Campionato Esportiva 41 - Everything Thread

[South Newlandia]

This is the Cutoff for Matchday 1 of the 41st CE!

Group A
Tumbra 1–1 Katzeburg
Natanians and Nosts 2–4 Gouvanarch
Bongo Johnson 1–5 Paradystopia

P Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gouvanarch                 1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
2 Katzeburg                  1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Tumbra                     1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Natanians and Nosts        1   0  0  1    2   4  −2    0
5 Bongo Johnson              1   0  0  1    1   5  −4    0

Group B
Alanis Star 0–0 TJUN-ia
Ko-orenite Constellation 1–1 Xanneria
Bongo Johnson 1–5 Paradystopia

P Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paradystopia               1   1  0  0    5   1  +4    3
2 Ko-orenite Constellation   1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Xanneria                   1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Alanis Star                1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  TJUN-ia                    1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1

[Katzeburg]

Welcome to the first matchday of Campionato Esportiva 41 in Katzeburg! We hope you enjoy it here during your stay.

MD2 Prompt - The Campionato Esportiva has played host to many a football superstar and national hero - But are there any sporting villains which have graced your national team? What did they do to give them that status? How are they viewed now in your nation?

Group C
Kita-Hinode 0–1 Sylestone
Macbon 1–0 Limey George
Osterhalten 0–1 Esportivan Darmen

P Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Esportivan Darmen       1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Macbon                  1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Sylestone               1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
4 Kita-Hinode             1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Limey George            1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Osterhalten             1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group D
Kaumann 0–0 Kanzlia
Moladea 3–4 Kamijiro
Eshialand 8–3 Fhulghamous Peninsula

P Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kamijiro                1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Kanzlia                 1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Kaumann                 1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
4 Moladea                 1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
5 Fhulghamous Peninsula   1   0  0  1    3   8  −5    0

Group E
Damukuni 0–1 South Newlandia
NPU 0–1 Vielfaltig
Eshialand 8–3 Fhulghamous Peninsula

P Group E               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand               1   1  0  0    8   3  +5    3
2 South Newlandia         1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
  Vielfaltig              1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
4 Damukuni                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  NPU                     1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

[Kita-Hinode]

Those two hours now already over, her smile formed. She knew she had it in the bag, all she had to do was properly get the say of the ruling Empress, and her newest enterprise would get to a howling start. Jeane-Marie Asakawa-Wellington, third daughter of the two rulers of Anvellia and Sant Joan (one of those rulers being the former Empress Satomi of the Hinodejin), had spent the past couple of years riding dying projects into success following graduation from the Royal Academy, and her sight had already landed on the Hinodejin tradition of football as the next big project. Alas...

"You know full well that the populace doesn't even give a hoot about this interdimensional football team we came up with. It's a diplomatic gesture and that's about it."

Empress Atsuko the First, easily one of the family's greatest kickboxers, with a similar sense of justice to her aging predecessor and a genuine respect for her immense population, was not one to waste time with what she would (in a rather crass manner) dismiss as bullshit. And truth be told, it had been a good while since the Hinodejin populace saw playing football with nations outside of their realm as something interesting. Two generations had already gone by, and the cause had remained a nostalgic but weak idea. Some still remember the soap opera Legendary that was based on Nikolai Thorben, a respected name of Hinodejin football that had come from Chromatika eons earlier and the manga Eternal Champion Leona, a creative retelling of the Unified Sunrise Islands' two world titles and the controversial tournament that followed those wins but both failed to push the people towards another run of interdimensional football.

This led to locals preferring to value their own local scene over following what happened outside. Like it or not, the Empire was a conglomeration of nations that were either dominated or diplomatically annexed by the Asakawa, so it did make sense to see a somewhat friendly sense of competition among themselves. Thus, a new Hinodejin national team was born, based after the original provinces and its nearby additions like Himawari, Rikuyoru, Nikai and Utsukushima, while other teams would represent former nations, ranging from the likes of Hwangju and Midogrün, lands in very good terms with the original provinces, to the likes of Miang and Sassania, bloody rivals that were still keen on teaching their current overlords a lesson or two. State leagues turned into national leagues and football remained profitable. No need to show up for the IFCF.

Yet, Jeane-Marie was adamant that this would be a perfect occasion to try and push for a new professional league, one that could serve as the backbone to a national team. After all, the 100th edition of the World Cup was on the horizon. Surely the Empress would appreciate the chance to make an appearance on the international circuit, uniting her many lands into one force. One that could, hopefully, repeat the riches that the Empire once managed to accomplish. "But, your excellence, my offer is quite simple. Allow me to spearhead a project that should provide your Empire's flag a group of talented footballers with the goal of impressing the multiverse on their own terms, showing them the Hinodejin Empire can be feared in more ways than just militarily or economically. Much as I will see a profit on this, I insist that we will also be doing a good deed on behalf of your lands!"

"But I need the certainty that you will be using my players," she noted, not blinking as she went through every word. Her idea was to have a franchised league, teams run by influential rich folks that still had a foot or two in the middle class, the sorts of figures that could figure out a way to press regional pride in a way that would somehow not just push people into their regional teams instead. It would be for the young, hip crowd. It would be flashy. It would be fantastic. But it needed her approval.

Atsuko looked at the screen in front of them in the middle of the throne room, a one-nil loss, and sighed.

"OK, cousin. But it better lack any scandals or you'll be back at Anvellia before you can say 'sorry', understood?"

She got what she wanted, after all.

[Kanzlia]

White ships, White banner, White Navy #02

---

DEFAMATION REFORM ACT
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿|⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
88 FOR - 96 AGAINST - 8 DNV
DEFAMATION REFORM ACT IS REJECTED BY PARLIAMENT
■ For
■ Against
■ Did not vote

As per, parliament was dismissed for the day. Aletta Nowaki sat still in her parliament chair sort of in disbelief, the unity of her coalition was under question for months prior but this truly made it an undeniable fact. Her Trinity Alliance was a majority government on paper, but dissidents have sabotaged her reform act.

Perhaps it's because the bill she tries to pass would open up doors for further scrutiny of fellow politicians, or perhaps she just failed to convince her peers. Nevertheless, her coalition looks weak and her opposition could smell blood in the water.

Eventually, Aletta Nowaki finally stood up and make her way out resigned. But before she could reach the end of the hall she's intercepted by Laurina Hale.

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
With a sly smirk she slightly bumps Nowaki's shoulder
"Didn't go your way today hrm?"

---

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
Aletta looks back at her with a wry smile
"Is this your retribution for last week?"

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"Well... just a bit.."

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"I'm honestly here to find a drinking buddy, my deputies out cold."

---

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
Aletta stares at Laurina with a glare only a soberite could make

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"...Right I forgot about that... Restaurant, then. Bill's on me."

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"On a serious note though, we've got some things in mind to talk with you"

---

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
"We?"

---

tbc in 03...

[Paradystopia]

Present day

---

Dear Diary,

So begins a new chapter in my life. One that I can only hope brings lesser pain and heartache than those previous. It seems like only yesterday that I was boarding a boat in the shadow of darkness, embarking upon a clandestine departure from a past life and into the great unknown. Had I only known that the great unknown would've embraced me, maybe I'd have taken this step earlier but such is life; you live and learn.

In brighter news, I was informed I had set a new record earlier. The largest victory Paradystopia have achieved thus far in, what is being currently referred to as the Post-Caseum Era. Not bad for one's first game at the helm of an international football team and certainly a strong positive step towards silencing much of the understandable doubt over my investiture. Whilst I do appreciate the current adulation, it only gets tougher from here and though maybe we had the benefit of catching the Bongonese(?) out with a new tactical set-up, we have lost that element of surprise against future opponents. Catching Alanis Star off-guard will be a difficult ask, Irithoren Constellation, or whatever they call themselves, moreso.

Bongo Johnson  1-5  Paradystopia
     Jim (o.g.) 3'        Borgen 18'
                          van der Stedd 24'
                          K.Schlippe (p) 42'
                          Rsheu 45'+3
                          Njawrao 86'

Aside from Jim opening the scoring for the opposition, the team put in a fine performance and have every right to revel in this victory. Putting in four goals before half-time is an impressive feat for any team. One can only imagine what scorelines we can attain once I can fully get the Xat'i onboard. I'm not yet sure if it's just their nature, or whether I'm yet to totally gain their trust, or respect but they weren't exactly providing the cohesive attacking options I envisaged. Maybe it could be said that the Bongo Johnsonions(?) recognised the Xat'i as the attacking threat and concentrated their defensive efforts on them, but that's possibly giving the Xat'i too much benefit of the doubt.

Headstrong, arrogant, unpredictable. The Xat'i do remind me of a certain someone. A certain someone that I made the decision to leave all those weeks ago.

I wonder how they're doing? I really hope they're okay.

All my thoughts and prayers to them.

---

Several Weeks Ago

---

Dear Diary,

What am I doing?

The plan is set in motion now. I leave tonight. The southern shore, midnight. And then, the promise of safe passage to the Paradystopi Eastern Isles.

What am I doing?!

I fear I may be condemning many people to their deaths. Allies, friends, brethren. The thought alone turns my stomach. I can't do this.

But I can't think like this. I need to leave. I can't stay here any longer. I just can't. There's never going to be any time that is any easier or any worse than any other. I have to go. I have to go now.

What the fuck am I doing?

