” The commentator states. “Mehic, approaching the ball… He’s sent the goalkeeper the wrong way! 4-1 to Ararat! 4-2 on aggregate! An extra time masterclass by Vido Mehic to send his team through! Unbelievable scenes here at Korecky Road!”

‘ARARAT ARARAT PRVAKI!’ echoes around the Korecky Road terraces. The referee has hardly blown the whistle before the players begin to run to each other in celebration. Ararat Severyan will play in the semi-finals of the Rushmore Copa de Campeones.

by **Aut-Ves-Nat** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:10 pm

"After winning what they called the Underwater Cup (UWC) Aut-Ves-Nat lost their crown to Geektopia. The geeks were not able to keep what they'd stolen from technology. World Champs The Holy Empire, now known as "Steven" to Aut-Ves-Nat's data base, would become champs again after their stunning defeat against Aut-Ves-Nat. Now, on the penultimate matchday, the water borne vagabonds of the Autonomus Vessel Nation have a shot to rewind the clock, and take back the booty. Then a match against Vilita would follow, which is a return leg from a draw earlier in the qualifying campaign.

However, issues with wether or not the UWC has a physical trophy caused concern in Aut-Ves-Nat ranks, having collected profit from the CAFA cup, winning something without a trophy would be seen as a downgrade. Without qualifying for the World Cup however, the seafaring nation would be looking for some kind of victory against Group 13's toughest teams, and perhaps a third taste of title holding glory."

~Except from RekanSport article, "Peculiar Champs & Their Quest For Booty; Aut-Ves-Nat's final games" by Šojka Tomičić

by **Electrum** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:10 pm

OOC: Please credit Kelssek for the image.

Centralis Herald - Travel Section - Ameerah Gauci

Air Terranea presents new livery as part of its refresh

Air Terranea's newest Celestar Ce552, fresh from delivery from Kelssek, was selected to be the charter plane that took Electrumite fans to that fateful 1-all draw in Tyskerlund. While the match's outcome was certainly below fan's expectations, it was at least made up by the improved product for passengers with commiserations being poured out aplenty on the flight back.

Back to the start of the trip. Centralis' Air Terranea Business lounge features new wooden panels and soft ambient lighting upon entry. There are accents of white panelling and greenery to please the eye all throughout the lounge. Once your boarding pass is checked (I prefer the contactless option these days) you are given a choice of alcohol or freshly squeezed juice. It's a large space with plenty of views of the main runway but more importantly there are office spaces for working and shower facilities if you're transferring from another Electrumite city. It's the little things such as plentiful access to power points and the barista made coffee that make this lounge a must visit destination. You'll be able to milk as much time as you can in the lounge until final call with the express security exit allowing all premium travellers to bypass the queues.

Onto the new Ce552 and once again you have the choice of any drink you want but I've chosen the pre-flight bubbles. In particular, Grenville Vintage. You can almost taste the lightness in the air. The seat fully reclines and there is ample legroom with the customary ottoman if you're so inclined. Gone is the cramped herringbone seating arrangement with a return to the traditional layout with free wifi now on all of the new Ce552s. If you're a solo traveller you should definitely go for the window seats and if you're coming as a couple, it is highly recommended to take the aisle seats where you can lower the middle barrier, as if you were in a car rolling down the windshield. This business class is a vastly superior upgrade compared to previous iterations. All seats now have direct aisle access and the window seats now have a clear view of the sky.

And for our dinner service in this late-night red-eye flight designed to take us right on time to Tyskerlund had several options depending on your preferences. If you wanted a heavy meal to sleep better you could go for the tournedos: beef tenderloin cooked in a demi-glace sauce with some foie gras and truffles on top. Or if you wanted something light and refreshing there was the stunning roast cauliflower salad with some olive oil and seasonal vegetables. It paired nicely with the vintner's choice of Prescott Cabin shiraz. There was a similar variety of choices in the breakfast menu with the continental breakfast being the standout winner with the muesli and freshly baked danish. All of these dishes were delivered promptly and professionally by the Air Terranea staff, who were always attentive to our needs -- even making the seat without being asked!

