World Cup 94 [roleplays]

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

"Look, I'm telling you, that's not how an Alter Reality spell works. I could, temporarily, make it seem like we'd beaten both Elmyia and Sudilia, and I could probably make these ... what did the Tzimisces call them? ... mundies believe that we'd beaten both Elmyia and Sudilia; but it wouldn't be permanent, and when permanent reality reasserted itself, the results would remain unchanged. It would only be temporary rather than a permanent change of reality".

"And I appreciate why you're asking Vakraas if he can do this, Hendera, but ultimately we failed to win those matches fair and square; it was only our unfamiliarity with the laws of this 'football' that led to our failures."

"Oh, stuff it up my chainmail bikini, Jude. Go and make yourself useful and turn some undead. I was only asking Vakraas if there was something he could do to improve our position; I wasn't expecting him to permanently alter reality for us. "

"And I'm telling you, Hendera; it's not that easy, even on a temporary basis. Though that said, I see some potential for casting a Veil immediately before the next match... Anyway, why should it be up to me to sort this out? It's not as if I'm the only entity of near-limitless power out there. We have a literal deity in goal, our captain is an immortal alleged progenitor of elvenkind, and Jude here could presumably animate this 'football' to our advantage if he put his mind to it."

"I've studied the laws, Vakraas, and there's nothing permitting one of the teams to animate the ball and request it to attack the opposing goal."

"Is there anything banning one of the teams from animating the ball and ordering it to attack the opposing goal?"

"No, but..."

"Thought as much. Jobsworth dwarf."

"Insults will get you nowhere, you chaotic excuse for a human."

"Friends, friends, friends... why do we bicker so?"

"Because Jude and I have been bickering for over 2500 years?"

"Minus the years you were dead."

"Quite... but if I can ask both of you to set aside your animosity for but a moment and listen to me. As Vakraas has recently pointed out, I am a literal deity, and while I'm taking on the form of my human avatar for the purpose of these so-called qualifying matches, I still have access to some of the secrets of dragonkind. And I have a proposal for you."

"Speak, Vragchilikachran. I, the Silver Elf, do request that our teammates observe a moment of silence while you share your wisdom."

"Thanks, pal. Anyway, it's like this... With the exception of our left-back - sorry to single you out, Switch"

"No harm done, Vragchilikachran; I am that I am, and make no excuses."

"Yes, well, with the exception of our left-back, we're all neutral or good. Yes, we have the awkward situation of Jude and Vakraas's opposing philosophies, but most of us - left back aside - don't want to actually go out and kill anyone. We're all working towards the same goals; we just lack familiarity with this football thingy."

"So what do you propose?"

"I'm glad you asked, Winxal. I propose A QUEST!"

"Oooooooh, I've always loved me a quest when I'm not hunting demons; in fact, some of my quests involve hunting demons."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Hendera - but there are no demons in this quest, at least not that I know of."

"Aww."

"Instead, we must go on a quest to seek the mystical goal of WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION!!!!! Yes, our experiences against Elmyia and Sudilia have been chastening, but have we not all learned that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph? So let us set out across these mundy lands, and indeed across the strange place known as the Holy Empire, to see out this goal: that we shall qualify at last for the World Cup! Who is with me?"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"YES!"

"Maybe..."

"Only maybe, Vakraas? The others have all said yes..."

"Oh look, I've just never been a team player; but what the Abyss... let's give it a go. I'm in."

LET THE QUEST FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION BEGIN....

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV with a second installment of films which was aired at the cinema festival dedicated to the 10th anniversary of first game of our national football team.

This time first number going to the “Ogremuirhordaland Story”. In our country, there has long been a practice of private financing of sports teams, but none of the businessmen have ever been able to single-handedly raise a football club from the lower leagues to the leaders of the championship, although there have been examples of teams making great progress with the help of sponsorship funds from large corporations. This film is the story of hypothetical ambitious businessman who decided to take on the development of the club on himself. The team is based in the Ogremuirhordaland, locality, which is essentially a hypermarket and two gas stations, and at the very beginning team is a set of players who were not useful in the teams of neighboring villages, and is trying to make a progress using the president's financial capabilities. Over the course of four episodes, or five seasons of the domestic league, a story unfolds, in which the realities of the lower divisions are very well and convexly shown and also explore theme of attempts to motivate fellow citizens using only financial incentives. The authors of the film, however, did not take it upon themselves to show where the alleged private investor should be heading in order to actually succeed, and, moreover, they did not demonstrate their attitude at all, and this is both a plus and a minus. Judging by the reviews, it's a plus for them.

Number two in today's program is the comedy “...And all arriving guests”, about the attempts of a large city in our country to host international tournament. The authors did not decipher which city exactly it was; in the video itself, signs of several big cities of the country are visible at once. But it doesn’t matter, because the constant oscillation between the desire to host some kind of international tournament and show everyone the true class of the organization, and a sober understanding that neither the results, nor the emotions, nor the recognition that potential organizers expect, cannot be achieved, are noticeable in all cases when our country has applied to host at least something. And they are very prominently displayed in the film. This is superimposed on attempts to take into account all possible visiting forms of life, their needs, preferred forms of leisure. All this is dressed as of a light comedy. In the end, after all the adventures and misadventures, the organizers lost contest for a right to host. Probably, if the authors of the film would have sharpened this topic, and would have shown, say, that result was a consequence of some amusing nonsense or nitpicking about some trifle, they would have fallen into serious favor with a fairly large group of our public, who believes many events, not excluding the latest mockery of the national team, is the result of a conspiracy. Especially against the backdrop of yet another failure in our country's attempt to host a solid international event and the anecdotal circumstances of how the decision was made that have become known. But the authors did not follow a short and simple path, and received a lot of both criticism and praise for this.

The third number in the program was “Standing Behind”. It is noteworthy that the working title of this film is “Number Three”. It is dedicated to the goalkeeper who performs the functions of the third number in the national team – i.e. a man who must insure both the best goalkeeper in the country and the one who will replace him in the event that things go completely bad. In a word, he will appear on the field only if things are going really catastrophically. At the same time, he needs to be in shape all the time and improve his skills in order to create the necessary competition for the other two goalkeepers, thereby forcing them to also look for ways to add skill. Being made in 3D+ and provided with a “tree of plot ” with some pretty serious plot variations, the film was a only in a few steps from the line that separated games and film productions. But this film is rather detailed tour into the psychology of athletes and, in general, citizens of our country.

[Tikariot]

Part 1 of Darkness Descends
Part 2 of Darkness Descends

The spiral staircase is at the centre of the odd courtyard, lined with twisted, charred trees that look as if they died in agony. They stop at the top of the staircase the faceless figures are funnelling them toward. Looking behind them, the narrow aisle they had to come here had closed immediately behind them, not leaving them any choice. The figures do not advance, however.

"I guess we know where we'll be going..." The bearded man mutters, his gaze constantly roaming over the figures as if expecting them to move in and force them down the stairs.

After looking at each of his companions, The Shadow lightly nods before stepping onto the first black basalt step, the light from above illuminating the first few steps before they disappear behind the tightly wound spiral. As they descend, the light from above begins to dim. The silence becomes oppressing the further descend. Not that the figures above had made any sounds, but at least they were out in the open then. Just as he is contemplating lighting the torches, the staircase comes to a sudden end, leading onto a cavernous plateau made from obsidian. An ominous glow is visible from the edge of the craggy area. They edge closer, trying to avoid the sharp shards and edges, which jut out form the black volcanic glass.

Below them a wide, long cavern is opening up, with volcanic rock forming the uneven walls. A wide staircase hewn into the rock leads deeper down into the cavern, in between rocky outcroppings, sudden drops and cliffs. All along the staircase, dark figures can be seen, while along the walls lava sluggishly cascades down the rock face, forming pools and setting off wispy flames trailing along cracks and crevices.

They set out down the steps which are uneven and cracked, tilting every which way, making it treacherous to navigate them without stumbling. Suddenly a shadow detaches itself from the ceiling above with a sickening crack. All heads swivel and a giant stalactite has dislodged itself, hurtling down toward the staircase. Falling at a startling speed, the group barely has the time to scramble to the side. The stalactite hits the ground mere metres off the staircase, showering them chunks and shards of black rock. The Shadow just manages to grab the arm of the red-haired woman to pull her behind him just as a large rock hits the spot she had just been standing in.

"Fuck me, as if this place wasn't bad enough, now the ceiling is attacking us?" The bearded man brushes pieces of rock off his robe.

The redhead's already pale complexion has gone even whiter as she sees the rock embedded in the staircase just next to her. "Th-that could have k-killed me." She clings to The Shadow's arm in support.

He turns toward her and her eyes widen. "You're bleeding!"

Lifting his hand to the side of his face, he feels the warm, sticky substance flowing down from his eyebrow. He winces as he touches what feels like a shard seemingly embedded in his skin. The bearded man quickly walks over and inspects the wound.

"Piece of rock. Doesn't look too deep, but this'll hurt." Without waiting for a reaction, he grabs the piece and pulls it out in one swift motion.

"Aaaagh!" The Shadow feels the blood flow harder. The bearded man is holding up a sharp shard of obsidian, the glow of the lava reflecting off the sheen of blood that is slowly dripping off its tip before handing it to him.

"When we get out of here, don't apply to be a nurse..."

The bearded man lets out a guffaugh, "That almost hurt my feelings!"

"Everybody else ok?" The others nod. "Are you sure, Myfanwy?" He looks at the woman that still has his arm in a firm grasp. She gives a slow nod and closes her eyes before drawing a deep breath and letting go of his arm.

After studying the ceiling for any more falling hazards, they continue down the stairs and the further they descend, a hot wind is becoming stronger, bringing with it strange sounds of moans and screams. As they get closer to the bottom of the cave, they see it opening into a vast tempestuous sea, dark and turbulent. He looks around and none of the dark figures they had seen from above were anywhere near them. In the shadows of the edges of the cavern he can see movement, writhing and squirming but without being able to see any details.

They reach the edge of the sea ahead of them and the scorching winds that are blasting their faces are churning the dark waters that are filled with bodies entangled in each other's embrace, carrying their moans and screams of lust.

From the second circle will rise, a soul steeped in lust,
Their desires never quenched, shattering their trust.
Find the one whose passions break down their moral path,
Lost in an eternal whirlwind, where pleasure turns to wrath.

Just as he recites the verse from the prophecy, a tall figure approaches them from the side. It is a beautiful woman, long dark hair, a voluptuous body, a smouldering look on her eyes. Her lips are not moving, yet her voice fills his head.

"Come here, I am the answer to all of your desires."

She reaches out and traces his jawline with her finger, her eyes full of desire. When he does not move, she turns toward the bearded man and suddenly her shape shifts into that of a tall woman, muscular, braided blond hair. She puts her finger under his chin, lifting his head to gaze into her eyes. Again, her lips are not moving but the bearded man voicelessly breathes some sort of a reply. Without paying any more heed, she turns to Myfanwy and her shape shifts again, taking on the image of a very tall, muscular man with striking features. He takes her hand and fakes a kiss before twirling her around herself and putting his arm around her waist. The Shadow can see the struggle on her face between the temptation of the shapeshifter and her trying to fight the lure. He looks at his companions and they all seem under the thrall of the shapeshifter, seeing what it wants them to see. As if feeling her struggle, the figure lifts her up, pulling her tighter in his grasp. As he turns to walk off to where he came from, The Shadow senses that she and the others are fully under the spell.

He tries to call their names but they don't react, as if he is not even there. Realizing that time is running out, he runs after the shapeshifter, trying to stop him, but with one powerful swipe of his arm, he sweeps The Shadow aside, his laughter echoing in his mind.

"She is mine, forevermore. I am her only desire, I am inevitable."

The Shadow gets up from the uneven ground, the wound on his eyebrow freely bleeding again. Seeing the crimson on his fingers, he slips his hand into the pocket of his robe. With a resolute look on his face he runs after the shapeshifter and using a rocky outcropping to gain altitude, he launches himself off the ground, striking at the shapeshifter's neck. The moment he makes contact, he feels a blow to his chest, sending him tumbling head over heels over the rock, landing in a heap against a ledge. His world briefly turns black but he wills himself to get back up. He winces as he pushes himself off the ground as a sharp pain shoots through his left side. As he manages to straighten out, he sees the shapeshifter on his knees, clutching his neck, an unearthly howl filling The Shadow's mind, forcing him to the ground, holding his head. Even after the howl ends, the echoes continue to reverberate. He opens his eyes and sees the shapeshifter fall over, face first as the echoes of his howl fades.

With great effort The Shadow stumbles toward the fallen figure, his eyes frantically looking for Myfanwy. He finally spots her on a ledge below, unmoving, her long red hair splayed around her head. Without paying heed to his surroundings, he leaps down to the ledge, wincing again as the landing jars his side again. Worried that the fall has harmed her, he checks her pulse, which is there, but is weak. He lifts her up in his arms, desperately looking for a way off the ledge. He attempts to use narrow ledges and cracks to scale the side of the rock but there is not enough space to safely get her up. Then, two sets of arms come into view, with the bearded man and the square, dark-skinned man on the edge, reaching out. With a grunt of effort, he lifts Myfanwy's lifeless body just high enough for them to grab her and pull her up. With his last ounces of strength he climbs up and collapses to the ground, exhausted.

