World Cup 94 [roleplays]

[Tumbra]

T H E L O N G R E A D
Stephen Williams' very long, very tiring, very straining week gets even longer
Johan Mooy

Being Prime Minister of Tumbra isn't easy. That's a truism, of course; that the top job in all of Tumbran politics is also the hardest one isn't exactly something that is difficult to point out. This week, however, has been particularly difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Williams. It began with the Minister for Commerce and Industry Michael Greenwood having to apologise for using unparliamentary language — he was caught on a hot mic calling an opposition Labour MP a "dimwitted f**khead" — and it ended with the strongest rumours yet that the National Party, the long-term junior coalition partners of Williams' Liberals, might be tearing themselves apart.

SHOWDOWN IN CLEARMONT

By the time the first rumours of the Nationals splitting hit the grapevine on Wednesday, Greenwood's hot mic incident was long a rumour of the past. The cleavage, as it always does, comes back to the referendum on the "Flattening"; going from 25 states in Tumbra to just 10. Proponents say this will consolidate culturally-similar states, increase economies of scale, and reduce tax expenditures on service duplication; while the government has promised more powers will be devolved to these new ten super-states. Opponents, meanwhile, cry that state boundaries — which have been in place since the eleven years of the Republic's foundation in 1864 — are as part an immutable part of the state's culture as the names.

Both sides have feasible arguments to back up their cases; both sides have seen polling numbers for the hypothetical referendum bob and dob around the 40% level, with a significant number of Tumbrans as of yet undecided. But when it comes to party politics — and it always seems to come back to party politics in Tumbra — the Nationals seem to be split right down the middle. It makes sense, given that their historical roots are that of an agrarian, economically conservative, pro states-rights' party (with none of the negative, dogwhistling connotations that phrase holds in other, more flawed democracies). In short, the Nationals want the farmers of the country to be left alone. Except when it comes to the singular issue of subsidies, which is probably the sole issue that they're in favour of greater federal interventionism.

The Flattening thus provides two conundrums for the Nationals. On one hand, reduced tax expenditures spent on financing the basket cases that are the states of Tumbra means a reduced tax burden on their voting base. On the other hand, the prospect of power being further centralised in ten of Tumbra's big metropolises — your Counos, Straton-Serrapinces, Lakewood-Heshams, Kingsburys, Nantwiches, Ridgewells, Fontwells, Hoxfords, Bencoolens, and Washingtons — is anathemic to the states' rights part of the Nationals' platform. Thus any federal National MP is tasked to choose between the economic side of the argument (in favour of the Flattening) and between the cultural side of the argument (against the Flattening).

It's not been obvious as to which side each member of the Nationals have chosen, of course, but the media has done their usual thing. Nationals leader Jon Blair, ever keen to maintain the long-term coalition with the Liberals, has taken the economic side of the argument; he's gone around the country in the states where the Nationals remain active, speaking of a reduced tax burden. His main opponent? Arguably the figure that occupies Blair's nightmares; Jack Hinchcliffe, scion of the powerful Hinchcliffe family that has, in some form or another, dominated National party politics and turned Clearmont's branch of the party into the most influential of the chapters that remain active in the country. Ironically, both Blair and Hinchcliffe are from Clearmont; the Beaumonts, the party that dominates the northern branches of the party, have seen their family influence recede in power as the latest generation of the political family has seemingly shunned politics in search of greener pastures in the private sector. In their stead comes Tom Gregory, the former Minister for Labour and Pensions and current Minister for Health; who has been nicknamed the "Minister for Cuts", sometimes with a decisively less flattering 'n' inserted somewhere between the 'u' and the 't'.

Of course, that ignores the third influential branch of the party; the Hamilton branch, led by Ian Cunningham and who is widely seen as waiting for the wind to blow decisively in either Blair's or Hinchcliffe's direction before making any decision on who to throw his support behind. Right now, Blair and Hinchcliffe are in an uneasy truce; Hinchcliffe recognises that he's still inexperienced (he is only a third-term MP, and one of those terms quite infamously lasted for four whole months) and that his time will come soon, while Blair...well, all Blair can really do is look over his shoulder nervously and hope that the knives aren't pointed at his back. Thankfully, for now he's got Gregory's secure backing — the two are close personal friends and allies — and Cunningham's much less secure backing, meaning that he should be safe from a coup.

That is, until the events of this week.

THE REPORT OF THE WEEK

So what exactly happened this week? Well, a long-running crisis within the Clearmont state National Party continued to boil. For those unaware of the intricacies of Clearmontese state politics, the Nationals and Liberals have a far more equal relationship than elsewhere in the country; National premiers of Clearmont aren't uncommon. That state party recently suffered a split of its own over the referendum; with nearly two-thirds of its caucus splitting to join the nascent, right-wing New Democratic Party, which operated on a platform far more hostile to the referendum than the Nationals have been. A state election came and went; the Nationals were reduced to a rump, and the infighting on the right spelled an end to nearly twenty-five years of National government and a Labour government taking over. The Clearmont party has been licking its wounds ever since; while it held on to all of its seats in the 2033 federal election, the New Dems made major surges in National-held seats, meaning that the once-solid foothold the party had over the Clearmont rural areas isn't as strong as it once was.

Enter Julian Munro. Munro is the current Vice President of the Federal Republic — as per the coalition agreement, the Liberals get to nominate a presidential nominee, while the Nationals nominate the vice president. Munro was very much a reluctant nominee; the only real high-powered National politician with enough star power to defeat the all-star team of former Liberal premier of Georgia Maximilian Young and former Labour premier of Marcato Elaine Cho, who ran on a platform of "saying no to the referendum." Munro's departure from the position of Premier of Clearmont — a position he held from 2016 to 2025 — destabilised the party. The rumour that first emerged on Tuesday — the rumour that has led to Stephen Williams' very long, very tiring week — was that Munro was considering resigning from the vice presidency to return to Clearmont and attempt to steer the Nationals back to relevance.

But how did that lead to the rumours of the Nationals splitting?

In less than 12 hours, Munro's office denied the rumours — though everyone I spoke to on the evening of the press release agreed that it was an extremely half-hearted denial and probably confirmed that Munro was seriously considering quitting the vice presidency — but Nationals leader Jon Blair somehow wrongly pre-empted the denial and went ahead with the narrative of allowing the Liberals to choose the replacement Vice-President in the case that Munro resigned. This has also been tradition.

But the spanner in the works came when Hinchcliffe, seemingly in response to Blair's statement while completely forgetting that Julian Munro himself had not made a response to the rumours of him quitting the office yet — asserted that the Nationals should instead be able to pick their own vice presidential replacement. That set off the cat amongst the pigeons; and the possibility of a leadership spill within the National Party has increased dramatically, with the fragile peace between Blair and Hinchcliffe shattered. A semi-public war of words has dominated the political airwaves since Wednesday; with the Liberals being unable to get a word in sideways. Privately, the Prime Minister is thought to be furious at the developments; he himself was (and some suspect, still is) a supporter of a merger between the Liberals and the Nationals), and this public show of disunity is everything that he dislikes about the National Party. The last most analysts heard of him, however, was that Blair had persuaded Williams not to wade in and make things worse; thus far, Williams has acceded to his Deputy Prime Minister's request, even if the more lasting impression this political week has given off is that Williams can hardly be trusted to lead his own coalition.

And that was the end of Wednesday.

SPILLS AND SPLITS

So why the rumours of a split within the Nationals, when only a spill has been threatened? Thursday was dominated by will-they, won't-they discourse as the Chairman of the Nationals, Harold Willis announced that a leadership spill would require ten of the party's thirty-one MPs to move, sparking more speculation that Hinchcliffe could move as soon as that very day. Ultimately, the day passed without a spill motion being moved, but only because of yet another leak from an as-of-yet unnamed source that said that Blair was seriously considering jumping ship to the Liberals if he was ousted as leader of the Nationals.

The Nationals seem to have a leak problem — one somewhat more serious than a submarine rated for 1300m diving to a depth of 4000m — but it did seem to have the intended effect of scaring off Hinchcliffe from moving too decisively, lest his crowning moment be ruined by a secession movement which would see the former leader of the party and the leader of the second most influential branch of the party pack up and join the Liberals. Still, speculation over a leadership spill remains rampant; and the next week will widely be seen as crucial as to whether Blair vs Hinchcliffe comes to a head. If Blair wins, Hinchcliffe will likely find himself frozen out for the foreseeable future, a victim of moving too early; should Hinchcliffe win, and the Blair-Gregory wing of the party depart, then the Nationals and Liberals' relationship could very well deteriorate to the point that the Lib-friendly Nats jump ship and embrace the blue, while the Nats depart the coalition and embrace the anti-referendum side of the argument. This would probably see them linking up with the New Democrats, Federalists, and whatever remains of the Conservatives to try and form a hard-right, states-rights focused electoral alliance that could prove tricky for the next general election. Either option is something that the Prime Minister would rather avoid; if his junior coalition partners aren't willing to merge into the Liberals, the best they could do, at least, would be to shut up and at least provide a united front. Having half of the junior coalition party join his side wouldn't be half bad, but it's un-needed chaos in a time where the ship has been sailing well, and by all accounts, Williams is beginning to wind down his tenure as PM and hand over to someone from his own ideologically moderate wing of the party.

And should Vice President Munro resign, Williams gets a free hand to nominate the next Vice President regardless; Blair would happily let the PM do so, while Hinchcliffe would be overpowered by the PM in the interests of honouring the coalition argument. Should Hinchcliffe try to tear up that coalition agreement, Williams gets a free choice of nominee anyway. But it's rather a situation he'd do without — and there's probably no doubt in his mind that the Prime Minister would rather be dealing with one of his ministers caught calling an opposition MP a "dimwitted f**khead" than his own junior coalition partners tearing themselves to shreds.

And even that feels like an eternity ago.

26-PLAYER SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP 94 QUALIFIER MATCHES vs BRUSSELDORF and vs. UNITED HAWKLAND
Link to full roster
Goalkeepers: 1 - Nick Barker (FC Inter Nantwich), 12 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 13 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United)
Defenders: 2 - Annie Renton (Victoriaville City, CDG), 18 - Chris Finney (Serrapince); 4 - Ian Ashburn (Lakewood City), 5 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 14 - Wendy Pritchett (Grande Mountain, CDG), 20 - Christine Whitfield (Myana, CMT), 24 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE); 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston FC, QUE), 19 - James Green (Bavingtor FC)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 15 - Mark Finnemore (Couno Rangers), 32 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City); 8 - Vincent Hicks (Couno Rangers), 16 - Ian Robertson (Ridgewell Rovers), 33 - Wendy Thomas (Alnio, CMT); 10 - Phil Cole (Osarese Marcadia, AUD), 35 - Natalie Coleman (Bikarish, PFA)
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells (AFC Treason, NPH), 17 - Rebecca Haines (FC Inter Nantwich, TMB); 9 - Lynne Crossley (Crossroads, CMT), 21 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)
Strikers: 11 - Nick Riordan (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), 22 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City)

[Huayramarca]

Home of René Dañín, Cumbayá - 15/04/1989 - 11:05 p.m.

“For how much I have to continue repeating you, René, that before sticking your nose into the problems of others, you must clean your own house” said the mother of René Dañín, the de-facto president of Huayramarca as Dañín commented her about the situation ongoing in the Ocean of Ayes. For the uninitiated, René Dañín has been recently elected as president of Huayramarca, after Marta Mamani got impeached due to a scandal on which she altered the core principles of the Huayramarcan Civil Charter, those regarding alternatives in power and re-elections.

“But mama, there’s a significant escalation happening in the Ocean of Ayes. Cardenao, apparently, wants to do some military exercises, Ko-oren wants to show some muscles and display a new maritime fleet for combat readiness, the Ochre Islands are jumpy and want to defend in case Cardenao decides to mess with them.” Said René, to which his mother replied infuriatedly “You’re so stubborn, René… For the love of God! I repeat my question ‘What does Huayramarca has to do in this situation? Does it affect us?” Dañín, in an attempt to calm her mom, makes a silence gesture as it is 11 p.m. already, she says “I don’t give a fuck.”

“Mom, we have a lot to do in that situation. Ko-oren utilises the sea routes near the San Carlos Archipelago. Our strategy as a nation has been to develop the isles into a touristic zone, having strong military presence could harm that image we are trying to build… Well, leaving aside that we also have military vessels there.” Said Dañín in an attempt to persuade his mother, to which he replied “Let them be, as we have our right to have those vessels, they have their right to do so… Although, if they dare to fuck around, I hope you make them find out Huayramarca and blow them in the skies.”

Dañín’s mother, who is 94 years old, has been an inspiration, a talisman for the already seasoned lawyer and constitutionalist working in the Supreme Court of Huayramarca; she has always been pretty pragmatical and has tried to leave her imprint on him, although she has failed because of the fascination of lawyers on the shape of things, the procedures and bureaucratic rituals that have to be done always. That situation has caused a growing sense of frustration, as she thinks she has failed as a mother for not doing that, quite contradictory…

“So, you’re telling me to obliterate Ko-oren in case they dare to attack? I will not do that, as they will never attack first, they’re a self-defence navy” said Dañín, to what his mother, who was watching how Huayramarca defeated Ko-oren, of all teams, at the World Cup Qualifiers, replied “Learn to be as resolute as Bryan Tello, he doesn’t forgive if they’re a self-defence thingamajig, he just scores.” Dañín says, in a final attempt to calm his mother, “Mom, it’s time to take the sleeping pill.” As he grabs a pill and a glass of water to give it to her “Enough nonsense from you today.” René takes his mother to sleep, then he goes to sleep, as he needs some energy for what it looks like to be a hard day coming.

Palacio del Altiplano, Chuquiago - 16/04/1989 - 10:27 a.m.

Dañín has made the quite long trip to Chuquiago to solve some important matters of the situation ongoing in the Ocean of Ayes. Dañín has sworn to defend the Civic Charter of Huayramarca, a charter that has a special clause when it comes to the foreign affairs of Huayramarca and its involvement in Anaian affairs, henceforth, Dañín is a staunch defender of Anaian Integration, to the point that he decided to create a cabinet for said purpose, which coordinates some activities with the Ministry of Defence. This was one of the few times that the Ministry of Defence would be of some utility for Huayramarca, as the nation tends to be pretty neutral in international affairs, always pretending to focus on peace and integration.

Dañín knew that there was some potential for things to go out of reach for a possible peaceful situation, until he was notified that “The South-Eastern neighbour has asked for a peace meeting in Emberton” said an intern to the Minister of Defence and to René. That neighbour is Krytenia, and the Huayramarcans just have the fixation of trying to overdo their neighbours on every field possible, yet failing at the attempt as if it was the national sport. “So, they’re trying to get into peace accords? But what about Ko-oren, they’re trying to flex some muscles in the Ocean of Ayes, we need to keep control of those waters as we’re fomenting trade routes and tourist activities into our EEZ.” Said the Minister of Defence Gabriel Silva.