While in the final hours of the flight, I checked the entertainment options. I can safely report that the Dream Games IFE still continues to function well. Its clunky user interface notwithstanding, there were plenty of podcast, television, movie and even reading options. You are provided your own noise-cancelling headphones but they only kind of work, you can still sometimes hear the engine murmurs. I prefer to use my own headphones instead but the ones provided by AT are serviceable.

All in all, it was a satisfying experience. Air Terranea and Celestar should be commended for crafting such a superior product. There is more space than ever before and the removal of the herringbone seating should be applauded. Business is definitely the way to go, even if your only business is to watch the game.

by **Huayramarca** » Sat May 28, 2022 6:39 pm

Public Servant

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Part 10 – Miracle

Outskirts of Sechura, Sechura, March 25^th, 1986

“Ok, let’s move the instruments with carefulness, we don’t want to throw this effort to the trash can so soon.” Said Marcos, an Engineer who was preparing instruments to do some prospections in a random field outside of the Metropolitan Core of Sechura, a city located in the far east of Huayramarca, deep in the jungle but still the third most important metropolis of the nation. With 2 million inhabitants, Sechura has always been a gateway for commerce between Huayramarca and the northern metropolises of Krytenia, which are closer than the Metropolitan District. Bustling market, some high-rises holding mining corporations and rubber producers, this zone has had, for some time, the reputation of being the tire producer for the northern portion of Anaia.

Things were slightly different this time, Marcos was leading only a team from a bigger project, there were at least 20 other teams across the department of Sechura in order to settle, for goo, the rumours that Sechura has oil deposits without being exploited. The Conservatives, which are the dominant political party of the zone, have always claimed that Sechura is lying over “black ore” as they call oil, but the government has always been dubious whether to claim or not the existence of that commodity. The oil myth has been widespread through the department to the point that there are even sports teams named with oil-related lore such as the Sechura Oilers in the Huayramarcan Hockey League and Sociedad Petrolera, a team that takes part of the Copa Huayramarca as a rather solid side, but there was need to verify that, in fact, Huayramarca has oil underneath, this was the right time to do so.

A mini army of 50 people were preparing a field with hydraulic perforators, sensors, computers and sonars in order to detect some signals of fluid underneath the local soil, Marcos commanded and said “No soil fracking, keep it eco-friendly as much as possible” “OK!” shouted some workers from the background, as they started to make sure if the oil derrick was settled firmly in the ground. “All clear, the derrick is OK!” said a worker, then Marcos rushed to the command centre to make sure that everything would be OK, aside from checking the control panel and indicators that would be important for the process. Marcos arrived and pressed the drill button in a console, then a giant perforator began to move from the top of the derrick and drilled the soil, it continued to push and there wasn’t anything good in the lectures.

“No oil yet in Field 24” said Marcos, a voice copied his message, then some other units informed that they had already finished the installation of derricks and equipment needed to do the prospections. An alarm was listened at the background, Marcos thought it was oil but it was the perforator that had to be stopped due to overheating; using sub-optimal equipment isn’t the best thing, specially for somebody that is heavily concerned of having clean and safe operations such as Marcos “Let temperature get some degrees lower, then we begin.” The operators awaited until the new indication of Marcos, who decided to switch view from the operations centre, then he moved to see the hole made for the drilling, he noticed something weird coming from the hole, it was a small bit of dark substance “Is it oil?” asked to a supervisor, the latter rose his head and noticed “it’s oil” Marcos was happy but then the supervisor pointed “It’s an oil leakage from the drill” “Damn it!”