[TJUN-ia]

The Random Rambles of a Jaguar - CE41 Edition
with Killian Looker

Welcome back to this Random Ramble and welcome to a new cycle...in fact, welcome to the Big One - The Centennial Cycle. That's right, the road to the 100th Football World Cup is on the horizon and that will certainly be a historic event for all of U3...but before we can think about that, the Campionato Esportiva must come first and with that comes a bit of roster churn. Diana Sharafutdinov is still the captain of this Jaguars side, but the new faces that have arrived in goal and in defence mean that we will be doing a but of team building early in this Group Stage. So with that in mind, let the fun begin!

The Game
The story of this CE begins at Anchor Field in Inverhaven, Katzeburg with a battle against NSSCRA friends Alanis Star and in this one, things were about to feel tight as all hell. The Diodes were certainly firing on all cylinders, and we would have our work cut out trying to halt all of these attacks, but our new-look defence was holding as well as they could, and Fatemeh Yektaei was stepping up just as well in net. But even though our defence was holding firm, our attacks also were being repelled, so a 0-0 draw seemed like the natural outcome. And so it proved.

Reaction
A frustrating way to kick off a tournament, but everyone knew that it could've been far worse, and so, we will take the point and move on. Sucks, but it is the only thing we can do after just one game of a campaign. Everyone will be hoping for better next time.

What's Next?
Speaking of next time, that will be back here in Inverhaven against the Ko-orenite Constellation.
Bring on all of the stars!
GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group B + 1 Crossover with Group A, Katzeburg)
MD1: vs Alanis Star (16) - Anchor Field, Inverhaven D 0-0 (T-4th)
MD2: vs Ko-orenite Constellation (6) - Anchor Field, Inverhaven
MD3: vs Xanneria (21) - Maplewood Park, Axmund
MD4: vs Katzeburg (3, Crossover) - Katzestadt Arena, Katzestadt
MD5: vs Paradystopia (45) - Maplewood Park, Axmund

[Katzeburg]

Katzeburg 1-1 Tumbra
Wruck 83’ // Glass 20’


Possession - 63% // 37%
Shots on Target - 7 // 5
Shots - 10 // 7
Fouls - 23 // 18

1 Whinery, 2 Herman, 3 Fux, 4 Dallas (Burgstaller 65’), 5 Kaufer, 6 Plank, 7 Spears, 8 Newell (Hodson 65’), 9 Arkwright, 10 Wruck, 11 Field (Hershey 65’)

Player of the Match - Spears (KAT)

Katzeburg’s premier musical publication, SnareAxe, has recently released a long-form article detailing the history of one of the most iconic Katzeburgian bands in the country’s history prior to the Katzeburgian Revolution. The following is an excerpt from the piece.

With the Campionato Esportiva coming to Katzeburgian shores amidst a wave of almost unprecedented excitement and hype, one may think that this is arguably the biggest event in the history of the nation in terms of galvanising the public. Every front page across the country has been splashed with articles detailing the Katzeburgian team and the various competitors touching down in Katzestadt over the coming weeks, but those older members of our country there will be a similar event which the excitement around the CE will prove familiar.

It’s a story which will be a faint memory to many watching Katzeburg compete in the CE this year, given the quick rise and just as rapid fall of this group occurred more than 40 years before the Revolution itself - some 60 years prior to this article now - but there is no doubt that the absolute mania which spread across the country is something that has not been rivalled until now.

This is the story of a Harmouth band which, for a brief period of six years, burned brighter than any other band in Katzeburg’s history, dominated the television schedules whenever they were on air, and saw packed crowds across the country, before collapsing in on themselves like a dying star. This is the story of The Clouds.

The story starts, like many do when talking about Katzeburgian bands, with a schoolboy and a dream. Dean ‘Dixie’ Oakwood was your average Harmouth school student with a talent for the guitar and looking for a group of people in which he could share his hobby with. It was a pure chance meeting on a bus from Harmouth Central School to his home in South Harmouth which would kick off the biggest band in Katzeburg’s history, sparking a conversation with another guitarist on the bus as both of them lugged their instruments home after a school practice. Seamus Matthews went to the more-prestigious Harmouth Preparatory School thanks in part to his family’s connection with the city’s Lord at the time and was only on the bus because his driver was stuck in traffic on that specific day.

But the two would get talking, and the unlikeliest of friendships would form between the two - a week later they’d both meet again in Harrison Park and decide to form a band together, picking the name after a period of lying on their backs and looking up at the sky while working to come up with a name. “The Clouds was always a bit of a placeholder name, to be honest,” Dixie told the KBC years later, “But once we blew up, we never really got a chance to revisit it and the name just kind of stuck.”

Oakwood and Matthews would eventually bring in a schoolmate of Oakwood’s in the form of drummer Scott Gentle, who was looking for a new group to play music with on weekends after his previous band The Rollercats broke up because the lead singer’s family decided to move up to Konigpool. But the group was still missing a talisman; neither Dixie or Seamus were keen on singing and leading the group in that manner, and it was decided that the group would pony up at the local South Harmouth Youth Club and hold tryouts for the final member of their quartet.

Mark Hanson, the only person to actually attend the tryouts after taking a wrong turn in the main hallway of the Youth Club, was offered the position and The Clouds finally had a full line-up. Oakwood and Matthews had both been writing songs over the previous few months, with the band trying many of these out in their first ever gig at The Brown Bull pub in South Harmouth two weeks after Hanson’s joining the group.

The band would take some time to gel together, becoming a regular fixture of the city’s pub circuit over the following months despite the fact all were under the legal drinking age. Oakwood’s father Peter would act as chauffeur and overall guide for the group, ensuring they wouldn’t get into any trouble while performing in some of Harmouth’s rougher pubs. But it would be in one of these rough pubs that the band would draw the attention of Steve Applewood, the logistical manager of the Konigpool Symphony Orchestra, down in Harmouth meeting family between Orchestral tours.

Applewood would immediately be drawn to the group and their upbeat musical talents, and spotting an opportunity to generate a bit of additional income as a side gig, approached the band with an offer to act as their manager. The group would accept following consultation with Peter Oakwood, and Applewood would immediately secure a regular slot at the Harmouth Cellar, one of the city’s most popular clubs which operated under the site of the Harmouth Brewery, for the band.

Many popular regional groups would perform at the Cellar and the site was at the time one of the leading lights of Harmouth’s cultural scene - of course now the Cellar is a very different picture of a venue, with the site closing in AK17 following a significant downturn in attendance as well as additional health and safety issues stemming from the fumes of the overhead brewery seeping down into the Cellar estimated to lead to significant breathing difficulties for many attendees.

But the Cellar would go through a period of renaissance with The Clouds at the helm, with the band often appearing twice a week to fill in the venue’s quieter nights - the students would play on Tuesday and Thursday nights when attendance was often at its lowest, heading to the Cellar immediately after their school days and (thanks in part to a deal struck by Applewood) working on odds jobs at the venue before performing live for two hours between 8 and 10pm.

Over the next three years the group would fall into a regular pattern of performances and it would be during this time the group’s performances would become sharply refined - every member knew what they needed to do on stage, and the constant energetic performances would eventually win over fans; many enthralled by the good-natured banter between band members and the fact they would give every song their all each and every single night they were on stage.

By BK43, the band had a solid reputation within Harmouth as one of the best on the local circuit, but with all four members having now graduated from school and considering their plans for the future, there was an impending sense that the end of the group would be imminent. Matthews was planning to move to Katzestadt for further studies at the University of Katzestadt, while Hanson and Gentle were considering offers to move into an apprenticeship scheme at the local Brewery, a move which would have been sensible, long-term employment at the time.

Oakwood, however, was keen to explore music further, his growing appetite for stardom egged on by the ever-increasing crowds seeing the band perform at the Cellar each night. But the writing was very much on the board, and a meeting between group members ahead of their show on 7 July BK43 landed on the decision that upon their final show of the month in a few weeks, the group would disband and go their separate ways.

Little did they know at the time that that very night would be the evening that a record producer from Katzestadt would be in the crowd, having been tempted down to Harmouth on the promise of a brave new sound unlike anything the nation had seen before. A record producer that would change the trajectory of music in Katzeburg forever. For that would be the evening that Al Martin would hear The Clouds for the first time.

---

Blue Cats held to draw against Tumbra in Campionato Esportiva curtain raiser

By Otis Huffman, KBC

In their debut as competition hosts, the Blue Cats of Katzeburg failed to get off to a winning start against Tumbra in the curtain-raiser of the 41st edition of the Campionato Esportiva at Katzestadt Arena. With a new record crowd of 50,000 packing the stadium to welcome competing teams to its shores, Katzeburgians were treated to a tense affair against a Tumbran side which while not at the strength the side has been in previous years at the peak of its World Cup prowess, are still a huge threat in Esportivan competition.

Katzeburg would have been hoping for a positive start to their campaign with an early goal to settle the nerves, but the side would instead find themselves a goal behind after 20 minutes, as Julian Glass would open the scoring for the Black Eagles, nodding a pinpoint cross from Stefan Britten past Ry Whinery with relative ease. The new-look Blue Cats defence, with three debutants in Katzestadt AFC’s Cale Fux, Inverhaven Ironworks’ Jerrold Dallas, and Axmund United’s Ashton Kaufer, struggled in the opening stages to shut down Tumbra’s offence, but the tide would turn after the opening goal in the favour of the hosts.

