World Cup 93 - RP Thread

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 1:42 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

THESE QUALIFIERS COULDN'T HAVE COME AT A WORSE POSSIBLE TIME

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, if this hasn’t been the absolute worst few weeks in the history of Fleftic football then I don’t really know what is anymore. I mean, Christ above, just think about what the fuck happened in the last two weeks and you really wonder if we’ve become nothing more than the playthings of the football gods! First of all, you had that godawful loss to Elmyia in the Di Bradini Cup. Honestly, I’ve never seen an away crowd of Fleftic fans as angry as that lot were after the final whistle. And usually you would expect the fans of the losing side to go out of the stadium before the awarding ceremony, but no, these Flefts stayed behind and made sure to boo the officiating crew as loudly as possible. Heck, there might have even been a bunch of Vanorian flags that got burned over there as well. I don’t know how that incident is going to impact Abanhfleft’s future participation in the DBC, but I wouldn’t put it past the SFA to throw another bloody tantrum and refuse to participate in the DBC once again. I swear to the actual God, the football gods have a very sick and twisted sense of humor. I just said that I hope that our Young Revolutionaries are able to take advantage of the situation while they’re seemingly sleeping, but either the football gods realized that we were on a good run in the DBC and stepped in to intervene, or they’ve been watching it all unfold the whole time and waited for the absolute worst time to drop the other shoe on all of us who support the blue, orange, and green.

And I don’t even want to talk about the Under-18 World Cup anymore. I didn’t see any of it because I got physically ill after watching that final game between Abanhfleft and Elmyia in the DBC, and that might have even been a bastard blessing in disguise because apparently I didn’t miss anything important at all. Three straight losses, and it all started with a 5-0 thumping at the hands of bloody Tumbra. Nothing against Tumbra, friends, but the team that they just buried is pretty much the same team that went all the way to penalties against Gortolekua in the previous Under-18 World Cup. And once again we have the Abanhfleft effect in full force in this competition. If we’re not getting knocked out in the Round of 16, we’re turning in absolutely pathetic and pitiful performances in the group stage. At least this crop of under-18 footballers playing for the Democratic Republic have now got a taste of what it feels like to play for Abanhfleft in any major football tournament. Forget about the Independents Cup or the Jenna Raven Cup; who even wants those? Losing three straight games in the group stage is where it’s at, if it’s not at bottling it at the final hurdle. Good God, why was I even born in Abanhfleft in the first place? If I had known that this was how it was going to feel like as a football fan from this place, I would have asked to be born literally anyplace else!

And of course, just like bloody buses and taxis, you spend an entire month waiting for Abanhfleft’s luck in football to go from good to bad starting in the DBC, and then now you have an entire month’s worth of bad luck happening to the Revolutionaries every which way you look. The qualifiers for the 93rd World Cup kicked off at the same time that the group stage of the Under-18 World Cup ended, and just as you would expect, Abanhfleft got their arses handed to them right from the start. Now I have nothing against our brothers and sisters from the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva; God knows that they’re just trying to do the right thing of reclaiming their homeland from all of those warlords and whatnot that tore it apart during their civil war, but when it comes to football, they can all gladly fuck off, please! I really think that loss against Elmyia in Valanora did numbers to Sven bloody Fahrni because that lad has simply not looked like he was up to the task when he got back from the land of the elves. I’m not even going to pull the “someone hacked the Terminator!” excuse because this is now a serious matter. That loss in the final of the Di Bradini Cup really shook up that guy, and while it’s probably a good thing that he’s surrounded by other guys who’ve been there and done that as well, I’m pretty sure that that’s not going to make it any easier for the lad at all!

But I gotta hand it to those Estorians though; they really knew how to play football the way that they wanted to play it! They’ve only been taking part in the World Cup qualifiers for what, six years, and now they’re light years ahead of us in terms of their trajectory towards the top! Kinda sucks to think about, not gonna lie, but when you realize that Abanhfleft is really the plaything of the football gods then there’s really nothing much else that you can do about it. You can be like me and constantly shout obscenities and such at those deities or things or whatever in the vain hope that they’ll finally grow tired of us and move on to another hapless chew toy, or you can just literally support another team instead. No joke, I’m already seeing comments from “former die-hard Abanhfleft fans” who have decided that maybe it’s time they supported another team instead, something like the bloody Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva! My brothers and sisters in Christ, unless you have an Estorian in your family tree somewhere or joined the Territorial Defense Legions of the bloody Estorian Federal Defense Forces then you’ve got no right at all to support those bastards! Again, nothing personal with the Estorians, the Vipans and the Pivans, but the day that I stop supporting Abanhfleft is the day that I finally decided to get citizenship in a different country! Which, to be fair, is probably going to become a reality sooner rather than later given the trajectory that this country’s football team is taking.

Abanhfleft did get a win in the qualifiers, against Britonisea, but it was not the big bounce-back win that you would have expected us to get after the senior Revolutionaries got their arses handed to them by the Estorians. We had to fucking fight for all of those three points, and there were large periods where it really looked like the fight was more of a slog through the muddy trenches of the Garufaloe War than an actual football match! Is Abanhfleft currently going through the doldrums at the worst possible time? God, I hope not! Or else The Football Fallacies won’t be a thing anymore, and it’s not because I decided to quit! Given the way things are going, it’s much more likely that my body is going to quit on me before I quit on the bloody Revolutionaries, and the really messed up thing is that I don’t even know if that’s a good thing or a bad one! Oh, who am I kidding? It’s a bad thing no matter how you bloody look at it. This football team is going to be the death of me, and I’m not sure if anyone’s going to be around to mourn me because I’m pretty sure everyone else has died via aneurysms over this team’s results. I swear to God, watching this team year in and year out has shaved years off of my lifespan if not outright decades!

Well, I guess that’s all that she bloody wrote for this particular international break. Things are already looking bad for the Revolutionaries after the first two matchdays of the World Cup qualifiers, and the next international break doesn’t look any better with both Flavovespia and Valanora on the horizon. Talk about fighting a bloody uphill battle right from the start! Don’t expect anything from either one of these contests, kids; it’s literally the perfect setup for yet another month full of disappointment afterwards! Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. If you’ve got any comments or thoughts of your own about our World Cup qualifiers against Estoria and Britonisea then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, just straight up disappointed in my country once again.

    ABANHFLEFT 1 - 4 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA  
  FAHRNI (53')       ROBERTO (18')
                     PRASUTAGUSIC (35')
                     RAZINSKIJ (58')
                     USHKEVICH (69')

        BRITONISEA 1 - 2 ABANHFLEFT        
  CHIBA (57' o.g.)       BENSOUSSAN (31')
                         ALONTO (89')

by **Aeragny** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 1:57 am

He'd said it before the final game of the Baptism of Fire, and he said it again in the press conference afterwards: A medal is just metal. In Airannian the wordplay is completely lost; after all, dhuru (metal) and médalyon (medal) sound nothing alike. However, nonetheless, the phrase Mence dhurutt'ica je médalyon has become a phrase commonly uttered on television channels and in newspaper columns during the interim period between the third place playoff game and the present - just before the start of the World Cup Qualifying series. It's a peculiar part of Airannian culture; phrases become emblematic of certain people, events or even simply become *shudders* a meme. Especially given the rise of Airannian online communities such as etgal.ae and severuardhene.ae, some cultural phrases become part of the inside joke - even going as far as the abbreviate them into encoded particles in a sentence, which are incomprehensible to the outsider. For example, the phrase (unwittingly) coined by Brodan at the end of the Baptism of Fire run for the Airannian football team now is showing up quite often on etgal's sports forum, simply written as "djm". These kinds of figures of speech as such balance on the edge between proverbs and memes; sure they carry within them some kind of wisdom, but god forbid they are actually seen as anything beyond a silly turn of phrase.

Needless to say, djm has been used a lot in anticipation of the World Cup Qualification series. The spirit contained within the phrase is quite obvious: participations is more important than winning, and as a freshman on the international sporting scene, the Airannian team simply seems to lack the skill, history and sheer personality to make any chance of qualifying. Comparing the Aerá squad's meagre multiversal track record with that of some of its opponents, the third place finish in the Baptism of Fire cannot compare to the halls of fame of some of the nations that Airannia will have to stand off against. Names such as Audioslavia, Boring Paradise and the SRS have been called onto the field hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years, while Airannia has entered the football fields exactly uhh.. 12 times now! Though Group 7 contains two other teams which were in the recent BoF - Obrela, which didn't pass through to the round of 16 by a narrow margin, and Ryfenia, which was in the same group as Aerágny, and will therefor be the very first repeat matchup of the Airannian team - their first meeting resulting in a 2-0 victory for the blue-yellows. It's speculated that even maintaining the 9th place seed (out of 12) that the Airannian team got into this qualifiers would be a strong showing; and anything more would be a wonderful surprise.

Eshialand 1 - 1 Airannia
53': Jacob Harran 1-0
53': Khriss Garyabh 1-1
65': -- Viveró Décibeq
70': Viveró Décibeq <> Uillten Tillabois
84': Bardeus Fichomcéls <> Arton Seuny
84': Gérand Brassa <> Elice Veure

Airannia 1 - 2 Audioslavia
8': Marcell Choréls 1-0
68': Helios Roy 1-1
64': Khriss Garyabh <> Jorzh Inder
72': Helios Roy 1-2
76': Touz Budd <> Galho Éram
88': Gary Goppré <> Colman Umuitau

Especially after a match such as the one against Audioslavia, in Vorácy, during which for the longest time the Airannian squad was punching far above their weight, by leading the score very early on, only to give it away during the second half, one could truly feel the spam of djb on the internet fora. What an experience! To have a close match against three time world champions is no small feat; and the motivational effect of a match like this cannot be understated; even if no points were gained. After all, points are just metal. Wait, what?

by **Cap Nord** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 2:06 am

"So I was still very small and my dad was working on the car outside, with the door open and hood up. No one knew how but I managed to get in the driver seat without him knowing, you know, just turning the steering wheel. And at some point I accidentally honked the horn: my dad bonked his head from the surprise and I had to cry from it."

If people ask him what his earliest memory is, that is usually what Robert McEather tells them. He likes the story. It portrays him as a bit mischievous, someone gutsy but also emotional. There is an in-house family version that admits that he cried for half an hour, first from the shock of the horn and then from the chastening by his father. Robert's wife knows that version and does not mind. She does not know that it is, in a way, a blatant lie even if it really happened.

There are four kids in the playground playing, gosh, whatever preschoolers do. Running after one another and bonking into eachother, it looks like a lot of fun. Young Bob watches them for an eternity, or at least half a minute. And then he works up the courage to ask if he can join. One starts shouting 'no'. And then another one cries 'no' as well. And suddenly they are all screaming 'no' and it is hilarious, so they are laughing as they do so. And in an attempt to be part of some sort of camaraderie, Bob also shouts 'no'. And then they stop and tell him he is not allowed to shout. That is, in fact, the earliest memory of Robert McEather.

Growing up, Robert discovered he was good at football. Good, not great, but good enough to avoid the wrath of locker room jocks if he did his work in defense and laid low otherwise: he might not have been a genius but he was a fast learner when it came to high school pecking orders. Football made it possible for him to be accepted. Not beloved, but that was an ambition that always would be one bridge too far, he felt. And, far from the eyes of others, he remained a learner. If not a fast one, then an arduous one. It made him good enough to feature for Drochry… Corinthians, in the third tier. Injuries from taking on a training regime his body could not muster were slowly forcing him out of the one thing where he could be part of. And so he took up coaching. It offered him the opportunity to tell others what to do and to his shock and excitement, they even did so.

One year with Corinthians, half a season with Braelowan, five games as a caretaker in Bellworth, an unfinished season in Moringhem, an assistant job with Peteringham and between all that some U21, U18 and U-npaid stuff, all in the lower tiers.

Good, not great, but good enough to be considered if no one else wanted the job. Until he got the job everyone wanted. For once in his life, Robert McEather had been in the right place at the right time. And everyone seemed to hate him for that. In the turmoil after the power grab by the NUP, national manager Jon Forseth made some shifty declarations on the impact for the national unity, slandering the new structures. On a bright morning, reading up on the defenestration of Forseth in the papers, McEather tried his luck and sent a cordial mail to the FA, indicating his interest to work for them and "to improve the national spirit". After a bit of hesitation, he signed his mail with "Yours truly, Robert McEather, NUP member no 21483". Two days later, he was presented to the press. Two days later, it all started.

That he was disliked did not bother him or at least, that was what he told himself. He had not known it any other way. But what followed was a continuous barrage of people considering him as a joke. Not in the press, of course: these were neutral and had had their instructions. But McEather could read it up, online, in podcasts and in message boards he scrolled through in the early hours when he just could not focus on the footage of some youth game. Worse was that he could feel that same sentiment every day. Despite being a man who had up until that point never 'received' anything, everyone now made him feel as if he did not deserve it.

His boss? Hated him. His assistant? Hated him. His players? Yeah, pretty much. Robert never showed it but these last fourteen months, whenever he took a step out the door, it was to battle. Every conversation, every glance was a battle to fight and it was wearing him out but McEather refused to stand down. He had fought himself all the way to this point and giving up no longer was an option. For a day and a bit, he thought that the silver medal in the Campionato could be that point where, at long last, he would be recognised as ending on top. The country was jubilating and there was even a parade… where he was carefully shoved to the background. Playmaker Simon Carstensen was given center stage and got all the pictures with the Chief Minister. "Silver 'despite' McEather", that was the scripted summary. On the first meeting after the regional silverware, no one even mentioned it: the qualifiers, that was where it was at. And again, everyone acted hostile again.

Jealous.

That was the word. For the first time in his life, Robert had something other people wanted and there was no way he would let loose. Even if everyone in his vicinity tried to make him feel bad about that. Everyone except… Well, he could not call such a man a friend. That would be ridiculous. They had only spoken two times, briefly. But they had been the kindest words Robert had heard in ages, kind words spoken from the heart, something Robert had been craving for.

[Post the final game of the Esportivan Derby Series, in the elevator after the game]

"We meet again, mister McEather."
"It is always an honor to make your acquaintance, your highness."
"I am quite late to it, but congratulations on the silver medal, Robert. My wife, the queen and I followed all the games, together with our Anne. We have truly enjoyed seeing the Whalers play so well. After all, they are our team."

King Harold, visibly as nervous about the slow creakiness of the elevators of the decrepit Stade du Marais, flashed something between a smile and an apology: his default reaction when attempting a joke.

"As royals, we cannot support a single club. Not even the Royals. Haha. But we enjoy our national team very much."
"I am very pleased to hear so, your highness."
"Today was difficult but onto the next game. There is talent in our ranks. I like that Jorgen Bjerkness-fellow, he has got a punch."
"He is definitely a promising young Capnordian, your highness."

The elevator came to a shrieking halt, as did the conversation but just as he stepped out, king Harold turned back and locked eyes with Robert McEather. It was the shortest of moments but a shared instance between two men who recognised a lot in one another: facing an impossible task for their capabilities without a single genuine ally, let alone a friend.

"Good luck, Robert."

Well, maybe there was one now.

