[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

by **Natanians and Nosts** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:38 am

After a series of thin wins,Natanians and Nosts has first defeat,to Turori

Last matchday,at a full Arenă N-City,Natanians and Nosts suffered its first defeat this WCQ cycle.The team was defeated by Turori.
Wearing its white-sleeved blue shirt,Natanians and Nosts started exerting high pressure for the first ten minutes of match,but it did not incur any risk to the posts of Derizi Amatopa.Turori's sole goal was scored early on in the game,Nua'oma Aikiki received a cross from Amakli Inuro'o and shook the net at the 27th minute of the first period.After scoring the winning goals of Natanians and Nosts' first two victories,Márcus Mihai Torjenescu (Ion Claudiu t'Brāhinni was the starter last match) wasted a good opportunity sending the ball to Derizi Amatopa's hands at the 41st minute.Turori threw away a free kick in good position on the 43rd minute.The last moment of the first period was Cláudius Júlio Weiß crossing straight from Natanians and Nosts' half of the field and it dangerously hitting the upper post,and leaving;the referee whistling as the ball left the playing field.
The second period again started with Natanians and Nosts pressing,this time with Márcus Mihai Torjenescu having good opportunities on the 5th and 7th minutes.Turori took control of the match from the 16 minute.Kiidallen Aeroluzzi was getting into a good scoring opportunity,but Ion Viktor Enderssen went too harshly for the ball,which rendered him an yellow card and a free kick for Turori at the 20th minute,which was missed.Mihai Júnio Lima Larssen,receiving a heading from a corner,got rid of Karek Edgeli and Planio'o Nrujsa,to send the ball onto the net,but Derizi Amatopa made an amazing deffence.Moumouni Verre'elali tried a diagonal long-distance shot,but was unable to avoid Getúlio Epitácio Soares.44th minute,Turori threw away another opportunity when Nua'oma Aikiki sent the ball too far wide.
Natanians and Nosts 0x1 Turori.First defeat and first goal conceded at the qualification for the 92nd World Cup.Next match the squad will face Ceni.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:27 am

OOC note: Dear cohosts - Please DO NOT GRADE this RP.

For the sake of narrative progression, there will be two RPs posted for this cutoff window - one for a quick match review and other for actual storyline RP - with myself already receiving roughly expected RP cutoff time from Vilita for tonight.

The second piece, which is somewhat related with the theme of Blood Sea but long predates the very match, intends to focus on the actual storyline (Dr Heo Portal story) that I intend to focus on for this cycle. Mr. Vil-ita knows this, for he has helped a lot with the IC construction of the Blood Sea and its tricky, turbulent nature where three regions converge, after all.

So my other piece, due to be released before MD7-8 cutoff, should be the only one that should be graded for today's matchday cutoff window.

Anyways many thanks to those who have made inspired this RP piece - Huayramarca, Squornshelous, Cardenao, Drawkland, Tikariot and Tumbra are just six of those who have made this piece possible.

The Mathletes - Scientific, Literary Venue of Sports Journalism

Shameful display of football secondary of concerns as Ram Ranch hit with explosions and submergence

Credits to Tikariot for this beautifully-designed logo.

Patrice Moreno

COUNO, TUMBRA - It is often said that attending the matches of the Independent Athletes from Quebec [and Shingoryeo] senior football team is a life-altering moment.

Of course, there are reasons behind that. Over the past decade alone we have seen absurdities unfolding across the Grim Reapers' adventure to international footballing relevance since their return about fifteen years ago. There was the tragic 'Neuer 2018 Moment' match of Nelson Okello, who had until that moment been having one of the best two-year cycles ever experienced by a Quebecois goalkeeper, against Farfadillis in the dying minutes of the World Cup 88. Then there were the legendary final moments of the Wangolo and Kaal eras where the former was booed and were getting tomatoes thrown at him, while the other actually brought the mass suicides of ten coaches, staff and members of the RQFA Board at the time, during the World Cup 89 and 80 qualification campaign's disgraceful end.

Then there was the legendary Faroleran Bonfire where the joint Quebeco-Farf bonfire outside and inside the stadium has brought one of the most bizarre football matches in the recent history of the World Cup where you ended up with the following:

Marco 'The Prince' Hertel dispatching two pigs released to the turf, before doing the same with a figurative pig of a policeman who came to arrest him [probably of Faroleran origin], bringing forth his canonisation in Ruland!
A massive forest fire outside of La Gran Farolera that mushroomed into a region-wide firestorm!
A match gone 2-2 ('66 Huitema-Omeasoo goal) to 7-2 goalfest, unfortunately in favour of the cohosts!

Now, now. Let's stop looking at the past. Actually focus on the present time because the World Cup, as sweet as it may have been, was nine months ago. Let's skip forward.

On the surface, a matchup between the Grim Reapers and Mercedini looked fairly straightforward, for it mainly pitted the second-seeds, whose form is the only inconsistent one in the nation best remembered for lack of a normal home venue, against a third-seed best immortalised for its endemic disease by the name of COVID-19, which was considered to be mostly nonexistent or even eradicated centuries ago on most sporting nations of the AREMA. For those not aware, that's the acronym used for five prominent regions best remembered for their sporting involvement, with Mandalunasa the latest one to join the club. Don't ask why Sonnel, the Pacific's or other regions are not there - not my problem.

That said, even with the disease long eradicated in Quebec and Shingoryeo with the development of vaccines many decades ago (in 1990), there were genuine concerns by the public about the lack of guarantee in which entrance of the side from Mercedini or Novapax region as a whole, would be able to assure the safety of the Quebecois citizens. This particular sentiment, only made worse by the display of organisational fickleness and lack of integrity by the hosting committee for the World Cup of Hockey's sudden, radical format change and puckdrop time change for lack of a well-thought reason, suggested that there was none to trust. Thus, it was left up to the Grim Reapers' team, combined with about one thousand home fans - with the post-WC90 RQFA policy for home games being no away fans allowed at the Grim Reapers' senior-level matches - who had to fly to Pronghorn Island, with about a dozen reporters allowed to fly after a week-long quarantine at the federation-designated facilities.

Of course, sending about 1,100 people that consisted of the IAQ side, the journos, and one thousand members of 'The Bubonic' to this island located in the middle of Blood Sea doesn't sound like a good idea. In fact, it never was. During our week-long quarantine prior to the chartered flight to Pronghorn Island, the group chat of media professionals heading to Grim Reapers' match was filled with messages of worries, doubt and everything else that concerned our mission up north. All of us, starting to feel claustrophobic not being able to get out, raised serious concerns about how dangerous would such a trip be. Turns out we were right believing in our fears.

For those familiar with the Tee O. Rammastein’s Ranch, an automobile company long familiar to the Quebecois public for their pickup trucks and SUVs, it’s a place located in the middle of Blood Sea. Of course, the name itself alone would suggest the existence of sea monsters, intoxicating sea fog, and of course the ever-changing colour of the ocean that has terrified the sailors between northern Calanaia (Calania, a dual-layered sub-region located in both Anaia and Atlantian Oceania) and southern Rushmore. Thus it was inevitable that the Quebecois delegation, placed into two Avro A-380 jets to ensure maximum capacity and comfort, but also to establish some distance between each and every passenger. With little fanfare and even less media coverage, perhaps to ensure the low-profiled nature of the Grim Reapers’ match, the jets would leave Joongyeong at ten in the morning for a short flight before arriving at the Pronghorn Island at five in the evening.

Now now, let’s not bore ourselves with the mundane details of the flight, or what had happened in the days leading up to the very disaster of a match we had witnessed. The island itself was a wonder of its own. Like what you have all heard of before, it’s a deer-shaped island that appeared to us after seven hours of diagonal flight across the Blood Sea, just short of reaching northwestern Esportiva, and would emerge from the clouds, full of grass, half-full of trees and plenty of animals. The air there was fresh, perhaps to the point of getting intoxicated by the strange powers that had resided over it. So when the plane gradually descended to a relatively short runway of the Pronghorn Island Airport, there was no doubt all of our fears, for the time being, would be eased and that the match, perhaps, was going to be just alright.

How foolish we were.

It seemed like Monday’s match at the Ram Ranch was going to be an unceremonious one. It was a very rainy morning, just as the forecasts had predicted, and the midnight kickoff time, necessitated to allow a few thousand fans to catch an illegal stream online, meaning that the night was going to be fully ripe for some fun.

As expected both sides were warming up with nothing else noticeable besides that when a few dozen fans, all certified members of ‘The Bubonic Plague’ per entry requirement to the island, had set up a couple of interesting devices. It was still about half an hour to an hour before the first whistle blew, and with the tent accommodation only minutes away from the start of the game, there were not a lot of fans out in the stands for this purpose. Some coaches, most notably assistant manager Sam Oronhyatekha, had managed to notice this and tried to remove those devices from the property, but since no security staff were inside the stadium at the time, the argument had ended up going nowhere with the hooligans, who appeared to ready themselves for a massive celebration or humiliation, keeping their cover of a lamb. Since then, I and my colleagues have started to worry that something bizarre and strange was going to happen in tonight’s matches.

Steadily the stands were filled to capacity with both sides stopping their practice routines as David Fasnacht, the sole NSWCC-certified referee in all of Whitecroft, the regional neighbour of the Quebecois state, entered the field. The usual procedure would then follow, with the national anthems sung by the players, the fans singing ‘I vow to thee, my homeland’ with a roar only their Huayramarcan or Mytanar equivalents could overpower, and boo the Mercedinian anthem that had followed after, the players shaking each other’s hands. The technical staff, in the meanwhile, once again checked the 40,000-seater’s premises to ensure that the floodlights were good to go considering the late kickoff time of the match.

In any case, game on. The match itself remained rather unceremonious for the first half of play with two sides, who had the second-place spot of the contentious group 13 on line, playing for the win and not a draw, but the slipperiness of the turf, a product of the previous two days’ torrential downpour, had meant that both sides had to play conservative to avoid injuries and substitutes so early in the game. Minutes would gradually pass with no difference in score, and one after another the most fairweather of the fans would leave, with only about eight hundred fans heading home. Fasnacht, who in his age 61 was considered elderly and perhaps too out of pace to really be refereeing at such a high level, needed not to require to jog, for all that he could hear were the jeers of those Bubonic Plague fans who were unhappy with relative lack of play on the game, with 4 shots fired by the Grim Reapers to 2 for the Dini.

So there was no doubt that the halftime came with a massive sense of relief for all parties. Sure there were some thunder and lightning right outside the stadiums, and fans with better hearing than I would be able to hear some strange buzzes coming from the sea monsters some distance away, even if they were not ready to be on the prowl.

Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny if there were indeed eighteen naked Grim Reapers, who were all dressed as cowboys from those Western films. But those fans’ rush all over the field, while blinding in effect, was a significant upgrade over the poor quality of the first half of this match that the fans were subjected to. Now some fans and colleagues who were sitting next to me on the Level 200 were wondering if the match’s still going to continue, or if it will be postponed to another day.

The match would restart around one in the morning, and this is where things would start getting interesting. First of the incidents occurred on the fifty-seventh minute when the score was 1-1 with goals scored by Frederic Yabusele and Ben Chillotov. The Grim Reapers’ turn to receive the ball had come on a goal kick, but the ball, thanks to an impressive Adrian Talisky kick that had struck just wide right of the goalpost and into the beach right behind the stadium (OOC note: The Ram Ranch has three, gigantic stands, with the fourth facing the beach without any seating), did not return. With the ball not coming, presumably eaten up by the creatures of the Blood Sea, the players nervously stood and waited for five minutes without success, and to the referee’s frustration.

Eventually, Fasnacht decided to ask the fans on one stand, whose banner ‘Playoff Or Pfired: Your Choice Condori’ were written in red paint, if he could burrow the paint. We do not know what exactly happened, but it was probable the conversation between Fasnacht and the banner-holders was anything but peaceful considering what had happened the next.

Back with his whistles blown, the long thirty-five minutes of the match would begin. Picking up where they had left off both sides would pick up their pace, with their grunts and shoves all apparent to those familiar with the game. Now with the clock ticking and the score still stuck in the deadlock, both sides dove aggressively to possess the ball as if the match, a possible six-pointer, were a do-or-die showdown.

Unfortunately, this is where things would start going wrong. After substitute Hong Yeong-Sahm’s header in the 63rd minute to establish a 2-1 lead, the Grim Reapers would get complacent with a lead and start losing their mould. This issue of complacency, one that many had attributed to the lack of quality or historical opponents with whom the Quebecois share positive or even noticeable history outside of top seed Valanora, was no doubt a problem. So when the Grim Reapers actually fought, they started thinking with their muscle or third leg, and not exactly with their head. A cruel, cruel tackle to Adrian Talitsky on the penalty box, enabled by none other than burly-haired Chewbacca, would cause the player to tumble and flip. A round of applause followed from the fans over what they had thought to be a goal-preventing tackle, which would subsequently turn into jeers as Fasnacht (appropriately) gave the red card to the menacing centreback. Next thing, 2-2 was the score and it was still the 70th minute of play.

The remainder of the match had proceeded, with a twist. With the tie still waiting to be broken, the game progressed quickly, with both sides committing themselves to violent tackles. There was an interesting feature that nobody, not even the RQFA and the Rammastein Motors’ inspectors had expected, however, as Grim Reapers’ started accumulating yellow and red cards. On each and every occasion the Grim Reapers would receive a card from now-annoyed Fasnacht, whose grin looked all too apparent even on television, seconds of loud, Gollum-like screams would be heard from the waters of Blood Sea some distance away. This would be followed by bizarre explosions, which have since been confirmed to the deeds of the technologically-curious teenage fans of the delegation, just outside of the arena, and then there were words of a moving hand right above the water. Still wanting to come away with a win or at least secure a draw, now-unfairly-shorthanded Grim Reapers chose to focus less on what was happening outside of the pitch, for they were now barely in the game with a massive two-man disadvantage to their situation. Now having used up four of their five substitutions they had a mix of second-string and youth talents, something that Ruben Condori had viewed to be a good way to secure at least a draw and to ease the players ahead of saturday’s match in Chartistan.

Finally, came the most controversial moment of the match in the final minute of play. It was now the final minute of the game. A loud chant of ‘Ram Ranch entrance music’ played by a makeshift marching band over the night sky full of stars and a single, full moon, over this island. Eight minutes of injury time, however, would mean that the relief that Ruben Condori and his staff had hoped for would have to wait, and thus the disaster came.

Whether the game-winning goal for Dini side was legitimate or not shoudn’t be questioned, for it wasn’t. The footage of the goal, which was comparable to what most people on the other side of the interrealm portal had long recognised as the ‘Hand of God’, needs no further explanation on its blatant nature, nor a possibly dubious reason behind now-deceased referee’s decision to recognise it as a goal for 24-year old Adrian Talisky. Not that a dead man could speak much on such anyway.

Anyways what had happened the next would continue to escalate the level of excitement for those observing from apart. With the boos, jeers and shouts from the Grim Reapers’ fans as the bass line, the Ram Ranch was filled with noise right after, but not in the ways that those at home would expect. Under normal circumstances, any kind of goal that would break a tie on the six-point matchup would either bring the arena to a massive cheer or silence, but neither option existed, with the sea monsters screeching and roaring all over from a distance and the now-pissed fans starting to boo the referee, causing immense dizziness and other related distress upon the players.

Still, the last minute of the game had to go on as expected as the ball was brought back to the centre with the Quebecois having one last crack at it. With time running shortly after about six minutes of injury time, the home side knew that they, if they wanted to avoid the wrath of twenty Mjolnir spanks that awaited each of them, had to come up with a very quick, efficient attack. It was a straightforward idea that involved two-on-two play of Mathinna Bouck and Anna Korniloff-Kouyate, both of whom had shared a long history of chemistry dating back to their under-18 national team days.

Now, with time ticking faster than ever, the players rushed in hopes of at least salvaging a point. There still existed a major challenge, for now, the players too could hear the noises from the sea monsters and the ghouls who were slowly inching closer to the island. In the last hope for a goal, the Grim Reapers’ ranks quickly came to a dash as Mathinna Bouck, who just managed to almost a third of her field deking past three Mercedinians alone, stood just outside of the goal line. At that very moment she had a choice - to shoot a long-range cannonball or to tip a light pass for Anna Korniloff-Kouyate, her longtime friend, or even the striker Kim Seung-Yoon, most recently the golden boot winner in the Eastfield Lodge. Both of them looked like a realistic chance, and if we think carefully about them, would have worked out fine.

Sometimes life would not work out that way, however, especially when it would seem that everything seemed to not work out (even without mentioning said Fasnacht, mind you). Usually it’s okay to have those days. Unfortunately enough, the next thing all would see was a shot that missed and flew wide left and into the empty stand. With the match all but settled, and the eighth minute had passed, the Whitecroftian referee whistled the end of the match.

The exit would not be so peaceful, however, as not even handshakes between the two sides took place. Right as the whistle rang a massive explosion was heard just outside the stadium. The away side had to flee, with a dozen remaining members of the security staff protecting them on their exit from the staff, as the angry fans of The Bubonic Plague faithful threw tonnes of cabbages and tomatoes into the turf with the aim to hit the shameful. While what had happened between the final whistle and the Mercedinian side’s arrival back in Zoloroni, which was made under a international portal service, would be best explained by the local media there. The reports by the Quebecois media and the subsequent post-match report to the RQFA indicated that no member of the Mercedinian delegation had received a direct injury from the outcome of the following match.