Illusions shattered soon, repairs had to be done to the drill in order to resume operations and determine the status of the soil there. After an hour, Marcos asked to recommence the operation, drilling was going fine and then the team decided to change view in the control panel “MARCOS!” screamed an operator, Marcos was chatting on the phone, he walked fast and then arrived “Please confirm the data, it’s real or it’s a miscalculation of this cranky machine?” Independent sensors had to be activated, took some minutes in order to get a result and, in fact, the cranky derrick didn’t joke about the findings “It’s a gigantic oil reserve!” Marcos jumped in happiness, then he asked to push the drill more and more, then oil came like a geyser “OIL! EUREKA!” Marcos and the team hugged to each other as they knew that it was a turning point for Huayramarca, if handed properly.

Marcos took his radio and notified to the Command Centre “Ladies and Gentleman, Field 24 here. Oil has been found, I repeat, oil has been found!” The other side of the signal said “Amount?” Marcos then said “280 million barrels approximately.” Command Centre said “Please, confirm.” Marcos said happily “280 million barrels. This is not a simulacre, this is not a joke.” Centre replied “Roger” Then, his radio channel began to get busier and busier, there were more findings and also notifications that there wasn’t oil at all in some fields. “Field 18 hasn’t oil”, “Field 29 has 430 million barrels approx.” on and on, like a domino a reality imposed among the workers and everybody having knowledge of the operations, there’s oil and a lot of it.

At the Command Centre, the operators were screaming “Oil, baby, oil!” as people began to make calculations and read the parameters sent by the different prospection fields one by one, the people on charge changed their faces from seriousness to surprise ones, data was astonishing as it continued to surge from the channels and then peer reviewed by the analysts at the Centre. “There’s an enormous amount of oil, it’s real yet ridiculous” As there was information about 95% of wells, the news was spreading fast: numbers jumped from a billion to 100 billion in a matter of an hour, and the rhythm didn’t seem to stop so fast, until the 100% was reached and a final calculation was reached “There is 175 billion oil barrels, estimated, in Sechura at least.” Said an analyst, people cheered and applauded as the operation was successful, they found oil and discovered gigantic reserves only in Sechura.

As the Command Centre was celebrating, phone calls were received by politicians, Marta Mamani received one from Víctor, his assistant “Good evening, Marta. There is shocking news for tonight.” Marta was surprised and then said “What’s going on?” Víctor replied “A gamechanger for Huayramarca” she said “What?” Víctor then answered “Oil has been found in Sechura, 175 billion barrels of oil approximately.” Marta was genuinely surprised, then she asked “Isn’t a joke?” Víctor then said “I’m not a joker, lol.” “This is enough oil to satisfy our national needs for a millennium” Marta’s face was red, as she was surprised, Juanito thought it was bad news and he asked “What’s happening?” Marta made a gesture of money and then a gesture of big size, he thought it was a bribe and he got anger, but decided to let her talk. “That’s some great news, does it deserve a public broadcasting at night?” Víctor said “It must be a public broadcast.” She hung the call and then faced Juanito, who said “Bribe?” Marta then said “WTF? No. Oil has been found in Sechura, billions of barrels underneath the soil.” Juanito then said “How many?” “175 billion” said his mom, then Juanito said “That’s quite a lot.” “I have to leave” said Marta, as she dressed and got into a car.

A discourse was prepared already by Víctor, she read it and then said “Not needed. It’s important to be natural enough for this situation, as it it’s a gamechanger as you said.” “Check the stats, keep it.” Said Víctor, then Marta accepted as she was preparing some key words to say while speaking to the public at the Palacio del Altiplano. It was prime time, but it didn’t matter as it was one in a lifetime finding for a nation that has struggled a lot with poverty, injustice and corruption. Oil could be the key to take Huayramarca out of the situation. Miracle.

The cameras were set, Víctor said “You’ll be live in 5 minutes, so get ready in the podium to talk. Remember, no nerves, no fear. Be yourself!” Then she got the papers in order to do a last review and make sure that data was correct, so she would avoid confusions or misunderstandings about the news. People were still getting a bit of information, Twii.tur had “Oil” as a trend but catalogued it as “fake news” and then censored it. It was Marta’s turn to confirm what had happened.