Katzeburg would put their thumb on the game following the opening strike, and the side would come dangerously close to levelling the scores on the edge of half-time with a curling free-kick from Meriel Arkwright only for her effort to ricochet off the crossbar.

The Blue Cats would again come within inches of levelling the score early in the second half, as a header from Drake Wruck was cleared off the line by Christian Takahashi in the 53rd minute, but as the match moved through a mostly uneventful second-half, the hosts became more nervous to break through at any cost, while Tumbra was keen to sit back and try and soak up the pressure.

However, a broken clock is normally right twice a day at least, and for the Katzeburgians their struggling offence would finally break through in the 83rd minute with a bit of class from Katzestadt Rovers striker Drake Wruck, weaving past Takahashi and Desmond Wright before firing his effort deep into the bottom left corner past the outstretched arms of Tim Schrader in goals.

It was a goal which meant much more to the home crowd than the minor travelling Tumbran support, with the late equaliser sending the hosts into raptures. Katzeburg had one late on chance to try and sneak a dramatic winner through substitute Walton Hershey, but the Littleport’s striker effort skimmed just across the face of goal and past the left hand post.

Manager Becka Haberkorn said the result was a fair one given the pressure of hosting an event for the first time. “It was a big ask for the team, especially given the changes we’ve made to the team, to come out in front of a capacity crowd and put in a good showing,” Haberkorn said after the match.

“Tumbra are an incredibly good side as well even though they seem to be in a down period at the moment, so they are always going to be a tough fight - for us to get a result and a crucial point this early on is something to be content with. We’ve got a big task now to kick on and pick up some more points over the coming games, especially against Natanians and Nosts and a Gouvanarch side which can cause some issues, so momentum is going to be key heading into the rest of the competition on home soil.”

[Eshialand]

We're So Back
Eshialand 8-3 Fhulghamous Peninsula


Don't tell Doof it's only been a year since last time, he might brand the NT as a Get-Rich-Quick-inator.

After their disappointing World Cup, this team was seeing red, and Fhulghamous Peninsula were in the line of fire... and with their new on-pitch leadership coming from a forward rather than a midfielder, their strategy was clear: offense offense offense.

While the first half was a bit more subdued, with the score finishing at 3-2 in favor of the Owls, the second half saw the whole show blow wide open. The Colonists needed to use every substitution they had to try to contain the bleed, but 5 goals got past the Fhulghamous goalkeepers in the second half of the match. It was an absolute uncontained bloodbath.

Eshialand - 8 (Sandrie 14', 38', 58', 65'; Forsen 32', 49', 74'; Olyred 82')
Fhulghamous Peninsula - 3 (Kozanitis 23'; Amador 41'; Canales 53')

This match was seen as a warning shot from the Eshian squad. The next highest-ranked team in the region had just been absolutely slaughtered, so nobody was safe from this side. "This is a team that, you know we've had some rough times lately in the World Cup." Melissa Carey had to say following the match. "I talked to them before the match and they wanted to give it their all, and they clearly did. They're ready for anything."

The rest of the Owls' group was much more subdued than this, to say the least. While Eshialand and their opponents shared 11 goals, South Newlandia and Vielfaltig won their matches by the smallest score possible, just 1-0. Next up on the docket for the Owls is a matchup against Damukuni, who started their tournament against South Newlandia. The prediction for this match?

"Well, you saw what we just did against our toughest opponents..." Keiar Forsen said, "so this one might be even more insane. We'll just have to see though.

[Alanis Star]

The Alanis and Node 93 Football Association – post_roster(“CE 41”)

Oooh, sorry about that! I didn’t know that we have not introduced our roster! Some of you might be wondering that well, we might not need it, yes? Other than for the sake of updating the ages and perhaps as a rule of formality so that the other teams can look us up a little easier, the Diodes might not have changed as much. Well, just like with Valentian Kittens, the Alanis Star Diodes have also underwent a tremendous change! We are switching formations to a 6-3-1, meaning that there will be a LOT of forwards to keep the momentum going (if the match against TJUN-ia told us anything, is that we need more forwards!). On top of that, a few of the players will be going through the process of reassignments, for instance going from Defenders to Forward or Midfielder substitutes. They volunteered, of course! We might also need a bit more players in our team as reserves, but for the time being, the injury rates and chances are thankfully low. As a result of this, we do not need anything to get new players. On top of that, I believe that we should let the substitutes also play a little bit more in terms of swapping them, just like what we have done in IBC under the wonderful leadership of Chief Aviator Eveline. I wish them the very best and for us as well, let us move on forward and get better results after we have this change of roster after the match against TJUN-ians!

The 93 Nodes and Diodes’ Roster

Team Manager / Captain: Clementine Lizbeth “Athena Mk. 3” Hinata Tanaka

Current Roster: Formation 6-3-1 / 6 forward, 3 midfielders, 1 defenders, 1 goalkeeper.)

Red = Injured and out, Green = Able to be substituted if you do injure my players; green players in order of preference of substitution.

Goalkeeper:
#  1 - Victor Antonovich Onufri W. Denisovich     - 245.77 cm - M - 37 - Novosibirsk, Russia, Valentine Z
# 21 - Kaito Luca Rossi Carlotta Z. Marini        - 227.84 cm - O - 32 - Milan, Italy, Valentine Z
# 22 - Ava Louise Harper D. Johnson Williams      - 239.59 cm - F - 34 - New York City, New York, United States of America, Voorzichtigheid, Valentine Z
# 23 - Dinak Leila Noor Aisha Yonal Hyderi        - 227.41 cm - F - 33 - Karachi, Pakistan, Valentine Z

Forward:
#  2 - Janice "Athlete Mk.13" Toyoko Ishikawa     - 270.00 cm - F -  5 - Node 193, Esportiva Territory of Alanis Star, Valentine Z
#  3 - Rowan Devon Nayanajith T. Josiah Davis     - 247.20 cm - M - 37 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
#  4 - Stella Silesius D. Concetta Iannaccone     - 231.38 cm - F - 35 - Monte Isola, Lombardy, Italy, Valentine Z
#  5 - Igor Elliott V. Matias Charpantier Dinan   - 243.91 cm - M - 38 - Arica, Chile, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
#  6 - Ivanildo Samuel Rosa A. Gomes da Cruz      - 238.81 cm - M - 37 - São Paulo, Brazil, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
#  7 - Reiner Maxine Belay Trần W. Van der Sandt  - 248.94 cm - O - 36 - Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa, Valentine Z
# 31 - Freddie Alessio H. Lingxin Dong-gook       - 244.55 cm - M - 35 - Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, Vostrov, Valentine Z
# 32 - Olivia María Emma Beccari C. Rodríguez     - 231.46 cm - F - 40 - Cumaná, Sucre, Venezuela, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
  
Midfielders:
#  8 - Asa Braxton Luca T. Hall Su Hyun-Woo       - 244.58 cm - M - 38 - Townsville City, Queensland, Australia, Voorzichtigheid, Valentine Z
#  9 - Melissa Lima Linhares Paschoal Omolayo     - 233.55 cm - F - 33 - Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
# 10 - Ruby Diana Candela V. Feijoo Sagredo       - 237.93 cm - F - 31 - La Paz, Bolivia, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
# 41 - Lucy Amelia Taheya R. Arwa Saleb López     - 241.54 cm - F - 41 - Ñemby, Paraguay, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
# 42 - Marie Claire A. Isabelle Rosalie Beaubois  - 231.20 cm - O - 34 - Martian Provinces and Territories of Valentine Z
# 43 - Zolin Coyolxāuhqui Consuela Alejandra Pozo - 249.69 cm - F - 36 - Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
# 44 - Troy Claire Sammy V. Kyaw Khaing Tun       - 248.37 cm - M - 40 - Naypyidaw, Burma, Valentine Z

Defenders:
# 11 - Brooklyn M. Arienne Jade Hariwana Hopkins  - 247.07 cm - F - 34 - Salem, Massachusetts, United States of America, Voorzichtigheid, Valentine Z
# 52 - Volusenna Sabrina K. Lily-Mae Williams     - 240.31 cm - F - 36 - Manchester, United Kingdom, Victoriaans Nederlands, Valentine Z
# 53 - Rangi James E. Alexander Grace Smith       - 245.86 cm - M - 43 - Auckland, New Zealand, Voorzichtigheid, Valentine Z

Outside of the football field, they are 2.66x taller. Starting 11 has, for the first time since WC 96, changed in terms of formation and roster.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:

Choose my starting lineup: Yes and No to an extent. You may have to use the line-up I already chose, BUT if you do injure my players, then you can sub anyone in green.
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y but no career-ending ones, please!
Godmod injuries to my players: Y but no career-ending ones, please!
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y, though preferably do ask me first.
Hand out red cards to my players: Generally a N, but if you really want to develop something, against please let me know, we can reach something out.
Godmod other events: Y

Style modifier: + 5.00

TGs are always open, and you can reach me on Discord via clarissa_alanis_star_samantha.

Primary Color: #3A6A97
Secondary Color: #6CE4FF

[Tumbra]

A selection of headlines from around Tumbra.

