World Cup 98 | RP thread

[Hapilopper]

DID YOU KNOW?… Before he ran the Hapilopper Football Association, Dominic Probst was a player himself, playing for FC Buckridge from 1981 to 1993. He scored 208 goals in 386 matches before retiring to take a job with the club’s front office. He worked there from 1993 to 2002, when he took a job in the HFA administration.

Dom Probst’s office, the Hapilopper Football Association Headquarters, Hapilopper City
A few days after World Cup 98 Qualifying Match 12: Hapilopper 5-2 Al-Tamazgha

It was a relatively quiet moment in the HFA offices for Dominic Probst, the head of the Hapilopper Football Association. A calm before the storm, if you will. Thom Perkins and Ernie Stevenson were in the film room downstairs, going over game film both of their last match against Al-Tamazgha, and their next opponent, Yuezhou and their last match, a 3-3 draw with the Commonwealth of Baker Park. It was a rare moment for Dom where he wasn’t in demand, where the phones weren’t ringing off the hook, where news media wasn’t demanding his time, it was a calm and quiet moment. A happy moment, if you will.

Behind his desk were huge windows, where he could turn around and see the practice field where Ellis Football got ready for matches against the world’s top footballing powers. Off to the side, a residential street with a set of row houses where neighborhood kids enjoyed playing their own game of football. The immense Hapilopper City skyline loomed in the horizon, where you could see some of the biggest high-rises known to man. But here, this place was about community. And that was a reason why Dom enjoyed it.

That, and the really good spicy restaurant across the street.

It was good he had that rare moment of quiet. The next two matches were going to be intense – utterly and sickeningly intense, to say the least. The first, a few days away, would see the Haps travel to Yuezhou and pray they didn’t get blown out. Pray they could at least get a point out of one of the top teams in the multiverse. The stress levels for the Yuezhou match were off the charts. And as Dom was feeling the stress, the team and the coaches were feeling it tenfold.

Down in the film room, Thom Perkins and some of the technical staff were reviewing film from the Yuezhou-Baker Park match. Sitting off to the side was Ernie, sipping another cup of coffee, his fifth on the day. The mere thought of the Yuezhou match was keeping him up at night.

Hell, it was keeping everyone up at night.

As he walked into the HFA HQ this morning, Lou Hyde told a few teammates that he had a dream that kept coming back – that players like Jia Luka Siski and Leona Tsang, the starting strikers for the Dragons of Yuezhou were scoring on him at will. That he could see their teammates taking bets to see who would score from what distance. Finally, the dream reached its breaking point when he heard the announcer in the stadium announce who was about to score and from what distance.

“You ever have a dream like that?” Lou asked teammate Fox Humbert.

“No, but I had a dream the goal net was chasing me down,” Fox replied. “Like, it was trying to get me.”

“Right, I’ll take your word for it,” Lou responded with a shifty look in his eyes.

Others were stressing out about what lie ahead. Players such as Kara Mingsdottir Zhang, Zhaxi Jianzan and Leona Tsang looked like dangerous threats, Zhang and Jianzan in the midfield and Tsang scoring goals. How serious was this threat?

Usually, members of the Ellis Football defensive corps would be cracking jokes and loudly declaring who they were going to take out when they took the field. Oftentimes this would be accompanied by bets, something that would not become known until years later when some media types referred to them as bounties. But on this occasion, the defensive players were deathly quiet. Rod Cutt, the class clown of the defensive corps, wasn’t making any of his jokes or boisterous threats to send a player to the hospital.

Scott Roundtree, a fellow defensive player, looked at Rod, and saw Rod furiously taking notes in a composition notebook. He had to have been at page 25 or 30 at this point.

“You want something?” Rod asked.

“No, just figured you would have said something by now,” Scott replied.

“I will when we’re done,” Rod said grimly.

That sentiment was shared across the entire squad. You could hear a pin drop inside the film room, the silence only being broken by different observations being made by Thom Perkins and members of the technical staff. The observations looked like potential failings on the Yuezhou squad that the Haps could take advantage of, and players were intently – very intently – paying attention. Everyone had the same idea.

The Yuezhou match could make the difference between qualifying for World Cup 98, getting a playoff spot and being relegated to the Cup of Harmony.

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

---

ANOTHER LOSS AT HOME, BUT A WIN AWAY FROM HOME
Iloilo City, Federal Canton and Darlingtown, Aphrilia

The vocal Panayense crowd got "absolutely quiet", as a Yue player would say when the Yues gave the Islanders a beating with a score of 1-4. The crowd may be enthusiastic with their strong voice, like some Latin American fans do. But got really nervous against an 8th ranked, and also most powerful team like Yuezhou. In the first half, the Dragons literally obliterated the Panayense defense as Chiang attempted a foul on a Yue player, instead, he got a yellow card, missing a match against Aphrilia. As the Yues are celebrating after a penalty, the vocal Panayense crowd didn't stop. But a silver lining came after 4 goals of torture for the team as Martinelli scored a penalty against a Yue player. The final score in this game is 1-4. "We kinda get disappointed about the score.", says Avila. "But I hope I could do other plans to beat our next opponents who also lost to us at home with the same score, and promise me. I won't make a single mistake for that." And he did, in Aphrilia. The Islanders have a pretty rough time fighting off higher ranked teams, but the resilience of the players were strong. As proved with some goals by Ricalde and Nam. The Aphrilians didn't know that they got actually beaten by a low-ranked team. And by far, the Panayenses surpassing the Hapiloppians, who are also higher ranked but lower than Aphrilia, as the high-ranked team to get beaten by a low-ranked team. "I am fortunately happy with the results.", says Avila. "But we need 2 matches to win. And hope that we could try winning the two." The Panayenses will face Al-Tamazigha and Cobrio again, and hope their mistake against Cobrio will be corrected.

[Zwangzug]

The Kerlagrad Courier

With Zwangzug a point (international scoring) behind Delaclava for the third-place playoff spot in group 16, the showdown at the Phoenixes' park took on heightened importance. We are delighted to report that not only is Gregor Courtenay probably squirming for his job, but he is doing so after awkwardly enduring the least Gregor Courtenay match imaginable.

Delaclava are a slightly attacking side, but Zwangzug's defensive approach proved much more stifling. The first twenty minutes consisted of some tepid back-and-forths; after seeing what the diminutive Holy Empire team was capable of, Zwangzug's midfielders pressed Simyan Artakian, the smallest member of Delaclava's starting eleven. This provided room for the lankier Frank Peterson and Taag Johansson to try some long passes, but Sullivan Brecht shut down any emerging threats.

The most entertaining moment of the game occurred in minute 26, when the Phoenixes were awarded a free kick deep in their own half, and David Tkachuk himself came forward to take it. Courtenay's expression was a mix of admiration that the goalkeeper was so well integrated into the team's routine, suspicion that he should be drawing even more attention to himself, and confusion as to how to pronounce "Tkachuk." As it happened, Sohini Dravid intercepted the kick before Tyler Amundsen could connect with it.

At halftime, Courtenay made the decision to bring on Lobsang Pokhriyal for Ernst Guthnick-Wolf. This was baffling, not because Guthnick-Wolf had been playing particularly well (one suspects he just wanted a head start on the clubhouse lasagna), but because Pokhriyal is as vehemently defensive as any other Namiri Forest player, and his arrival made Zwangzug's approach even more passive, and thus for Courtenay, infuriating. It was the kind of performance Debasis Garg would have been proud of, if he hadn't bleeped off to wherever it was he bleeped off to.

To make matters worse, securing the draw required a final piece of individual brilliance from Blanche Coogan-Bucknell, in minute 72, with a diving save from a Theo Amundsen header. It might even have made the highlight reel in a match that had some actual action in it.

"I know the federation is too wimpy to fire anyone," said Amanda Chey-Sorpan, of Twineur. "So this is perfect. They just need to force Courtenay to play defense, then he'll explode in rage and we can find someone who actually wants to get with the program."

"Some scoreless draws feature excellent defensive brilliance that can only be appreciated by connoisseurs," claimed Jeremiah McOwens, of Shorn. "Some are just so frustrating and full of so many missed opportunities, especially if you're the high seed, that you want to tear your hair out. It's a truly special occasion when it can be both at once."

"I was getting ready for the prudes in Bassabook to make mock of Delaclava's visually innovative and gorgeous rainbow flag," declared Deirdre Eisenbaum, of 102d. "When I realized they didn't have it anymore, I was kind of disappointed. But hey, at least the Phoenix symbol is iconic."

An aggrieved Courtenay has vowed to stay in his position at least until the end of qualifiers, claiming any change in management at this late point could be even more disruptive to the frail psyches of the idiots stupid enough to play international football in places like Az-cz or wherever.

At press time, Britonisea were taking advantage of this remarkably damp squib by defeat Quakmybush and leapfrogging us, so Delaclava aren't even the ones we have to worry about.

Update 1: Stephen Marcus' thirteenth-minute goal defeated Osterhalten, and perhaps some of our catastrophizing is a bit moot.
Update 2: Britonisea also defeated Delaclava, which lends a new urgency to our match in Britonisea on matchday fourteen, what could possibly go wrong.
Update 3: Zwangzug are still able to qualify via the playoffs or even directly, nothing is settled.
Update 4: The symbol used for teams that could still qualify via the playoffs or even directly is "Z," which we find extremely appropriate.

[Kamijiro]

The Emperor Has No Clothes.

The past day has been Hell on Earth for the Emperor. He's confessed to a murder, turned the head of his military policing unit against him and continued to lose ground in a war that's being called a vanity project at best. The reality is starting to set in. It's go all-in and potentially lose everything... or run away.

"I can't do this." Kaminari says to his most trusted aide and advisor - his childhood friend, 達川 保奈美 「Tatsukawa Honami」.
"Do what, Kazuma?"
Kaminari's eyes snapped open at the mention of his birth name. Normally, the mere mention of it would fill him with rage. But today... it's different.
"I can't keep living like this. I mean, the whole country hates me. I've taken all that anger that was aimed at Kazumori and I've put it square on my own shoulders. I... I fucked up."
"Yes, you did. You fucked up. And I'm sorry that you felt pushed to the point that you did... that. But you have to stay strong. If not for yourself, for the future of this Empire."
"The Empire is dead, Honami."
"It's not dead... it's just... in a state of flux."
"No, it's not. If it were up to the Marquess of St. Jerome or the Governor of Chamonix, I'd get the rope tonight."
For the first time since... well, probably since he was a kid, Kaminari cried. Truly cried. Honami watched on in horror as the Emperor - strong, resolute, trained by his parents to be the leader the Empire needed - crumbled in front of her. She tried to speak comfort, but her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. After what felt like an eternity, Kaminari spoke once more, his voice weak and interrupted by sobs.
"Tomorrow morning, I declare our surrender. The bombs are getting closer. It used to be that you couldn't hear them at all. But if you listen closely, you can hear them now. If we keep fighting, they'll get to the city. And our citizens will die for an ideal that no longer exists."
"And what will you do? Abdicate?"
"No. I'll... try to stand up there and take whatever comes on the chin. For... for the Empire."
"You do know that this will mean you'll likely be tried and convicted, yes?"
"Yes."
"Godspeed, Kazuma. The road you're heading down is a thorny one. You may not make it out of this alive. I... I'm going to pack my things. Would you like me to pack your things as well?"
"Pack my things?"
"Yes, Kazuma. I think it's best if we disappear into the night. I hear South Newlandia is quite beautiful this time of year."
"I... I shouldn't. I should stay. Face the music."
"Listen, last offer. If you say no, then I'm going by myself. If you want to come, now's the time. Your private helicopter can get us to Jirō Island. We can take a plane from there and vanish. Do you still have the fake IDs and the hair dye?"
"... yes, I do."
"Then let's go."

The next morning, one of the Palace guards enters into the Emperor's quarters to find a note on the bed next to Kaminari's neatly folded robes.

To whomever finds this:
I, Emperor Kaminari, have officially abdicated the throne. Contact Lt. Col. Sugawara and inform her that my final act as Emperor was to install her as Prime Minister. Oh, and don't bother looking for me. That goes for all of you. I'm sorry it had to go this way, but it's the only way to possibly save what's left of the Empire. Godspeed and long live Miraisaki.

Signed,
雷天皇.

Notarized,
達川 保奈美.

The guard carefully pockets the note and finds the nearest telephone, ringing the kempeitai headquarters.
"Hello, this is Shirō Matsumoto down at the Palace... he's gone. Please, come right away. Send the Lieutenant Colonel."

Five minutes later, Lt. Col. Sugawara strode into the Palace.
"So, he's run away crying, hm? No matter. We'll continue our operations without him."
(to be continued...)

Meanwhile, in Newport, South Newlandia...

A pair of tired-looking Kamijiroan travellers check into a small hotel on the outskirts of the city. One of them dons sunglasses, despite the fact that it's night. The other one looks like they've just been awoken from a restless sleep.

"Room for two? Two beds, please." Sunglasses says, sliding over his passport as proof of identification. The name, Yamada Ichirō, was a fake. And date of birth, as well as place of residence, all fake. However, the rest of it was a legitimate passport, created specifically in case abdication ever occured. Nobody knew about this. Except for the other traveller, of course. She hands her passport over as well. The name was also faked, in case of somebody trying to sniff down their tail. But before long, they're in a very nice-looking room. Two beds and a mini-kitchen.

"Guess we're going to be here a while." The ex-Emperor mused, splashing water on his face and looking in the mirror, trying to get used to his hair going from a glowing yellow-blonde with flowing locks to a jet black slick-back.
"Probably so. But then again, South Newlandia is known for pretty strict immigration laws. We may have to head off for somewhere else after a while. Milchama's not a bad choice if we overstay our welcome here."
"Just remember, we can't let our identities slip. I'm Ichirō, you're Tomoko. Understood?"
"Yes."