Anyways it would take about half an hour of pelting, booing and jeering would occur in utter blindness before the fans would calm down. Then a quiet thud followed for a few seconds as the fans realised that the referee, David Fasnacht, was lying dead in the middle of the pitch, with a gunshot drilled past his head and a tentacle stump skewered through his body. The fans, while horrified at the sights of a discovery they had not expected until that moment, did not have much time to react. They, after ignoring it for most of the match in heat of World Cup 92 Qualifying Ground number 13, had, at last, realised that the dangerous waters of Blood Sea were inhabited by non-humans and that they were out to prowl.

All over the horizon, the gigantic waves slammed, hitting the beaches and the grasslands of the beautiful Ram Ranch similarly to that of a Rayo Catolico, destroying the beachside tents and sweeping away their items. The fireworks stored on one of the bigger stands burst and exploded into all directions, directly going off over everybody’s heads but nowhere near hitting them. Rough waves would start flooding the island with only the runway and the stadium the only places not to be submerged, as the hungry, carnivore sea-monsters would prowl for their prey.

The rest was history as about eight hundred remaining fans of the Bubonic Plague faithful had to evacuate themselves. With the runway miraculously not submerged underwater, perhaps enabled by some force one would describe as luck and other divine presence, the survivors jumped aboard whichever of two planes they had found to be available. By the time the plane had finished boarding in a hurry, there was no time left. The distance between the international waters over Pronghorn Island and Quebecois Soil had meant that while there was more than enough for the pair of Avro-A380 jets to take off, they had no option but to refuel in Tumbra, the nearest major nation where they would be able to land.

Slowly but steadily, the A380s managed to find their way to northeastern Tumbra, the recent centre of Esportivan and international footballing power. Upon receiving confirmation that they will be landing in Couno, the passengers hugged each other and cried in relief as the beautiful, northern view of the industrial metropolis had appeared before their eyes on a sunny day. A half-day after the start of what appeared to be a promising World Cup qualifying match, the nightmare had ended with the island hit hard, but should be fine hosting another World Cup qualifying match in three months’ time.

The players, however, had to stay on the pitch. With the nation witnessing one of its most disgraceful matches in recent memory, they had to be punished for their complacency and inability to secure a respectable score. With their feet bound to the pitch itself, and their bodies pelted and wet with all the cabbages and tomatoes they were pelted with, twenty-three Grim Reapers and the entire coaching staff stood, each of them awaiting their twenty spanks.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:51 am

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

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

92ND WORLD CUP QUALIFYING RECAP: WELCOME BACK TO MEDIOCRITY, B****ES

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies.Right, so that last international break has been a bit of a disaster for us, not gonna lie. That’s five points dropped in the last two games for the Lady Revolutionaries. Five points! And to think that I really thought that this team had finally gotten their act together after they finally won the Women’s World Cup! I really did think that our bottling days are finally behind us, but from the looks of things, looks like bottles are back on the menu, boys! (And girls, and whatever else you might identify as.)

But how could this team have fallen this far from the heights of winning the Jenna Raven Cup in Baker Park? How could a team that convincingly beat both New South Yukon and Sevendia find themselves falling from third place to sixth in their qualifying group? Well, the answer is simple, actually. It’s because this is also the same team that got beat by the Cordian Isles and could only muster up a draw against Pridnestrovia after going two goals down at the Tarasovsky Stadium in Ogovlich! I swear, sometimes this team really doesn’t know whether they want to go on a run of either good form or bad form. Of course I would prefer it if we had good form all the time, but if we suddenly hit a rough patch then at least I would understand as well. But there really is nothing in this team that would suggest that they would be capable of going on either a good or a bad run of form! It truly is Schrodinger’s team if you ask me!

So how the fuck have we fallen from grace like this once again? And how the fuck did the Lady Revolutionaries manage to get only one point from our two World Cup qualifying games? For starters, we were wasteful against Atheara. Absolutely bloody wasteful, if you ask me! And that’s not just your usual social media blogger influencer hyperbole too! How many shots on goal did Abanhfleft have against Atheara? Somewhere around 20 or 23? And how many of those attempts were on target? Just six! Six bloody shots on target out of 23 attempts! And I think five out of those six attempts came off the feet of Hiroko bloody Kellerman as well. I mean, what the fuck happened to having many goalscoring options in this team? There was a time when every forward player in this team (and even some of the midfielders as well) could be relied upon to get at least one shot on target for the Lady Revolutionaries, but apparently those days are long gone! At least Hiroko made Mugel Krygorf really work hard for his clean sheet. I can’t say the same for the likes of Natividad, Vitagliano, and Wilbanks, that’s for sure.

Surprisingly enough for me, our own defense was actually quite faultless in this particular game. I know, it looks weird to read that, and it sounds weird to hear that, but it’s the truth as well. Nobody from Ina Pendergraft down to the defensive line of Fausti, Kahn, Bane and Jaxson really put a foot wrong in this game. Not that Atheara really bothered to get a lot of attempts at our goal but they did have eight of those according to the stats, and some of those resulted in a corner kick for the visitors. And one of those corner kicks resulted in the one and only goal of this game, scored by Draxler Archengate. And if there’s one complaint that I have to level on the defense just to make it look like I’m slagging the whole team equally, it’s that Ash Jaxson allowed herself to get beaten in the air. You’re bloody six feet tall, Ashley! You should be dealing with those set pieces without a second thought! If you’re getting beaten to the far post by a corner kick then you probably should consider sitting back and taking a good look at where it all went bloody wrong!

And you all want to know the funny thing behind this whole thing? The roles of the attack and the defense literally switched when the Lady Revolutionaries went up against West Barack and East Obama! In that game, it was the forwards' turn to do everything right, and it was the defense's turn to shit the bed. Well, no, that’s not actually fair to our defense. They managed to hold their own during the first half of the game. We went into half-time with a two-goal lead thanks to Mavis McGlamery, who provided an assist to Lily Natividad and then scored a goal for herself. At the rate she’s going, Mavis is probably going to displace Josefine Vitagliano from the starting eleven in a few games’ time, but then again, it’s probably still too early to call these things. But things were looking good for the Lady Revolutionaries up to that point, and then obviously they weren’t as good in the second half.

I mean, they did warn us about giving up penalties to WBEO, I’ll give them that much. But Rose Bane, this is all on you. That’s all I’m willing to say without getting into specifics and such. Fred Olibama had run out of room on the right side of the box. There was no need to go for a tackle at all, and you can bet your bottom penenk that any striker in that position is going to milk that for all it’s worth. Lily Chobamya knew where she was going to put that ball as soon as she put it down on the spot, and there was nothing that Ayesha Okamura could do about it. If Chobamya wants that ball in the top right corner then it’s going into the top right corner. Okamura could try to do something about it, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to lose her hand if she does that. And don’t even get me started on Brett Pogama. That boy knows how to escape and evade defenders! And that’s all to do with the fact that he runs from greyhounds. Yeah, you read that right. He runs from greyhounds for a living! And, while I hate to say it, Ashley Jaxson is a much clunkier opponent than a greyhound, which probably explains how and why Pogama got around her and put the ball in the bottom left corner.

Jordyn Bernardino was called from the bench to provide some help to our forwards, and boy did she make her mark in this game almost immediately! I think she was only on the pitch for two minutes at most before she got Abanhfleft’s third goal, but that wouldn’t be enough to give us the three points because another substitute, this time for WBEO, would deny us. For some reason, Jean-Marie Ouibama found himself in acres of space, and when the ball fell on his feet, he just couldn’t miss from where he was standing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, our ladies did all that they could to get a fourth goal, but I guess that man-mountain of muscle Dwayne Obama just wanted that one point more than our girls wanted all three points.

Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. Full recaps of the individual games are available elsewhere on this website. If you’ve got any thoughts or comments of your own about the qualifiers against Atheara and West Barack & East Obama then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, disappointed in my own country once again.

  SEVENDIA 0 - 3 ABANHFLEFT    
                 TOS (27')
                 ZILAHI (49')
                 ABEL (77')

  ABANHFLEFT 0 - 1 ATHEARA           
                   ARCHENGATE (80')

  WEST BARACK & EAST OBAMA 3 - 3 ABANHFLEFT        
     L. CHOBAMYA (51' pen)       NATIVIDAD (12')
              POGAMA (68')       McGLAMERY (36')
             OUIBAMA (85')       BERNARDINO (73')

by **Juvencus** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:54 am

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

It is easy to forget how some battles would have gone if it were not for courage and naivety. Sometimes villages would be split in half and while technically not being the most typical of warzones would provide a place of contention between the villagers themselves. Most of the time no troops would be stationed there, they would even lack a local militia, since their positions would not be as valuable as some major cities or better-placed villages. But not all villages had the same fate quite like Ferrassotto, further east of Torona. It was a significantly-placed village, since it was atop a hill overlooking several positions(and as such moves) of both Juven and Independetists all around Torona. The village itself had a tower, known as Torre de Generale di Febbraio. The last and, perhaps most important position before aiming for Torona itself.

The Torre de Generale di Febbraio, ~circa 1872, photograph by Gustavo Utuvio of the Torona Daily

Chapter 20: The Tower Capture(September 18th, 1881)
"Under no circumstance would anyone foresee this outcome. It might be a little ironic, but divine serendipity was on our side." notes of Claudio Javier Garcia, a Juven soldier stationed at Torona, 1881

Random circumstances lead to very random situations. Ferrassotto was a demarcated area ever since the Cursed 80'. The south side of the village was under occupation by the Juven State, while the north side was under Toronese control still. Recognising the importance of the location of the village, however and especially of the Torre de Generale di Febbraio, which they had under their cointrol, the Toronese were eager for a fight in that area and as such had a substantial amount of troops stationed in the village. On the other hand, while the Juven State had plans of occupying this position at some point, did not have many a soldiers stationed there. However by an unforeseen circumstance, 3 Juven and 3 Quebecois soldiers were indeed in Ferrassotto at the fateful day of September 18th, 1881.

The records of that day speak of 6 very loud, somehow armed and somewhat drunken soldiers walking in the wrong side of Ferrassotto speaking in French. They seemed to be very cordial with each other and moved forwards singing all sorts of traditional Juven military songs to forget about the horrors of what were ahead of them. There were no specific plans for any attacks in Ferrassotto whatsoever, as such when they realised they had entered into enemy territory they stopped the singing and loud shots could be heard from all sorts of directions. A fight followed in little streets near the towers, somehow those drunken bastards were able to outdo their Toronese counterparts and instead of going back they decided to be bold and push straight into the tower.

The villagers were watching the fight occur so close to their homes in horror as they witnessed a very strange event. Only 4 of the Juven/Quebecois soldiers would climb up the tower to fight, while the other 2 were to fend off against an entire platoon set out to get them right at the gates of the tower. Inside the tower, it was a mess, a fist fight followed, somehow the Juven and the Quebecois soldiers were able to smash the heads of their opponents and kill some of them in the process. Others were thrown down the stairs, breaking their bones, or worse. According to descriptions of the battle, it felt sort of like a movie scene. By getting rid of all opposition inside the tower, they now had the upper hand and started helping their other two comrades in getting rid of the Toronese, that they were already getting rid of themselves.

Many Toronese dropped down dead, one after another, until they decided to run away. For a little while, the 2 soldiers that were fending them off at the gate decided to chase them until they were too far gone and decided to quit. Upon sobering up, they came to the realisation that they had captured a very important position in their dangerous adventure behind enemy ranks. Almost serendipitously, a mixed platoon of Juven and Quebecois soldiers came later that day only to see that these 6 magnificent bastards had done an important feat whilst being drunk. Celebrations followed, but they all received a very serious scolding for being drunk on patrol and for infiltrating the enemy ranks without being ordered to do so. They had 2 captives in their possession as well, all of them seriously dumbfounded at how a bunch of drunk soldiers would manage to capture their heavily secured position.

With the Torre de Generale di Febbraio and as such, the entire village of Ferrassotto in Juven hands however, the siege of Torona was closer to fruition now more than ever. On the other hand the Toronese would have to deal with such a shameful defeat and also figure out other ways to supply their capital in the time it needed help the most.

Battle Outcome: Juven-Quebecois Victory!

by **Elmyia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:22 am

The Overlap Tactics Blog

Lack of Pressing Leaves Elmyia Vulnerable

Pressing. A trend that has infected the rest of the footballing world, but in which Elmyia lives in ignorance of. Don't get us wrong, you'll see Elmyian players chasing their opposite numbers, flying into tackles, trying to create pressure. But as a co-ordinated system? Simply not going to happen. This, for Massi, had not appeared to be one of his many issues so far. The last two fixtures provide case studies for the two ways in which Elymia's lack of pressing might hinder them going forward.

Starting with the matchup against Valanora, the issue with Elmyia not pressing at all become apparent. OK, maybe it's unfair to expect Elmyia to matchup to the third greatest side in the world, but there was a moment where a result had started to look possible. Two-nil down at half-time, Massi made a switch. Dickinson moved into the back three, while Grosso was subbed out for Rossellini, clearly aiming for more going forward. Two goals came down the wings, crosses fired in for Beluigi and Froggatt to finish. This fired the home crowd up, but Elmyia tanked within the next five minutes. The sheer quality they faced overwhelmed them, and three goals went the other way, as Valanora shook off their rust to put Elmyia to the sword 5-2.

Now, the persistent issue in this game was an inability to disrupt Valanora's build up play. Benedetti remains inept at putting pressure on the ball, but even if he did he is one man facing an organised midfield, whilst the 10 players behind him form a block. This block shuffles from side to side, covering the space, trying to avoid Valanora playing through. The only issue, Valanora have such quality in midfield, and the playmaing quality of Heike Schoß totally outmatched Elmyia's defensive organisation. Dropping back into the space in front of Elmyia's midfield line, Schoß frequently had time to pick out high passes to Palminger, or to spread it out to Söderström, who gave Jenny Scoular a torrid time of it. The sitting deep does deny space in crucial areas, it was difficult to play through the middle, but with their quality down the wings and in making play, it hardly seemed to matter. If Elmyia wish to mix it with the best teams, taking the risk to disrupt build up play will be crucial. Leaving a player of Schoß' quality to pick passes as they wish is inviting disaster.

Failing to get a result against Valanora is fairly excusable however, and if Massi had decided to press out in midfield more it can easily be argued that Elmyia would simply have a shortfall elsewhere. It's easy to see a scenario where the press gets bypassed, Elmyia find themselves chasing backwards, and more goals go in. A nil-nil draw with Darkmania, however, is slightly more concerning. Darkmania had come off of consecutive defeats and are a team looking short on confidence, it became clear they were using this contest to re-exert a degree of defensive control. Darkmania dominated possession, but it was telling that the most passes were exchanged between Tërman and Lërnÿn, the two centre-backs. Essentially, they were seeking to keep it well away from Elmyia and avoid being sprung on the counter. With Elmyia not pressing this made for both an incredibly dull match, and deprived Elmyia of the opportunity to attack, with on two attempts on goal across the game.

So, Elmyia's lack of pressing is increasingly clear. This largely seems deliberate, it has been clear that Elmyia look to sit back and hit quickly where possible. It seems teams are now starting to figure this out, particularly those in direct competition. This throws a challenge to Massi, can he find a solution?

***

Elmyia's players trudged off. Nil-nil. A soul-sapping, mind-numbing game, played in driving rain with little fluency. In defense, both sides had been resolute, defending in numbers, acting cautiously. In attack, neither side had inspired. Darkmania had looked nervy about committing forwards, unable to create overloads, the stout defensive block had crowded them out. Elmyia had looked occassionally blunt, Darkmania had too many behind the ball, the quality on the counter hadn't been there. Touches skewed off, wires crossed and Forggatt, Benedetti and Beluigi frustrated. Not quite good enough, but not a disaster class. Massi came into the dressing room last. He stood silently for ten seconds, players waiting for instruction. Nothing. He waved his hand to dismiss them back to the hotel.

Massi threw himself down into his desk chair. He straightened his tie back out, rubbed his hands through his hair. The leather was already uncomfortable, sticking to his skin and bringing him to a sweat, he turned to see his assistant, Elanor, still stood up. "Elanor, are we there yet?"

"Where?"

"With the Albion players, do you think they trust me yet?"

"Hard to say, they're following instructions. I think maybe they still hold little affection for you."

Massi stewed quietly for a second "We need them to start running, it's still too static for us. I'm worried though. They eat crap, they love to eat crap. They will never run whilst they eat like this."

"If you want to change it, change it. You can always replace them, the nation is starting to trust you I think, the Oberour result tipped the balance."

"Hmmm" Massi drifted off into thought.

***

The players trundled into the canteen. The usual low level chatter and tired limbs being stretched, most were creatures of habit in what they ate. Reggie Flewin swore by beans, drenched in ketchup and served with lukewarm scambled eggs. Ernest Butler swore by a steak, a mound of pasta and a single bottle of beer to wash it all down. Whatever they ate, it was usually starchy, fatty and frequently described in semi-ironical terms as "the breakfast of champions". As they came to lineup though, they started to notice something was different. The kitchen smelt wrong, it sounded wrong. The smell of grease, of red meat, didn't hang in the air. Instead of the sound of frying, they could hear nothing over the gentle huff of the extractor fans. They queued up, finding only wholegrain pastas, steamed vegetables and fish available.

Muttering ensured, tension built. Surely there was a mistake? Who would disrupt the routine they were in? Discussion and horse-trading began, it was agreed, as the most senior members of the side, Butler, Flewin and Clarke would go and speak to the boss. If the catering staff had gone rogue, they agreed, that they should not be sacked. Not for this first offence, anyway. So long as normal service was resumed before they trained. They knocked confidently on the door.