[Halftime in the MD2 of the WC qualifiers and it is a scoreless draw in The Eagle's Club, Banija]

As the opening half had been an enormous snooze, things could not go better for Robert McEather. Playing the number two in the world, he had focused on a tight organization. It helped that the cannon of Wesoloski-Okafor was not yet calibrated this campaign, but all in all, the Kadongo Kamu had been given few chances. That Till Myrrheim barely had touched the ball was the sacrifice Robert was willing to make. Not everything had been executed to plan, but ok. In the hallway, McEather was held up: for some reason his assistant Van Nooten insisted that he would do the half-time interview and in the given circumstances, Robert was more than happy to take the credit. The word "plan" was dropped in every sentence and being on fire, he mentioned "tactical masterclass". Making his way to the dressing room afterwards, Robert even hummed a little tune: scoring a cartload of goals could be individual genius but this sort of result indicated his impact. He had his hand already on the handle and froze.

"So, as I said before the game, ignore that negative press talk, Theodor, just focus on these two passing lines to Kama and we will be fine."

Van Nooten?! This was…

"We are doing great, guys, good block. I will keep on picking up wingbacks. A point is a win tonight, just stick to our plan."

The voice of Simon Carstensen. The sound of mutiny.

It was not the first time that the youngster tried to call the tactical shots but that defied Robert behind his back, with everyone in on the plot. At that moment, something broke inside him but he regrouped immediately: never show them your weakness. With a monumental gesture, he swung open the door and declared.

"Ok, guys, excellent execution of my plan so far. But now we go for part two: not just withstanding but beating Banija. Theodor Bissett, you are off. Simon, you fall back one row and take up the duties of Theodor. Jorgen? Go warm up, you're up."

[Nine minutes into the second half]

"Tairu Conateh, progressing on the wing. He is not being picked up by anyone and has time for a cross. To Kama. Kama! It is in! Excellent by Kama, one touch to control it and then a powerful shot slotted in the top corner. Let us look at that again. Conateh finds Kama and he is poorly marked by Simon Carstensen, that is a mistake from the Sandfjell man there, to leave the Lhor ace wide open. One nil for the home team and how will the Whalers recover from that?"

If I can't have it, no one can.

by **Farfadillis** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 2:40 am

The following are excerpts from a non-stop radio report on the ongoing war in Farfadillis, from somewhere inside Farfadillis, but not in Farolera. They are in chronological order, but you should assume that there are large sections that have been omitted in between paragraphs, accounting for minutes, probably hours, sometimes a day or two, of broadcasting.

"Yesterday, Farolera launched a surprise invasion of Rülândéá and Induja, launching airstrikes and deploying ground forces into both nations in a bid to gain regional hegemony in southern Farfadillis."

"The attack was met with fierce resistance from the forces of Rülândéá. Its infantry, well-drilled from the recent revolutionary strife the country has undergone, responded immediately, engaging in bloody skirmishes by the Faroleran-Rulandese border and managing to push back the Faroleran offensive during its first day. Meanwhile, Indujan forces were far too few and far between to pose any resistance, so Farolera has already made great inroads into Indujan territory, and is likely to secure strongholds in Indujan territory within weeks at worst."

"The Faroleran government has declared a state of emergency, confusingly citing "aggression from foreign forces." Later on, the aggressions the Faroleran government was alluding to were clarified to have been the defensive response from Rülândéá and, to a lesser extent, Induja, although they were not referred to as defensive responses. It is ultimately not abundantly clear what their final goal is in this conflict, beyond expansion of their borders. A recent increase in appeals to ethnic identity in Farfadillis has overseers worried this is a situation that could quickly take a very dark turn. Specifically, genocides could be carried out by the Faroleran government, or even the Rulandese or Indujan governments in the unlikely case they come out on top."

"The international community has so far been silent on the invasion, although it is still early days. Early day, even. With the only nation that Farf nations have substantial diplomatic ties with nowadays being Banija, who had, until yesterday at least, heavily aligned themselves with Farolera and Alex Terán, it is no surprise the conflict has sparked relatively little attention. Furthermore, with a succession crisis looming over the horizon for Banija, it is not even clear if their populace will be willing to play any role in the current conflict, especially with memories of their foreign policy failures in Nyowani Kitara still fresh in the Banijan popular psyche."

"The future of the conflict remains, naturally, very unclear. The Faroleran government has publicly responded to Québec and Shingoryeo's calls for an immediate ceasefire with profanity, and the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate."

"Enormous doubts remain over Rülândéá and especially Induja's ability to repel the Faroleran forces on their own. Rülândéá has a long history of civil strife and conflict, which paradoxically sets them up to be in a much better position to defend themselves at this moment, with their militaries not as poorly equipped. Furthermore, the recent escalation of ethnic tensions has been particularly pronounced between Farolera and Rülândéá, so Rülândéá has been publicly preparing for Faroleran offenses of any kind, going so far as tipping their hand that they would be prepared for an invasion. Nonetheless, the sheer difference in resources and manpower between the two nations makes it likely that they will need assistance from the international community if they are to successfully resist the invasion. Failing that, they will at least need help from other Farf nations, presumably those with an investment in Farolera not securing a chokehold on most of southern Farfadillis and its resources. Szoirsia, who have also been publicly wary of Farolera, arise as a natural ally for the Rulandese war effort in this sense, but the Szoirsians are yet to come forward with any diplomatic statement, allegedly because their leader, Félicien Molnár, has been struggling with severe incontinence over the past week and is very bad at delegating diplomatic tasks."

"President-for-life of Farolera Alex Terán was quick to send a second message to his nation's populace a few hours after his press conference, most notably claiming that they “... will not be intimidated by the aggressors, nor will we show fear when face by their cruel threats! We will defend our homeland and our people against any and all who stand against it, and we will prevail!” Most notably, in the middle of a two-minute tirade he hinted at plans to secure Rulandese uranium deposits and unexploited Indujan lithium."

"It should be noted that, with the Faroleran military being vastly superior to its belligerents (though this is hard to corroborate when all parties are Farf nations), we could be looking towards a very premature end to the conflict, at a heavy cost to the people of Rülândéá, Induja and any others that Farolera eventually decides to declare war on."

"It is hoped that the international community will intervene to prevent this conflict from escalating into yet another gut-wrenching tragedy in the island of Farfadillis, which has known no peace for at least fifty years now, as the first Rulandese revolution began fifty-one years ago."

"For now, some eyes (but perhaps too few) are on the region, as its future once again hangs in the balance. In more positive news, a subsection of Astograthian archaeologists has celebrated the development, claiming it could prove invaluable for the study of ancient warfare, presumably under the impression that the Rulandese will be fighting using outdated technology."

"Reports from the Faroleran-Rulandese frontier have been coming in over the afternoon. The city of Ômên has been at the center of the conflict, with Faroleran forces having managed to brute force their way into the city after an afternoon's worth of bloodbath. However, it is being reported that they are currently at an impasse, having met substantial Faroleran resistance. It is rumored the Faroleran armed forces have been strictly forbidden from hurting Farolerans unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, there are reports that, while they still hold an enormous upper hand, they have been suffering considerably more casualties than expected because of a mysterious weapon being employed by members of the Rulandese revolutionary army, who arrived at the conflict after most of the initial skirmishes had ended, having opted not to tip their hand too early. Most of this is, by necessity, speculation, but there are various reports from people on the field claiming the weapons appear to be, confusingly, nuclear in nature, even though they do not possess the potential for large-scale destruction that a nuke does. One big problem these weapons appear to be causing is they have little to no trouble damaging armored fighting vehicles."

"Szoirsian leader Félicien Molnár has just given a press conference in front of an enormous, uneasy crowd in the Szoirsian capital of Halagrés. Molnár claims that, after having communicated with the Rulandese revolutionary army, and despite having failed to get on the line with any of the various local leaders in Induja, he has decided that Szoirsia will be joining the war immediately on the Indujan front. This comes after Szoirsian-Rulandese relationships took a sharp, positive turn in the last two years. Nonetheless, with the vast array of resources the Szoirsian nation has to offer, it has been heavily theorized they were next in Alex Terán's list anyway, so Szoirsia entering the war might very well have been an inevitability one way or another."

"Reports are coming in that Faroleran forces have secured vast swathes of Indujan land already, having faced little opposition and shown no mercy. Most Indujan forces apparently escaped slaughter, deciding to engage in a valiant expeditious retreat. Szoirsians forces are rumored to have already arrived at the border, but are still doing reconnaissance, as the situation in Induja is deemed far too confusing and dangerous currently to barge head-first into Faroleran-controlled territory."

"Québecois Rülândéá Kôstä midfielder Erin Kang has reportedly been spotted firing at Faroleran infantry with the as of yet still puzzling Rulandese weapons. Sources on the ground say she's also moved vast numbers of infantry from Lìbêrêtê to the battleground in Ômên, and that she's wearing the uniform of the Rulandese revolutionary army."

"Small regiments of the Szoirsian army have apparently been engaging in hit-and-run tactics to debilitate the Faroleran position in Szoirsia. Most importantly, they appear to be equipped with the same weapons as the Rulandese and have reportedly caused disproportionate damage to the Faroleran forces considering their numbers. It has also been reported that one regiment has been captured and immediately massacred."

"Reports have come in from the Faroleran-Indujan frontier claiming Farolera is now focusing a substantial portion of its efforts on securing supply lines to the frontline, as some Szoirsian and Rulandese regiments appear to have snuck past their forces in Induja and the Faroleran-Rulandese frontier and caused considerable damage to them."

"The endless swarms of bats shitting lithium all over southern Induja have reportedly become a mild annoyance for Faroleran forces. One anonymous source of questionable repute has also made batshit claims about Yue interests."

"The Banijan Government has finally come out with a statement regarding the ongoing conflict, reiterating its commitment to peace on the island, while simultaneously saying that Farolera's right to defend itself is irrevocable and that, as a result, they will endorse any reasonable retaliatory actions that Alex Terán takes in self-defense."

"René Skaé have failed to make the most of the home advantage that an unfolding war within less than a hundred kilometers entails, putting on a dismal display against Kitara AA and being thrashed 5-0 in René Skaé. The game saw Kitara player Fujanej de Nololesur score the fifth and final goal in the dying minutes of the game and take off his shirt to reveal a pro-Farolera message underneath, despite being Indujan. Banijan public opinion has reportedly taken note of this."

"Kruviš, Ferdullaele, Tanazza and Fröndt have officially declared neutrality with respect to the war, though there are rumors that Tanazza is trying to refurbish its run-down defense forces in case the war gets to them."

"Reports coming in stating that Indujans have been fleeing en masse to the north and to Szoirsia. Those fleeing to Szoirsia have been enlisting—and getting enlisted—to fight the war on the Szoirsian side. Farolera has been trying to make inroads into the towns on the Szoirsian-Indujan frontier with no success, but have managed to properly secure their supply lines for the time being."

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:06 am

@ Quebec (Reneegrad (80000) Reneegrad)
v Yakk (Estádio Fortaleza (29000) Santa Teresa)
@ Fort McKinley (People's Revolution Stadium (38000) Shiloh Springs)
@ Ochre Islands
v Euran Oceania Territories (Orange Bowl (54000) Schemerdrecht)
@ Sharktail (Stadium Biru (65000)
v Illiryja (Suzumebachi Stadium (25000) Katashi)
@ CONGOlese republic
v Naixi (Armskirk Municipal Ground (26000) Maynard)
@ Harry Islands
v Geektopia (Stade Amandine (30000) Étouille)

v Quebec (Stade sur la Baie (70000) Aminey)
@ Yakk (Imperial Stadium (35000) Alangabat City)
v Fort McKinley (Hazel Arena (25400) Straudum)
v Ochre Islands (Rikalathen Arena (39000) Maethoru)
@ Euran Oceania Territories
v Sharktail (Uriagali Field (18000) Eaglebury)
@ Illiryja
v CONGOlese republic (Quicksilver Stadium (15500) Cirelbourne)
@ Naixi (Sha Dadao (24945) Qiawutian)
v Harry Islands (Golhampton Grounds (25000) Greencaster)
@ Geektopia (Place of Valence (46000ish) Mukladrue)

The Dragonflies are returning to Cirelbourne for the first time since east Surbourneshire's two big clubs relegated. A slightly larger group - 12 instead of 10 or 11 - means we have one more stadium to allocate, and the KFA decided on Cirelbourne, which is completely deserved. All the big hits are on the list: Santa Teresa, Schemerdrecht, Katashi, Étouille, Aminey, Straudum, Maethoru, and Greencaster. There are, however, some exclusions: it seems Maynard's Armskirk Municipal Stadium has fallen from the priority list in favour of Greencaster's Golhampton Grounds, used by Sydberg Olympia. The Olympia have far outperformed Maynard AFC, and despite the latter being a traditional, historical club of Ko-oren, after relegation they lost their shine and with Sydberg climbing the pyramid the KFA has all the excuses it needs to push Greencaster onto centre stage a bit more. Expect more of that.

Willowbourne is absent, mostly through having no good football clubs, but it's still a wild thing for an association to ignore the country's second biggest city like that. They're kings in cricket and rugby union, but football is still beyond them. As in, the fans of the sport are resorting to supporting clubs in nearby towns because Willowbourne's such a backwater in football, but you won't see the KFA push for Vierciennes, Bellmare, Strongfair, or Huthwich to be included in a list of national team stadiums. Nothing against the towns, but glamorous is not an adjective to be uttered in a 30 kilometer radius from them. Also absent are all of Mawryshire, for the same reasons as Willowbourne, as well as Aerellen, for the same reasons... it just turns out that with just 12 clubs active in the highest tier and 12 below it - 24 teams in the spotlights any given weekend - there's a lot of places that seem comparatively horrible at football.

Surprise inclusions are Étouille, or at least, Tanques AOE is fully back in the Top League and tearing up midfields like nothing happened, and with Étouille being such a prized paradise, it must be included. Because that's where all the promos are filmed. Also a last minute inclusion: Uriagali Field in Eaglebury. It seems that that part of the country is finally recognised as a worthwile addition to our football landscape through WSR AFC. The first club to be promoted into the Top League and actually staying up there. It only took them 10 years to be seen as roughly equal to... Maynard, which is a club that has disappeared into the third tier years ago. Once a big club, always a big club, apparently. And once a small club, always a small club.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:23 am

The Taegukgi: The Korean-language voice of the Quebecois Commonwealth

A solemn, unifying Remembrance Saturday marked with ceremonies

Kim Seok-Ho

JOONGYEONG, JOONGYEONG - Tens of thousands of Quebecois veterans paid tributes as they walked past the Centennial Cenotaph in Joongyeong, Joongyeong Federal Province, as Quebec and Shingoryeo, and the nations of the Quebecois Commonwealth paid tributes to the veterans during the Rememberance Saturday.

The Queen, Christine the Second, led the commemorations in the heart of Joongyeong all morning, while 'The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice' and remembrance hymns were sung at various churches, municipal halls and war memorials across Quebec and Shingoryeo.

The Quebecois Prime Minister, former HRE-liberation campaign veteran Jacques Lee Ellington, and the opposition leader, Moogoongwha's Lucien Azagury-Zovaco, have participated in laying wreaths for the 153rd Remembrance Day. The wreaths were marked with a silver ribbon, in significance of this year's occasion as 50th Remembrance Day since the Quebecois victory of the Holy Republican Empire Liberation campaign in 2018 (OOC: rough timeline, end of World Cup 72).

As the Sandringham Abbey's clock struck eleven, three minutes' silence were observed, while the fifty-one gun salute were fired by the regiments of the Royal Artillery. The occasion would conclude with the Bugle performance of three songs - 'The Last Post', 'Hills Are Alive' and 'Until the Morning Comes (아침이 찾아올때까지)'.