Ichirō flops into bed, the bags under his eyes somehow bigger than the suitcases he brought with him. His dreams are nightmares - being caught, being put on a show trial before being executed. These were recurring dreams for him lately, ones that have felt more like premonitions than just nightmares. But now it seems more and more like those images will remain just figments of his imagination. The next day would be a challenge in and of itself. Reading the news from back home, seeing what Lt. Col. Sugawara does with the new power granted her...
(to be continued...)

The Sports Report!
The following is an article excerpt from Jirō Shimbun's sports pages.

Opinion: It's High Time Raiji Kagawa Goes.
Kamijiro's team continues to flail in the back half of the qualifiers. It feels like it was just yesterday that the Lightning sat atop the group at 6-0-2, 18 points through their first eight matches. Fast forward just a little and the team is at 7-0-5, losing three of their past four, slipping all the way down to fourth place, outside of the qualifying entirely. Of course, part of that comes with a little bit of wiggle room. Losing away to Vdara makes sense when you look at it, they're much higher-ranked than the Kamijiroans and for good reason - they're a damn good team. Losing to Flavovespia also makes sense. They're ranked within the top ten in the world. Never going to be easy. But the other losses - an away loss to Yuugria and a home loss to Golden Harp? Those may be damning for Kagawa, who looks more and more desperate to get the points needed for qualification. The next two matches aren't going to be easy, either. an away date with third-placed Kanzlia and then bringing Yuugria to the JirōSekai? Four matches ago, I think most Kamijiroans would've said "bring it on!" But now? Now it feels like both of those are matches the Lightning might lose. A loss to Kanzlia would essentially send Kamijiro home...

Now why does that sound familiar? Oh, because just like the loss to Golden Harp and it's parallel to the loss to Carribia, it's already happened. Last World Cup, Kamijiro was fully in control of it's own destiny heading into the final two matchdays, with Al-Tamazgha and the Kytler Peninsulae being the two teams standing between them and qualification. Despite having a match in hand over the Kytler Peninsulae with two matches to go AND a much higher goal difference (+15 to +11), the Kamijiroans threw it all away. A rough 0-0 draw away to Al-Tamazgha saw their chances dwindle slightly, but any result over Kytler would've seen them through. At home, as well. But no. The Kytlerians came in and beat the Lightning in their own home, 0-2. History has a funny way of repeating itself, doesn't it?

Anyway, enough about the past. Let's look at the future. Let's say the Lightning pull through on this and win out, qualify through the playoff and then get to the World Cup proper for the first time ever. Would it even be worth it to bring back Kagawa at that point? The media circus surrounding his past coming to light has been bad enough. Combine that with the fact that the results on the pitch have been less-than-stellar of late and you get a concoction of limelight so dastardly that even a Saint would look terrible in its reflection. I mean, if the rumors are true, which he's refused to comment on every single time it's come up, then he's murdered nearly a dozen people. Our national team manager! A civil war looks bad enough on the international front, do we really want a man who's (allegedly) committed enough murders to get his own episode on "Miraisaki's Most Wanted" next season running the whole national team? Because I feel that the answer is a hard no. Of course, the decision comes down to the FA. Kagawa's contract supposedly has an automatic extension clause built in if the Lightning qualify. If that's the case, then there's not much we can do. But if there isn't one, I think he needs to be on the next bus out of town. And possibly be tried for whatever the hell else he's accused of.

- Chantal Rose, head correspondant of sport for Jirō Shimbun's northern reaches.

(H) Kamijiro 1 - (A) Qasden 0
Match held at JirōSekai, Jirō Island, Kamijiro. Attendance recorded at 5,521. Kickoff @ 1:00 PM.
Scorers (KMJ): Fujiwara (77')
Scorers (QAS): None.

Yellow cards: Fujiwara (83'), R. Kagawa (90+4')
Injuries: None.

(A) Kamijiro 0 - (H) Flavovespia 1
Match held at Highland Road, Hadford Hill, Flavovespia. Travelling Kamijiroan fans confirmed at 1,283. Kickoff @ 8:00 PM.
Scorers (KMJ): None.
Scorers (FVA): Langdon (29')

Yellow cards: None given.
Injuries: None.

[Kanzlia]

[1][2][3]
[4][5][6]
[7]

► 1? - 00:21
"Yo man, we got an anonymous tip about some insane scandal within the VVK."  ✓✓
◄ 2? - 00:34
"What is it about"
► 1? - 00:35
"The guy is raising the possibility that the VVK is faking drug tests"  ✓✓
◄ 2? - 00:36
"Ok this is very interesting, go on"
► 1? - 00:37
"But not for performance enhacing no"  ✓✓
► 1? - 00:37
"But to get a doctor fired from her position"  ✓✓
◄ 2? - 00:37
"You lost me there."
◄ 2? - 00:37
"It makes no sense."
► 1? - 00:38
"Do we want to write about it?"  ✓✓
◄ 2? - 00:39
"Come on, we're not Morton"
◄ 2? - 00:39
"Speaking of which, just sell the tip to them."
◄ 2? - 00:40
"It's a good bonus for the two of us eh? 50/50 does that sound good?"
► 1? - 00:40
"Hell yeah it does!" ✓✓

_ | ⮌ | ☒

We're so so close

---

To: Karl Schmidt

---

Dear Karl,

I naively thought you could get a sneaky win against Vdara just before. Well that didn't happen but atleast the win against Qasden puts the team back into a place we're rather comfortable with.

But you've seen the table haven't you? We face the 2 toughest teams in the group, Kamijiro and Flavovespia. Kamijiro is just inches below us, they can practically smell that one point gap seperating the two nations. A win against Kamijiro will do us the world of good. All sins will be forgiven Karl.

All other competing teams, Vdara, Kamijiro and Flavo, have relatively weak sides left in their schedule - so now we're faced with the herculean task of slaying 2 giants.

The minimum result is a draw and a win against the 2 teams. I know its a tough ask but qualification is something the entire nation is looking forward to.

All 25 million Kanzlians will await with bated breath on how the team will perform against Kamijiro. Best of luck with the preparations.

Sincerely,

Jan Melis
President of Voetbal Vereniging Kanzlia

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Article for deletion

---

To: Jan Melis

---

Dear Jan,

I've got my hands on a draft article due just tomorrow for publishing. A journalist I employed got their hands on an anonymous tip from your federation and whew, even for Morton standards this is quite the bombshell.

I owe you a favour during our Centraal days and I can veto the article from publication.

Don't push your luck too far Jan, I can not reveal the source. We might have lacklustre standards around here, but we still have them.

DRAFT: 
DRUG RING UNCOVERED WITHIN THE VVK?
Shocking revelations have emerged suggesting the potential presence of a massive drug operation within the VVK, sources close to the federation have suggested...

Sincerely,

Niels te'Gaetzma
Vice-President of Morton News Conglomerate

---

71 Noordstraat, Morton, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Re: Article for deletion

---

To: Niels te'Gaetzma

---

Dear Niels,

This is a very unpleasant surprise to say the least. Though, rather than deleting it, could I propose writing it instead?

You owe me several favours from the Centraal AND college days.

Sincerely,

Jan Melis
President of Voetbal Vereniging Kanzlia

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

MELIS'S IRON FIST, HOW THE VVK PRESIDENT SAVED OUR NATIONAL TEAM FROM THE DOCTOR OF DEATH

In a shocking development that has rocked Kanzlian football, former national team doctor Maria Kovacova has been exposed as a potential drug dealer following a routine screening at the VVK headquarters. The VVK's swift action spearheaded by president Jan Melis demonstrates the VVK's unwavering zero-tolerance apporach to illegal substances in the game.

Sources close to the federation reveal that Kovacova has tested positive for Methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA). Shortly after this was revealed, Jan Melis took swift action, immediately terminating her contract and having her escorted out of the training grounds with a police escort.

The timing couldn't be more crucial as the Exiles are experiencing a rebirth under Karl Schmidts guidance. Their 4 game winning streak is a testament to his work. They now will face their last 2 qualification matches against Kamijiro and Flavovespia.

[Chromatika]

The Ten Commandments of being a Chromatik Sportsperson

By: Keira Andisori, Myana Island Commissioner, all-time Chromatika Anomalies goalscorer, and previous Shadow Writer

If you are an athlete that's playing in Chromatika, or worse, an athlete representing Chromatika, these are the ten commandments that you must follow, or face the penalty of being ridiculed, or worse, looked down upon, by the Chromatik public:

Commandment the First: Respect, respect, respect.

The Chromatik culture is built upon respect, and so is its athletic prestige. Respect the game. Respect your teammates. Respect your opponents. Respect your coaches. Respect the fans that are watching at the stadium, or on streaming devices. If you build everything on respect, there isn't much you will do that will be considered uncouth or untoward. Respect is the building block of every Chromatik public figure, and athletes are absolutely no exception. Respect is where it all begins - and without it, the Chromatik psyche falls apart.

Commandment the Second: Weather is just a part of the game. It's no excuse at all.

Weather doesn't play favorites. If it's windy, it's windy everywhere - both teams have to play it. If, for some freakish reason, it's windier when you have the ball than when the opponent does, that's just something else to overcome. To use weather as an excuse is the weak way out - it just means that you didn't prepare to handle it, and that is, ultimately, on you. Welcome the challenge of playing in adverse weather. Welcome the logistics of figuring it out, of preparing for it, of determining how you should face the challenges. Test out those strategies when the time comes. There is much pride and joy in learning that what you worked on led to a victory.

Commandment the Third: Leave it all on the field, or don't come off of it at all.

The arena of sport is the only place where a Chromatik athlete should show emotion. It's also where they should pour every ounce of energy that they have in their body. No athlete should come out of the event without feeling exhausted - and they should not take what happened during the event outside of the event. This isn't to say that the result shouldn't affect your mood nor your behavior - it's to say that that shouldn't lead to an athlete behaving unprofessionally. If an athlete can tell that they will be unprofessional, they should stay away from the public, and sometimes even teammates, until they've calmed down. There is a time and a place to show emotion - and that is on the field (or pitch, or court, or wherever), and only that.

Commandment the Fourth: Celebrate the wins. Embrace the losses. Enjoy the journey.

The only way through things is to actually face them. Take the time to celebrate each victory, understanding what it took to arrive at them, one by one. Embrace the losses for the lessons that they teach, understanding what led to them and how you could potentially over come them. Over it all, embrace the journey that each season and tournament brings. Too often, expected wins are understated, while unexpected losses are overstated. In the course of life - or even, a sporting career - they are both going to happen in masse. Take everything in perspective, and understand that in the grand scheme of things, it's all a part of the journey as a whole.

Commandment the Fifth: The Coach/Manager is the Law. They also suffer the most blame, always.

There must be a head of the team - and it's the Coach/Manager. Yes, there will be the actual head on the field/court/wherever, but the Coach/Manager is the one that leads the team from the front. Whatever they say goes - and therefore, it's on the Federation/Council to make sure that they put the right person in charge. Once that person is in charge, they have full support to do whatever they will - but they must also suffer full consequences for their failures. In Chromatik sports, the Coach/Manager always suffers the biggest blame, because everything happens under their watch. That is why they are given the most power, and often times, paid the most money. No one should enter in such a position without knowing this fact.

Commandment the Sixth: The fan comes first, but even before the fan is the country as a whole.

To play sports in Chromatika is to sign a binding contract with the fan, and in fact, the Chromatik public as a whole. Above playing for the enjoyment of the athlete themselves or to earn money is the fact that thousands upon thousands watch sports for enjoyment, for togetherness, to lift their spirits. Every athlete is to remember that they represent more than just themselves or their team - they represent their community, their fans, and at the national level, every Chromatik alive. This should fill the athlete with pride, with motivation, and with determination to do more than they thought possible.

Commandment the Seventh: There is no "I" in team. There is an "I" in imagination, intelligence, and introspection, though.

There is no room for individual glory in Chromatik sports. Individual glory comes as a product of success, but is not the motivation. Imagination - being creative instead of sticking to the status quo - will be valued. Intelligence in knowing what to do when, along with the introspection to know oneself and what one is willing to do for the team, will always be recognized and be in high demand. Only when there are distinguished, fantastic individuals that are willing to work together for the betterment for a team is there fertile ground for a group of people to accomplish something spectacular.

Commandment the Eighth: The athlete that laughs last laughs the loudest. Don't talk unless you can walk, and definitely don't talk if you can't take being talked about.

Don't say anything you can't back up, and if you want to talk, don't be shocked if people talk about you when you fail. It's the basics of sports etiquette, but it needs to be said. It's best if you let your play do the talking for you - but when if you must talk, make sure that it's something worth talking about. It's recommended that the talk is defending someone else, or benefitting the team as a whole. When you suffer a defeat and get talked about, take it with humility and don't be a sore loser - there is nothing worse than being a sore loser.

Commandment the Ninth: Divas are not worth the glitter they put on.

A diva, in this definition, is someone who blows things out of proportion and then doesn't help in cleaning things up. Those that blows things up and then takes care of it themselves are worth the headache that they cause, but those who leave others to clean after their own mess are not worth the glitter that they have on. These individuals, no matter how talented they are, will ultimately be a cancer to their organization and leave the place worse than they found it. They have no place in Chromatik society, and therefore, no place in Chromatik sports.

Commandment the Tenth: Never take any moment for granted.

Life is short - and an athlete's career is even shorter than just that. You never know when an event will be your last in your career. Injury is a part of the game, and it's sometimes the cruelest one at that. Enjoy every moment to the fullest - so that when it's over, you can look back at your career - all the glorious moments, all the agonizing defeats - and be able to hold your head up high as one that tried their best through it all. That is truly all that a sportsperson can hope for when it's all over.

This is, of course, the humble opinion of one individual athlete who has been there, done that, and continue to watch with rapt attention.

I salute you all.