"Yes?" Massi looked at them garbed in his full poker face.

Butler stepped forward "We've just been to the canteen Signor Massi, the food, it's gone. There's nothing we usually eat there."

"And you have been sent down here to ask me, presumably, if I can get your normal food back, no?"

The three audibly exhaled, there must have been some mix up "Please!"

Massi walked back with them to the canteen. But, instead of remonstrating with the kitchen staff, or inspecting the odd cuisine laid out, he stood up on the table. "I have thrown your food out." A gasp shot round the room, dissiptating out into an echo. "You eat crap, you play crap. From now, you eat well. You run. You win."

Butler shot back "I have eaten this food my whole career, I have won 11 trophies, why should I change?"

"Because, our league is shit, and so are we. This changes, now. If you don't want to, play for a different country."

Massi walked off, gamble taken, he prayed they ate the watery, disgusting food.

by **Atheara** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:47 am

☵ Athearan Sport Ordering News
ASON.com.ahr/football/wc
The website for all your Athearan sporting needs, and many non sport related stories!

Football > World Cup
Defensive on the Road
Today has been an exciting day indeed, with Atheara facing off against Abanhfleft (Whom we have faced several times before) on the road. And safe to say, it was definitely a good result! A 1 - 0 win thanks to a goal from inside the box on the 80th minute from Draxler Archengate with the corner provided by Arkeson Trey - Galos, and due to Atheara finally getting used to the new tactics not only on the offense, but also defense. The Flefts were mostly kept shut on the attack as out of their 20 - 23 shots, only 6 were on target. The Blue Guard also kept their lead intact, and almost increased their lead a few times at certain moments in the match. The most ridiculous chance being a backside header by Thibraught Van De Keyes that was barely tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Inocencia Pendergraft earlier in the match on the 58th. The other chances were also insane, but collectively we only had eight attempts and even still, talking about all of them would be exhausting.

So, with this, what's next to come? Well, two matches of course. One against West Barack and East Obama, the other against Saint Eleanor. The Obamen most recently defeated the nation of Sevendia in a thrilling 4 - 5 game and drew Abanhfleft's Lady Revolutionaries 3 - 3. Meanwhile, Saint Eleanor's most recent matches were a 0 - 0 draw against New South Yukon, and a 4 - 0 victory against, of course, Sevendia. Both nations sit above Atheara in the table standings by three points, so winning against both would likely be a great advantage. However, that will not be easy at all. These two teams are hungry and are willing to attempt to prove themselves. Something Atheara also once was, but, they will try to re-ignite that flame to prove that they are still kicking it about. And maybe, they might even steer the road of return at a much faster rate.

That is all from us this time, and do expect the main line up to start for Atheara in both matches.

by **Sharktail** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:50 am

Sharktail - 3
Ilias 20' (Azaim), 76 (Harold)
Saif 44' (Azaim)

Maxter (GK) • Harold • Maqri • Harizul (Irfan) • Izz • Azaim • Salaman • Nazmi • Irfan • Ilias • Saif

Garbelia - 0

Huelavia - 4
Honda 12' 36'
Navarro 48'
Nascimento 70'

Sharktail - 3
Azaim 53' (Aidil)
Iliad 68' (Harold)
Haziq 85' (Azaim

Maxter (GK) • Harold • Maqri (Harizul) • Hidawi • Irfan • Azaim • Nazmi • Azrul • Irfan Bahrin (Balang) • Ilias • Win Aziz (Haziq)

Sharktail Post EP67

Old City: "Keep going. Being yourself is easy than being someone else." Those are the words quoted from a short post on social media by former Sharktail captain Gaby.

Although it is not clearly stated who is meant in this post, many think it is specifically aimed at Ilias. This week was another banger for the Royal Daulapura team's attackers, scoring two against Garbelia and 1 against Huelavia.

"I see him as someone who is strong in physical and mental. He once fell, but he got up. He has been severely criticized by fans. But look at what he has achieved in his career, a fantastic moment in Eraman. He never ran away from any criticism. Respect him. Just one thing from me to him, keep running on the field and create you on aim and dream, for you and for country. Good luck."

Sharktail managed to grab another three points against Garbelia before losing by 1 goal to Huelavia, and now sitting 3rd in the group.

Sharktail's position now looks good, but Yunos sees the opposite. For him, Sharktail is in fifth place out of 5 teams.

"We have played 6 games, one more than all the teams in the top 5. And again, we lost to Brenecia and Huelavia. I don't see us being able to steal points against Adab and Savojarna. While we are doing good against lower pot, we have reach the real test, the upper pot side. At this rate of our performance, I will eagerly wait for CoH invitation."

The same was voiced by Sharktail's captain, Azaim. He clearly agrees with Yunos.

"My opinion might be different if we win against Huelavia, at least a draw is enough. But, the result shows how far we still have to climb. We already improving much, but still need a few more push. However, my opinion might change if we able to land a win or draw against Adab and Savojarna. Losing to them means it's impossible for us to make it."

Sharktail will face tough competition from Adab and is expected to be able to collect three points against Polkopia. Let's come back stronger.

by **Audioslavia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:19 am

The phone dinged again. Jeremy didn't even need to get it back out of his pocket to know what it meant. The notification for an Audioslavian goal was always 'dingaling' on his phone, and that of a goal for the opposition three muted blips descending down the fifth, third and root of a C chord. After two of the later, this short whistle notification meant the end of the game. He let out of a resigned sigh and made a grab for a jut above him. In lunging, his left foot slipped out of the gap it had been nestled in and his right foot, having been keeping him steady rather than supported, immediately lost traction.

There was a short, quarter-second yelp before his short fall was stopped by the combined strength of two wall hooks and his rope. Every few steps, he'd been hammering the hooks into the wall and feeding the rope through. To do anything else on a wall he wasn't familiar with would have been stupid.

Up Jeremy. Up.

Finding some purchase, he took the same route through the rocks and crevices as he had previously, reaching the position he had previously and taking a more careful line to the left of where he'd slipped before. Looking up, and making a special effort not to look down again, he figured he was a third of the way up the cliff. Directly above him, he could start to make out pock marks and irregularities in the neck and jaw of the figure above. Not too long to go now.

Once again, Jeremy's phone dinged. This time, he found a secure grip and fished his phone out of his pocket one more time.

LINE-UPS ANNOUNCED: AUDIOSLAVIA vs TIKARIOT

"Huh" he thought. "It's been, what, twenty minutes since the last one ended?" But had it? Did the Graintfjall match finish recently, or was that last week? Or even last month? Jeremy opened the calendar thing on his phone, and saw the notification for said Graintfjall match in a slot over three weeks ago. It made sense. He couldn't even remember what had happened in the game.

Jeremy blinked at the screen. Had Tikariot's crest always looked like that? And next Wednesday's game, away at Astograth.... since when did the Astrograthians play with a stylised fuckin' olive as their crest? And why was he even climbing this wall anyway?

Jeremy paused for a second. It occurred to him that he shouldn't be asking nonsensical or useless questions like that. He'd promised to get to the top of the cliff, he'd turned up in his full climbing gear and so he would jolly well do the climbing he'd promised. If there was any reason for these Rushmori international football teams suddenly oversimplifying their logos for no reason, he'd find it at the top of this enormous four-headed rock.

It made perfect sense.

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:15 am

(OOC: The pun at the end is not mine, though obviously its application to NS is. I don't even want to think about how long I've been looking for an excuse to use it.)

The Bassabook Baritone

It is with no little embarrassment that we at the Baritone must politely decline the hand of friendship enthusiastically offered by the Jeruselemite press. Partly, this stems from an instinctive aversion to rivalries--when countries can come and go relatively quickly, it can be more wistful than exciting to think back on "ah, remember the good old days when we played Bigtopia in the knockouts, what a team that was." Of course, that argument doesn't really work for a team like Jeruselem--even if very little in the world is constant, it can be reassuring on some level to know that the Princesses will be there year in and year out, with the JGN producing the same style of hard-hitting journalism they've always been known for.

But there's also the fact that, hmm, these countries don't seem to have a great deal in common. Zwangzugians (particularly us southeastern folk, but also in general) tend to be rather prudish, and the frequent cold weather means that nudity is illegal, while Jeruselem tends to be...somewhat more sex-positive. True, we don't tend to enforce our mores on the rest of the world--our military consists of a couple dudes punching chess clocks angrily, we know better than to go picking fights--but it's a bit startling to be greeted as friends by a society so different from our own.

Of course, the Jeruselemites aren't shy about expressing their admiration. One thing that we have in common, in fact, is that many cycles ago when Zwangzug were a young team, both our and their local leftists looked up to the World Cup founders and 30s powerhouse Ariddia. In both cases, it could have come off as a bit clingy or attention-seeky, but the Ariddians handled it with grace, even welcoming the matriarch Dazza Dallas when she visited the archipelago making connections with her distant cousins (she is believed to have some Ariddian heritage). Which means I finally have an excuse to tell the Dazza Dallas joke I've been hanging onto for years but my editor won't let me.

Before we get to that, though, there's the football. Flavovespia are known for their sharp kits, have visited our nation for Cup of Harmony football in the past, and recently appeared in the Eagle's Cup, but the two sides have little head-to-head experience. At the Hornet's Nest, Daniel Lansdell got a chance to start for the visitors due to Paul Taylor's suspension. Unfortunately for the home side, he would also get booked for disputing a Quincy Dulk-Fough goal in the twenty-first minute that, after a lengthy video review, was found to be onside; Lansdell disagreed, and unable to remonstrate with the VAR officials, took his frustration out on the refs. When play restarted, Flavovespia were more muted and seemed unwilling to challenge. Kate DiMarini, recognizing the opportunity after two matches with limited momentum, pushed for a second goal, but David Lyons' leadership at the back kept the scoreline level.

After the restart, Flavovespia emerged with calmer nerves and were able to play their own game. Jonathan Bagshaw, a youngster who's made waves in the Audioslavian league, assisted Adrian Jones in the 54th minute, and Jones mirrored the fans' celebration. The last half-hour featured some elegant attacking play from both sides. It would be Hanna Suzuki, known for her highlight-reel goals at Eintracht Trink, who got the winner in minute 78. Back in the ZS^3, it would be Ephesian's Lukas Helsen-Roan whose goal was all Zwangzug needed to defeat Efnakia.

So anyway, Dazza Dallas goes to Ariddia to connect with her Pacific heritage. She's enjoying the communalist politics, resting in the sun on the beach, when one of the locals asks her: "Comrade Dallas, have you read Marx?"

"Yes," says Dazza, "I think it's from these wicker chairs."

by **Pemecutan** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:45 am

MD 5
Kethsi   2 – 0   Pemecutan

Goal scorers:
No goal

Substitutes:
Yuhabani Nehusandak <—> Gede Arya Wisesa (48')
Alvino Bastian <—> Oscar Tri Atmaja (62')
Kadek Rai Partha <—> Kristian Subrata (74')
MD 6
Pemecutan   3 – 1   Southern Palm Islands

Goal scorers:
Basuyuha Padurjana (38')
Wisnu Pramana (52')
Rama Karyadi (86')

Substitutes:
Aksabala Jandisuga <—> Herman Putrawan (46')
Sorabala Aksapadan <—> Surya Brata Wijaya (68')
Leo Olivando <—> Pandu Oka Jaya (83')

Buda Wage Wuku Kelawu, Pawukon 1783

You Can't Pay Your Debt, Sorry
And No, No Savings Too

Batara Rambut Sedana depicted
as a statue made of ancient coin

Pemecutan Puri - Buda Wage Kelawu or also known as Buda Cemeng Kelawu. It is a day that fall on the fourth day (Wednesday) of the Kelawu week, the 28th week of Pemecutan Pawukon calendar. This day might be a common day for anybody else but not for Pemecutan's Sanatana Dharma believers. On this very day, the believers make a simple offerings to worship Goddess Lakshmi in Her manifestation as Batara Rambut Sedana, the guardian of wealth and prosperity. The ceremony most importantly held by business owners (big or small), financial institutions and any kind of business (corporate and/or personal) which have contact with money. Money vaults, cash boxes and any other places which used as money savings places are where the offerings is placed.

According to Sundarigama Scripture;

ᬩᬸᬤ ᬯᬕ᭞ ᬗᬭᬦᬶᬂ ᬩᬸᬤ ᬘᬾᬫᬾᬂ᭞ ᬓᬮᬶᬗᬜ

ᬅᬤ᭄ᬜᬦ ᬲᬸᬓ᭄ᬲᬾᬫ ᬧᬾᬕᬢᬶᬂ ᬇᬦ᭄ ᬤ᭄ᬭᬶᬬ᭞

ᬩᬾᬢᬭᬶ ᬫᬦᬶᬓ᭄ ᬕᬮᬶᬄ ᬲᬶᬭ ᬫᬬᭀᬕ᭞

ᬦᬸᬭᬸᬦᬓᬾᬦ᭄ ᬲᬂ ᬳ᭄ᬬᬂ ᬳᭀᬗ᭄ᬓᬭ ᬫᬾᬃᬣ ᬭᬶᬂ ᬲᬗ᭄ᬕᬃ᭞

ᬫᬸᬯᬂ ᬭᬶᬂ ᬮᬸᬯᬸᬭᬶᬂ ᬳᬢᬸᬭᬸ᭞ ᬳᬲ᭄ᬢᬯᬓ᭄ᬦ ᬭᬶᬂ ᬲᬾᬭᬶ ᬦᬶᬦᬶ

ᬓᬸᬦᬂ ᬤᬸᬮᬸᬭᬶᬂ ᬤ᭄ᬬᬦ ᬲᬾᬫᬤᬶ ᬭᬶᬂ ᬮᬢ᭄ᬭᬶ ᬓᬮ᭟

Transliteration;
Buda waga, ngaraning Buda Cemeng, kalingania adnyana suksema pegating indria, betari manik galih sira mayoga, nurunaken Sang Hyang Ongkara mertha ring sanggar, muang ring luwuring aturu, astawakna ring seri nini kunang duluring diana semadi ring latri kala.

Translation;
Buda Wage, Buda Cemeng as it is called, manifests a broad understanding in the success in severing the lust of the five senses, so that's when Bhatari Manik Galih bestowed Thee blessings, by sending Sang Hyang Omkara the prosperity in every holy places, and also to all Thee worshipers, which is carried out self-ability through meditation in an unlimited time.

From the text, it is explain that the prosperity is given if the said person is able to control their senses to always walk in the road of Dharma. However, some might find it confused with the different names use in the scripture. In the scripture, Bethari Manik Galih is a reference to Goddess Lakshmi. While Sang Hyang Omkara is referencing Bathara Rambut Sedana. It is also emphasize that prosperity and wealth is not always about money. It can be referencing a broader aspect in the world as long as it will bring peaceful mind and soul. However, connection between wealth and/or prosperity with money has long been present in the society. And it can't be separated. This association also lead to other beliefs that circling around during the Buda Cemeng Kelawu day. The belief that you are prevented to pay your debt or even saved money. But why?

Decorated Bathara Rambut Sedana statue during Buda Cemeng Kelawu

Religious expert and holy priest, Ida Pedanda Gede Dalem Pemayun of Tegal stated that wealth and prosperity is present if there is a flow to it. So during the Buda Cemeng Kelawu day, every money transaction which involving trades where there is a flow of commodities and money, or a flow of wealth, is allowed. But paying off a debt and saving money which means that you give a fraction of your wealth and without getting anything in return is forbidden. Because it is halted the flow of your wealth. "It simply as you are wasting away your wealth without getting any benefit from it", Ida Pedanda Gede added.

MD 7
Omerica v Pemecutan
MD 8
Pemecutan v Legalese
@ Manguwi Stadium, Mengwi
Starters: Benches:

1  GK Herman Putrawan Gery Afilianto GK 33

2  LB Yuhabani Nehusandak Gede Arya Wisesa LB 24

3  CB Sorabala Aksapadan Surya Brata Wijaya CB 13

4  CB Satya Putra Laksamana (C) Oscar Tri Atmaja RB 26

14 RB Alvino Bastian Agus Setiahadi CM 19

15 LM Basuyuha Padurjana Kristian Subrata RM 17

7  CM Rama Karyadi Pandu Oka Jaya ST 32

30 RM Kadek Rai Partha Reserve benches:

20 ST Wisnu Pramana Ega Jagaputra GK 42

10 ST Leo Olivando Putra Eka Laksana CB 18

28 AT Dewa Putu Mahardika Pande Nyoman Trias Hadi LM 35

Ngakan Putu Suweca CM 29

Komang Trisna Mahayana AT 11
Injuries:
GK Aksabala Jandisuga
RB Dwi Rangga Putra
RM Samsul Hermawan

by **Valentine Z** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:30 am

Part 4 – Lhotse Fried Chicken: A Fistful of Goals.

With 6 matches having been played, the Valentian Kittens checked each other’s bearings, the scores and the goals that they have scored. In their group, it shows that they have scored the most goals, but it’s also offset by the fact that they have one of the highest Goals Against towards them. It was pretty much the modus operandi of the Valentian Kittens – to play as offensively as possible, and to make sure that the goalkeepers can keep up with blocking the shots, which they could do for the most parts. With goalkeepers like Martina Anastasia Hedvig X. Luna Bukvić and Dawson Joshiah Davidson Brooks Marshallin the team, along with rising stars like Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc, the Valentians were able to do just that – blocking shots. Still, there was only so much that they could do before they were overwhelmed either by the opponents, or from the weather, or the lack of good defense.