He forces himself to crawl over to where the two men are tending to Myfanwy.

"Is she--"

The bearded man nods with a faint smile that quickly turns to worry when he sees The Shadow.

"Good God, you need more help than her! Sanford," he calls out to the black man, "check him!" Immediate the tall man ambles over.

"Man, you look like you went through hell."

The Shadow can't help but chuckle. "I have..."

His left eye is almost swollen shut, his side hurts as if a rhino has hit him, but all he cares about in this moment is Myfanwy's wellbeing. He takes her hand before passing out.

As he comes to, he is on his back, his whole body in pain as he sits up. His head is spinning lightly as he looks around, seeing the others sitting on some rocks close by. The moment they see him, they rush to his side, helping him to his feet.

"Damn, I thought you were dead!"

"I don't have time to die."

"What happened, we don't remember anything."

The Shadow points toward the fallen shapeshifter. "He, she - it somehow put a spell on us, making us see what we want to see, trying to spark our desires and follow it." He coughs. "It took Myfanwy and was carrying her away. I-I tried to stop him, but he was too strong."

"But--" the bearded man points toward the unmoving figure. "He is dead. What killed him?"

The Shadow stumbles over and drops to on knee. He reaches forward and when he raises his shaking hand, he holds the obsidian shard that had hit him earlier. Then, somthing shiny catches his eye and he drags the shapeshifter's arm toward him, pulling another ring off his finger. It has the same kind of engravings as the one he had taken off the lich's hand in the first circle.

With another grunt of effort, he pushes himself up again and walks over to where Myfanwy is sitting propped up against an outcropping. As he approaches her, she raises her emerald eyes to meet his. "Thank you." He drops to his knees and rests his forehead against her shoulder.

---

Line-up for Match Day 4 against Polkopia

Line-up for Match Day 5 against Katterimunk

OOC: Images of the second circle of hell are Midjourney, the rest is mine.

[Zwangzug]

At once I looked upon another field
Where two fleet teams contested for the ball.
No karelans were these who fought below;

Ceaselessly they poured forward to attack.
Yet while each player had a splendid form
They could not string together passes neat.

Not one team, nor the other, could connect
To gain possession from their opponents,
And every shot went swiftly to row Z

Or, if not Z, some distant character--
An epsilon or aleph or some sign
Recorded in some deep god's alphabet.

"Who are these men," (for men they were) I asked,
"Who cannot with their teammates work as one
But, like young children, squabble for the ball?"

"These are the strikers," my guide made reply,
"From newborn nations who crave the limelight
And add to their goal tallies endlessly.

On earth they sought to earn statistics grand
But here they are tormented by the fate
That they must play with teammates just as proud.

Could they but put aside their aspirations
They might gain triumph, even as a team.
The match is long, yet still they do not learn."

I listened to them shout, and heard their swears,
And by their accents recognized a few
Homelands notorious in the world above.

Their names, upon their jerseys' backs, were clear--
Full often had fans cheered them, in their day
And often more had cynics mocked them back.

"How is it fair," I dared to raise my voice,
"That teams whose achievements have fallen short
Of their ambitions linger in this place?

It is enough to laugh at them the once;
There is no need for us to laugh again."
And then my patient guide said in response:

"Think you I only brought you here to laugh?
That says more of you than it does this place.
You come to witness, and to remember."

Another step; another field below.

(McKinney 24)
(Waugh 58)

[Bears Armed]

The time: early afternoon, on a Sunsday that is four days after the Bear-Belles' return home from their shocking defeat (The fact that they lost to a team so much higher-rated than themslves wasn't actually a shock in itself, but the fact that it was by an 11-1 ratio of goals...) by the 'Black-and-Reds' of the Squornshelan Remnant States.
The place: A table outside the cafe in Plumtrees Park (The park that housed the Bear-Belles' original stadium, until that was so severely jinxed that demolishing it & placing the replacement miles away was considered the best solution...), in the south-west of Council Groves.
The situation: Star player Karra Brent is having her weekly-when-we-can-manage-it get-together with her old friend Lurrsee Fane-Urren, who was a member of the Bear-Belles herself for almost eight years (starting in her mid-teens, when she and Karra were classmates at Holy Ternian's School [which is basically this nation's counterpart of St Trinians but slightly more respectable: Its emphasis is more on adventurouseness than on "anything goes"...[) but is now a tour organiser

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(Lurrsee) "So, are those 'wrackspurrt' thingummies all gone now, for true?"

(Karra) "Ayyuh, for true, all cleared out... but it took three potions, each of which tasted equally foul in a different way, and two lengthy periods of chants by a Singer -- around a full watch long, both times -- to do the job. Now we just have to hrremember to keep wearing hrradish earrings like these" (She gestures at one of the pair that she's currently in...) "non-stop for a full week and another day onwards after that to make sure that the nuisances don't manage a come-back, and wear them hwhenever we go abrroad as well except hwhen we're actually out on football pitches for matches or practice. Apparently we should be safe against furrther attacks hwhile we're on the fields because our concentration on football will deter the hwrackspurrts then."

( Lurrsee) "And Wimbley has been cleansed of them as well?
"Hr'rmm, hwhat about other people hwho go abrroad, are they in danger of infestation too? And is there a rrisk that they will bring these horrors back into the country when they returrn back to BearHome from their trravels?"

( Karra) "Wimbley is supposed to have been sorrted-out, more-or-less, although apparently there's still a small rrisk that somebearry hwho's only lightly-infested maybeso might pass thrrough the new layer of protective 'wards' hwithout being noticed. As for travellers abrroad, The Wise think that most Bears shuld be safe from attack, it's mainly those with the hwizarrding talent hwho are verry likely to be tarrgetted... and care will be taken to inforrm those about the advisable precautions beforepaw, now that the situation's better-understood."

( Lurrsee) "Hokay...
"Hwait! If it's hwizarrds hwhom the wrackspurrts favourr as hosts then hwhy were so many of the Belles affected? Not many hwizarrds among ourr girls, are there?"

( Karra) "No hwizarrds in the team at all, as far as I know, no. Sermharn the Wanderer suggested that it might have been due to lingering magical energies around those of urrs who once got turrned temporarilly into 'Ponies', and then sprread to ourr team-mates, but even he isn't sure yet."

(Lurrsee) "Those of urrs...
"Urggah! Errisabearr would be at rrisk, then, even now before she starts as a student at Hogwings next year!"."
(OOC note: Lurrsee is talking now about her daughter, with whom she was pregnant -- although that fact had not yet been recognised -- when this transformation took place: The girl, like the Pegasus into which Lurrsee was transformed for a few days back then , has wings and -- although not properly aerodynamic -- can fly rather well...)

[Polar Islandstates]

His office was palatial in scale. Needlessly so, he’d always thought. He hadn’t asked for it to be like that. But it turns out that when you happen to be in the position of authority that he was, that was just how big people assumed you wanted your office to be. The views of Franz Josef City were nice, but if he was going to have three rooms and a private washroom then none of them needed to actually be that big. He could have held entire meetings in there if he’d needed to, although the set of circumstances that would have rendered all eight of the state meeting rooms down the hall out of action would have probably precluded that as a possibility anyway.

It was okay when he’d been hosting visitors and discussions with colleagues all day every day, but now, with the Continuity Committee ensuring there was more and more delegation in his life these days, Secretary General Orion Lund's busiest weeks increasingly seemed to all be in the past now. Consequently, he mostly rattled round in there these days.

There were two main side effects to this.

The first was that he spent a lot of time dwelling on the idea of legacy. Those long hours spent staring out of the window had him pondering what kind of leader he'd be remembered as. Well. The short answer was, whatever kind of leader he wanted to be remembered as. He hadn't undertaken this long path to being Secretary General just so someone else could write the history book. What kind of dictator did you take him for?

The more pertinent questions were the follow-ups from that initial point. The how was simple enough. He had people for that.

The what was still eluding him.

Ideologically, how could he pick? He had had so many ideas. He had changed so much across so many of the islands in this Federation. He had taken the slow, liberal, pacifist, scared-to-act, weak leadership of the nation and blown it out of the water, transforming this nation into the bastion of strength and power that he always knew it could be. Should be. Would be.

No.

Was.

He knew there were naysayers out there. That was his job. His main preoccupation. To either silence or intimidate the detractors out there into not saying anything had been the bulk of the job for the majority of his political career at the top. On the way up it had been slightly different. But turns out there were plenty of ordinary Polarians out there willing to get behind a message of strength. Of unity. Of power. Of telling the Sargossans where to go, and where to stay. A whole wounded generation had swept him into power, him and his message, and then a whole other generation had kept him there.

He'd earned the right to choose his legacy, no? He'd taken it, either way, and he intended to use it.

The second side effect of those awkwardly fitting palatial offices, was that he tried to get out as much as he could nowadays. He was out and about around the Federation more than he ever had been before. Which, when you had a lot to say, when you were considering your legacy, actually tied in quite nicely.

Another Lund masterstroke.

Which is why he was now pacing up and down his rented hotel suite in the relative backwater of Aleutia Town as a result, making notes on the speech he was giving in three days time in an even smaller backwater that he couldn't even remember the name of. Such were many of the islandstates. Big capital. Not much else in terms of population centre.

His laptop pinged as he walked past, and he glanced at it. The Terns' result was in. A one-nil defeat to Brenecia. Fine.

No, wait, a win?

Hm. He frowned.

That wasn’t in the plan. Not that many people knew the plan yet of course. But, still, it wasn’t ideal. He'd have to revisit that with his team after this speech.

As if summoned by this thought, an aide appeared at his door after knocking gently. He raised an eyebrow, beckoning.

“Secretary General, sir," said the aide, consulting a clipboard, "the Terns just won, and, did you know this speech is planned for the same time as the Terns kick off against Eura in the next match? The audience might be affected..."

“Oh no," replied Lund with as much sincerity as he could muster, which was easy by this point in his career, "what a shame. Ah well. I expect everything is arranged now. Leave it."

The aide raised her eyebrows, but said nothing, and left.

Lund smiled. The next step was on its way. Legacy. He went back to his notes, and started reading to himself.

“True Valhallans, my time in power has been a time of great change for the nation..."

[Audioslavia]

Audioslavia's national team stadium between cycles 59 and 65, the 1927 stadium has bravely soldiered on through the years, hosting a number of football clubs on Kjeligsted island, a part of Audioslavia that, weirdly enough, technically wasn't part of Audioslavia at the time the Bulls were playing there, making our national team possibly the only one not to play their home games in their home country for an extended period of time.

Constructed as part of an expo centre over a hundred years ago, the stadium has only one main stand, with two smaller ones at either end and, well, the sea at the other flank.

Suffice to say it affords the prettiest of views of all Audioslavian stadiums. The low capacity - under 25,000 even at its pomp and fit for fewer than 18,000 these days - makes for a quieter matchday experience even before you account for the fact that the various reverberations of the crowd dissipate north towards the sea, so today it was up to the national team to pull as much noise as possible from the fans. Two matches in, two wins from two, no goals conceded, playing a Quakmybush team even further removed from its heyday as this stadium, the fans were expecting another three points.

But this is Quakmybush. Quakmybush don't play by anyone else's rules.

This is the team that qualified for the World Cup in their debut cycle, after having eschewed the Baptism of Fire, a feat that fellow Class of 29 debutants Bostopia and Valanora both spectacularly failed to do that cycle. Quakmybush did so with one of the lowest Points Per Game stats on record - just 1.5 PPG, equivalent to winning and losing games one after the other from start to finish.

The teams who have qualified for the World Cup on fewer than 1.6PPG
Quakmybush are here in teal

Despite Ager Alaba having set the team up to get forward, the Quakmbybushian goal led a charmed life for the entire game, further winding up a crowd already annoyed at having trekked all the way from the mainland to the island.

I've heard that, back in the day, when leaving the 1927 Arena after an Audioslavia match, win or lose the crowd would take to the temporary kiosks that would spring up for matchday, with only slightly overpriced and slightly watered down beer for sale in each, plus the prospect of a reheated pastry monstrocity and a weathered concrete block to sit on. These days, with major sporting events very much a thing of the past and alcohol being barely tolerated by the local government, all that awaited us on departure was a number of buses to take the fans back across the river to Oljestaden, where the local delicacies veer more towards an occasional threat of stabbing.

While it was nice to see the 1927 Arena back in action again, its time has passed.

Over in Cathair, work continues on the big, glass square thing the national team will soon call its 'home' stadium. Developers are confident it will be functional as a football stadium come the final home game of qualifying, if not exactly finished. If the Bulls continue to misfire over the coming matchdays, that final game might even be a dead rubber.

[Vilita]

Weather still unclear for already completed match

Tivali Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra, Vilita :: The Vilitan National Team finally picked up their first victory of the World Cup 94 Qualifying Cycle with the result coming under changing and uncertain weather conditions in the Vilitan Capital City.