The occasion would see the departure from usual precedence, as liberation campaign veteran Prince Laurent, Earl of Wansan and the eldest-ranking royal outside of the immediate royal house, would place the wreath with Prince Alexandre, Prince of Abitibi, in place of Christine the Second. The occasion, one that is considered a departure from that of past twenty years where the Queen had placed the wreath, is considered to be a symbolic one indicating that of multi-generational remembrance, suggesting that two peacetime generations have passed between the last war fought by the Quebecois state.

The service would then be followed by the celebration as the traditional military march involving veterans of all four branches of the Royal Quebecois Armed Forces, charities and related military and veteran organisations, were involved. The veterans, varied in age between twenties and thirties for active servicemen, versus that of veterans predominantly in seventies to nineties for those who saw service in the Esportivan battlefields, would march with wheelchairs and other walking aids generously provided by the veterans affairs and organisational staff.

108-year old Pierre-Olivier Nantel from Jeongju, Abitibi-Agawa, was the oldest veteran who took part in this Saturday's March. Veteran of the Royal Quebecois Air Force who took part in the Battle of Yellow Bay that had marked a string of early Quebecois victories in the war, the veteran thanked to be part of the occasion and would march in the Ceremony in wheelchairs, supported by his grandson, Royal Quebecois Navy Lieutenant Theophile Nantel-Mperabanyaka.

Five past Prime Ministers - Theo-Florien Coutu, Sir. Thierry Saganash, Amandine Souray, Sir. Kim Seung-Yin, and Sir. Arsene Pineau Kim - joined senior military officials, chairs of all four Shingoryeoite official faiths, and highest-ranked officials of the Quebecois Commonwealth stationed in respective nations.

The Queen and Prince Caspian, the Duke of Halifax, laid their wreaths while their other children watched from nearby buildings. Duke of Halifax, as the Quebecois Consort and the highest-ranked official from Cassadaigua, a past allied nation back in the Southern Rushmori War of 1939 and 1945, took part in engagement under both nations.

Prince Philippe, the Duke of Nakan, 36, and a current Royal Quebecois Navy Major, was among those who were present with his wife, Princess Zandaba of Banija, the Duchess of Nakan, laying wreath on behalf of Banija. Duchess of Nakan was ranked the highest-standing official of the Kingdom of Banija, and took part in the engagement under Government of Banija. Prince Laurent, accompanied by the Defence Secretary Marcel van Laeken, took part in the march-past salute.

Also following the procedure, Dame Alice Bajema of Acadiane, the Secretary-General of the Quebecois Commonwealth, placed a wreath in reminder of the contributions made by the Quebecois Commonwealth Forces at various points, including the Southern Rushmori War and the Felixian Liberation Campaign of 2012-2013.

As the Saturday morning came with solemness expected of annual occasion, hundreds of restored Royal Quebecois Air Force conducted ceremonial fly-overs across the country in silver and red to mark the 50th Remembrance Day since the last war taken by Quebec. Thalia Barnes-Griezmann, 77, who had taken part in the fly-over of the city of Bongohdong, Yoseo-Manitoba (OOC: reference to a RL battle fought in Fengwudong, which is read as Bongohdong in RL Korean, and therefore also applies to Shingoryeoite Korean as well), said this reminded her of those who she had flown with.

'I was lucky to live another fifty years of life, especially as I remember those who had stayed on their twenties forever due to the sacrifices they have made far away from home,' she said. 'We have, will and ought to remember them.'

The occasion across the country had remained apolitical, suggesting that the country, even as a three-party dynamic continues to develop in heated environment, remains unified across all distinctive regions and peoples. In Equinox Hill, the Premier of Inteachan, Sir. Graeme McDonagh, laid the official wreath on a ceremony at the Shelbourne Hill Memorial, while the similar practice was observed by the other Premiers and Municipal heads, whose occasions took part in local memorials and avoided the stricter nature that a municipal hall location could have given.

Jacques Lee Ellington left a long, l'Instagramme post where he thanked those who have given their everything for the country's defence. 'Past fifty years of peace were made possible thanks to our and our father's generation who have fought two major wars in a decade. It will also come down to those generations, and that of our children, to ensure that the state of peace, stability and prosperity will continue. Thank you for your service, and Lest We Forget.'

Similar sentiments were universally expressed by members of the opposition and local communities, with Irene Kweon Binnington, the NPD leader, writing on Twitt.tur that 'We will always remember those who have fought on the battlefields across the Multiverse and at home, to ensure that we could avoid the mistakes of the past and aim for a brighter future. Lest we forget.' The Royal Quebecois Legion and the Commonwealth Remembers Association continues to promote safe, equitable and universal celebration of the Remembrance, and aims to introduce further initiatives to digitise and diversify its offerings.

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English | Français | The Taegukgi Indigenous

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Feds, Progressives near agreement for Government tie-up
Vincent Molinari III
The Daily Mail National Affairs Writer

It's seemingly more likely as each day passes that the Federalist Party will bring the Progressive Party's delegation of 10 members-elect into a long term coalition to clinch a majority in the House of Assembly ahead of the opening of Parliament next month.

Progressive Party National Committee Chairman Edward Hawk has been spearheading the talks with Prime Minister-designate Rebecca Schoenlein's Organizational Group--which has been finalizing the details for the announcement of the Cabinet expected in the next 7-10 days--and has secured an agreement in principle that a State Ministry post will be filled by a Progressive in return for the commitment of the entire caucus to be seated with the majority.
A sub-committee chair will probably also be part of the deal but sources with knowledge of the negotiations have said that would certainly be in the same area of whichever State post is agreed to.

The Federalists have signaled that they will not stand in the way of the re-election of David Kosik as Speaker, which has unilaterally disarmed all of the remaining parties that could have held the Chair hostage in the negotiations over the leadership of the Opposition; only Social Democratic leader Kevin Considine among the current Assembly party bosses has held a seat in Parliament prior to Schoenlein's tenure as Chief Executive, making him the elder statesman of the group and possibly in line for the #2 role behind LTA leader David Harrison, who will become the first person of color to be Leader of the Opposition in history.

There has already been confirmation of the news that Hannah Delaney will remain as Minister of State for External & Foreign Affairs and Anthony Oliver will become Secretary of State for the Commonwealth, to be succeeded as Leader of the House by Jack Hartzing; two returnees from the Council of State were announced previously as Dr Katrina Knieppel-Soren continues as President of the Treasury Board and Gerry Carter will return as the Lord Advocate.

Head, BP delegation arrive in Altendalur
The previously announced delegation for the CORNCOB meeting in Græntfjall arrived ahead of the opening of the conference in high spirits. Head of State Timothy Wentworth leads the party that includes three members-elect to the Assembly along with three permanent civil service Deputy department heads, and a last minute change with Robert Toliver, who was sworn in as the first non-legislative member of the Sub-Cabinet to a second stint as Secretary of State for Science and Technology, replacing Dr Naomi Fraiser-Briggs, Under Secretary for Science.

Mr. Wentworth emphasized that the Commonwealth were eager to participate in the mostly Rushmori endeavor, even as observers with non-signatory status but rights to participate in discussions.
"Of course I'm speaking on behalf of government-elect at this point. The Commonwealth has had its share of disagreements with several Rushmore nations on numerous issues, but we continue to have strong diplomatic, social, and economic ties with nations across the region. We are here to hopefully contribute ideas to discussion that we've adopted in Baker Park over the last 30 plus years. The environment, climate change, protecting natural resources--those are not isolated national or regional topics, but universal issues that require collaboration across political divides."

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Slow start not worrying, but will see immediate attention
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Trivia time for those old enough to remember--pencils and paper ready?
When was the last time the Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team failed to win their opening match of World Cup Qualifying?
When was the last time the NT failed to score a goal in the opening match of WCQ?

Pencils down.

There was a buzz at the Astena Stadium ahead of the first match of World Cup 93 qualifying, as there often is when the Baker Park National Team play in a nation for the first time; although the Bees are ranked 25th in the KPB headed into this 22 match tournament, there is still a palpable sense that claiming the scalp of the only nation that has never known the dejection and emotional hurt of being eliminated from the chance of making the Finals means a tiny bit more than a win over another nation that is higher ranked or has actually won the World Cup title.

Jennifer Prescott put out a lineup that certainly could be argued was about as strong a starting XI available to her.

The wheels fell off the bus early, as Zack Dawnbridge scored the opener of his hat trick twelve minutes in, a major offside trap breakdown that Prescott spent considerable energy haranguing her three most experienced defenders about for 5-7 minutes afterwards.

Dawnbridge doubled the hosts' lead in the third of four added minutes of first half stoppage time with another seemingly easy strike; assistant Manager Darren Kirby and First Team Coach Tony Weiss hustled the white clad BP side down the tunnel at the whistle, which Prescott hadn't bothered waiting for.

Emily Bruce & Julia Edmonds replaced Jerome Brooks & Victor Onikambe in defense to open the second half, and less than ten minutes afterwards, Captain Nicole D'Amico came off in favor of Park Jae-Sung.

Dawnbridge finished off what must be one of The Blue Guard's most famous victories with his third just ahead of stoppage time; Prescott congratulated her opposite number Kristian Johansson, and made a beeline to the hat trick hero to pay her respects before disappearing to the dressing room. In the post match media availability she was direct and to the point.
"Congratulations to Atheara. They played a fantastic 90 minutes. We're not going to have that next time out, mark my words. We'd better get our shit together right now or it's going to be a long tourney."

Matchday 2 was as different as night and day to the previous fixture, as BP used the motivation from their defeat along with the memory of their last trip to Cheetahs and reptile Coalsion--a 3-1 loss on the opening matchday of the second half of qualifying for World Cup 92 that was the only defeat of the final ten fixtures--to put on a methodical display of classic Baker Park technical and tactical dominance in a 2-0 win. Zach Johnston's 20th clean sheet in his 100th NT appearance meant that Isabelle Wiley's 33rd minute goal was all that was required to claim all the points, with Hayley Gibson adding an insurance tally with 11 minutes remaining.

Strayan Rus will be the opposition at the CONAGCO Stadium in Shirley for MD 3, which will be paired with a trip to Inkwellistan as the Bees will look to get back on form before the toughest part of the schedule arrives over the following four fixtures--home matches against Turori and Krytenia with away days to Montana Verde and Tikriot the highlight of matchdays 5-8.

Answers to the quiz--prior to the loss to Atheara, Baker Park had never been defeated in their opening WCQ match, but had a pair of draws: against North Japan in WCQ 87, and versus Natanians & Nosts on matchday 1 of WCQ 82--a 0-0 result which marked the only previous time it was held scoreless.

Squad selection for MD3-4

lineup vs Strayan Rus (@ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley):
McCormack; S Knight, Finnegan, Freeman (C); C Logan, Olivera, Vetter, Altman; Baum; McDavid, Harris
subs: Callaway, Onikambe, Schulman, Ryan, Vuckovic, Shanahan, McFairlaine, A Knight, Diaz

lineup vs Inkwellistan (@ N/A):
Callaway; Hardwick, Onikambe, Schulman; Ryan, Vuckovic (C), Shanahan, McFairlaine; A Knight; Diaz, Mack
subs: McCormack, Finnegan, Freeman, C Logan, Olivera, Vetter, Altman, Baum, McDavid

by **Elmyia** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:53 am

David Norris stood by his window staring out across the concrete expanses of Mosfleet, hands clasped behind his back. The view of the city was terminally ugly, the beautiful old town obscured from view by the cluster of tower blocks surrounding it. Further out, however, and the edge of the city gave way to the start of the Meridian mountains to the south, and to the Mosse estuary and the sea out to the west. A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Alexia Sanchez closed the door, and strided over to his desk. "Mr. Norris, the reports are back. Much as you confirmed, the atmosphere is still far too flat."

He huffed "I should never have granted so many games to Italia, their ground is a vacuum."

"It's not just that sir, the group determined to build an atmosphere are too small. Too quiet. Too reserved."

"Well yes, of course they're too nice. You saw what happened when we allowed the lairier fans loose, we had to pack them off to Marwood Penitentiary."

Alexia shuffled nervously on the spot "well that's what I've come to ask about... sir, it's time."

Mr. Norris swung round "no... no, it can't be, I can't take that deal. The optics will be complete garbage."

"Look, the judicial service offered a reprieve for a reason sir. Plus, besides the constant singing, he's not been too bad in prison. He's mostly been on good behaviour. It might be our last chance to get the atmosphere going. I've got the papers here." She slid the documents over the desk, white a4 spilling out of the manilla folder. Mr. Norris picked it up and tapped it on the desk, aligning the papers again. He sighed.

"God help us all, I'm going to just bloody do it," he ran his signature brusquely, belying the lack of conviction he felt.

***

Marwood is one of the few Mosfleet suburbs south of the eponymous river. It should be nice. It's one of the few areas of the city dominated not by tower blocks, but instead low-rise housing. Proper suburban housing. Mock tudor facades, manicured lawns, neighbours who wave at each other and then talk behind each other’s backs. Church fundraisers, organised amateur sport, seedy affairs involving people married with kids, behind lace curtains and high thread cotton sheets. Yet, for all that it could be idyllic, the penitentiary rises ominously on the southern fringe. You can see it for miles. Some say it was placed there as no one in the area would harbour a fugitive, but most agree its largely because there was a large brownfield building site going for cheap.

Behind the concrete walls of the prison, a warden is sauntering down to cell 54A. The sound of their shoes echoes off the hard walls, filling the space. But underneath it, they can hear singing, faint at first.

No one likes...
No one...
............
........ care
..... DAVE
..... DAVE
I wear ...........

Past the cells they go, counting down as they head to the far side of the building. 201A, 199D, 176B... the singing gets louder.

No one likes me
No one likes...
No one........
I don't care
I am DAVE
....... DAVE
I wear goggles
........

As they approach closer and closer the sound of their shoes is drowned out completely, the prisoner in 54A is absolutely belting out their own ditty without regard for beat, tune or the sanity of those around them.

NO ONE LIKES ME
NO ONE LIKES ME
NO ONE LIKES ME
I DON'T CARE
I AM DAVE
SCUBA DAVE
I WEAR GOGGLES
TO THE MATCH

The warden knocks on the door and the singing stops, they turn the key "Dave, your appeal has come in, you're discharged, you're free to go."

Dave blinked, taking it in. "WAHEEEEEEY, LADS LADS LADS, Let's fooking GO!" he shouted, hoping out of the cell and swaggering to his freedom.