“Ok, we’re beginning in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…” Then the screens were focusing Marta, a podium and some trees in the background “Dear citizens of Huayramarca, it’s a pleasure to meet you all tonight in this Public Broadcast. I apologise for interrupting your series, movies, etc. Hence, I’ll be straightforward as possible with the news I’ve got for you.”

“Through the years, Huayramarca has been infested by corruption and we have fought against it to minimise it, we continue to provide the best for the people as much as possible despite the few resources we have in terms of money. But this will change with immediate effect. It’s a pleasure for me to announce that today, March 25^th of 1986, oil has been found in Sechura. Early estimations announce that we’ve found oil reserves that account for 175 billion barrels, enough to supply our needs for a millennium if we relied entirely of it. These findings will help us to extract, in the most ecofriendly way possible, then sell and use the earnings to improve general services and life conditions of those in need, fulfilling the compromises signed in the Equalisation Funding Law, Pension Funds Act, Ease of Business and, of course, the Civic Charter of Rights for Huayramarca (Constitution). As I said when signing this act packages, it’s the beginning of a new era for Huayramarca, an era of prosperity and dignity!”

Marta’s speech was over, she has told the important details and she didn’t want to interrupt people while watching their novellas but, to be fair, the circumstances were important enough to do so. Some people were satisfied, so satisfied that fireworks were heard across the Metropolitan District, some important Sierra cities such as Tulcán, Capayán, Independencia, Cumbayá, El Alto and, of course, Isles, Jungle and Coast. An important industry was being given birth, a spearhead for the hopes of millions of Huayramarcans to see their nation thrive, step by step, in a quest for dignity in life. Crowds were honking their vehicles outside the Palacio del Altiplano celebrating the discovery, then Marta decided to take a nap in a room she had prepared in the Palacio just in case, she called Juanito and asked Víctor to pick him up.

Marta slept and then, a dream began in her head, it was Túpac Amaru appearing once again “You have it all, it’s a make or not make issue for you. You’re in a position that you could be forever remembered as a person that managed to leave a positive legacy for Huayramarca and its people or a person who wasted the resources of the Pachamama and failed in her compromise to make sure that her people would have redemption, be dignified after being ignored and abused by corrupt and evil souls.” Marta then said “What should I do?” Túpac said “I’ve crossed you before in dreams, you know well what to do. Be honest, manage those resources wisely and efficiently, you must consider those who are in need and take advantage from the gifts that the Pachamama is giving to you all. Make it for the people of Huayramarca, give them a better life and development, they deserve this after suffering constantly and harshly.” Túpac vanished, Marta continued to sleep as she was tired. Energy had to be recovered, as Huayramarca won’t be the same nation when the sun rises again the following day than it used to be.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Park need only single to make field
by Robert Uehler
Riverside Sunday Examiner

(Belle Haven)--The final home match for the Baker Park National Soccer Team at the BBP Stadium could be the clincher for Group 4, as they sit six points ahead of second placed Jeruselem. Acastanha, which already drew with the Bees on matchday 10 at their own stadium will provide the opposition as they look to finish strongly with an outside shot of catching Trolleborg in third for an inter-group playoff berth.

The Commonwealth will field near full strength sides against the visitors and in the final trip to Gortolekua on the last matchday. Manager Jennifer Prescott will be looking to solidify the starting XI ahead of the Finals, although that doesn't necessarily mean that BP will look to push any advantages they might encounter in either contest.

Zach Johnston's second consecutive clean sheet at the 11 December Stadium against Trolleborg was his 17th international shutout which pushes him past Scott Hartline in first all-time.It was the fourth time in the previous five matches the Bees held their opponent scoreless, and equaled a WC team record with their eighth perfect defensive game, accomplished in both World Cups 81 & 82.

Defender Derion Hutchins will be in the 23 player squad in spite of giving up his roster spot and announcing his retirement from the National Team, and Prescott said that if the circumstances warrant, he will be on the pitch at the final whistle for his 81st cap.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:12 pm

Groups 8-15's fates shall be sealed...imminently. Good luck to all contenders!