Silva has been somewhat experienced with navy affairs, being the man in charge of the expansion of this ramification of the army since 1980 and the unification of the San Carlos Archipelago under the Huayramarcan bicolour. Some of his worries was to see how his plan, and ambition, to see Huayramarca as the top power in the area could be in a threatening situation by Cardenao and Ko-oren; considering those points, he said “Ok, we can strengthen our arsenal silently and make sure we can react to any kind of situation like this in the future, isn’t it?” to what Dañín took a moment, then replied “Well, yes, we need to safeguard our citizens and our EEZ, not letting foreign navies crossing it unless it’s for cooperation issues.”

Silva, as Dañín mentioned the word “cooperation issues” had to process some ideas in his mind, as he was trying to configure an idea for the de-facto president of Huayramarca “What about planning on building a military block in this zone of Anaia, more like a collective treaty entity?” Dañín replied “Well, that does sound like a great plan, still we have to make sure of having some sort of upper hand in this situation.” Silva had to process the idea a bit further, then he added “That’s due to our strategic position, I would guess.” Dañín said “Yes, although you shouldn’t be guessing that you should keep that as a sort of mantra already.” Silva, now with the needed understanding, said “We will get in that, there’s a plan already, but I need to assess you a bit more on it.”

Silva picked a screen projector and pointed to a wall, then connected a cable to it and started to project a map of the San Carlos Archipelago and some vital lines that he has already considered in the defence strategy. “We already have good projection between the archipelago and Continental Huayramarca, that helps; although there’s room for a peaceful initiative of expanding our area of protection, you can pass this fast if you consider that you plan to combat illegal fishing and drug smuggling through the coast… Remember, there’s a lot of merchants trying to bypass the allowed ways to commercialise drugs.” Said Silva, Dañín picked up a laser and pointed a big blank area in the Ocean of Ayes, then said in a resolute way “We need to patrol this, a way of having some soft control is, as you said, patrol in search of illegal fishing and drug smuggling, that should be enough.”

Suddenly, a navy intern walked through the meeting room and said “Chief, the Monitor Huáscar has been floating adrift as we lack economic resources to buy spare parts.” René had a thought on his mind, it was his mother laughing aloud, rolling on the floor, and saying, “I told you, innocent kid, we have nothing to do there.” Then, he facepalmed and thought aloud “If we aren’t able to keep a ship in a stablished direction, if we aren’t available to buy spare parts, then we have to resort to the military coalition plan, we should also do some peacekeeping.” Silva then hesitated to talk, but tried to do so with some shame “I uh… uh… We will g-get into t-this as so-oon as p-possible. Sorry” then Dañín patted him in the back “I don’t blame you; this is Huayramarca after all, not Eura.”

Then, the secretary of Dañín appeared, as he had to remind him about meetings “President, we have to go to the meeting with the Minister of Anaian Integration.” Then he told Silva to come, as he was going to take part of the meeting to define the strategy of Huayramarca for the situation ongoing in the Ocean of Ayes. “Ok, we are going now” said to the secretary as they walked across the Palacio del Altiplano to a meeting hall, one which has windows facing to Mount Illimani, the sacred mountain in the outskirts of Chuquiago, perhaps as a reminder on what they must decide after.

“Ok, we must keep calm until the Illimani falls down” (an idiom that refers to patience, or a long time) said Erminia Carranza, the Minister of Anaian Affairs while opening the window to let some fresh air enter in the room. “We have to put a hold to any military plans in the future, our constitutional priority is to seek for Anaian unity, and we need to hold some conversations with the parts in order to establish some protocols for territorial disputes.” Added, then Silva said “Aren’t we being too meticulous? We need to have some flexibility, agility, and that’s what the military can provide, we can adapt easily to the situations by just dropping some missiles. Problem solved!” Dañín corrected “We don’t have money to buy spare parts, let alone dropping missiles. Stop daydreaming!”

“Ok, I will stop daydreaming… Perhaps I should restrain my inner kid passion to take Request for Duty seriously” said Silva while Carranza laughed, “you really played that much Request for Duty.” Silva then added “I did, I loved to play as Eura and kick some Corvidae forces; playing as a Communist in Nyowani Kitara was fun.” Dañín said “Well, this isn’t a videogame, there are consequences too.” Silva said, “There are consequences on videogames too, there’s chance to provoke the AI and make it carpet-bomb my territory.” Carranza sighed, then added “Huayramarca’s committed to be a peaceful nation that focuses on peacekeeping activities, we won’t carpet-bomb Ko-oren nor Cardenao nor the Ochres, we actually get along with those nations.” Silva said “Oh, ok, sorry.” Then he added “We could send a peacekeeping force near there; it could work as a neutral deterrent to avoid attacks from both sides.” Carranza replied and said, “That’s the best I have listened from you, finally you got your neurones working!” Silva laughs, yet his face is red in shame again.

“Seriously, though, I think the best course of action is to invite the nations involved in this situation to a dialogue at the feet of Mount Illimani, we will provide a message of a long-lasting peace, as you said in the idiom, then a protocol of collaboration with the navies so we combat illegal fishing and drug smuggling… That should be enough to keep those navies busy and divert their possible expansionist ideas for a bit.” Said Silva, both Dañín and Carranza nodded at the idea suggested, then Dañín told his secretary “Please, redact a statement that Huayramarca will seek for peace and invites all the parts for a political summit at the summit of Mount Illimani, so we can agree terms for peacekeeping and deterrent activities against drug smuggling, and they can enjoy the views from up top, relax their minds and change their positions.” The secretary added “I’m sure they will enjoy the breathtaking views; they need something new to make their minds go into a deep state of relaxation… There’s no better cure than touching some grass, I mean, touching some snow at the top of Illimani.”

“We suffer, but we have fun.” Said Silva, basically resuming how Huayramarcans enjoy life, “we need to help them find the bright side of things. Mihaly, the Ko-orenites, the Ochres; and even us, we need to touch some grass.”

[Valanora]

Sometimes a manager can make a small adjustment and everything just simply clicks together for the rest of the side and the entire team gets significantly better because of that adjustment. The best managers are able to make that sort of change easily, knowing when and where to make the changes so that they may have the largest impact on the squad and get the best result out of the change put in place. If it twas not clear before he took over the job as the Marauders manager a few tournaments ago, Dan Eastwood is among the best of managers in the game currently, and the last international window once again gave all those watching a glimpse as to why that is the case. While the Marauders offensive output and efficiency by no means had been poor through the first half of qualifying, it had been quite good even, there was something lacking from the play that was keeping the offense from being truly great. Having one of the best strikers in the world coming in off the bench probably had something to do with that and as had been expected at the start of qualifying, Eastwood finally relented and brought Lothas Ludwig back into the starting lineup for the Marauders.

Sixteen goals across two games and a very impressive six point window that firmly puts the Marauders in the driving seat when it comes to at minimum grabbing a playoff spot from the group, if not taking the group title and the automatic qualifying spot that comes with it. Elvatoes had been performing fairly well in the campaign when they came to visit the Marauders at the Hatire Memorial in Capri, having been as high as fourth place in the group within a few matchdays, however they could not have been prepared mentally or physically for the sheer dominance that was going to be put on display against them. Palminger by no means is a bad striker, she's good, perhaps even great, but she is not elite and that is what Lothas Lugwig has been over his Marauders career. A first half hattrick was proof positive that the striker had been biting at the bit to get back onto the field and a pair of assists to boot also showed that he was not selfish to take all the glory. At the end of the day, the Marauders put elven goals past their visiting opponents with seven different goalscorers where the Marauders had the game won before a half hour had been played.

Demolishing an opponent at home is all well and good, most teams can put up a pretty amazing performance in the confines of their home ground if push comes to shove and they really need it. Having a good game away from home, that's what separates the good teams from all the rest and the Marauders want not just to be good, they want to be the greatest team that ever was. This is not a feat that can be accomplished with a single World Cup tournament though, this is a feat that happens over generations, happens through sheer tenacity, will, skill, and a touch of luck to seize the moment when it presents itself. The Marauders are already in and among that conversation with their tied record for five World Cup titles, being the second side to do it after Starblaydia did so in 47, in the Eternal Empire no less, but no one has claimed that sixth title despite four teams now tied on five and three of the four having had ample opportunities to do so. This Marauders team has that chance, provided they stay the course and keep putting up the string of performance that happened this last international window, as they followed up the demolition of Elvatoes by traveling to Safiloa and putting up another five goals in a victory.

Is this a perfect team? No, hardly, there are question marks up and down the line up and some wisdom questioning in having let some of the most impactful players of the generation not be part of the pool that was to be selected for the qualifying campaign. This was almost the case for Lothas Ludwig and Indra Söderström, which were restored to starting last window and the results speak for themselves. Questions will always linger over the defense and if it can do the job in the most intense of situations, as that has ever been the weakest point of the team and where they have oft been exploited in the past when coming so close to that sixth title and yet falling short of the marker. Perhaps the failure in the last World Cup, at having entered into the Finals as the proverbial favorite to finally capture that sixth title and falling so flat on their face as to not even advance out of the group is the sort of tonic that breeds new life and energy into the side. Those failures give perspective on how nothing can ever be taken for granted and that needs must requires full attention on every detail, lest you find yourself stumbling over a chasm into your doom rather than spotting the bridge to see you safely ahead.

Valanora - 11
Ludwig (9', 16', 34'), Hawk (19', 54'), Lundström (27', 63'), Holt (42'), Winter (50'), Vääräniemi (68'), Reyna (87')
Elvatoes - 1
Player 11 (44')
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Safiloa - 3
Player 8 (19'), Player 10 (45'), Player 11 (60')
Valanora - 5
Hawk (4'), Ludwig (22', 56'), Söderström (32'), Edvardsen (72')

[Pasarga]

It was not quite the six points from six that the Wanderers had been hoping for, but four points from the last international window manages to keep the side at the top of the group, if only just. Despite drawing with top seed Tumbra in the Stade de Torgos and then traveling to Acastanha and grabbing a narrow victory, the Wanderers are still in the same spot now as they were at the halfway point, with only a three point gap between them and second place Acastanha, who had taken the top spot in the group briefly after the scoreless draw between the Wanderers and their burgeoning rivals of Tumbra in the first game of the second half. The margins for error are so thin in the group that even an impeccable window such as what the Wanderers had against their two greatest rivals for automatic qualification in the group does not see them put any extra ground between them and their would be rivals and it looking increasingly likely that the battle for qualification from the group is likely to go the entire distance in the campaign and the side who is able to navigate the rest of the field the best will be the one who can capture that qualification spot.

History should in theory be in favor the Wanderers being the one to have the advantage here, having the three point lead with eight games left to go, and a six point lead over top pot seeded Tumbra who are trying to keep within touching distance of the top of the group. Unlike in recent memory when the Wanderers have had to be doing the chasing, they are at the head of the table looking to secure their spot rather than having to claw their way back while hoping that the group leaders or playoff position teams fail to maintain the form that they in. Rather it is the Wanderers who now have to worry about maintaining form and finding a way to find consistency in the last few matches against the rest of the group, all of whom on paper are going to be easier opponents than what the team have already have faced and whom the team managed to put together their five game win streak against in the first half of the campaign. Yet consistency has ever been the issue for the Wanderers since their inception near on a century ago and defeating an opponent twice in the campaign is far easier said than done, which should give the team a bit of pause and worry heading into the home stretch of the qualifiers.

That was in the past though and Zachary Orengo has brought a new sense of being into the Wanderers camp since taking over at just about this stage of the last World Cup Qualifiers, then guiding the side into the playoffs and from there into the Finals despite all obstacles and omens saying it should not have been possible to do so. Bringing in the Banija manager meant bringing in someone so far removed from Pasargan football that they could not possibly be influenced by their history nor the culture that had been developed around the national team program, allowing the manager to bring in their own ideas about how things needed to be run in order to get things done. This was obvious when the manager let go of the traditional Pasargan formation and brought in a more modern formation and tactical approach, shaking up the player pool as a result with new positions and style of play being introduced. Orengo is not tied to how things have been in the past for the Wanderers and under his watchful gaze, perhaps this team will be able to shake off the shackles of the past and soar into the modern age, not afraid of what might come but meeting it head on with vigor and determination.

[Cardenao]

Mihaly’s Machinations
(Part VII) (Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV),
Part V, Part VI)

The sound of his shoes hitting marble reverberated through the halls of the Palace of Tears as Mihaly strode through its secretive twists and turns. He sighed as he re-read the communique out of the Ochre Islands for the seventh time, more or less stating they were out of the burgeoning diplomatic talks set to take place in Koroa City at an as of yet undetermined time. This was a major inconvenience for him, the might of Ochre and Cardenao combined didn’t tip the scale much but it was always wise to keep your geographic connections close when dipping into international power games.

The President of Cardenao paused briefly to say goodnight to the guards standing outside his bedroom before walking in and closing the door behind him, sealing the noise of the world away from him. He liked to take a minute to close his eyes, to feel the silence of his room and center himself before getting back to the business that would keep him up until the sun started to rise. The business of the great game, working and weaseling your way to a place of respect, building Cardenao to the place of magnificence it deserved to be. This is why the Ochre Islands were so important, the pair of nations were coming to life right as it seemed Anaia slept to a certain degree and the diplomatic talks were an ideal opportunity to increase their stature within the region. But no, the Ochrens would apparently rather watch paint dry than play the game. Mihaly sighed once more as he poured two…better make that three fingers of Cardenao’s finest rum into a glass and mixed it with a local beer, a perfect concoction to keep the dark storms away.

Now what was the plan?

Mihaly settled into his chair and turned on the television, pulling up Cardenao Sports Network to watch the most recent World Cup qualifying results. He’d meant to be in attendance at the home game vs Abanhfleft, as he usually was for most Cardenao home games, but this business with the Ochrens kept him at the diplomatic table. A 3-3 draw, not entirely ideal. Another sigh, another long sip from his drink. The coverage turned to Cardenao’s 0-3 victory against Estorvipa and Estorpiva, a result that leveled them in first place with Brookstation, tied with 24 points each.

“Hellyeah that’s more like it,” he muttered to himself as Chímo Ventura’s marvelous hattrick played on the screen.

What was the plan?

Finally Mihaly had brought Cardenao to the main table. It had taken 12 years of hard work, of carefully managing the development of his nation, growing the economy sector by sector, building roads and bases and grocery stores, growing the military while cultivating some of the most productive fisheries to be found. All of this had taken all of him, but the fruits of his labor were growing indeed. And now he had an opportunity to sit in Koroa City as an equal for the first time. Ochre Islands or not, Mihaly had to seize the opportunity and keep realizing his vision for Cardenao while the iron was hot.

There was less a plan and more a loose set of rules, guidelines, and desires he would operate by in the city. A good rule was to try to make a friend where possible, but certainly don’t create an enemy if friendship can’t be found. A great rule is to assume everyone at this meeting was just as self-interested as he was, or else they wouldn’t be there. Guidelines are to act in a way to de-escalate…whatever this little spate between Ko-oren and the Ochre Islands had become but to also project strength and ambition.