The Overlap
Five Takeaways From Opening Qualifiers

Benedetti's Sacrifice - Vesper Benedetti was, during the previous campaign, the focal point for the team. He became the senior sides top scorer to date, played an important role in several wins and was the first name on the team sheet. Whilst he holds his starting place, it's clear that Massi has changed how he will use him. In both fixtures he's focused less on getting into scoring positions, and more on running. It appears Massi is now using him, as he is most of the rest of the team, to facilitate Jackie Froggatt's game. In the first game this meant making way, a goal down at the break and Elmyia found themselves swapped in midfield by Ziwana, Galli came on to drop into the middle of the park and Benedetti was retired to the bench. In the second fixture he was also substituted, but this time it was due to the sheer physical strain on him. For 60 minutes he provided lungs for Froggatt, making ceaseless unselfish runs to open up the space, and pressing opposition defenders with an intensity he lacked before. If he can continue to facilitate play from others, he will keep his spot, but not his place at the top of the scorers charts.
Elmyia have more flexibility - Elmyia might have lost to Ziwana, but Massi did not look a manager running out of ideas. The team shifted shape twice, running through their starting 4-4-2, a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 to try and find a result. Rolling the dice didn't pay-off here, but Massi's changes against Baggieland managed to retain his side the result. In the first fixture, it was clear what he was trying to do. With Ziwana dominating the middle, Benedetti and Froggatt looked slightly cut adrift, they needed someone to link play. Galli's arrival provided that, with her helping Speight to regain possession and set up Beluigi for the equaliser. Having gone behind again, Reid and Byng were summoned, with Froggatt pulling out to the wing and Byng playing very directly. Against Baggieland the task was to protect the lead, Savalas came on for Benedetti to form a 5-4-1, with Rossi coming on to provide pace as an outball. Several times he managed to carry the team 40 yards up the pitch, protecting them against the equaliser.
Atmosphere is still flat - Despite coming away with a creditable result, Stadio Luca Spaletti was hardly rocking at any point in the win over Baggieland. Whilst some groups are clearly making an effort to generate an atmosphere: singing the national anthem before the start of the game; trying to get some chants going; celebrating vociferously when Froggatt bagged the only goal of the contest, it's clear they're a minority. Elmyia's fractured identity, with three communities that do not mix much, has proved a barrier to stirring support for the national team. With it you can see the national side suffering. Would they have got the all important second if the fans had upped the ante? Fortunately, even with an inadequately high ante, Elmyia managed to haul themselves over the line. But these are the fine margins that can make or break a qualification campaign.
Rossi's coming of age? - Kostas Rossi has had a long journey back to the national side. At the age of 18, he was given his first cap by Varisco in a set of friendlies. Varisco kept him in the squad for the ill-fated Independents' Cup 16 campaign, but after that he has drifted out of favour. Eventually he was given his start in the under-20s, underwhelming in the regional tournament. All the while, he was yet to have a breakout league campaign, stuck behind Carlo Beluigi there was talk of a loan move elsewhere. Then came the under-21s World Cup, where he played a crucial role in securing the trophy. In the league he finally found himself starting the odd game, bagging an impressive 9 goals across the campaign. At Stadio Luca Spaletti, he finally got a proper runout for the national side. Whilst he didn't aid Elmyia to a second goal, his pace as an outball and ability to drag the team upfield were crucial in securing a nervy 1-0 win over Baggieland.
Group looking wide open - Usually in a qualifying group, you'd expect some of the favourites to be asserting their credentials. Yet, only 1 game was settled by more than 2 goals in the first two matchdays. Top seeds Nephara put in two displays you could charitably call solid, edging out two low seeded teams 1-0. TJUN-ia were surprised away to Srednjaci in an end to end contest. Varavel, the bottom seeds in the group, have made an exciting start, having beaten the far more fancied Ziwana, they're currently second in the billing. All of this is a long way round of saying that on the current evidence, things look very competitive. Elmyia have so far gained 3 points from a possible 6, playing two nations we'd hope to be competitive with. Next up are the UBSA and TJUN-ia at home, 4 points would certainly lead to expectations starting to rise.

Ziwana 		2 - 1 		Elmyia
 Mussa (42')			 Beluigi (55')
 Mumba (63')			Simmons, Scoular, Grosso 
Aneko 	
Assists:
Hara (42')			Speight (55')
Mussa (63')


1.  Butler
16. Rossellini
3.  Grosso 
4.  Freschi
5.  Scoular 
2.  Katsouranis  (Byng 76') 
6.  Simmons 
8.  Speight  (Reid 76')
7.  Beluigi  (Rossi 86')
9.  Benedetti  (Galli 45')
11. Froggatt

Bench: 
12. Silver 
14. Savalas
10. Reid  76'
19. Galli  45'
22. Hightower
23. Rossi  86'
26. Byng  76'

Elmyia 		1 - 0		Baggieland
 Froggatt (12')			Livermore 
Speight 				
Assists:
Katsouranis (12')

1.  Butler
16. Rossellini
3.  Grosso
4.  Freschi
5.  Scoular 
2.  Katsouranis 
6.  Simmons 
8.  Speight  
7.  Beluigi  (Rossi 60')
9.  Benedetti  (Savalas 60')
11. Froggatt 

Bench: 
12. Silver 
14. Savalas  60'
10. Reid
19. Galli
22. Hightower
23. Rossi  60'
26. Byng

Butler

Scoular		Freschi		Grosso		Awfield 

Beluigi		Chapman		Simmons		Katsouranis

		Benedetti	Froggatt

Bench: 12. Silver, 14. Savalas, 10. Reid, 8. Speight, 19. Galli, 23. Rossi, 26. Byng

by **Saint Eleanor** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:15 am

World Cup 93 - first matchday of qualification
Saint Eleanor 3 (David Newcastle goal 37', Steve Pilchard goal 60', Adam Denby goal 77')
Mertagne 0

OOC: Combined schedule coming soon; I'll drop a relevant OOC note when I do. First two qualifiers were 9th and 27th January 2003, for the record.

Christina Fulton: "That was the only good game we had that year, besides the World Cup 90 video game"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers is at it yet again, as he asks one of Saint Eleanor's best young fullbacks about almost everything but that
Originally published on Friday 10th January 2003

As far as most people are concerned, Christina Fulton is a bit of an enigma, perhaps by virtue of very few people talking about her. "Thank goodness - I have a nice boyfriend and a nice house, both by Grand Beach standards, I mostly go about the local area, I was a half-decent student at the Polytechnic... also, I've never kicked anyone in the head. Not even at schools football. Nice try, Jamie. In either event, I've been a bit quiet, haven't I?"

It seems to show: she openly admits she wasn't "too much into making friends" at school, having a small friend circle of about four others. "Numbers occasionally swelled for various reasons. I don't actually think we actually excommunicated anyone, to use that fancy term I overheard Aaron [Francis] use in the dressing room the other day, although one of them was around us for a few months before deciding she wasn't a good fit. If you're looking around the charts and you spot Deborah Healey floating around number five in the latest charts with that soppy thing about leaving her boyfriend - yep, that one. I think she'd be into dance music more than pop if she stuck around." What about the ones who actually did? "Three of them work various local jobs and the other's gone to work in the oil fields now - so good on him. If that sounds bad, people like to think Grand Beach is a de facto retirement community, but - along with the northern districts - we actually have one of the more developed IT industries in the country. Strongarm antivirus, the one the government's preinstalled on your computer? We coded that. That's what one of my friends is working on; I think the other two are in computer repair and stuff like that. Hence the general vibe I suggested... two minutes ago?"

Despite being little more than a hobbyist footballer - although she insists she was "pretty good for someone like me" - Fulton was called up for Grand Beach's Charles Trump Shield side of 1995, and was slotted into leftback almost by accident: "the regular left midfield was filled by Pat[rick French] already, but I suppose I was desperate enough for game time I just got moved there... which wasn't quite filled beforehand, let's just say. That and Miss Willis was my Terranean teacher. Which was one of the closest things I had to a good subject; obviously, computer science was first." She insists that both of the chances she got - in the first round against nearby Carpentersville and the third against Newbanks - were "heavily informative. We were the better side - or meant to be better - on both occasions, but it was clear I had to work on a few things. Getting into position, on and off the ball, not being reckless - and especially not trying silly chances when okay ones would do just fine. That definitely cast a shadow over the Newbanks defeat; it was the start of their purple patch, we had a couple of players at pretty low capacity, and I doubt we really had a chance, come to think of it. 3-0's enough of a thrashing anyway."

Her enlistment at Juventud was also an accident: although a Computing student nonetheless, she turned up at the Sport Science department a few days into term, before the season began, for tryouts - and was, incredibly, selected. So, as is the form by now: what three games does she feel most shaped her development as a player? "We are going by chronological order, aren't we? Most people do, and I think I will... and I'll go for the 2-2 against [Occidental] Olympic back in 1997 first. That was the only good game we had that year, besides the World Cup 90 video game - must have been all the top-notch old-timers dipping. Coincidentally, that was the performance that closest matched what I grew up to become; the first two years were rocky, but the third met with a lot of praise, owing to goals, dynamism, overlapping, supporting both parts of the pitch and other buzzwords I care little for. They have never been strong in the wide areas of the pitch, so I wouldn't say I was taking care of Dominic [Cooper], or even that I should have done - marking him would have just intensified the action in the centre, which is what happened. My contributions were largely in getting the ball up the pitch - sometimes further than others - but I'd say everyone had a part to play that day in keeping us together, not losing track of anything, and actually defeating the opposition defence in a manner we almost never see from ourselves. Do I think we could have scored a winner? Unfortunately not; that second equaliser put us under so much pressure in the last fifteen that we were extremely thankful not to have just collapsed instead."

After graduating - and unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate a move abroad by herself (although she refuses to name the suitors when pressed) - she returned back home to Grand Beach, where manager Julia Atherton was looking for a new leftback. "Technically, it was Norman Pratt who was going to retire - Will Edgebrook was sprightly in comparison - but she thought, better to have some cover than none at all. Then she very quickly decided to push me up a bit!" Her second choice - and, she insists, "almost everyone's favourite game of 2000" - was the 4-4 home draw against Sword and Shield. "And this was the fancy, new-look Arsenal - the one with a bunch of people a big younger than me. All of them had already made impressions, never mind just seeking to make them; we were Grand Beach, the most obvious underachievers in the league. Going over the entire game here would be an epic undertaking even I couldn't possibly handle. Suffice to say that the gameplan - to get both fullbacks forward as and when necessary - worked; the match was all over the place and we were a few minutes away from winning it all, but I have two candidates for 'most cherished memory' otherwise. Firstly, running the line for the second goal, pumping the ball to Liz [Harris] before she gave the ball back to me, where I slid the ball in and let Patrick [Budd] just nudge a goal at the near post. Secondly, getting back inside with about ten minutes remaining - this was when we were 4-3 up - and pretty much forcing Alex[andra] Marcus into either going for it from fifteen yards out or attempting a risky pass; she tried to pass it on but Gavin [Parson] barely got there first! I sometimes wish Julia would get us pushing forward more often but when you've spent a decade playing under Adam Salt... that kind of happens."

It took two seasons for Grand Beach to make the IFCF Challengers' Cup, although they could not repeat the feat last year. Fulton's final nomination is the 4-2 defeat away from home against Patriotlandian side Union Port-la-Ville, which began - and effectively ended - their 2002 campaign. "It was outrageous - but some outrage! I don't think anyone could have quite believed we'd gotten in the tournament... and there were times they'd make us wish we were still just believing in ourselves. The first few minutes were absolutely relentless, and although we tried to pull back the lead a couple of times, they kept on hitting and hitting and hitting until they realised it wouldn't be the most effective option. Who hit the most? I'm afraid as far as I was concerned, David Rodin" - pronounced in a manner more Euran than Prahecqois - "exposed me far too often for me to feel good about the result. He scored once, assisted two others - and I will put myself completely at fault for that first one. I was paying too much attention to the ball rather than the man, so when he poked it to my right, I went there when I should have gone left to stop him. Obviously, it was in vain by a few metres and that was the spark that killed us off! Still, it was an experience, and one I'd like to repeat in the future. But not against those lot, cheers. Prayers for Margaret."

Perhaps it would be obvious to state that Fulton gets along with her national teammates from the Seasiders lineup, Sam Newbridge and Tim Brandon. "I don't think I'd have much of a future if I didn't. Sam's the big guy, the leader, and everyone takes note of him; he's a nice bloke off the pitch, granted, but he's ruthless on it at the best of times, so I can understand why there are question marks surrounding his starting place in this lineup. Tim is... hard to pin down. In both senses! Helpful, I'd say, but easily pissed - although he never, ever acts on it. I asked around and the consensus appears to be either that he's a perfectionist or has a very strong sense of right and wrong, although those characteristics strike me as being more associated with other members of the squad." But hasn't she had very little chances to talk to them so far? "I've had one game so far and I wasn't even playing. Pretty obvious why, though: big tie, pretty big opponent these days; can't go testing someone like me out there. I'd say I am testing the waters a bit - it'ld be silly of me not to, for good reason - but I'm still working on it and I'll try and get more stuck in during the next international break in three weeks. Don't ask me why it's called that; the leagues hasn't started yet. But I definitely do not hate anyone, oh no. If I did, I'd be on my way out and Evan Kilkenny would be talking to you instead."

Speaking of changes in the national team, does she think Rachel McNamara - who had better luck escaping Grand Beach, played a key role in keeping Bencoolen City in Tumbra's top flight last year and ranked second in the local Young Player of the Year competition for her accomplishments - is going to join her in the national team any time soon? "Give it a few cycles, please. Melcheta [Pazorzal] is a top lad from what I gather, and we were actually talking before the match a bit about one of the vulnerabilities in the Mertagnian lineup; he insisted about four hours later the analysis singlehandedly won us the game, although I doubt that given the margin! I don't see any of the other three strikers in the team dropping out any time soon, especially not Rick [Goldsmith]; he has just started, after all. Even then, it's probably a straight split between her and David Key, although she definitely has the advantage. Sorry, I'm definitely biased."

A bit quiet, a bit insular, perhaps a bit nerdy - but more than a bit innovative in her own right? This would most likely be a fair assessment of Christina Fulton: she is not particularly fond of talking when she doesn't have to, but when she does, she is clear (even if not concise) and willing to explain how she gets to solutions, much like her playing style is less conservative than would be expected; possibly even far less. She did not acknowledge Cathy Winchester once - but would probably agree it was due to unfamiliarity rather than vengeance.

by **Sendhang** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:49 am

93RD WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Matchday 1

Sendhang was drawn into Group 3 at the 93rd World Cup qualifiers. Unfortunately, alongside Sendhang in Group 3 was Pemecutan, the best team in Mandalanusa who was expected to dominate the group by many as soon as the draw was completed. However, the Sendhang national team players were still eager for the World Cup qualification campaign this time especially after almost qualifying for the previous World Cup, eliminated in the playoffs.

Similar to the format of the previous qualifiers, only the top team from each group will qualify automatically while the second and third-placed teams will advance to the playoffs. Pemecutan was initially expected to top the group but the two playoff spots were up for grabs by anyone. The main challenge for Sendhang to get one of the playoff spots was Kelssek, Sendhang's first opponent in the 93rd World Cup qualification.

Kelssek was ranked 30th in the world at the start of the qualifiers and was seen as the only team capable of challenging Pemecutan's dominance in Group 3. On paper, Kelssek was seen as a much better side than the team that Sendhang has. But the Sendhang players were aware that a positive result from the trip to Kelssek needs to be obtained to expand their chances of playing on the World Cup stage for the first time.

Most of the national team players were over the age of 30 at the start of the qualifiers and were well aware that they were at the end of their careers. For some of them, it's now or never. So they went to Kelssek fully focused on the task at hand which has been made clear by the head coach, Teuku Irfan many times during the training session.

"Everyone behind the ball except one," reminded Teuku Irfan during every training session.

The players executed the game plan perfectly at the start of the match. They gave Kelssek the freedom with the ball but managed to frustrate their opponent by giving no space in behind to be exploited. That however lasted only until the 35th minute when Miles Mann found himself with the ball inside Sendhang's penalty box and scored from 10 yards to put the home side ahead.