The first match turned out to be a little bit of a turnoff, as the Valentians experienced their very first defeat. The established team such as the Rekens were able to break through what little defenses that the Valentians have, while the Valentians themselves were unable to score as many goals as they were expecting. All in all, a bit disappointing, but Clarissa was sure that the Kittens would bounce back. After all, the Rekens are quite an established team!

The second match, against the Aleirave Seagulls, the Kittens were a bit more careful and ever slightly more defensive. The careful plays paid off, having just 1 goals against them, and the Kittens soon taking a more offensive approach as they always did and upped the ante, scoring 4 goals against the Seagulls. In another seasons, the Kittens have lost to Eagles, but that does not mean that they are going to be prey to seagulls as well. A win for them.

It was a breeze for the Kittens at this point. Scoring an astounding 6 goals against the Harmonia FC, the Kittens went in blind as they have no idea of their history. It felt like they were playing against a group of unknown folks, and it was especially unsettling that they could not find Harmonia anywhere on the radar, or on their multiversal maps. Some says that the nation was lost to time. Others say that it was assimilated. Whatever happens, Kittens did win.

This was a very hard sought-out battle between the N&Ns and the Kittens. After a near 80-minutes of absolutely nothing, the N&Ns managed to break through Kittens’ paltry defense, and got themselves a goal. The Kittens, on the other hand, were unable to score even the single goal, making this game so far the only one where the Kittens did not score a single goal. The Kittens, after a friendly handshake, fistbumps, and hipbumps, presented their opponent with a well-meaning gift of N&N chocolates – the very metal tins and boxes with buttons on the top for each of the players. The Kittens made sure to emphasise on the warning label, but otherwise, they can enjoy it wholeheartily.

A really tough match, as per most of the Kittens playing the game have stated. Martina Anastasia Hedvig X. Luna Bukvić got too tired and was replaced with Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc, who did a relatively decent job at blocking most of the shots coming to her. Nathaniel Orla Hayden Johnstone McMahon sprained his ankle and had to be replaced with Sigfreður Gamalíel Onyx Jason Steinason, but other than that, the rest of the Kittens were able to play without much incident. Most of the goals scored would go to Štěpánka Caitlin Madeline W. Sedláčková this time, in part helped by Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte who was playing a game of bluff more and more often, pretending that she was going to score a goal then passing it to her teammates at the last second; this was due to the realization that she knows that other teams are aware of her goal-scoring exploits, and thus would tackle her more or put more attention to her. Holly’s misdirection, along with Štěpánka, Emerson, Sammie, Katarzyna, and Daina (the Forward and Midfielders), are able to score 4 goals, with 3 goals against them. A close one, still.

Usually, pairing a Bear against a Kitten is always a bad idea, and most would even say it’s a very cruel thing to do. The former is a fierce and dangerous wild animal, while most cats, let alone kittens, cannot possibly bite into a bear. This, however, is none of that, and it’s all a figurative play. The Kittens were able to play around the Bear-Belles, which also has a tinge of irony in the sense that the Kitten players were way bigger than the Bear-Belles. With that all said and done, the Kittens tired the bears out, and while they did score a single goal against them, the Kittens were able to score twice as much, the last one being one of those final-10-minute goals that happened in a relatively spectacular fashion. Helen Jennifier Hiroto Morishita Chiyumi was the one who shot the goal… along with her shoe, both of which went flying. The goal went into the goalpost, the shoe simply landed nicely on the field.

by **Nyowani Kitara** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:47 am

President Muhoozi Kulan, sitting at the Presidential Palace

President Kulan was preparing for the Prime Minister Barnham visit, that would happen in a week's time. The Euran Prime Minister would make his visit, as the two men would finally meet face to face in-person. President Kulan, like his predecessor, had gone through a massive learning curve upon his ascension to the Presidency. The rapidness of the chaos that the world went through truly hit him when he was the country's final decision-maker, when he was the head of state- and it had turned his head on quite a few issues.

Everybody knew that stability was a fragile thing- that peace was always like a house of cards, that could come down at any moment and bring Nyowani Kitara back to civil war. Originally, as a candidate, resident Kulan had been suspicious about joining the CRC, especially when none of his neighbors had done so. But looking at the world around him, even in his short year in office, has seen him change his mind. Just look at NYK's neighbors. Guanacasteca seemed to be on the brink of a civil war. If it really launched, it could launch a refugee crisis into Nyowani Kitara. NYK was already facing a re-building crisis as it was, and that would further stress things. Of course, NYK had seen the horrors of war- there would be no answer but to throw the doors open for whoever sought refuge. But, it was still less than ideal.

The drums of war were beating in their northern neighbors, a nation that President Kulan desperately wanted to repair relations with- the White Winter Queendom. A terror attack on home soil from Jabal Akhdar had caused them to go to AO to search for the perpetrator, and with AO mostly standing against them, there was a massive standoff between the powers of AO, and the White Winter Queendom. And Nyowani Kitara... Hadn't been around for so long, but had been hugely benefiting from the Smith Fund. Close relations to both Nephara and Eura were, slowly, re-building the country that was coming out of civil war.

So he had, largely, come around on the idea of the CRC. It didn't really matter who the greatest powers were in the organization. What mattered, was that membership would be an economic super-charger, and help be a guarantor of stability in the country. As he explained to an aide, 'modern, democratic states are not built in a day. But if we put ourselves in an organization with long, democratic traditions, one that can help us grow the economy and put food on the table... That will be a huge help in determining the future of this country'.

So President Kulan was ready. And he knew what he wanted.

Note: This government owned media source is the most biased media sources in the entire country, so read this media source, especially the other news section, with a critical eye. Foreign media observers would call it a KPWC propaganda outlet, a charge that they would most certainly deny. They routinely charge the Free Press with straight up fabrications, something the newspaper rigorously denies.

With President Akongo's electoral loss, their response has been to be more fanatically in support of the now former President. However, while more fanatical in the news section, they have integrated slightly less politics into their general sports coverage.

The Kitara People's Free Press
The voice for the working people of Nyowani Kitara

SPORTS- Nyowani Kitara breaks the Cordian Isles 5 game win streak in Qualifying as Liang Wei declares 'the race is officially on' in Group 10

DEWAYO- Qualifying for the World Cup is one of those most difficult tasks of World football, unless you are in Pot 1. Group 10 then, this year, is one of those most difficult groups. The Cordian Isles, ranked 52nd, started the group on a tear. They just came off their biggest win of the young campaign, winning over The Holy Empire at home. They came to the Revolutionary Grounds, looking to extend their win streak to 6 and really start to seperate themselves from the rest of the group, even in these early stages. '

But before their visit, Nyowani Kitara had the first half of what was always going to be a difficult window- a visit to Wreckeria. We've said that there are 6 or 7 teams in this group that have a legitimate chance of Qualifying for the world cup, if not directly at least via the playoff spots, and Wreckeria is one of those teams. They've looked good so far, being able to eke out wins in those close games. They opened World Cup Qualifying with three consecutive 1-0 wins, two of them being at home, and one on the road. This includes a win over Saint Eleanor, the Saint Eleanor squad that was up 4-0 on us, in our own stadium, before halftime.

"They are a tight and compact national team." Liang Wei told reporters. "They play defense excellently, and they are tight in midfield. There's a reason that The Holy Empire are the only team to score against them in four games so far." The game on the road was always going to be a tough one to get three points, and that was clear from the get go. There wasn't many opportunities for either team- the game was mostly played in the center of the pitch. The midfielders were constantly taking the ball from each other, but both teams struggled to link things into, and throughout, the final third. We went up 1-0 in the 42nd minute from the spot, when we were fortunate that a weak foul on Owino Odede was called for a penalty, and then Angonga buried it. But in the 54th minute, Wreckeria would also score from a set piece- as the 300 pound Biscuit Gilbert was on the end of a bent free kick, as he simply out-bodied the Kitarans to get his head on the ball. Nobody really had any decent chances for a winner- splitting the spoils was an eminently fair result.

Then, of course, came the game of the window- Nyowani Kitara v. The Cordian Isles. The Cordian Isles, taking maximum points from their first five games, including a massive victory over The Holy Empire at home on Matchday 5. "They had announced to the world that they didn't just get off to a fast start with that victory- they announced to the world that they've got ambitions on winning this group." Liang Wei told reporters. "Watching the film, they're playing quickly, they're playing excellently... WE need our fans to turn out at the Revolutionary Grounds to have a chance." And they answered the bell. In front of a raucous crowd, the Kitarans were able to take that energy from the home crowd and really push forward to punish their opponents.

The first half was fairly evenly played, with both teams going into the half tied at 1. But it was the second half where Wang Jiahui really asserted himself. Earning the go-ahead goal, and then following that up with two more open play assists, saw the former Yue international have one of his best games in the NYK national team uniform. "Look- we want to get back to the World Cup." Wang Jiahui told reporters. "It's a simply goal, really. Everybody's got the same goal in Group 10! But that means if we want to go out and compete with the best, we need to beat the best- and the Cordian Isles, right now, are the best team in this group. But they are not Gods. We have brought them down to Earth, and now, it's really going to be a race here in Group 10."

The 4 point window was a good result for the Kitarans, as they try to solidify themselves in the top 3 as they chase the top spot in the group- and the automatic World Cup Qualification that comes with it. Nyowani Kitara will be favorites in both games of the upcoming window, as they'll face off against 290th ranked New South Yukon on the road, before bringing Sevendia to NYK on Matchday 8. Both teams sit bottom of the table. "The expectation, of course, from many fans, will be a 6 point window- and nothing less." Said a TV analyst. "While they will be heavy favorites, nothing is ever so straightforward in World Cup Qualifying, especially when they're traveling on the road. The elite teams? They put those games they're supposed to win, even road games, to bed early. Teams in our position.. They can struggle in them. How these games go, it'll be a good barometer of exactly how good the team is."

by **Tumbra** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:50 am

Tumbra 0-0 Talannua

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - Jones; 18 - Kemp, 20 - Tyler (5 - Ashburn, 72'), 31 - Perry (26 - Henderson, 85'), 27 - Green; 15 - Finnemore, 8 - Hicks, 23 - Monaghan (10 - Cole, 72'); 7 - Wells, 21 - Crossley (9 - Vaughn, 79'); 33 - Henshaw (11 - Riordan, 79')

TMB scorers: Nil

Player of the Match: Vincent Hicks [TMB]
Qasden 0-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - Jones; 25 - Finney (18 - Kemp, 83'), 4 - Kerr, 5 - Ashburn (20 - Tyler, 74'), 19 - Mercurio; 6 - Harrison, 8 - Hicks (16 - Fisher, 74'), 38 - Coleman; 7 - Wells (17 - Hilton, 83'), 9 - Vaughn; 22 - Nolan (11 - Riordan, 45')

TMB scorers: Vincent Hicks (11')

Player of the Match: Vincent Hicks [TMB]

DAILY BRIEFING: Politics In Brief
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McKenzie, Boyd rule out tax cuts; citing "precarious situation" in Tumbra's finances

Citing an unwillingness to send Tumbra's "precarious financial and fiscal situation over a cliff", the Finance Minister, Paul McKenzie (Lib-Bechor) and his deputy, Moderate Party leader William Boyd (Mod-Marlsbruhe) yesterday ruled out tax cuts in any shape or form until government expenditure could be stabilised to the extent that such tax cuts could be afforded. In Parliament, when questioned by backbencher Gordon Willett (Lib-Bechor) on the Liberal manifesto's commitment to reducing the top rate of income tax, McKenzie replied that as much as the Finance Ministry would have "loved" to reduce taxes, he did not see any realistic way in which tax cuts could be financed except by increased borrowing, which McKenzie derided as "irresponsible". The priority for the Government, said McKenzie, was returning Tumbra's debt rating to AAA status and increasing economic growth. More details, McKenzie said, would come with the Budget in April.

Esportivan Union elections likely to receive low turnout

Elections for the Tumbran delegation to the Esportivan Parliament, due to be held in March, is likely to see the lowest ever turnout for a democratic election held in the Federal Republic after the introduction of compulsory voting in 1906, pollsters predict. A recent poll released by Campbell & Stewart Strategies revealed that only 55% of people were aware that elections for the Tumbran delegation were even happening in March, while only 45% of people were intending to cast votes. Unlike other elections in Tumbra, voting in the Esportivan Union elections was not made compulsory; the first elections for the delegation, held in 2025, received a boosted turnout as those were held on the same day as that year's general elections.

Death of MP likely to create conditions of "fear" in Northlands: Wyatt

Commenting on the death of Northlands MP Raymond Walters after he was stabbed five times in the lobby of the Federal Parliament, the Second Minister for Northern Affairs and the Federal State Bernice Wyatt decried the "senseless, violent" attack on Tumbran democracy, and accused the United Clans of creating a "climate of fear" in the Northlands, but vowed that the country would remain "unbowed" as it doubled down on its efforts against the United Clans. Speaking in a press briefing, Wyatt ruled out any changes to the Northlands Security Bill — currently in the committee stage as MPs debate the prospect of the writ of habeas corpus being suspended in the Northlands — opening up the possibility of indefinite detention for those arrested on certain offences, such as terrorism. Wyatt also encouraged Northlanders to turn out "in droves" for the by-election to replace Walters, showing the United Clans that their "barbaric means of politics" would never win.

Labour leader Andrews beset by poor polling ratings; lags in Preferred Prime Minister poll by 20 points

The leader of the Labour Party, former Deputy Prime Minister Bertram Andrews, has been barraged by criticism over the Labour Party's sinking poll numbers, with rumours of a leadership challenge quickly forming. Andrews, who triumphed in a leadership election fought largely on factional lines, has largely gone un-noticed by the Tumbran voting public at large as the new government both enjoys a polling honeymoon and a majority of news coverage over the government's activities. A recent poll by the Tumbran Polling Institute, showing Labour only four points ahead of the Alliance on first preference votes (28% vs 24%), was re-tweeted by former Leader of the House Trevor Evans, sparking rumours of a rift between the two. That same poll put Andrews twenty points behind the Prime Minister Stephen Williams on the preferred Prime Minister metric; Andrews received only 26% support compared to Williams' 46%, with 28% of those surveyed registering no opinion. Models from various election-related websites on the Internet predicted that Labour would lose about 30 seats if a general election were to be held tomorrow; with the Alliance and Liberal/National coalition picking up seats in equal measure. Analysts have noted that Andrews' own slightly passive personality, matched with the rocky electoral terrain that the Labour Party currently faces, are playing a large role in why the Labour leader has is currently failing to pick up traction or name recognition within the country.

Montana Verde aid mission departs Collatia; aim is to be "first on the ground"

An aid mission bearing food, clothes and other items of humanitarian aid departed Tumbra yesterday afternoon, with the Minister of State for Foreign Aid, Tim Ng, present to send off the fleet. The Tumbran Navy resupply ship RTS Foxhound, accompanied by the frigate RTS Bechor, left the Collatia Navy Base, home of the Southern Fleet of the Tumbran Navy, will be the cornerstone of Tumbra's aid mission to the earthquake-stricken republic of Montana Verde. When questioned over the political differences between the Tumbran government and the Verdean government — which is headed by noted socialist President Jazmín Santángel Hurtado, who has come under fire from certain quarters for suspending elections due to be held this year — Ng responded that the "needs of the ordinary Verdean people come first," and that "whatever differences in the two countries' politics, international aid cuts across those lines." Analysts have noted that while situated far from the Big Five regions, Montana Verde occupies a strategic location in the Verdean Ocean that could be important for Tumbran foreign policy in the future, which is why the government has seemed anxious about getting the aid to the remote country as soon as possible..

Brenecian democracy "crucial", Tumbra remains supportive on Graentfjaller activities in Jabal Akhdar but will not commit boots to the ground

Responding to questions in Parliament over evolving situations in various countries worldwide that just so happen to occur on two-year cycles, Foreign Affairs Minister Rita Ingham reiterated that the Tumbran government would do everything possible to help stabilise a volatile situation in Brenecia, saying that Brenecian democracy as an institution was "crucial" for the northwestern Esportivan nation. Brenecia, a nation derisively referred to as "oil-poor" and "a floating Euran military base" in some circles, has been wracked by economic instability which has seen the rise of radical left-wing forces both in the country's Parliament and on the streets, culminating in the incapacitation of former Prime Minister Randall Kearney and the imposition of a period of martial law under Marshal Dorian Blackwood. "We will extend as much help as possible to get Brenecia on its feet," said Ingham, "as the government views the country as a valued ally in Northwestern Esportiva."

In other questions, Ingham confirmed the Tumbran government's support for the Graentfjaller government's military manouveres in the Atlantian Oceanian country of Jabal Akhdar, but said that there were zero plans for the Tumbran military to join any upcoming conflict in the region. "We remain committed to combating terrorism around the world," said Ingham, "and our brave servicemen and women are doing their job in the Northlands right now."