There were over 50 thousand combined Triple-Threat troops in Discovery Bay, with 84 naval vessels and three aircraft carriers now crowding around Isla Aloshaki, with Quebec’s Blood Sea Fleet providing the majority of the punch There were countless helicopters buzzing around from ship to ship to land to sea and all around while the number of military aircraft totaled a respectable 575 in number. Ground vehicles such as tanks, IFVs, bridgelayers, artillery, all that good stuff was still being inventoried but all in all, it was quite the force. Certainly not the biggest in the region but one that could certainly put other nations on alert: Cardenao was serious and had serious friends.

So yes, projecting strength and ambition would be a guideline for Mihaly as he approached this meeting, which was occurring at an as of yet undetermined time, though he hoped it would be sooner rather than later so he had the backdrop of this large force to underline his words. As for desires? Well you could never have too many strategic partnerships and Cardenao was in increasing need of refrigerant gasses to help cool homes and food as Mihaly started expanding cities and modernizing households. More military allies or nations he could buy weaponry off of would be grand, as would any company similar to Banija’s RTC that could help with public infrastructure. More money was flowing into the government’s coffers than ever before and he was making good use of that to fund his national projects.

Soon the Aloshaki Alliance would be signed and construction on a massive, state of the art military base would take place on the soon to be conquered island surrounded by Triple-Threat forces. Yes, Cardenao still had many problems to be solved, but Mihaly was working on it. Slowly but surely, brick by brick it was coming together.

But now? Now it was time to watch football highlights and pass out. Tomorrow was a new day to resume the battle.

“Ah shit, almost forgot,” Mihaly said under his breath. He was getting tired of waiting for word of when this Pan-Anaia meeting would happen, time to get the ball rolling a bit. He wrote some words, the essence of what he wanted the message to say, and sent it to an aide to be put into officialspeak and sent to whatever nations of Anaia were attending or considering attending the meeting in Koroa City.

The gist of the message was simple.
When was this meeting happening? How did the Ochre Islands pulling out affect things? Mihaly was ready, Cardenao was ready.

Were they?

Mihaly settled back with that message dispatched to whomever it concerned.

Time to watch football.

[Aeragny]

Opportunity might strike for you. And sometimes it doesn't. When you get given the greatest chances in the universe, to go on a wonderful vacation, you should take them. Visit somewhere nice. Those who don't take chances they're given, oft end up in Airannia.

Do well with your holiday plans. You wouldn't want to end up visiting the country where the football team creates wonderful opportunities, builds up anticipation with upsets against high ranked teams, followed by embarrassing losses against teams that come hot off the hydraulic press of a 1-11 defeat. The country where the national team comes out of the group phase in convincing fashion, even out of an underdog position, and then loses in embarrassing, hopeless fashion. You'd probably end up in the capital, Vorácy, where the first half of home-games for this pathetic national team were organized. Luckily, the latter half will take place in Klujo; the "beautiful game" turns out to be nothing but a disgrace to the city. Why not visit the mediocre "national museum"? They named it the "Parade Museum" (Paráda Vortury); but that doesn't quite convey the clown show that entering it would be. Who's ever heard of a national museum with a science wing? And, sadly, it's not exactly an up-to-date science wing. Please, feel free to visit if you want your children to be assured that the evolution theory is still just that: a theory. And, regardless of whether or not Pluto is considered a planet in your book - it's hard to believe it was already discovered when this wing was last updated.

The rest of the expositions, such as the one with all the Airannian historic artefacts and paintings, are certainly interesting. Especially if you don't speak Aeránanue, or French, since the English translator appears to be about as good at conveying a message as the sign language interpretor who signed for the burial ceremony for Queen Uánia in 2015. In honesty, the entertainment value of the whole section shines a lot brighter due to the "English" used. One can enjoy that classic painting: "Cleric of the newstander acceptiong of the key" (The King of the New State accepting the Keys); or maybe have a look at an "Old Nautic Sign seen with Transporation" (an old merchant ship's flag (the oldest known use of the Parzhinian flag!)). Frankly though, for a country with such uninteresting history, it's already remarkably surprising that they managed to fill several rooms with drab. Though, when viewing the "Tell Guide to the Lawman Petris" (Lawmaker Petris' alleged notebook), it's easy to think some old newspapers were found in the depot, and put up for display.

It's all in all good that Airannia doesn't seem to progress in the world of football. It's best for the country to stay out of the limelight for the time being. International tourism simply isn't ready to discover the true horror that is what is supposed to be the "best" of Airannia.

[Bears Armed]

OOC: My most recent post was a direct continuation of the one before that, which means that its events took place shortly after MD#11, and as the two halves of this qualifying contest take place in successive years as far as Bears Armed is concerned this means that several months have elapsed for the people involved since then. Bearing this fact in mind I won't ontimue that story right now, I'll give you a more completed & more detailed account of this incident sometime later on -- probably as a story told by Erissabear to schoolfriends or even to teachers -- instead, once I've put rather more work into it. [teaser]I do know already how the problem is ended...[/teaser]


*******************************************************************************************************************


Matchday #15

Urrsish fans are pouring into Wimbley Stadium for their next 'home' game, which is against the "faceless" team from Bareder, and many f them aresinging the usual songs as they go... 'Arri's Furry Army' (created during the Belles' very first qualifying campaign, and commemorating their original manager 'Arri Thunder'' -- also known as John Henry Smith, a Ceoranan human in origin -- who had been adopted into the Bears' Clan Gunnar & the family therein of two player under ths name; OOC,inspired by a song titled 'Ally's Tartan Army' that dates back to when Scotland qualified for the 1978 World Cup... Yes, I'm old enough to remember that...), 'Over There' (of the same vintage,and mentioning that Cup's host Candelarias and Marquez... although doing so as 'Candelabras and Marquees'), 'Urru'sarum' (a traditional humn from the Ursion faith), 'The Banner Green and Gold' (this nation's official anthem), and 'Woods of Peace and Plenty' (an unofficial "second national anthem"). (Details of both anthems...)
From one of the twin pylons that border this venue's main entrance, the national flag of Bears Armed flies; from the other, as a courtesy, flies the flag of 'Bareder'.
At at all of the stadium's entrances there are mixed teams of shabears*, Singers, and wizards, hoping to deal with any approaching hwrackspurrts or narrgles that had either been already lingering elsewhere in the country & its people since before Wimbley & the Belles themselves were cured of such infestations or have managed to slip past the similar teams at the official entry-points into this nation with more recent visitors such as the Barederian team.
Inside the stadium, along the way to the sands and the seating areas, vendors are selling programmes, national & team flags, assorted snacks both room-temperature and heated, various drinks (althoughnot strong spirits), and even seat-cushions: The weather forecast is fine, so the [potential] sellers of rain-capes or hats have mostly not bothered to bring their wares.
Among the Urrsish fans who have already found their places are quite a few with drums, who are beginning to build up a beat and starting to coordinate with each other on this. Rattles are Numerous whirring too, and some people have even brought along musical instruemnts of other types as well... although the use of bagpipes during matches is, however, not allowed.
As this is an international match, security i being provided not only by Wimbley's usual "stewarrds" but also by on-duty members of the Council Groves Civic Police who are equipped -- in case of need -- with singlesticks. At a number of clearly-marked locations there are teams from the 'Red Octogram' organisation (OOC: c.f. 'RL's Red Cross' 'Red Crescent', 'Red Mogen David') standing by to provide first-aid assistance if necessary.

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OOC footnote
* The term 'shabear' does not originate in an Urrsish misunderstanding of the English word shaman's etymology, it is actually a comination of the Ursine word "Sha" (which means "Spirits" and "Bear" (which, in this context, means "Wise"... It can also be translated as either of the alternative adjectives "Thinking" or "Sapient", and thus -- as a noun, rather than as an adjective in those other cases, c.f -- as "Person"... c.f. Homo sapiens. The latter point means that in the 'Urso-English the word "Bear", as a noun, can apply to members of any sapient species rather than just to Ursines, and normally is not used for non-sapient members of the Ursidae... who are generally referred to by the Ursine term "Charre" instead: Of course, though, working out whether somebody is using full Urso-English or just a more standard form of English with just a few Ursine loan-words isn't always easy...).

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

N.B.Letting off flares or fireworks inside the stadium is forbidden, and isn't something that Urrsish fans would be likely to do anyway.

[Brookstation]

If I recall correctly, I was six years old then, already a menace to my both my parents. To add to their problems, my younger sibling was born just a year prior, making my mother completely occupied with her. However, the rich football culture which has been passed over generations after generations in our family continued to dominate and every matchday, my father would have a separate plan of action. He would either hit the pub with his friends or occasionally visit the Octopus’ Garden or the Fortress to witness the Norwegian wood games.

That is how things continued for a long time until one fine October morning in 1973. My dad was getting ready for the game as usual but little did he know that I was on my way to ruin his plans for the day. My mother, who at that point was sick of the entire family, insisted that it wouldn’t be possible for her to look after two young children all on her own. I saw this as an opportunity to request my dad to take me to the game as well. In order to avoid a fight breaking out and to maintain the sanctity of the house, my dad had no other option but to take me to the stadium for my first ever live football match.

October meant that spring was just about to end and winter was just about to set in. October mornings are infamous in Brookstation for their unpredictable nature. Snow had already set in in our neighbourhood and living in one of the coldest places in the nation, it could’ve been a problem for us. Nonetheless, I put on all my safety garments, a sweater layered by a coat, a purple Norwegian wood scarf and my only pair of gloves which were quite large for me.

Had I not been there, my dad would’ve been with his buddies but now that I was accompanying him, the innocent version of myself thought that I could definitely prove to be a better companion than any of his other friends. I was an avid football fan since birth and quite literally I read the sports section of the newspaper each and every single day. Thus, I was not completely unfamiliar with what I was now about to witness live. I was aware of the standings and other major statistics and I exactly knew what our team’s position was before the game.

Norwegian wood were currently sitting at the top of the table under manager Raymond Fernandez, who looked confident enough to bring back the title home after two years. I can very confidently say, even to this day, that I was the youngest member of the audience and while I was dressed up like an urchin, majority of the other spectators were elderly men, wearing suits and ties, sitting with bottles of ginger beer and smoking cigarettes which left a very strong stench throughout the stadium. We struggled but were finally able to find a pair of seats in the midst of the Purple loyal. Most of them already knew my dad and soon enough they were engrossed in a conversation about the prospects of the team. Roger Mendel had already scored over 10 goals for Norwegian wood and was in the form of his life, ready to play against the opponents and having lost eight of their last ten encounters, the fans in the club were pretty confident.

We got into the local bus, along with all the other Norwegian wood fans from the pub and the conversation continued. One of the fellows took out a few newspaper cuttings from his bag and presented it in front of us. It had news about all the teams in the league, Norwegian wood, FC Hacienda, Other side of Paradise, all of them were there. For me, it was like a treasure and I was bamboozled by the beauty of it all. I sat in my seat quietly and absorbed all the key inputs of the discussion and although I never knew who this guy was, he was one of my earliest inspirations to become a football journalist cum photographer.

There were light showers of snow when we reached Essidise and as we strolled through the paved pathways towards Lightdale. It was just around 2 pm but my father halted me as we passed through a pub and told me to wait outside for a few minutes. While standing outside the pub, I noticed two other kids, maybe a bit older than me but now I knew that I might not have been the youngest after all. Innocence had taken the better of me and I was still unaware of the pre-match rituals. Soon after, I would learn that our dads would enter the pub to get a pint of whiskey or ale. After quite some time, my father reappeared and handed me a bag of chips and a packet of onion rings to keep us going during the match. When I look back at how foolish I was at one point of time, I can’t help but blush.

We then started making our way towards the stadium before it would get too crowded and while walking, I couldn’t help but notice the hundreds of street hawkers calling the supporters to buy a scarf, a key chain or even a stupid toy whistle. I got myself a small hat and finally entered Lightdale to witness my first ever game between Norwegian wood and Waffen. To prevent us from getting completely soaked, my father got us tickets under the shade, which coincidentally provided one of the best views in the stadium.

In the stadium, I tasted a unique sort of sweet dish which must have been some sort of local delicacy but it was surprisingly tasty enough for me to remember it even today. Despite the harsh weather conditions, there were over 20,000 supporters in the stadium. Waffen might have been 10th in the table but their team possessed Richard Huard and Borislav Manev, two prominent players of the era. Also in their squad, they had Knut Koppang, who would go ahead to sign for Norwegian wood in the coming years.

Norwegian wood were by far the most popular club in the country at that time and as one of the richest clubs in the league, Norwegian wood wanted to stuff their team with young talents from all over the country. Our side featured goalkeeper, Jose Vicencio , midfielder Soham Misra, full back Farhan Naseem and of course Roger Mendel and Colin van Hecke as the propelling force of the team, the big names in the league.

The home crowd outnumbered us and were aggressive enough with their approach since the beginning. My vocabulary of slangs increased ten folds that particular afternoon after listening to the might audience. The first half passed in a matter of seconds and it felt like I was witnessing a great simulation. Although the scores were tied at 0-0, I enjoyed every second of the game thus far, impressed by the skills of the footballers.

When the second half commenced, it was dark enough for the floodlights to be turned on and then under the massive lights, Waffen turned the entire game in their favour. Minutes into the second half, Waffen took the lead through a Fernando Ribeiro goal but Alex Reifer would soon equalise for us. With the weather conditions turning suddenly harsher than ever, Knut Koppang would force in a second goal for the home team. A Norwegian wood victory seemed highly unlikely. Next up, Frank Adam would score the third goal for Waffen to guarantee their win, in a penalty, which was controversially awarded to the home side. I cared nothing about the loss because at the end of the day, it had been a magical experience for me and I couldn’t wait to tell my mother about my adventures. However, my father had quite a difficult time to cope with the mockery of the crowd and the loss, especially.

Returning back to the bus station would be a difficult affair, especially crossing the enthusiastic crowd who were delighted after the victory. Moreover, the weather was the worst it could get. It was impossible to walk through the crowd and snow but thankfully we were able to board the bus right on time. In the bus, I remembered that this loss meant that Norwegian wood were no longer at the top of the table and with great efforts, I tried to explain the situation to my dad. He replied by saying that when you are a football fan, you have to learn to deal with disappointments, a statement that I kept in mind throughout the rest of my life.

[Farfadillis]

As Yuan Zilai entered the dressing room post-practice, he was met with a rather unsightly instance of indiscipline. Specifically: the usually quite muted Vâásk Çêwé was hurling a chair at Dénes Robineau's head. The Szoirsian striker ducked just in time to avoid it.

"Why do you suppose I just hurled a chair at your head, Robineau?" Vâásk asked, somber tone, hand in chin.

"I—I don't know," Robineau replied hesitantly.

"Sure you do," Vâásk continued.

"What the fuck is going on?" Yuan asked, his imposing tone of voice undermined by his transparent shock.

Vâásk raised an eyebrow, confused. "Dénes wanted to learn to play the bongos after practice. I'm teaching him."