Sendhang was shaken by the goal. It was not how they planned. But the team remained focused and kept true to their style of play, despite the urge to go gung ho. The game plan finally paid off in the 68th minute when a mistake by Kelssek who lost possession in the middle of the park was punished by Nanang Wirajuda's shot into an open goal from 20 yards to equalize the score.

The Sendhang players then celebrated wildly when the referee blew the full-time whistle with the match tied at 1-1. An important point away at Kelssek, a satisfying result for the Rice Farmers.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 5:43 am

And so...were we are. Takaisin polulle luvattuun maahan. To say there was an air of hype around the Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi may be seen as a huge understatement and for good reason at that. The past few years have been nothing but up for this team with back-to-back 4th-place finishes in the AOCAF sandwiching a run to the Qualifying Playoffs of the last WC. Esko Laaksonen is seen by many as the conductor of a Hype Train that speaks Finnish, Swedish and Sámi (and English too, I guess) and that is certainly a powerful position to find yourselves in...but things certainly were not certain at all and we knew that our status as a Pot 4 team meant that we had to take this very seriously. Beacuse maybe we do have a chance at the big dance. And that journey of discovery was about to begin.

Just like our friends in JYK-inen, we would start with back-to-back road games and the first of which would be against a BoF team in the form of Uusi Portlandin Tasavalta - the New Portland Republic. We did read up on their BoF and how Martín Zubeldía implemented his “Portlandia-Huayo” playstyle and all that stuff so while they didn't provide their WC teamsheet, we felt like we were prepared for their BoF teamsheet...and that proved to be effective. We were very effective in shutting down the flair of the "Portlandia-Huayo" and forcing them into a rigidity that they could never recover from. It was simply a possession-based domination and we used that to full effect by scoring a goal in each half, with Captain Kimi Airo scoring first past Lester Cooper before Teemu Räikkönen scored with ease in the 78th to make sure this game was ours in the end. 2-0 may not be the flashiest performance you could come up with but in the end, we did what we needed to do.

Then we travelled to face Bollonich, a team ranked 126th and a team we knew would certainly be up for pulling off an early upset like Srednjaci did against JYK-inen in Group 6. We knew that if we were to make a run at the promised land, we had to go out and avoid being upset by teams ranked below us as much as possible and in that regard, we certainly did a good job. The first half was certainly tight, with an early lead from the hosts being responded to by Valtteri Nordström, but the second would see our class start to overpower everyone else and in the end, that was all that was needed as Mika Noronen and substitute Topias Maxhuni getting the job done for the 3-1 win. That's all we needed from this game and after 2 games in this group, Kimi-Suomi are top of the pile!

So far, so good...but of course, we have a long way to go before we can start fully understanding our ambitions in this group. Our first home game is an absolutely massive one as Pot 2 Huayramarca come to Pesä before we head back out to face another Top 100 team, this time Pot 5 and 2-0 Sargossa. Some big games are certainly coming up...and we need to make sure we take as many points as possible if we want to keep on rolling in this group. Tästä eteenpäin asiat vain vaikeutuvat. Toivottavasti olet valmis. NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Montana Verde** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 5:58 am

Curry de Té Caliente – 2 (0)
Caballonocturno (64’), Grimaud (78’)

Montaña Verde – 1 (0)
Moises; Alcalá (69’), Cambeiro (55’) (56’* Mercedes ), Mandito, Juderías; Schutzán (56’ Cristo Díaz ), Coco (73’ Israel ); Aramis, Primitivo; Tino (50’) (80’ Osito ), Indiano (56’ Monaguillo )

* This is the only detail changed from Tikariot's box score to avoid having four substitution windows.

Montaña Verde – 0 (0)
Ingeniero; Alcalá, Tíntín, Mandito (90’ Cambeiro ), Juderías; Schutzán, Primitivo (56’), Coco (79’ Cristo Díaz ); Covarrubias (90’ Monaguillo ), Tino (81’ Camilo ), Indiano (81’ Osito )

República Guanacasteca – 0 (0)
Waston (60’) (85’)

Article from the Verdean soccer magazine, Cuatro-Cuatro-Dos.

Condors fail first test under new coach

Also in the news:

Genetic defects cluster linked to pollution from agricultural run-off
Legendary wrestler “El Torturador” killed in freak accident during championship bout
Santa Margarita’s sex workers appeal for help against violence against women, transgendered population
Bumper “piccolo mushroom” crop attributed to spread of slash-and-burn practices in vindication of indigenous land management approach
This week, on Fuego y Hielo: Tobías is shocked to discover that Adriána is committing securities fraud ... Damián reveals that Violeta is not really the mother of his daughter ... Alicia and Sergio wrestle with their emotions after uncovering vampire coven ...

by **Trolleborg** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:01 am

Greetings, compatriots!
After a short break It's again Torben Riper and I will continue to discuss direction of development of football in our country with chairman of FA Torben Mortensen. So, how do you assess the results of the first performance of our clubs on the international arena?

T.M.: Very positive. I was skeptical about the idea itself. It seemed to me that we didn’t really need it and it wasn’t very useful. When a compromise idea try only one club in battle was submitted, and winner of the national cup was proposed to take a berth in the corresponding tournament, I agreed, believing that it was worth to try, and if it worked, then it would be good, but if we failed, the consequences would not be so much terrible. The national leader, however, insisted on trying to play in all possible tournaments - in total, there were almost half a dozen of them, taking into account the transfers of teams from one to another. It seemed to me that it would be difficult, and I still believe that this decision significantly changed the balance of power in the end of the championship.

T.R.: However, did the pros outweigh the cons?

T.M.: Yes, in the end I believe we made the right decision. But we will need to change the schedule for next season, because it is difficult for teams to participate in the championship, the cup, the league cup, and two or three world-class tournaments at once. I won’t risk giving you a forecast of how everything will go next time, but it seems to me that this experience was useful for the players, the club teams, and the national team.

T.R.: While there were debates about the need to integrate into world football at the club level, the question was raised about integration with the global transfer market. In the end, which was the decisions that was made?

T.M.: As you all remember, a season ago the opportunity was opened for players and coaches to seek their fortunes abroad in order to see what would come of it. Since the world is large and many countries are distinguished by their originality, it was decided to carry out all operations of this kind through the football federation in order to control the fate and working conditions of players and specialists who are leaving for work in distant lands. Those who wish to do so submit an application to us and we pass it on to responsible persons from world structures. As you all remember, there were about half a dozen applications, and almost all the players who decided to develop their careers abroad turned out without any applications, and the coach who submitted his resume, one of our best, too. And many make their mindes: none CV have been submitted this year.

T.R.: Why do you think? Of course, all fans have their own opinions, but what do you say?

T.M.: Because the global transfer market is a specific place that requires certain skills, it is quite saturated with players of all sorts, roles and talents, and since we have not participated in club tournaments until recently and are not very willing to publish information about what is happening in the world of Trolleborg football, potential buyers it can be difficult to determine what this player is good or famous for.

T.R.: And what about the arrival of foreign players?

T.M.: We worked closely with domestic clubs management on this topic and discussed it in detail with their management. The general opinion was that in the market players of such a class that could strengthen our league, bring something new, either cost unreasonably high prices, or do not stay long in the open, being engaged by teams from prestigious leagues. We can compete with them in terms of finances, but not in terms of prestige. And the clubs did not see the point in taking average players.

T.R.: And what about coaches?

T.M.: About the same thing. It would be also nice to invite a couple of coaches to the league who differ in their style of play and methods of work from the canons adopted by us. But coaches, who really can change the balance of power between teams in our league and spur the development of domestic football or at least debates about it, again prefer more prestigious leagues. But maybe in two seasons, if the performances of club teams in world football will be satisfactory, we will have the opportunity to compete for the signatures of specialists who will force our domestic coaches to pull themselves up, adopt something for themselves or come up with something new. Or even one or two eccentrics to stimulate some changes. We have a well-established image of a coach, as it seems, copied at least partly from a national leader, and sometimes it sometimes looked to to me like if that our coaches a have a competition, who will copy this image it more accurately. I’m not afraid of big words: something needs to be changed, otherwise we will continue to suffer defeats at home and break down after the very first failures.

T.R.: And let's now goes into club tournament journey of our teams in detail. Just give a place to the newsreel.

by **Oscioru** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:07 am

✣CANZARIA QUOTIDIANO✣

IS DE CASIO COOKING BIG?

La Nazionale has managed to send the entire nation into delirium following dominant performances against StrayanRus and Inkwellistan

Following their massive friendly win against Xanneria with 3-0, combined with the Independents Cup spite, la Nazionale has gone on a mission of dominance against the likes of StrayanRus and Inkwellistan. These massive return performances have sent shockwaves across the universe that a new team has joined the block and a team that has come for good. Maybe the experience acquired was not so bad after all.

Oscioru 8-2 StrayanRus: Stadio Infernale was in for a treat, a full strength squad against one of the lowest-ranked sides in the world. While unranked, full-strength Osci team is perhaps better than its rank appears to make it and they for sure delivered in front of a jam packed crowd in the flare-filled stadium named after hell itself and hell it became.

The tactical superiority of the team was obvious from the get go, the high pressure line cracked the Strayan team really fast and just as fast a show to remember and perhaps the largest victory of the team for the years to come was ready to commence. Côté, the young lad is a mastermind at work and truly, his time at AC Pomena has given him the necessary maturity quite fast. Going past 1, 2, the whole defence and a strong shot broke the ice fast enough. Repeat this twice more and he had a first half hattrick. The StrayanRus would score one for a reply, but this only angered the team. 3-1 at half time was not so bad, however.

What really broke the ice in the second half was a surprise StrayaRus goal that really froze Stadio Infernale for approximately... 30 seconds. Legitimately, la Nazionale got so fired up and as a response they decided to commence an unforgettable carnage upon the poor debutantes. Côté scored his 4th one of the night and from then on, Bonhomme(twice), Zapatero and Constantini(both once) took over from there. The goal of the night certainly belongs to Constantini after a gorgeous long range shot made the ball appear more like a cannonball, leaving the Strayan keeper unable to react.

With the massive victory in hand, heading over to Inkwellistan with a massive ego boost was just what was needed.

Inkwellistan 1-4 Oscioru: Their stadium was sadly not written in their description and reports say that many of the players were blindfolded on their way to the stadium so even they had no idea where they went. However this discomfort would turn into a nice dream for the team fast.

It was as if the team had been so perfectly coordinated from very early on, you could see their passing and formation was perfect for the duration of the first half. Bonhomme had a magnificent first half netting a goal as well as providing an assist to Côté, who seems to be on fire. While the Inkwellistanis had only one chance in the half, which was not converted. 0-2 at half time was a safe advantadge and De Casio certainly gave them a promising pep talk in backstage.

A screamer by Leandro Abel was exactly what was needed to start the engines running in the second half, sending the few Osci fans in the stadium on cloud 9. With the team's dominance being maintained throughout the whole second half, with a high pressure line, frustration kicked in the Inkwellistani team and with that more mistakes followed. Mistakes that Zapatero took advantadge of when scoring the team's 4th goal. Ellington would score a consolation goal, but it would serve no purpose as Oscioru would get yet another devastating victory.

Roberto De Casio seems to be in the works for something big, this team is performing extraordinarily for its size and stature and will be hoping to maintain such performances in the coming weeks. There are speculations that the team is working out of spite due to the unjust disqualification from the last independents cup and it definitely looks like this has translated over to the pitch. Turori will be visiting El Monasterio in Poma for matchday 3, while a visit to Montaña Verde will be next.

by **Yakk** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:35 am

Hey At least we scored versus Ko-oren

YAK EMPIRE - The World Cup Qualifiers are underway and with a full cycle under their belt, the Yak Empire National Team has started there first portion off right. A win over For McKinley and their overtly aggressive play helped propel the Yak Empire national team to a 1-0-0 start. A tight defensive affair, the game really didn't get a lot of action with the teams combining for a measly 5 shots on goal in the first half of the game and the keepers really keeping the game in check. The only score came in the 56th minute after the ref finally called a tackle on Davey Charles Young. Mihkeal Boryozov converted a Penalty Kick and the goal keeper Egered Khad did the rest. Though it helped that Fort McKinley, a neighboring Atlantian Oceanic nation, was down to 10 ment after a second send off. So the Yakk Empire did start of well, but Ko-Oren was next

Yak Empire - 1
Boryozov 56' PK

Fort McKinley -0
NONE'

When it came time to travel to Ko-Oren, the team was ready for what they knew was going to be a defensive slugfest. Ko-oren is noted for their post-football style of play that relies on keeping the ball out of the hands of the opponent. Sadly yak helped them with this cause as several key turnovers deep gave the Ko-oren Dragonflies a 4-1 victory in Ko-oren. Dragonflies Striker Rex Archer was able to take advantage of a sloppy defense that was eventually dwindled down to nine players after both Nyam-Oyush Sahkmar and Nije Xi were sent off due to sloppy tackles. I mean, how else would Ko-oren score four goals if not for a pair of penalty kicks and the Yak Empire constantly turning the ball over in their own side of the field? The real hero though was Tsagaantsoojiin Oryaangabar. In the 80th minute he did the nearly impossible and scored a goal against Ko-oren! A header off of a corner kick, but a goal non the less.

Yak Empire - 1
Oryaangabar 80'

Ko-oren - 4
Maximilien Longchambon 42' (PK) 65' (PK)
Rex Archer 35'
Purelbusak Entatingun 90+2

by **Vilita** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:42 am

Rebels open up with Home Victory before being held by Bear-Belles

National View Stadium, Morata Valley, Vilita :: The Football Association of Vilita have announced that starting with the opening match of World Cup 93 Qualifying against Sajnur, the Vilitan National Team will officially be adopting to the latest internationstatal standards with regards to matchday substitutions, increasing the allowable number of base substitutions from 3 to 5 over the course of a 90 minute match. Those five substitutions come with a caveat, however, that they are used within 3 distinct windows of substitution. Vilitan National Team Head Coach Endur Rotropii was instrumental in convincing the Football Association to finally adopt the modern substitution policies which some have suggested was long overdue:

"Well really it was kind of silly - the policy that we had. We were doing 3 Substitutions but then we had all these Ifs, ands like if the Goalie was hurt we could do a 4th substitution or if the match went to extra time we could do a 4th substitution or if a Giant Bird flew in from Lemmitania we could change the whole squad and replace them with tranquilizer specialists. It was just ages upon ages of caveats and I didn't have time to read them all. We've got a lot of young players on this squad and I want to be able to get them all the experience they need. I also didn't want to have to hire a team of experts to study the Vilitan Substitution Handbook to be able to determine exactly when we were able to go over the base three substitutes. So lets just not play around with a big book of caveats just to get to a 4th substitute. Lets just follow the trending convention and go straight to five, No caveats. I think we took a 25 page manual and dropped it down to a paragraph. It's kind of nice"

The Vilitan National Team kicked off World Cup 93 Qualifying at the National View Stadium in Morata Valley, the very same venue with which they were eliminated on penalty kicks from the World Cup 92 Quarter Finals. Their opponent would be 97th ranked Sajnur, a team with which the Jungle Rebels had not faced in recent competition. As the groups 5th seed coming into the tournament, Sajnur would be optimistic that they could get a few surprise results and sneak into a World Cup Qualification Playoff Spot.