Before arriving back home in Alikki-Corra for their match against Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer, however, the Jungle Rebels had struggled to collect points being held to a draw in each of their first two matches of the qualifying cycle. After an overwhelmingly disappointing home draw to Group 15's lowest ranked side Neibeskiya - a Nation which celebrated their draw with the Vilitans with such fervor that they actually immediately ceased to exist as a National Entity, the Jungle Rebels traveled to Valentine Z for what would be a far more formidable foe. Thankfully, Endur Rotropii's team was finally able to find the back of the net after being shutout for the entirety of their opening match against Neibeskiya.

Altogether it took just over two hours of play for the Vilita National team to finally get their first goal of the cycle and it would unsurprisingly come off the foot of Treasvo Tlikara, the go-to-forward for the Jungle Rebels head coach Endur Rotropii. While it was important for the Jungle Rebels to open their goal scoring account, it would come at the expense of conceding as well as the Jungle Rebels would trail 2-1 at half time. Despite trailing, Rotropii showed confidence in the players and would make no change at the break. That confidence would last until just about the hour mark when Valentine Z would go up 3-1 and Rotropii had had enough making a number of changes in quick succession to change the look of the team for the final half an hour. One of Vilita's all time greats, multi time Testiculos nominee and winner Nii'arala Milaaso would be the first to come into the game giving the Jungle Rebels a more offensive look with defender Rojara Tiones making way.

A few minutes later, Rotropii would make two more changes introducing Diamoa Waviino and Sami Samii'i into the game and the changes would finally start moving the needle. The Jungle Rebels began to take hold of the possession as Valentine Z sat back and looked to defend their two goal advantage. The breakthrough that Vilita needed would come in the 74th minute when Nii'arala Milaaso delivered a cross that Diamoa Waviino found on a single touch to redirect past Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc pulling Vilita within one goal and taking all the momentum with it. The Jungle Rebels would quickly take advantage of their new-found confidence and would level the scoreline just 3 minutes later when newly introduced Tukara Milanzi scored with their first contribution of the match, seemingly saving Vilitan from the embarrassment of defeat once more.

 Vilita 3 - 3 Valentine Z	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 32' Treasvo Tlikara:: 74' Diamoa Waviino:: 77' Tukaara Milanzi            
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 12 :: Valentine Z :: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 11:: Corners: 4
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Rojara Tiones (Nii'arala Milaaso 62'), Awukchu L’bakka (Tukaara Milanzi 75'), Narri Sebapilo, Jakku’u Naboyavi (Diamoa Waviino 66'), Fyin Miateal, Letirpsi Vulitn, Trezisi Rokopolis, Riku Kasslin, Treasvo Tlikara (Sami Samii’i 66'), Antiviv Davaflei

Although the Undefeated start to the World Cup Qualifying campaign was certainly better than a pair of defeats, there was certainly no doubt that Endur Rotropii and the Vilitan National Team were disappointed to have come away from their first two matches without a victory. Next up was a first ever matchup against Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer to be held at the Tivali Ring Stadium in Alikki-Corra. A nation-wide outage of the Weather Alert Vilitan Enterprise (WAVE) system meant that both fans and players alike would come to the stadium with absolutely no idea what to expect Weather wise for the late afternoon kickoff. Pants? Shorts? Rain? Sun? They would just have to prepare for it all. Frustrated fans heading to the field before the match took to twii.tur suggesting that the Vilitans inability to appropriately project the Weather forecast for the time of the match could potentially be resolved by convincing some of the players or staff from Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer to defect to Vilita and bring their long-forecast weather expertise to the Tropics.

The fans and players would just have to deal with the weather, whatever it was but the focus from the kick off was the match itself. After struggling just to secure a point in their opening two matches, the Jungle Rebels would finally show up to play against their super-hyphenated opponents. Vilita would get on the board just 5 minutes into the game after Mikele Alasita was taken down just outside the area. Alasita would take their own earned Free Kick and brilliantly placed the delivery beyond Serge Bleau-Bean to give the Jungle Rebels a 1-0 lead.

The early goal quickly made the Vilitan fans forget about the fact they still knew nothing about the Weather Conditions and instead focused on the celebratory spirit. Things would get even better for the Jungle Rebels and their fans in the 19th minute when Trezisi Rokopolis set things up for Kunaro Tlikara to score their first of the campaign, then, fifteen minutes later it was Letirpsi Vulitn further increasing the Vilitan lead.

From that point, the opposition, though experts at predicting the Weather, would start to also become experts at predicting the outcome of Footsport matches. As the second half kicked off, it seemed they already knew that Vilita was going to win this game and provided little resistence as the Jungle Rebels closed things off with goals from Fyin Miateal and Mikele Alasita over the final half hour of the game, allowing the Vilitan National Team to run riot for their first victory of the cycle, a 5-0 smashing in front of their home fans that quickly erased the memories of the points lost in the opening two matches.

[Saint Eleanor]

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, first qualifier game
LISANDER 1-4 SAINT ELEANOR (Erick Morton 51; Steve Pilchard 13, Rick Goldsmith 33 and 68, Hugh Roanoke 75)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Saint Eleanor secured an opening-day qualifying win for the third cycle in a row as two goals from Rick Goldsmith - starting for the first time - and an excellent substitute performance from Hugh Roanoke saw them through against Lisander. Unlike last cycle, they did it away from home, this time at the Soria Park in the capital of Soria. Unlike the cycle before last, the win proved to be comprehensive and unmarred by defensive failings.
The gap between the two teams was evident from the moment a few weeks ago the FLF, Lisander's FA, decided to select almost the entire side at random in response to a managerial recruitment crisis. It would be generous to assume that any two of the ten winners of the outfield lottery were communicating well with each other. "How can I disrupt thee?" newly-inaugurated captain Bridget Coombe must have been thinking to herself the night before. "Let me count the ways..."
First to be picked off were the centrebacks, Eric Laderoute and Richard Maud. They proved slow to gel and often had to be propped up by Dario Buss dropping back, a move which, in itself, hit against an already-poor midfield. If you're playing out wide and you know you can't pump the ball where you normally can, what do you do? Of course you'd slide it back and let the possession flow. Steve Pilchard was, more than anyone, the focus of whatever passing shapes were going on, and opened the scoring after one such move culminated when Goldsmith - deeper-lying than usual - strung Laderoute up and broke up the rest of the defensive line with a straight pass into space.
Matias Laurent and Ricardo Santander, the de-facto midfield two, were the next to fall apart. Bridget Coombe and Sylvia Hollenberg would normally be marking them. A normal game, however, this was not: as Santander's attempts to be the attacking pivot of the partnership collapsed in due fashion, so did the partnership, with the general sense that the Lisanderian approach had gotten too binary too quickly. Any serious buildup happened on the wings; the proper midfield itself was almost entirely the preserve of the visitors, who pushed forward there with simple aplomb and should have - somehow - scored more than they actually did.
Milo Summervile - the spearhead of the three-man attack - was always starved of opportunities, although a case could be made for Leo Artemon as the main victim of the arrangements. While work on the left flank was firmly attacking in nature, the focus on the right was to stop Artemon from getting too many opportunities, which - combined with even decent marking in the centre - proved to be a successful gamble for the Eleanorians and another comprehensive failure of planning for the Lisanderians. A tall, humming Artemon cross early in the second half would, in ordinary circumstances, have floated straight down the middle. It floated to Erick Morton instead, who obliged to whip an excellent first-time effort into the top corner.
This brief survey of the match does have to come to an end - and where better to cast our gaze than Arthur Trindade and almost anyone he decided to partner with? David Newcastle had caught him off-guard a few times, but not by enough to make a difference. Roanoke's arrival with an hour played significantly changed things, and not only because Saint Eleanor stopped proving to be one-trick ponies in attack. He dragged Trindade almost wherever he pleased, cut himself huge amounts of space on a regular basis as a result, set up Goldsmith for his double and struck at the near post himself a few minutes later. If anything explains how Lisander went from being a goal behind and fairly competitive to three goals down with fifteen minutes left, that does.
Once again, Saint Eleanor have scored four goals. This time, however, they have done so without conceding four - a habit that became remarkably pronounced during the crashlanding of Liam West's captaincy. The White Stars under Coombe are defensively solid, offensively solid, tactically solid and they've gotten off to a better start than all but Eastfield Lodge, Ceni, Milchama, Banija and a rather sensational Squornshelan unit. What's not to love?

⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨶ ⨷

What do those arrows mean? Click here, although you've probably worked it out from last time and I therefore won't be rolling out this link again.

---

Rachel McNamara: "This is as close as you can get to heaven these days"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers makes an attempt at getting through to Newbanks United's unassuming star
Originally published on Sunday 9th January 2005

When Rachel McNamara speaks, you listen. You might not get your time back, she might not get her idea back and we'll all be worse off. "I've generally been reluctant to give interviews because I have nothing to say more than I have something to hide. I'm expected to attend this one, though, so hello and I hope you're better off by the end of this. Although I'm not sure."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, her time at Grand Beach Community School was punctuated by an enjoyment of her school time, a strong friendship network and a love of football. "Although, to be fair, I was more of a consistent C-grade all rounder than anything. Back then I had a circle of about seven or eight very, very good friends I feel like I can talk to about just about anything, although I mostly keep in touch with Maddie and Kate on a routine basis more than anyone. None of them were on the Charles Trump Shield team [in 1996]; I was, I scored a fair deal of their goals, and I imagine Christine's [Terrence] told you about them already - it's ironic that the two new arrivals to the squad were both flying under that flag in that year. By the way, I scored my penalty against Whitehammer, so take that, Chris."

I ask everybody who passes through these metaphorical doors what they feel the three games that most influenced their career were. Almost everyone obliges. A few insist they don't have a large enough sample size. McNamara, whose career has already taken her to three different clubs, flat-out refuses. "I don't know where to start with my history and I'm honestly not sure I can start. Grand Beach was a good start, I liked everyone there - and I still do - but I don't think I had too many opportunities there despite being actually rather good and so I moved on, after some convincing Julia [Atherton]. Bencoolen City was almost miraculous; I've met people crediting me for keeping them up in the first season and did well enough for myself in the awards, but the second season... ugh. Everybody knew I opposed the T-League proposal but the board just wouldn't listen, they did their shenanigans and now we're seeing even more shenanigans. Newbanks United is fairly close to where I lived in Grand Beach, they have a good ethos, their new owners aren't completely destructive as they tend to be and... well, I suppose they're doing fine, too. Would it be wrong to say that I do better in more well-managed clubs? Probably not; that's arguably a truism, especially if you've followed Juventud for long enough."

McNamara is the first United player to ever be called up - and will likely be the first to win a cap at some stage, unplayed as she was in the recent 4-1 hammering of Lisander. She has warm welcomes for her former Grand Beach clubmates Sam Newbridge, Tim Brandon and Christina Fulton, who she insists are "genuinely nice people who will do just about anything if you politely ask them to and they're entirely convinced." Beyond that, however, she says that "everybody on the side has a natural affinity with each other; I've read bad things about past generations but this is as close as you can get to heaven these days; they believe in each other, they want to win, they're confident and we saw that a couple of days ago. I'm already getting along with them, which is another good sign; I definitely couldn't nominate a best friend out of them all, for good reason!"

It's hard to prise Rachel McNamara open off the pitch as it is on it. Private? Yes, although that is the form in this part of the world. Consistent? Yes. Co-operative? Naturally? (And modest: she didn't tell you she was one of Grand Beach's much-celebrated Fantastic Four up front a few years ago.) Sarcastic? A bit, of course. Capable and very, very regularly on target? Obviously. Quietly confident? Most definitely. If this is our future, it is certainly a promising one.

[Krytenia]

The Isserson Factor
By Rami Niblick in Emberton

LET'S be honest here; the first three games of qualifying haven't quite gone according to plan. After running the engine cold against Captina Island and almost reaping the whirlwind, things looked to be getting back on track with a confidence-inspiring win over Gnejs in Osteria. Unfortunately, the Dragons decided to fly the Karelan skies a few days later, notching their second goalless draw in two away matches.

Now, then, might not exactly be the best time to be playing the top-ranked team in the group...and yet, here we are. The SRS, or whatever Squornshelous or parts thereof are calling themselves this week, are the visitors to headquarters tomorrow, and given what footballing horrors they bestowed to the Ursines on Matchday One, you'd be forgiven for thinking this would spell trouble of the "duck and cover" variety for the Dragons. There again, since that eleven-one drubbing, the red and black haven't looked the most convincing side either. A laboured victory in Rossiya, and a goalless draw at home to the veritable "who's that" of Bareder does not give off too much of an air of invincibility. Besides, they're playing Krytenia in Krytenia, and that didn't end well for them. The Remnant States have played us four times; the only one of those meetings that Krytenia have won was also the only home fixture, held across the city at Oxley Park.

To drive that home, you need only look at the man that Krytenia's main stadium is named after. Karim Isserson, born in the long-disappeared nation of Tadjikistan and who was literally the national team's second-ever permanent manager, came to this country to pass on his experience and teachings, and hopefully lead Krytenia into somewhere at least approaching the World Cup. What nobody expected was for him to get the team there at the first time of asking. That's exactly what happened though. True, the withdawal of The Water Cooler didn't hurt, turning the group into a two-from-five situation, but the Dragons were still ranked only fourth in the group. Two wins over NASTIC 2, and another two over the Gulf States, combined with other results, meant that with two matches to go Krytenia would seal qualification with a win against Squornshelous in Vogsphere. Stephen Xousa's scrappy winner, of course, has gone down in history, and though Krytenia left World Cup 16 with nary a point to their name, the fire had been lit. When the new national stadium was built, then, naming it after the nation's favourite adopted son was a no-brainer.