[HUElavia]

Megistos 0–5 HUElavia
(Go 14', Dias 31', 71', Mongrain 51', Arruda 90')

HUElavia 4–0 Lacivea
(Narita 5', 76', Asano 36', Llopis 53')
Hot Springs Stadium, Toin, HUElavia

Confessione

A mobster's confession of his family's sins.

Dino knew there truly was no going back with this decision. He resigned to the fact that under the laws of Omerta, he would be seen as a traitor. One that deserved every single bullet shot at him. Hell, they may even come after his wife and kids if they find them. And that was a risk he was not willing to take. Agent Coutinho handed over his papers to sign off the decision to testify against the Torelli family and to be put into witness protection. "Wait. Is there something I could ask before I sign off?" "What is it?" "I know I will be turning over to help you guys in your case against my family, but I know the trial will take a while to begin. These people know where I live. Is there any way I can request to have my wife, kids and I to be moved to a different city until we get moved out of the country?" Agent Coutinho stood there, thinking for a moment before responding "I think we can arrange some sort of temporary living for you guys." "Can it please be at least a decent area with a decent home?" "We're not a charity, but we can see what we can come up with for you guys." "My other question is, before I sign these papers, could I please make a call to my wife?" "Yes, but please make it pretty quick. We don't have all night to have you talk too much to her on the phone."

Dino was guided by an officer to the station phone, where he stood there, hesitating on whether to call his wife. He munstered up the strength and dialed her number. "Hello, who is this?" "Claudia, it's me..." "Dino? Where the hell have you been? I've been constantly trying to reach your phone and you won't pick up, it just goes straight to voicemail!" "I- I'm at the police station in downtown." "The police station? Oh God... Did you get arrested?" "No, no! Not at all! I just... Remember how you said you didn't like the jobs the boss was giving me?" "Yeah, it makes me worried for your safety." "W-Well, I ended up turning over to the feds." "Y-You did what?" "I turned over to the feds Claudia. I struck a deal with them to let me, or rather us, be free." "What did you tell them? Everything I knew about the family, even things you don't know." "Oh God... What deal did they make for you?" A police officer motioned Dino to hurry up and finish. "Listen, where's the kids at?" "They're at Lisandro and Laura's house playing with their kids." "Good, let them know you'll pick them up later, even pay them for babysitting the kids a bit longer. I need you to come over to the station and we need to talk about the deal I'm going to make. Please, get here quick."

Dino hung up and was escorted back to the interrogation room with Agent Coutinho waiting for him outside the room, having a bit of a smoke. "Ready to finish signing the papers?" "If we can wait a bit longer, I spoke with my wife and I want her to know the deal we're making tonight." "Very well then, how long should it take for her to arrive?" "About 30 to 45 minutes. Maybe an hour tops. She just needs to make sure our kids stay at our neighbors." "Alright then. I guess we'll wait and have some food. We're ordering some Tallian food from the restaurant Torino. Anything you'd like?" "Yeah, I'd like the Soprano, the one with the Gabagool, Provolone, Vinnegar Peppers, and Straciatella cheese. Get a second one as well, my wife also likes it. Oh, and some fries and some soda for us." "Alright, just wait inside there."

Time felt like it went on and on while waiting, now feeling tired and hungry with the stress being dissipated from his body. Eventually, an officer came in, giving him a bag with his order and drinks, he ate there slowly, just taking in what he has done up to now. After eating nearly all of his sandwich and most of his chips, a knock came in the door and it was an officer with his wife. Claudia was a petite woman, blond hair, with slightly tanned skin. She looked well and tonned for a woman in her late 30s. Dino got up and came over to her, as they embraced each other and shared a small kiss. "I'm so happy you're here Claudia." "Oh Dino, I'm glad nothing's happened to you. Why did you decide to do this?" "I-I'm tired Claud. I'm tired of the life and the more the extortions I do, the more riskier it gets for me to serious harm someone. And I feel the demands are getting too much. And I don't want to risk the retaliation from anyone. Sure, I may get clipped, but I don't want that fate for you and the kids." Claudia's eyes watered with tears, as she hugged Dino as hard as she could. The officer came back with a chair, offering a seat next to Dino for her.

Minutes later, Agent Coutinho came in and introduced himself once more. "Good evening Mrs. Torelli, my name is Agent Robert Coutinho from the HUElavian Bureau of Investigation." He shook his hand with her, and gestured to both Dino and Claudia to take their seats. "Now, you may be wondering how Mr. Torelli got here earlier, we had to strong-arm him to coming here, given we had proof of video surveillance of him extorting an elderly business owner for insurance money three weeks ago. Such an act can be punished with a prison sentence." Claudia gave a rueful side-eye to Dino, where all he can do was to be silent. "Now, we were willing to overlook his crimes and wipe his criminal record clean, in exchange for him confessing the crimes of the Torelli Family, including a planned attack on one of the other families in Canternico." Claudia gasped in shock at the revelation.

"Now, your husband did ask about protection for you, your children and himself during the trial and afterwards. Our offer for the next few months is as follows: We move you all to Ourao and fly him in during the trial, while providing round-the-clock protection during these next few weeks, if not months. Afterwards, we'd send you all to Sudilia, with a new surname, which we've come up with the surname of McDougal." Claudia was left shocked with her jaw down. "I- I- I don't know what to make of this. Ourao? That's a day and a half drive? And Sudilia? It's frigid cold there! I'd freeze my girls and you your boys if we're up there!" "I know it's a shock, but with such valuable information your husband has provided, we want to protect him at all costs. We're even willing to help with the expenditure for the moves. In Ourao you'll have an apartment, but we've eyed a nice, big house in Sudilia, in the outskirts of Manchbury."

Claudia turned to Dino wanting to see what he'd say about this. "Claudia, you know I love you with all my life. When we got married, I meant my words that I would always protect and defend you. Then we had Mauro and Emilia and they are our extension of our lives. Proof that we existed. I cannot risk anything happening to you guys and I want us to start anew." Claudia would tear up again, hugging Dino tightly. "T-Thank you for doing this. I can only imagine how difficult it's been for you to do this." Dino teared up as well "I-It has been. But I want to give this up and move on with my life. With all of our lives..." Agent Coutinho passed the papers to Dino and said "I presume you're ready to sign?" "Yes, I am" and Dino signed all the papers.

To be continued...

[Zenic]

Flight to The 14 Stars, a few days before the 7th and final regular international period of World Cup 98 Qualifiers

"So, is the pressure on us or off of us? Because I'm really confused by all the articles and shows," asked Mara tongue in cheek. One of the newer paid interns looked a little worried at the statement. Geraldo shook his head playfully and ribbed his assistant. "All we need is one win from our last two games and we're in. We can joke once we're guaranteed back in the World Cup."

"Fair enough. You want to talk business? What are we thinking in regards to lineups for these games?" That was the question on everyone's mind. Do the Survivors go with their main lineup all the way to eliminate any doubt? Or perhaps they switch it up and run their reserves in order to rest their starters since they can fall back on making the qualifier playoffs if things go wrong? Potentially mix and match in order to both experiment and rest tired legs? "No matter what we do, we'll get questioned and second guessed for weeks."

"Which is why we're doing the option number 3," replied Mara. Geraldo and the intern looked at her with a surprised look. "How'd you figured that out?," asked Geraldo. "I know you. You've stuck with the same team for this long; no way something like the media is going to convince you that this entire squad isn't good enough for the World Cup. Exactly what lineups you're running is anyone's guess since I have no idea what you were cooking up in that office of yours these last three days but I trust you enough to have come up with lineups that work magic."

Geraldo Zys smiled. "You are absolutely right. For The 14 Stars, we're rolling out: Mosley; Dubravko, Hodge, Pekko; Dettmann, Vasil, Dejulio, Anton, Nakazawa; Gentile, Aldhard. We get one of the best goalkeepers in the game, Hodge will take on responsibility for the backline to keep them in check, AND we get enough control in the middle to find two very good scoring options up front." A few of the other staff members did their best to listen in and catch a glimpse of the lineup sheets. "Meanwhile, we'll be rolling out: Hope, Byford, Ohara, Trac; Nance, Seamons, Lawal, Devor, Aeneas; Sumida, Maruscak for the Megistos match. Trac will lead the backline by helping out as a quasi-sweeper, very little is getting past this midfield and once the ball gets into the attacking third, Maruscak and Sumida should provide enough offense to get the win."

A lot of 'interesting' and 'hmmm' rang out amongst the crowd. Some had actually gotten out of their seats and were huddled in the aisle. Someone cleared their throats aggressively, causing everyone to look up from the lineup sheets and over to where the sound originated. A flight attendant looked at the group with ire, causing everyone to immediately understand and rush back to their seats for the remainder of the flight.

The intrigue on how much these alterations would change the course of this Zenician campaign would have to wait until the matches themselves.

[Lisander]

"Act of Kindness" to stray animals becomes law in Lisander
From "The National", January 15.

A curious law was passed by the Lisander parliament on this Tuesday. Dubbed the ‘glowing dog law’, Parliamentary Amendment 4127 to the Animal Protection Act requires all collars, leads and other garments for animals to have a minimum of 15cm² of reflective material when outdoors. The idea gained public attention when a man, João Felipe Morne, a worker of the Road Maintenance Department, went viral by sewing collars for dogs he found on the roads where he worked, using reflective fabric from discarded uniforms.

‘Every now and then, when we go to repair the tarmac on a road, we see dogs run over, cats run over. Sometimes even alive, but very injured, on the verge of death, in agony. We feel very sorry for them. The poor things have no way of protecting themselves. And because we usually worked at night, we're given reflective clothing. Then I thought: ‘People see us from afar and don't run us over, so if the animals could also reflect it would be a way of making them safer.’

Morne, who is 44, married and the father of two daughters, learnt to sew from videos on WhoTube and with his wife's help started making collars for the stray animals. His kindness ended up moving his work colleagues, who began donating their old uniforms to make collars. The measure reduced the number of collisions with animals on the roads maintained by the Road Maintenance Department by 72 per cent. The idea eventually spread to several localities. Stray dogs and cats, as well as cattle, goats and, in some districts, even wild animals such as foxes, lynxes and ermines, have been given some way of ‘reflecting the light’, be it with collars, tags or even paint on their fur.

Some environmentalists criticise these applications of the idea, arguing that making animals glow could make them easier prey to other animals and also for hunters, altering the food chain among wild animals, as well as criticising farmers using plastic tags or reflective paint on cattle hides. "The idea for street animals is laudable. But not every animal needs to glow in the dark, of course. Each species has its own way of seeing, caused by differences in the nervous system and in how their eyes work. We shouldn't modify these things just for our own convenience. We should stick to the original idea and only collar domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, that are on the streets, without an identification microchip and unable to be taken to shelters. What some people are doing and promoting, spraypainting cattle and sheep , is no less than absurd. These products cause suffering to animals. The chemical components present in fluorescent paint can not only cause disease and stress to animals, but also damage their quality of life. The use of reflective paint on farm animals is a measure that should be rejected even by the nefarious meat and leather industry, as it threatens the health of those who consume animal products. There are safer methods of keeping animals safe from traffic accidents.’ - Says Felicia Centeno, an animal protection association member.

[StrayaRoos]

A Slightly Unhelpful Guide to StrayaRoos - Politics - Parts Two & Three
Part One

Part 2 - Voting
The Actual voting systems utilised in the various Roosian legislative chambers, at Federal, State and Local levels, can be described in ‘3 Ps’
- preferences
- Proportionality
- Too many ballot papers
This saying was adopted by rtvS’ chief elections analyst Isaac Tueia during an explainer video uploaded to YouTube before the 2022 ‘Megaelection’, the last with all major chambers and the Presidency up, and it’s very much stuck.

So, for the first P - too many ballot papers. The average Roosian at the upcoming election will receive 4 ballot papers, with some receiving 5. These ballot papers are: the mixed single vote House of Representatives ballot (traditionally green), the long white senate ballot, the small white presidency ballot, and a small yellow State Legislative Assembly ballot, and voters in some states will get a Legislative Council ballot. How these are filled in is a confusing mess when there’s 5 of them. But it goes like this:
- The Presidency and Legislative Assembly ballots (in the three states with IRV), are filled out by numbering the boxes next to each candidate’s name in order of preference. Any vote with less than that will (depending on jurisdiction) either be thrown out, or autocompleted using a party ticket.
- The House of Representatives ballot works in a similar way. But a key difference is that the ‘highest viable preference’ (I.e. excluding Independents and Federally unrecognised parties) will be utilised as a ‘Party vote’, unless the voter indicates they want the party vote to go to a party they ranked lower on their ballot by crossing out the preferenced parties above that party.
- The Senate and Legislative Councils use a complex (to say the least) system that’s been described as ‘something’. The ballot consists of two votes. First there’s the ‘Above the Line’ vote for a party, where the voter is encouraged to preference at least 6 parties, and then the ‘Below the line’ vote for candidates in their 1st preference party, which is optional but highly encouraged.
This makes up the second P - Preferences.

The final P, Proportionality, can be best explained using the counting of the votes. The ballots for the presidency and Legislative Assemblies are fairly simple Instant Runoff Voting counts, where the bottom candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed until there’s a majority. But the other three ballots are messy, to say the least.

First off, the House of Reps. The preferences for candidates work in the same way as the Presidency and Legislative Assembly ballots, electing 180 members in single-member instant runoff voting districts. Then the party votes are calculated using the Hare Largest Remainders Method. Usually only party primary vote (highest preference for a party) are counted on election night and used as preliminary figures, as the TV networks project results. The party votes decide how many seats of the 361 a party is eligible for. Any party that fails to cross the 2% or 1 electorate threshold has their votes thrown out, and the party entitlements are calculated from there. In the event where a party wins more seats than they’re entitled to, additional seats are created to accomodate them. This system has meant that StrayaRoos is yet to have a single-party majority, and usually three-headed coalitions are required, with supply sometimes being negotiated from the cross bench.