The National View Stadium in Morata Valley - home of Inland Peaks FC. This was one of the first big stadiums in Vilita. It was one of the first modern stadiums built in the Tropics, constructed new for World Cup 17 and the biggest all-seater in the country at the time, eclipsing the size of the Tivali Ring Stadium. While the stadium had played host to many matches over the years - as far as being part of the Group Stage of the World Cup Finals was concerned, the most famous appearance for the National View Stadium was almost certainly during World Cup 31 where the home of Inland Peaks FC would play host to the eventual World Cup Champions as Squornshelous would play all three of their World Cup 31 Group Stage matches in the stadium

Looking somewhat like that Squornshelan team while playing in their red alternate kits, Sajnur hoped to channel some of that energy and had a productive first half that would see them equalize through veteran Striker Basuli Maktar just ten minutes after Testiculos Big List honoree Sami Samii'i opened the scoring for the Jungle Rebels. Head Coach Endur Rotropii would make two changes at half time, bringing on Narri Sebapilo and Letirpsi Vulitn in place of Terzisi Rokopolis and Diamoa Waviino. Neither change would make a huge impact on the game out of the gate but there was a big swing less than ten minutes into the second half when Antiviv Davaflei restored the Vilitan lead.`Despite a late push that would see the Sajnuran team put together a sequence of 6 consecutive corner kicks, the Jungle Rebels would weather the storm and hang on for a 2-1 victory and a rare opening matchday victory in World Cup Qualifying.

 Vilita 2 - 1 Sajnur	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 13' Sami Samii’i:: 53' Antiviv Davaflei             
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 58%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 6 :: Sajnur :: Possession: 42%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 13
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Awukchu L’bakka, Injyua Klizlo, Hothat Iciiplak (Clarana Refiami 72'), Riku Kasslin, Trezisi Rokopolis (Narri Sebapilo 45'), Mikele Alasita (Tukaara Milanzi 72'), Fyin Miateal (Jakku’u Naboyavi 70'), Sami Samii’i, Diamoa Waviino (Letirpsi Vulitn 45'), Antiviv Davaflei

From a standpoint of substitutions, everything went as planned for Endur Rotropii. After the two Half Time subs, Rotropii would slow things down in the second half making a substitution in the 70th minute to bring on Jakku'u Naboyavi and then just minutes later a double substitution bringing on Tukaara Milanzi and Clarana Refiami in an attempt to keep the game in the attacking half. Regardless, it was the first time in Vilitan National Team history that they had succefully completed five legal substitutions in a 90 minute World Cup Qualification Match.

The Jungle Rebels would hit the road from there on to the Ursine Realms to face Bears Armed. While there was unexpectedly no media package available to help prepare journalists and teams alike as to who and what they might face when they squared off against Bears Armed, Rotropii and the Vilita National Team staff knew that no matter who they would face off against the Bear-Belles would always be a difficult opposition.

The Ursine team would get an early goal from Tirh’hya Hwharrooh of the GhostBear Clan putting Vilita on the back foot and forcing Rotropii into a trio of half-time changes in an attempt to get back in the game for the second half. There would be a scare for the Jungle Rebels just before the hour mark as goalkeeper Reino Kononen went down under a challenge from Dawnlight Urrsen on one of Bears Armed's numerous corner kicks. Rotropii would take no chances and substituted Kononen - bringing on Ukamai Talingri as well as Diamoa Waviino as the Jungle Rebels looked to press for an equalizing goal. Eventually it would take the star power of Cycle 13 Testiculous Select starter and former Galacticos Youth Player of the Season Nii'arala Milaaso who found a moment of individual talent to fire past WestPort City goalkeeper Aerrua Bruinne and secure a point. While Rotropii would certainly have been opening for all three points against the 133rd ranked team in the multiverse, coming away from a match at the Wimbley Stadium can always be a difficult task and the Rebels can only hope come the end of the cycle they can view it as a point gained rather than two points lost.

 Vilita 1 - 1 Bears Armed	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 71' Nii'arala Milaaso              
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 52%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 2 :: Bears Armed :: Possession: 48%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 12
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Reino Kononen (Ukamai Talingri 60'), Injyua Klizlo (Treasvo Tlikara 45'), Awukchu L’bakka (Diamoa Waviino 60'), Narri Sebapilo, Lentali Purama, Trezisi Rokopolis, Letirpsi Vulitn, Fyin Miateal (Nii'arala Milaaso 45'), Riku Kasslin, Tukaara Milanzi, Antiviv Davaflei (Imauka Lkomorak 45')

by **Graintfjall** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:49 am

Stevencousin – 1 (0)
Kallstrom (71’)

Græntfjall – 3 (2)
Björnólfur; Alyssia (75’ Sigurbergur ), Eyvar, Asbjørn, Leona; Tinni, Kæja (59’) (75’ Steinar ), Danny; Vanessa (72’ Rebekka ), Mímir (12’, 41’, 64’) (72’ Röskvi ), Sara K (c) (78’ Harmony )

Talamia – 0 (0)

Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Björnólfur; Alyssia (77’ Vanessa ), Eyvar (50’) (82’ Sigurbergur ), Asbjørn, Leona (63’); Tinni (55’) (82’ Klængur ), Kæja (53’ Steinar ), Danny (84’); Rebekka (53’ Þrastar ), Mímir (1’) (52’), Sara K (c) (73’)

Selection of articles from Græntfjaller news media.

Mímir puts doubters on notice with four goal bonanza

MD3–4 squad: 1. Björnólfur, 12. Mikkel, 23. Hanif; 2. Alyssia, 3. Leona, 4. Eyvar, 5. Asbjørn, 13. Harmony, 17. Tom, 20. Reidar, 22. Anarr, 24. Sigurbergur; 8. Danny, 10. Kæja, 11. Valtter, 15. Steinar, 16. Lotte, 18. Tinni, 26. Erin; 6. Rebekka, 7. Sara K (c), 9. Mímir, 14. Vanessa, 19. Röskvi, 21. Þrastar, 25. Joel

CORNCOB opens with speech from Prime Minister

From the crumbling cliffs of the North Græntfjall coastline, to the receding glaciers of our Southern Alps, the White Winter Queendom is a first hand witness to the devastating impact of climate change. But it is not only within our own borders that we see the catastrophic effects of environmental damage unfolding. From the Græntfjaller Antarctic Mission’s monitoring of record temperatures to the increased tropical storm activity in Græntfjaller Multinesia, from floods in Mlima Kijani to mudslides in Montaña Verde, the world is changing, and the human role in that change is clear. The nations of Rushmore have a chance to come together and make meaningful progress on issues of climate change affecting the land, seas and air that we share, the migratory animals that call our region home, the rivers and lakes, mountains and hills, deserts and plains, that make up our great region. But any agreement needs to be economically viable and reflect the human demands of progress and prosperity. Instead of retreating from technological innovation, we should embrace it. Instead of alienating businesses, we should seek to work with them as partners. Any agreement reached here needs to preserve and protect our common environment for future generations; but it cannot do so by impoverishing, materially or spiritually, future generations.

Græntfjall offer emergency response teams to aid southern neighbor

Also in the news:

Gun bill to advance out of Thing committee
Trade talks with Diarcesia progressing “promisingly” according to sources
Himinssverð next-gen fighter approved for carrier deployment
University of Waltenberg celebrates 250th anniversary
High Court rules on validity of oral contracts in landmark financial misconduct case

by **Eura** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:01 am

WORLD CUP 93 – QUALIFYING GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 1
Eura 1–1 Rouyoute
Scorers:
Woodman 77
Lineup:
1. T Hammond
2. A Mason (sub Read 90+3)
4. J Menard
15. Q Phillips
23. E Reeve
6. J Gates
16. L Holland
22. D Barnes (sub James 62)
28. E Clarke (sub Singh 56)
7. A Woodman (sub Douglas 89)
9. S Robson (sub Brookfield 73)

WORLD CUP 93 – QUALIFYING GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 2
The Cordian Isles 0–1 Eura
Scorers:
James 35
Lineup:
13. J Hewitt
21. P Read
4. J Menard (sub Duff 42)
5. K Sherwood (sub Pearce 75)
3. L Almwood
6. J Gates (sub Brown 61)
20. M Cole
11. B Malone
10. S Singh (sub Brookfield 70)
12. O James
14. A Sharp (sub Miller 70)

Whisper (Political gossip blog, non-partisan, central Bastion because the rest of the country might as well not exist to them – except for this particular column)
BLACKHALL INTERNATIONAL MONITOR: THE LATEST WORLD NEWS STORIES FROM A BASTION PERSPECTIVE

MR ALLOTON GOES TO ALTENDALUR
Jermaine Alloton is seen by many in the know as the “man in form” for the Barnham administration, a rising star we should expect to see much more of. The Minister of Environment’s reputation will surely only rise now he has been despatched to the Convention Of Rushmori Nations on Climate, Oceans, and Biodiversity (CORNCOB), a new summit on environmental issues brought together by Graintfjall. A wide variety of nations are attending in some capacity including Darmen, the Commonwealth of Baker Park, Ceni and more.

Alloton arrived in Altendalur with a low key, stripped back delegation, reflecting that this is an area of policy not usually at the top of Euran concerns, and on which the Federation’s reputation is nothing special. Our domestic energy grid’s overwhelming reliance on nuclear power generated on the Holden and the east coast surprisingly clean for an industrial economy of nearly three billion. But Eura is a mass oil importer and, even with its strong public transport infrastructure, pumps plenty of harmful gasses into the atmosphere – and that’s not even accounting for the amount of hot air being generated in Parliament!

There’s little sign of what agreement might be reached and how far it might go, but Alloton struck an optimistic note in his only press appearance since arriving, a very brief interview with EBC News. “We’re really open minded about what can be achieved here in Altendalur. Needless to say, I will be making the case for Eura’s fantastic and innovative science-driven industries, and how they’re contributing to cleaning up our region and the wider world.” No detail was given on how this is achieved by Euran corporations gutting the landscapes of developing nations like Brenecia or injecting a permanent ‘death haze’ into Holdenberg’s atmosphere via its factories; Bastion is a long way from recognising that.

DECISION ON DEWAYO
Nyowani Kitara is edging closer to membership of the Common Rushmori Community after submitting its official application to the body. They will find no more enthusiastic a supporter than Eura. Former Liberal government Foreign Secretary Carl Rutherford, who has been playing an informal diplomatic role for the current Social regime in Rushmori affairs, has been getting a lot of attention in Blackhall for a new article in the Capital Herald, claiming that Nyowani Kitara would become the vanguard of a new generation of CRC members. This seems to reflect government policy, with Minister for Rushmore Brendan Glennard enthusiastically sharing the article on his twii.tur feed just yesterday.

It’s looking likely that the central Rushmori country will pass into the CRC with nothing but a ripple of opposition, very little of which will come from Eura. Almost all of Eura’s representatives to the CRC – most of them Liberal and Social pan-Rushmori’s – are expected to vote for accession, with the two Capital representatives possibly set to oppose, but the direction of travel is obvious. Other delegations are largely expected to wave Dewayo through as they have every previous member. Indeed, it seems that only Eura has really experienced a long, drawn out process for joining, reflecting concerns at the time about how the organisation might change with its membership. Many years later, those concerns have not materialised, but it is notable that there are growing rumours on the Bastion circuit that the government may propose CRC reform as an important part of their second term agenda.

ELSEWHERE…
Montana Verde on the mend
Positive signals are coming out of the nation of Montana Verde, which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake/tsunami combination that struck the country and killed scores of its people. Eura played an important role in the multi-national effort to get the Verdeans back on their feet, powering homes with a nuclear aircraft carrier, supporting evacuations and teaming up with experts from Kelssek to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the San Ferano Dam.
Walls-up diplomacy
Yet another episode of characteristic instability is throwing the country-but-not-a-country-sort-of-maybe-who-knows Farfadillis into chaos, again. The Euran embassy has responded decisively to Farolera’s “liberation” of its neighbours; “We stand ready to help Euran citizens in any way we can, but also to support our host nation in its time of need.” They sure have shown their willingness to help…by erecting anti-vehicle barriers and other obstacles, locking the gates, and putting snipers on the roof. A source tells us any prospect of a Euran intervention is “for the birds”, citing the Mytanijan intervention experience of managing a complicated, foreign, ethnically driven killing fest.
The girl next door
Over in our western neighbour Austroslovakia, rare protests have erupted in Graz, with opposition citing unhappiness at the nation’s drift in world affairs and declining living standards at home. “Something has to change – we need a voice!” declared one particularly animated protestor in the snow-swept streets of the nation’s capital. The Euran government has been quiet as ever, always reluctant to be seen to be meddling in the affairs of the mountainous Askoy belt nations, which include Urszag-Csatoria and Szavoda. There is thought to be growing support in the country for opening up the system and taking a bigger part in regional affairs, but what form that could take remains to be seen.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:14 am

World Cup 93 - second matchday of qualification
Borisuelo 0
Saint Eleanor 1 (Rick Goldsmith goal 53')

OOC: "There are three army brats in every classroom normally?" Really? Based on back-of-the-envelope calculations I DMed Quebbles on Discord two months ago: there are about 10,000 people in the Army, out of 510,000 people overall; 170,000 children and 340,000 adults (even George Mitcham knows not to hire child soldiers). Assuming 1.8 children per soldier - accounting for the unmarried, marriages between soldiers, and so on - then about 18,000 of the 170k children were born to at least one parent in the Army. This does not account for children of veterans, who are much greater in number, or those born to members of the Army Corps of Engineers (which accounts for about 5,000)
New calculations: Crude division will suggest there are 175 soldiers per district, although there is variability based on crime rates (higher crime = more surveillance). Assuming 250 on deployment in a high-crime district (i.e. Queenston!) and keeping other assumptions constant, then 450/3,000 have at least one parent on deployment. 4.5 in every class of 30; round up to "five or six" due to small sample sizes, etcetera.

Rick Goldsmith: "Please, please don't get me started on the 6-2. Other than that, it was great"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers is no longer at it again - the ex-wunderkind who almost got nowhere marks the end, for now
Originally published on Wednesday 29th January 2003

First impressions would appear to suggest that Rick Goldsmith would make a good worker at the Hiyashi factory in Broadlands district: meticulous if not polished, fair, honest, willing to do the hard work with little public reward. "But I am not, and have never been, a technology person. Barely passed the exams in those and wouldn't have anything to do with them if the curriculum wasn't so regimented. Sure there's a better word but I was surrounded by Army people."

Goldsmith, like national team colleague Naresmet taFrexala, grew up in Queenston, a Western Corridor district that has some of the highest rates for all crimes in Saint Eleanor. "The NOL [Northern Orange Line] region is the single worst part of the country. There are three army brats in every classroom normally but crime is so bad here you end up getting five or six most times. Fucking hilarious to think those were my best mates, weren't they? The only thing standing between us and failed status, too. Everyone else was either a bully, disinterested, wanted to go into one of the local low-skilled jobs after school or... there were a couple of civvie unicorns in there, but not a lot." Did any of them join the Army in the end? "Andy [Lieutenant Andrew Whitaker] passed the officers' exam first time after uni, which was impressive. Strangely enough, Kate [Katherine Hunt] did too and her parents worked as council bin collection and supermarket checkout girl respectively, although she's been assigned to New Bayside. Raffy [Rafilepana xeWanopatera] was considering it but she joined the Ministry of Healthcare HQ team instead. And so on, I suppose. I say local low-skilled jobs but really it's a gap between the public sector and the private sector. The public sector gets all the good stuff."