TUMBRAN SQUAD FOR MATCHES AGAINST SALTSTEAD AND SIXTY-NINE X - WORLD CUP 92 QUALIFICATION
Goalkeepers: 1 - Nick Barker [Lakewood City, TMB], 12 - Victoria Jones [Lakewood City, TMB], 13 - Richard Russell [Lakewood United, TMB]
Defenders: 2 - Nicholas Moss [Miruan City, TKT], 3 - Nigel Harris [Lakewood United, TMB] 4 - Stephen Kerr [Chromatik, CMT], 5 - Ian Ashburn [Lakewood City, TMB], 14 - Wendy Pritchett [Grande Mountain, CDG] 18 - Sabine Kemp [Raven River, NPH], 27 - James Green [Bavingtor FC, FVA], 31 - Raymond Perry [Serrapince, TMB], 36 - Belinda Proudfoot [Clyde Park, TMB]
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison [Chromatik, CMT], 8 - Vincent Hicks [Lhor, CMT], 10 - Phil Cole [Osarese Marcadia, AUD], 15 - Mark Finnemore [Couno Rangers, TMB], 16 - Andrew Fisher [FC Inter Nantwich, TMB], 23 - Susan Monaghan [Sabrefell Athletic, NPH], 38 - Natalie Coleman [Couno Rangers, TMB]
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells [AFC Treason, NPH], 9 - Robin Vaughn [Lakewood City, TMB], 17 - George Hilton [Serrapince, TMB], 21 - Lynne Crossley [Strathcona Internationals, KSK]
Strikers: 11 - Nick Riordan [Sabrefell Moths, NPH], 22 - Bruce Nolan [Couno Rangers, TMB], 33 - Charlotte Henshaw [Lakewood City, TMB]

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 10:05 am

The match might have been earlier in the schedule than the Sarzonian national football team would prefer, but it was still a contest they had circled on their calendars.

Sarzonia traveled to the Commonwealth of Baker Park for a World Cup qualifying battle looking as much for improving their position in the Group 7 table as they were for a barometre to measure how they were doing as a side.

By that measure, the Stars truly shined, defeating Baker Park 1-0 with a soaring header by striker Jake Campos in the 63rd minute being the only tally for either side. The shot gave the Stars growing confidence even despite the immense pressure their regional rivals applied in a vain effort to equalise.

It was a strong result for Sarzonia, but their momentum from the victory would almost immediately be quashed by a disappointing 3-3 home draw against StrayaRoos that drew boos from the 97,038 at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock.

"Believes me, I would be booing myself if I saw that display," midfielder and team captain Clayton Wilson said. "We need to develop more consistency with our effort and minimise the mental errors."

Manager Brady Reynolds said he wasn't entertaining any changes to the starting 11, saying, "we are who we are at this point.

"I needed to do a better job getting the team prepared. It's my job to ensure they're properly motivated. I failed in that task tonight."

by **Atheara** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 10:45 am

Part III of ??
New Discoveries

"...It is something that we, the ISLORA discovered during the middle of the war...

...

"...We decided to call it "Elyzian Energy", after the woman who discovered it within our ranks..."

...

"...It is a neutral energy able to be converted into other elemental energies, such as fire or water elemental energies..."

...

"...It is found within a rare ore, deep within the land Atheara sits atop, and it can also be a gas..."

...

"...However, it is extremely dangerous. But some have a natural resistance against it, even without protection..."

...

"...If our technological development continues, we would be able to create things as if they were out of a game..."

Cecilia Scharlund sits at the front base, inspecting what was on the table. Several tons of other weapons made with Elyzian Energy that was found after a raid on a random ISLORA base. The knowledge and information Kharschkal ended up giving was extremely useful in figuring out more about these ISLORA made weapons. Cecilia also understood about what the man meant when he said that ISLORA is still far bigger... Well, at the least a small part of her understands about it. Afterall, these weapons were out of Atheara's production capability, which certainly strikes an odd impression among the higher ranked officers, including Cecilia herself.

Her second in command and friend Rozmund Fallagher was alongside her. He had also shown interest in the weapons ever since Cecilia cane to him about what she was able to dig up from Kharschkal. Surrounding the table were several other captains and officers from other active military units in the operation to finally bust down ISLORA, known only by them as Operation Archive. To destroy ISLORA by the end of World Cup Qualifying, that was the objective of this operation. And everything was going to plan... Except the discussions on what to do about Elyzian Energy.

"We have the way to find these ores from operations in East Atheara, so let's do it and make some new aircraft!"

"Woah woah woah, the army is more important. New weaponry such as the ones ISLORA made would be a blessing for us."

"You don't even know how they work! Plus, our military vehicles are the ones that need an upgrade!"

"Hmm... What about we try to create something new?"

The one who reccomended on creating new aircraft with the Elyzian Energy was Canna Varschal. She leads a small group of seven fighters that are providing the main air support for Cecilia's unit. She's also one of the rare Athearans that have dark skin. Combine that with her brown eyes and you have someone who catches the attention of everyone, especially if said someone has a proud and fiery personality. The person who commented about the weaponry was Christian Fierrevanturo. He is the captain of another land unit that cooperates with Cecilia and Rozmund's unit quite often in battle and when not in combat. Being born to a family from the upper class makes him a bit of a jerk at times, but he also knows when to heel down. Black hair and blue eyes, he also has that classical appearance which makes him more respectable than his personality.

The one who wants the military's vehicles to be upgraded with Elyzian Energy was Daniel Fierrevanturo, Christian's younger brother. Same appearance but he chooses to dress up in a more modern fashion. He leads a tank battalion, far different from his older brother. Another difference is in his personality, as Daniel is more accepting to others and tends to understands other people far more than his elder sibling. Last but not least, the one who wanted new creations was Fierra Van Dorhainz, one of the nation's most trusted military engineers, always looking for something new to tinker onto her new experimental creations that the Athearan Military Corps (AMC) always funds with no issue.

Cecilia thought about it. Everyone's demands seems reasonable now that she thinks more about each one. But after a while, she gave her own idea.

An idea with Elyzian Energy that was so interesting that it may just work out.

by **Garifunya** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 11:03 am

Presidential Palace, Frederykvil, Garifunya

Just outside the press room of the presidential palace, President of the Republic of Garifunya Immanuel Prins took a deep breath. Next to him stood the Banijan heir apparent and Foreign Minister, the Isebantu Mutungi. It had been a long road to this point. First, François Celestin and Dirk Voordenhout had had to make the trip to Banija to convince the Isebantu to invest in Garifunya. Then, after agreement on the initial terms, teams from both nations had worked ceaselessly to hammer out the details, from educational exchanges to the terms of the new transit system RTC was building for Garifunya, from the finer points of agricultural exports to haggling over which Banijan companies would invest where and how much. Prins had had to work terribly hard to convince members of Parliament to approve the treaty, since he was aiming for a two-thirds majority to put it on more solid footing, while at the same time keeping everything secret from the Foreign Minister van der Mollen, who had been bypassed entirely in this process. Government teams had had to scour the country snapping up land titles to turn over to the Banijans, and Prins' majority was busy coming up with legislation to implement the preferable tax rates and turning over of Garifunyan bus and light rail systems to RTC. Add to all of this managing the crime rate, fighting drug and firearm smugglers, and attempting to bolster Prins' political standing in preparation for re-election later this year.

And that was all before the Isebantu showed up. They had taken the prince on a whirlwind tour of Garifunya, showing him land for agricultural operations and factories, the groundwork being laid for RTC's public transit takeover, the ports ready for Banijan investment, Garifunyan universities, and some of the key employees standing ready to work hand-in-hand with the Banijans on this. They had made sure Frederykvil looked as nice as possible, that the homeless population was as invisible as possible, and that extra police officers had been hired to keep the streets safe. The capital city needed to be as impressive as it could be, though slums and shacks were still visible in the poorer parts of the city. Although it might have made the Isebantu a bit queasy, François had insisted on as much press coverage as possible, and they had boosted the number of people willing to come out to support Prins' re-election, so that in addition to a state visit, it was a bit of a campaign swing as well. Prins had done his best to prevent it from devolving into a circus, shaking as many hands as possible, always keeping his press answers focused on the trade and investment deal, and refraining from attacking any other parties. His competent man image depending on being above the political fray while taking advantage of the benefits of his achievements. It was a tightrope, but one he thought he had managed to walk well.

Now came the final hurdle. It should be the easiest to clear, just a signing of the agreement, the giving of a speech, and answering questions. But he had to make sure that the Isebantu came off with a favorable and professional impression of him and Garifunya, so he had made sure the press corps knew to ask no political questions, whether about Garifunyan or Banijan politics, just strictly business. He turned to the Isebantu and asked, "Your Highness, are you ready?" When the other man nodded, they emerged into the press room, sat down at the table where the official agreement was to be signed, and stared out at the sea of press, members of Parliament, and various executive branch and local officials. First Prins, then the Isebantu, affixed their names to the trade agreement as representatives of their respective nations. The final formality was done. Prins felt a wave of relief wash over him. Then the two men took their place at the two podia provided, and Prins, as agreed beforehand, began his short speech, which was being televised and broadcast live over radio.

"My fellow Garifunyans, honored Banijan guests, and especially His Highness, Isebantu Mutungi, today is a historic day. With the signing of this agreement, we usher in a new era, not only of relations between our two nations, but of economic co-operation and growth. This agreement represents a fundamental restructuring of the Garifunyan economy and a massive boon to the Banijan one as well. Never before have we seen such a large foreign direct investment in our island home. Even in the days of colonialism, as the Dutch claimed to be bringing 'civilization' and 'modernity' to our island, this level of investment is unmatched. And today, we sign this agreement not with a colonial overlord, but with a free and equal partner on the grounds of mutual respect and opportunity. As Black nations, we must stand together in a world that has too often resented our existence or at best, ignored us."

Prins paused for a moment. He didn't really like bashing the Dutch; it felt too cheap and might drive off other contemporary European partners. But his advisors told him it played well with both the left and the black right, so they'd included it. He glanced at the Isebantu, then continued. "This agreement will bring in $100 million of direct investment by public and private sources over 10 years, and 75% of all jobs created will go to Garifunyan nationals. This flood of investment will spill across our land, touching all depaamans and creating new jobs and new opportunities across our country. This agreement will uplift all Garifunyans, but especially the poor, who will have plentiful job opportunities and the ability to gain skills. Work brings dignity, and we must be able to hold our heads high in the family of nations."

"The public infrastructure program we have pursued during my first term as president has laid the groundwork for this economic investment, and the Regional Transit Corporation will now embark on the second phase of consumer infrastructure, bringing light rail and bus service to all corners of the island. This agreement will push up tax revenues, putting Garifunya on a more solid financial footing and allowing us to devote more resources to education, healthcare, and public safety. Through the educational exchange program, we will attract skilled young people to stay and work in Garifunya, and our own young people will be able to see the world, learn valuable skills, and return home to serve our people. We also secure a plentiful oil supply through this agreement, allowing us to move away from unreliable partners such as Venezuela and more domineering partners such as the United States. Garifunya's energy security will be taken care of for years to come, and we expect PetroBan to find new sources of hydrocarbon energy, boosting our economy and creating new jobs in a thriving economic sector."

And now for the final part. "I cannot express my gratitude to the Isebantu Mutungi and to the Banijan government, private sector, and people for this vote of confidence in our nation. But my thanks, and the thanks of all Garifunyans, are undying. This is no generosity, dispensed from on high by a feudal master, but a concrete and true expression of partnership, of recognition, and of commitment to shared success and prosperity. Your Highness, I know that this agreement will benefit your people as much as ours, and I swear that we shall strive every day to live up to the high standard with which you regard us. May God bless and make fruitful this partnership between our two nations, and let the bonds of Black brotherhood lead us on to higher and higher heights of co-operation in this vast multiverse of ours. Thank you all and Voorwaart Garifunya!"

Prins raised his fist into the air as he shouted the last words. The assembled staff and officials echoed the cry, with even a few press getting swept up in it before looking sheepishly at one another. It was an exciting moment. He turned to the Isebantu, smiled, and bowed slightly, awaiting the man's own speech.

by **Wreckeria** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 11:41 am

GROWING PAINS: A former nation and its team struggles with its new identity
By Gord Radcliff

3: Biscuit
Roddy Gilbert sat at his locker in Unification Stadium with a huge smile on his face. That smile was usually there, but these days, it was bigger than normal. The biggest player on the Independent Wreckerian Athletes, in both size and stature, Gilbert lives his life to enjoy as many moments as he can. It doesn’t always go well, but it seems like he revels in both the good moments, as well as the bad.

“See, here’s how I see things,” Gilbert said. “You’re born, you live, you go on some diets, you die. In between the first and last one, you’ve got to make the most of life. You’ve got to make the best of this time you’ve got in this world, because we ain’t here forever.”

And in that time, Gilbert has been seen in a number of high-profile incidents, incidents that would probably embarrass lesser people. There was the incident at the National Exihibition Hot Dog Eating Contest, aired across Hapilopper on the Hapilopper Television Network a few years back, when Gilbert, said to have been hung over after a night of drinking with his teammates, lost control during the contest and experienced what those in the competitive eating field call a “reversal of fortune.” Gilbert let loose all over his remaining hot dogs and all over the eater next to him, sending him into a similar “reversal of fortune” and completely ruining the contest.

“That wasn’t my proudest moment,” Gilbert says with a laugh. “That was five years ago and even now people walk up to me and say they remember the time I puked all over the hot dog contest. Believe it or not, a few people have come up to me and asked me to sign pictures of me puking all over the place. I don’t know why people would have that, but they do.”

There are other incidents that people talk about. Fans tell stories about how Gilbert will go into a karaoke bar in Halsted and put his own, very interesting spin, on various popular music hits. Never mind the fact that he sings horribly, what matters is the fact that he sings it in his own way. For instance, a popular story has Gilbert singing the popular soul hit “I Lost You” by the Magica Hit Trio, and turning it into a hardcore metal hit.

“Some love it and some can’t stand it,” Gilbert says. “That story’s true, by the way. I heard that song on the radio that morning and wondered how it would sound if I screamed out the lyrics. Everyone in the bar loved it, but a few people wanted to shoot me for ruining a classic. Oh well.”

Incidents like this have made Gilbert a folk hero among fans of the Wreckerian football team both in Wreckeria and elsewhere. Even as Wreckeria was rebuilding from years of chaos and war, fans were turning to Gilbert for a morale boost. After all, it seemed like he was completely unperturbed by what was going on around him, right? And that he was the happiest man in the world, lifting up those around him, right?

“It’s not that simple,” Gilbert says as he sits forward in his chair. “There’s a lot that happened in my life before y’all got to know me. And I mean, a lot.”

Gilbert, for starters, never knew his father. He was killed in the Battle of Minortown, one of the bloodiest battles of the Wreckerian Civil War, when his mother was six months pregnant. From there, his upbringing was rough. He was bullied in school for being too “heavy-set,” as he put it, and it was clear, that as he relived those memories, they weren’t the most pleasant memories to think back to.

“People were cruel,” Gilbert said softly. “There’s certain people that love to kick someone when they’re down. Me and my mom didn’t have much. We had a small place, and even then Mom had to work two jobs to afford that. We tried to get by with what we had, but you know, there were certain people that loved to turn that into their idea of a sick joke. The funny thing is that I’ve seen some of those same people run into me and talk about how they always loved me, how they talk about how they knew me when I was a kid. Bunch of two-faced assholes.”

It’s a startling revelation from Gilbert, who usually never has a cross word to say about anyone he encounters. But it’s clear that there are still some sour memories in his mind.

“Those guys taught me a lesson. They called me ‘Fat Goo’, ‘Rancid Roddy’ and all those things,” Gilbert continues. “Rather than give them the satisfaction of showing I’m hurt, I decided I was going to be the clown. And that I was going to show them that I wasn’t going to be defeated.”

Gilbert took up soccer as a way to get his frustrations out, and found that he was good at it. Before long, he had become a professional, and with his first paycheck as a professional soccer player, he made a down payment for a house for his mother. To him, it was just a “thank you” for all she had done for him.

And the clowning got going on a larger level. Instead of being bullied by his classmates, he was adored by his teammates. And instead of cruel names like “Fat Goo” and “Rancid Roddy,” Roddy Gilbert got the name “Biscuit.”

“Tommy Garner at Raceway Football Club gave me that name,” Gilbert said. “I was moving up and down the pitch, doing things that smaller guys were unable to do, and after we won a match one night against Soldiers, Tommy went up to me and said ‘Dang, Biscuit, you were all over the place!’ Turns out he called me ‘Biscuit’ as he said I was a biscuit away from 250. Now I guess it’s a biscuit away from 300, but when people called me that name, I knew it wasn’t something cruel, people had fallen in love with me.”

And as for those that tormented him when he was younger?

“Who gives a shit?” Gilbert said. “They can live in their own little sack of shit world. They’ve got their own conscience to deal with. I’m out playing and winning for Wreckeria.”

And it’s that Wreckeria that Gilbert says is looking better than ever. There are fewer and fewer reminders of what had been, what had so significantly impacted his childhood, and there are more and more reminders that the Wreckeria of the future just might as well be something to be proud of.

“It’s going to be something special,” Gilbert said. “Just a few short years ago, there was nothing in Halsted that we could go to and really enjoy. I was born here and I was raised here but I got the hell out of here as quickly as I could because there was no opportunities here. If you stayed here, you weren’t going to find anything that paid well. You were going to become a target for the street gangs. But now we’re seeing new things popping up on a daily basis. We’re seeing opportunities for everyone here. I can’t wait to come back here and come home. Maybe raise a family here.”

by **Brookstation** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:21 pm

I||II||III||IV|V|VI|VII|VIII|IX|X|XI|XII

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.