Government and Opposition clash on issue of Limey George admission into Esportivan Union

STRATON — Moderate MP for Dylefield Dorival Solomon Barwell questioned the Minister of State for Esportiva, Jeremy Nightingale, over the Government's plan to approve and endorse the application of Limey George, a small Esportivan nation, to join the Esportivan Union. Speaking on a Foreign Affairs committee hearing, Barwell questioned Nightingale over the Labour government's intention to endorse the small agrarian-based country's application, citing the country's alleged "rampant human rights abuses" and "near-dystopian system of government, where power is concentrated in an absolute monarch." Endorsing the application, Barwell pointed out, would be "point-blank contradictory" to the Labour government's foreign policy of "encouraging democratisation in Esportiva and elsewhere through peaceful means."

Nightingale, in his reply to Barwell, stated that the accession of Limey George to the Esportivan Union was "in the interests of the Tumbran government as well as the Esportivan Union at-large," citing the regional union's need for partnerships and additional members for regional co-operation. "Securing new opportunities for both our countries, including our workers, through trade, will ensure that both our countries prosper in the long run, something which has a positive correlation with democratisation." The House will have to vote on the Government's motion to endorse Limey George's application to join the Esportivan Union, something which is expected to occur considering Labour's eleven-seat buffer for a majority in the House; several members approached for comment, however, have said that the allegations and evidence for human rights abuses in Limey George have been "concerning."

Edmund Monaghan trumps incumbent George Dempsey to become Leader of the Opposition in the Senate

STRATON — Senators-elect from the centre-right People's Party met for their first caucus meeting after a relatively disappointing Senate election on Tuesday, with incumbent caucus leader George Dempsey being subjected to a leadership spill. The closed-door caucus meeting began shortly after noon and concluded sometime after 8 p.m. on the same day, with the announcement that Gamaliel Senator-elect Edmund Monaghan had successfully defeated Dempsey in an election, with Monaghan assuming office as Leader of the People's Party Senate caucus and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. The vote was reportedly close, with Monaghan defeating Dempsey 45-36; several members of the party's more conservative faction, dissatisfied with Dempsey's performance on the campaign trail, reportedly crossed over to vote for Monaghan despite his position as a more moderate member of the party.

Speaking to assembled journalists after the caucus meeting, Monaghan said that the new position would be "the most important of my legislative career," and that his approach to the job would be centred around "consensus, conversations, and coalition-building," citing the fact that the People's Party's impression amongst voters is that of a "party that is only interested in furthering culture wars and not in the task of governing." Leader of the Opposition Alexander Morrison, who suffered a personal setback after the elections with the defeat of key allies in several state-level elections in states like Westmond and Grantfeldt, did not offer any substantive comment on the election, mentioning that "the Senate caucus' affairs is for the Senate caucus to decide." He did, however, congratulate Monaghan on his election, and welcomed their future partnership. Anonymous comments from his office have previously stated that Monaghan was indeed Morrison's preferred choice for the Senate caucus leader role, as the embattled Leader of the Opposition attempts to change public perception of his party before the 2045 House of Representatives election.

Bradesburgh Stakes gets more viewers than Campionato Esportiva opening matchday in sign of declining stature of sport

BRADESBURGH — Soccer might have been the sport that once dominated the Tumbran airwaves and sports news, but its long reign seems to be at an end. Less people watched the Black Eagles' 1-1 draw with hosts Katzeburg in the Campionato Esportiva on television than the Bradesburgh Stakes, part of the Tumbran Triple Crown of horse racing. In the end, two-year-old colt Wizzix Qwizxyzzy (apparently pronounced Whissics Quissicssy) came out top of the horse race, which apparently saw over $55 million bet on the horse through the Tumbran Pools.

When asked about declining audience numbers and seeming Tumbran interest in football, national football team manager Michael Campbell said that "it's of course disappointing, but our country's disappearance from the World Cup stage, the biggest of them all, can't have helped matters. These things, they come and go, and while we're never going to start playing on barely-there pitches kicking up mud in opposition team's faces, I think it's safe to say that the Tumbran Golden Age is very much over, and ended the moment our hopes and dreams were killed in World Cup 98 after the so-called Draw of Humiliation."

When further asked about whether there was a possibility of a renaissance in Tumbran football, Campbell seemed pessimistic, citing declining attendance numbers across all levels of the sport, the decision to evict the World Cup Committee Records Committee from its former permanent headquarters in Straton and its repurposing as "the world's largest broom closet," and the seeming unexplained isolationist attitude that the Tumbran Football Federation is now taking to all non-Esportivan football tournaments as factors.

The end of the press conference probably proved Campbell's point in more ways than one. "Why did you stay, then, if you are so dissatisfied with the way things are going?" asked Brigitte Elliot of the Kingsbury Tribune. "They pay me," was the short and dispassionate response from Campbell. Perhaps revealing just how far the stature of the game has fallen in Tumbra, there was little noise made the following day when the quote was splashed across the back pages in Tumbra, when in the past such a response would probably have seen death threats sent Campbell's way.

[Kamijiro]

Lovely to be Back Winning

In the first match since the fall of the Empire and beginning of Her Majesty Atsuko Magami's reign, the Lightning came out firing to score three points in a seven-goal thriller against Moladea. The new national anthem, "Forever Reign, Lightning Isles" was played and received mixed feedback - perhaps the guitar solo was a bit much - and the players seemed to be somewhat happy to play again. The main issue was, of course, another embargo on the national team set by the non-Miraisaki departments. Although the starting eleven from the full team is primarily from Miraisaki, a lot of the depth options are from elsewhere, so the bench was left depleted.

Either way, the Queen was given quite a spectacle. Katsu Fujiwara scored the opener off of a direct free-kick followed by a Haruka Kagawa tap-in. Riley Reece and Madelynn Luke scored back-to-back just before half to completely throw Raiji Kagawa's half-time team talk into the bin, but then substitute attacking midfielder Keigo Nakaji scored his first national team goal midway through the second half to give the Kamijiroans their lead back, then the fourth goal was scored in stoppage time by Sōji Kokubun. A consolation goal by Edward Walton came from a corner kick situation, but the ref blew the whistle shortly after.

So, the Lightning start off their CE41 run with all three points in a thriller. Sounds familiar, sounds welcome.

[Gouvanarch]

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA 41 — MATCHDAY 1 REPORT
Natanians and Nosts 2–4 Gouvanarch
Bramblewood Park, Katzestadt (Attendance: 35,000)

---

The Match

Gouvanarch’s long-awaited return to the big stage started with a bang — and a bit of drizzle — as they overpowered Natanians and Nosts in a lively, rain-slicked encounter at Bramblewood Park.

The pre-match talk had been about nerves, especially with such a young squad and a rookie tournament striker in Armelle-Nolwenn de Brélévenez-Kersanton, but Gouvanarch showed no sign of stage fright.

Within 12 minutes, they were ahead — a smart through-ball from Giraude Archambault releasing Barthelemy de la Cormeilles, who finished low past the keeper with the kind of calm only 215 career TPL goals can give you.

Natanians and Nosts equalised shortly before halftime after some penalty box pinball, but the second half was all Gouvanarch. Souveraine de Forcalquier’s teasing cross found Ambroas de Montgomery at the back post for 2–1, before Armelle-Nolwenn marked her tournament debut with a clinical strike from the edge of the area to make it three.

The hosts pulled one back in the 81st minute, but Gwenaëlle Fauvarque capped off the win with a 25-yard thunderbolt that skimmed the underside of the bar — a goal that had the soaked travelling supporters roaring as if it were a cup final.

---

Scorers

NTN: 1–1 (39’), 2–3 (81’)
GVN: de la Cormeilles (12’), de Montgomery (53’), de Brélévenez-Kersanton (68’), Fauvarque (87’)

---

Player Reactions

Barthelemy de la Cormeilles:

“We played with our hearts and maybe a bit with our stomachs, too — I promised Armelle I’d buy her a pie if she scored. Now I’m broke, but we’ve got three points, so I’ll live.”

Armelle-Nolwenn de Brélévenez-Kersanton:

“I didn’t hear the crowd after it went in, just Bart yelling something about pastry.”

Souveraine de Forcalquier:

“The pitch was slick, the ball was skipping, but we kept our shape and believed in the game plan. Proud of the group — and yes, I’m keeping an eye on these two clowns now.” [gestures at Barthelemy and Armelle]

---

Coach’s Verdict

Corentin le Bris:

“It’s a good start, but we’re not getting carried away. The discipline in the second half was what I wanted to see. We know Xanneria next will be a different kind of challenge.”

---

Fan Voice

Pierre, travelling supporter from Mell-Droad:

“It’s been too long since we’ve had a reason to sing in a big tournament. Now my voice is gone, my clothes are soaked, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

---

Off the Pitch — The Road to Inverhaven

The morning after the win, the team boarded the early train north to Inverhaven, the industrial giant of Katzeburg and the next stop on their journey. Rain streaked across the carriage windows, blurring the passing forests and grey towns, but inside the compartment, the mood was sunny.

Barthelemy had claimed a pair of seats facing Armelle and Souveraine de Forcalquier, producing a paper bag of Katzeburgian pastries from somewhere.

“You eat before breakfast?” Armelle asked, eyebrow raised.

“Kid, this is breakfast. And Souveraine, you’re in charge of making sure she eats enough. She’s too light, I’m worried she’ll float away on a crosswind.”

Souveraine smirked. “Don’t worry, Bart, I’ll keep her grounded. Somebody has to be the responsible one here.”

From that moment, the squad’s group chat exploded with a new set of nicknames: Papa Bart and Mama Sou. By the time they reached Inverhaven station, the entire coaching staff was using them, to Bart’s good-natured groans and Souveraine’s resigned laughter.