The senate and Legislative Council systems are completely different beasts, being a modified version of a Ticket STV system, where the voter must mark above and below the line, with the above the line requiring 6 preferences for parties , and below the line requiring at least 6 preferences for the voter’s preferred party’s candidate list. The counting process is also complex. After each party’s primary vote is counted, all parties below half of a droop quota (total votes divided by vacancies+1) are eliminated, and their votes transferred to the highest preference that passed the threshold. The vote counts for each party after distribution of preferences are then put into the Sainte-Lague method of divisors, allocating the seats to parties. Then, the candidates of parties allocated seats compete for the seats, using the candidate preferences in an STV contest to decide who fills that party’s seats. The system has created a proportional senate that’s for some reason, as powerful as the house, and many governments have come undone due to the inexplicable presense of tiny parties refusing to co-operate in the senate.


Part 3 - Parties

The party system in StrayaRoos is a strong multi-party system, with two dominant parties controlling 60% of the seats supplemented by various minor parties holding 40% of the seats in the house. These are who they are:

First off, the majors.

On the left of the spectrum is Labor, the longest continuously-existing federal party in StrayaRoos. Heavily into Social Democracy and Progressivism, at times they adopt a borderline socialist agenda, which seems to really hit it off with the Roosian public. They’re currently leading a three-headed coalition with the Greens and Democrats, and have polled at 40% for the past two elections, where they’ve been lead by incredibly popular PM Hamish Ouau.

Then on the right you have the National-Conservative coalition, or as they’re often called NatCon, with the Conservatives taking the city electorates, and Nationals taking the rural electorates. The Conservatives entered existence as a merger of the (old) Conservative Party and the Protectionist Party. Initially the merged party was named the Conservative United Party, but changed back in the early 1930s to the Conservatives. The Nationals were formerly known as the Rural Party, and were for the first 50 years of StrayaRoos being a nation, more of a populist party who were seen as being on the side of the ‘Little guy’ or ‘rural battlers’, and they only changed into the hard-right Social Conservative party they are today in the 1950s and 1960s. Currently, the Tories and Nats are led by Opposition Leader Shane Lorti, a noted hard-right figure, and hold 123 seats, after polling a combined 33% at the last election.

Then, there’s the minors.

First off, is the largest, the Greens. They’re the hard-left alternative to Labor, and are Socially Progressive, and often Eco-socialist ideologically. They burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, after starting as the Ban Coal Mines Party contesting the Eastern Roosian Legislative Assembly in the 1920s, expanding into each state’s proportionally elected house, and then first contested all state chambers in 2004. They’re currently led by Isabelle Briolani and hold 31 seats in the House of Representatives, and join Labor in the three-headed coalition, having previously sat in cabinet from 2014-2022, and now since 2026.

Next is the Democrats. They’re the major Populist centrist party, and tend to be socially liberal, while their economic policy is a total mess. They’ve contested every election in some shape or form, and have provided deputy Prime Ministers to 5 Labor Governments throughout their history. A notable feature of the party is the conscience vote given to MPs on every bill’s second reading in both the house and senate. The party has been in Government in some form (either a formal coalition or just confidence and supply) for 28 of the past 32 years. The party’s currently led by Nathan Urea, and holds 21 seats in the House of Representatives, and are the final head of the three-headed coalition.

Then on the right of the spectrum is the far-right Freedom Alliance, made up of the United StrayaRoos Party, StrayaRoos First, and the Gun Rights Association. They’re the obligatory ‘nutjob’ party in Roosian Politics, having endorsed somewhat xenophobic policies in the past. Currently, they are experiencing an uptick in support, polling a combined 9.78% of the vote in a recent poll, compared to 5.80% at the 2030 election. Currently the USP and GRA hold a total of 18 seats in the House of Representatives, and are lead by USP leader Ryan Nablo.

And the final party sitting in parliament is the centre-left Meyrani’ora or Indigenous Party. They campaign heavily on land rights and the inclusion of Indigenous languages in the education curriculum. At the last election, they polled just over the threshold and won 8 seats. But they’re unlikely to fall out of Parliament, as they hold 6 electorate seats, most by a safe margin (6% in the 2 Candidate Preferred).

Outside of Parliament, there’s a diverse array of minor parties that’re registered with the NEC for House elections (Senate election candidates are nominated by the state parties, and therefore a party only needs state registration to win in the senate). The diversity is demonstrated by the difference in ideology between the Metropolitan Citizen’s League (a self-described NIMBYist conservative party that boomed at the 2033 Muncipial Council Elections), to the Socialist Party of StrayaRoos (the name describes itself). In regards to these parties having a shot at parliament, the Progressive Party is expected to comfortably cross the 2% threshold and regain the representation they lost 4 years ago, and the MCL could win a seat in Menai or Seamantle, which would grant them full representation, but apart from those two, no party is expected to have a shot at entering Parliament at the next election.

[Patriotlandia]

Outside chance at qualifying. The national team prepares for one final push

The World Cup Qualifying is heading to an exciting finish and the Patriotlandian national team is at the heart of it. With six points to be had for every team in group 9 and four teams still chasing the third and last spot, the last few games will be at their most important. Saterun holds the third spot so far with a three point lead. The Bleus had the opportunity to dig into that lead in their last match but unfortunately neither team could find a decider after 90 minutes. 8 goals couldn't differentiate the two teams which means the Patriotlandians national team will have to find as many points as possible against Dhemixia and Eshialand. The latter has already punched their ticket to the big show but could still prove to be challenge as they want to keep their momentum going. The former are only one point away of the Patriotlandians and still mathematically able to qualify if the dominos fall correctly. This should prove to be an exciting matchup. The last time both teams met we were treated to a 4-3 showdown that saw Cécilien Vanoret find the game winner in the 87th minute. This time around the Bleus will play in front of their fans in Alexandrie. The 21,000 seater is already sold out with the resale market showing tickets in the thousands of Piastres. Alexandre Desrives described the team's feeling heading into a make or break situation. "We know the atmosphere is going to be electric. I saw rain on the forecast too which could make things interesting. We are going to have to put everything on the line." The Dhemixians are on a four game unbeaten streak and have turned their qualifying around after six losses in eight games. "Gotta give them credit for fighting back up standings. It's pretty incredible to have half the group fighting for one spot.", said team captain Élie Manahan. "We are ready for another showdown, most of our games, our good games, have been like that this cycle. We have the offense to put chances in on goal and be dangerous and give the fans a show."

[Recuecn]

When the Fédération Nationale Reçuecienne de Football had pulled the rug out from under the équipe nationale and sent the manager packing just before the two most important games of World Cup qualifying, the players predicted the worst. Aleirave was strong team, and a loss against them would more or less mean the end of Reçueçn's World Cup hopes. And after that was the game against Ko-oren. Reçueçn's previous match against Ko-oren had been a resounding defeat. Ko-oren's world-famous, unbeatable defense had accomplished everything it needed to. It seemed impossible that any other outcome would be possible in the rematch.

That was especially true with the way coaches were cycling through the équipe nationale like revolving door. Every game would have a different manager, and some days coach would show up just to run a single practice. FNRF representatives were always watching throughout the whole process, and between micromanaging and the utter lack of consistency, the team felt that there was no way they would be able to succeed.

Somehow, magic had occurred. Not in the sense sportswriters use sometimes, when they mean to say that a team accomplished something special and unique. The results that Reçueçn got against Aleirave and Ko-oren did not display any new skills or special strategy. Les Licornes just got super lucky. Twice.

Thomas Büchel, a retired Reçueçn FC midfielder coached the game against Aleirave. His approach was very hands off, so when Reçueçn scored three goals, he was just as surprised as everyone else. A brace from Franky Adams and a third from Laurent Lapix spoke more to their own individual skill than anything they'd learned from Büchel.

Hyron LeBouffe, who used to coach for Actwell, took over for the game against Ko-oren. Ko-oren was once again impeccable, but this time Reçueçn matched them and kept up with their defensive style. A long-range free kick was finally what Helibert Wolf needed to score for Les Licornes. The shot was beautiful, soaring over the defender and dipping down and away from Bittencourt, who was in net for the Dragonflies. But even a beautiful shot like that, seemingly such a display of virtuosity from Wolf, was lucky. Wolf hadn't been making shots like that in the last ten games. He was deeply fortunate to have it happen now. As the reality sank in for the fans at the Stade National, the crowd went wild. Reçueçn had done the impossible. And when the whistle finally blew, the celebrations redoubled. David had brought down Goliath.

LeBouffe stood calmly in the technical box beside the pitch while "his" players rushed onto the field to hug each other. What was important for he players was what this win meant--qualification for the World Cup had never seemed so attainable. But LeBouffe would not be coaching the next games anyway. While he watched the team celebrate, he wondered whether he had had any part in the win. He had only been there so briefly. And what did the federation think? Did they give him any credit?

He looked over his shoulder toward the grandstands. Up in the VIP box he could see an FNRF representative frantically scribbling some notes in a notebook, and glancing at him. What did that mean? Even after a victory like this, the federations ways were mysterious. They would keep their cards close to their chest until the team's fate was decided.

[Grand Exultia]

And the bubble has burst! All hope of qualification and a trailblazing path of massive upsets from an underdog have gone up in flames and the Exultians know they will not be booking travel tickets and passes to explore more of the multiverse under the guise of supporting the national team.

A dream start to multiversal football saw us take on a number of nations, fellow newcomers to the multiversal competitions, and come out on top winning our first competition, the Baptism of Fire. This success went to far too many people’s heads and we have since been shown the error of our ways and now with our tail between our legs will have to pretend the world cup doesn’t exist or pick a nation whom a long-lost ancestor once thought about visiting and support them, vehemently denying that we don’t partially belong to that nation.

The make-or-break game was a home fixture against Valentine Z and it looks as if the players forgot to turn up. Succumbing to a 3-0 loss with poor displays on every avenue really lets down what on paper has been a successful campaign so far. Defensive errors that don’t even belong in division two let alone on the national stage and finishing that wouldn’t hit a barn door from a pace away set the tone early and by half time the Kittens were leading 2-0 and not even the infallible Brambleberry could pull the Gyrinxes out of this slump as the gravity of their situation really sunk home. A second half that felt a lot like a dead rubber as the Kittens never really broke a sweat and the Exultians had nothing of note to shout about until the final throes. A big tackle in the middle of the park saw Greenfeather win possession, moving forward with the ball, a quick one two with Brambleberry opened up the defence and provided a moment of positivity quickly closed down by the chasing defenders Greenfeather played the ball across to Strongtower who would finish first time, a glimmer of hope at 2-1 only for the officials to say Strongtower had strayed offside and the goal didn’t stand. A long clearance, a fluffed clearance and quickest response from the kittens forwards saw the Exultians slip to 3-0 and an insurmountable task given the brevity of time remaining.

Whilst not technically out of any hope of qualifying, being 9 points behind third with 3 games to play, not even the best mathematicians in Grand Exultia could spin the numbers to make anyone feel positive about the match against Riena. Margaret had clearly forsaken us and no amount of rubber chickens would satiate her desire to see us not qualify.

Traveling away to Riena and Apollinaris would have some freedom to try some things, some new tactics and give some players a run out who had yet to be seen on the pitch which is exactly what they did. A revised lineup saw Elenion retake the starting position between the sticks, a back four of Galadrieth, Foresthand, Mendoza and Fëanoriel would be a test for the young left back but otherwise some reasonably experienced heads to guide the way. Hazeeye and Duskstriker remain in the middle of the park, clearly their club link remains a vital component for Apollinaris’ setup. Then the front four would be dominated by the Dasmahler contingent Zweiburg starts on the right, Nebenfeld on the left, and in the middle Vielener and Strongtower. A noticeable absentee in Brambleberry the team captain and no vice captain in Daskruger saw Galadrieth take to the field with the armband. A massively changed setup with little cohesion between the 3 ranks would ultimately be the Exultians downfall, a quick early start would see the Dasmahler trio link up to punish a slow starting Riena defence, Nebenfeld with a cross field pass to Zweiburg stretched the defence allowing Vielener to make a well timed run into the box as the ball is whipped in, and unsurprisingly due to the height differences, meets the ball with a thumping header firing into the net. A shockingly energetic start considering the pounding the squad has taken over the last few matchdays and clearly most had not had their Weetabix as that energy very quickly faded, the Exultian defence appeared languid at best until just before the stroke of half time a mistimed passback from the inexperienced Fëanoriel would see Nekoda latch on to it and take it round Elenion finishing with ease. Any momentum truly left the team at that time and they never recovered, the nail in the coffin would come half way through the second half and the Gyrinxes would go on to lose 2-1.

A sad and sorry display from a squad with so much potential leaves us with no hope of qualification and final matches at home to Reçueçn and then away to Libesia, hope seems such a foreign concept now but one can only hope that we can perform damage limitation against a strong Reçueçn team that look poised to automatically qualify for the world cup and then, fingers crossed we can get a positive result against Libesia to regain 6th place in the group and at least maintain the position our ranking would suggest, not that our performances have deserved it thus far.


Report by Patsy Orchinaoff for the Independent Football

[Ile de Richelieu]

Staying alive, staying alive, ah ah ah!

Bellflower, Ochre Islands - With two matchdays left, Richelieu Øy is staying alive. It's actually impossible to qualify directly, but with a lot of luck and Margaret's help, we still have a slight chance to qualify to play a playoff match. On matchday 11, the Bears travelled to the Ochre Islands to play an important match and won 3-2. Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois had the ball at the 14th minute and made a short pass to Borghild Eggum who kicks it into the net. The Ochre Islands tied the game at the 34th minute when Eliot Sunteller made a cross to Marisse of the Finches who shoots and she scores. Richelieu Øy attacked at the 39th minute when Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl tries to make a cross to his sister Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl but Julian Sackholme jumps and heads the ball. The ball goes the wrong way and it's an own goal! Richelieu Island is leading 2-1 at halftime.