"Yeah, gaffer, I feel like there's an artistic side to myself I have not fully exploited yet. It could help me on the pitch."

Yuan rubbed his chin. This was far from the first instance of confusion he'd had to face since taking over the Farf NT post. He had to think quickly. "And chair-hurling is... a Farf tradition? Like that time you set my clothes on fire because I left them unattended?"

Vâásk shook his head. "No, gaffer, this is just my personal teaching style. I'm not a disciplinarian."

"So you hurl chairs," Yuan replied, quite muted.

"I hurl them in a decidedly dodgeable way. I get a feeling you wouldn't have liked my music teacher. He liked to say he was particularly adept at playing 'musical chairs' but I don't think he ever learned the correct ruleset." Vâásk paused to ponder for a second. "But he did have your obsession with early-morning training sessions."

"You mean the ones I've been setting at eleven am because none of you have ever seen a fucking clock in your entire fucking lives?" Yuan reacted reflexively, before realizing he was getting sidetracked from the chai-hurling. He shook his head. "No chair-hurling. Dodgeable or otherwise."

"Gaffer, if I may?" Jáánsêlà, typically level-headed, piped up.

Yuan sighed. The one player he felt he had to let have a word if he so asked. Great. "Yes, Lêyêló?"

"I don't think prohibiting hurling chairs at people's faces is a good idea. You've just interrupted a bonding session between two players who need to be at their best partnering up up front. If chair-hurling is what it takes for Çêwé and Robineau to develop chemistry on the pitch, I fail to see what's so wrong about that."

"Lêyê—"

"—besides, singling them out feels patently unfair. You said nothing when Frédéric turned up with a gun full of blanks and started shooting at anyone with an even number of syllables in their full names."

"Frédéric did what?"

"Oh, you missed that? He's been in the bathroom shooting blanks all by himself for a few minutes now. Tôsgo pointed out Frédéric Ybl has eight syllables."

Yuan closed his eyes, imagining himself far away from Farfadillis for a few seconds. "I take it Frédéric is not infertile yet, this is not an innuendo and he is, in fact, firing rubber bullets at himself because he's committed to the bit?"

"What bit?" Lêyêló asked, genuine confusion invading his expression. He shook it off. "Anyway, yeah."

Yuan headed straight for the bathroom, then knocked violently on the door.

"Busy!" Frédéric responded. "YEOW-OW-OW-OW!" He shrieked.

"Frédéric, open up right fucking now!" Yuan shouted as he knocked his fists on the door ever more violently. In the distance, he could hear the distinct sound of bongo-playing being rushed ever-so-slightly, followed by what might have been another hurled chair. He made a conscious effort to ignore that for now.

Frédéric opened the door. Yuan could hear him whisper. "Yuan-Zi-Lai. Three." After a brief pause, presumably to double-check, Frédéric finally replied. "What's up, gaffer?"

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Shooting blanks. Like I do with my girlfriend."

"Come again?"

"Yeah, we've got a pretty high pain threshold so we like to just go around shooting rubber bullets at each other occasionally. No aiming at each other's eyes is the only rule. Or my testicles. We don't want me, you know," he winked, "becoming infertile."

Yuan rubbed his temples. "Please start making sense and quickly."

"She floated the idea of doing it with the lads. I forgot to bring more than one gun, though."

"What's with the even-numbered thing?" Yuan asked, exasperated.

"Oh, I just thought it would be a nice touch. You know, life's unfair and all. Plus it let me focus more on Kolejes Marajis. He's still crying from pain in the other corner of the dressing room. Did you not notice him?"

"No."

"Well, he either manned up or he's been muffling his screams. Which counts as manning up a bit, I guess. Anyway, I settled for shooting at myself after Ženeva connected a very clean uppercut on me after dodging three shots. I figured if a woman can outdo me like that I deserve the pain." Frédéric finished his explanation as another chair could be heard being hurled in the distance.

Yuan let go of a very deep sigh. "Fine, have at it. Far be it from me to interrupt you in your self-flagellation. I want you to develop strength through sheer pain. Aim for painful places," he said, then shut the door, then haphazardly locked it with one of the wayward chairs that had landed close to him.

He returned to Robineau and Çêwé. Çêwé was nodding approvingly as Robineau calmly played the bongos. He looked to his left. Marajis was there after all. Audibly crying, too... and Robineau was apparently playing to that rhythm.

"Kolejes, do you need any help?" He asked, offering his hand to help him up.

"DON'T MESS WITH THE TEMPO!" Çêwé hollered before composing himself. "Sorry, gaffer, he's an important learning tool. Kick him in the balls if you want to, but don't help him."

"What?"

"Look, he'll be fine tomorrow one way or another, but Robineau can't improve at the bongos without him."

Yuan looked at Lêyêló for a voice of reason. Lêyêló shrugged.

Yuan stormed off. "Training's at 11am tomorrow, I'll be hurling chairs non-dodgeably at anyone who's so much as one minute late."

"You know that just means we'll make sure Kolejes is late somehow, right?" Wíjkâr noted right after coming out of the shower, having not heard anything from the previous exchange.

"Kolejes will get a pass."

Everyone groaned. The gaffer was being unfair.

"Yes, tough shit, I'm playing favorites tomorrow. Man up." He said, before storming off.

Çêwé nodded proudly. "He's getting the hang of it." He said.

"Robineau?" Lêyêló asked.

"Yeah. But the gaffer's not. Hopefully he can adapt sooner rather than later."

[Yue Zhou]

Zhen Qiang had never quite understood what Wu Zhongsheng's endgame was, even while the two-term President was still alive. Wu's nine-plus years in office had left an enormous legacy - the establishment and widespread recognition of the United Republics, a starring role at Varakoula, and the successful rebuilding of the Yue economy. But it had all been fairly straightforward and bureaucratic. Wu had never gone for the big personal projects or the glory, instead content to sweep the election every five years and continue the refinement of his meritocratic form of governance.

Zhen was different, though. As soon as he'd...secured power after the President's collapse, he'd gone to work chiseling a legacy in Wu's wake. The CRC referendum had passed, and Yuezhou had been warmly welcomed by the Community. A compassionate but still distinctly interventionist foreign policy had gained influence in surrounding nations. The YPA security threat, however real it had been, had been carefully extinguished without much fanfare, along with what remained of the uprisings in Sangau. And a major healthcare reform bill was in the works, as long as he could win an election without Forward Path mucking things up again. It was a more pragmatic, technocratic approach than the ideology of Zheng Zhoulun and Wu Zhongsheng. It was, as a journalist friend of his had called it, "the Zhen Qiang school of thought".

Now, though, that legacy was under threat. Wu Zhongsheng didn't have to worry about ten years of work being torn down by Liang Ziyou. No matter how right-wing Liberation Army might be, they were smart enough to recognize that they needed the government to function if they wanted to gain long-term power. But to Zhen, with his carefully curated image, every new seat Liang was projected to win threatened to erase his entire term - as if it had never been. The moment Liang got to 151, his influence over the foreign ministry would be gone, CRC membership would be at risk, and Sangau would be rioting for home rule again instead of a heavy-handed Liberation Army government.

Alone, Liang was unlikely to make it. But if the National Union's right flank found itself increasingly more comfortable with the Liberation Army in power, something he'd already heard whispers of? It was possible that everything he'd done would be for nothing. So instead of his original legacy, it was increasingly seeming like Zhen would either be the one who held back the right or the one who finally broke National Union. He couldn't afford the latter. But although he seemed unable to control his legacy, there were still plenty of levers that he could pull...

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Bees top Farves to secure group lead
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Farfadillis hosted the Baker Park National Team at La Gran Aveneida on matchday 10, a showdown between the top 2 seeds in Group 4 which also are sitting atop the standings.
As has been the case in the previous five meetings between the nations, it was “first to 4 goals wins” rules, and the visitors came away better in a seven goal shootout.
Carly Logan and Julia Edmonds scored in the first half, with Quinton Harris getting the third and Elena Diaz off the bench in the 79th minute netting the winner in Puerto Farolero

The result, paired with La Vherderoja's matchday 11 away win over Aust Scor means the Bees have five point lead in the table at the halfway mark and will look to extend their 9 match unbeaten streak against the only team that's beaten the Gold & Black thus far when they will travel to Aust Scor for matchday 12.
____________________________________________________________________________________

BP picks up where it left off in 2nd Half of WCQ
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team opened the second half of Qualifying for World Cup 94 with a pair of victories that pushed their unbeaten streak to eleven matches, defeating Aust Scor 5-1 followed by a 2-0 home victory over South Americanastan at the CONAGCO Stadium in Shirley.

The streak is the longest since Baker Park went 12 matches unbeaten to close out World Cup Qualifying 92; they've also gone 10 matches with losing an away fixture dating back to the last WCQ campaign.

The Bees put on an impressive display of offensive soccer rolling to a 4-0 halftime advantage in Aust Scor with Serena McDavid's brace, plus scores from Luke Olivera and David Coleman set the tone, with James Hardison off the bench making it 5-0 before the hosts clawed one back that denied Beth Rossi a clean sheet; while back in St Leon they earned a fourth clean sheet in qualifying. with Rose McCormack turning away all 5 shots while Kyle Baum and Chandra Mack provided all the offense required.

Next up is a trip to 95X followed by Rincurd at Collins Park for the eighth doubleheader international break.

MD 12 vs Aust Scor 1-5 Baker Park
Rossi; S Knight, Kucera, Bauer (C); Park, Olivera (6'), Andrea Kirby, Boyle; McDavid (20',36'); Coleman (41'), Moorman
subs: Dickerson, Renee McKenzie, Finnegan, McFairlaine, Leanne Bryant, Wiley, Ryan, James Hardison (68'), Sandra Ikedieze

MD 13 Baker Park 2-0 vs S Americanastan @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley (36,000)
McCormack; Allen, Finnegan, Freeman (C); Wiley, Ryan, Shanahan, McFairlaine; Baum (28'); Diaz, Mack (49')
subs: Rossi, McKenzie, S Knight, Bryant, Anthony Romero, Kirby, Travis Howard, Hardison, Ikedieze

MD 14 vs 95X

Callaway; Bruce, O'Connor, Walker; C Logan, D'Alessandro, Vetter, Syzmanski; A Knight; Price (C), Harris
subs: Albertson, Jones, Hardwick, Grace Douglas, Garfield, Park, Camille Prince, Claudia Grayson, Moorman

MD 15 vs Rincurd @ Collins Park, Oceana (47,000)

Albertson; Hardwick, O'Connor, Jones; Park, Grace Douglas, Garfield, Altman (C); Moorman; Gibson, Claudia Grayson
subs: Rossi, O'Connor, Frost, Stefani Martini, Syzmanski, Carlton Morgan, Camille Prince, Erika Riley, Diaz

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Mixed Gender Soccer in Baker Park: An Oral History
Part 3

DiMarini:”Pam has everybody stand and introduce themselves, except for Faith, saying 'I understand Ms Enzikomibo has already introduced herself to all of you so we'll start with the gentlemen' and everyone chuckled a bit. Then she talked about the rules she had for the squad that may have been different from rules that Trevor had, and said that the established team traditions would be observed. We'd given our (women) group the outlines of what was expected, although having assigned the roommate situation the way we did sort of undercut the 'cappies knowing their place' thing (laugh). Keep in mind, we had Mike Haddad and Darren (Kirby) on the coaching staff as well plus the backroom people were mainly from the men's side, so there was enough institutional knowledge of the correct way things were supposed to be done; the lone potential problem was the pre-match noodle soup, because Jackie (Thomas, NT and Ravens Ladies forward) was a vegetarian so we needed clarification that there was no actual meat in the soup which was of course no, it's just chicken stock and egg noodles so she had no problem with that.” (laughs)

Scott: “One of the dressing room managers told me about what Faith had said after we came back from the training pitch but before the meeting, and I wanted to both kiss her & tell her why that was not the approach I would've advised (laugh). She would reference me as 'the Gaffer' when she was saying something to the squad outside of my presence that was technically true, but not something I'd instructed her to say. It was her buffer as captain I suppose--'well Pam did set a particular time for when training was to begin, I never said she told me to relay the message'--which frankly in the same situation is exactly what I would've probably done (laugh).
I made the decision independent of the rest of the (Development) department to go with the blue, red, and white color motif for the training kit during the camp, because I wanted to emphasize that this was a new experience for everyone and that to wear the black & gold you had to prove you wanted it. I paid for it out of my budget and no one at Birkenfeld even realized it until the stuff was delivered about 10 days before the players arrived.”

Michael Haddad, men's NT assistant: “It wasn't just the players that were having to get used to a different way of working and getting used to working alongside the opposite gender, we were having to do it on the staff. The BOF was one of the last times I was involved in day to day squad coaching because I was already transitioning to my role running the Training & Sports Science Office, so in that respect I knew Pam and Kate better than a lot of the other male coaches, because TSS was an umbrella project for the entire association. Pam told the three of us that we were all equal, but I think we all understood that Kate was Pam's number two. It was definitely a change in training regimen because that was Kate's area and she ran very up-tempo drills relative to the way we did for Trevor; she wanted a lot of repetition, a lot of energy from players, but still could step in and correct technique in very direct specific ways. There's a picture of us—myself and Darren along with the ladies—that hangs on my office wall that I look at and think 'three of us in the shot are future trophy winners and I'm older than all of them'.”(laughs)

DiMarini: “One of the unique privileges I had while working for Pam and Trevor was the opportunity to learn from people like Michael, Don Alverrez, Larry Bell, Shane (Newman). I often wonder what it would've been like to work for Tuzzio, what I could've learn from him and Dandileon, but getting advice from men who'd had years of experience working at clubs and with the national team, who were happy to tell stories and relate wisdom to a young woman they might've thought was a little too self assured all things being equal, was worth about half a dozen years of actual experience.”

Enzikomibo: “The story about what happened in the (SWC) with the switch of the armband wasn't that well known by most of us on the senior team until the morning of the first match (against Norcambria) when Evan (Ashcroft) stood up at breakfast and related it to everyone, I believe at Pam's instigation. He said that as NT captains had traditional duties, and since this was the first senior team mixed gender match that he would pick up the tradition begun by the 18's and pass the armband to me to lead the team out. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life, even more than I first wore the armband for the women's team.”

Scott: “Evan was the most capped player for the guys and that was the usual procedure, that the most capped player was the captain. He and I sat down for a talk the night before and I asked him if he knew the story about the first 18's match, which he said he didn't. I didn't expressly say he should consider doing something similar, both he and Faith would have the opportunity to be captain on the day as the tourney went on. But he did come up to me just before we sat down to eat that he was going to do it, and I said I was proud to have him as my squad captain.”