Scores!

Thanks to all who contributed with their RPs!

by **Zwangzug** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:42 pm

(OOC: No disrespect to any of our Rushmori dynasties intended, any misunderstandings are my own and not canonical.)

(Ciuru 56; Richardson 12, Haugen 48)
(Dulk-Fough 34, Nguyen 45+1, Puyo-Sachar 60; Lorennion 82)

by **The Gothanita Isles** » Sat May 28, 2022 7:54 pm

Permutations for final 2 matchdays (Part 2)
Reposted from Poafmer Times/Sporting Daily publications
Fiskadaha - Among the 15 direct spots to the World Cup finals, only 4 teams have secured their direct qualification spot. An additional 19 teams are assured of at least the playoffs, while many continue to push for the at least a playoff spot that will give them a shot at the World Cup proper - considered as a "sacred" ground for many country's fans around the world. We are down to just 2 matchdays - Matchday 21 and 22 will be the final weekend which will decide which teams advance to the playoffs, which teams will gain the direct ticket to the World Cup, and which teams will experience heartbreak. This review will aim to resolve the problems we have been facing - that is, which teams have a realistic chance at the World Cup playoffs? Which teams require miracles to make it? Which teams will have nothing to play for on the final matchdays? In this report, we will provide the permutations required for the final matchday.

And here we go:

Group 11

Group Table as at Matchday 20

# Group 11                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Pemecutan (Q)                    19   14   5   0    64   31  +33    47
2 Chromatika (Z)                   18   11   5   2    40   22  +18    38
3 Cabo Azure (Z)                   19   11   1   7    42   32  +10    34
4 HUElavia (Z)                     18    9   6   3    45   28  +17    33
5 Saterun (Z)                      18   10   3   5    33   24   +9    33
6 Kimi-Suomi (Z)                   18    8   4   6    42   30  +12    28
7 Al Qurija (E)                    18    7   2   9    36   37   −1    23

Key Fixtures to Note
Matchday 21
Chromatika vs Kimi-Suomi, Raspotochje vs HUElavia, Saterun vs Stresia

Matchday 22
Al Qurija vs Chromatika, Stresia vs Cabo Azure, Thibaea vs HUElavia, Kimi-Suomi vs Saterun

Chromatika very likely qualifies for the Playoffs, needing just 2 points from their remaining 2 games to do it. The other spot, however, is not that straightforward. Cabo Azure has to score maximum points in order to qualify for the playoffs, given that they plaed one game more. Saterun and HUElavia both would need all 6 points to fight for the playoff position, while Kimi-Suomi needs a series of results elsewhere, combined with them grabbing wins against Chromatika and Saterun, to be able to achieve the position. We believe it is likely that the two playoff spots will go to Chromatika and HUElavia, with Saterun barely falling short due to their relatively tougher fixtures.

Group 12

Group Table as at Matchday 20
# Group 12                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Banija (Q)                       19   14   3   2    50   23  +27    45
2 Brookstation (P)                 18   11   4   3    52   37  +15    37
3 Squornshelan Remnant States (P)  18   11   3   4    47   31  +16    36
Key Fixtures to Note
Matchday 21
Squornshelan Remnant States vs Brookstation

Matchday 22
Brookstation vs Milchama, Mon Sold vs Squornshelan Remnant States

The playoff spots have been fixed, so both teams are fighting for a better seeding. The Matchday 21 fixture will be crucial, with a win possibly enough to grab the second spot.