Of course, it's only the fourth game of qualifying, and nothing is anywhere near settled yet, but it's worth noting that a win for Krytenia would put them above the SRS in the table. It's time for them to enter the lion's den; here's hoping for us to give them a good mauling before travelling to Wimbley for Matchday Five. Onward!

[Aeragny]

As had already been established, the Museum Library in Vorácy contains many, many pieces of media - in particular, books - but various other written works are hidden in this archive as well, as well as a large collection of other pieces of media. Among these, sometimes, a piece of lost media can be found. Such was the case in 2018, when the pilot episode for Contegnuçy Sombricy (Continuum Agency), which had been considered lost, was found! The show, which has been running since 1985 on Airannian television, has had countless seasons and episodes, but the pilot episode was never released to the public. The problem, of course, was that only the script of the pilot was found - not the recording. As such, given the notoriety and popularity of the show, this script, upon discovery, was immediately subject to parody and reenactment. Most notably, a 2021 episode of the show proper would pay hommage to the episode, though it had to stretch the pilot's 20 minute runtime into a proper, modern 35 minute runtime - which was done with many gags, and throwbacks to old characters.

Contegnuçy Sombricy, for what it's worth, is a piece of media that can best be described as an Airannian knock-off of various, much more creative pieces of media. The main premise of the show is about an scientifically unfounded agency, part of the "Ministry of Special Security", which focuses on maintaining the status quo in terms of space, time, and logic. Shanno Éluo, whose main area of focus is keeping an eye on the continuum of time, and Hér Bhobaudiu, who is supposed to keep an eye on the continuum of space, whatever that's really supposed to mean, form the main duo of the show. Uánnic Marble, who is supposedly able to "bend the fabric of the universe", and a character known simply as Paradoc, who is somehow both a medic while also fighting off paradoxes (which in the universe of this show manifest themselves not as logical fallacies, but rather as beastly monsters) complete the squad; though the Paradoc didn't appear in the pilot.

The pilot itself is written from the viewpoint of a new minister of Defense being appointed after a new government was formed; being taken through the underside of the ministry of Defense: the Ministry of Special Security. Of particular interest is a brand-new case that the Continuum Agency has picked up: a rift in spacetime around the city's sporting complex. While the episode itself drags on for much longer than is comfortable, given its boring writing style and heavy-handed metaphors, it's important to remember that in the 80s, people were much more easily entertained. The plot eventually evolves into a true case study into supernatural matchfixing - while the original timeline seemed to have granted the local team a draw, through the use of a malicious time resetting device, the cartel had been able to grant the local team a victory. Luckily, by using their powers, the Agency is able to locate the anomaly, and revert everything into the correct timeline; the one where the team drew indeed.

It's clear the tone and writing style of the show has evolved a lot in the last 40 or so years; and it's a good thing it has, for even with some of the more talented casts, reenactments of this episode fall short of the fantastical world that the series has created. Whether the real pilot is still out there is entirely unknown, though - and perhaps that's for the better.

Airannia 2 -2 Elvatoes
5': Elvatoes 0-1
33': -- Viveró Décibeq
43': Elvatoes 0-2
45': Touz Budd <> Jeck Uoulsuordh
48': -- Só Kezhinár
64': Arton Seuny <> Bardeus Fichomcéls
71': Jeck Uoulsuordh 1-2
75': Khriss Garyabh 2-2
81': Viveró Décibeq <> Uillten Tillabois

Safiloa 0 - 1 Airannia
20': Touz Budd 0-1
62': Gary Goppré <> Colman Umuitau
65': -- Çontre Colminge
70': Pelleç Vánu <> Mallvau Yekkum éys
88': Touz Budd <> Galho Éram

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

Independent Athletes from Quebec (IAQ) - World Cup 94 Team
WINDOW 3 - v. Ranoria, @ Geektopia
26-PLAYER ENTRY

GOALKEEPERS (3):
Mederick Brown (West Couno United, TMB), Kang Gwang-Heui (Aminey SC, KOR), Clemence Moussenguet (Pyathora Mariners FC, TKT)

DEFENDERS (10):
Alain Delisle (Montreal City), Goh Hak-Seong (Herzegovina City FC, BNJ), Coralie Higgins-Mah (Alnio, CMT), Joo Pil-Seung (Frenei Tor, CMT), Hannah Kim (Damogran, SRS), Noel-Hercule McKinley (West Couno United, TMB), Pierre-Karl Miller (RGS Athletic, EFL), Anne-Marie Morse (Lanar, CMT), Sinisa Salihamidzic (Montreal Koreana), Donovan Watson-Lukwago (St. John's Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS (7):
Cesar Icardi-Rabiot (Jinja City FC, BNJ), Samuel McTavish (Lakewood City, TMB), Mariano Kang Mêndêlöíndçêl (Rulandea Kosta, FFD), Aurelien Moussenguet (Olympique de Rimouski), Camille Oh-Chainey (CSKA Quebec), Pyo Seung-Hye (Avondale City, SYL), Otis Tekaronhonte (Eivora Athletic FC, TKT), Alain Vadnais (Swangard Athletic)

FORWARDS (6):
Kate Huitema-Omeasoo (Istria City FC, BNJ), Kim Chae-Young (Kingsbury United, TMB), Kim Sang-Wook (Clayquot City, KSK), Oberon M'bah-Pinho (Tihon, CMT), Odette Tsioui (Perce Town), Ruby Vanderley (Lanar, CMT)

Starting XI vs. Ranoria (3-4-1-2, can also be translated as 3-4-3):
Moussenguet
Higgins-Mah - Salihamidzic - H. Kim
Miller - Oh-Chainey - Pyo S.H. - Joo P.S.
Icardi-Rabiot
M'bah-Pinho - Huitema-Omeasoo

Starting XI vs. Geektopia (2-3-4-1):
M. Brown
McKinley - Goh H.S.
Watson-Lukwago - Mariano Kang - Delisle
Kim C.Y. - Moussenguet - Tekaronhonte - Vanderley
Kim S.Y.

SOCIAL SEASONS OF SHIN-GORYEO: SYNOPSIS

For those wondering about the Social Seasons, an introductory article about it is available here.

Year   Season  Month  City            Function
    1    Small   Oct.  Dongnae-Halifax Festival de Dongnae
Brief synopsis: Raoul-Christophe 'R.C.' Jang-Nolan meets his friend Louise and tells her that there will be a new film project of his that could be his 'finest work', but will likely require assistance from a specific studio. 
With a set plan for the presentation of the project, R.C. heads to the premiere at the Festival de Dongnae, where he lightly drops the notes of Rico Sierra, the Quebeco-Krytenian chair of the Monte-Sierra studio, of 'Barbenheimer'. 
Sierra finds it amusing, but informs R.C. to give about a month before deciding on the project.
Cutoffs to occur: July 1 - July 3
---
    1    None    Oct.  Hattmark        Testiculos Ceremony
Brief synopsis: At the very night of Testiculos, where relatively-indifferent R.C. arrives to the ceremony alongside the Heo-Sierra family, R.C. gives more detailed plan and the synopsis of the plot. 
The Heo-Sierras, who are present as Perce Town owners and thus with an invitation to the ceremony under the recommendations of Rebecca-Anne Wawanolett and her agent, Mauril Yoon (see my IBC-37 RPs for a semi-related storyline on him), finds it amusing, but discusses the difficulties of putting together such a project. 
They agree to it, but ask to have another meeting when they all return to Joongyeong.
Cutoffs to occur: July 5
---
    1    Small   Nov.  Joongyeong      Bal des Ballons
Brief Synopsis: TBD
Cutoff to occur: July 7 - July 9
---
    1    Large   June  Montevicio      Montevicio Emerald Ball
    1    Large   July  Joongyeong      Grand Prix de Joongyeong
    2    Small   Oct.  Joongyeong      Final Night of QBC Proms
    1    Large   April Joongyeong      Jongmyo Jerye
    2    Large   May   Songak          Athlone Gala
    2    Large   July  Adelphi Castle  Adelphite Festival

And now, what is up next in the Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo? See right below:

The Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo

PART 1 - Festival de Dongnae .1

'So I hear that the state of Cardenao is the latest state vying for the international interests. They do their manners no different than that of ours under the Arsenite times - one moment they are on our hands for the military, the other time they would be out drinking with the Banijans and sending their dearest regards to our neighbours to the west. But I warn you, and you know my advice to you is genuine, as genuine as a cabinet minister could be, to keep a close eye on Mihaly Otamendi, a man who famously named himself the friend and the best man of the late Omugabe Ssekamanya, rather than to close our eyes.'

It was in October 2060, and the distinguished guest of note on this screening was the Lady Louise Bunting Moskowitz, the Speaker of the House of Lords of Quebec and Shingoryeo. With both the sense of exuberance and cynicism in her words, the Lady Speaker Jwaeuijeong (좌의정, 左議政) came to greet her good friend, Raoul-Christophe 'R.C' Jang-Nolan (also shortened as Jang Nolan/Nolan Jang), one of the most internationally renowned film producer of current times. Lady Bunting Moskowitz, who insisted to keep her maiden name when knighted a decade ago, was battling a cold or two, likely the symptom of rapidly-declining Joongyeong weather at the turn between September and October.

Born of wealth and status as a Bunting, and having held extensive connections over her original field - she was longtime arts administrator before finding perfect time to jump into the politics with the PJLQ government under Kim Seung-Yin ministry fifteen years ago - her invitations held significant value even when refused. Her invitation, written in Korean per the Joongyeong court language (though sometimes French translations would be written for non-speakers), were delivered to the most convenient medium of any recipient's choice, and held little space. See the following for R.C. Jang-Nolan's invite here to her holiday house: 'Pavilion, anytime after 16h. Strawberry Shortcakes will be ready. JWJ.'

'Goodness me, Louise, you surprised me over there,' answered Raoul-Christophe, still surprised by the bombastic nature of Louise's words. 'You are not helping me here, for you know I am not here in DHC (shortened term for Dongnae-Halifax County, the nation's fifth-largest metropolitan area) to discuss politics.' He was wearing a dark suit jacket with a pale dress shirt and no tie. Born and having spent almost all his life in Songak, where he lived all the way to the end of his days at Farrer University as a French literature student, R.C. spoke Royal Pronunciation (RP) English and Joongyeongite French that was used as a standard.

He gave a light head bow to Louise, before resuming to speak. 'But in any case, it's absolutely a pleasure to see you again. How are you doing?' said he.

'Nothing particularly extra-ordinary, especially with the sessions conveniently adjourned for the week. But even without that, my engagement was expected - the young Prime Minister of ours has requested I head there in place of both her and the Queen, after all,' Louise answered. 'Having arrived at two in the afternoon, however, the Pavilion's not fully settled for the week. Are you staying for the full week?'

'At the Festival? I'll be here for 'til Monday, and then travel to Montevicio. I have to make my appearance for the Moowhangwedo there,' answered the producer. 'I suppose you do know that I'm working on a new project, if I haven't told you already.'

'I thought you had decided to wait on them until after the filming of 'Cydonia' is finished.' Louise asked, her eyes sparking a bit upon the sight.

This caught R.C. out of the blue. 'If I had not known that filming of the abandoned civilisations plagued by internal turmoil in Cydonia and the discovery of a dimension-changing machine back home, several millennia away, on a set without unnecessary works (refers to extensive use of computer graphics -e.d.-), would take even greater effort than intended, so speak,' he answered rightaway, additional emotion in his language showing the frustrations. 'Bonneville and Joongyeong shootings have gone right, but there are still additional shootings to be done on Tamazghan mountains.'

'Looks like what you need is rest, even if for a short while,' Louise said, before giving a light wink back at her friend. 'You, my dear friend, tend to overthink through your projects, and it's not sustainable, even with you and Magda (Borowitz. R.C. and Magda work together as a producer-writer tandem -e.d.-) working together.'

'And then so be it,' replied R.C., feeling more annoyed at her friend's genuine, but unneeded advice, before deciding to sound more firm with the situation. 'Post-production projects are post-production projects. But I will be the first to tell you that I am working on another project, one that may be of greater interest to you and other parliamentarians of concern.'

'What would that be?' asked Louise with a smile. They were now sitting on a chair, with a dish of strawberry shortcakes and a cup of coffee. The very usual Louise would offer to a friend or a guest this short in advance - she preferred to have more generous options when planned more in advance. 'Are you telling me that you are working on a historical for once?'

'On the very earliest stage, je suppose,' R.C. raised his eyebrows and left index fingers in affirmative manner, 'But it's one that I have a particular excitement about, and one that may...amuse those in all of Montevicio, Joongyeong and here (traditional big 3 cities of Quebecois film industries are Montevicio, more commercial/Anglophone venue, Joongyeong, home of Quebeco-art film, and the DHC, which embodies more in-between, Koreanophone, film of the people), so to speak. I would assume that Multiversal would not be interested, especially after the fallout we had after Interplanar, so I am expecting to see multiple over next while.'