Evan Ashcroft, former NT player: “I don't think it's a super secret that the men were quite wary about Pam at the start of the BOF, not in a disrespectful way but because we'd been told that she had very exacting standards and as Trevor said about her when she left to go to Farfadillis she was someone not to be trifled with. But as camp went on we came to realize that she had a different method than Trevor but it was essentially the same message, and that she really eager to try out different tactical ideas that played to the strengths of the whole squad. It didn't really take much thought on my part to let Faith be captain for the first match, because by that point I had become a convert to the Pam Scott way. (laughs)”

[Dantopia]

dantopia.national.team

Jul 9

Another victory against Ziwana for your #Lions in the #WorldCupQualifiers

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Home | Football | Basketball | Formula 1 | Tennis | Golf | Athletics

Match Report

Sunday 9 July
Izulani National Stadium, Birnin Mansanduni, Ziwana
Ziwana2 – 4Dantopia
Half-Time: 1 - 3
Rooney 45+3’ Goals Cunningham 7’, 34’
Mumba 54’ M. Danchevy 25’
Moses 62’
C. Tembo 45+3’AssistsM. Danchevy 7’
Kalunga 54’Adeyemi 25’
Bartholomew-Barnham 34’
Cunningham 62’
Mikil 49’ Substitutions M. Danchevy 58’
ZimbaM. Moses
Payen 49’ Bartholomew-Barnham 58’
NkhataHendrickson
Mussa 67’ Adeyemi 67’
SchulzeClamber
Aneko 67’ Runner 67’
MkandawireJohn
C. Tembo 70’ Spaghetti 88’
ManoPeters
Mikil 4’ Yellow Cards Rock 45+1’
Kalunga 42’ Hendrickson 76’
Mussa 58’
Kaunda 72’

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dantopia.national.team

Jul 9

The #Lions are lucky to survive following a second visit from the horsemen of the apocalypse in the #WorldCupQualifiers

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10 JULY 2023

Four Horsemen Destroy Dantopians

Sunday 9 July
Bank of Dantopia Stadium, Dartford, Dantopia
Dantopia2 – 4Neibeskiya
Half-Time: N/A
Moses 1’, 4’ Goals Pestilence 5’
War 6’
Famine 8’
Death 10’
Clamber 1’Assists
Dollar 4’

Fresh off an important victory against Ziwana, the Dantopian national team played host to Neibesikya, a country now lying in ruins after their apocalyptic collapse, shortly before the Dantopians were set to play them previously. Keen readers might remember in the reverse fixture these sides played, a rider on a white horse appeared at the match and suspended play whilst the Lions were up two goals to nil, facing no opposition on the field. The match ended in a 2-2 draw and the Lions players and coaches, the travelling supporters and the match officials were ushered out of the crumbling nation before they suffered a similar fate.

Fortunately, the match this time around would be played not in an apocalyptic wasteland, but in the Dantopian city of Dartford, and in the state-of-the-art Bank of Dantopia Stadium, home to the Dartford Devils. The game started just as the last one had, with no opposition fielded on the pitch to represent the Neibeskiyans. The match official began play and the Dantopians dribbled the ball into an empty net. Manny Moses was the goal scorer, with the assist coming from Cliff Clamber. The ball was brought back to the centre of the pitch for a Neibeskiyan kick off, but with no players to take said kick-off, the referee awarded the ball back to Dantopia. Moses proceeded to score another goal, this time following a pass from Rakeem Dollar. The match seemed to be proceeding swimmingly, with the Lions on pace to score 40 or more uncontested goals if they kept this pace up. However, just as before, there would be a bizarre and unfathomable twist of fate.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, thunder and lightning erupting from the ominous looking clouds. A gust of wind rushed through the stadium, and the packed-out crowd went completely silent. Suddenly, as if my magic, four mysterious figures on horses had arrived on the pitch, in front of the Neibeskiyan goal. The first, a man with a crown and a bow, sat on a white horse – the very same figure who had suspended the reverse fixture in Neibeskiya – hurtled towards the match-ball, laying at centre-circle. The figure’s horse kicked the ball so ferociously, it rocketed into the top right corner of the Dantopian goal, with Rick Bishop unable to do anything to stop the shot. The horseman could be heard saying…

“I am Pestilence. Hell-bent on conquest, I have been given authority over a quarter of the Earth. I will divide you, deceive you and poison your bodies and minds.”

The match officials, somehow completely unperturbed by proceedings – as if they knew all this would be happening – proceeded to put the ball back in the centre-circle. Manny Moses sheepishly went up to start the game once again, but no sooner had he kicked the ball towards his teammates, the second horseman, riding on a red horse this time, intercepted the play and rifled a shot into the Lion’s goal, making the score 2-2. The rider of the red horse then bellowed…

“I am War. Wielding my large sword, I have been given authority over a quarter of the Earth. I will enrage you, pit you against one another and have you slaughter each other.”

The attending crowd now began to panic. Many quickly rushed out of their seats and poured out of the stadium, travelling away from the scene as quickly as possible. The Dantopian players stood aghast at what was unfolding on the pitch. Harold Northgate and his men could be seen cowering in fear in their dugout. The match officials once again calmly placed the ball at centre-circle. Manny Moses refused to kick off, instead pushing teammate Cliff Clamber to the middle of the pitch instead. Clamber puffed out his chest, attempted to stare down the four horsemen – to no avail – and passed the ball back to Rakeem Dollar. The third horseman, riding a black horse, was then quick to interject, and volleyed a third goal past Rick Bishop, who was in fact trembling behind his near post instead of guarding the goal line. Following the third goal for the horsemen, the black rider exclaimed the following…

“I am Famine. I hold the scales of justice in my hand, and I have been given authority over a quarter of the Earth. Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine. I will take from you what I am owed.”

Nearly every single Dantopian player now stood quivering in fear. Only Gary McGoldrick, Tyrell Bing and Geoff Hendrickson seemed less afraid than the others. Some players looked over at the bench for instructions from their manager, who could no longer be found. It transpired that during the third goal for the horsemen, Harold Northgate had fled back to the safety of the changing rooms, leaving his players to face the four horsemen on their own. At this point in proceedings, Manny Moses fainted, Rakeem Dollar and Cliff Clamber retreated behind centre back pair McGoldrick and Bing, and team captain Geoff Hendrickson stepped forward to kick-off. Just as before, the ball was hurriedly taken off the Lions and the fourth and final horseman scored, making the score now 4-2 to the absent Neibeskiyan side, the horsemen acting as stand-ins for the doomed nation. The fourth horseman, riding on a pale horse, shouted…

“I am Death. With Hades following close behind me, I have been given authority over a quarter of the Earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the Earth. I will eventually take you from this mortal coil.”

The four horsemen regrouped, nodded toward the match officials, and then rode off in four different directions. A flash of lightning entered through the stadium roof, temporarily blinding all still left watching the events unfold. Once vision was restored within seconds, the four horseman had scarpered. There was no trace of their presence except a burnt patch on the pitch from the lightning strike, an utterly terrified and bewildered Lions team, and an inexplicable 4-2 score-line on the boards around the stadium.

The match officials then blew the full-time whistle, even though only ten minutes had been played. Feeling a sense of relief that they hadn’t been killed, the Dantopian players collected themselves by captain Geoff Hendrickson and he escorted them all back into the dressing room. The Lions had somehow lost to a team that hadn’t turned up to the match, but the players were not angry and up in arms over the frankly insane officiating of the game, instead they were only thankful they had not been killed by the visiting horsemen. Apocalypse had threatened Dartford and Dantopia that evening but had mercifully spared the island nation at the cost of a lost football match – a fair trade with all things being considered.

Group 15                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Flavovespia                        12    8   2   2    36   16  +20    26
 2 Valentine Z                        12    6   4   2    24   17   +7    22
 3 Vilita                             12    6   3   3    32   21  +11    21
 4 Ziwana                             12    6   2   4    31   21  +10    20
 5 Dantopia                           12    4   5   3    29   25   +4    17
 6 Patriotlandia                      11    4   3   4    25   24   +1    15
 7 Trolleborg                         12    3   6   3    10   11   −1    15
 8 Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer         12    3   4   5    16   25   −9    13
 9 Tanirinthia                        11    3   3   5    17   27  −10    12
10 Neibeskiya                         12    1   4   7    12   27  −15     7
11 Euran Oceania Territories          12    1   4   7    14   32  −18     7

The Lions, if they can collect themselves following the events of this evening, will travel to Valentine Z next, before heading back to Lion City to host Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer. The loss sees Dantopia fall to fifth in Group 15, three points behind fourth placed Ziwana and two points ahead of Patriotlandia. They will need a string of good results to stand a chance of qualifying for the world cup finals, and for their group rivals to drop points as well. Let’s see if Harold Northgate can compose himself and his team in time before Tuesday night.

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dantopia.national.team

Jul 11

The boss has selected some of our taller #Lions in preparation for Valentine Z in the #WorldCupQualifiers

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dantopia.national.team

Jul 11

It's a strong #Lions starting eleven for the game against Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer in the #WorldCupQualifiers

[Captina Island]

National Team seek to move up in Group 6

(TCCPA) Geneva City--The Captina Company National Football Team opened the second half of Group 6 play the same as they opened the first, drawing with Krytenia in the Anain nation. The Rosso e Oro were unable to capitalize in the following home match against Indusse, falling 3-1.

The team finished off the first ten matches sitting in seventh place having gained 12 points; they inflicted the only defeat on Squornshelan Remnant States and scored 14 times after having only tallied 16 goals in all of WCQ 92. Manager Jonas Yarborough has seen plenty of bright spots of play from the squad, as he has used the bench liberally so far as only a handful of players haven seen action in more than half of the fixtures played to date.

Patience Wedgwood leads the team in scoring with 5 goals with Alesandro Mercardi and Guiseppi Overstreet tied for second with 2 each.

They will look to build upon their progress with a trip to Dod Rava followed by welcoming The Gothinita Isles to TCC Sports PArk.

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

Goal Counter:
7 - O. M'bah-Pinho
4 - A. Korniloff-Kouyate
3 - Hong Y.S., K. Huitema-Omeasoo
2 - E. Udegbunam, R-A. Wawanolett, Z. Woodcarver
1 - P-K. Cizeron, K. Dormann, Mariano Kang, C. Oh-Chainey, A. Salihamidzic Beckie, R. Vanderley

Assist Counter:
2 - J-C. Babin, J. Dyxkeson, E. Kweon, A. Korniloff-Kouyate, Pyo S.H., R-A. Wawanolett, Z. Woodcarver
1 - M. Bouck, P-K. Cizeron, C. Higgins-Mah, Mariano Kang, P-K. Miller, C. Oh-Chainey, S. McTavish

Clean Sheet Counter
2 - S. Middleton
2 - Goh Y.R., C. Moussenguet
1 - Kang G.H.

Independent Athletes from Quebec (IAQ) - World Cup 94 Team
WINDOW 7 - v North Khrakozia, @ Ranoria
26-PLAYER ENTRY

GOALKEEPERS (3):
Mederick Brown (West Couno United, TMB), Goh Yeong-Rok (Kingston FC), Sandra Middleton (Brinemouth, NPH)

DEFENDERS (10):
Pierre-Karl Cizeron (Liria, MYT), Kira Dormann (Kingsbury United, TMB), Goh Hak-Seong (Herzegovina City FC, BNJ), Coralie Higgins-Mah (Alnio, CMT), Joo Pil-Seung (Frenei Tor, CMT), Mariano Kang Mêndêlöíndçêl (Rulandea Kosta, FFD), Hannah Kim (Damogran, SRS), Sinisa Salihamidzic (Montreal Koreana), Donovan Watson-Lukwago (St. John's Arsenal), Frederic Yabusele (Atletik, MYT)

MIDFIELDERS (6):
Mathinna Bouck (Rulandea Kosta, FFD), Joelinton Dyxkeson (Brantisvogan, SRS), Cesar Icardi-Rabiot (Jinja City FC, BNJ), Samuel McTavish (Lakewood City, TMB), Camille Oh-Chainey (CSKA Quebec), Rebecca-Anne Wawanolett (Chromatik, CMT)

FORWARDS (7):
Hong Yeong-Sahm (Lhor, CMT), Kate Huitema-Omeasoo (Istria City FC, BNJ), Kim Sang-Wook (Clayquot City, KSK), Anna Korniloff-Kouyate (Atletik, MYT), Oberon M'bah-Pinho (Tihon, CMT), Amina Salihamidzic Beckie (Kingston FC), Zinaida Woodcarver (Crisisbless, NPH)

Starting XI vs. North Khrakozia (2-4-2-2):
Goh Y.R.
H. Kim - Salihamidzic
Watson-Lukwago - Dyxkeson - Oh-Chainey - Mariano Kang
Icardi-Rabiot - McTavish
Woodcarver - Salihamidzic Beckie

Starting XI vs. Ranoria (4-2-2-2):
S. Middleton
Yabusele - Cizeron - Higgins-Mah - Joo P.S.
Bouck - Wawanolett
Huitema-Omeasoo - Korniloff-Kouyate
Hong - M'bah-Pinho

Of course, consider this a halfway mark report, and some of the things that would likely require a bit of recap or to be addressed before returning to the regular programming next window. Stylistically inspired by the Deltic Man of the Woods, as he has known so many times by now:

The TWGS Studios are welcome to present yet another exciting cycle of entertainment, as the World Cup kicks off a series of tournaments whose signup threads sprout in the mid-summer heat. With the footballing adventures of the ever-volatile Grim Reapers continue, the mythical under-world of the Shingoryeoite spirituals, and not to mention the chitter-chatters that accompany the Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo, the options are plentiful and there to satisfy all those interested in the world of the Queboverse.

And now, let's not bore ourselves any further and just proceed to what the hell is going on out in the pomp of the pitches and the circumstances of the palaces. Our lives are way too short, and apparently The Creator has to leave his flat in an hour to catch a 21-hour journey of multiple flights! Don't do YYZ-IST-ICN kids (unless you have limited budget mid-summer)!

So far we have...

....The Wrecks of the Edward FitzSimmons (National Team Edition! LIVE! with 360-degree U2 Camera action) -

In yet another season, or rather spin-off, of the Grim Reapers' christmas special of bizarre, stunning and unusual venues, the ever-disjointed bunch of the Independent Athletes from Quebec find themselves playing home matches across strange oceans that they do not exactly call home.

It is partly to do with the ship, an oversized, duly-coloured replica of the once-famous ship liner that was famously sunk over the Blood Sea on the Reapers' fathers and grandfathers' lifetime. But that's not about it, as the growing disparities between opportunities afforded by domestic football were more than evident. On one end you have dozens of players who would find themselves vying for glories in leagues both familiar and foreign, and the players would be treated with adoration and spotlight, while the other side of international football would see the Reapers themselves pay for their Cup of Harmony underperformance through the continuation of their national team service, one that is viewed to even the players as a duty and no more, on the battlefields of Induja.

And thus began the new journey.

Playing With The Boys (Background Storyline, Fluid Time Mode)

Once again finding themselves strangers in the strange land they had once called 'Home Waters' (of course, nobody called the Blood Sea that), Ramaz Dolnight and his crew of man-children find themselves playing for a hopeful return to a World Cup qualification with their literal waterfront arena on deck.