---

Exploring Inverhaven

With the afternoon free, some players ventured to the historic docks for a seafood lunch (Armelle politely passed on the oysters), while others explored the old shipyards-turned-marketplaces.

Barthelemy found a stall selling “Dragoonspiel Baked Fish Pie” and bought one “for research purposes,” immediately regretting it after the first bite. Armelle didn’t even need to say anything — the smirk was enough.

---

Evening at the Hotel

That night, at the team’s hotel overlooking the busy harbour, Corentin le Bris gathered the squad in a conference room. The talk was short — praise for the opener, reminders about Xanneria’s strengths, and a call for the same unity they’d shown in Katzestadt.

Afterwards, the younger players sprawled in the lounge with board games, while Bart and Souveraine sat with Armelle, talking not about tactics, but about handling the noise of tournaments — the media, the fans, the pressure. Armelle listened quietly, occasionally smiling at Bart’s stories of locker-room pranks from his early days.

---

Next Stop

Tomorrow, they step out at Anchor Field in front of a new crowd, with momentum on their side and the “Papa & Mama” act in full swing. Whether they can keep it going against 21st-ranked Xanneria is the next chapter in Gouvanarch’s Campionato story.

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff for Matchday 2!

Group A
Katzeburg 3–1 Natanians and Nosts
Bongo Johnson 0–1 Tumbra
Gouvanarch 3–0 Xanneria

P Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gouvanarch                 2   2  0  0    7   2  +5    6
2 Katzeburg                  2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Tumbra                     2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
4 Natanians and Nosts        2   0  0  2    3   7  −4    0
5 Bongo Johnson              2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group B
TJUN-ia 1–0 Ko-orenite Constellation
Paradystopia 1–0 Alanis Star
Gouvanarch 3–0 Xanneria

P Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paradystopia               2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6
2 TJUN-ia                    2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Alanis Star                2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
  Ko-orenite Constellation   2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
5 Xanneria                   2   0  1  1    1   4  −3    1

[Katzeburg]

Welcome to the second matchday of Campionato Esportiva 41 - Hope the results you are looking for may be below!

MD3 Prompt - Some teams are enjoying a solid start while for others, the wheels may already be coming off and are in crisis mode - But what constitutes a full-blown crisis in your country outside of sporting failures? What has been some of the biggest scandals to hit your nation and what was the impact of it?

Group C
Sylestone 1–0 Esportivan Darmen
Limey George 2–2 Osterhalten
Kita-Hinode 0–1 Macbon

P Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Macbon                  2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
  Sylestone               2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
3 Esportivan Darmen       2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Limey George            2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
  Osterhalten             2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
6 Kita-Hinode             2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Group D
Kanzlia 1–2 Moladea
Fhulghamous Peninsula 1–0 Kaumann
Kamijiro 1–1 Vielfaltig

P Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kamijiro                2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
2 Moladea                 2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
3 Fhulghamous Peninsula   2   1  0  1    4   8  −4    3
4 Kanzlia                 2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
  Kaumann                 2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1

Group E
South Newlandia 3–0 NPU
Eshialand 2–0 Damukuni
Kamijiro 1–1 Vielfaltig

P Group E               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand               2   2  0  0   10   3  +7    6
2 South Newlandia         2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
3 Vielfaltig              2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
4 Damukuni                2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0
5 NPU                     2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

[Paradystopia]

Present day

---

Dear Diary,

Another fixture, and another surprising victory given the Diodes of Alanis Star did manage to expose something of a weakness (oversight?) in our current tactical plans.

Long, aerial balls forward aren't half as effective when your opposition are so damn tall! Seriously, what are they feeding them in these Valentinian provinces? Or maybe I suppose it could be a gravity thing? Anyway, with their basic anatomy effectively nullifying the one strategy I had put in place, the squad effectively fell back into their old ways of parking the bus intermingled with the occasional speculative solo run from one of the Xat'i. To be honest, I was in half a mind to issue an apology to any of the neutrals (or any of the spectators for that matter) in Axmund who had the misfortune to get themselves a ticket to Maplewood Park in the hope of seeing some interesting international football. It was impressively dull from us and this is coming from someone who, in preparation for the Campionato and to gain some insight on potential opponents, forced himself to sit through 'The Top Ten Tedious Tumbran Nil-Nils' (Why this is a thing is truly beyond me, though I suspect it's in part to bring the Tumbran populace in line with their football federation's decision to not enter the World Cup any longer.)

Anyway, so yes, we played dreadfully. Not necessarily bad per se, just, well, inert.

That is, with the exception of Jim who for some unbeknownst reason, really seemed to have an axe to grind with the Valentinians? Starians? Alans? Regardless, he seemed to have a problem with the Diode's team (I was told by Flappy, via Karen, that this may have had something to do with losing to a Valentinian at a chess competition? I didn't even know he played chess.). He managed to pick up a yellow towards the end of the first half for a uncharacteristically late challenge on Janice "Athlete Mk.13" Toyoko Ishikawa and was fortunate not to see a second for dissent the way he was squawking at the referee. Were he not such a useful defender, and sort of a lynchpin at the back, I probably would've subbed him off. Was lucky for me that a didn't.

The second half played out very similarly to the first. The diodes tried an attack, were thwarted by Sjiu, passive pass from us before a lofted ball forward lost possession, and repeat. I tried a few changes to shake things up. Brought on Iona for Sebastien, Soks for Sosjian, neither to any avail. Stone for Lugga, Fish for van der Stedd, still nothing. I mean, by this point, I'd more or less accepted the draw and just hoped to keep the defence solid so as not to lose it in the final minutes. I switched out Rhiagr for Tippytapper on the ninety minute mark hoping really to just kill a little more time.

Now, imagine my surprise when Soks managed to lose their defender in stoppage time, make a break for the area, got tackled by Brooklyn M. Arienne Jade Hariwana Hopkins only to see the ball bobble to Tippytapper who upon getting into the area fell victim to a scruffy second tackle from Hopkins. Before I realised what was going on, they were saying we had a penalty. Right in the death, a chance to win it. It was Iona Schlippe who elected to take it and she confidently struck it straight at the hands of Victor Antonovich Onufri W. Denisovich. Now, I've absolutely no idea how he managed it, but it was Jim who was first to the rebound. Flying in ahead of the defenders and our strikers, sliding on his belly, he nudged the ball deftly with his beak into the bottom corner. Unbelievable. The Diodes barely had time to take the restart before the full time whistle was blown.

Paradystopia  1-0  Alanis Star
      Jim 90'+7

I do actually wonder how many supporters got to witness it, given that people were beginning to leave the stadium from halfway through the second half. Their loss, I suppose, and another victory for Paradystopia.

---

Also present day, but elsewhere

---

Deer Dairy,

Sacrilege! That's what this is.

Everyone's going on about Pepe Papa like he's some sort of super manager and forgetting that Paradystopia already has a super manager.

Me. The awesomeness that is Error Message.

I should be the one winning games with brainy tacticals at the Campy Narter.
I should be the one scoring epictastic winning supergoals.
It should be me getting my name in the great big book of unforgettable multiversal footballing uberlegends alongside Simon D. Brandyknee, Kal Vylx, Jeremiah Hobnob, and that other one whose name I can't remember.

I need a plan.

A plan to show everyone just how rubbish Pepe Papa Peepee Poopoo (Ha, how do you like that biting satire!) is.

[Katzeburg]

Katzeburg 3-1 Natanians and Nosts
Field 49’, 58’, 72’ // M.Ret 33’


Possession - 68% // 32%
Shots on Target - 10 // 3
Shots - 13 // 5
Fouls - 7 // 14

1 Whinery, 2 Herman, 3 Fux, 4 Dallas (Clarkson 65’), 5 Kaufer, 6 Plank, 7 Spears, 8 Newell (Sessions 65’), 9 Arkwright, 10 Wruck (Bannerman 65’), 11 Field

Player of the Match - Field (KAT)

Katzeburg’s premier musical publication, SnareAxe, has recently released a long-form article detailing the history of one of the most iconic Katzeburgian bands in the country’s history prior to the Katzeburgian Revolution. The following is an excerpt from the piece.

Al Martin recalled the first time he ever heard The Clouds in the Harmouth Cellar in an interview with SnareAxe in the early years of our publication. “It was life-changing, simple as that,” he told us. “I’ve never seen a band with such star quality right off the bat as them. Every member, bar Hanson, had something which drew people to them and it was easy to see that they were beloved by the local crowd. They came out to screams and ended the show in almost pandemonium; all this for a band of fresh-faced school kids? There was so much more to them which with the right guidance, could grow into something truly special.”

Following the group’s performance in the Cellar on 7 July BK43, Martin immediately went to the group and offered to be their manager, telling them he’d be able to secure recording time and funding in Katzestadt for a debut album for the group as part of the record company he worked for, Blue Pear Records. The offer left the group in several minds; just hours before they had decided to go their separate ways as they had assumed nothing would ever come of their musical careers.

Dean ‘Dixie’ Oakwood was immediately receptive to the offer and keen to pursue it, but resistance was met by both Scott Gentle and Seamus Matthews as to whether the move would be the right one for them. Both had other opportunities hanging - For Gentle an offer for an apprenticeship at the Harmouth Brewery and for Matthews an offer to study law at the University of Katzestadt - and neither would be standing should they decide to pursue a recording contract with Blue Pear.