'Interesting,' answered Louise. 'But you need to tell me,' she added, asking him about the very specific reason behind the visit. 'If Moowhangwedo isn't the surefire option, then what are other possible options that you are having in mind? Parker-Leeman, Maeil, or Goldlion? Cinegimms?'

'Hold that thought, but none of them,' said the filmmaker. 'Any of them are possible, but do not rule out Monte-Sierra over it too.'

'Monte-Sierra,' Lady Speaker Wooeuijeong took a brief pause, before giving another smile. She knew what R.C. was talking about suggested no shortage of intrigue, especially with the Monte-Sierra's Krytenian chairman, Rico Heo Sierra of Avides' fame, and flair fitting for it. 'I suppose the project you are working for it requires greater assistance if need be, especially if it involves the Monte-Sierra,' she slowed down, to suggest that she had feelings about R.C.'s motive. She then asked: 'Monte-Sierra's peculiarities lie on sports, documentaries and literary adaptations of historicals. We all know that they are too busy working on Joh Hyeok-Joon's 1942. Is it that complicated of a project that may require assistance all the way to Joongyeong, even involving that of Heo the elder?'

R.C. gave a light smile. 'I suppose so, especially to stay course with my direction.'

'You are taking every length of it all to make sure this would happen. And what would the name of this film be?' Louise asked. She knew they were coming close to an end of this topic, most likely requiring a shift to tonight's premiere where the distinguished guests would have to start arriving around 18h30.

The filmmaker said nothing for ten seconds, trying his best to say it in the correct tone and tempo. Eventually, he opened his mouth slowly. 'Barbenheimer.'

[Farfadillis]

The Kamikaze
A site dedicated to Farf football, brought to you by Lithico™
National Team Section
Filthy Foreigners? Free-willed Farves?
submitted just now

In the interest of serving the Yue company Lithico™, which has started generously sponsoring this blog, I have decided to put together an article describing the valiant struggles of our the non-Farves representing the Farfadillis national team. Because there's nothing more important to Farfadillis in this trying times than having foreigners interfere with all kinds of affairs, like Lithico™! In fact, Lithico™ have been generous enough to found a whole new village in southern Szoirsia dedicated entirely to the war effort, amply supplying it with modern weaponry. See? Foreigners are good. And, with that in mind, we'll be visiting their effect on the national team in current times.

For this article, I sent an email introducing myself and asking the following questions to all non-Farves playing for the national team (to wit: Kurispin Moloses, Yob Yeyeh Aan and Ženeva Kilgallić; Mêlçôr Ënàrsòn has perhaps controversially been thrown in for good measure):

1) How Farf do you feel you are?
2) How Farf do you feel you are not?
3) Why are you representing Farfadillis instead of the actual nation you should be representing as a foreigner?
4) What, specifically, makes you think you are superior to the rest of us as a foreigner?
5) Who did you model your game after growing up? Why was it not a Farf player?

I feel like the questions are fairly fair and self-explanatory. Without further ado, the responses I got (big thank you to Lithico™, who paid all the players to unblock me and actually respond):

Kurispin Moloses

"First of all, fuck you. Rot in hell, you racist piece of shit. Regarding the answers to your questions:

1) Very. I was brought up in a Farf household and speak Indujan natively. In fact, I was insulated enough in my upbringing that I had to face lots of cultural clashes in Kelssek growing up.
2) If this is asking how Kelssekian I feel, then... not very. A lot of my childhood friends growing up adapted better than I did, and I personally know a few cases of players who'd love nothing more than to leave their heritage behind. I am not like them.
3) Because I am good enough. Are you?
4) As a foreigner? One big advantage you get growing up as a Farf refugee is you learn to mostly leave aside the inter-Farf racism, so I'd go with that. As an Indujan I don't hate my Faroleran teammates, for example, unless they specifically wish me harm.
5) It was actually a Farf player, because we won the World Cup when I was 8. Everyone wanted to be Xíxì Êns back then, especially the Farf refugees. As a defensive right-back, however, it's safe to say I modelled myself after him quite badly.

Fuck you,
Kurispin Moloses"

Yob Yeyeh Aan

"My well-off Banijan parents were generous enough to raise me up to be a very respectful man, willing to turn the other cheek in the face of blatant xenophobia. They failed, so fuck you. Onto the responses you've paid me a lot for:

1) Fully. It has always been a sticking point in my life. My parents wanted to prove a point by bringing me up as a Banijan, but it's hard for people to look past your skin color, and in no time I was trying to cling onto an identity I could fully call my own. I picked up Rulandese in about a week and started reconnecting with my homeland's customs.
2) Honestly? I feel fully Farf. My parents would be gravely disappointed.
3) This is an incoherent question. I am representing the nation I should be representing.
4) I get into petty nationalist dressing room fights far less often than the average NTer. Is that the kind of answer you're looking for, dipshit? My parents taught me to be classist, not racist. Also, they insisted I do not drink coffee. Vehemently.
5) The one and only Ígnîgo Çí Xôrí who, you'll notice, is actually Rulandese. The follow-up question is thus incoherent.

May cagafuegos bless you with his purifying fire,
Yob Yeyeh Aan"

Ženeva Kilgallić

"Hello, long-time reader here! I will summarily ignore the blatant racism, since I know you're Ferdullaelan and thus incapable of comprehending there could be brotherhood between the various Farf nations. Here are the answers you paid for, which I would've provided for free if your Lithico™-infested initial email hadn't gone straight to my spam folder:

1) Fuck you.
2) Fuck you.
3) My mom hates Dad's guts, and I got mad at her. I then went and changed my name to a more Kruviši sounding one and accepted a Farfadillis NT call-up.
4) I'm a woman who willingly plays for the Farfadillis NT.
5) Rowena Strongbow. Why? Because she was metal.

I sincerely hope none of my answers are of any use to you, monteraily or otherwise.

All the best,
Ženeva Kilgallić"

Mêlçôr Ënàrsòn

"Hello, lovely blog-writing person! My family thanks you for directing Lithico™'s generous donations to the Rulandese war effort as per my request. Here are your answers:

1) Kinda? Bit of a weird one, this one. I'm 75% Rülândéán by blood, and I've lived in Rülândéá my entire life. However, my grandpops was a very good Polarian footballer and I'm very close to him. My surname is actually Rulandese version of his!
2) Very! I identify as both Rülândéán and Valhallan because of my heritage. I have never stepped foot in the Valhallan Union but I know the language and, though I fail to grasp the intricate politics of my ancestral homeland, I think of myself as a True Valhallan, even though I'm not fully Valhallan by blood.
3) It is my understanding that I wouldn't be admitted into the Valhallan Union's national team at this moment in time.
4) My grandpops.
5) My grandpops.

Once again, thank you for showing interest in my heritage. I rarely, if ever, get such a transparently positive way of expressing it without people second-guessing my allegiances, especially at times like this, when war surrounds us at every corner.

Thank you sincerely,
Mêlçôr Ënàrsòn"

And there you have it folks! Foreigners are important. They can be good players who help a national team be good. I am trying my best to spin this positively, Lithico™, please don't take away my livelihood.

This blog post has been brought to you by Lithico™.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: Combined schedule will now be bundled with the 1977 RP due to time issues - i.e. I planned to spend all day today doing this and wound up banging out that in response to some other RP opportunity that was invented at midday UTC today. Sorry.

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, second qualifier game
SAINT ELEANOR 1-0 WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA (Natalie Monaco 56)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Natalie Monaco emerged with a solid strike to ensure that Saint Eleanor sealed a second home win against West Barack and East Obama in three cycles. For a while, however, it looked as though the result was not to be: Fred Olibama, the visitors' only serious striker, should have opened the scoring himself with just three minutes on the clock but contrived to hammer over from a perfectly realistic position.
The first half as a whole was very much a struggle session for the hosts, who could not cope with WBEO's consistent pressure. Steve Pilchard had almost the only good early chance for the White Stars, just about keeping Bark Obamallama off the ball with his chest, turning astutely and getting nothing for his efforts but an agonisingly wide shot. David Newcastle could have had a go too, but his attempt was easily clasped by Dwayne Obama.
The Obamen were so consistent that they were seriously unlucky not to have been ahead at the break. Brett Pogama surged past the Eleanorian backline and deserved a goal; he would have gotten one, too, had it not been for John Bailey's dramatic claw off the line. Wolfgang Obamadeus-Mozart should have been rewarded for connecting with a typically inch-perfect Lily Chobamya free-kick right at the end of the first half, but his effort was chalked off after he was quickly found to have budged Esther Launceston out of position in the buildup - not a bad achievement.
In the end, it was second-half substitute Monaco who pounced; with Bridget Coombe having won a free kick of her own following a poor Charles Obama challenge, the old-school throw-it-in-the-mixer tactic proved no match for the Obamafinakis' best-laid plans as the Golden Unicorn midfielder volleyed a mid-air ball precisely into the net. There was a general sense of abandonment from both sides after that, however, and it can be reasonably argued that debutant Rachel McNamara's late effort was literally left to fate as what would have been a Monaco-assisted attempt from just outside the box sailed into Row Z.
There was not to be late drama for the Obama Carers, with that said. The fact that Pal Gore zipped a surprise long-range pass to Chobamya with ten minutes to go, thinking no better of it, and that was their biggest opportunity of the dying moments says something: she cradled her shot into John Bailey's arms instead, as everyone expected. Saint Eleanor, by contrast, had multiple chances in the final twenty minutes and should have drawn out their lead further, but substitute Dekamela weMexala was only denied from making a last-ditch impression when Dwayne Obama pushed her effort just over the bar.
For the time being, all is well and good with the world; Brenecia's surprise collapse to the Polar Islandstates earlier today makes doubly sure of it. There are, however, no guarantees at this stage. All the major opponents are yet to be played; we are barely 10% of the way into the qualifiers; the last time Saint Eleanor visited the Obamen, as they will do this summer, they crumbled to a 3-0 defeat that was so sorry that Stephen Mitcham had to deny that Sylvia Hollenberg wasn't paying enough attention to the game. It would be hard not to welcome eighteen more performances like this, however.

⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1975: "I've met everybody who's ever made the national team"
Published by Daniel Bourne on January 19th 2005

Only 47 people in a population of over 540,000 have had the chance to wear either Saint Eleanor's distinctive, all-black home kit - or their now increasingly-green goalkeeper uniform. They still have manager Priscilla Evans and assistant manager Stephen Mitcham on call, as well. But one man, Ian Drumsall from the New Lizard district, has encountered them all. "Growing up, I didn't even expect that Saint Eleanor would have a national team at all. We had a league - Grand Beach and all that - but it didn't strike me as being of really good quality as a kid. I'd have rather been growing up with the Vanorian Premiership or the Shango-Fogoa thing or whatever."

While the World Cup 89 campaign, the Eleanorian international debut, excited him a fair bit, it didn't motivate him enough to do anything other than follow along at home. "Did I have hopes for these people? Yes. Were they high at all? Most likely not. Still, I'd figure I'd fancy my chances." Those chances came slowly - then a bit less slowly. "The first meeting I ever had was by accident in 1994: I didn't know it at the time but Liam West was running his shop in Carpentersville in the off-season, although I'd come up there to visit a mate from uni after the first-year final exams. Number two must have been... September 1996. I was in OPAL, saw Grace Bryant from Nova Aegis doing her shopping, ask what she was doing there - she was meeting a friend, too!"

By the start of 1997, after meeting now little-heralded Independence 1975 midfielder Sam Carter in the National Liberation Club in Central district, Drumsall was convinced. "These were coincidences, you think. I don't think that. I thought this was very real, I thought this was God telling me I had to go and talk to these people about their experiences - well, I tried to, anyway. And I only had to chase another twenty-three people, this coming after Priscilla's first little changeup."

His starting point was fairly obvious. "Eleanorian Telecommunications sends out their phone book every year. Everybody is on it for the reason it supposedly wouldn't be practical to maintain an opt-out list, but I'm not buying - they're just lazy. But who cares? I was calling up some of these people not manically, I'd say, but more in a calm, reasoned fashion where I'd ask them to come and see me at some time." Despite fears of stalking, Drumsall was always open about his intentions: "I just wanted to see everybody who's ever worn the white star and I just wanted to say hello for a bit in a nice, public space."

At first, his mission was going smoothly; he had ticked off eighteen of the other names required by the time of the 82nd Cup of Harmony in mid-1998, widely regarded as Eleanorian football's darkest hour. "Sadly, the ones I hadn't met turned out - by and large - to be the wrong'uns. So I had to go and talk to John Parkinson, I had to talk to Aidan Harris: basically, the people who'd just been turfed from the team for wanting Priscilla Evans out. That they only responded so late... I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that. From what I could tell, however, they weren't sorry, they just really wanted more discipline in order. Not good, lads."

Still, fellow anti-Evans plotter James Trott proved elusive. In the meanwhile, he successfully chased down all seventeen of the newcomers that were called up over the 91st and 92nd World Cup cycles - Bridget Coombe was "the best, most intelligent sister I never had," David Newcastle was "quiet enough that he could stare into your eyes, you could feel it and still be feeling it even when he was talking," and (perhaps controversially) Denise Livingston was "immeasurably boring, as literally everybody and everything connected to Army and Navy is. That's rich coming from a Grand Beach fan but what do I know? I had no other choice."