A positively-minded, captivating manager who carries humility to his name, a rare one among those of his breed, Dolnight continues the spirit of his predecessor, the late Ruben Condori of Huayramarca, in his continued pursuit of excellence. While finding his players strong pieces on the grounds of their individual performance on the club level, Dolnight chooses to take the long road and look for a team that could utilise over a half-dozen formations, a dozen offensive routes and the ways to provoke their opponents cubed that.

Now, has Dolnight's first qualification stage as the Reapers' gaffer delivered up to the level of standard we would expect of him? Probably, perhaps even more so than Condori, whose qualification stage adventures were more theatric, dramatic, and arguably more heartache-inducing. The Reapers, outside of the home showdown against the Marauders of Valanora at The Reneegrad, have a perfect record at home, and they remain very well in contention for top of the Group 7. There would be an occasion draw or two, but one does not ignore the fact that Eraman and Airannia have put together respectable sides who no doubt have the ability to pull through on long stretch. Thus, with the mysterious but mostly-hidden Mjolnir having been exercised only once, in a poor 1-1 away draw to Geektopia, things have more or less fallen well into the picture.

Whether this form continues for the Grim Reapers remains to be seen, however, as the qualification race continues to heat across the Multiverse. History of excellence by the Reapers' managers, where all seven sans Fabrizio Kaal have qualified into at least one World Cup, suggests he is onto something good just on the basis of keeping the Marauders on their toes. That said, while one could argue that the IAQ side has at least achieved the minimum, with them eleven points clear into the playoff spot, the Reapers cannot find themselves displaying any form of overconfidence right now, especially after the disastrous second-half performance back in the ninetieth cycle that saw the end of the tenure by Fabrizio Kaal.

The Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo (Spin-off? Main?) -

This will be a special spin-off that is designed to provide sufficient buffer between the final episodes of Dr Heo and the Portal of Madness: Map of the Problematique on the WBC-Network, and the Phase 4 seasons that will incorporate the much-anticipated teen romance and melodrama 'Ahead By A Century'. In this extravagant, incisive production made by TWGS Network inspired by the Shondaland Productions of #TheCreator's World, and in co-operation with international authorities from Yuezhou, Ruland, Cabo Azure, Lithico co., and endless list of sponsors, the SoSeSh explores the two-year cycle of the Shingoryeoite social season in the relay of characters in all facets of life and (high) society.

Starting from a single, partly-fleshed out idea by a visionary director named Raoul-Christophe Jang-Nolan, the creation story of Barbenheimer begins as a small balloon. As with every Quebec and Shingoryeo narrative, however, a wrong tangle or two, an accidental encounter or two, would be more than enough for the explosion. as the Barbenheimer's magic is drawn into the intersection between sports and society with his friend, socially-minded producer Hong Soo-Deok and a Yue-Quebecois mogul named Jin Zhi Xie find themselves entering into the foray.

While most of the Joongyeong society is too busy staring into the season's diamond, a certain Princess Solveig Davidsottir, there exists an explosive crack into the picture-perfect narrative as Hong faces the not-so-subtle resistance (or rather a threat? you ask me here) by the opulent, ridiculous Queen Mother. While the advice was a reasonable one, considering the level of political landmine that would be posed in the young minds and their eyes in this city of exiles, this ticks off both, leading into Jin's u-turn as previously-reluctant financer into his own act of rebellion against the eminense grise.

Adding to the twist follows the future scene, near to your screen, when the team finds themselves struggling in the basement of Jin's Haiguaidian mansion. Finding themselves confined in a stage of isolation, with only access available via a helicopter, the crew struggles to devise a grander vision with scales reflected to the original promise of Barbenheimer, a biographical tragedy blockbuster about Kenneth Barbenheimer, the father of Quebecois nuclear science, and his wife Barbara 'Barbi' Barbenheimer, an eccentric figure of her own often remembered in works of art during the 1940s. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, however, they would find themselves heading into an unexpected break from it when Rebecca-Anne Wawanolett, that year's Testiculos winner, makes a special speech dedicated to her idol, Grim Reapers' legend, current Rulandese Revolutionary Army general Erin Kang in the fanfare of Chane Njuguna Concert Hall in Ntukabanda, Mlima Kijani...

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: just one RP today, albeit with two match reports. The fully-throttled relocation, plus associated admin, has gnawed more energy out of me than I'd like to admit. Charles Trump Shield results to be posted on my newswire tomorrow afternoon, pursuant to my RP.

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, twelvth qualifier game
SAINT ELEANOR 5-2 LISANDER (Jessica Martin 23 and 50 [pen], Rick Goldsmith 38, Lydia Nicholls 68, Dekamela weMexala 78; Milo Sommervile 45+1, Thomas Quinn 71)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Saint Eleanor secured another crushing three-goal win against Lisander to leapfrog to the top of the Group 12 table. The concerns many Eleanorian journalists - including yours truly - raised about the Lisanderian CRAP team-selection algorithm remain founded; this match only consolidated their position at the foot of the table. Their best efforts to escape that fate, however, were either far too little or far too late. Milo Sommervile failed to inspire confidence when, after failing to get past Esther Launceston early in the match, he decided to just shoulder-barge her to the ground in the hope that would somehow work.
That was the first of many case studies in Lisanderian players being thwarted. With little attacking missions of note, the Lisanderians reverted to defence - and rather poorly. They were not able to prevent Jessica Martin from breaking past one of the most tightly-organised defences she must have seen in this campaign so far to score a sublime opener. Nor, for that matter, were they able to dispose of Bridget Coombe's forty-yard pass to David Newcastle, stop Newcastle from pitching in a decent cross or deny Rick Goldsmith the opportunity to double the lead.
Sommervile's excellent solo goal, although certainly one way to terrify the hosts going into the break, was - in retrospect - a pale response to the repeated Eleanorian assaults. A repeat of that to any degree would have been precious, but it was never to be: Martin re-emerged less than five minutes from the restart when, after being felled by a sloppy Julian Naus in the box, she slotted an easy penalty past a stationary Anders Michaelichen to restore the two-goal advantage. While she continued to terrorise, the substitutes proved to be the decision-makers when the match came to its crunch.
First Lydia Nicholls surprised with a thirty-yard thunderbolt - which, and you would not believe it, cannoned off the underside of the bar and just about trickled in past a confused Michaelichen for a couple of seconds - to open up a three-goal gap for the first time. Then Thomas Quinn, surely so cognizant of this that he must have thought the mission to close it belonged to him alone, muscled past the Eleanorian back four and wrong-footed John Bailey just minutes later.
And Martin re-emerged again for the final substantial act of the game; with Dekamela weMexala having been brought on earlier, the possibility of slotting in Tim Brandon was ruled out, leaving her to survive the last fifteen minutes. That she did excellently, slipping past Naus and a back-footed Artemon, then sliding a low, short pass, one barely worthy of being called a cross, to weMexala. She had the ball for a few seconds, but made it matter, powering her shot into the next for the last goal of the game, the one that made it 5-2. The Eleanorian strikers started to hibernate after this and Quinn should have made it 5-3 on multiple occasions, but both of his major efforts hit the post and came to nothing.
So far, so excellent, Coombe must be thinking to herself. The White Stars have rebounded well from what must have felt like an eternity of setbacks in the first act of qualification to start its second with an almost perfectly-delivered soliloquy. There are still many characters that must be faced, and many enemies that must be fended off, before we get to the third act. From the bland jokers of the Polar Islandstates to the colourful sidekicks from the Jovannic to the fallen villains of Brenecia - and, of course, Eura - the entire gauntlet of characters is still to be re-run. Survive the rehearsal and the real performance in Græntfjall and Kelssek will undoubtedly be far easier.

⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, thirteenth qualifier game
WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA 0-1 SAINT ELEANOR (Steve Pilchard 30)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Saint Eleanor were unfortunate not to win by more against a poor West Barack and East Obama side that remains eighth in the overall table, with Steve Pilchard undoubtedly playing the starring role. Channel 4's reporters unfortunately could not find the home stadium, with signposting in the twin states relatively poor compared to their state just two cycles ago. All indications, however, point to an unextraordinary Pilchard strike at the half-hour mark to nudge them ahead. Other highlights are said to include a dramatic near-miss from David Newcastle after a ravishing solo dribble, a double-block from Esther Launceston to deny Brett Pogama at point-blank and a grandstand finish as Fred Olibama headed over with just minutes to go, but we have been unable to confirm these events.
What is for certain, too, is that Saint Eleanor remain first in the group following this result; Eura's victory over Panamer was entirely expected, but not so big that they could overtake the competition. While supporters would be confident in thinking that Bridget Coombe's more conservative experiment at leadership is a success, she has reminded fans that there is still almost half of the campaign to go. It will undoubtedly be a crucial half; there is little threat of the Eleanorians crashing out of the top three entirely as they did four years ago, but the danger of a challenging playoff tie still needs to be headed off. To win is the best way of doing so - whether their willingness to achieve it can be matched in practice is to be seen.

⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1987: "I'm best friends with the Golden Backpack winner"
Published by Jack Mitchell on March 20th 2005

Every now and then, a side outside the "Big Seventeen" - Premier CS, Saint Benedict's Catholic, the Boys' and Girls' Preparatories, and the twelve League-affiliated schools (plus Liberty, suspended for the past two years after a scandal) - rears their head in the Charles Trump Shield quarterfinals. And while Blackwood Community School might not have won, having crashed out at the quarters as many of their stature in the game do, they have something completely different to celebrate. "James Simpson is an absolute legend - he likes talking to people, he's interested in other sports and he's said he wants to go to the University next year to do geography. Reminds me of someone!"

While Grace Walker might have posters of Sword and Shield legend Jessica Martin on her bedroom walls, when it comes to the real world, there is no calling her support for Simpson - reigning Golden Backpack holder - into question. "I'm not a sports person myself, but I know a leader when I see one. Jimmy might be a striker but he's a deadly effective one: he pops up with goals, drops back when his team needs him, he's physically and mentally strong and he can help anybody in the team out with any of their problems. I met him in Year 1 of primary school and while I'd never say I'm ready for the big time, he's a great guy, we're always there when we need him and I'd say he treats us the same."

Incredibly, Simpson was originally ruled out of their first-round tie away to Williamstown CS just down the road with a minor injury concern - but he shook that off enough to come up with both goals in an astonishing extra-time win. "All indications at the end of the summer term was that Jimmy would be supporting us from the sidelines - he was signing our shirts and everything and told us he didn't feel like he was in the right space after that little tweak. It didn't affect him too much when it came to it, though, and he was literally dictating every single aspect of the play for the half an hour he rocked up. He came up with a couple of goals that definitely belong on the highlights reel in any league in the world, too. As I said, he's a legend."

He did not score in the 1-0 win over New Bayside CS in the second round, also away; all of their four Shield games were held at the opposing team's ground. "Yeah, that was Michael Barrett. Jimmy was good, but... let's just say a bit off-colour." However, he shocked allcomers by scoring twice more, and assisting the eventual winner, at Broadlands CS. "Broadlands! That victory is going to be remembered for years to come in our circles and it's all thanks to him. He was in the most obvious places in the box and nobody - none of the defenders - noticed him at all. We did better than that in training, let's just say. And that assist - it was completely, utterly brilliant. You don't see passes like that every day, even at the highest levels, and the one-touch finish was a banger."

Their participation culminated in a 1-0 defeat against the Eleanorian Academy. "Obviously he didn't score, but he did absolutely everything else he needed to. He set up a couple of great opportunities, bailed his teammates out when they were in trouble, tracked back in defence all the time and, all told, prevented the result from becoming apocalyptic. When you're one of the small fry and you're up against the biggest youth team in the country, you're thankful for what you can get. And we've got Jimmy!"

Walker insists that, off the pitch, she shares fun and laughs with Simpson. "We make fun of each other, we work together on group projects, we come up with solutions to problems and he's even fully supported my tenure on the school council. We have great synergy and, while I'm sure he'd say the same of me and everyone else at the school, we know we're excellent partners on all sorts of things and I'd like that to continue." When asked what her favourite thing about the Golden Backpack winner is, though, she avoids the football altogether. "He is astonishingly - astonishingly - kind and caring. If your car tyre deflates at 8am, he'll get a new one fitted by 8:30 and then promptly serve the detention for being a few minutes late to class!"

[Eura]

WORLD CUP 94 – QUALIFYING GROUP 12 – MATCHDAY 13
Panamer 1–3 Eura
Scorers:
Singh 47, 56, Holden 90
Lineup:
13. J Hewitt
21. K Mills
4. J Menard (sub Hart 45)
15. K Sherwood
3. M Taylor (sub Almwood 89)
6. J Gates
24. E Clarke (sub Vincent 45)
11. O James
7. A Woodman (sub Roberts 67)
10. S Singh (sub Holden 80)
14. K Archer

---

emplor.eur/main/sport/football
SINGH SILENCES THE DOUBTERS
Eura’s maestro plays pivotal role in comeback win

Sophie Singh has not had her best World Cup qualifying campaign, but she provided a handy demonstration of why she retains the vaunted number 10 shirt with a vintage performance in a 3-1 away victory over Panamer.

The Chromatik forward, in scintillating form for her club as ever, has been oddly unfavoured by Glen Merson, despite his frequent use of two forwards. Alex Sharp has been the fulcrum of the front line with Singh being used interchangeably alongside Kate Archer, Tess Miller and Owen Holden. Merson has dismissed suggestions she is being rested or that he does not see her as part of his plans, raising questions about her sparse deployment to date.

Against Panamer she was back in the starting lineup, featuring against a side who were second bottom of the group with just 8 points from 11 games. Eura had only narrowly beaten them at home with a late goal, but there was an expectation in the air that this time proceedings should go by more comfortably. Not so – the Panamerians stunned the Falcons with an 11th minute opener out of the blue, a long range striker down to John Hewitt’s left and out of reach.

A potentially hasty double substitution at half time (Menard and Clarke out, Hart and Vincent in) possibly contributed to Eura’s subsequent recovery but Singh certainly deserves most of the credit. She fashioned an equaliser from nothing more than an unthreatening indirect free kick out on the right flank, enthusiastically directing her teammates to pull it short down the touchline for Kingsley Mills to run onto, whack it into the box, and for Singh to then time a perfect run and header to score straight after half time.

Within ten minutes she went and gave Eura the lead all by herself, dispossessing a Panamer defender 30 yards from goal and driving into the box from there, beating another man and firing low under another as they slid, threading a perfect needle to beat the keeper and find the bottom right hand corner. Singh continued to threaten, stretching the opposition defence and giving them plenty to think about, before she started to show fatigue and was substituted to a rapturous ovation in the 80th minute. Her replacement, Owen Holden, sealed the deal with a late poached third, but this was Singh’s night in the limelight.

---

emplor.eur/main/news/eura
RIGHT WING TALKS DISMISSED AS JUST THAT, ALL TALK
Negotiations getting nowhere, say opponents
Chief political correspondent Amos Mitchell reports from Bastion

A lengthy campaign of rumours that the Capital and Unionist parties may form an electoral alliance, or even merge, were long rubbished by Bastion insiders. However, negotiations have now begun within weeks of an election that provoked profound thinking on the right.