The Bjørner increased their lead at the 59th minute when Ragnhild Austad kicks a corner kick and Valkyrie Dahlen jumps and heads the ball past Marcus Natural. The Ochre Islands attacked at the 75th minute when Lindsay Ranning made a header pass to Susana Russo who receives the ball with her foot and kicks it past Bjørnar Grendahl-Kalberg. The score was 3-2 Richelieu Øy and this is the final score.

GAME SUMMARY

18th    GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Borghild Eggum assisted by Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois
34th    GOAL OCHRE ISLANDS     Marisse of the Finches assisted by Eliot Sunteller
39th    GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Julian Sackholme (own goal)
59th    GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Valkyrie Dahlen (corner kick)
75th    GOAL OCHRE ISLANDS     Susana Russo assisted by Lindsay Ranning

Sankt Hans Havn, Richelieu Øy - On matchday 12, Île de Richelieu received the Kensington Town Soccer Club, representing the nation of HOT-DAMN ( Hapilopper Overseas Territories: Dominion Anaia Maritime Neighborhood ). The match was played on an icy field because of freezing rain falling the day before and weather being slightly under 0 celsius, and I've been told the players had lots of fun and enjoyed it. Vladimir Gutierrez Salazar was suspended for one game for having too much yellow card and Pierre-Alexandre Sorensen replaced him in the starting XI. Kensington Town had the ball at the 8th minute when Roger Goetz makes a short pass to Ken Stewart who kicks it and it's a goal. Richelieu Øy attacked at the 17th minute when Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl made a cross to her twin brother Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl who shoots and he scores. The score was 1-1.

Unfortunately, my wife called me at the 24th minute because she's unable to go get our kid at the nursery and she wanted me to do it. I went to get my kid and bring him at the stadium. When we were back, the score was already 3-3, we were at the 67th minute and Roger Goetz was completely drunk. Apparently he likes our local craft beer made with a norwegian yeast called "Kveik". Tor Øivind Urdahl had the ball at the 78th minute and he made a cross to Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl in the penalty area but Gael Hicks tackles him and it's a yellow card for Hicks and a penalty for the Bears. Rose-Émilie Bouthillette kicks the ball and it goes in! HOT-DAMN tied the game at the 83rd minute when Zach Webster dribbles with the ball and passed the ball to Chris Spears who made a short pass to Ted Ingram who kicks the ball into the net and both teams are tied at 4-4. Spears was so happy that he celebrated the goal by mooning the crowd and twerking on Ted Ingram and he received a yellow card. The final score was 4-4. HOT-DAMN's Eddie Deacon injured himself and will likely miss matchday 13 but it's not too serious, he should be back for matchday 14. On Île de Richelieu's side Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl and Borghild Eggum are both injured and will miss matchdays 13 and 14. All these injuries occured because the field was icy.

Crpostran is leading group 15 with 26 points in 12 games and Richelieu Øy is 5th in the standings with 18 points but we're still alive! Mathematically, if we win our two remaining games, we will have 24 points, tied with the Kensington Town Soccer Club if they lose their two games. The Ochre Islands also have to lose at least one game to have no more than 23 points. The 2nd tie break (after overall points) is overall goal difference. HOT-DAMN is at +16 while the Bears are at +4. If HOT-DAMN loses by large margins and we win by large margins, we could surpass them! Île de Richelieu is visiting Imporia on matchday 13 and will receive Loyo on matchday 14. HOT-DAMN will receive Crpostran at home on matchday 13 and will travel to North Oharan Valley Union on the final matchday. Ochre Islands will receive North Oharan Valley Union on matchday 13 and will travel to Tanirinthia on matchday 14. Sorry no game summary because I need to bring my kid to home and I don't know who scored between the 24th and 67th minutes anyway.

Knut Knutsen

[Aphrilia]

Aphrilian Sportsplay Forums
Your #1 Aphrilian forums for all sports!

FOOTBALL > Aphrilian Senior National Team
TOPIC: Matchday 12, Aphrilia are officially out of World Cup contention
OP: Dawinzzsky (SSR+ Footie Fan)

Ladies and gentlemen, this team is officially cooked.

MATCHDAY 12
Hapilopper 5 – 2 Al-Tamazgha
Cobrio 1 – 0 Of the Godless
Aphrilia 0 – 2 Panay Islands and Guimaras
Yuezhou 3 – 3 Commonwealth of Baker Park

Group: Z - in contention, X - no longer

- Group 3                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Hapilopper                       12    8   2   2    30   20  +10    26    Z
2 Yuezhou                          12    7   2   3    30   15  +15    23    Z
3 Cobrio                           12    7   2   3    25   17   +8    23    Z
4 Commonwealth of Baker Park       12    6   4   2    22   14   +8    22    Z
5 Panay Islands and Guimaras       12    4   3   5    14   20   −6    15    X
6 Aphrilia                         12    4   2   6    11   11    0    14    X
7 Al-Tamazgha                      12    2   3   7    20   29   −9     9    X
8 Of the Godless                   12    0   2  10     1   27  −26     2    X

This was the results for Matchday 12, and we actually lost to Panay. Man what the fuck has this team turned into??? Feels just like last week we were playing at the World Cup, beating the likes of Farfadillis and Chromatika, showcasing that we were the rising star of the Independents. Now we're struggling on most, if not all fronts of team performance. Hell, I'd be willing to argue that this team can actually end up being worse than what our international debut team was! Where the hell did it all go wrong?

Post: Eddwon_by_3
Obviously it was the manager making those call-ups. It's a goddamn domino effect, and it's been trending all over. Including here with the main channel dealing with it bad.

Post: Silver_Shadow_Fan (UB2 Horse Fan)
Man I thought I could find some peace from the horse forum by checking up on football, but didn't realize it was that bad. Like your guys main channel is in absolute chaos right now. Hell I'd argue it's even worse than the channel on discussion of what happened during the recent G2 Coventry Stakes. Anyways I thought the national team was doing great?

Why are they so bad right now?

Post: Pinecone_Twix
It's just as @Eddwon_by_3 said, the call-ups certainly played a massive part. But if I'm being honest I feel like it's a lot more than that. You look at some of the players and if you pay really close attention, it seems as if they're getting more tired. The Di Bradini Cup playing along consecutively also was a problem (But it was out of our control). Hell with the U21 team recently being eliminated after a loss to Kytler Pen in the GS, I feel like it's just been really unfortunate for our national team and players.

Genuinely thinks it's unfortunate circumstances mixed in with bad luck and a bad decision from former manager Vermont. Alan seems to be struggling in regards to trying to keep the team up in spirits, look at their training clips and most of the players seem to really be down as well. The Karnwell-Kachel keeper switching might also had came to play imo.

Post: Dawinzzsky (SSR+ Footie Fan)
Yeah the main channel's filled with a shit ton of negativity right now. It's like everyone there is trying to sap each other's life force. Players are getting hate, especially the ohia players, fee bad for the mods trying to moderate the forums. Anyway I think making Haze captain while Rhine-Faust was gone was also weird... Like Rosberg was right there? Hello?

Post: The_Greatest_JinxerEver
As my name suggests... I might have jinxed that when I made a bet during a night in a bar with my friend. Though if it is unrelated, maybe he had his personal reasons.

We're not entitled to know about what each player may be going through.

Post: {MOD} Hahahihihuhu (M- F-APH Fan)
Glad this thread has been civil so far, managing the main channel for the football forum is hell incarnate considering they had to call some mods from other parts of the forum. It's been non-stop bickering from everyone of different sides and views, trying to figure out who needs to be muted, blocked, or banned. It truly is a non-stop debate.

Post: Eddwon_by_3
Sorry you have to deal with all of that. Bunch of assholes there who conclude to the absolute bottom. Like I'm negative in terms of my thoughts regarding the situation but I have yet to resort to false accusations of bribery or corruption to just outright racism, which has resulted in well fucking deserved bans. Some peeps here are off the deep end.

Post: Silver_Shadow_Fan (UB2 Horse Fan)
Damn, it really is that bad. I also feel sorry for the mod team, don't know why we can be so vile when online. Anyways regarding the manager, NAFA said Joseph Alan was idk, a temporary interim? Y'all got any clue on who might become the new manager for IAC? Cause whoever it is, feels like they really need to get this team sorted out.

Post: CottiesACutie (UD7 Footie Fan)
Gonna intrude here for that, since I have a friend who's a whisperer within the footballing scene to scour up rumors and stuff. Take this with an entire basket's worth of salt and yes, I am allowed to disclose this after asking permission from him. Don't think I'm spreading things from thin air.

Apparently NAFA are preferably looking for a foreign manager with a lot more experience behind them compared to when Vermont formed the team. Also apparently they don't care too much where the new manager would be from as long as they don't have a criminal record.

Post: Clone_Beats_Voider2
Yeah, I'm TAKING THAT WITH A SEA OF SALT

Edit 1: Caps were active for some reason, sorry.

View Further...

[Doubeia]

Will Petrov wasn't the type to harshly discipline his players, but Ambrose Demidov was making life very hard.

Will remembered the absolute mess that was the dressing room after the draw against Jeruselem. Ambrose was furious at how his teammates had thrown away a win, and instead of keeping his anger to himself like a responsible adult would, he let all hell break loose. He hurled insults at the midfielders who wore a mask of both guilt and offense. It didn't take long for the situation to deteriorate. Swear words were flung and curses thrown as the room devolved into a disarray. Even the captain couldn't command order in the dressing room. It was a shambles, really, as Will Petrov walked into not a dressing room but a brawl club.

"Silence!" Will bellowed, "I command silence!" And there was silence.

Will went into an irate tirade about discipline and maturity. He didn't remember what was said or how everyone else reacted, but he distinctively remembered Ambrose challenging him.

"Coach, you need to fix this team. Our quality is up there but everyone is playing like a dogshit. I can't fucking stand it anymore, do you hear me coach?" Ambrose raised his voice angrily as he stood up and stared Will in the face. The latter looked back, and for a moment, there was only silent tension.

"You dare speak to my face about this? You dare challenge me? Ambrose?" Will threatened sharply. Ambrose stood still for a while before retorting.

"You can't be saying that to me, coach. I'm trying to help you, and you talk back to me. Why don't you want our team to improve? You are making all of u—"

"Out." Will pointed to the door, his eyes darkening into a glare.

"What? Me?" Ambrose questioned incredulously. No one spoke as everyone digested what Will had just said.

Kicking a player out. Will had never done that before. The women's team's ex-manager did once, but none of the men's players thought it'd happened in their own dressing room.

"You go out there and play like a fool because you are selfish and want the ball even when you are not in position. Your teammates are pushing and you don't help them, and then cry like a baby when they don't pass to you. You come in here and then just mess everything up. You don't think I want to kick you out? Are you stupid or am I the fool?" Will explained, making sure he sounded as forceful as possible. Ambrose could only shake his head in disbelief as he packed his stuff and headed out the room. He stuck his head in and made one final comment.

"I did everything for you and the team, and this is how you treat me?" he spat, "Okay, I will make sure that until you retire, Will Petrov, that this team loses all of the games. Twat." Ambrose's head disappeared as the players look in in shock. Their starting striker had just been kicked out, and then proceeded to smear his shit all over the welcome mat. Will, on the other hand, had an uninterested look on his face as he shrugged casually.

That had happened weeks, maybe months ago, but Will still remembered that incident like it was a core memory. His despise for Ambrose hadn't died down but only proliferated as Ambrose had gone on to very unsubtly hint about the falling out.

"Sometimes your advice falls on deaf ears, you know. I don't know why, but I offered my help, did my best, and then people just treat me like I am shit. It's weird really. Nothing's official yet, but playing for my nation is still a dream I want to achieve," Ambrose had said in a press conference.

Well, what was "official" was that Ambrose Demidov would never start for the Doubeinese National Team again. Until Will leaves, that is.

Will looked at the players he had called up for the Men's final qualifier. The team looked typical except the exclusion of Demidov. Will remembered how he had comments and questions hurled at him about the Demidov situation by concerned and angry Doubeinese fans. People doubted the team's attacking output would match Ambrose's level. People doubted the team could even succeed without him. In a way, Will could see what they meant. When your star player just leaves like that, what does Will as a manager do? He had a set of unfortunate cards, but if he played them right, he would come out fine. All he had to do was, well, rely on an aging backup striker.

Will didn't know what was to come, but if he had one wish, it would be to make Ambrose eat his own damn foot.

[The 14 Stars]

Final push

As the fnal games of the qualification cycle arrived the team from Zenic that had arrived prior to the match was 24 hours before the start of the game informed that the location of the match had been changed by the Starsian Association.
They were informed of this by an official and informed that the new location would be the Helix stadium which was a far larger distance away from the place they were staying then the Starset Stadium where they originally would play.

In the city of Faelenburg is the location of the Helix stadium which has a capacity of 250,000 spectators.




Meanwhile in the hotel the Starsian team who already had been located near the Helix stadium were discussing their tactics for the upcoming game as the players aswell as the coach were quite nervous for this one.
They had to beat Zenic if they wanted to be somewhat relevant and they had to pray for the Polar Islandstates to drop some points too, they had not necessarily played bad the last few games but they needed the points to seriously have a chance.
As the team gathered in the hotel room of Keira Walcott the coach she looked at all her players with a smile knowing that each of them would perfectly capable of playing the coming games but she needed the best team.