Although he calls himself "a Rick of all trades, a jack of maybe PE and history," Goldsmith was called up to the school's 1997 Charles Trump Shield Squad on account of what his PE teacher called excellent performances. "Oh, Andy and Kate were there, too. We and Sunset Gates were the evil versions of Liberty, although they were wiped out first round. We made the quarters." Naturally, Goldsmith cherishes all four of the games Queenston played in the tournament, but he insists his favourite game was their last, a 2-1 defeat after extra time to the Eleanorian Academy. "The Eleanorian Academy. Every single one of us let that sink in for a bit, then we got out and do our job. We were a bit more solid out back than we usually were, and with good reason - it's the Academy, mate - but I feel like that gave me a bit more of an opportunity to shine out there, proactively search out the ball, try and stop them from getting to it and then... passing it around, I suppose. I passed it well enough I set up the first goal, just before half time, nice straight pass to Andy to put us in front. Didn't last, sadly, but I tried my absolute best and almost got us back in the lead a couple of times. Defending's far too good on their end, that said."

Goldsmith did not expect to continue in professional football and was told by the local OPAL supermarket that they were looking to hire when he asked the week after his final School Certificate exam in 1998: "the prospect didn't only interest me, but it would have been lifechanging; my dad's worked there for a few years but he didn't make a lot and my mum's always struggled to hold down a stable job, so for me to get that extra bit of income to help my family pay the bills, not have to claim unemployment or anything like that, that's the kind of thing that makes a difference to people's lives." But in 1999, Hiyashi Celestia - the club of the Kandorese Hiyashi Corporation, which rooted in Broadlands district in 1993 and was "even more flush with cash than Indy were" - entered the Saint Eleanor League. They were impressed by Goldsmith's schools football credentials and decided to sign him. "Nobody really makes 'a lot' in the Eleanorian game - still a better deal than the shop, mind. Oh, and nice place - one of the few bits of the country where private industry has it really good. I've asked my mates to tell George [Mitcham] 'look, you need to reinvigorate our economy, it doesn't reflect the skill levels of the people' but I'm not sure they've followed through. I'm one to talk about it!"

When asked what three games shaped his development as a professional the most, he insists "this'll be really easy. Number one: 1-0, at home to Indy again, just past halfway in 1999 when it was starting to look like we could mount a serious title challenge but hadn't really picked off any of the big sides yet. Takeshi Honda - a legend of the Kandorese game - was, and always has been, starting alongside me for the club and it's pretty routine that he takes all the glory most of the time. And most of the glory all the time, to misquote what my dad likes to say. But yeah, this time, he stood back a little bit - that's a bit misleading, actually, because Liam West was on him and you don't get out alive from that. I got Luke Elliott instead; he's good at defending but hardly the worldbeater he was when we were starting to play international football. I hit a brick wall sometimes, but more often I ran past him again and again, and was often denied only by John Bailey - as so many others have been. The big surprise, the one that sealed my reputation and the club's for good, was halfway through the second half; this time, I'd gotten onto a typical Lydia Nicholls long ball and this time got past Luke rather than standing still. When I did, I took a touch, another one, then I thumped it with my third and it just sailed into the net. Please, please don't get me started on the 6-2. Other than that, the season was great. This match especially included."

He follows up by recalling Celestia's 3-2 overturning of Sword and Shield immediately after the 2000 summer holiday. "I am not Tim Brandon levels of fast. He's fab at it, and a lot of other things, but - in part - he was known for being fast long before it was. Back then, I was just Honda's understudy, although I was getting a bit of a reputation for myself. We were three points clear of Athletic in the table over the summer after they slipped a few times and our first match coming back was against the Arsenal, who'd just played in the IFCF like we did and had a lot of future national team players in their midst. This time, I was the one being asked to drop back a little bit, and I think this was the first time anyone realised Sylvia [Hollenberg] could be a bit of a pest. We were going out wide a lot of the time after Rach[el Schanke] realised passing it through me and then Honda wasn't going to work; the few times I did have the ball, either I just sailed past, Sylvia either got it immediately or, in one case, she accidentally tripped me and got herself a yellow card while trying to get it. I still don't believe it was an accident but she apologised, so, that thing. Yeah. She's improved in most regards, though; I think we'd just be pumping it forward all the time now given how potent she is these days. That was also a telltale sign I needed to get my shit in order: what was I thinking imagining I could just run into empty space without a care?"

His final selection is the 3-0 win over Atletik Thessia of Mytanija in 2001's Challengers' Cup playoffs, which set them well on their way to a first group stage appearance. "It was an absolute hammering, that. I was looking back this morning in preparation and Lydia was talking about the 1-0 away from home - that sealed the deal but it wasn't by any means what got us there. It was hard for us to break them down at first, but when we got there, it was destination Huge Victory from A to Z. The key is to realise they're playing a proper 3-4-3 with three strikers and, again, go as wide and as fast as you possibly can, because it's a bit of a vulnerability for them and if they send extra players there, oh shit. The opener was what I honestly think was one of my best finishes so far; Joe Galbraith finds the ball, aligns himself and crosses seemingly in the goalie's [Zhao Deliang, who played in goal for Yuezhou during their Cup of Harmony final defeat the following year] direction, but I go there, watch it drop, hit the volley first time and bingo. Rinse and repeat twice with Takeshi, either side of the half, either side of the pitch, boom, 80% done and we're cruising. The groups weren't quite ideal for us, but as I said, experience is the key. I got it. We got it. Everyone's happy and now we're raring for the Champo League groups. As I've been told we always have been."

Anyone in the national team will be happy to talk about their good relations with teammates. Goldsmith is more empathic: "Every single one of those people is an absolute legend and I have really, really appreciated having a talk to them, whether it's about football, coffee, how the Army works, or even what the best places in the local areas are. What local areas? Anywhere, really." Is there anyone in particular he gets along with? "There's a pretty solidly pro-union contingent in the national team: Exandra Davies, Jess[ica] Martin and David Newcastle were all behind the FSEU during the Premium Coffee dispute last year. Dekky [Dekamela weMexala] is a fan, too, but she's a bit like me: not so militant you have to have in your face everywhere you go, pro-market, definitely socially conservative. And not wonky. There are a few wonks in the team but I just nod along mostly, unless they spout bullshit."

Goldsmith is widely seen as being at the bottom of Priscilla Evans' pecking order of strikers - he replaced Katie O'Donnell, whose stock was itself declining in the world of Eleanorian football - but he was brought on at half-time during Monday's visit to Borisuelo and scored the only goal of the game. "If I can do that every game, I'll be better than I am now! I know I'm not quite there yet and Borisuelo is hardly the best nation in the history of football, but I'm happy I've been given a chance for the national team; I'm in desperate need of more game time when it's appropriate to show everyone I deserve to be here and I'm not just a freeloader. Nobody likes freeloaders here." Meanwhile, all three Kandorese at Celestia - Honda, captain Nobusuke Kuronuma and goalkeeper Shojiro Ito - have now either returned to or started to regularly appear in the national team starting lineup. "They're also great, great people. We've had so much fun I couldn't tell you all about it here, but it's nice to see those people being given a chance with one of the biggest national teams in the world. Imagine how bad our two qualifiers against them would have been back in the 91st cycle [1999-2000] if they were playing together!"

As brash goes, Rick Goldsmith is one of the brashest of the lot: he trusts in himself, knows the ins and outs of his role, and has nothing but exuberant praise for those he's had good times with in the past. But on the field, while being very good for his age, there are signs that he must improve to keep his reputation on merit - improvement that Evans seemingly believes must take place, at least in part, on the most serious international stage. Some people have suggested that he could be a future starter for the Eleanorian national team, but if those predictions are to become true or even widespread in the future, he must put his recent form into practice.

by **PotatoFarmers** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:22 am

Mytanija 3–0 Poafmersia
Lineup: Jessica Ardens; Kilikina Lee, Diamond Byan, Nacro Astro, Xenophon Robson; Leonora Hall, Michael Jackson, Aapeli Shea (c), Valentin Gotti; Jordan Huerta, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Verbena Zoltánfi (Gotti 55'); Magreta Rym (Jackson 73'); Cindy Oriol (Byan 73'); Padrig Dürr (Hall 82'); Agapito Murphy (Huerta 82')

Poafmersia 4–2 Ascvalion
Goalscorer: Jordan Huerta 18' (assisted by Jackson); Dagur Lawrence 30' (assisted by Huerta), 78' (assisted by Hall); Kilikina Lee 50'
Lineup: Nicole Potts; Kilikina Lee, Liadan Holmström, Cindy Oriol, Xenophon Robson; Leonora Hall, Michael Jackson, Aapeli Shea (c), Valentin Gotti; Jordan Huerta, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Kelefe Hans (Oriol 60'); Lovise ZImmerman (Lee 67'), Jacqi Equine (Robson 67')

Sporting Daily
Red Panjias' defensive woes exposed as Poafmersia's first header ends in negative GD
Fiskadaha - Adnan Suliaha said he would not hesistate to rotate the entire defensive backline and play a more passive strategy if that is what it takes for the Red Panjias to stop conceeding goals.

Speaking to reporters in the post-match press conference, Adnan said that the results of the first 2 opening games were "far from expectations". "I understand that many Poafmers have been following our national team progress, and are indeed worried about the opening 2 games. Ahead of the second header against Trolleborg and Cap Nord, we would like to assure fans that we are working on improving the team progress." Adnan attributed the defensive woes as "teething issues", arguing that the team was not as well prepared against Mytanija. "The team did not get its chemistry as well as they should have been, and it was really fustrating for the coaching team."

The coaches have also defended their plan of substituting defenders despite being behind against Mytanija, arguing that it was important to stabilise the defence at that stage. "We were thinking of trying not to fall further behind, stabling the ship, so that we could get to using the offense to counterattack. But the opponents were much more organised than us, so being 2 goals behind at that stage, it was almost difficult to stage a comeback." Assistant head coach also said that Jessica Ardens was forced to step up at the last minute, after Nicole Potts called in sick that morning due to menstrual cycle issues. "While the blame game isn't great for the team, there were indeed a variety of factors that led to the issue being raised. The coaching team will be taking a better look at defence over the next few days, in preparation for our game against Trolleborg."

Captain Aapeli Shea said that the team morale still remains at a "comfortable" level despite the spate of losses. "We have quickly made reflections on the first game, and are working with our coaches to iron out the issues that we faced. The team as a whole still remains very motivated to use this Qualifiers as a leap forward, and we would be working on trying to give better results to the team as a whole." She added that it is very possible for the team to do more strategy changes, adding that this Poafmersian team is tactically more "diverse". "We will leave the issue to the coaches."

PFFA: Red Panjias' home matches will not clash with IBC
Mancodas - The Poafmersian Football Association (PFFA) have issued a statement that they have reached a settlement with the Poafmersian Basketball Association (PBA) on the scheduling of the IBC fixtures, confirming that the IBC matches will be scheduled around the Red Panjias' home games in Fiskadaha.

With all 48,000 home ticket allocation to the 70,000 pax Libira National Stadium snapped up for all 11 home matches, many Poafmers had raised concerns about the IBC scheduling, given that the WCQ matches typically have watchalongs in Mancodas Sports Complex and around the nation. Most of Poafmersia tends to come to a stand still during WCQ matches, especially given the sport's huge support in the nation. And after eyebrows were raised with the IBC's scheduling alongside other sporting events, notably as the GPL and the GPLM, many were afraid that the World Cup Qualifying schedule would be drawn into this turf battle that is brewing up in the sports scene. However, the PFFA's latest statements seemed to have rebuted any suggestions about the existence of such a turf war. "Given the scale of the IBC, we understand if there was any inevitable scheduling conflicts between the IBC and other sports around. After all, the PBA and the Apex often encounter scheduling conflicts during the regular season," the statement wrote. The PFFA also mentioned that they took up the conflicting schedule issue with the PBA, and with the Ministry of Arts, Sports and Culture (MASC)'s blessing, both teams have deconflicted their matches. "The WCQ matches will be held on IBC off-days, with the exception of the game against Depivik, which will be held at 2pm of the final matchday of the IBC group stage. As such, the 3pm games will be reduced to a minimum number, with most of the games pushed to the 5pm and 8pm timeslots."

During the post-match conference, Poafmersian assistant manager Katiri Hedge says that the final details of the scheduling is decided by PFFA, in conjunction with the World Cup Committee and the opponents. "The coaching team does not participate in any discussions regarding the details of the schedule. All we understand is which opponent we are supposed to play at every matchday, and when the match is held."

When the Daily contacted the PFFA, the PFFA directed the media and the public to the public statement. "We will only comment on things under our purview, which is, football. We do not wish to comment on other issues." On the other hand, the PBA refused to comment on the matter when contacted, saying they will release statements when they have update on any particular issue. "The IBC will be held as scheduled, other than the changes that we have agreed in talks with the PFFA."

by **Turori** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:39 am

Turori Sport Report

World Cup 93 Group Draw :: It was an entirely fascinating group draw for the Turori National Team with a number of teams of note set to do battle against the #3 side in the multiverse as the Eels look to take another shot at getting a World Title out of their Golden Generation before the opportunity goes away - perhaps forever, for the little Island Emirate. Some highlights include Krytenia - the Nation that began their World Cup journey alongside Turori during the World Cup 15 Baptism of Fire Cup, and who shared a border with the Island Emirate up until the Foxchester Event; Baker Park - a nation whom Turori argue they shouldn't even have to play considering they literally just played and defeated the Bees in the super-important Third Place playoff match of the Cocoa-bo Challenge Trophy; Atheara, a nation the Eels don't know that well but who will be competing in the upcoming OWARS NSGP. The most challenging opponent may still be Tikariot, the most difficult Pot 3 draw and a nation who won their Qualifying Group just one cycle ago.

AO Bowl VI Final :: While the Turori National Team kick off their World Cup journey, the Turori Grid-Eels have advanced to the AO Bowl Regional Gridiron Championship Final where they will play against the two-time reigning World Bowl champion team from Banija. Turori and Banija each have one prior AO Bowl championship and whichever team prevails in Myeongju will become the first ever two-time regional Gridiron Champion in Atlantian Oceania.

FAT Subs in World Cup Quals :: The Football Association of Turori have adopted a new regulation regarding substitutions in sanctioned footsport matches. The move comes shortly after it was announced that the Vilitan Football Association would be making similar changes to its substitution policy. Henceforth, the Football Association of Turori would permit its teams to make five substitutions in the 90 minute regular time period of a sanctioned footsport match, beginning with the opening matchday of World Cup 93 Qualifying. All five substitutions should be made withing 3 substitution windows unless three windows but less than five substitutions have already been used and an injury occurs necessitating the off-window usage of a fifth substitution.