“How are we supposed to wallop the immigrants, the metropolitan coffee-drinkers and communist academics if we are too busy fighting one another? Its time to focus on the real enemy – everyone but us.” These were the words of a senior Capital Party MP after his party took another thumping at the recent general election, where his once great party was reduced even closer to irrelevance. Challenged on whether his party may have slightly departed from the thinking and rhetoric of the mainstream centre-right, I found myself immediately scolded as an “enemy of the people”, and the parliamentarian made his swift exit.

Capital face a desperate electoral situation, having lost 60 more seats on the last election five years ago to drop to 150, a long way from just a few decades ago when they won enough MPs to form the bigger partner in a coalition government. They have been supplanted on the nationalist right by the Unionist Party – which ironically was partly brought to national relevance as a byproduct of a Capital-backed Euran nationalist movement on the frontier with Electrum. After the resignation of their latest leader, Stephanie Wise, a council of party elders has formed to enter secret negotiations with the Unionists to band together.

The Unionists have been ascendent since at least the last election, yet there are good reasons for them to consider such a pact. Their gains were much smaller this time around, and they only managed to gain 13% of the popular vote, despite often polling close to 20% between elections. While Capital have veered off to the libertarian, sovereignty-obsessed right in an era when Eurans are more collectively minded and pro-CRC than ever, the Unionists have equally cornered themselves as a party for ethnic nationalists, at a time when the dangers of ethnic nationalism – remember that whole Sameba thing? – are fresh within voters’ memories.

Therefore, the obvious and perhaps only solution has been to join forces and offset each other’s weaknesses at the ballot box, opening up hundreds of Social and Liberal seats for conquest. Their opponents, however, are scornful. “They’ll never get it done” laughs one Social grandee, still inebriated from their post-election partying, “the right in this country can do two things – yell at clouds and get even angrier when they rain back. They’re dead in the water electorally for a long time, whatever they do.”

Social figures I spoke to are generally cock-a-hoop at the prospect of an alliance, thinking it will make it easier to win back disaffected working class voters from the Unionists, or that the two parties simply won’t be able to resolve their differences. But the embattled Liberals are more concerned. Former Foreign Secretary Carl Rutherford has warned the Barnham administration and his own party not to be complacent, and that a Unionist-Capital pact may have broader appeal than current figures would suggest. The latest EurGov poll suggested a joint Unionist-Capital ticket would only take 17% of the vote in an election – well short of where they’d need to be to compete for power.

[Cap Nord]

"It's a simple plan, allright?"

Eve Rourdan nodded, just a little too disinterested to confirm. Or wait, 'Hemmings' nodded. Whilst the others had bickered about their nicknames, Rourdan had been quite pleased with the pick, not due to the intended connotation but because it reminded her of Carla-Frida Hemming, her idol. Hemming had been the author of a quiet revolution during a time when everything in Cap Nord was on a leash. At the time, her dancing was seen as tribal, wild, primitive… as if those were negative connotations when connecting the body with the heart. During an era when nothing or no one was free, the spirit of Carla-Frida Hemming had been. And that of her followers, such as Catherine Rourdan.

Mum had always pushed Eve away from dancing but there was nothing that could stand between Eve and the rhythm. Well, almost nothing. At fourteen came the most beautiful moment of her life: a chance to get into the academy of the actual, aging, Carla-Frida. She had not said a word as Eve poured her heart out in movement, just lifted a thumb.

Four years later, Eve decided to go to a wider audience: Cap Nord got Talent. Mum disagreed, of course, but when didn't she? Carla-Frida… Eve ached to know what Carla-Frida would have said but the veteran diva had left this earth, in style. Utterly refusing to perish under the burden of time, she had invited all her proteges for one last recital. Audience: CFH. The next day, they found her, lifeless, on her sofa with a martini in her hand.

It had been intended as a commemorative set: wild, vibrant, honest. As her muse had been. But the jury, a group of B-list comedians and fake artists without an ounce of talent between them, failed to understand it. The first one pushed a red button. Then the next one. And the next. Eve wished she had walked away before the comments. "I have seen a whale flop around with more grace and entertainment value."

The public shaming cost Eve her spot in the academy: they were rather strict on bad publicity. Then mum cut her off. Within twelve months, Eve Rourdan went from a gifted dancer to a small-time hustler in the streets of Fallwich. Thank God she was a multi-talent.

The plan of 'Kontiola'? It was thin and poor and everyone in their right mind should get the hell out of it. But Eve would carry on with it, as stitched together as it was. It might have lacked detail or finesse, but 'Kontiola' did know who to put in the right places. When she was a kid, she had taken several holidays in Codazur: the back alleys kept no secret for her and she knew that she could disappear in minutes in an anonymous white van.

Last night, Eve had done one last reconnaissance, against her better judgment. Not just the city but also the festival itself. Automatically, she was drawn to the Maison Darts 14 and 15. Showcases of Capnordic dance were shown: the first exhibition hall had traditional, pastoral dances. Not her shtick, but there at least was an admiration for the art in the execution: a ronde quartant or a hoedendans, why not. It had been the second hall that bothered Eve and confirmed her dedication to go on with this. Since the NUP takeover, the style of modern dance had been pushed into a new direction. Street and synchronized according to the official instances. Docile and stringent. The whole legacy of the Hemmings academy had been wiped out.

On her way out, feeling slightly nauseous, Eve bumped into an elderly man. A shock ran through her veins, but he didn't recognize her, apologized and walked on.

"I have seen a whale flop around with more grace and entertainment value."

Tomorrow, she would be a whaler. Eve sympathized with the footballing Whalers, recognized their path. Every success was followed by one or more hits to the knees: the recent ones striking them hard. A disappointing home draw against West Barack and East Obama, squandering a creative opening goal by Carstensen. A toothless performance in Saterun, eventually even giving away the merited point when the sole proper chance of the game slipped through the fingers of Johannes Marzinn. The pressure on Finchley was barely bearable. The pressure on Eve Rourdan… Her last dimes were gone, her last friends had enough of her antics, sneaky excuses and unpaid loans. The back was against the wall.

"I have seen a whale flop around with more grace and entertainment value."

It had taken nine years, but Eve Rourdan would get her revenge on Jean-Jacques Médiard and his horrendous Festival. And the rest, whether it was fifteen or a hundred and fifty million, was just icing on the cake.

Tonight, the Whaler strikes back.

[Mytanija]

Misel Ravnjak was privately quite pleased. Mytanija had been one of the best teams to be second in their group after 12 matches. Their 28 points would have been good enough to lead around a third of the groups in World Cup qualification. They had just had the misfortune to be placed in a group with one of the best teams in world football, the Banijans. The 8-point gap between the two countries was a distance which already felt insurmountable and if Mytanija lost when taking on Banija at the Novi Atletskistadion on matchday 16 it would become a yawning chasm. That match was already in the back of Ravnjak’s mind, but before then they had the small matter of a trip to Sargossa to whet the appetite.

His team had won the home game with minimal fuss, a trademark Ravnjak 1-0 win was how most of the Mytanar media had analysed the game. It tickled the manager’s ego a little bit, though he would never talk about it in those terms himself. Beating Sargossa would give Mytanija the chance to put even the slightest bit of pressure on the Banijans, a trip there would show that the Hoops were capable of matching Banija when it came to the toughest assignments in the rest of the group. Ravnjak had already been frustrated twice, dropping points on two occasions against teams not named Banija. That sort of thing couldn’t happen if you wanted to take top spot off them and his team would have to be perfect from this point to do that. A trip to Sargossa to play in one of Rushmore’s biggest derbies was a decent place to show the intent required.

He had told his players that even if they were perfect, they would need some help from the other teams. He had told them that in an attempt to take the pressure off, but now he wondered if it might cause a few to become disheartened, to not apply themselves with the same gusto as before. It was difficult to see where that help was coming from. Banija had played 12 and won 12, knocking absolutely everybody down and telling them ‘Thank you for coming’, Mytanija included. The frustrating thing was that Ravnjak’s assessment of his own team was that they had been good, too, and the proof of that was the 9-point gap between Mytanija and third-placed Sargossa in the group table. Unfortunately, the gap going the opposite way was the thing stopping the Hoops from having a direct qualifying spot for the World Cup.

There was value in trying to win all their remaining games anyway. Ravnjak had reinforced the message that every game was an audition for a prospective place in a prospective World Cup squad. Each time a player stepped onto the pitch in a qualifier their job was to play as well as they could to put the team in the best position to win the match in question. Failure to do that would be a black mark against their name. It had helped to foster competition within the squad, and he felt that when chasing Banija, a team which appeared to be unstoppable at the moment, there needed to be something to keep some of the players interested. Ravnjak had never really gone in for the whole ‘players are different nowadays’ narrative sometimes touted in the media, but there was certainly a broad range of personalities to manage, and some would do the same thing for every match and not need as much coaxing, but some needed to be given that motivation. Competition for places was sometimes the solution.

Managing Mytanija hadn’t always been his dream. Early on in his coaching career Misel Ravnjak had realised that he had a skill for managing people. He could get people to put more of themselves into what he was trying to do. He was also particularly good at getting his ideas across to players. Some struggled with this, because to them it was intuitive, but it wasn’t for everybody and making people understand exactly what you wanted was a real boon. In the defensive phase of matches it became apparent that Ravnjak was one of the best in the country. His reputation grew and then he began to take Ararat Severyan to places they hadn’t been since about twenty years prior. Challenging for IFCF spots and then leagues. Then he took them to places they had never been. Full stop. Glory in the Rushmore Copa de Campeones, a regional title against all the odds.

Even then he hadn’t really thought about the national team job. He was occasionally asked about it in the media and he would gruffly complain about the FSM not liking his style of football, but that was often with the ulterior motive of trying to ensure referees would give his physical and aggressive side a bit of leeway in matches. He had always tried to manipulate things through the media, not always successfully, but it was a powerful tool. He’d laugh sometimes and say the FSM would probably come to him last if they needed someone for the job. He later found out there was some truth in all of that, with those involved at the top of the governing body wanting to continue with the ‘more progressive’ style Repin had instilled in the national team and believing Ravnjak’s media-handling was perhaps too controversial.

He smirked to himself. After all that he’d got there in the end. When the offer had come, he had considered it. He thought he had another great Ararat team coming together. It was a tough decision, but it was the sort of thing you couldn’t say ‘no’ to or the opportunity would never come again. So now he was worrying over matches versus the Spartan Dominion and Sargossa rather than Liria and Litala ’93. And chasing down a seemingly unstoppable Banija rather than the all-conquering Atletik sides which were a thorn in the side of absolutely everyone domestically. Ravnjak had always relished a challenge, though, particularly with an underdog.

[Kelssek]

Cutoff

[Krytenia]

Ochres declare round-table talks "just not cricket"
Dennis Travers reports from Emberton

With mere days to go until the Koroa Summit, the region was left shocked after the decision last night by the government of the Ochre Islands not to attend. With the summit coinciding with the start of the regional FraterniT20 cricket tournament, and Ko-oren and Krytenia (as well as the currently uninvolved but geographically relevant Plough Islands) well-known as major cricketing nations, those in charge in Bellflower have taken this as a slight against them. The decision also tracks with the increasing sentiment in the archipelago that their country is being marginalised on the international stage.

The Krytenian government, meanwhile, are pressing full steam ahead with preparations. As well as Ko-oren and Cardenao, it is expected that representatives from Huayramarca and Bostopia will attend, with the additional possibility of a Mertagnian delegation also making an appearance. It would appear that more than simply defusing the situation in the Ocean of Ayes, the summit will provide a possible roadmap to the future relationship between the various nations of Western Nova Calania and the Ayelands. Indeed, if anything is likely to marginalise the Ochre Islands, it would be failing to attend - especially as their former paymasters look likely to be involved.

Over at MORFA, the Minister of Regional and Foreign Affairs, Sarah Finch, is bullish about how the talks will proceed, whilst simultaneously condemning the likely absence of the Ochres. "Nobody is holding a gun to their head," she said in a statement, "but I hope Willow of the Finches understands the consequences of her actions. Sport and diplomacy have often walked hand in hand, and right now the Ochre Islands' decision reads like that of a petulant teenager. Pulling out in this manner risks undoing a lot of progress our two nations have made together, and that will only hurt them in the long run. Perhaps they should take a leaf from the Cardenoans, who as we speak are galvanising their alliances with both Banija and our good friends in Quebec and Shingoryeo."

Time will tell if Willow of the Finches, or her cabinet, change their minds on the issue; what is for certain, though, is that one empty chair isn't going to stop this meeting.

[Vilita]

♫ On the road again, Goin' places that I've just come back from, Seein' things that I just saw again, And I can't wait // screech // scratch // Rebels Time... Back again... ♫

Who's in charge now?

So it's very clear now that Endur Rotropii is no longer in charge of the Vilitan National Team. The former Marine Coast United defender hasn't been seen on the touchline since the 1-1 draw with Ziwana after having actually kitted up and appeared on the field in the matches before that while looking every bit the 53 year old that he was.

Make no mistake, this is still Endur Rotropii's team. The influence of the Rebel Academy and Endur's Forest Rebels had permeated all throughout the squad. The dueling Tlikara's, Jakku'u Naboyavi, Letirpsi Vulitn, Antiviv Davaflei... there was no Vilita National Team Lineup without the influence of the players Endur Rotropii had brought with them. Yet Endur Rotropii wasn't there. Not in a track suit barking out order, not in a warmup bib waiting for their number to be called on the substitutes bench. Just not there.

It is reported that Rotropii was seen back at the Rebel Academy - the teams home base away from home base, working with the team between matchdays. Yet when the team left Endur's Forest Endur stayed behind. So who did that leave to run the team?

There was a figure on the sideline, someone whose face looked every bit familiar as it did unfamiliar. There was no official announcement from the Vilitan Footsport Association, no departure message from Rotropii. No fanfare. Just the way the Vilitans liked it.

But who was it? Who was setting the lineup for the Vilitan National Team, ordering the substitutions and setting the game plan? Was it Rotropii using mobile technologies to catch back up with the players and guide them through a World Cup Qualifying Victory.

Without knowing exactly who it was on the sidelines of the Viilita National Team matchups, fans and critics alike have unified on messaging platforms such as twii.tur with a common question: Who is TEST MANAGER?

Whatever the story, they certainly didn't go to the Endur Rotropii school of Management. The last two games under TEST MANAGER, the Vilita National Team have scored 10 goals... and conceded 7. Not exactly a glowing record especially considering they dropped two more points and are struggling to climb back into the battle for the top spot in Group 15. Tanirinthia has been particularly troublesome for the Jungle Rebels this cycle and on Matchday 15 it was a golden opportunity for Zelkki Milake Jr. to earn their place back in the squad. An opportunity which they promptly squandered conceding 4 goals in the draw.