Walcott: ''Alright guys are main focus is Zenic, we need to beat them to make it easier for ourselves and to keep qualification in sight, we are perfectly capable of still making it but the road to qualification is not easy this time.
Against Zenic will be playing Davis, Saturn, Zaratti, Nightwalker, Edwards, Hansen, Sol, Raharinaivo, Phillips, Nuñez and Kira Blade.
I expect with an experienced squad to pin them down get them out of their rhythm and confuse them, if Kira isnt able to play the 2nd half she will be switched out for Frazier if needed but i hope experience can give us an edge here.''

the players knew that after the good 3-0 win against the Equestrian States where all usual starters had played and Iris Olivier had made an appearance as substitute that they had played that match very well.
Goals from Paula Nunez, Lina Hansen and Elizabeth Phillips had won them the game which was very one sided because the Starsian team was very well prepared this time and determined to win and no longer drop points, this win temporarily also did put them in the 3rd spot in their group meaning the playoffs were within reach for the Starsian Wolves.
However the narrow loss against Polar Islandstates was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone, they had rolled out their usual team not going with any less then was needed for this game because they needed to win.
However despite a beautiful goal by Kimora Frazier the 18 year old winger it wasnt enough to win, even with Matthias Weber and Iris Olivier subbed in it just didnt work out for the Starsian Wolves who now needed to play their best games ever and pray, they really deserved to go to the world cup there was certainly no doubt about that, but whether it is enough remains to be seen.

[Cobrio]

         Baker Park   3-0   Cobrio             
   McDavid 33', 68'
          Logan 81'
		 
[CBR] Musona; Nicholls, Andrews, Harper, Ntshona;
      Quraishi (c), Osundairo (Azuonye 72), Oyekan;
      Gilmore (Emecheta 45), Burke, Gola (Twala 45)

            Yuezhou   2-2   Cobrio             
           Dong 33'         Gilmore 17'
          Zheng 84'         Hilton 76'

[CBR] Musona; Nicholls, Andrews, Harper, Ntshona; 
      Quraishi (c), Oyekan, Ekpo (Azuonye 45);
      Gilmore (Antetokounmpo 68), Burke (Hilton 68), Gola

             Cobrio   2-0   Aphrilia           
             Burke 47'
         Gilmore 90+2'
[CBR] Moweta; Badawi, Iwuoma, Harper, Eregbu;
      Quraishi (c), Tetteh (Azuonye 59), Oyekan;
      Antetokounmpo (Gilmore 79), Emecheta (Twala 79), Burke

         Hapilopper   3-2   Cobrio             
       Fairchild 3'         Gilmore 42'
       McLamb 45+1'         Gola 88'
         Hunter 73'

[CBR] Musona; Nicholls, Iwuoma (Andrews 31), Harper, Mokoena (Eregbu 71);
      Quraishi (c), Osundairo, Oyekan;
      Gilmore (Ekpo 71), Burke, Gola

        Al-Tamazgha   4-5   Cobrio             
  P̴̭͎̈̔L̶̝̃͝Ạ̴̙͛͝Y̵̼̒Ė̴̱Ŗ̷̢͐̔  14', 77'         Gilmore 2'
       P̴̭͎̈̔L̶̝̃͝Ạ̴̙͛͝Y̵̼̒Ė̴̱Ŗ̷̢͐̔  42'         Burke 10', 37'
       P̴̭͎̈̔L̶̝̃͝Ạ̴̙͛͝Y̵̼̒Ė̴̱Ŗ̷̢͐̔  61'         Harper 46'
                            Kasukuwere 83'

[CBR] Musona; Masuka, Iwuoma, Harper, Mokoena; 
      Quraishi (c), Ekpo (Oyekan 78); Kasukuwere (Azuonye 85); 
	  Gilmore, Burke (Hilton 78), Chilcott

             Cobrio   1-0   Of the Godless     
    T. Williams 79'

[CBR] Sangoma; Nicholls (Masuka 64), Andrews, Adeboye, Ntshona (Mokoena 64); 
      Quraishi (c), Anichebe; Kasukuwere (Williams 64); 
	  Antetokounmpo, Burke, Chilcott

OOC: I checked to see if any details had been RP'd already and I don't think I contradicted anything. If I did miss something, let me know and I'll update, thanks.

---

# WC98 Qualifying - Group 3        P     W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Hapilopper                       12    8   2   2    30   20  +10    26 
2 Yuezhou                          12    7   2   3    30   15  +15    23 
3 Cobrio                           12    7   2   3    25   17   +8    23 
4 Commonwealth of Baker Park       12    6   4   2    22   14   +8    22 
5 Panay Islands and Guimaras       12    4   3   5    14   20   −6    15 
6 Aphrilia                         12    4   2   6    11   11    0    14 
7 Al-Tamazgha                      12    2   3   7    20   29   −9     9 
8 Of the Godless                   12    0   2  10     1   27  −26     2

Remaining fixtures:

Yuezhou v Hapilopper
Baker Park v Aphrilia
Panay Islands v Cobrio
Of the Godless v Al-Tamazgha

Hapilopper v Of the Godless
Al-Tamazgha v Panay Islands
Cobrio v Baker Park
Aphrilia v Yuezhou

---

Scenarios:

Hapilopper
The group leaders can ensure qualification with a win and a draw, which wins the group. No caveats.

A win and a loss could also be enough to qualify, depending on the margin of defeat, and results elsewhere. 29 points would only be attainable by Yuezhou and Cobrio otherwise, but goal difference makes this slightly risky, as Cobrio are only 2 goals back. Though considering their final game is against a team who have conceded more than twice per game on average while scoring just once in twelve games, and Cobrio would need to beat both Panay Islands and Guimaras and the Commonwealth of Baker Park, by three goals more than Hapilopper can rack up against Of the Godless at home... it doesn't feel particularly likely. And even then, three points will still land Hapilopper third, and into the playoffs.

If Hapilopper draw both their remaining games, they will need to have an equal or better goal difference than Baker Park to finish third (assuming the latter wins both their remaining games to tie on points). However, if Hapilopper pick up one point or fewer, they could be on the outside looking in come playoff time, as all three of Yuezhou, Cobrio, and the Commonwealth of Baker Park are positioned to overtake them.

Yuezhou

The group's top seeds are in a strong position owing to their goal difference (the first tiebreaker), but also at risk of falling out of the top three entirely. A win over Hapilopper would put Yuezhou atop the group, and ensure third place at worst. Beyond that, they will need to win both games to guarantee winning the group.

Yuezhou's task in Aphrilia on the final match day will depend on whether or not Baker Park and Cobrio can both win their upcoming games (against Aphrilia at home, and Panay Islands and Guimaras away respectively). If either of them win, Yuezhou are in danger of finishing third even if they beat Hapilopper. If Yuezhou fail to beat Hapilopper, and either Cobrio or Baker Park wins on the same day, there is a risk that Yuezhou fall out of the top three and have no route to the World Cup finals.

Cobrio

Cobrio's remarkable campaign so far has been heavily reliant on strong home performances, but their next game, a must-win, realistically, is away from home. Should the Panthers beat Panay Islands and Guimaras, they need only avoid defeat against Baker Park at home to guarantee a top three finish.

Beyond that, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Cobrio win the group outright, though it is highly unlikely as it would require both Hapilopper and Yuezhou to lose on the final matchday, as well as a reasonably big win on their own part to overcome the goal difference disadvantage (-2 from Hapilopper and -7 from Yuezhou). Even if Hapilopper and Yuezhou draw, and then both lose on the final matchday, Cobrio would still need to beat both Baker Park and Panay Islands and Guimaras, and hope that Hapilopper lose to the group's weakest side.

Commonwealth of Baker Park

Currently sat in fourth place, the bottom line for Baker Park is: avoid defeat against Aphrilia, and beat Cobrio. If both of these conditions are met, they are guaranteed at least a playoff berth.

Of course, this may not actually be necessary, if the Panthers cannot overcome Panay Islands and Guimaras, while Baker Park defeat Aphrilia... but even then, they can't lose to Cobrio on the final matchday. Similarly, if the Panthers win against Panay Islands and Guimaras, while Baker Park lose to Aphrilia, they will be out of sight. However, that doesn't appear to be a likely scenario.

---

After decades away from wider international competition, with a squad inexperienced at this level, somehow Marvelous Koleoso has led the Panthers to within touching distance of a World Cup finals. Despite having been part of the multiverse's footballing landscape for a long time, Cobrio are yet to make an appearance at a World Cup finals, and this is by far the closest they have come.

"We are just doing the right things, day by day," said Koleoso, who seems determined to downplay his team's chances at every opportunity; perhaps wary of the pressure of expectation. "Today we are doing well, tomorrow, if we are not winning, you dey go say we are doing bad. Shaka-shaka and kuru-kuru¹ this things be, na."

Although the Panthers must still face the Commonwealth of Baker Park in Camaron, Onyekachi Udegbunam -- speaking on Cobrio's most popular sports show, Asompi -- believes that beating Panay Islands and Guimaras is the key fixture at this point. "If you look at the scenarios," he said. "You can see if Cobrio win, all they must do is simply not lose in Camaron. In front of a large crowd, where the results have been strong. I don't want to put pressure, but a win in the next game means likely we are going to see the Panthers in the playoffs."

The previous fixtures against the Panthers' upcoming opposition do not inspire confidence, though. A narrow 1-0 win against Panay Islands, in Camaron, suggests Koleoso's side are in for a tough night in the return fixture; while a comprehensive beating at the hands of Baker Park suggests that "simply not [losing]" may not be so simple after all.

Clarence Burke, who has nine goals so far in this campaign, spoke on his focus heading into the end of a gruelling qualifying stage. "I know the boss man has given me rests sometimes," Burke said. "And I feel guilty about this ones, na. Because when the team dey me needing, sometimes I no be there. So now, when the times are crunching, and everything is wahala²... I must dey mek boko³."

1 - Popular playground games for children. Shaka-shaka involves players running back and forth between designated scoring zones, with the winning state in constant flux, whild kuru-kuru involves a literal physical scramble for the "winning" position. Essentially, he is saying "things change".
2 - wahala means stress, or worries
3 - boko means "good". sort of like "cool", or "calm" as a slang term.

[Busoga Islands]

Part I
Part 2
Part 3

Isaza Oyo, landing at Vrnovo International Airport

Oyo had flown on a commercial flight, to visit his friend in Siovanija. The Oyos, naturally, were getting back into the game, and after having flown to the Squornshelan Confederacy, Isaza was now going to converse with his friends a little bit closer to home- in Siovanija. Maybe a slightly less powerful group, of course, but- you didn't need much of an excuse to visit Vrnovo. Stunning beauty- in his mind, it was the most gorgeous place to visit in all of Siovanija & Teusland. One of the few places that was actually tropical, a man who came from a place without winter would surely appreciate another place that had a lot of warmth. So as he went through security, he knew that he was going to have to spend more time here than he did back in Lublova- simply because it was a much more fun city.

He looked directly at the customs agent when he landed. "Francis Kahara?" She asked, in a thick, Siovanijan accent, using the fake name on his passport. Or if he was in her country- he guessed he was the one who had the accent.

"Yes." He nodded right back at her.

"You here for business or pleasure?"

"Vacation- want to go abroad, get some sun, just see a different place." She nodded without looking at him. She asked him a few questions, and then, let him go on his way. Isaza smiled at her, and then went on his way. Used a ride-sharing app to get to his resort, where he was splurging on himself, and on his son, Namazi Oyo. Namazi didn't come to the last trip, but Isaza had brought him here. Namazi was going to be his man in Istria, back in Banija- so he needed Namazi to see what was going on. Not to be appraised of everything, of course- that's why he didn't go to the Confederacy. But, Namazi was here to witness these negotiations. So he could see how they worked. So he could truly get a grasp on the overall plan. And, if the worst happened, Namazi could be groomed to be a successor. But Isaza did not plan on dying- not for a long time, anyways.

The first day in Vrnovo, was more play, less business. "Look, we make money- we've got to enjoy it a little bit. And remember- we're simply small-scale restaurant owners." And they did exactly what you think father/so bonding time would be in a family like this. They hit the links- played 18 holes. Then, really enjoyed themselves. Hit the water, got on a jetski, thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And then, of course, worked out- a nice 8 mile run for both of them. Namazzi could have done more, but of course, Isaza was in his 60s- keeping in some great shape for someone his age, but of course, he was still someone his age- and in his line of business, you never know when you need your physicality. Then, of course, the big things on their docket- two important World Cup Qualifiers for the Busoga Islands. They went to the bar, in their NT jerseys, and started to watch the game.

Isaza liked the team, but obviously had his own feelings about a man the team was closely associated with- the President. Namazi, on the other hand, didn't care for the team at all. But of course, it was all about appearances. They had to blend in like rich, regular, Busogan tourists- and that meant watching the national teams. They found six other people watching the game- some fraternity brothers from Chernovets Tech. The Busogan guy, and the 5 other Siovanijans, were all watching the game together. So 8 of them total simply started watching the Busoga Islands v. Kelssek World Cup Qualifier. Now, they didn't want these people to be able to remember them- so Isaza, known as Francis, bought them all sorts of drinks. "Hey guys, tab's on me!" He told his new found 'friends'. "I'm on vacation, I got cash to burn!" Maybe older adults would ask questions, but college kids always had a 'drink first ask questions never' attitude when it came to free beer.

The game went about as expected- the Islanders put up a spirited fight, but Kelssek, ranked 3rd in the world, were simply too good, too strong, and too skilled. The highlight of the match was early- when the Busogans took a stunning, 1-0 lead, in the 8th minute, with an Abu Sesay bicycle kick that sent the roaring crowd into ecstasy, and felt the cricket stadium shake. Of course, Kelssek were simply too strong, and too skilled- so despite that moment, they ended up winning quite comfortably away from home, by a score of 6 goals to 3. Immediately after, was Damukuni v. Lisander- and a win for Damukuni would put them level on points, with the Busoga Islands, with just two games to go. Oyo encouraged his new friends to keep drinking, and pretty much all of them had gotten belligerently drunk by the time that second match ended- which, pleasantly, was a surprising 2-0 loss for Damukuni. Busoga were still three points ahead with 2 matches to go- a playoff spot, in their sights.