GEROLF JOSEF: THE MAN WHOM FOOTBALL NEEDS TODAY

Halebid United's promotion to the Twin Premier League in 2023 was indeed remarkable. It wasn't just the fact that the club had now firmly established its name in the highest level of Brook football but it was perhaps the most the club had achieved in quite a few years, having struggled to make it to the knockout stages of the Harrison Shield since 2005. However if one looks back at the club during the 90s, things were way different for the Jacks. Had it not been for the selfless efforts of Gerolf Josef , perhaps the club's maiden Harrison Shield title would still be a dream.

In today's fast paced and materialistic world, very few actually care about the club they play
for. For most players today, representing a club is nothing more than advertising products
wearing the club's crest but avid fans ofJosef has appeared in Halebid's pale blue jersey for 15 years, representing his team with an extraordinary passion due to which no Halebid supporter can question Josef's professionalism in the club. For all the 432 games he played for his club, not once was he off the field. This doesn't merely point out the agility of the player but more importantly his love for the team. But what's most interesting is the fact that Josef might not have been a part of this legacy in the first place.

From his childhood days, Josef had always been an 'ideal child'. Josef spent a comfortable childhood unlike most of the Brook football stars who had to overcome the thousands of obstacles poverty placed in front of them. Josef took an unusual liking to the game , something which was rather peculiar in a well groomed kid hailing from Halebid. It was this profound love for the sport that would cause Gerolf his first troubles. Josef and his father held completely repellent views on the sport and while one believed that he could rule the King Jakanacharya Stadium one day, the other believed that western education was the one and only future in the new world and no matter how much Josef's mother tried to convince that their son should play football, Mr. Josef's views just didn't seem to change.

Gerolf wasn't built like a footballer but he possessed great technique , the origin of which is still unknown to the footballing world. Gerolf greatly idolized Frank Bauxter ,one of Halebid's most familiar footballing figures and following the footsteps of his idol, Gerolf would spend hours dribbling the ball smoothly past children of his age in the streets of Halebid. Gerolf would finally meet fortune when Halebid United would finally scout the young boy from the streets of Halebid. Being a staunch fan of United's archrivals Warriors, Josef was reluctant to set foot in opponent territory but having no other option but to follow his passions, he listened to his heart.

Originally a member of the reserve team, it didn't take long for Josef to claim widespread fame at his level. Initially supposed to be a substitute, he was finally drafted into United's starting lineup for the 1988 Harrison Shield when Fernando Gomes was ruled out due to injury. He knew what he was up for and at the age of 21, Josef would blast a total of 6 goals in the tournament, finishing as the club's second highest scorer in the tournament. Soon , his name was on the lips of everyone and some speculated whether Josef could actually make his team win the long awaited Halebid derby which United had not won in a decade. Josef would finally get his chance in 1989 when the team faced each other in the regular season of the League. Josef himself admits that he was reluctant to start for the team against the very club that he idolized throughout his childhood.

" It was not that I hated my club. I loved my job more than myself but the feeling is quite different. It's nervousness tinged with awkwardness."

Raul Sebastian opened the scoring for the Warriors side exploiting an error by the United goalkeeper, as early as the 7th minute, immediately giving the crowd an early indication of dominance. But the second half would be Josef's. He would attribute his first goal from a cross from Igor Benezikov, equalising the score. His second goal would come quite later in the 67th minute but this time he took a bit of a risk trying to head the ball from an unusually curvy corner kick. Nevertheless, he was successful. Josef was the man of the moment and his efforts in that very match would be remembered by generations to come as the enchanting spell which finally broke United's dry record against their rivals.

Like always, Other side of Paradise started the 1991 season as the favourites of the League winning their first six matches with relative ease. United and Josef would be visitors to the Joseph Joestar Stadium awaiting the triumphant side who boasted their brilliant lineup consisting of the likes of Cuco Fernandez , Robin Nash and Andre Belotti. When Belotti opened the scoring in the 36th minute, the crowd went hyper and taking inspiration from the crowd, things on the field kept getting violent as well. Within a matter of minutes, several fouls would take place and even the referee would have a tough time bringing things under control. It was particularly difficult for a player of a small stature like Josef to survive the conditions on the field.

" It was a heck of a game. It was complete madness. The crowd shouted all sort of colloquial slurs while the players fought on the battleground with Halebid barely standing a chance. Yet Josef managed to intricately surpass the turmoil. The match was the true definition of the beautiful game." Jordi Rennes (senior correspondent, Sports Today)

Josef would receive the ball from a pass of Debaux and with the foot on the ball, he would go on to deliver a powerful shot which would penetrate right through the defense, equalising the score. It wasn't a win for Halebid but it was quite an achievement for a club struggling towards the bottom to restrict the winning spree of a club Other side of Paradise. It would be Josef's highlight in quite a while as the latter would struggle for the following few seasons due to repeated injuries.

With repeated mid table finsihes, Josef wouldn't be able to inspire much, repeatedly getting overshadowed by the strikers of the bigger clubs. However the 1997 season would prove to be different. The season would start with the arrival of Ernest Paul, the legendary coach who inspired to Halebid to their maiden Harrison Shield victory. The club would finish 4th in the league, their highest position in the table ever. With Josef at his peak and now one of the most familiar names in the league, Halebid were ready to deliver yet another surprise in the 1998 Harrison Shield. Like always, Halebid would clear the initial stages with ease but the club would afford to reach all the way to the semi finals where they would find themselves against Waffen , another impressive veteran side who had overcome all odds , defeating the giants Other side of Paradise. Halebid would get lucky and in what should be termed as a completely biased match, Gerolf would score a hat-trick, one of the most beautiful ones in his career and the team would find themselves in the finals for the first time ever and if they managed to overcome AC Dason, the title would be theirs. In the 75th minute of a perfectly balanced match, Josef would score the only goal of the match. From the exteriors of the box, Josef would dribble the ball with that very old gracious technique of his to finally shoot the only goal of the match, a goal which would be remembered and honoured by many as one of the finest in Brook history.

With time however, Josef's butterfly days would start approaching their end and with the end quite near, Josef was aware of his demise in the sport. At the same time, United also began to lose its stature and it began evident with time that it was indeed Josef who carried the entire team's burden on his shoulders.

Very recently in 2020, an all stars game would be organised in Brookstation where the current TPL all stars team would face a group of legends of the game and even in the midst of a humiliating 7-3 defeat, there would be one man who would leave his mark on the stadium with two goals. It is none other than Gerolf Josef.

MORE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :
Celebrating the night when Waffen shocked the nation
Brookstation climbs to the top after a hard earned victory over Juvencus
The Dreamers prepare as they verge on facing one of the strongest defenses in the world

by **HUElavia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:27 pm

Polkopia 1–2 HUElavia
(REDACTED 18' | Amezcua 61', Urto 83')

HUElavia 4–3 Sharktail
(Honda 12' 36', Navarro 48', Nascimento 70'| Azaim 53', Iliad 68', Haziq 85')
Estadio Salvador, Sao Salvador, HUElavia)

Back on Track!

HUElavia edge out two close victories to keep pace once again in the Qualifiers!

HUElavia returned to the Qualifiers after their bye looking to get back on the win column after two draws, one of which was a surprising 3-3 draw at Garbelia. Now, the team's next two games involved a road match at Polkopia and one of the most anticipated games of the group, hosting Sharktail at Estadio Salvador (85,000) in Sao Salvador. A mix of reserves were used for the first game with the Away Uniform being worn while the second game had the A-Team with the Home Uniform being worn.

The first game saw Polkopia strike first, as in the 18th minute, a foul by Cayco over REDACTED gave way for a free kick, where a cross by REDACTED met the head of REDACTED to loop over Barturen to go into the goal, making it 1-0, sending the Polkopians into a frenzy over the goal. HUElavia did not feel daunted by this deficit, as they began to put more and more pressure on the Polkopians. Finally, in the 61st minute, a pass from Si reached Amezcua, who nutmegged REDACTED before sending the ball between the legs of REDACTED to see the ball roll into the goal, making it 1-1. Amezcua was mobbed by her teammates in celebration while the small HUElavian crowd that made the travel were cheering in the silenced crowd. The pressure kept mounting and in the 83rd minute, a cross by Tan went into the box, meeting the head of Urto, who headed the ball past the fingertips of REDACTED, going into the goal, making it 1-2. Urto was mobbed by his teammates for his first official goal while the fans in the crowd were cheering and clapping in celebration. Shortly thereafter, the match ended and HUElavia got a needed victory to move up the table.

The second game was much more of an entertaining ordeal, with Sharktail being one of the main opponents for HUElavia throughout the qualifiers, and one of the larger stadiums of the country was used for this match. The opening goal came in the 12th minute, when Aveiro was on the ball, being covered by Harold, before passing to Bellerose who passed to her left to Honda, where she gave a one-time shot to slide past Maxter into the goal, making it 1-0. The crowd erupted in joy while Honda ran to the corner flag to perform a dance with her teammates. In the 36th minute, Honda received a pass from Navarro-Hamada, where she began to run on the side, being covered by Hafifi, before giving a shimmy to go one-on-one with Maxter, sending a blistering shot into the goal, making it 2-0, with the crowd erupting in joy and cheer, chanting her name for the great play. In the 48th minute, a foul by Azaim over Font gave way for a free kick. Navarro-Hamada opted to take the kick and sent the ball over the wall and left Maxter standing still as it blasted into the goal, making it 3-0. The crowd was now very happy and applauding the spectacular set piece goal, with Navarro-Hamada hugging his teammates for the goal. In the 53rd minute a cross by Aidil went into the box before Azaim took the ball and sent a shot past a closing Casillas into the goal, making it 3-1. In the 68th minute a pass by Harold slipped past the HUElavian defense where it reached to Iliad, where he took a one-time shot past Casillas to slot it into the goal, making it 3-2. Iliad got the ball and ran back to center circle while the HUElavians in the stadium were nervous at what could be a horrible collapse in the match. Fortunately, that was not the case, as in the 70th minute, a quick attack from HUElavia had Aveiro running on the flank before sending a low ball into the box, where Nascimento won the ball over Hidawi and slid the ball past Maxter into the goal, making it 4-2. The HUElavian crowd erupted in joy and cheer as the 2-goal lead was on again, and Nascimento went to Aveiro for a dance while their teammates joined in on the celebrations. In the 85th minute, Azaim was on the ball, being covered by Lavezzi, where he sent a pass to Haziq, who took a curving shot that went past the reach of Casillas to the top corner of the goal, with Aziz getting the ball to run to center circle. The HUElavian crowd was nervous, but made chants to motivate the HUElavian players and demoralize Sharktail, but Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos held their ground and defended until the end of the match, where HUElavia survived and got another three points to their name.

As of now, HUElavia sit in 4th Place with 11 Points (3-2-0), behind Savorjarna with 15 Points (5-0-0), Adab with 13 Points (4-1-0), and Sharktail with 12 Points (4-0-2). HUElavia will play at Captina Island next, where a mix of reserve players will be used for the match in order to prepare for the next match. The one after that will be the anticipated home match at Estadio Nacional (100,000) in Curumba as HUElavia will play against Savojarna, with the A-Team playing. The Special Uniform will be worn for the first match, and the Home Uniform will be worn for the second match. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos cannot afford to underestimate their more novice opponents, nor can they allow errors against their direct opponents in Savojarna, whom is only one position above them in the Multiversal Rankings. It's going to be a dramatic set of matches, but the players are enjoying their time and training together, wanting to give it their all and stay in contention for the World Cup.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:31 pm

Prime Minister Victor Traianescu of the Republic of Estorpiva didn’t expect to be back in his homeland so quickly after he had gone here on a clandestine operation to secure the surrender of the leaders of the State of Estorpiva, and yet here he was. It had been two weeks since the first troops of the Federal Defense Forces, the combined militaries of both the Republic of Estorpiva and the Federation of Estorvipa, had landed in Estorian territories in their bid to retake their country from the factions that had split it apart as a result of the Estorian Civil War. After the initial landings in the resort town of Cronos had been met by stiff resistance from the Blue Skulls, the Federal Defense Forces had made good progress through the territory once held by the State of Estorpiva. The Blue Skulls had retreated from most small towns and villages, instead concentrating themselves in the bigger cities in Pivan territory where they hoped to make the invaders pay for every major city taken. Some units of the Pivan Protection Forces, the armed forces of the State of Estorpiva, also stood firm against the invaders on their volition and not at the coercion of the Blue Skulls, as was the case with most other PPF units in areas where the Blue Skulls had opted to set up their defenses. But most other PFF units chose to surrender rather than fight their fellow Pivans, even if they were invading Pivan territory, or in the nomenclature of the operation plans, “reclaiming” Pivan territory from the occupation of the Inselberg Pact’s member nations..

Cronos fell to the Federal Defense Forces after a day of fighting. Once the town had been secured and a headquarters for the “reclamation army” established there, the Federal Defense Forces moved swiftly through the area, taking all of the villages and settlements to the east and north of Cronos. The former seaside resort town had been chosen as the starting point of the FDF's “reclamation” not because it was strategically important but because it was the town closest to Estorpiva's border with the Anaian hinterlands. The FDF wanted their “reclamation” plans to focus on going in one direction and one direction only, and the only way to do that was to land in a place that was closest to Estorpiva’s borders. It was perhaps only a coincidence that Cronos had a coastline where troops could easily land without much struggle. In any case, the Federal Defense Forces spread out from their starting location in Cronos and had successfully captured the southern third of the territory of the State of Estorpiva two weeks after their initial landings.

The first real obstacle that the Federal Defense Forces encountered in their “reclamation” of Estorpiva was the city of Bentakeb. Bentakeb was located about thirty kilometers away from Cronos, and just one week after the initial landings, it was now under siege from the FDF. Most of the Blue Skulls in southern Estorpiva had retreated to Bentakeb and had declared their intentions to defend the city to the last man, and as a result of this, the Federal Ground Defense Forces encircled Bentakeb while the Naval Defense Forces established a blockade around the city. The encirclement of the city allowed the rest of the FDF to continue on their northwards advance through Estorpiva with the aim of reaching the cities of Feuerstadt and Durdenville by the end of the month. In the meantime, the FDF fought the Blue Skulls and pro-Inselberg Pact units of the Pivan Protection Forces in the suburbs of Bentakeb even as the Skulls used the city’s population of more or less 100,000 people as human shields to stave off a “decisive and final” FDF attack for as long as possible.

The Bentakeb frontline was the first port of call for Prime Minister Traianescu's first official visit back into Estorpiva ever since the Pridnestrovian expeditionary forces sent into the area to fight the Imperium's puppets was forced to withdraw by the signing of the Treaty of Kotelnirovo. Of course, Traianescu had already been to Estorpiva once before, to witness the signing of the official instrument of surrender of the State of Estorpiva to the Republic of Estorpiva, but the rest of the world didn't have to know about that just yet. Traianescu's official jet landed at the Bentakeb airport after a circuitous route through territory now under the control of the Federal Defense Forces, a precautionary measure against a potential shootdown attempt on the part of the Blue Skulls. The Skulls were known to be both ruthless and opportunistic and would definitely jump at the chance to take out their enemy's leadership when it presented itself. Traianescu's visit to Bentakeb was itself supposed to be a secret, but the Republic of Estorpiva was taking no chances, especially since the Imperium and its Imperial Intelligence Service had proven themselves more than capable of infiltrating an enemy government.

Traianescu's plane landed on the lone runway of Bentakeb's airport, which had been captured by the FDF just three days prior. Thankfully, there was only minor to light damage to the airport's runway, meaning that it was still usable for planes taking off and landing on it. However, the airport's infrastructure was less fortunate. The control tower and terminal buildings were pockmarked with bullet holes, evidence of the battle that took place for control of the airport. There were numerous bomb craters on the apron around which Traianescu's plane had to navigate lest it end up falling into one such crater, creating for an undignified entrance for the leader of the Republic of Estorpiva. Eventually, after some minutes of navigating the maze that was Bentakeb Airport's bombed out apron, Victor Traianescu was finally able to disembark from his plane and greet both the troops of the Federal Defense Forces and the grateful citizens of the “reclaimed” and “liberated” areas of Estorpiva.

“Welcome to Bentakeb, Prime Minister, and welcome back to Estorpiva,” said General Bonifacy Kovacs, overall commander of the Federal Defense Forces. Bonifacy Kovacs was the younger brother of Luka Kovacs, the now-former commander of the Pivan Protection Forces, having defected to the side of the pro-Pridnestrovian Republic of Estorpiva after the majority of the leadership of the State of Estorpiva decided that joining the Inselberg Pact would be more beneficial to them in the long run. Bonifacy's reward for defecting to the Republic, if it could even be called that, was command of the newly formed Federal Defense Forces, a command to which he took like a duck to water. And now, aside from commanding the entirety of the Federal Defense Forces, Bonifacy was also the ground commander of the FDF’s “reclamation forces” in Estorpiva.

“I’ll be honest with you, Bonifacy, I don't feel as good about being back here as I thought I would,” Traianescu admitted to Kovacs. “On one hand, we are finally doing what we promised to the Pivan people and have come back to free them from the influence of the Imperium and their Inselberg Pact. But on the other hand, we might be forced to bring destruction upon our own land because of the stubbornness of the Blue Skulls. What was it that they said they would do to the ruins of the ancient Greek town here if we tried to strike at them with missiles? They were going to blow up the ruins and destroy a massive part of the cultural heritage of the Pivan people, yes? Is there anything that we are doing to prevent that?”

“Scouts and sapper units have been probing and poking holes in the Skulls’ defensive lines in Bentakeb, but given the position of the ruins deep inside the city, our units are going to find it almost impossible to get there in time to prevent the Skulls from demolishing the whole place if they so wished,” Kovacs replied.