Mark Hanson was willing to take the risk of signing with Blue Pear alongside Oakwood, and in the immediate aftermath of the offer from Martin, both would pitch their arguments to Gentle and Matthews. “It was something we couldn’t afford to turn down,” Oakwood told KBC years later. “Many groups and individuals only get one shot at going for something special, and I always felt that for us, this was that moment. Passing on it just for stability wasn’t an option in my book.”

The pair would eventually wear Matthews and Gentle down over the next week, and The Clouds would verbally agree with Martin on a one-album recording contract with Blue Pear by the end of the month. However, this decision would spark a fierce legal battle with Steve Applewood, who had initially agreed managerial duties with the band some years prior. Applewood was unwilling to pass over many of his duties to Martin and Blue Pear, with the group reaching an impasse in the back end of BK43 over the reluctance of Applewood to remove himself from the group’s management.

Martin and Applewood would finally come to a compromise over the group at the start of BK42, agreeing an early release to managerial duties on Applewood’s part on the agreement that Applewood would retain all revenue for a future performance by the band which would be held at Applewood’s discretion. “It seemed like a fair deal at the time,” Applewood would tell The Katzestadt Times decades later. “But given what came after that deal, it was very bittersweet given what would eventually happen when that chip was called in.”

By early BK42, The Clouds finally had enough songs written to hit the recording studio, having worked tirelessly under Martin’s guidance to write songs during the impasse in agreements between Blue Pear and Applewood. On 10 March BK42, the band conducted their first ever recording session at the Blue Pear Studios on Tucker Lane in Katzestadt’s Central District. An unassuming building sandwiched between two larger offices of a bank and an accountancy firm, the Tucker Lane Studio would become a home away from home for the band over the next few years; the birthplace of all of the band’s iconic hits.

But the initial session was a rather rocky start. Producer Glenn Wilson was not a fan of the vocal talents of Hanson from the get-go, and recommended to Martin that the band look at finding another lead singer. The suggestion was something Martin himself had been mulling over for a few months, recognising that he didn’t have the same pull as the rest of the band on stage during their performances in the Cellar, and the day after the initial session, he proposed the removal of Hanson from the band to Oakwood, Matthews, and Gentle.

The three were initially unwilling to cut off Hanson, as they felt that it would be harsh to remove him given the years of work he had undertaken to that point as part of the band, but when Martin and Wilson sat them down and suggested that with Hanson the ‘band would never make it as big as they should’, the group agreed to give a test run to another musician and have all members take on some share of the overall vocals for songs - something which would eventually become a key selling point for the band.

Ollie White, a bass guitarist from Harmouth group Radical Conversation, was drafted in by Martin to fill the void of Hanson at the next recording session a week later, and his impact was immediately felt - suggesting a tweak to the bridge of what would eventually become the band’s debut single ‘Hold That Girl’ which Wilson claimed was “a move which secured the band their first ever number one.”

Hanson was ultimately pushed out of the band by the end of April BK42, with Martin informing the young singer he was no longer required to be part of the band. “Hanson never had it in him, to be honest,” Martin told SnareAxe in his wide-reaching interview in BK4. “He was a lovely lad, but it’s clear that the band worked better without him at the front. I have no regrets with taking that action to push him out.”

Mark Hanson would not be done with the band yet, filing a lawsuit against the band and Blue Pear Studios in BK40 over his dismissal, alleging both the manner of his removal from The Clouds and the contractual terms of his agreement with Martin when the band signed in BK43 meant he should have received royalties from the performance of the band’s first album.

But the move seemed to set the band right in terms of performance and recording, with Oakwood and Matthews both forming a strong partnership when it came to writing songs, while Gentle and White would also chip in on vocals to give the band a unique, crisp and harmonious sound which set it apart from other bands at the time. By the end of July BK42, the band had recorded 14 songs for their first album, We’re The Clouds, amidst an intensive period where Martin whipped the group into a professional unit, harnessing the frantic energy and good-natured expression of the band’s live shows into a consistent and cohesive stage performance.

The band would release their first single as part of their debut television performance on the regional Harmouth programme Harmouth Tonight on 3 August BK42, performing ‘Hold That Girl’ and ‘Harmouth Blues’ on air in a performance which was praised in local papers the day after. The band was out in the world, and things would only be speeding up from here.

---

Field hat-trick guides Blue Cats to win over Natanians and Nosts

By Otis Huffman, KBC

A hat-trick from Katzestadt AFC forward Lloyd Field was enough to secure all three points for Katzeburg in their second Campionato Esportiva group stage game against Natanians and Nosts at Katzestadt Arena.

The side, looking to pick up three points for the first time in the campaign following an opening day 1-1 draw with Tumbra, again got off to a sluggish start as the visiting Natanians side dominated early spells of possession, with Katzeburg failing to register a shot in the opening half an hour. In fact, it would be the visitors who would open the scoring in the 33rd minute after a failure by Cale Fux and Jerrold Dallas to clear a loose ball in the box allowed an opposing striker to snatch at the ball and knock it past a confused Ry Whinery in goals.

Natanians and Nosts would take the lead into the break, as Katzeburg faced a second straight game being behind at the half. But the hosts would come roaring out of the gates for the second half, restoring parity just four minutes into the second period through Lloyd Field, who would take full advantage of a looping cross into the box from Serena Plank to nod home an effort and send the capacity crowd into commotion.

As the Blue Cats began to dominate the game possession wise and create chances down both flanks, fans wouldn’t have to wait too much longer for a second goal in favour of the hosts, and Field would pop up again nine minutes later with his second of the afternoon. Twisting between a pair of Natanian defenders, Field would manage to fire off a curling effort from the edge of the box which would bury itself into the top left corner and push the Katzeburgians ahead for the first time this Campionato Esportiva.

Field would complete his hat-trick in the 72nd minute with a rather simple tap-in off a loose ball pushed through the box by Meriel Arkwright, converting the effort from the penalty spot and celebrating his first hat-trick in the Campionato Esportiva with a golf swing celebration much to the joy of the crowd.

Katzeburg would come dangerously close to picking up a fourth in the dying minutes of the match, after a pair of debutants linked up with Avonsend United’s Gwen Sessions slicing the defence with a pinpoint ball onto an advancing Danita Bannerman from Barenwold, but the forward would fail to open her national account on debut, sneaking past the advancing keeper before slicing her effort right of the open goalmouth.

Manager Becka Haberkorn said the result was a good palate cleanser following their opening day draw with Tumbra. “I think the team felt like they disappointed the nation with the opening day draw, so this was a good return to the home form we need to achieve if we want to go far in this competition,” Haberkorn said.

“We’re still not at peak performance I think - going a goal down in the first half again and struggling to get back into things shows that we’ve been really slow to get out of the gates, but the second half recovery was really strong and Lloyd was brilliant in the goals he scored today to turn things around.

“Ultimately, Natanians are one of our biggest challengers in the group if you’re looking at Esportivan rankings, so to walk out of here with all three points is a good result. Obviously we’ve got a big ask against Gouvanarch next up as they’ve started really well, so momentum is going to be key for the next match.”

Gouvanarch currently sit atop Group A with two wins in their opening fixtures, and has reportedly won some fans over through the squad’s wider exploits in Inverhaven, with reports coming into the Inverhaven Echo that some of the squad was spotted in the city’s markets trying some of the local Katzeburgian delicacies.

[TJUN-ia]

The Random Rambles of a Jaguar - CE41 Edition
with Killian Looker

Welcome back to this Random Ramble and welcome to a new cycle...in fact, welcome to the Big One - The Centennial Cycle. Last time out, this very historic cycle got underway with a tight 0-0 draw with Alanis Star, and while it certainly was a slog, David Seems and Li Xiu Ying were still hopeful that their final regional could still give TJUN-ia some joy. This cycle was already historic just for existing, but the fact that this Centennial Cycle was also the swansong of the two figureheads of TJUN-ian football was not lost on anyone. Every game mattered so much more because of that fact, because the TJUN-ian public wanted the Co-Managers to ride off into the sunset on some kind of high. So with all eyes on them, could they make Game 2 a better contest than Game 1?

The Game
The 2nd contest at Anchor Field, Inverhaven was slated to be up against the #6 side from The Ko-orenite Constellation...ehih is basically just Irithoren, but KoCon it is. No matter what you call them, this one was expected to be a tough one, and it played out that way in the first half. Both Fatemeh Yektaei and Zahi Fahimi were playing out of their shoes to keep that ball out of that net, and while both players were doing well, eventually something was going to have to give. That moment would happen in the 78th minute after Tupu Hau Tapine came off the bench and delivered a shot no goalkeeper on Universe 3 was going to keep out. That secured a 1-0 win, our first of this campaign.

Reaction
1-0 isn't exactly the most awe-inspiring win on paper, but getting the win over the Regional #6 is a big deal considering the schedule we have. Those are still three good points to take us up to 4 in total and being 2nd in this group is a good place to be in right now. All is looking good, but the fans know we have to not drop the ball if we want to progress to the knockout stage.