The two men left to pay the bill, and dropped a huge tip for the bartender- 50%. "Sorry for these guys." Isaza told her. She said they'd figure it out, and she appreciated the tip. The rest of the night, they went to some of the clubs on the island. The next day, however, was about business. Nothing crazy, no drinking- work out, do some research, make some phone calls, and then at night, go to a different clubs- ones owned by their friends, the Orlovs. This one, was more of a low-end strip club. But it was on $2 pint night- so the place was absolutely packed with people- a lot of college kids on vacation, and some local workers. Isaza and Namazzi sat in front of the stage together, throwing some tolars around until their hosts arrived, and got them all a VIP table. Nowhere near as high class as yesterday's club they went to- Isaza and Namazzi felt out of place, both wearing suits- the only two suited up people in the whole building. Yesterday's club, the entire place was suited up. Yesterday they were able to have cigars- this one had the poignant smell of cigarettes instead. They still had their cigars.

"We stick out, Dad." Namazzi said, as he threw a 20 tolar bill towards the stage. "Why are we suited up again?"

"Hey, their people told me they owned the best club in the city." Isaza replied. "So I figured- why not suit up?" They both had colorful suits on, as well- Isaza wearing purple, and Namazzi wearing a bright red. They both had an affinity for bright colored suits- maybe not the best in the business. But, the suits you saw at strip clubs were usually colorful. So, they stuck out like a sore thumb. But fortunately, these guys always had a change of clothes on them- you never knew when you needed to make an escape. So they walked out, changed into the everyman's clothes that they brought. Isaza threw on his dark blue FC Felsenkirchen soccer kit, while Namazzi threw on a Vrnovo Islanders hockey jersey- an effort to blend in with the locals.

"Well, maybe the cheapest." Namazzi snorted, chuckling to himself. They ordered themselves a beer, until the Orlovs, their benefactors for the night, showed up. They shook hands with them. Some of the girls on stage waved hello to the man who signed their paychecks, before they want to a much more secluded, VIP table. "The name's Vlad- Vladimir Orlov. Thanks for coming." There were quite a few people here, but Vladimir Orlov was the boss. They all exchanged names, and pleasantries. Isaza, of course, then began speaking.

"Look- I want to let you guys know why I'm here." Isaza said. No fancy powerpoint this time- didn't really have the space at a club like this. No conference room at a strip club, right? So he'd have to explain it. "You know this- we're getting back in the game, and we're gonna be bigger- and badder- than ever before." All eyes, were on him. "We've got a plan, one that will change the game on the Busoga Islands forever- allow us to dominate it, allow you all to make some serious cash, and then use our resources to get back into the game, even in Banija." And from that point, he went to explain the plan. Relevant Busogan laws. The upcoming Busogan Presidential Election. How they got their man an in with the opposition campaign, but how they had a long climb to make. About the plan to work with people abroad to manipulate the election- about how the Orlovs could step in and help out. The more resources, the better- considering how online Busoga was, flooding and manipulating social media, as well as advertisements and whatever else, wtihin the country could have serious effects.

Vladimir, sitting across from him, was all smiles. The Orlovs were in a similar situation to the Oyos- their heyday was in the past. Although, they were likely in the worse spot. Not that they'd ever admit it- but they had been long overtaken by the Buranovs in Siovanija. And Vladimir had an axe to grind- he wanted to reverse that. "Look, this sounds fascinating. Manipulating an election? A bold move- but modern times call for modern measures. I am loving where your head is at."

"And if it works here," One of his lieutenants began to say. "NO reason why it-"

"THAT is enough." Vladimir looked sternly at his lieutenant. "Look- The Orlovs and the Oyos are fully capable of getting along- an alliance that will help everybody in the long run. WE have our expertise, and even our fair share of, well-"

"Nerds?" The lieutenant volunteered.

"Why, yes. The computer science guys who would LOVE to do something like this." Vladimir finished. "It's a new day in this business- and we got to win these fights. Fucking cops man, can't let those bastards win. And look- you see our club. Beauty. We got power- we got pizazz. Hell, even look at the spots we own on this block- even a resort. Orlovs are meant for business." Now, that was a straight up lie, a boast- but as the Oyos had no ability to fact check them, they simply took their hosts at their word.

"And you know, we can help you out here, as well." Isaza said. "We got dudes joining up. Y'all are ever in trouble... Just a phone call away. We have your backs."

The two men shook hands, and it was a done deal. As a gift, Vlad handed over a cigar. "I hear you are a connoisseur? Finest brand we have in Siovanija. Here, on me." They lit up and had cigars together- to celebrate their new partnership. And Oyo was nodding, happily along. Traveled far north, to Lublova, to get allies. He had traveled south, and was celebrating with whiskey and a cigar, the beginnings of a partnership here. And now- when he got home to Lakiska, the time to put his plan in motion was approaching...

[Bears Armed]

(Here are three more entries from the diary of footballer Steffannee Bruin. The first of them is from approximately a couple of weeks after the last one tast I posted, still in the period between the first and second halves of the qualifiers, while the other two are from MD11 and 2 days after MD12 respectively…)

Hrrobb and I went to see Donna compete in her sport today. As I said yesterday, it’s a marrtial art of foreign origins called ‘Tae Kwon Do’ which she started learnt from one of the Hwa back when her family was living in Clan SnowyPeaks’ territory when she was eight-and-three years old, and — if I say so myself — she’s pretty good at it. This was a demonstration match at a gymnasium in LakePort, with contest between Danna & three other members of her current school against members of a visiting group from down in SnowyPeaks… and she was the only local to win her side of the contest! We didn’t have much time to speak together hwhile we were there, but she’s coming to dinner on Owl’s-day.

And then, while I was chatting with Hrrobb this earlier evening after we’d got back home and had supper, he asked me to consider bearing a child fathered by him… and pointed out that as Donna had grown up so well without urrs a child raised by urrs “should” do even better. If I get pregnant around the end of these qualifying matches, he pointed out, I’d have the “clear” year of the next Cup’s cycle in hwhich to carry it to term and several months after that in hwhich to start rrecovering my fitness… although admittedly I might not be fit enough again rready for the start of that Cycle’s qualification process, if I were being considered for inclusion in the team again. I didn’t give him a firm answer, yet, but the idea is tempting and even though my ageing has apparently slowed there still is a practical [if indeterminate] deadline for this… and the twins are so cute, and if I have my own baby soon then hwhen she reaches toddlerhood there wouldn’t be too much of an age gap for them to play together…

Bears Armed 5 — 2 Bongo Johnson.
Urrs winning against easily that team wasn’t hrreally a surprise, especially as they’d only won one match of the ten that they’d already played in these qualifiers (Even though that sole victory was against Valanora, Worlds #1 side, as the latter’s only defeat so far in this series!). Three goals for urrs before the half-time break, one each from each of our three starting forwards, Marra, Urrma, and Karra-Surey, in that order; in the second half two more for urrs — both scored by Kara Brent, who’d come on to rrelieve Uurma at around the two-thirds mark — each of hwhich was followed a bit later by one for our opponents: I can’t tell you the names of their goal-scorers, unfortunately, because we still haven’t been given any information about their rroster…

Back from Jeruselem, and by now just about cooled down again. (Hokay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but that country was HOT!)
Yes, we lost, 3 — 2 against… but it was close. Obviously they were much more accustomed to the local climate, hwhich helped them; and they had a substantial home crowd cheering them on, hwhereas concern about possible further terrorist offences (after the one hwhen Valanora’s team was visiting there last year) meant that ourr own government had taken steps to discourage Bears from going there—and if Garron SunChild runs for ChairBear of the Committee for Little Bear again next year, but at least one of his opponents seems rreasonably suitable then he’ll have lost my vote because of this — meant that we had far fewer supporters present than is typical even for away matches, which also helped ourr hosts…
Oh, and apparently they’ve taken steps against their allergy problem, too.
Still, they played verry well anyhows, and the game might still have been a draw — if not actually a win for them — even hwithout any of those factors.
That heat, though: If only we Bears could lose heat as quickly as Humans can, even if the process would make us pong a bit like it does for them…
So, about halfway through the game’s first half Arra O Harra scored our first goal — by a “header” that actually involved her using her ears to flick the ball forwards at an odd angle from almost the goal-line – for hwhich I was credited with an assist, but then Jeruselem equalized; and then about halfway through the game’s second half I scored a goal — left foot, from almost as close in — for hwhich Arra was credited for an assist, but shortly afterwards Jeruselem equalized again; and then, just after the start of the four moments of stoppage time assigned, Jeruselem managed to score their third goal and decided the rresult.
Jeruselem’s scorers: Tina Arean, Ricky Radhan, Tina Arena (Again! And she scored their only goal against urrs in the previous match, too...

________________________________________________

OOC notes

Re some Bears [& other people in this nation] practicing Tae Kwon Do_ Mostly members of Clan SnowyPeaks, as seen already in several iterations of the Summer Olympics.
“the Hwa” = anthropomorphic Giant Pandas, some of whom hold membership in Clan SnowyPeaks although most are from the separate nation of Philsophical Pandas instead.
Clan SnowyPeaks = one of the twelve ‘Clans in Greatness’ that are larger, and generally more important politically, than the nation’s other clans. Situated at the southern end of the nation’s ‘Mainland’ sections, with extensive areas of uplands almost completely surrounding the river valley (open at the northern end) in which the majority of its people live, it has a culture rather different from the “mainstream” one of the ‘Mainland’: This was heavily influenced over the centuries by settlers & visitors from Philsophical Pandas, including Bears and even Humans as well as ‘Hwa’… The predominant religion there nowadays is one called ‘EightWay-ism’, which has some similarities to RL Buddhism, while there are also [approximate] analogues to both Taoism and Confucianism that still have followers locally. Tae Kwon Do was brought there more recently, introduced as a form of “dynamic meditation” by EightWay-ist monks from Philosophical Pandas along with — for the same reason (and as also seen in the Summer Olympics) — the sport of Table Tennis… The latter was actually, invented for this purpose in their homeland, they claim, at the almost legendary monastery known as Py’ing-Py’ong…
“Owl’s-day”_ see the Urrsish calendar, already referenced (& linked to) in an earlier post in this series…
“the twins” = the children that Steffannee’s mother Krrystal bore to Sermhan a couple of [IC] years ago.
“ChairBear of the Committee for Little Bear” = head of the Cabinet committee, so essentially Prime Minister… but the Bears’ central government & elections to it are a complicated subject that I’m not going to try explaining here & now.

[Yue Zhou]

  Group 3                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Hapilopper                       12    8   2   2    30   20  +10    26    Z
2 Yuezhou                          12    7   2   3    30   15  +15    23    Z
3 Cobrio                           12    7   2   3    25   17   +8    23    Z
4 Commonwealth of Baker Park       12    6   4   2    22   14   +8    22    Z
5 Panay Islands and Guimaras       12    4   3   5    14   20   −6    15    X
6 Aphrilia                         12    4   2   6    11   11    0    14    X
7 Al-Tamazgha                      12    2   3   7    20   29   −9     9    X
8 Of the Godless                   12    0   2  10     1   27  −26     2    X

Lev Repin projected confidence after the Dragons' MD12 draw with Baker Park, but even he had to admit: "In the unlikely scenario that we don't qualify for this World Cup, it'll be not taking care of business during these six-pointers that they'll point to." Yuezhou are 7-2-3 after twelve matches, good for second in the group - but with the barest of advantages over third place, which would send them to a qualification playoff, and fourth place, which would send them home empty-handed. But while they're 6-0-1 against the bottom half of the group, they're a miserable 1-2-2 against the top half. This includes a combined two points of output from their matches against third-placed Cobrio and fourth-placed Baker Park, four fixtures you would've expected them to take 8-10 points from before qualifiers began. A resounding 4-1 away win over Hapilopper is the bright spot here - but there's no illusions amongst the Yue camp that the return leg will be as easy.

The Dragons have caught two breaks heading into the penultimate round of qualifiers. Firstly, their ability to beat up teams that are significantly worse than them has earned them a hefty +15 goal differential. Barring a catastrophe, this gives them a significant edge over their rivals for the two autoqualification spots. Secondly, third-place Cobrio and fourth-place Baker Park play each other on a critical MD14 clash. This means that Yuezhou will only be chased by the winner of that match (if it is decisive), rather than by both teams. The downside is that it makes them more likely to drop to a playoff behind the winner, but the upside is that there's a much lower chance of ending up on the outside looking in entirely. If the Dragons can manage just three points from their final two matches while hanging onto the tiebreaker, they will at least make the playoffs. But without help, full qualification would likely require all six points from the window.

Unfortunately, all of the team's easiest matches are behind them, so while three points is reasonably likely, it's far from guaranteed. First up, Yübao will welcome Hapilopper, currently group leaders with twenty-six points. The Haps likely need just three points to guarantee automatic qualification, and play hapless Of The Godless on MD14. One might argue (and Yue fans might hope) that, since Hapilopper will qualify in over ninety-five percent of the cases where they beat Of The Godless, they should just phone it in against Yuezhou and save all their energy for the final match. Unfortunately, no team in the group is less likely to do this than Hapilopper, who will be itching for both revenge and another opportunity to prove themselves as among the best in the world. If the Dragons can't pull it off on MD13, they'll be watching Baker Park - Aphrilia and Panay - Cobrio - their rivals dropping points in either match would be a huge boost to their chances.