Group 13

Group Table as at Matchday 20
# Group 13                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 The Holy Empire (X)              19   15   2   2    61   28  +33    47
2 Vilita (X)                       18   13   2   3    47   25  +22    41
3 Astograth (Z)                    19   10   2   7    39   33   +6    32
4 Garifunya (Z)                    18    9   4   5    44   32  +12    31
5 Chartistan (Z)                   18    9   3   6    41   31  +10    30
6 Geektopia (Z)                    18    8   3   7    33   30   +3    27
7 Aut-Ves-Nat (E)                  18    7   3   8    36   44   −8    24
Key Fixtures to Note
Matchday 21
The Holy Empire vs Aut-Ves-Nat (UWC tie), Vilita vs Garifunya, Chartistan vs Unpleasant, Geektopia vs Star United States

Matchday 22
Aut-Ves-Nat vs Vilita, Unpleasant vs Astograth, Garifunya vs Geektopia, Darkmania vs Chartistan

The Holy Empire needs to lose to Aut-Ves-Nat for Vilita to have any chance. I mean, THE did do that the last time round, but expecting the Boat to travel to the Dreamed Realms and repeat it sounds like a tall order. Meanwhile, the second playoff spot remains ridiculous. Astograth is looking to grab a solid victory against pointless Unpleasant to remain at 35 points, leaving Garifunya and Chartistan the teams likely to seal that spot. It is less than straightforward. Chartsitan has the easiest run-in, home against Unpleasant, and then away at Darkmania. Garifunya would have to play Vilita, who certainly won't be in a position to give any chance, as well as against Geektopia, who is likely to want to end their dissapointing campaign on a high. We believe Chartistan is likely to push for the last playoff spot with 6 points from their final 2 games.

Group 14

Group Table as at Matchday 20
# Group 14                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Turori (X)                       18   13   2   3    38   17  +21    41
2 Flavovespia                      18   12   3   3    35   17  +18    39
3 Juvencus                         18   11   3   4    45   29  +16    36
4 Starblaydia (Z)                  18   10   3   5    36   30   +6    33
5 Wreckeria (Z)                    18   10   2   6    45   26  +19    32
6 Forbidden Territories (E)        19    8   3   8    17   25   −8    27
Key Fixtures to Note
Matchday 21
The 14 Stars vs Turori, Wreckeria vs Flavovespia, Juvencus vs Savojarna, Gadria vs Starblaydia

Matchday 22
Juvencus vs Turori, Flavovespia vs The 14 Stars, Starblaydia vs Forbidden Territories, New Folgore vs Wreckeria

Turori has a tough game away at Juvencus on the final matchday. That is likely going to play a role in deciding the final playoff spot, likely to be split between Juvencus, Starblaydia and Wreckeria. Flavovespia will certainly grab that 2nd spot - but not without a fight against Wreckeria. Wreckeria has to play out 2 games - first they have to defeat Flavovespia to have any chances, then they would certainly need to grab an easy win against New Folgore. Starblaydia has a good path with 6 points, but they have to overhaul an inferior goal difference to stand a chance of the playoffs.

Group 15

Group Table as at Matchday 20
# Group 15                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Valanora                         18   15   2   1    57   20  +37    47
2 Hapilopper                       19   14   5   0    57   32  +25    47
3 Savigliane                       18   12   2   4    51   36  +15    38
4 Baggieland                       18    9   6   3    38   28  +10    33
5 Kelssek                          18   10   3   5    38   29   +9    33
Key Fixtures to Note
Matchday 21
Savigliane vs Valanora, Hapilopper vs Abanhfleft, Kelssek vs Baggieland

Matchday 22
Valanora vs Macbon, Baggieland vs Savigliane, Eastfield Lodge vs Kelssek

Valanora, with 2 games, just have to obtain 4 points. And that is typically doable, with Savigliane also one foot into the playoffs. 2 points from their remaining 2 games certainly looks like what it takes for Savigliane. For Kelssek and Baggieland, at least one of them will be eliminated after their Matchday 21 encounter, and following that, the winner of that match needs to win their final game and hope Savigliane drops points. Sounds like a tall order.

World Cup 91 [roleplays]

The Final Games Are On The Horizon.

WC91Q Group 13 - Final Showdown Preview v. Aut-Ves-Nat

Boot It!: We Have The Playoffs In Our Hands.

Bridget Coombe on Bridget Coombe

Naresmet taFrexala on Naresmet taFrexala

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