What's Next?
Xanneria, a name synonymous with chaos back home, is up next at Maplewood Park in Axmund. This one should be an interesting one...
GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group B + 1 Crossover with Group A, Katzeburg)
MD1: vs Alanis Star (16) - Anchor Field, Inverhaven D 0-0 (T-4th)
MD2: vs The Ko-orenite Constellation (6) - Anchor Field, Inverhaven W 1-0 (2nd)
MD3: vs Xanneria (21) - Maplewood Park, Axmund
MD4: vs Katzeburg (3, Crossover) - Katzestadt Arena, Katzestadt
MD5: vs Paradystopia (45) - Maplewood Park, Axmund

[Bongo Johnson]

Incorporated States of Bongo Johnson
Official Campionato Esportiva 41 Roster

Head Coach - Harold Black
Asst. Coach - Tevis Balmat

Style Modifier: +2.0
Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting Eleven

GK: Reid Halbstetter
LB: Cap Hanlon
CB: Arthur Langenstern
RB: Stephen McAloon
DM: Davis Peartree
LM: Chet Hull
CM: Nicholas Tollard
RM: Chaplain Crabtree
LW: Chuck Steak
RW: Schnitzer Longmont
ST: Bongald

Bench

GK: Spobe Rogers
LB: Rudy van Zant
CB: Paul Creenis
CM: Andrew George
RM: Robert Graff Jr.
LW: Daniel Swiss
RW: Yohan Johann

Code: Select all

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes (two per match)
Give Red Cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

[Kanzlia]

White ships, White banner, White Navy #03

---

Continued from 02
The pair walked their way to 17 Parliamentstraat, a bougie restaurant reserved for the politicians in the government plaza. Aletta follows Laurina through the familiar establishment and end up to a private room. Yet before Aletta steps in she stops dead on her tracks.

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
Aletta glares at the man already seated on the table
"What is he doing here?"

---

"He" refers to Pieter Kaal, leader of the Labour Party, and frankly has been the biggest thorn from the opposition for Aletta Nowaki's coalition. So to say Aletta wasn't amused to see him is rather unsurprising.

Pieter Kaal (Labour, Opposition)
Likewise Kaal could only glare back
"...Prime Minister"

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
Laurina can only cheerfully ignore the palpable tension between the two political heavyweights
"Alright, I know you two are rivals, but let's just... skip the death stares for tonight okay? I brought you two here for a reason, so hear me out first."

---

Reluctantly, the two political heavyweights sat at opposite ends of the table, just like how Li Hongzhang and Fridolin Marinus Knobel sat during the signing of the Boxer Protocol (for those of us who remembers).

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
Laurina leans to her seat casually
"Forgive my bluntness for the next minute, but Aletta... your coalition is a mess. Even I, a Navy officer, can see the ships sinking"

---

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
Aletta can only raise an eyebrow at Laurina's trvthnvke bluntness

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
She then turns her gaze to Kaal
"And Kaal, look Labour is loud yada-yada sure. But come on, do you really want to associate yourself with the right wing parties?"

---

Both shift uncomfortably on their seats. These were the truths and they feel dumbfounded Laurina Hale of all people is breaking the news to them.

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"So it's the perfect time for a multipartisan bill is it not?"

---

Aletta Nowaki (Prime Minister)
"What are you on about Laurina?"

---

Laurina slides a thick folder across the table. Both leaders glance at the title which simply said "GROUNDWORK FOR A HUMANITARIAN FLEET"

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"Remember last year? Your grand vision for a more peaceful armed forces, or whatever that bollocks meant. Well here's your chance to actually do it."

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"And Kaal... didnt you say something about a humanitarian fleet in your writings? I know you meant it in jest, but would that really be so bad right now?"

---

Kaal skimmed through the thick file. It predominantly consisted of the Navy's projected finances for the coming year. With Fleet Plan 2030 dead in the water, there was some unallocated money still floating around.

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"We can sacrifice that cash to get things going. Let the navy handle the brunt of the work. Oh and I'll make sure Portside's in on it. That'll keep the right wingers from supporting the bill."

---

(Portside is a left leaning sailors/maritime union and minor political party.)

Pieter Kaal (Labour, Opposition)
Kaal contemplates for a sec before breaking the silence between the two political heavyweights
"This is great and all, but what's the catch?

---

Laurina Hale (Minister of the Navy)
"Throw a bone for the Navy, eh?"

---

tbc in 04...

[Gouvanarch]

CAMPIONATO ESPORTIVA 41 — MATCHDAY 2 REPORT
Gouvanarch 3–0 Xanneria
Anchor Field, Inverhaven (Attendance: 30,000)

---

The Match

If Xanneria’s tactical philosophy could be summed up in one sentence, it would probably be: “Goals are good — whoever scores them.” Their “what is defence?” style was on full display in Inverhaven, and Gouvanarch were more than happy to take advantage.

It took just eight minutes for the first crack to appear. A long diagonal ball from Souveraine de Forcalquier found Armelle-Nolwenn de Brélévenez-Kersanton in acres of space on the left. With all the calm of a veteran twice her age, she cut inside and rifled a low shot into the far corner. 1–0, and Papa Bart was her biggest cheerleader, pumping his fist like a proud parent at a school play.

From there, Gouvanarch’s 4-4-2 clicked into a free-flowing attacking rhythm. Barthelemy de la Cormeilles doubled the lead on 28 minutes, ghosting between Xanneria’s centre-backs to meet a pinpoint cross from Ambroas de Montgomery.

The second half was even more open, with Xanneria throwing numbers forward and leaving their back line to fend for themselves — unsuccessfully. On 65 minutes, Giraude Archambault intercepted a sloppy pass in midfield, drove into the box, and finished with a deft chip over the keeper to make it 3–0.

The clean sheet was the cherry on top for Gouvanarch, thanks to some sharp work from Avisa Birois, who twice denied Xanneria in one-on-one situations.

---

Scorers

GVN: de Brélévenez-Kersanton (8’), de la Cormeilles (28’), Archambault (65’)

---

Player Reactions

Barthelemy de la Cormeilles:

“You can’t play Xanneria expecting to win 1–0 — they don’t let you. It’s like they hand you the keys to their goal and say, ‘have at it.’ I’m just glad we didn’t leave the back door open for them.”

Armelle-Nolwenn de Brélévenez-Kersanton:

“I like playing against teams like this — there’s space, there’s freedom. Papa Bart says the trick is to pretend the keeper owes you money.”

Souveraine de Forcalquier:

“Everyone looked comfortable today, even when the game got stretched. And yes, I’m still keeping these two fed and hydrated. Mama Sou is a full-time role now, apparently.”

---

Coach’s Verdict

Corentin le Bris:

“It’s easy to get carried away in matches like this, but the players kept their shape and discipline while still attacking with purpose. That’s exactly what I want to see. Now, Katzeburg will be a different story entirely — they’ll be organised, aggressive, and backed by 50,000 fans.”

---

Fan Voice

Mathilde, fan from Port Tacassam:

“I don’t know if Xanneria actually had a defensive midfielder, but if they did, I hope they’re okay. What a fun match to watch. Also, Armelle’s first goal? Ice cold.”

---

Off the Pitch — Bonding in the Rain

The morning after the match, the team had a scheduled “recovery and bonding” session organised by assistant coach Catelin Desmargot. The location? A riverside adventure course just outside Inverhaven — in steady Katzeburgian drizzle, naturally.

Players were split into mixed groups for various challenges: rope climbs, balance beams, and a particularly chaotic canoe relay. Barthelemy and Armelle ended up on the same team, with Souveraine in charge of “strategy.”

“Alright,” Mama Sou declared, “Bart, you’re steering the canoe, Armelle, you’re paddling.”

“Why am I steering?” Bart protested.

“Because if I let you paddle, you’ll try to race them in reverse ‘for the laughs.’”

Bart grinned. “You know me too well, Sou.”

Sure enough, their canoe wobbled dangerously off course within thirty seconds, with Bart bellowing mock orders and Armelle deadpanning, “I’m filing for a transfer.” They finished third — out of three — but the laughter coming from their boat echoed over the water.

By the end of the day, the Papa Bart and Mama Sou nicknames were officially enshrined, complete with a custom meme in the team’s group chat showing the two photoshopped as Katzeburgian sitcom parents. Armelle, naturally, was cast as the unimpressed teenager.

---

Evening in Inverhaven

Before departing for Katzestadt, the squad had a team dinner at a harbourfront restaurant. Local supporters spotted them and sent over a round of Harmouth Gold (Bart pretended to inspect Armelle’s glass for “age-appropriate content” while Souveraine rolled her eyes).

After dessert, the conversation turned serious for a moment. Bart leaned over to Armelle:

“Next game’s big. Their crowd will be loud, and they’ll want to knock us down a peg. You just play your game. We’ve got your back.”

Armelle just nodded — but her grin, small and sharp, said she was ready.

---

Next Stop

Katzestadt Arena, Katzestadt — 50,000 fans, home turf for Katzeburg, and Gouvanarch’s toughest challenge yet.
Papa Bart, Mama Sou, and their increasingly confident protégé are ready for the noise.

[Eshialand]

Awaken
Eshialand 2-0 Damukuni

"Lucas? Can you hear me?"

The nightmares were back. The ones that haunted him for three damn months. It had been a week since they got so bad he had to check himself into this place. The feelings of failure, regret, not being enough. They were enough to take him into another world, a world where he wasn't even himself.

"Magnws?"
"No, I'm not Magnws-rym, I'm Dr. Markon..."
"Oh, sorry doctor, it's just..."
"I know."