For MD14, Yuezhou will travel to Aphrilia, who came into qualifiers with high hopes, but ended up firing their manager after a disastrous start to the campaign never quite got better. Interim manager Joseph Alan will hope to at least play spoiler and audition for a permanent job, meaning that even the group's sixth-place team cannot be underestimated. The task will be made harder by the potential absence of star striker Leona Tsang, who is questionable for both matches with an ankle injury that is starting to become a worrying theme for the Dragons. Yuezhou have performed reasonably well, if not quite up to expectations, since their slow start, as they're undefeated in their past seven matches. They're close to completing the comeback and returning to the World Cup under Lev Repin - but they cannot afford to slip up.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra has gained a bit of a reputation when it comes to manufacturing sweet treats and processed foods; the Hexagon Corporation, headquartered in Serrapince but with manufacturing plants all over the countries (and with a few in some other countries, where the cost of labour is lower) is perhaps the most famous of them. Renowned for turning almost every known beverage into a powder, its most-famous line has been the Hexcoffee powdered coffee lineup; though the chocolate-malt flavoured drink Diago, supposedly named after an ancient athlete of yore, is also extremely popular.

Such success doesn't come without its fair share of controversies, however; there have been allegations that Hexagon, in their dealings with less-developed countries, have been exploitative to the point that they have been described as neo-colonial. Strike two, then, for Tumbran companies being described in that manner; the tobacco company Tumbran Tobacco has also been described in such a manner, with their plantations in the tropical country of Yolcan being described as feudal in nature. More locally, the company has been accused of utilising the island nation of Kotzellach to engage in some shady tax practices; while most members of the public are unfamiliar with it, most involved in the tax industry know that Hexagon is a frequent user of Kotzellach's base erosion and profit shifting mechanisms to avoid paying tax. Chief Financial Officer Christopher Greymayne was hauled up in front of Parliament to explain this; but ultimately, diplomacy won out, and despite the hearings generating plenty of buzz, nothing of substance was achieved.

But consumer sentiment ultimately speaks; and Hexagon is Tumbra's biggest processed food company, ahead of others like KitKraft (instant foods and bottled water, with its most famous brand being Fontaine-brand water), and Mendler (bread and related products). It says a lot about how onshore Tumbran food processing is that even despite Tumbra having a wealth of agricultural resources, its second-biggest import material is still agricultural products.

[Mytanija]

Continued from here.

ELECTION ’44: CELEBRARTIONS & PROTESTS FOLLOW POLARISING ELECTION RESULT
PUBLIC REACTION TO ELECTION RESULTS FALL DOWN PARTISAN LINES; GOJKOVIĆ CONCEDES TO POPULARNI FRONT BUT REMAINS DEFIANT

by Sonja Nastasić

Reactions to the re-election of Željka Rogina and the Popularni Front government could hardly be more starkly contrasting across Mytanija, with some regions celebrating the election results and others protesting what they feel amounts to ‘tyranny by majority’ which does not allow them to express themselves or their cultural values politically. The differing reactions reveal the depth of division and as Rogina’s Jedinstvo and Lejla Preradović’s PsD bask in their coalition’s electoral success, the nation’s fractured political geography is on full display.

In Težia, Visoravna, Raknija, and Vojovitica, Rogina’s re-election and the victory of the Popularni Front has been met with jubilant scenes. Citizens of those regions feel that this is a victory for unity and peace, a result which will help to ensure that Zrnskian supremacy cannot be enacted in Mytanija again. Crowds waving Mytanar flags have mobbed the streets, with the national anthem sang proudly and signs with messages such as ‘One Mytanija, One Future conveying the message which many in these regions feel in the aftermath of the election.

Celebrations in Raknija have been especially enthusiastic, with the city of Severyan – well-known for its enormous summer street festivals – adopting a suitably party-like atmosphere. Raknik people perhaps bore the brunt of Kalinina’s regime both before and during the Mytanar Conflict (alongside Thessians), for them this election felt perhaps a bit more existential than it might have felt elsewhere. Rogina’s re-election is also an affirmation of the vision of Mytanija that many in Raknija have: secular, inclusive, and focused on trying to move beyond the Mytanar Conflict – not forgetting about it, how can the victims of genocide ever forget? But trying to find a way to reconcile.

“Jedinstvo have shown us that progress is possible,” said 35-year-old school teacher Mirzeta Klemenc in Severyan. “Ana Mećava-Čatić and Željka Rogina are heroes for many here and have done so much to bring us past our history and into the present-day. We want to continue down that path, this victory is a message that extremism and fanaticism elsewhere will not define our future here.”

Usually there would be more of a dichotomy between urban and rural areas, but the polarisation of Mytanija geographically and socioculturally seems to have obliterated that fairly standard divide. The Jedinstvo-PsD coalition have done extremely well with farmers in their Thessian, Visorav and Raknik heartlands, with conveys of tractors blocking roads as agricultural workers celebrate the Popularni Front victory with many commenting on the coalition’s economic policies, but also their push for unity across Mytanija. “It feels like someone is finally listening to us, said Mirko Ivanić, a farmer from Visoravna. “They have helped us in rural areas enormously, but they also want to bring people together – we need stability, not division.”

The reaction could not be more different in Mytanija’s southern and eastern regions, Zrnska, Magevskaya, Nasto, and Avnalia have seen protests against the re-election of the Jedinstvo-PsD government. Many there feel that they are not able to see their sociocultural beliefs represented in the House of Representatives due to the sheer weight of numbers being against them in Mytanija’s northern and eastern regions. Some are willing to explore more extreme options to see their views recognised, including secession. The demonstrations have been peaceful, with a heavy Policija presence deployed to prevent escalation, but the mood in these regions is one of frustration and disillusionment.

In Miago, a large Zrnskian Orthodox enclave in Vojovitica, thousands gathered in the main square to demand greater regional autonomy. Demonstrators carried banners reading ‘Respect Our Identity’ and ‘Decentralisation Now!’, whilst speakers criticised Premijer Rogina for her dismissive attitude towards what they regard as legitimate calls for ponovna decentralizacija (‘re-decentralisation’). “This election does not represent us,” said one protester, “We feel ignored here, and we have been ignored for far too long, this government refuses to understand our needs and refuses to allow us to express ourselves. It is what they have complained about Kalinina doing for years, but now they do it to us.”

When pressed on this comment, equating a refusal to give regions greater autonomy to bring religion into civil matters with the state-sponsored genocide of millions of Thessians, Visoravs and Rakniks, the protester refused to engage further with Gazeta Mytanija.

The protests, whilst large and widespread, are not fully representative of public sentiment in these regions. Vostochnaya Tochna, a fiercely left-wing enclave in Magevskaya, saw some of the most raucous celebrations for Rogina’s re-election as Premijer. Whilst the capital Esca, located in Zrnska, epitomised the polarisation gripping the country. Esca is home to a diverse population with mixed political beliefs and ethnicities and there were both anti-government protests and counter demonstrations, with Liberation Square becoming a battleground of differing ideas, a battleground of competing visions for Mytanija’s future. The mixed reactions highlighted the complexity of the sociocultural landscape in Mytanija.

Protesters in Esca voiced familiar grievances, those joining the anti-government protests spoke about the perceived neglect of Zrnska and Zrnskian identity, and complained about the lack of ponovna decentralizacija when Thessians, Visoravs and Rakniks – all generally large supporters of secularism – effectively have their views represented by default. Counter demonstrators, many from ethnic Thessian and Visorav communities alongside their left-wing Zrnskian comrades, turned out in equal numbers and once again displayed slogans like ‘Together We Are Stronger’ and famous Mytanar Conflict era Otpor tagline ‘If Not Us, Who?’, at the time used as something of a battle cry in the fight against Kalinina’s regime but now coopted by those who support Mytanar unity as a line about how current generations need to find a way to unify these lands and provide a better country to live in for future generations. The standoff between rival groups remained peaceful but tense, with the Policija doing a good job managing the situation.

“Esca is a microcosm of Mytanija,” explained respected political analyst Alen Valjarević. “The capital city is located in Zrnska, it is a cultural melting pot with all Mytanar ethnic groups represented alongside many more from overseas, and the divisions here mirror those of the country. They are ethnic, cultural and political. The fact that the demonstrations went off peacefully shows that another future is possible.”

Meanwhile, Krsto Gojković, leader of the MNK and Rogina’s main rival, delivered a concessionary speech that was defiant in tone. Gojković acknowledged the Popularni Front’s victory, but declared his intention to push for a vote on regional autonomy from opposition: “The people of Zrnska, Magevskaya, Nasto and Avnalia have spoken. Their voices must be heard, they want to choose their own future in the same way that those in other regions are allowed to. If this government continues to ignore them, we will consider all options to return power to the regions and to allow these people to have their views represented with policies they want to see in their day-to-day lives.”

Gojković’s remarks are seen as a thinly-veiled threat of pushing for secession for those regions from Mytanija and present a real challenge to the government in terms of trying to find an end result which works for the many who these comments resonate with, whilst not scaring their traditional voters in the north and west of the country. It is a difficult path to try and tread, but Rogina will have to tread carefully and try to plot a course towards Mytanija’s future.

[Ko-oren]

From one loss to three in a single window. Manguele's job has never been as precarious. Had he coasted into the World Cup as one of the best nations in the qualifiers - as we seemed to be doing until last week - he would have had plenty of credits with the KFA, even in case of another early knockout slip-up. Now, however, qualification is fairly certain but far from 100%. Then again, it's all up to us: we still control first place and with two narrow wins we'll extend our qualification streak to something vaguely impressive.

For all of our knockout troubles, the Dragonflies are World Cup mainstays - we all know Farfadillis are the champions of repeated qualifications (made every edition since 69), Valanora is up there as well (every edition since 71), and with the Holy Empire not qualifying for 94 and Banija not making 96, we believe it's Ko-oren with third place, our last failure in cycle 82.

Manguele's task - and Juliasterinthen's and Davenport's as well - was to bring us into multiversal relevance. Juliasterinthen got us there with repeated qualifiers, but the underlying question was whether we could become one of the greats. Longevity certainly suggests we are, but if we compare actual tournament outcomes with the top two, things look different. Since 83, Farfadillis have six top four finishes and four more quarterfinal appearances. Valanora also have six top four finishes in that timespan with six more quarterfinal exits. The Dragonflies humbly sit at two top four finishes and two more quarterfinals. Yikes.

If we're that good in one regard, why aren't we anywhere close where it matters?

Manguele himself has some takes. He became a little milder during the qualifiers as things were going pretty well, but he's back on his usual warpath now. First of all, in twelve games, we've notched only two wins by more than a goal - a stark difference with other teams in first place of their group - with an impressive five 1-0 (or 0-1) wins.

Manguele's task, unlike Juliasterinthen's and Davenport's, was to get the Dragonflies to play more dominant football while maintaining defensive structure. We still concede a goal only about every other game (7 in 12) but our attack, during all of the mid 90s up to today, hasn't seen a big improvement. Other things did change. We're up about 15 percentage points of possession on average per game - from the mid 40s under Davenport to just short of 60 under Manguele. We have the ball a lot more, and we're doing a lot more with it, as well. Passes are up dramatically, successful dribbles are up, and shots are up. Shots on goal, however, stagnated. The xG across an entire qualification campaign shows a similar trend: from 1.39 in the late 80s in Juliasterinthen's final years, to a mediocre 1.21 under Davenport (which, in part, led to her termination). Three campaigns under Manguele gave us 1.85, then 1.73, then 1.44. Hope in 95, still good numbers in 96, and basically back where we started in 97.

Our actual production shows the same thing. Goals scored per game from 94 to 98: 1.75, 1.86, 1.42, 1.56... to 1.33 so far.

And that's with Manguele deciding that our strike force was so poor, he only selected two strikers in a selection of 36. 18 defenders, 12 midfielders - 2 attackers. Lacking a finisher, it's up to the midfield to create and finish chances. With the improvements in passing and possession, there was a chance that would work, and after a 7-0-0 start nobody complained (apart from those actually looking at the games and the stats and seeing we were in fact not creating much) but with two losses in the last two games, the crisis is back.

Failure to qualify would be an immediate end to the Manguele experiment. A lack of coaches available on the market would be the KFA's next problem - Millet just joined the Busoga Islands directly from Valanora, which is the best candidate gone - but that's a later concern. The big question is: will the KFA accept another piss-poor World Cup - if we make it there at all - and a group or Round of 32 exit? After all... what more can you expect? It's who we are. Good enough, never great enough.

[Darmen]

Weekend Brings Chance To Avoid Playoffs For All Greens

SCOTT CITY - The final weekend of qualifying play presents a chance for the Darmeni national football team to avoid having to participate in a single legged playoff to reach their ninth ever World Cup finals. The All Greens currently sit in third place in Group 4, one point behind Chromatika, who happen to be Darmen's next opponent as the two nations square off Friday evening at the National Stadium in Scott City.

While Darmen is already assured at minimum of a spot in the playoffs, being nine points ahead of fourth placed Martian Independent Republic, a victory over the Anomalies combined with a victory in the second match of the weekend over sixth placed Bir Matras would be enough to move Darmen into second place in group four and automatic qualification for the 98th World Cup. A victory by the visiting Anomalies would guarantee Chromatika automatic qualification, while a draw would leave things down to the final matchday. Chromatika close out their qualifying schedule with a home match against Hispinas.

Ahead of the match, All Greens manager Riley Mac Pharlain expressed pride in his team, saying, "Listen, things were off to a poor start and I think we're all still ruing that opening loss to Kimi-Suomi. We'd have a two point buffer over Chromatika if we'd won, but we've done a great job to recover in the subsequent ten matches, winning eight out of ten is a really good run of form. I couldn't be more proud of our players, they're bringing their best every match and we couldn't ask for more."

Mac Pharlain would go on to state, "But we've got to focus on things ahead of us and not the past. These next two matches, possibly three, are very important to us. Perhaps the most important matches for the All Greens in recent years. I expect the players to bring their best effort, just as they have been doing for the last several months, to the pitch on Friday night. Our nation is counting on them."

Indeed they are. The past thirteen World Cups have been played without Darmeni participation and the Darmeni public will be simmering with anger if that statistic extends to fourteen.