“A damn shame, then,” Traianescu muttered. “The preservation of those ruins must be of utmost priority to our troops. I don't care if the Skulls decide to turn that place into their headquarters. The ruins must remain undamaged as much as possible. If we can avoid hitting it with our missiles and artillery then see to it that that is done.”

“Of course, Prime Minister,” Kovacs nodded.

“How about our northern offensive?” Traianescu asked. “How close are we to reaching Feuerstadt?”

“We may have to adjust our estimates, Prime Minister,” Kovacs replied. “Our forces are beginning to encounter stiffer resistance as they get closer to Urodorasul. The Blue Skulls have designated Urodorasul as one of their fortress cities, and we cannot simply bypass the city because we will have to worry about the Skulls conducting their own raids and partisan operations against our forces. Imagine the current situation in Bentakeb, sir, then multiply that by a hundred. That is what awaits us when we reach Urodorasul.”

“Nobody said that reclaiming our homeland from the influence of the Inselberg Pact would be easy, Bonifacy,” Traianescu muttered. “We will do what must be done to remove all traces of the Imperium from our lands.”

Inside the ruins of the Bentakeb Airport terminal, Victor Traianescu was greeted by the mayors of Cronos and Novoabych, two towns of more than ten thousand population that had already been reclaimed by the Federal Defense Forces, along with some citizens from the towns near Bentakeb. It was clearly a propaganda photo opportunity; they even had a couple of kids with flowers ready to give said flowers to Traianescu upon approaching the civilians. Even Traianescu had his little speech ready for the kids, telling them that he was sorry that it took the Republic this long to come to the rescue of the Pivan people as they had promised two years before. And then it was time to get out of the airport and inspect the troops as they carried out their duties during the siege of Bentakeb before going back to the airport and making another speech, this time a truly prepared one, before a carefully selected audience of civilians and soldiers. Traianescu made a lot of points in his speech, but in the end it all boiled down to this sentence which he said at the start of his speech: “It has been two years since the Republic of Estorpiva promised the Pivan people that we will come back to Estorpiva and fight for your rights in the face of the tyranny and imperialism of the Inselberg Pact. Those were two long years in which we had to build up our military strength in order to be able to stand toe to toe with the forces of the Inselberg Pact. But now we are here, we are back, and we do not plan on going anywhere anymore.”

However, the Blue Skulls truly were opportunists. This was perhaps the first time that a leader of an enemy of the Blue Skulls had ever come so close to their grasp, and they weren’t going to let Victor Traianescu get away from them, at least not without putting the fear of the Blue Skulls in him. In the middle of Traianescu’s speech at the airport, a small force of Blue Skulls suddenly appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on the Prime Minister of the Republic of Estorpiva as well as the civilians and soldiers who had been selected to listen to his speech. “Death to the invaders! Death to the Communist sympathizer! Death to all Pivans!” various Blue Skulls fighters could be heard screaming during the attack. The Skulls didn’t succeed in killing Traianescu, but even though the Skulls in Bentakeb lost twenty more fighters and defenders from their force, they had at least made the point that they were not going to roll over for the Federal Defense Forces.

The Blue Skulls were ready to die, not for any good cause, but just because they wanted to keep hold of the power that they had attained both in the north and in Estorpiva.

         BANIJA 3 - 3 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA  
    HONGO (19')       ZALUZHENKO (59')
  IKPEAZU (39')       PRASUTAGUSIC (67')
    MBOGE (83')       UDEANU (73')

  ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 2 - 0 GORTOLEKUA  
            DAVYDOV (20')
              RODIN (36')

by **Flavovespia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:27 pm

Flavovespia 1 - 2 Zwangzug

Flavovespia suffered a first defeat of the qualifiers, as top seeds Zugzwang rolled into the capital and took a win by a goal. The game was one of two halves arguably, the first saw Flavovespia seemingly fall into their older bad habits, the second a more open and entertaining game, but one the visitors ultimately succeeded in.

Adrian Jones was back from injury, and he’d return in the place of Scott Coleman. Daniel Lansdell would also be starting, in place of the suspended Paul Taylor. Daniel Lansdell was involved in one of the game’s major incidents in the 21st minute. Quincy Dulk-Fough would make Flavovespia pay for a slow start, beating the offside trap before slotting the ball home. There was a lot of dispute over the goal, and after a lengthy video referee conferral, the goal stood. Lansdell’s remonstration at the referee saw him receive yellow, and nearly a red.

The rest of the first half saw Zwangzug largely in control, it should’ve been 0-2 or 0-3, but for some good saves by Aarif Muhammad, and David Lyons good leadership in the backline. Nevertheless, at the break it was Zugzwang who were the side pushing on to take 3 points and try and make this group closer at the top.

Flavovespia came out in the second half fired up, and the 54th minute saw the equaliser come in. It was Adrian Jones on his return scoring, as he rose highest to beat Cynthia Fairfax-Hazy and put the ball past Helen Pimbura and into the net. 1-1 now, and there was a real spark in the game now, and to Flavovespia’s play in this encounter.

The last half-hour had plenty of entertaining moves from both sides, only matched by the rugged determination of both defences to try and avoid conceding more. In the end, it would be Zwangzug who’d get the decisive goal. Hanna Suzuki would hold off Stuart Cookson well, before sending in a powerful, accurate shot that Aarif Muhammad couldn’t get enough on to keep it out. 1-2 it was to Zwangzug.

Flavovespia had a half chance in the dying minutes, when Kieron Player’s free-kick was nearly turned in by substitute David Blythe, but his shot was just not powerful enough to go in before it was blocked away. In the end, the 1-2 result was a fair result given the first half display. It ended the winning streak at the start of the Qualifiers however, and closed up the top of the group.

Ochre Islands 3 - 3 Flavovespia

Two winners of the CAFA Cup played out an entertaining 6 goal game with the goals shared between the sides equally. This game showed both sides have the potential to be real contenders to make it out of the Qualifiers, but have areas of their game to improve.

Flavovespia made no changes to their starting XI that lost to Zugzwang, consistency valued by Augusto Rinaldi. However this decision seemed to have backfired early on. In the 9th minute, Flavovespia were undone by a long ball that played in Copse Clearedway in at the back post. He made no mistake from that range, and Aarif Muhammad was fuming at his defence for that error. 7 minutes later, it was 2-0. Some good passing played in Blue Gibson. Her shot wasn’t the best, but Aarif Muhammad didn’t get a clean block to it, and the ball bobbled over the line. It was now looking like Ochre Islands could quickly run away with it.

Flavovespia were thankful in the 22nd minute that they were able to halve the deficit. Adrian Jones received the ball a bit outside the box, and drew the centre backs out. A flick over their heads towards Michael Cole played in the striker, and he was able to half-volley it over Louis Wilson and into the goal. 2-1 now, and there was hope for the visitors. They exerted some more pressure in the first half, but couldn’t find themselves an equaliser before the break.

The equaliser came shortly into the second half. A corner whipped in was met by the head of Adrian Jones, and flew into the net, past Louis Wilson. A well worked set-piece to make it 2-2, and now the game was back in the balance. Ochre Islands were frustrated that they didn’t even hold on after the first real attack they faced in the second half.

Ochre Islands restored their lead 5 minutes later. Carl Walker’s shot from just outside the box took a deflection off Stuart Cookson, which turned it into the path of Blue Gibson. Gibson took it with composure, to put the ball past Aarif Muhammad as he tried to adjust his position. 3-2 now, in an entertaining game, and Ochre Islands had another chance to try and hold onto the lead.

Flavovespia would score their 3rd, and ultimately the final goal of the game in the 66th minute. This time Kieron Player went direct from a free kick 22 metres out and in line with the goalkeeper’s left hand post. The inswinging shot was well placed, and left Wilson with little chance to make the save. A 5th international goal for Kieron Player, and it was certainly a memorable one.

Both sides had a few chances to break the deadlock after that, but Ochre Islands came closest. Rory Builder broke clear, and was able to round Aarif Muhammad. However Builder wasn’t quite able to get the ball out under his feet to shoot, and by the time he did, Andrew Dance was back to dispossess him in the crucial moment.

3-3 it finished, a point for both sides, but a sense maybe there was a winner in this game that just didn’t come. This result leaves Flavovespia 2nd, 1 point behind Delaclava and 1 point ahead of Jeruselem and Zwangzug. Ochre Islands are a further 4 behind the latter 2 sides, but with a game in hand. For now there’s a sense this is probably still a battle between the Top 5 in the group for the spot at the World Cup and the playoffs.

by **Delaclava** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:56 pm

DELACLAVA 1-1 Civia Welephilostopia
Khautov 14' | Jeremy 82'
Rodriguez; Meñica, Zhusupov, Gouin, Barker (Torres 46'); Zaitsev (Temirkanov 46'), Brouillard, Tudor, Demirjian, Anagnakis (Racette 46'); Khautov.

The Phoenixes didn't quite bring all of their firepower to the match and paid the price for their indifference by leaving two easy points on the table. The offense looked out of sorts after an early Alibek Khautov goal, and the Emerald Elephants, emboldened by their success, managed to sneak a tying goal from Jeremy late in the match. Yet with chaos abound in Group 6, the single point was enough to nudge Delaclava into the group lead.

Republica Guanacasteca 5-5 DELACLAVA
Calderon 6' 58', Fuller 27', Ingram 73', Monterroza 84' | Kovalev 11', Meyer 23' 68', Lindblad 51' 55'
Cloarec; Baxayev, Zhusupov, Gouin, Barry; Zaitsev (Bartoš 46'), Romeijn, Tudor (Lindblad 46'), Kovalev (Anagnakis 86'); Meyer.

Two highly potent counterattacking teams and a clear, sunny day meant plenty of scoring to go around. The Phoenixes may have been the more experience squad, but the tactical complexity of the Pigs made this a highly compelling and ultimately a dead even match. The result left Delaclava atop the table, but it also left plenty to be desired ahead of major matches coming against Jeruselem and Flavovespia.

Waringpost
Voss laments Ram Ranch tragedy, calls Mercedini status into question

President Anna Voss, in a press briefing, addressed the events at a World Cup qualifying match between Quebec and Mercedini that led to the death of the referee, David Fasnacht, and 63 fans as well as countless wild animals.

"I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives at the Rammastein Ranch, as well as my deepest gratitude that the remaining fans and players have safely returned home," the President said. "The nation of Delaclava, the Delaclava Olympic Committee, the Football Association, and the soccer community of Delaclava is on call to assist all the Quebecois people involved in this unfortunate incident."

Mercedini defeated the Independent Athletes of Quebec 3-2 at Tee O. Rammastein's Ranch, located on Pronghorn Island. Delaclava has previously played at the Ram Ranch for the Pronghorn Trophy; the Phoenixes claimed the three-team competition that also features Independent Athletes of Quebec and Ceni.

However, the match will forever be less noted for the scoreline than the events that transpired. With the Grim Reapers holding a 2-1 lead late in the match, Fasnacht began awarding dubious red and yellow cards to the Grim Reapers while refraining from booking the Mercedini team; eventually, the Mercedini team earned a comeback victory on a highly questionable goal. Following the game, what started in understandable frustration and tomato-throwing from the fans, known as the "Bubonic Plague", quickly turned horrific as a riled-up sea monster first slayed Fasnacht before the sea of carnivorous beasts turned its attention to the fans, resulting in carnage, explosions of fireworks, and tsunami waves.

The surviving fans managed to evacuate, with 231 suffering injuries. The fate of the players is unknown, although reports have indicated that they await corporal punishment.

"Mjolnir spanks are serious business," Voss responded to a question. "You have to be careful taking one of those to the tushie."

The location, situated in the middle of the monster-infested Blood Sea, was chosen due to several security concerns raised by the presence of Mercedini representatives. Mercedini has previously imperiled the international community by spreading the coronavirus disease, as well as trashing months of carefully planned logistics in connection with the Novapax Exhibition, which replaced World Cup of Hockey 46, by changing the format as well as the scheduled dates of the competition without notice. Voss questioned whether there should not be recourse for the sporting federation's actions.

"I'm not one to pull punches," Voss said with a smirk. "Our experience with their representatives has been an experience with disorganized plague rats." She shook her head sadly. "And now we see, they have again put the safety of their neighbors in question and imposed a shocking cost of human life, with terrifying disregard for such.

"We really must consider, as a community, if they have retained the privilege of competing alongside us."

Plans for the fixture between the two teams to be hosted in Mercedini have yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, the Phoenixes have no concerns other than gratuitous nudity in their qualifying campaign (so, no concerns whatsoever).

Delaclav-Juven relations established in ceremony

Although Anna Voss' typical week these days is stressful, filled with questions about the Folding, the mainframe, Talannua, and affairs in both Sonnel and Atlantian Oceania, the President managed to strike a happier note earlier this week on one of those fronts.

On Tuesday, Voss traveled to Juvencus to officially establish a bilateral diplomatic relationship with one of the flagship Sonnelian nations, meeting with the Holy Emperor, Nicola II, in the Juven capital of Pomena.

"I am ecstatic to be here today in this capacity and to formally commence relations with the Holy Empire of Juvencus," Voss said. "They are a passionate, loyal, and hard-working people with a beautiful country. This partnership is the sort of which we anticipated when we, the United Republic of Delaclava, chose to move to the planet of Sonnel. These are the wonderful friendships that will arise through this new era of diplomacy."

Also in attendance were Mark Baldelli, the newly appointed Ambassador of Delaclava to Juvencus, and Alberta Manfreddi, the Ambassador of Juvencus to Delaclava. Baldelli currently serves as Dean of the School of Humanities at Tristine University. Primarily an expert on 18th-century romantic literature, Baldelli had over the past several years become a forefront Delaclav figure on Sonnelian history and society, and has been lauded for his analyses of certain trends that predicted a Delaclav move to Sonnel.

Manfreddi is a prominent lawyer who has previously represented Juvencus as an ambassador to neighboring nation Oscioru.

It is believed that the Delaclav embassy will be situated in Pomena. Although Delaclava's embassies are located almost entirely in Catherina, with some exceptions, it has been suggested that the Juven assembly would be the first of its kind to be built in the Mainframe.

by **Mytanija** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:01 pm

Dzvezdan Kitanchev was a man under pressure. It had happened very suddenly, unexpected defeats on the road at relative minnows Ancherion and Talannua will do that, even if a creditable 0-0 draw against the group’s top seeds Tumbra demonstrated that this team still had something about them. Nobody was quite sure what it was at this point. Three games, one point, sitting in 9th in the group and already a long way behind those at the top. Kitanchev had a difficult act to follow, coming after Lev Repin, but nobody expected it to be quite this bad. Kitanchev had retained large parts of Repin’s tactical approach and there was a consensus that the crop of players he had to pick from was only improving with the strength of the Mytanar Top League. So what was going wrong?

Kitanchev was worried because it was something he was struggling to identify and managers without solutions were usually toast. It was part of the job, coming up with answers to the questions posed to your team by the opponent, but here Kitanchev was – once touted as one of the best young Mytanar coaches around – scrabbling for ideas to halt Mytanija’s slide. Any further defeats during the first-half of qualifying would be near enough terminal given the competitive nature of the qualifying group the Hoops had been drawn into. There were several good teams who would be hoping to prey on Mytanija’s poor start. If they were successful it would likely leave Mytanija out of the running at an early juncture and Kitanchev’s head on the chopping block.

Welcoming Qasden to Drachevo seemed like a good tonic for the team’s ills. They would be playing somewhere a little off the beaten track, a city which used to be the seat of Mytanija’s monarchy but was now just a small-to-mid-sized city which hosted international games every so often. It was also – due to the city’s prestigious university and the copious numbers of young people who lived there as a result – a place which had renewed faith in the vision of Mytanija as one nation which had risen out of the ashes of the Mytanar Conflict and that energised atmosphere carried over to the stands of NK Dyka’s Drachevo, where supporters roared the Hoops on to their first win of qualifying.

Kitanchev had selected a young side, with some injuries to more experienced players forcing his hand and some poor performances in the opening games only furthering this. Milica Prokopljevic got his first start, accompanied by the evergreen Dejan Zgela in attack and there was room for an aggressive midfield trio of Mirko Ovcina and Denis Ovsyannikov with Jana Anusic slightly ahead of them. Anusic had become the first woman to play for Mytanija, an exceptional achievement given the long-standing gender segregation between Mytanija’s two most popular sports: football and volleyball. Anusic was very good, too, laying on Milica Prokopljevic’s first goal for his country before adding a long-range strike of her own.

Denis Ovsyannikov wasn’t going to be outdone either, using his rangy frame to hold off one defender before pushing another away and slamming a volley home from outside of the penalty area. Some referees may have questioned the physicality, but the one refereeing this game was seemingly mesmerised by the technique on show and in this case it might well have been fair enough. A late header from Bigger Mbala-Ekakia completed the scoring and Mytanija seemed to have their qualifying cycle underway, finally, four games in. Kitanchev breathed something of a sigh of relief, but he knew that the pressure was still well and truly on.

A trip to Saltstead, a fixture which had previously posed difficulty for Mytanija, was up next and he knew that he had to rectify his team’s dreadful away form or the FSM might decide that they had seen enough. He returned to some of his more experienced competitors here, needing a compact and determined performance with plenty of discipline. It wasn’t the time for picking three attack-minded midfielders and Kitanchev went with the much more sober mix of Smajic and Atsev in central midfield, with Kuhar-Arh selected in the number ten role. Smajic was sensational too, controlling the pace of the game and snapping into tackles whenever it didn’t match the pace he wanted.