While the Jungle Rebels are now firing on all cylinders from an attacking point of view, leading Group 15 with 43 goals scored in 14 matches, they remain 3 points behind Valentine Z while Falvovespia still have a game in hand and could still be as many as 5 points clear of Vilita, with the Jungle Rebels still unable to control their own destiny in the group. Of course, that could all change with a massive rematch against Flavovespia on Matchday 16 in what will certainly be a make or break result for TEST MANAGER and the Vilita National Team.

 Vilita 6 - 3 Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 1' Diamoa Waviino:: 12' Sami Samii’i:: 31' Imauka Lkomorak :: 32' Treasvo Tlikara:: 41' Trezisi Rokopolis:: 55' Fyin Miateal         
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 63%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 16 :: Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer :: Possession: 37%:: Shots: 9:: Corners: 15
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Reino Kononen (Altirii Touiniki 45'), Injyua Klizlo (Karisto Monafog 40'), Rojara Tiones, Mikaela Äijälä, Mikele Alasita, Fyin Miateal (Riku Kasslin 72'), Trezisi Rokopolis, Sami Samii’i, Imauka Lkomorak , Treasvo Tlikara (Limu Katarakhna 72'), Diamoa Waviino (Lohani Riiyaaw 45')

 Vilita 4 - 4 Tanirinthia 	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 10' Antiviv Davaflei:: 66' Nii'arala Milaaso:: 73' Lentali Purama:: 86' Nii'arala Milaaso           
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 10 :: Tanirinthia  :: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 9:: Corners: 10
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Zelkki Milake Jr., Narri Sebapilo (Lentali Purama 66'), Rojara Tiones (Nii'arala Milaaso 66'), Injyua Klizlo (Treasvo Tlikara 45'), Jakku’u Naboyavi, Trezisi Rokopolis, Riku Kasslin (Fyin Miateal 64'), Letirpsi Vulitn, Minjiakuj Sklinai, Antiviv Davaflei (Limu Katarakhna 64'), Diamoa Waviino

[Turori]

TURORI NATIONAL ✓

@TuroriNat

The Turori National Team picked up back to back shutouts in #WC94Q as Goalkeeper Derizi Amatopa got back in action once again 1/3

#WC94Q - #AmatopaWall - #Group5

@TuroriNat

-@TuroriNat

Unfortunately there was no support for the Eura-based goalkeeper against Ceni and the critical top of the table matchup ended in a goalless draw (2/3)

@TuroriNat

-@TuroriNat

Luckily the Eels got back on track in their next matchup against Eshialand with a pair of goals either side of the half from Lutara Makakio allowing the Eels to keep their unbeaten run in #WC94Q. (3/3)

 Turori 0 - 0 Ceni	
	Turori Goals:	               
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 89%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 6 :: Ceni :: Possession: 11%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 3
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Karek Edgeli, Amakli Inuro'o, Moumouni Verre'elali (Lutara Makakio 75'), Biliki Rona'atu'i (Lati'ala Giaoka 75'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (H’munao Cagomia 73'), Tulaki Rauogba (Planio’o Nrujsa 73'), Kinabo Telioa (Klaillal Tuirma 59'), Nua'oma Aikiki, Turakia Diijelhma

 Turori 2 - 0 Eshialand	
	Turori Goals:	:: 5' Lutara Makakio:: 46' Lutara Makakio             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 57%:: Shots: 7:: Corners: 15 :: Eshialand :: Possession: 43%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 11
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Moumouni Verre'elali, Karek Edgeli, Amakli Inuro'o, Biliki Rona'atu'i (Lati'ala Giaoka 74'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, Tulaki Rauogba (Trenian Omalizo 71'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Naraiza Ruaplal 22'), Lumlao Noauryua, Lutara Makakio (H’munao Cagomia 74'), Turakia Diijelhma (Kinabo Telioa 71')

---

INURA TEA ✓

@InuraTea

Hope everyone comes prepared to get a little crazy at the Coliseum of the Inurahtii @InuraTea for World Cup Qualifying Matchday 16 when the Turori National Team hosts Delaclava! Check specially marked packages of Inura Tea to see if you've won the chance to redeem free tickets to the game and a post-game tour where you just might get to see the secret Tea Garden of the Inurahtii... No guarantees though. Check Your Packages!


#WC94Q : #PackageCheck : #TeaBaggin

Matchday 16 Venue v. Delaclava

Coliseum of the Inurahtii - Inura Forest, Turori (88,000 Capacity)

Home Club: Inura Forests

Located in the deep forest of Turori away from the population centers, the Coliseum of the Inurahtii began construction around World Cup 31, but construction was off and on until a purpose could be found. The grand vision was to have a stadium facing the beautiful forest with the sea off in the distance, visible to those in the large eastern grandstand that towered above the canopy in the original plans. Finally, the Football Association of Turori agreed that if the stadium was completed, they would host some national team matches there. Additionally, the Vilitan League allowed Turorian Expansion team "Inura Forests FC" to join the non-league ranks as an official member, playing based at the Coliseum during Season 27.

While The Coliseum of the Inurahtii was envisioned as a stadium of the future, its most unique aspect is its view of the past. The site the Coliseum is built on has been a sporting center for the Inurahtii Locals for generations upon generations and outside the modern lined walls of the arena there are towers of stone carvings showing champion tribe battles that once took place on the grounds. The modern venue would provide satisfactory accommodations for fans both from Turori and abroad and feature many modesties and more traditional offerings, most notably the view. While there is a lower bowl of seating in the arena for traditional match viewing, there is also an upper tier that extends high above the canopy of the Inura Forest, perched at a certain elevation that was factored brilliantly in by the architects and renovators to provide moments of natural beauty for fans seated in the upper sections and a taste of what Turori would have been like for eon's before civilians started to occupy the coastal areas of the Island.

Due to its location well away from the main population hub of the Island Emirate, the Coliseum had seen sporadic use by the Turori National Team after the construction of their permanent home in Eelandii. However, the rise of popular local brand Inura Tea influenced a return to the Inura Forests region as Inura Tea pumped its profits into the venue and into sport itself thanks to a viral marketing campaign on twii.tur during the World Cup 93 Finals as well as a growing connection to domestic sport sponsoring awards such as the Inura Teabags™ People’s Choice Awards.

Inura Tea Leaves are extracted from the Inura Forests of central Turori. The brand name "Inura Tea" itself is a play on words as Inura is a region in central Turori consisting of lush Forests and many ancient sites. The Inurahtii (Inuh-ra-tee) were the most prevalent pre-Turorian culture to occupy the Island lands. The Inura (Inuh-ra) Tea (tee) company takes its name as an audible copy of the name of the sometimes mystically considered ancient culture of central Turori and uses some of the symbols and sites of the culture on its packaging. It is also believed that the origins of the Turorian Language come from the Inurahtii which also feature prominently in Inura Tea marketing material.

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[Jeruselem]

Jeruselem during the bye for qualification match 15 ...
Princess Stella Annabelle Dallas and Jeruselem coach Faye Swift during training ...

Stella: Hey, the tabloids say you're pregnant ...
Faye: Me?
Stella: Yeah
Faye: I don't have time to get pregnant as it is and I have enough kids for now
Stella: You're definitely not preggers, I mean I would know as Mum myself
Faye: Geez, put on a little weight and people think you're pregnant ... pretty sad lot out there

Stella: I think you're so boring, people have make up stuff about you
Faye: Well I'm not like you, you're a walking new headline.
Stella: That's fine, I keep people entertained. That's my job
Faye: I just want to do my job, without distractions
Stella: Just let me distract everyone, that's my job
Faye: Say, last two rounds have been a little weird ...

Stella: Well, yeah a bit weird. Ile de Richelieu beating Huayramarca and then losing to Ko-oren. Ile de Richelieu ... losing at home.
Faye: Geez, I don't to go to Ile de Richelieu again. It was far too cold for me. I can think of better places for a holiday.
Stella: Well, Pyazhnaya won one then lost to Darmen. I guess that was expected.
Faye: Yes well, they don't string two wins in row as yet.
Stella: Sannyamathland lose one and then beat ... Huayramarca. Huayramarca having an off day?
Faye: I think it was Huayramarca having a bad day, or two bad days.

Stella: Speaking of Huayramarca, a loss to Ile de Richelieu and Sannyamathland. Two losses in row ...
Faye: Yeah, high scoring losses too. I guess it's good for us!
Stella: Mameath losing two, kinda expected from them
Faye: That's what we kinda expect from them
Stella: Well, our friends Darmen after being awful ... back with wins over Mameath and Pyazhnaya
Faye: I'm glad they aren't playing consistently. We have enough problems with Naixi as it is.

Stella: Naixi having a draw and a loss to The Cherven Cities. I thought they should have won the first one.
Faye: Good for us that one, really surprised about that loss at the time.
Stella: Greater Cebu, one draw and one loss.
Faye: Not much to say, they are better than that.
Stella: We lost to The Cherven Cities but then they have won their previous game as well. The Cherven Cities string together two wins.
Faye: We really shouldn't have lost the one but maybe The Cherven Cities have improved? I don't know.

Stella: Ko-oren had their bye and then beat the Cardinals.
Faye: Well, they could still win the group given the two losses from Huayramarca.
Stella: Well Ko-oren top the group, we're still 2nd and Huayramarca 3rd. Huayramarca should have been on top really.
Faye: Well, I guess Huayramarca aren't invincible after all. Which is good news for us.
Stella: Naixi and Darmen and then The Cherven Cities to 6th. There's tbe bottom 6 one win from 6th.
Faye: Results become a little unpredictable this 2nd half.

Stella: Just thinking Naixi could top the group but 6 draws really hurts.
Faye: Draws are better than losses but draws which could be wins are something else.
Stella: So we got Mameath at home and travel to Pyazhnaya. And then after host Huayramarca and travel to Ko-oren.
Faye: We'd better win the next two, I don't a repeat of the games against Huayramarca and Ko-oren from the 1st half either.
Stella: All the top 3 have done the byes. Darmen and Naixi still have bye.
Faye: I can't see the others winning the group, given their garbage goal differences.

Stella: They'll cause trouble though. The last placed team Sannyamathland has 4 wins.
Faye: I was expecting Ile de Richelieu to better after their start but they fell back
Stella: I'd more concerned about Naixi and Darmen, we know Darmen can do a lot better.
Faye: Say, why is your maid carrying around an oversized metal flyswatter.
Stella: Pest control!
Faye: For wasps right?

Stella: Yeah, she's good at killing insects ...
Faye: Oh, maybe she could teach my kids then. They just run away.
Stella: That just encourages the bloody insects to attack you more
Faye: I know
Stella: I think she hates insects so she just all in to kill them, well suits me.
Faye: Can I borrow her then? My boys pretend to tough but run off at sight of a spider.

[Elmyia]

The Overlap - Main Podcast

John Wood: Double trouble for the Holy Empire, Minows results mixed and Froggatt faces facts, all this and more in today's Overlap Elmyia-cast

Welcome back listener. It's another international break, only the one game for Elmyia this time, but much more to discuss now we're over the halfway mark. To read the tea leaves, as ever, it's Overlap tactics writer Iain McLeod, alright mate?

Iain: Alright thanks John

John: And also joining us, Overlap senior correspondent and the best dressed man in the office, Giuseppi Travelli, buona sera.

Giuseppi: Buona sera John.

John: Now, let's recap listeners, Elmyia at the halfway stage were 7^th with just 14 points, less points and one place worse off than last time in a smaller group. So, not a vintage first half of qualifying. On the flip side, the results against the group's top 4 seeds yielded 8 points from 4, if they'd run as well against the lower ranked teams in the group they'd be second. This was followed with a 5-2 win over Britonisea, a memorable 4-3 win over the Holy Empire, before a stunning reverse against Pemecutan. So, I guess my question is, Porras' Elmyia, good or bad Giuseppi?

Giuseppi: Well John, the truth is we don't know. They seem to raise their game sometimes, the 5-2 this week felt like it could be a turning point. They've read the headline, they're fired up, and most crucially it came as a team effort. It's been a mixed bag so far, but ultimately I think the campaign so far hasn't been quite where anyone hoped it would be.

Iain: I'd agree with Giuseppi. The things the EFF really expected this campaign was progress, and on the evidence Elmyia haven't really brought it yet. There's been a handful of good performances, but for each time they've beaten someone like Baggieland 3-2, they've also had Kamijiro put 5 past them. We knew this wouldn't likely be the campaign they qualified, but we certainly thought they had it in them to at least be competitive for it.

John: Well, this is the thing, was this maybe a cycle too early?

Iain: Oh yeah for sure, I don't think anyone really expected we'd walk into the tournament this time did they, Giuseppi?

Giuseppi: No, absolutely not, I mean you look at all those teams ranked above them, it was always a steep task. I think the disappointment really has stemmed from the performances. After the results in the Copa Rushmori, we thought this might be a team that could mix it, but they haven't really, results are worse than they were in previous campaigns, and qualifying looks gone already. It will definitely be too early for the EFF to be passing judgement on Porras, they knew this was a multi-cycle project, but they won't be too impressed by what they've seen so far.

John: So poor but not fatal so far, Iain, what did you make of the performance up against the Holy Empire? You weren't too impressed last time from what I recall?

Iain: I wasn't no, and I'll repeat some of that now really. It was a great attacking display, which is what Porras has promised, but they never really had any control in the game. They took a 2-0 lead, let three back in and it took a late show from Rossi to bail them out. I know it's his philosophy, but it's not like they're taking control of possession for long periods of the game, or squeezing opponents out, it's all a bit helter-skelter.

Giuseppi: Does that explain some of the poorer results?

Iain: Yeah, probably, they just seem to find a way to let teams back in. They're deliberately leaving big gaps at the back to facilitate moving forward, but the upside they're getting isn't outweighing the massive risks they're taking. Particularly when Froggatt looks shot of form.

Giuseppi: She's been atrocious.

John: Not great when you have one of your main performers struggling, what of the rumours of tension between her and Beresford after Beresford's coming out?

Giuseppi: Hard to say, we know Froggatt's a highly private, religious individual. But the evidence papers are citing is flimsy.

John: Hmmmm the pass that never happened, Iain?

Iain: Well yeah, Beresford overlaps into an excellent position, Froggatt decides instead to run into traffic, Elmyia give up a chance to come back against Pemecutan. But I think it's nonsense, we've seen plenty of times that Froggatt's decision making is fried, this isn't the first time she's ran herself into trouble rather than making a pass.

Giuseppi: I agree, but it has to be said, if Froggatt is having tension with Beresford, it's a much less clear cut question as to which one you'd drop now. Mia Benoit or Lauretta Hightower could come in there, both are having much stronger runs of form, you have to question whether Elmyia would be improved with either of them in the side.

Iain: True, we've been waiting for Froggatt to produce something explosive or come to life, but she really hasn't for the entirety of the qualifying campaign. There's the caveat that the other two aren't great against packed defences, so we'll have to see.

John: Well, lots to think about, Elmyia face Gyatso-Kai and the Republic of Aiyland next, they could bag 6 points. Is it too late guys?

Giuseppi: Well...

John: In one word?

Giuseppi: Yes

Iain: Yes