Even the more recent, glacial pace of two new players a cycle was not enough for Drumsall, who only ticked off his bucket list in July after meeting Rick Goldsmith at another NLF Club, this time in Broadlands - and just after bumping into Coombe's former Occidental Olympic teammate Steve Pilchard. "Rick and I were just watching the Copa Rushmori, which was on in the pub instead of CAFA for whatever reason, although he got bored after a few minutes and left. He got my autograph instead, don't you worry." The callup of two others this year "frightened me a bit," but he was able to convince both Christine Terrence and Rachel McNamara to turn up at once to the Reptile Shop, New Lizard's only independently-owned coffee store, last week. "Thankfully they were both free at exactly the same time or else I'd be on the phone even more times, which wouldn't be good. Mostly we just talked about the local area though, which was... well, not the kind of things you expect when you're talking to these kind of people."

The software engineer says that his 2001 summer meeting with Trott was "without a doubt" his most challenging. "All of the other ones - all forty-six of them or something - they were in the country and I could talk to them. That one required me to go to Carrington in the Licentian Isles, actually go into the town centre and talk to him; I'd had to have literally knock on his door if he hadn't quit Indy. Thankfully he proved a decent sport when we were walking around town and he mostly just wanted to talk about how nice this place was."

He insists that his best times were either spent with Naresmet taFrexala - who he describes as a "proper lad" who was "willing to have some fun, talk about everything, go into detail and still not get bored after an entire afternoon" - or Christina Fulton, who he says was "circumspect, well-read, somebody with a sense of history and one hundred percent tech-minded as well, so just like me." But his worst experience was with Army and Navy's Darren Batchelor, who "said hello, asked how I was, rambled on for two minutes about basketball and left."

Drumsall would not be alone in just meeting one player. Those living in Saint Eleanor city have a reasonably good chance of meeting a league player on any given week. It was estimated in 2002 that about one in every two hundred Eleanorians - almost three thousand people - have seen Esther Launceston going out and about. Probably more have chanced on West, former White Stars captain; Bridget Coombe and Cathy Winchester, best friends and known to go on holiday somewhat regularly (especially together); arguably Lydia Nicholls, who has had a few engagements of her own. But it's unlikely that anybody, other than the eight Baptism of Fire holdovers, has checked out every single player in national team history Does he know anyone else who's done so? "Definitely not - and I have a few friends!"

[Eura]

WORLD CUP 94 – QUALIFYING GROUP 12 – MATCHDAY 2
Eura 3–2 Panamer
Scorers:
Archer 3, Sharp 52, James 83
Lineup:
1. T Hammond
2. A Mason
4. J Menard
5. M Hart (sub Pearce 72)
3. M Taylor
6. J Gates
8. O Vincent (sub Clarke 64)
11. O James (sub Barnes 85)
18. B West
9. A Sharp (sub Phillips 90)
14. K Archer (sub Holden 60)

WORLD CUP 94 – QUALIFYING GROUP 12 – MATCHDAY 3
Polar Islandstates 1–1 Eura
Scorers:
Barnes 17
Lineup:
13. J Hewitt
2. A Mason
5. J Menard
25. M Pearce (sub Sherwood 48)
3. M Taylor
20. M Cole
28. F Brown (sub Vincent 75)
12. D Barnes (sub James 82)
7. A Woodman
10. S Singh (sub Holden 69)
17. T Miller (sub Sharp 82)

---

emplor.eur/main/news/politics
FOOTBALL TAKES LIMELIGHT WHILE ELECTION DAY NEARS
Social government forced to apologise for delays to key review

The completion of a major, government commissioned review into the state of association football in Eura has been postponed yet again, with publication not set to take place until after the coming general election in two weeks’ time.

Minister of Sport Peter Lake’s unprecedented inquiry into Eura’s most treasured game has taken many months to pull together, despite Lake promising quick results. Now it’s become an election issue; the report likely did not factor into Prime Minister Harry Barnham’s decision to call a slightly early election, and his Social Party government probably thought the report would have been made public by now.

They were certainly making hay of it initially, with Social-friendly sources briefing to the press that Lake had met with Euraleague club owners to scold them for profiteering, failing to invest in grassroots football, and withholding repayments for government subsidy of stadium improvements that happened decades ago. This populist grandstanding seemed to strike a chord with football fans and, in a country obsessed with the sport, even added a couple of percentage points to the party’s poll ratings.

But then Barnham, riding high in the polls with the Liberals still in chaos and the Capital and Unionist parties tearing lumps out of one another, decided to go to the polls. There are perfectly good reasons for this decision – the Barnham administration has exceeded its own expectations of delivery in its first term by redefining Euran foreign policy and reviving the Common Rushmori Community expansion agenda, carrying out a major reform of the health and social care service, and overhauling the military for a post-Great Endemian War age.

The opposition have struggled to find weak points in the Social campaign aside from the ongoing controversy over Sameban nationalists elected to parliament during mid-term byelections, after a series of ill-advised resignations by Capital MPs north of the old border. Short of ammunition and time, they have forged the Football Review into one of the few weapons they can use against the government. The Unionists have taken on the issue with particular vigour, identifying football as a culture war issue on which the “leftie liberal” Socials may have a soft underbelly.

In a debate last night that reportedly took in peak viewing figures of over a hundred million Euran adults, Lake represented the government against a series of rival mid-ranking shadow opposition figures. Sure enough, the finer points of pension policy and Eura’s relationship with the new government of Austroslovakia were quickly subsumed by posturing about the footy. “Why are you even here?” demanded Capital MP Lucas Sharbert, “You shouldn’t be lecturing anyone on your supposedly wonderful record until you actually achieve something – and as you keep reminding us, you’re not finished yet.”

Lake withered somewhat under the pressure and was reluctant to give clear answers. His opponents sniffed blood in the water. Unionist MP Freddie Quinn, a former amateur footballer himself during his time in the army, drove the dagger even deeper than his opponents. “What this shows – and it’s not just about Mr Lake – is that the whole Social Party, from their genderless coffee shops and vegan tapestry making classes in the big cities, are looking down at the rest of us like we’re stupid. They think they can just pretend the questions will go away. But football isn’t just a game in this country, it’s a way of life, and we care about how its governed. Maybe if Mr Lake were really from here, he’d know.”

That smear to end the point, a reference to Mr Lake being born in the former Sameba (the debate was held in Farrenton), outraged some others on the panel, who then came to Lake’s defence, much of the audience and many in the commentariat. Lake himself kept it cool. But the criticism will resonate with some Eurans, despite the undercurrent of nationalist fervour that the Unionists have taken so much advantage of in their short history. Fortunately for Lake, Barnham and the Social government, its unlikely to matter enough to swing the election. Eura usually votes on the economy, public services, foreign policy and leadership ratings – Social enjoy massive leads on all three of those issues, and on current polling look set to grow their majority.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: White Star/QGOC oil field? What White Star/QGOC oil field? In seriousness, this particular concept is 100% Queb-approved. And don't think this is the last time I'm going to work with somebody on Thirty Years either...

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, third qualifier game
SATERUN 1-2 SAINT ELEANOR (Hans-Jürgen Becker 64; Rick Goldsmith 21, Bridget Coombe 73)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Saint Eleanor survived a tense encounter at the Continental Field in Anasb, Saterun to mark a third win out of three, a result which left them as the only team in Group 12 with a perfect record and set them up for their best ever start to a World Cup qualifying campaign. Unusually, the tie was in the doldrums for a great deal of the first half: there were a couple of yellow cards on each side, marginal opportunities scuffed by Thiago Esparza and Jessica Martin, but precious little to survey other than that.
The other big break of the half was, otherwise, a pure breakthrough. With play having stalled yet again and Steve Pilchard left hot under the collar by Timothy Shannon, he decided to play it back quite a distance to Bridget Coombe, who took her time before pitching it up in anticipation of Rick Goldsmith, already several metres and two Saterunians behind the offside line. With Shannon backtracking, he had to hold off both him and partner Alojzy Addams, but did so with quality, skill and just about enough energy to loop it past Ralf Abiatti.
It was Hans-Jürgen Becker, however, who really threw a pure white flame onto the blue-touch paper. He had threatened somewhat in the first half, although with nothing to show for it. In the second, though, he set up Esparza for another excellent opportunity that John Bailey should count himself lucky to have saved. He won his team at least two corners, both of which came to something, and one of which trickled wide by inches. Then with pace, guile, vision, loads of agility and less than half an hour to go, he oversaw, and delivered, an incredible equaliser.
The Claws were yet to find themselves broken, however, with volatile possessions and rapid turnovers the new order of the day. Almost the next serious chance of the match - Goldsmith again - was just about headed goalwards before Glenn Lundquist, one of the newfound and confusing huddle of Saterunian position-flippers, barely deflected it behind for a corner. David Newcastle made an attempt, which appeared to be trickling 25 yards out - neatly bobbling right where Coombe could dip it, however inadvertently, into the top corner.
Yet the hosts nearly, so very nearly, had the final say. In the second of four added minutes and while playing off yet another possession turnover, Saveli Holst rounded the ball into the midfield thicket, where Lundquist set up a headed one-two, cushioned and bolted for the penalty area. Somebody more mortal than Lundquist would never have got the shot off. He did - and barely just found the inside of the post before his effort was cleared away.
Ekeing past Saterun is not the mark of shame it would have been in cycles past. It's testament to how much they've improved since World Cup 89, when they were in Saint Eleanor's qualifying group and just about managed a single draw against Al Qurija, that their unblemished record was on the line today too. It is also clear, however, that Coombe has inspired a new - arguably more pragmatic - ethos into what is essentially the same old side that collapsed so badly last year: one that now knows when to perform, when to just get three points and run, and when to cherish the big moments. Who better, then, to have gone the whole nine yards today?

⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1976: "I was involved in the Congress of Students' longest-ever debate"
Published by Peter Jones on January 24th 2005

For a seventeen-year-old Michael Henderson in 1994, going off to the University of Saint Eleanor must have been an incredible opportunity, if not a dream in real life. "I spent my entire life up in Elsmouth until the start of 1994 and let me tell you, there was nothing to do there. Still isn't. We have crime, a few seaside attractions, the usual fast food places and shops, a small port that I think a couple of hundred people have used in sixty years and the annual music festival. Come here if you like those things, thank you."

His time at the University's open day that March - roughly an hour's drive away - was, according to him, "an absolute eye-opener. This place was clean, modern, still a bit relatable for me - wow." The aspiring Mathematics student was shown inside the faculty's teaching buildings, which he thought were "if not impressive, then better than our mess at school." What excited him most, however, was the Congress Hall, the grand building where the Congress of Students, the university student union, convened for its regular meetings. "It was beautiful. Cavernous? Yes. Beautiful? Definitely. Nothing else like it existed here to any degree. I could see myself go there, throw my argument about, be enthralled by everything - watch."

He was impressed so much he applied, and eventually got the grades to start there that January. All was well in his first year: he was performing fairly well in assignments, got involved with extracurricular societies ("especially the chess and poker clubs") and made new friends living in the city. "Jennifer Brookings lived a couple of doors down on Hill Street and she was, I'd say, my absolute best friend. I consider that my greatest achievement because she's really smart. She got the $750 a month reward from the government for getting all As in her ten School Certificate exams. I barely got an A in maths and pretty much everything else was a B or a C. I'd have imagined people like her were introverted - most Eleanorians are - but worse than that, enough that they won't want to talk to other people."

As it turns out, Brookings - a chemical engineering student who is now working on a joint-mission Blood Sea oil field run between the White Star Oil Company and the Quebec Gas and Oil Company - spent a great deal of her free time working in the Congress. "She was the absolute worst kind of geek. Nice, but terrible. She's spending a lot of time working on her own studies already, and she has to go and write bills that won't do anything for some fake parliament too? I loved fake parliament, but there's a time and a place for devoting your time to it and I don't think she was doing either of those things."

In an attempt to reduce disruption to learning, Congress meetings are only supposed to happen every other day in the Spring and Summer terms, and every third day in Autumn - and never outside the 5pm to 8pm window. When Henderson turned up early on May 23rd 1995, he had no knowledge of the agenda for that day at all. "At that time, all I knew Jenny for there was the little motion she wrote about science fairs for international students, which I thought was a nice touch. As far as I was concerned, this was just going to be more politicking, all done by six, go home, enjoy your evening."

The hall was fairly empty at the time, although Henderson did find some company. "It was 3pm, nobody was there and all my classes were done for some reason, so I decided to sit next to the only other person I could. We had a chat and she said she was Bridget, year two physics, mostly interested in football other than that and apparently just here because they were going to discuss this proposal about university funding. I realised too late that she was the one who was playing for Olympic the other week."

Come 5pm, the Congress Hall - nominally designed to seat two thousand on the architects' assumption that a small fraction of the student body would have interest in its proceedings - had swelled. "I mean, wow. I turned to Bridget again and asked her why are there so many people here? University funding doesn't normally get a lot of money. She said they were looking at cutting off a lot of funds to extracurriculars, any connection they had left with Sword and Shield... then I realised these people were here because their future was at stake."