It was a masterclass and young Nurija Papez – consigned to a watching brief from the bench – couldn’t have received better insight into controlling a game from a deep-lying midfield position than he got from watching Smajic for 90 minutes here. Kitanchev was grateful. Papez would become a key component of the national team in the coming years, but the calls to include him had heightened with Mytanija’s poor start and Kitanchev didn’t want to throw him in too early. Poor performances would lead the wolves in the media to their usual critical conclusions and Kitanchev didn’t want Papez to experience that. Smajic being in good form would allow him a gentler introduction to the highest level of the sport.

Mytanija still needed a goal to actually win the game and it came from the single most reliable source the Hoops have had, Jezdimir Ocokoljic. It was his 99th for Mytanija, taking him one step closer to a fabled century of goals which has never been achieved before in a green-and-white shirt. This goal was important if only to provide a sheen of respectability to Kitanchev’s poor start to qualification. Other results ahead of them meant that it brought Mytanija to within six points of 1st in the group, by no means an unassailable amount. They also had a game in hand on 2nd placed TJUN-ia, something which could prove vital as the first-half of qualifying wore on.

Sitting in 8th was still pretty ugly, but at least the number in the points total isn’t completely embarrassing, Dzvezdan thought to himself. Matches against Sixty-Nine X and Ziwana represented reasonable opportunities to put a run of victories together, too, but he had to remind himself that near enough everybody had thought the same about Ancherion and Talannua too. Kitanchev shuddered at the reminder. He knew a repeat of those showings, even anything short of two wins, would ensure that the knives of the FSM, the Mytanar footballing media and most of the nation would be out back home.

Ana Mecava-Catic was not too far away from running for election for a third term as Premier of Mytanija. It was a strange feature of Mytanar politics that the country – or rather, the different regions which constituted something which looked a bit like a nation-state – seemed to like leaders to stay on for a long time once they had elected them once. Throughout history there had been very few single-term leaders, Mecava-Catic had returned for her second term with an even more emphatic victory and share of the vote and it appeared as if she would manage a third term too.

The polls were closer than last time. The MNK had stabilised somewhat, Krsto Gojkovic seizing control of the party and remaking it in his own image. He had purged the party’s old guard, those interested in opening Mytanija up to foreign markets, those who believed in the supremacy of the Zentrian Orthodox Church and who would rather see political strength lie in the regions rather than centrally. The MNK appeared to be a very different party now. Still fiercely socially conservative, Gojkovic had given speeches on the decline of the family and had tried to make this a major talking point wherever possible, mostly by allowing outriders to decry the seemingly never-ending creep of LGBT rights. Crucially he had refocused the party’s desire for a Zentrian ascendancy, the outdated view of Zentria dominating the rest of the country and bringing Magevskaya, Nasto and Avnalia along for the ride.

Gojkovic had turned on the Mecava-Catic government’s rather laissez-faire approach to both immigration and emigration. He argued that it was putting a strain on Mytanija’s treasured public services and that the country would have to limit both – keeping Mytanija for Mytanars – if they wanted to ensure that those services could run smoothly. Despite the growing economy, Gojkovic believed that allowing so many Mytanars to emigrate every year was a continuation of the brain drain witnessed in the aftermath of the Mytanar Conflict. He felt that Mecava-Catic’s government should be doing more to persuade Mytanar citizens to stay and then there would be less need for foreigners to be allowed into the country and less of an issue with integration.

It was an appealing argument to many, even if the lack of clear policies was something that Mecava-Catic continuously hammered Gojkovic on in the House of Representatives. Ana was not overly worried, it still looked like her party had around a ten-point lead in the polls, but there was a concern around the reliability of her party’s government coalition partner. Mecava-Catic had become good friends with Ekologija leader Radenka Kovacevic following the ’28 election. The two were kindred spirits in a world where you often weren’t allowed to have friends, but things had soured somewhat in the aftermath of the ’32 election. Ekologija felt that Jedinstvo were moving towards green policies a little too slowly, something which Ekologija backbenchers would not hesitate to question Mecava-Catic on in the House of Representatives.

Mecava-Catic had not wanted to slow the country’s growth, the economy had needed enormous government stimulus, green policies were certainly desirable, but they would take a few years to really start working and Jedinstvo had been most interested in getting the quality of life for ordinary Mytanars lifted as quickly as possible. Anything which might slow that was pushed back. This created tension between Mecava-Catic and Kovacevic, and more widely across the Jedinstvo-Ekologija coalition. They had managed to keep things together publicly, but increasingly there was disquiet in private and some of this was filtering through to the media who were only too happy to gossip about it for their readers’ delectation.

It was a concern, Ekologija had been a natural coalition partner and if Kovacevic was put under pressure not to enter into government again then it could leave Jedinstvo – and Ana – in a much more difficult position. She was pretty sure Radenka would never go into coalition with the MNK… But since Gojkovic had changed their brand she couldn’t be completely sure about anything to do with them. Maybe she would if he offered her more with regard to environmental policy. A discussion would need to be had, Ekologija had the environment ministry as part of the coalition agreement, but it was in other areas that they felt Jedinstvo had delayed progress. Perhaps Ana would okay something big before the ’36 election, one big final push to quell any Ekologija concerns, perhaps bringing full nationalisation of energy back on the table. That had always been the plan, but universal healthcare provision and educational reform had taken precedence, maybe now was the time to offer Ekologija that olive branch. Things had changed a lot since discussion of the two parties merging, Ana mused to herself.

She had to plan for the visit of Euran Prime Minister Barnham, too. A big event in Mytanija, given the intertwined history of the two nations. Barnham would want to discuss the Common Rushmori Community no doubt. Mytanars had been natural Anserisceptics since the idea had been floated, lacking confidence in the CRC’s ability to curb mission creep. Mecava-Catic didn’t want to take Mytanija into the CRC as a loose political alliance and end up with that being the first step towards economic liberalisation of internal markets. Mytanars on the whole did not trust the Eurans, their failure to do much other than throwing good money after bad to get the country back on its feet in the aftermath of the Mytanar Conflict didn’t fill people with confidence. It would be something the Premier could give some positive soundbites on whilst maintaining that she always wanted to maintain the country’s political independence.

There would be visits, lots of visits. Esca, Thessia and Ebor would all be visited given their importance, along with the links to the Mytanar Conflict. But places like Eskobirsk and Trunca were also on the list, sites of enormous sorrow. The camps outside of Eskobirsk, where Euran peacekeepers identified the first evidence of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Natella Kalinina’s regime, were a horrifying reminder of what occurred during the Conflict and the visit there would be a solemn day. Trunca, a city reduced to rubble due to Euran carpet-bombing, was an unfortunate victim of collateral damage during the war, but had now been rebuilt as part of Mecava-Catic’s plan for reconstruction. A visit to various Euran memorials would of course be part of the visit too.

Mecava-Catic was energised about getting the chance to get coverage of the flourishing Mytanar clothing, textiles and automobiles industries onto Euran airwaves; and the developing Mytanar-Euran boxing rivalry¹ would be marked with a visit to the Mytanski Institut za Sport to see exactly where the champions were being forged. Migration would be a key topic for Barnham, one which Mecava-Catic wanted to spend as little time on as possible, but there would be opportunities to discuss security and mutual strategic interests, organised crime and trade too. Ana wanted to focus on trade as much as possible, it was a strong area for her, whilst foreign policy in general was always an easy win.

Immigration and organised crime seemed more like MNK attack lines and staying away seemed wise. Thinking about organised crime reminded Ana of the rather interesting overture the Mytanar government had received from Græntfjall, offering cooperation on international human trafficking. It was interesting, Ana knew that she and Kaija Michaelsdóttir disagreed on many things and she knew that Kaija knew that the pair shared a mutual distaste for one another. They had met a couple of times and relations had always been cordial but frosty². Ana couldn’t tell if this offer had been designed to make her government look bad, after all, Kaija had never hidden her disgust for left-wing political movements at home or abroad.

Human trafficking out of Mytanija was undoubtedly a problem. Mostly to Eura and Quebec, places with much larger Mytanar diasporas and much larger Mafija presences as a result. Ana didn’t doubt that some Mytanars ended up in Græntfjall too, but this offer of cooperation on the issue had come rather out of the blue, around a year out from Ana going for re-election and with organised crime being a potential attack line for Krsto Gojkovic and the MNK. Ana couldn’t help but smell a rat, or at the very least some out-of-date kraken.

Still, inaction wouldn’t look good either and organised crime was an important issue. The Mafija – or the various big criminal groups – had been resurgent in recent years, using successful business overseas to bolster their legitimate holdings in the growing Mytanar economy. It was a problem and Ana knew that neutering the gangs overseas would help to marginalise them at home. She resolved to discuss the offer further, details would be important, she didn’t trust the Græntfjaller government not to sneak something into the small print – not under Kaija Michaelsdóttir’s watch anyway, especially not when she too was up for re-election in the near future.

Superscripts indicating Ana Mecava-Catic’s thoughts!
¹ Pah! It barely warrants the term ‘rivalry’. Few rivalries are as one-sided. Those Eurans getting one famous win and all of a sudden they’re wanting to mark bloody ‘rivalries’ on state visits…
² Rather fitting, for a Græntfjaller

by **Sargossa** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:12 pm

You wouldn’t have known it to look, but beneath the surface a seismic shift was quietly occurring within the environs of the Greater Sargossan Republic. About the towns and cities of the home islands and the assorted colonies and dependencies men, women and those of a non-binary persuasion went about their business as normal. As normal as the inhabitants of many other nations across the cosmos. Life on the streets of Soluca, Jucaro, Mercada or Puerto Rosario was functionally little different to that in Torgos, or Bastion, or Scott City. Which would surprise those expecting curfews, brutal oppression and summary executions in the big, bad dictatorship out in Rushmore’s olde west. But life here was perfectly peaceful, with the chief gripe largely being the appalling form of the national football team. Not that the larger Rushmori community saw it that way. In the eyes of Rushmore the tag of dictatorship hung heavily. Which posed a problem for the Sargossan leadership, who were aware that a modern nation could not exist in isolation. Something might have to change.

Beneath the surface invisible tendrils of change had actually been snaking out from the centre of power in Soluca for years now. An army of administration staff and bureaucrats had been working tirelessly. Censuses had been sent out all across the nation, to gain as accurate and up-to-date reading as possible as to the finer details of the populace. Sweaty officials had spent long hours poring over maps, slowing and inexorably dividing the country and its colonies into a vast swathe of smaller districts, one thousand in total. And on a large patch of ground beside the Avenida Luca Sargo de Santa, where the old parliament building had once stood prior to its demolition, a huge construction project was nearing completion. The new edifice was much bigger than that which it had replaced, incorporating cleared land either side and behind the previous plot. It wasn’t that the project was a secret, it was just that its purpose had never been officially disclosed. There were enough sweeping infrastructure projects going on across the nation that one more wasn’t going to cause much interest. At the centre of the structure was a vast chamber in which seating arranged in roughly a horseshoe shape lay, the focus of which was a central dais. The seats in the horseshoe numbered a thousand. As did the number of near identical offices being constructed within the bulk of the structure and in the outer buildings. Architecturally it bore similarities to the building that sat at the end of the Avenida Luca Sargo de Santa, the Presidential Palace itself. It was set to be named The Palace of The People.

‘Really?’ President Gregorio Emparán had been staring out of his office window before turning to face his aide. ‘The Palace of The People?’

‘That’s the minister’s recommendation. He says it should give the suggestion that the people would be holding the power.’

‘I’m starting to suspect that the minister hasn’t in fact met any of the people. Power is not something they should be having. Or a palace, come to that.’

‘He mentioned the importance of perception.’

‘I know. I know.’ Emparán had heard all the arguments, endlessly. This project had started more than three years ago and had thus far cost hundreds of millions of dinaras. Now he was fast approaching the point of no return. Soon he would have to decide whether to let the genie definitively out of the bottle. He rubbed at the pressure slowly building at his temple. ‘We'll talk about it later. I need a distraction.’

He pushed a button and the large television on the wall sprang into life. He settled down to watch Sargossa’s World Cup qualifier against Yuezhou. A little while later, with the Corsairs 3 – 0 down, he elected to go for a walk instead.

by **The Cordian Isles** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:31 pm

The Cordasfjord Daily

North Stars Simply Unbelievable

CORDASFJORD, Cordia- Well, we sacrificed the rubber chickens. And it worked damned well. What a match, man, what a match. For context for those of you who only follow WCQs in the newspaper, the Cordian national team faced the Holy Empire last night. The North Stars, as the Cordians are known, were on a four-match winning streak despite being the fourth seed, ranked 53rd overall in the world, and sitting first in the group. The Holy Empire, a one seed and ranked second in the world, had been struggling but still were massively favored to win. What followed the kickoff was easily the best-played match in Cordian history.

It didn’t take long for the world’s best footballing nation to establish itself as the favorite. Under a minute into the match, Gerald put a through ball up to Radar Snicklefritz the 1st, who chipped a shot over a diving Kristin Bergstrin to put the Holy Empire up 1-0 and quiet a roaring home Cordian crowd boosted by four straight victories. The Holy Empire kept up the pressure but the Cordian back line closed up and there were no more free goals for THE’s hamsters. Even still, it was a harrowing first ten minutes that saw three more shots on goal for the Holy Empire, kept out only by some solid work in goal from Kristin Bergstrin and the back line cleaning up well. It took a while, but eventually the Cordians managed their first shot on net in the 14th minute, Sebastian Voll taking a pass from Rasmus Karlssen high in the box and firing, straight into the gloves of Toggle. Despite the opportunity, the Holy Empire kept rolling and the match remained very much in their favor. In the 23rd, Watson fired from well outside the box. The powerful shot was stopped by Kristin Bergstrin but rebounded to Pebbles, who cleaned up the rebound pretty easily to extend the lead to two goals for the Holy Empire. Things seemed near hopeless for the Cordians until one of the hamsters - a back, but we don’t know which - forgot how to run, allowing Sebastian Voll to outsprint the rest of the Holy Empire’s back line. Toggle jumped too powerfully to make the save, overshooting the ball by a meter or two, and just like that a shocked crowd looked up at the scoreboard, now displaying just a 2-1 lead for the Holy Empire. Evidently, there were still some kinks in the system for the hamster-engineers to work out. Though the Holy Empire still held the upper hand for the rest of the half and went into the locker room up 2-1, a weakness had been exposed and the Cordians were keeping the match close, and the Holy Empire didn’t continue the wholesale dominance of the first 25-ish minutes.

The Cordians came out of the half firing on all cylinders and actually gained the upper hand on the world’s second-ranked team, sending a few shots just shy on the net early on. Six minutes into the half, Anton Osterholt, who especially held an advantage over the hamstermechs who too often reacted slowly to his moves, managed to dribble between two defensive hamstermechs and chip a shot over the head of Toggle before the hamster could react. The goal sent Cordians across the Isles to their feet and set the stadium screaming. We said a couple weeks ago that taking one point from the matches against Saint Eleanor, the Holy Empire, and Nyowani Kitara, would be a success for the North Stars. But the Cordians were headed for four and playing the best football of their lives. Diandra Ballard subbed out Hannah Andersen in favor of Gunnvor Nieminen and put in Erik Pratt for a relatively inexperienced Ada Baan, keeping fresh legs in the midfield as well as a set-up with Nieminen that’s much more conducive to goal-scoring. Ballard definitely appeared to be going for the win.

The match continued after that goal in exciting fashion. Nieminen provided a boost to the offense, Redvin Chase managed to incur a foul (thankfully, in the Holy Empire half), and both sides had plenty of scoring chances. But the clock ticked up to, and then past the 80 minute mark and the score remained knotted at 2-2. In the 83rd minute, Gunnvor Nieminen fired a shot from high in the box, only for it to be punched high by Toggle. Nicholas Eriksen went to take the corner, the clock ticking into the 84th minute as he did. The Cordians and the hamsters readied themselves for one of the critical plays of the match. Eriksen’s corner sailed right into the fray, and neither side gained full possession as the crowd noise grew in anticipation of the play. A hamstermech - it’s impossible to know which - tried the clear the ball, but it glanced off the shin of Sebastian Voll and deflected out to the left into open space. Nicholas Eriksen, who had sprinted over as soon as he took the corner, collected the ball and calmly fired it into the back of the net, Toggle having stepped out in anticipation of a quick shot from the battle in front of the net.

The crowd went WILD for likely the biggest goal in Cordian history. Screaming, shouting, the Cordian supporters even broke out in song after the kickoff. The singing did not end even twenty minutes after the match, never falling in tone and never rising except for an incredible save by Kristin Bergstrin to secure the win a few minutes into stoppage. Once the referee’s whistle blew, the fans rushed the field. There was no violence against the hamstermechs, who were allowed to walk off the field, evidently pissed with their performance. But the player wearing blue home Cordian kits were swarmed, often joining in song themselves. And they deserved it; it’s not every day you knock off the world’s second-ranked nation.

But it’s a quick turnaround for the Cordians. In a few days the North Stars visit Nyowani Kitara, another high-ranking nation. Even having defeated the best footballers in the world, everybody still poses a massive threat, especially the group’s second seed. After the Kitarans is Wreckeria in a couple weeks, the group’s fifth seeds, ranked just below the Cordians and also playing some really solid football at the moment. Whether the North Stars can roll this momentum into these next few matches remains to be seen, but sitting clearly in first on a five-match winning streak, this is the biggest high in Cordian sporting history.

[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

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