OWARS NSGP :: Vilita and Turori Motorsports will be competing in the upcoming OWARS NSGP Season V with dual national driver Tisthe Season representing the National Entry. There was some discussion about splitting the opening round of the season between the Alikki-Corra Street Course and the Eelandii Grand Prix Course but ultimately organizers decided it would be simplest to run both the Feature and Sprint race in Alikki-Corra meaning there will be no race round held in Turori this season. The Football Association of Turori was wary of overcongestion in Eelandii with the proposed race coinciding with the start of World Cup 93 Qualifying

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 1 :: The Turori National Team started their World Cup 93 Campaign on the road against República Guanacasteca. The Pigs have shown flashes of talent over the previous two World Cup cycles but ultimately struggle to keep pace with top tier sides like the Eels. The home-field boost from the extremely noisy and passionate fans at the Estadio Municipal de Tibás helped the Pigs keep the game close, as did the Rainy conditions which proved a great equalizer throughout the game as the technically skilled Eels were frustrated by their drenched attire and the splash with every step they took on the field. For long stretches it seemed like the Pigs would get the opportunity to steal a famous victory that would have been immortalized at the nearby Guanacastecan Football Museum. Things were on track for the home side until the rain finally stopped with 20 minutes to play. An 83rd minute strike from Tulaki Rauogba put the Eels back in the game before Turakia Diijelhma's stoppage time winner broke the hearts of the locals but saved the Turori National Team from the wrath of head coach Tarek Edgeli back in the Locker Room.

 Turori 2 - 1 República Guanacasteca	
	Turori Goals:	:: 83' Tulaki Rauogba:: 90' Turakia Diijelhma             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 54%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 3 :: República Guanacasteca :: Possession: 46%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 3
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Karek Edgeli, Moumouni Verre'elali, Biliki Rona'atu'i (Turakia Diijelhma 45'), H’munao Cagomia (Lati'ala Giaoka 45'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Planio’o Nrujsa 45'), Naraiza Ruaplal, Kinabo Telioa, Tulaki Rauogba, Nua'oma Aikiki (Loala Inkabu 45'), Lutara Makakio

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 2 :: The Turori National Team played their first home game of the cycle against 187th ranked Raspotochje at Eels Park in Eelandii, Turori. This time the Eels wouldn't leave it quite as late as they had in Guanacasteca, getting a first half goal from Nua'oma Aikiki to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Veteran midfielder Kiidallen Aeroluzzi who had openly contemplated retirement during the offseason was rewarded with their decision to return for one final cycle with the National Team - scoring what would eventually be the game winner just before the hour mark. Aeroluzzi was substituted off 10 minutes later in response to a goal from Raspotochje's Katarina Gerotić who converted from the penalty spot after Derizi Amatopa was yellow carded for a challenge inside the area. Turori's goalscorer would make way for Planio'o Nrujsa who was charged with anchoring down the Eels defense in front of veteran netminder Timaala Hualtia who came on in place of Amatopa following the card. The defensive shake up would prove functional as Turori held on for a second consecutive 2-1 victory.

 Turori 2 - 1 Raspotochje	
	Turori Goals:	:: 38' Nua'oma Aikiki:: 59' Kiidallen Aeroluzzi             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 55%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 16 :: Raspotochje :: Possession: 45%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 1
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa (Timaala Hualtia 63'), Amakli Inuro'o (Loala Inkabu 45'), Karek Edgeli, Moumouni Verre'elali (Tsinuzpa Rana’aiao 70'), H’munao Cagomia (Biliki Rona'atu'i 45'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, Naraiza Ruaplal, Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Planio’o Nrujsa 70'), Lati'ala Giaoka, Nua'oma Aikiki, Kala'a Yuliizala

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:47 am

BARACK OBAMA'S NEXT TOP MIDFIELDER

Our First Episode!

Welcome to the first ever episode of Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder! The talent show for these ten lucky people to display their talents in the middle of the park! Our first contestant for the finals will be... Zaphod Ziccoli, also known as Zico!

Zico is a legend in Lozhoan football. A creative and intelligent playmaker, he holds the all-time assist record in the Lozhoan top flight. The 40 year-old spent his entire career with the Gosport Pelicans, and discussions had been held recently to erect a statue of the player outside the stadium. Of course, as the Lozhoan national team was only established after his retirement, the legend is able to play for the West Barack and East Obama national team and has decided not to pass up on such an opportunity! The retired-from-retirement player would be a huge presence on the training pitch, with his unparalleled leadership and experience almost certain to benefit the team.

Master of Ceremonies: Please welcome our first ever contestant, Zico!

[audience applauds loudly]

Zico: Hey everyone! I'm Zico, and I'm hoping to become Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder!

Sergei: Welcome to the show Zico! How will you plan to show us that you should be Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder?

Zico: Well, I'm going to take a free-kick for all of you!

[audience applauds loudly]

Chuck: Hold on. What does taking free kicks have to do with being a top midfielder? And we already have a designated set piece specialist in the starting lineup, Lily.

Zico: I'm sorry, but who are you?

Chuck: I'm Chuck Obamafinakis, and I'm the goalkeeper coach of-

Zico: Right, right. Goalkeeper coach of a national team without ever playing in goal. Hell, I've worn the gloves in a competitive match when our keeper got injured and we ran out of substitutes. What have you done? I suggest that you pipe down and prepare to be humbled. Once I win this contest and get the gig, it won't be long before you're out of a job when I prove that I'm twenty times the coach you are. So, may I take my free kick please?

Chuck: Right. Understood.

Zico: Okay everyone. But this is no ordinary free kick. I will take a free kick from twenty metres out, with four defenders, a brick wall and two goalkeepers protecting a goal. An ice hockey goal. Top right bins. With a blindfold.

[audience applauds and cheers loudly]

Wolfgang: Very intriguing! Well, let's see what you got!

[The crowd falls silent. Zico puts on his blindfold and his opponents get into position. He then sprints forward and curls the ball right into the goal's top right corner. The crowd goes wild.]

Zoey: Woah! That was AMAZEBALLS!

Sergei: Fantastic! Normally you'd have to do more than a free kick to get through in my eyes, but wow. Absolutely wow. A legend in the flesh doing something legendary. You have my vote.

Zoey: Oh, we're voting? Well, yes. Totally agree. +1 vote for Zico!

Zico: Thanks! This really does mean a lot.

Zoey: Of course, unless our other two judges vote against you, you're through! And I can't imagine ANYONE saying no to you after that performance.

Chuck: Well, surprise everyone! Because I'm saying NO to Zico.

[audience gasps loudly]

Chuck: I wasn't impressed. Like I said, we have a free kick taker who can do all that and more. Lily Chobamya.

Zico: Pfft. The schoolkid? Please. She couldn't hit a barn door.

Chuck: We'll see about that shortly, because ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Lily to the stage!

[audience applauds loudly]

Chuck: Now, Lily is going to do everything you did... except with TWO blindfolds. And a heat-seeking missile launcher on the brick wall that goes after footballs as well.

Zico: Oh... alright. Well, I mean I'm through anyway right? Only two judges have to disagree right?

Wolfgang: I agree with Chuck. Let's see what our current players have to offer before replacing them, y'know?

[The crowd falls silent. Lily puts on her blindfolds and her opponents get into position. She then sprints forward and before the ball even touches her boot, the sheer force of her foot propels the ball right past the gawking centre-backs, exploding missiles and confused goalkeepers into the top right corner. The crowd goes incredibly wild.]

Sergei: Well, that says it all. We need stars that actually shine, not overrated nostalgia merchants like you. I'm changing my vote to NO.

Zoey: Mhm. I'm also NO.

Chuck: Well, that seals it. Zico, you're OUT! Thanks for participating.

[Zico storms off as confetti is rained all over Lily Chobamya and an almost-destroyed stage]

Master of Ceremonies: Well, that was great! And next week will be even better! Remember to tune in every Sunday for brand new episodes of Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder! See y'all then!

by **Valentine Z** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:49 am

Part 4 – Good Start. The Emus were fast and cunning, but the Kittens were faster and… cunninger.

The two starting matches ended on positive note and energy, with the Valentian fans cheering and chanting “Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!”, along with a few other folks going “Ehhhh-yo! Valentian Kittens go MEOWWWWWW!” There was just so much energy to be contained in the stadiums, and of course, all within means. As it was with the nature of the Valentians, they also did not forget the opposing teams – both from the players themselves, as well as from the fans. They cheered for Obrela and StrayaRoos’ teams respectively when they entered the scene, they cheered for StrayaRoos when they scored that one goal against the Valentians during the second match. And most importantly, the commentators remarked, “Let us also thank and congratulate our opponent teams for the job well done! They have definitely tried their best, and there is no doubt about that. Valentine Z would like to wish you guys all the best with your next upcoming rounds and hey, see you all soon again!” With luck, and even in the face of defeat, the Valentians simply wanted and hoped that their opponents and visitors also have had a good time.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi was back in her orange hair, along with the signature blouse with a cyan heart in the middle of it. It was no stranger that, given how the heart has the same color as her skin, a few mistaken the heart as a cutout on her blouse, perhaps commenting about how revealing the clothing was. It was, of course, not the case; Clarissa does not like revealing clothes that much, with the exception of a low-cut dress that she would wear on special occasions here and there. Her choice of fashion aside, Clarissa was present, sitting down together with her team, looking at the match and doing millions of calculations in her head as she processes the footage. “Good stuff as always, my friends!” she said, patting Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika on the back, then giving a couple of the Valentian Kittens a well-meaning hug. “Well, there will be the good news and the- err, I won’t say bad news, but I will say neutral, because it could work in either outcome. So, good news for me! NSSCRA 14 is coming, and I will be participating as always, haha! Which also, I know what you guys are thinking – aww, Clarissa is not going to be with us again. I know, I know, but hey, that is where the good news come in! There is a small chance that I will be here – in full – in both places! Valentijn and the rest of the Sixty was thinking that me, Adriana, Tiffany, and the rest of the AIs of Valentine Z, could do parallel processing, and wondering if we could have two full instances of us running! Usually it’s just one of me, with a small copy of me in another place. This, however, yes we are going to see how this is going to work, it’s going to be exciting!” The Valentian Kittens – on top of looking at the rosters of the next two teams that they would be up against, also pondered at the thought of two Clarissas. Or in another words, if a person exists in two different places at the same time, and if their minds are then merged later to centralise the memories, how would he feel at the end of the day? The technical bits will have to be kinked out, but as another example involving sports, think of it in this following manner: If a person is cloned and his clone plays football while he himself plays basketball, what would happen if the clone’s memories and consciousness are to be extracted, committed and merged with the original?

by **Lozho** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:58 am

Lozho 2-2 Brookstation

Droozle 13'
Crickport 87'

Wague 9', 43'

Zimberg's Tenure off to a Good Start with 5 Good Performances from 5 Games

Sponsored by Halliburton

Despite being in the bottom in their World Cup Qualification group stage table, fans of the Pelicans should have nothing to worry about. With new manager Brett Zimberg winning 3 of his first 5 matches in charge of the national team through passionate and determined performances, the Lozhoan National Football Team are on track to fulfil their expectations in the qualification campaign.

Zimberg first led Lozho to three decisive victories in the Esportivan Derby Series: 4-1 away at Appalachian Nation, and back-to-back home 3-0 victories against Ethane and Sylestone. These surprise victories, especially the latter two against two historically stronger rivals, are courtesy of a few surprise decisions, such as the decision to callup Mattiaz Crickport into the national setup. Whilst many fans derided this decision as the manager picking his favourites, the doubters were quickly silenced after the forward's braces against Appalachian Nation and Ethane. Romulus has also blossomed into a defensive revelation, and his memorable volley against Sylestone to give the Pelicans a 1-0 lead was certainly the highlight of the Series.

Of course, the EDS is a friendly series. The real test was opening matches against The Licentian Isles and Brookstation: two teams considered heavy favourites. With a gruelling away trip to the Federated Parishes being the Pelican's first competitive game under their new manager, it was an understandable defeat to the much more well-established team. However, the Lozhoans still fought it out hard and blocked many of their opponent's attempts to attack, resulting in a very respectable scoreline of 1-0. The following match was a thrilling 2-2 draw with Brookstation. Their winger Moussa Wague made the most out of chances gifted by Cartzon Zohzo, but otherwise the Lozhoans played a very solid game at the Protchen Terminal and could had achieved a victory. Droozle's 13th minute droozle past puzzled Brookstation defenders and Crickport's 5th goal in as many games got Lozho their first point in World Cup Qualifying. Hopefully, the team can build on this momentum to improve as a team and perhaps qualify for the exclusive Cup of Harmony.

by **The Gothanita Isles** » Fri Feb 10, 2023 8:06 am

Loyalty
0: So, the Gothanita Isles disappeared for 1 cycle?

After a few difficult cycles, TGI never signed up for WCQ92, and secretly slipped out of sight for a significant period of time...especially on the domestic front. While ICly the issue was done in 1 TGI year, it was an unforgettable 1 year for Gothanitans as a whole, and its difficult to start talking about the issues without understand of the entire scenario, since sports is such a major part of life in TGI.

At the end of WCQ91, TGI was not given any invitation to the Cup of Harmony. And even if they were given such a recommendation, it is highly unlikely that the Gothanitan Isles Football Confederation would have the funding necessary to participate in the competition. And given the same lack of funding issue, the same applied to the GPL and the IFCF. The GPL was already suspended for quite some time due to the reforms, and after the GPL resumed, it was on a much more small-scale event, without all the glamour of the early days when TGI started their international football joruney.

So, what happened to the funding? In short, politics, and focusing on the people's welfare. The economy wasn't doing as great, and while the Council of 4 believed that the international sports exposure would be able to raise the awareness of TGI exports, most of the exports at present still went through the Isles' patron, which is Poafmersia. And with Poafmersia not doing as great internationally either (their plans to support one party in the Nyowani Kitara eventually came to nought, though nobody understands how the Kibi Party wasn't punished for it at the polls despite the entire incident almost pushing outgoing President Pikashru Nisharian's ratings out of thee window), TGI's economic situation never looked as good. And the incorporated states had to dig within itself for more economic support. Among the member states, different policies were employed. Tax cuts came through in South Jeolerina, while additional government subsidies came in Otksarin and Hallikshire. Well, that is with the exception of North Handoria.

See, North Handoria was never meant to survive a poorer economic output that well. With their lean towards more communist policies, they advocated for a "let the entire country suffer together" method of dealing with the economic downturn. And there was no way of rebutting the government's view points. Any disputes on the leadership's decision will likely get you removed from the community. But that didn't mean that there was no opposition to the decisions of the autocratic leadership. Away from the eyes of the police, there is an underground movement aiming at trying to create a split. And it mostly brewed in the new, emerging side of North Handoria - near to the original border with (South) Jeolerina before the Handorian-Jeolerian split around 40-years ago. This town, however, didn't exist back then, and but instead it emerged out of forested land by the younger generation who wanted peace and quietness from the capital city. And only young people have the mental capacity to push for revolutions and campaigns against the government - they looked at envy at how it is done in Hallikshire and South Jeolerina. "At least some level of democracy should be given to us," said the movement leader, Joanne Petersburg. Joanne is more widely know for her role as the Deputy Attorney General of the Handorian government, so if even she has such concerns, you can imagine how the rest of the country feels.

We will not attempt to analyse the entire movement in 1 part today. But you need to understand how far the movement's roots has spread. With many public servants among the key members of the movement, it was certainly going to cause a big change in North Handoria. And that is the entire point of this entire series, which is playing out as we are writing the background right now. For now, what's important is that all these happens alongside TGI's new journey in the World Cup. So this is a storyline that is bound to merge.

World Cup 93 - RP Thread

Christina Fulton on Christina Fulton

Good Start To Our WCQ Return!

WC93Q MD1-2 - Bears Armed / Sajnur

Rick Goldsmith on Rick Goldsmith

WC93Q MD1-2 - Guanacasteca / Raspotochje

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