Extreme measures had to be taken to even open the debate. "The Congress Chair, David Longleat, normally gavels the Congress into session. So many people were talking over him that it took him five minutes, literally, to put the microphone next to the gavel he was swinging. Then he read the title: Condemning the 1996 through 1999 University Funding Plan. Sponsor: Jennifer Brookings. Co-sponsors... a list of about two hundred names. Bridget was definitely one of them. Debate only started at six and it carried on for... I want to say five days."

The meeting actually continued for an entire week. By Wednesday the 23rd, the Chair had authorised Congress to meet until 11pm "due to just how many people wanted to get a word in edgewise. I'd say from initial hearings, about two in every three people thought this was unequivocally bad for the Congress; one in three thought it was good because the university could spend more time on actually teaching rather than faffing about. It's interesting both that so many people supported it and that most of the people who opposed the plan were doing science subjects. Maybe we're more deferential and maybe they needed more of an escape from studying!"

In the end, the debate lasted an astonishing 32 hours over seven consecutive days. Henderson and his other friend Bridget Coombe - now better known as the captain of Latrobe Athletic and Saint Eleanor - were there together for all of it. "I was not supposed to talk over the speakers but I supposed whispering my thoughts about them was okay. David never noticed anyway and I'd imagine he's absolved me of any harm. I'm not sure there was any good reason to keep the discussion going other than the Congress rule that everybody who wants to speak does, but she passed some typically snide comments into me too and I was laughing obviously enough at one of them he told me off for it! Not her, though. Where do you think her aura of perfection comes from?"

As Henderson predicted at the time, the vote passed fairly easily. "More like 70-30 then, based off two thousand students. Normally it's a few dozen. I voted for it because I thought the school can't be taking money away from our clubs, it's not right. Bridget definitely voted for it, too, although she had multiple vested interests so I'm not surprised." The University announced on June 2nd 1995 that it would look into a new funding settlement; after negotiations with the Government, one was reached and student protests were successfully quelled. "I asked Jenny what she thought was wrong with the new plan. She said nothing other than some minor quibble about unprotected funding areas she didn't see fit to raise public concern about. Bridget said absolutely nothing!"

Henderson graduated in 1998, stayed on for his Master's degree the following year and is now maintaining the accounts for JE Robson's, the convenience store in Elsmouth town centre. "Do I still hate it in Elsmouth? Yezs. Would I go back to the University if it was me looking at it today? Yes. Do I think I'm having a good time, I'm making Elsmouth a bit better and I'm putting a lot of the things I learned back there to use? Definitely. I don't regret a single thing I've done, although staying around that debate for so long might have come close."

[The Jovannic]

The Jovannic 2-1 Cap Nord: Dersa Double deals first Jovannican points as Cap Nord fail to recover from early mistakes

The Emperors took three points out of their second match at the World Cup Qualifiers after an intense second half saw The Jovannic run out 2-1 winners.

Nathaniel Cox made no changes to the team that started the 2-1 loss against Saterun on the opening matchday. Cap Nord had defeated West Barrack and East Obama 1-0 on the first matchday, but had played a game more (A 3-1 defeat at the hands of Saterun).

The Goldan Spire would be hosting their first international match ever, and there was a larger than normal Horimati crowd packed in the East stand. About 39,000 home fans attended what would be The Jovannic's first international home game in a long while, and their chants could be heard as soon as the players took to the pitch to warm up. Not to be outdone, a sizable contingent of loyal Nordians made the trip from Esportiva to AO, waving their navy blue and ruby red flags in spite of the Goldan Sun shining directly onto their faces.

The match started with a Jovannic kick off, and they wasted no time pouncing forward and looking for an attack. A really neat play between the likes of Twater Harring, Huli Maringar and Barella Lee saw Huli Maringar take a shot that was rather close to striking the top corner that, if not for Johannes Marzinn making a fine stop, would have brought The Jovannic a goal up within 30 seconds.

This explosive start would not result in further concrete chances however, as the Emperors seemed content to keep hold of possession and patiently wait for openings in the Cap Nord system. Cap Nord hoped to use their high press to dispossess the Emperors in favourable positions, and the home side was just about able to maintain 65% of possession without remotely threatening the away backline.

There would only be one other shot throughout the half, as Barella Lee tried to hit a volley in the aftermath of a corner, but skewed it a metre wide and high.

Perhaps it was likely that the Emperors were playing the long game, trying to get run down the stamina of the players of Cap Nord. Their defence, while resilient and disciplined, only required a slight slip in concentration to give the patient Jovannicans chances, and indeed the slip in concentration came.

Just 3 minutes into the second half, Marimo Skvestky received a square pass from Feckhim Tee, and through heavy pressure from Jorgen Bjerkness found the run of Huli Maringar, delivering a superbly hit ball over the top. Maringar made a mess of his first touch, but was luckily far enough ahead of Patrick van Hilvaren such that his superior speed gave himself distance from the last man. With both Juyt Dersa and Hashan Redder taking initiative and making their own runs, it was essentially a 3v1 against Cap Nord keeper Johannes Marzinn. Maringar decided to go by himself, which almost turned out to be a horrendous decision after Marzinn managed to get a hand to his shot. Fortunately, the resulting deflection fell into the path of Juyt Dersa, who tipped it in for 1-0.

The game was now blow wide open as Cap Nord surged forward in numbers to try and find a way back into contention, in turn giving the Emperors more opportunities for progressive play and counterattacks. The pairing of Marimo Skvestky and Feckhim Tee proved to be greatly beneficial moving forward and creating what was essentially a 4 man midfield, overloading the centre of the pitch and restricting the ample creative talents of Whaler Simon Carstensen and co.

Both sides came close to scoring the second goal of the game, with Rohan Williams coming closest for the Whalers with a thumping shot that crashed into the outside edge of the crossbar.

It seemed like it was only a matter of time that a second goal would be scored, and indeed it did just after the 62nd minute mark. A Cap Nord corner was swung in and met by the leaping Till Myrrheim, who rose highest in the crowd of players inside the Jovannican box. Connecting firmly, he would divert his attempt just pass the diving Jerrett Toi to bring the game back to equal terms

Both teams were not going to be even for long however, and Twater Harring showed exactly why he was the captain and the engine of the Jovannic team by shrugging off challenges by both Theodore Bissett and Erik Brymsaeter, steaming forward straight into the Cap Nord backline. Perhaps he had a slight thought of trying to go all the way on his own, but before Luuk Vennema could take on Harring, the Jovannic centre mid would pick out Juyt Dersa with a firm pass across the box. Dersa took a glance upwards and, seeing Marzinn slightly off position, cracked it first time straight past the near post, making it 2-1 by the 73rd minute.

The Jovannic just about held on to their slender lead through the remaining minutes, surviving a desperate onslaught of Cap Nord attacks in the last few minutes of regulation time.

"I think everybody did a great job today, if we keep grinding out wins like these we'll stand a real chance of being a threat." Cox stated after the match. "To beat somebody in the top 50 will definitely put us on the right track going forward."

The Jovannic will then travel to take on Saint Eleanor in their third match, before hosting the Canadian Dominion in Chanfield for the fourth.

Catch the Jovannicans at the WCQ in action on the SportJovannic News Network Channel 1, AuroraTel Sports Premium, or other notable regional broadcasting services. Please refer to your local broadcaster central's website's list of valid broadcasters.

[Graintfjall]

This was the first videogame I ever owned.

Cutoff for MD3.

[Kamijiro]

Kamijiro falls to consecutive defeats, advancement chances ever slimming

A string of disappointing defeats has Akito Miura feeling some pressure in his managerial role. Queen Jiro Paixão, the Commander of Kamijiroan Sporting, has issued a statement that reads as follows:
"Following the disappointing run of results against Aiyland, Yuezhou and Baggieland, we at the Kamijiroan Football Association would like to urge the fans to remain calm. The results are disappointing, yes, but this team is still young and inexperienced on the international stage. The important thing to remember is that regardless of how the World Cup turns out, we should be proud to have represented ourselves well at the Baptism of Fire and at the Di Bradini Cup."

However, the internal memo looked more like:
"Akito, you have until the end of the Qualifiers to turn this ship around. Either you come much closer to qualifying than you are at right now or you qualify outright, or you're fired. I know we just signed an extension to your contract, but the quality of play on offer has been extremely disappointing. Again, you simply must improve your results."

The draw against Aiyland was a very disappointing moment, as it saw the Lightning drop points in a crucial spot that would have seen them retain their hold on the group. Yuezhou was next, and the Lightning fell even further, losing 3-1 and falling to fourth in the group. Their fourth matchday was a bye, offering a chance to regroup and rethink, but they came out flat once again, losing 2-0 to Baggieland. That result dropped them all the way down to seventh in the group, a far cry from qualifying and a far cry from the expectations the team had coming into the tournament.

There is ample time to turn this around, but the margins for error are extremely slim now. Every match is essentially a must-win match.
Captain Ryuji Kaminari could be seen trying to rally the troops, but his words fell on deaf ears after the loss to Baggieland. Miura couldn't get much response from the team either, and they looked flat-out disinterested. The high morale riding off of the Baptism of Fire win has essentially vanished, and in its stead is a listless, lifeless team.

The striker pair of Ankei Hilario and Rizky Tuasalamony are both falling flat up top, the midfield has been over-run, and the backline trio has been error-prone. The team as a whole just looks like a completely confidence-less squad, and much work will need to be done to prevent a further fall down the table. Miura has already instituted a strict curfew - hopefully this will help the players focus more in training and on matchdays. Leão has reportedly already been fined the upwards of 2,500 Jiros for partying after curfew, but these are simply just rumors.

Hopefully, for the sake of Akito Miura's job and the future of Kamijiroan footballing, the team can turn things around. However, with each dropped point, the more likely it looks that qualification is a pipe dream.

As always, Ave Fortuna and Go Lightning.

- Rui Nomura

[Torisakia]

New Look Torisakia Shows Promise at World Cup 94

TOKAI - In a remarkable turn of events, the Torisakia national association football team has made a triumphant return to the international stage at World Cup 94. Despite being dead, buried, and gone, GONE, less than 3 years ago, Torisakia has started out with a solid performance, managing a 2-1-1 record in the tournament through the first five matchdays, showcasing the new direction, determination and skill of Torisakia to the world.

The Torisakian team's early success is particularly significant, considering the turbulent history that surrounded their disbandment in 2021. The disbandment came as a consequence of the Kiragate scandal, a dark chapter in the history of Torisakia that saw several prominent Torisakian athletes, along with several other Torisakian celebrities, involved in a murderous cult known as Kiraism. The scandal, which was covered up by Torisakian government agencies between 2014 and 2016, shook the nation and tarnished the reputation of its sports community. The national team's disbandment also came due to dwindling popularity surrounding the team that had been building until the Kiragate scandal, particularly due to Torisakia's lack of success internationally and desires for funds to be redirected.

Nevertheless, the Torisakia national association football team has risen above the shadows of its past, eager to rebuild their image and make their mark on the global stage. Their performances at World Cup 94 have already captured the attention of not only association football fans in Torisakia, but football enthusiasts worldwide.

In their opening match, Torisakia faced off against Zwangzug, currently #3 in the international KPB rankings. Despite this 'David vs Goliath' matchup and this being the team's first game in nearly three years, the Ice Birds put up a stellar defensive effort that saw 11 total saves by goalkeeper Kodey Owston as Torisakia held Zwangzug to a nil-nil draw. Despite the draw, team manager Virgil Holland of Hove Beach AFC viewed it as a victory. "[I'm] extremely proud of how our guys played today. Not many teams could go from being basically shut down to drawing with a top 3 team in their first game back. This was the first step in showing the sporting world that Torisakia is back and we're making some noise this time" Holland said after the match. The performance made headlines throughout Torisakia and many sports writers and fans have called the game the "best Torisakia national team performance of all time", despite the game ending in a 0-0 draw.

It was not all rainbows however. The Ice Birds would drop their next match 1-0 to Sharktail in front of a sold out crowd at Tokai Memorial Stadium. This loss, while disappointing, was not anything close to the blowout losses that Torisakian fans had been accustomed to before. The Ice Birds' new defensive mindset has made the team much more competitive in today's sporting environment, where fast paced offense isn't going to always get you the best results. "The key to a strong offense is an even stronger defense" Holland told TSPN after the Sharktail match. "If we want to get serious on offense, we have to be solid on the other end of the pitch. Scoring 4, 5, and 6 goals a game might be fun, but it means nothing when you can't keep the other team from scoring the same amount and more".

Holland, who has been the manager for Hove Beach AFC since 2017, has been widely heralded as a defensive guru in the Torisakia domestic scene, popularizing the 4-4-1-1 formation in the Torisakia Minor Soccer League and later the Torisakia Soccer League. Hove Beach AFC has consistently ranked among the top in both leagues in defensive metrics. Holland is also known for his upbeat and positive personality in regards to his teams' performances and is sometimes referred to as "Dad" by many of his players due to his fatherly nature and relationship he fosters with them.

Torisakia rebounded the next match with a 1-0 victory over Kingdom of Castille, a team not ranked much higher than the Ice Birds in the KPB. It was another defensive game for Torisakia, but at the same time an offensive slugfest as both teams combined for only 6 shots and 2 on goal, one of those coming from rightfielder Marshall Fabe in the 78th minute that ultimately gave Torisakia their first win of World Cup 94. Holland was asked about the lack of offensive production after the match. "[I'm] not going to lie, it's a slow process. I said it when I was introduced as the national team manager and I'll say it again: it's not going to be easy. No one on this team expected to be playing well right off the bat, and the defensive prowess we've shown has been surprising, but it's not about how you start but rather how you finish. Sure we may only win a game by a point while only attempting three goals in the first couple of games, but once that breakout offensive game comes through and things begin clicking, look out world".

"[Our] first win of the new era is in the books" Holland said post-match. "And by 'our' I don't mean just the team. I'm including all Torisakian fans, supporters, and everyone who made this possible. Without the dedication and effort, the team may still be six feet under".

The Ice Birds had a matchday off before coming back home to host 109th ranked Hopal at the Vinewood Bowl in Douglas-La Pryor. This game proved to be the breakout offensive game that Holland had alluded to. Amid an astounding defensive effort by the Ice Birds, four different Torisakians scored en route to a 4-1 win over Hopal in front of 94,564 spectators, slightly more than the Vinewood Bowl's capacity. The first goal came in the 11th minute on a breakaway cross from Aristide Wallace to Todd Rothe, giving Rothe his 8th international goal in his otherwise young career. The next goal came at the 25th minute when a corner kick from Darion Arissen was headed in by Paxton Ruedi, his first international goal. The third goal came just before half time at the 42nd minute on a 33 yard shot form Jayden Gray, also his first international goal. The Ice Birds held a 3-0 at half time and showed no signs of slowing down. Hopal managed a single goal at the 60th minute to cut Torisakia's lead down, but the Ice Birds would extend the lead back at the 68th minute on a cross-header from Leon Dohman. The scoring would end and Torisakia emerged victorious for their first win at home.

The win puts Torisakia at a 2-1-1 record and 5th in Group 2, although it's still too early in the tournament for group rankings to effectively matter. Next up, the Ice Birds go on the road to take on Ethane, who has yet to win a game so far and sits at 0-2-3 in Group 2. Afterwards, they'll return home to play TJUN-ia, ranked 22nd in KPB, at New Logan Stadium, the first time the national team will play in the city and district of New Logan in nearly 60 years.

[Stevencousin]

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CASSAHOLM POST
People Most Trusted Media

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TV Host: Welcome to the loyal viewers! Here we have a notable football analyst, Otto von Linkworth, also a former national head coach who will discuss Stevencousin's side's performance after five games in the 94th World Cup Qualifying campaign. Welcome, Otto von Linkworth!

Otto von Linkworth: Thank you, nice to be here.

TV Host: Let's see how Stevencousin is doing after five games. They are in fifth place with three wins and two losses. How do you rate their performance so far?

Otto von Linkworth: After five games, Stevencousin's performance can be said to be at a good level. They recorded three wins and two losses, scoring nine goals and conceding ten goals. Although they are fifth in the group, their goal difference is only -1, showing that they are still competitive with the other teams in this group.

TV Host: Interesting coach. Is there a standout player in Stevencousin's team?

Otto von Linkworth: Yes, Steven Cheyrou, he stood out as the main striker of Stevencousin's team with four goals. A high-goal contribution from a player shows his ability and efficiency in attacking. If he continues to play in good form, it can boost the team in achieving their goals.

TV host: How about the performance of the team at home and away?

Otto von Linkworth: In these five games, Stevencousin recorded two home wins and one loss. This shows that they are a pretty strong team at home. However, when playing away from home, they recorded one win and one loss. This performance shows that this team is able to play well in both situations.

TV Host: Thank you for your analysis coach. What do you think of Stevencousin's journey so far?

Otto von Linkworth: Overall, Stevencousin's performance has been positive. They are fifth in the group and still have a chance to continue their qualifying campaign well. Home and away wins show their ability to face opposing teams. While there is still room for improvement, this team has the potential to be successful in the remainder of the campaign.

TV Host: Thank you for your views. That's the latest analysis of Stevencousin's performance. Stay tuned for more exciting news and analysis.

MD04  Kharakia 1–2 Stevencousin [@Capitol Stadium, Kharakia City]
SVI Scorer: Steven Cheyrou min. 28 & Gregory Gigliotti min. 77

MD05: Stevencousin 3–2 Ancherion [@Readymann Ground, Fixmouth]
SVI Scorer: Steven Cheyrou min. 16, Válter Folha min. 41 & Leon Voloshyn min. 88

[Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer]

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer loses two

Fligsive, Euran Oceania Territories - Considering Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer's lost against Vilita on matchday 3, this is three losses in a row for the Jean-Jacquois. On matchday 4, the Tapirs received Dantopia at the complexe sportif national and the Lions ate the Tapirs 5-2. Dantopia attacked at the 11th minute when Ezra Cunningham was dribbling with the ball and passed to Brent Bartholomew-Barnham who kicks it in the net and it was 1-0 Dantopia. The Lions increased their lead at the 24th minute when Brent Bartholomew-Barnham scored on a direct free kick. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer answered at the 31st minute when Marcelin Nkoulou made a header pass to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau who heads it past Jeffrey Danchevy. After scoring 4 goals in the Baptism of Fire, she finally scores her first one in the qualifications on matchday 4. The score was 2-1 Dantopia, and they increased their lead at the 41st minute when Adebayo Adeyemi was dribbling with the ball and cutting inside and making a short pass to Michael Danchevy who kicks it past Serge Bleau-Bean. The score was 3-1 Dantopia at halftime. The Lions keeps on their goals fest when, at the 68th minute, Lewis Shank made a long pass to Will Fodderingham who dribbled and kicked the ball from 20 meters. The ball is in and the score is 4-1. At the 77th minute, Nathan Fauteux-McGrath made a cross to Carlo Guignard who kicked the ball and it's a goal! Dantopia answered at the 83rd minute with a goal from Manny Moses who subbed in 10 minutes earlier. The final score was 5-2 Dantopia.

On the next week, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer travelled to the Euran Oceania Territories, located in Anaia. These territories didn't publish any information about them but with some research we figured out the match is played at the Flynn Arena in Fligsive, a 96,000 seated stadium that was used at the World Cup qualifications 92. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer attacked at the 14th minute and had a corner kick. Nathan Fauteux-McGrath kicked the ball but a defender clears it. Serge Bleau-Bean took the ball and made a long pass to Ludwig Baumgartner who receives the ball and made a short pass to Félix Bourguignon who kicks it past the goalkeeper. The territories which belongs to Eura tied the game at the 22nd minute when player #11 received a cross and kicked the ball into the net. The game was tied at 1-1 and it was the score at halftime. The Tapirs took the lead at the 49th minute when Louis-Philippe Berlinguette passed the ball to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau and she kicks it past the goalkeeper. The Euran Territories tied the game again at the 86th minute when they scored on a penalty. The score was 2-2. At the 90 +1 minute, an Euran defender steals the ball from Carlo Guignard and made a long pass to the #10 who dribbled and passed to #7. #7 kicks it into the net and it was the winning goal. The Euran Oceanian Territories won 3-2.

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer is now in last position in group 15 with two draws and three losses. The Tapirs will receive Patriotlandia on matchday 6 but the match will be played on Terrain de soccer 2 rather than Terrain de soccer 1 due to some maintenance on Terrain de soccer 1. Ludwig Baumgartner will be unavailable for matchday 6 and Anne-Marie Luong will replace him in the starting XI. Then, on matchday 7, the Jean-Jacquois will travel to Ziwana.


Paul-André Veilleux

[Sharktail]

Sharktail Post 79

We have discussed the decline and the lack of talented backers for the squad we have now.  However, there is a question that arises whether we do not have a cover or they are not highlighted too much.

We can start from the goalkeeper position as the first topic of discussion, but we leave and focus on the right back position.  This position in the Sharktail system can be said to play a big role, both defensively and offensively.  One of the reasons this position is highlighted is because it is a position that has players from the early Sharktail generation.

Irfan Danial, is synonymous with this position.  Lined up the Sharktail under-18 squad at SWC 5 and 6, with one runner-up title.  Later, he was called to the under-21 squad for DBC 44. Playing with Sharktail at all levels.

Sharktail's return to the international scene, Irfan Danial was called up to the national squad on MAC 4 at Pemecutan.  His name remained in the national squad, also as a backup in WCQ 85. The first match as a starter came in the MAC 5 championship. It was also the same year that Irfan left and migrated to the neighboring country of Eraman, signing a contract with Damaisari.

MAC 6 became a historic moment for him, winning the MAC cup which was also the first for Sharktail. Irfan was clearly an important asset for Sharktail, remaining the main choice for Sharktail's right back position until World Cup Q 88. A little internal conflict occurred at the beginning of World Cup 89, but Irfan returned as the main choice in the squad.  Irfan Danial finally had to retreat a bit, and another important Sharktail player in the right back position, Izz took over the duties at CoH 81.

CMFA MAC 9 saw Izz dropped and didn't able to confirm himself as the starter right back.  Irfan back and backed up by Kota Jembal's new left defender, Hatim.  Sharktail won their second MAC trophy defeating Trollerborg 2-1 in the Final.  Second trophy for Irfan Danial.  When the backup often changes, Irfan remains the main choice of every manager who manage Sharktail.

It's hard to see a player capable of being the first choice for a long period of time unless they are great and reliable.  Players like Izz, Hatim and few more come close to Irfan, but none able to remove Irfan from the starter position.  How the other doing while playing at Sharktail, cover in the next edition.

[Acastanha]

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Let the Court Decide

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After Palidas Parliament overruled the law made by Ketampi/Ocidental Provincial Parliament about their referendum plan, Ketampi Government decided to take the issue to the Supreme Court. "We believe that this is the last resort that we can take, so we can have our referendum," said the spokesperson to the government. Abdul Ghani, the governor, made a statement yesterday that they will take any path to held the referendum. Elsewhere, the Supreme Court spokesperson stated that the case is already received, and it will be consult to the constitution court within the Supreme Court. "The case would be between Ketampi Government versus Palidas Parliament. In the case, the Ketampi Government challenged the decision made by Palidas Parliament who overruled their referendum law," explain the Court's spokesperson.

In another place, a peace protest was held in the capital of Palidas Republic this morning. The protestors were gathering in front of the Parliament building. They demand the Parliament to abolish their decision and give the permit for a referendum to Ketampi Province. The Parliament decision was highly unpopular that the citizens opinion of the Parliament decline to the lowest position in history. "I think their decision was surreal that we can't accept it. It feels like these people become so stubborn that they can't see about what actually that the people want. Why do they have to take away their rights of self-determination?" comment one of the protestors. Many political experts have also warned the Parliament of Palidas that their decision might create Keise 2.0 within Acastanha. "We don't want it to happen. These MPs are thinking of only themselves. I think. I do understand about their concern if Ketampi breakaway from Palidas. But I think it is not the right decision," said Andre Aramde, political expert.

The issue is already viral for several weeks in media social. And most of the comments are sided with Ketampi people. The official website of Palidas Parliament had to limit their comment section after a flood of hate comments were posted in their post about the overruled of the referendum. In the end, with the case is now under the review of the Supreme Court, we have to wait for the Court decision. And whatever the result is, both parties have to abide to the decision.

MD 4
Brusseldorf 3 - 3 Acastanha
@ Brusseldorf

Goal :
Brinanko (16')
Alindoni (48')
Gothrado (69')

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MD 5
Acastanha 4 - 3 United Hawkland
@ Estádio Estadual de Pálidas, Porto Espinhosa

Goal :
Gothrado (9')
Alindoni (21', 83')
Regendi (57')

MD 6
Kharakia v Acastanha
@ Capitol Stadium, Kharakia City

MD 7
Acastanha v Ancherion
@ Estádio Nacional de Arra, Arrachai

Starters
GK Santiago Karba
LB Geraldo Panguang
CB Olegario Kastorino
CB Santiago Urupao
RB Lino Gordoroh
LM Lisandro Turtapa
CM Manuel Kaskando
CM Igor Erdagh
RM David Gothrado
ST Manuel Brandas
AT Felix Kalchankar

Reserve
GK Jordan Rantopago
GK Horacio Gerunde
LB Adriano Obria
LB Lino Pamisola
CB Tomas Ino
CB Nico Junko
RB Aurelio Piskron
LM Almiro Tritus
CM Plinio Adondare
CM Rolando Hambri
RM Claudio Ampa
RM Fluvio Sakhrado
ST David Yushankar
AT Fluvio Ulamar

Role
Captain : David Gothrado
Corner kick : Geraldo Panguang, Santiago Urupao
Free kick : David Gothrado or Manuel Brandar
Penalty : Felix Kalchankar

[Graintfjall]

RP bonus stats for MD1-5

The mean RP bonus earned ~75% of the max RP bonus.
The median RP bonus earned ~80% of the max RP bonus.
The STDEV was ~25% of the max RP bonus.

~84% of RPs earned at least 50% of the max RP bonus.
~60% of RPs earned at least 85% of the max RP bonus.
~33% of RPs earned 100% of the max RP bonus.