Dr. Markon was a veteran of psychiatry, and he treated quite a few cases like Lucas in his 40 years in the game, although none of them were as high-profile as him. He knew so much about how the brain worked, but the effects of being a national letdown? In a world where we hear about celebrities from a distance without seeing them as the people they are, that's a bit of an understudied field without as much research. So often, our sportspeople are seen as ideal, perfect people... they are not. They have scars.

"So, it's been 7 days in here Lucas... do you feel any better at all?"
"I think you can tell by how I woke up... no, I'm still getting these night terrors. I have no clue how I can ever move past them... the feelings of being less than what the team deserves..."
"Less than what the team deserves... I want you to elaborate on that one." Dr. Markon asked. "What do you feel like the team deserves? Why do you feel like you're not that?"
"This team deserves the world... and they deserve a captain who can give them the world. They had such high hopes after the CE, you know? But yet, nothing ever happens when the rubber hits the road and the World Cup gets hot. That's all on me."

"I think we're finally starting to drill down into the issue here. You're blaming yourself for your team's failures... and I think you're assigning too much blame to yourself there."
"Are you sure? I leave the team, and they're winning again. Do you see that? Did you see the headlines? Because I did. Keiar is doing a better job than me, full stop."
"Is this even something attributable to the job you did? You were also winning when you were leading the team, weren't you?"
"Not when it counts..."
"Then why are you comparing World Cup matches to regional group stage matches? If you say it's like comparing apples to oranges, why do it yourself?"
"I... shut up."
"I know, I know, emotions like this don't know logic. I'm just glad to know a little more about your situation... now I can finally start helping you."

Dr. Markon walked out of Lucas' room to talk to some of the other doctors at the institute. Now that the previously-reserved Lucas had started opening up, he could get down to the meat and potatoes of the situation. It was time to start healing.

[South Newlandia]

time to cut the off

Group A
Natanians and Nosts 1–0 Bongo Johnson
Gouvanarch 0–2 Katzeburg
Tumbra 3–1 Alanis Star

P Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Katzeburg                  3   2  1  0    6   2  +4    7
2 Tumbra                     3   2  1  0    5   2  +3    7
3 Gouvanarch                 3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
4 Natanians and Nosts        3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
5 Bongo Johnson              3   0  0  3    1   7  −6    0

Group B
Ko-orenite Constellation 2–2 Paradystopia
Xanneria 1–2 TJUN-ia
Tumbra 3–1 Alanis Star

P Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paradystopia               3   2  1  0    8   3  +5    7
2 TJUN-ia                    3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
3 Ko-orenite Constellation   3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2
4 Alanis Star                3   0  1  2    1   4  −3    1
5 Xanneria                   3   0  1  2    2   6  −4    1

[Katzeburg]

Welcome to the third matchday of Campionato Esportiva 41 - May Maggie ever be in your favour.

MD4 Prompt - Those spending time in Katzeburg may be aware of the infamous Dragoonspiel baked fish pie - a local delicacy sure to turn stomachs for many a local food adventurer. What are some of the most unique dishes in your nation? Are they beloved or loathed?

Group C
Macbon 0–5 Sylestone
Osterhalten 2–0 Kita-Hinode
Esportivan Darmen 3–4 Limey George

P Group C               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sylestone               3   3  0  0    7   0  +7    9
2 Macbon                  3   2  0  1    2   5  −3    6
3 Osterhalten             3   1  1  1    4   3  +1    4
4 Limey George            3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
5 Esportivan Darmen       3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
6 Kita-Hinode             3   0  0  3    0   4  −4    0

Group D
Moladea 1–2 Fhulghamous Peninsula
Kamijiro 1–4 Kanzlia
Damukuni 0–1 Kaumann

P Group D               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fhulghamous Peninsula   3   2  0  1    6   9  −3    6
2 Kanzlia                 3   1  1  1    5   3  +2    4
3 Kaumann                 3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
4 Kamijiro                3   1  1  1    6   8  −2    4
5 Moladea                 3   1  0  2    6   7  −1    3

Group E
NPU 0–1 Eshialand
Vielfaltig 2–2 South Newlandia
Damukuni 0–1 Kaumann

P Group E               Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand               3   3  0  0   11   3  +8    9
2 South Newlandia         3   2  1  0    6   2  +4    7
3 Vielfaltig              3   1  2  0    4   3  +1    5
4 Damukuni                3   0  0  3    0   4  −4    0
5 NPU                     3   0  0  3    0   5  −5    0

[Paradystopia]

Present day

---

Dear Diary,

Well that was a close one, though one could hardly expect anything easy against the top-ranked team in the group. If I'm honest, as inexplicable as it might be, we probably deserved a win though in fairness, as team manager, I'm kind of contractually obligated to say as much. Trying to put any bias to one side however, I still think we were unlucky not to sneak a victory but well, they are one of the top sides in the competition and not for no reason. I do also think that by not winning, it does keep complacency in check too. Three wins from three matches could well have triggered a little too much ego amongst some members of the squad. (Naming no names *cough* the Xat'i *cough* ...)
All in all though, the team did play admirably and I'm truly proud of each and every one of them. They rose to the challenge more than I expected and I think, more that the Irithorenites(?) expected.

It was really quite a tense first half; one of those games where you just know that a goal is coming, but it's impossible to tell when or who by, just that you can feel in the atmosphere that it's only a matter of time before the dead-lock breaks. Sadiq Saadir was a nuisance on their behalf, whereas we had Rsheu (and Sosjian too I suppose, to a lesser degree). Both players really causing headaches amongst the defences. Getting in behind, losing their markers, all that sort of stuff. Patrick Smith-Cocker was being run ragged. Though I feel their defence was suffering too trying to keep our Xat'i contained as best they could (Which they did do an impressive job of. Again, you could see why they are ranked as highly as they are.). Anyway, aside from them twice hitting the woodwork (Saadir and ... Shafuq, I think. It was one of their midfield from an obviously practiced quick corner routine. Darted in from the edge of the box, header at the near post from edge of the six-yard box. Nice move actually, might have to 'steal' it for our set piece repetoire.) and for us, Leonard Lugga narrowly missing a long-range effort and Rsheu testing Fahimi in the Jerboas goal a few times, it stayed level going into the half-time break.

Now at half-time, I was forced into a bit of a tricky decision. Kiaren had picked up a knock towards the end of the first half (A bit of an awkward coming together with Fares Hajar) and he requested a change. As loathe as I was to take my captain off the field in such an important match, he didn't want to risk any further injury that could potentially take him out of the tournament, which was a fair point. So I brought on Clifford Stone in his place. Now, given that these guys had obviously done their homework and had Sebastien tightly marked, I made the rather risky call to tell Clifford to play a bit further up with Leonard dropping in behind in a more classic defensive midfielder role. Maybe, if I could provide a second deeper target man for the long balls it could maybe provide a few extra options. It obviously left us a bit undermanned at the back but one can't win matches without taking risks.

Seven minutes it took to pay off. Stone, inbetween their defensive line and midfield, flicked a long ball from van der Stedd over their defence beautifully. Borgen received it, narrowly avoiding the offside trap, took one touch, and drove it into the far corner. Lovely goal. Now, if there's one thing I learnt from this game about the Jerboas, it's that they really don't like being behind and boy did they up the intensity. Just under ten minutes later, Saadir found the space to take a scorching shot, Sjiu saved it, but Hamdan slotted home the rebound (from a rather awkward angle, it must be said.) after outpacing Smith-Cocker to the ball. With Smith-Cocker looking more-or-spent after over an hour of chasing Saadir around the defensive third, I switched him with Stan Zidarić to keep the defence a bit fresher. Also, as a precautionary measure against the Irithorens who having gained the momentum, were looking the more likely side to snatch a win.

If only I'd known then what I know now about the ramifications of this decision ...

Thankfully, we weathered the storm, things evened out a bit more, it looked like a draw was on the cards. In fairness, it was a result I was happy to take. Then however, we got a corner with about five minutes to go. We got our defenders up for aerial threats, Xat'i poised outside the area ready to pounce on anything loose, the usual. So Leonard took the kick, not one of his better ones it must be said. It looped too high over the centre of the box, past our attackers and looking to curl out of play on the far side but then, for whatever reason, Stan Zidarić, from his position towards their back post, opted to attempt an overhead kick.

I cannot imagine he has ever attempted one before, and I don't really know what was going through his mind at the time to make him want to attempt one. However, he did make contact with the ball, albeit timed somewhat late. Now this had the bizarre effect of causing his shot to fly downward into the turf at Anchor Field, hit the ground just in front of their keeper and ricochet upwards like a rocket into the roof of the net to put us 2-1 up with barely any time left.

I really wish that this had been the winner, it certainly deserved to be, intentional or otherwise (Stan did inform me afterwards that, in his head, he was hoping to hammer the shot into the far top corner but would happily take his lucky, mistimed half-slice.) but sadly, it was not meant to be. Again, the Jerboas threw everything at us and when Janika gave away a free-kick on the edge of our area to which Hamdan would put in her second rebound from a Sjiu save, it was probably somewhat karmic justice after Stan's ludicrous effort.

Ko-orenite Constellation  2–2  Paradystopia
                 Hamdan 61', 89'         Borgen 52'
                                         Zidarić 86'

It's a little sad that this draw means that our qualification to the knock-out rounds is not yet guaranteed despite leading the group (Which still blows my mind.) However, providing we can find a way to maintain some of Stan's luck, get Kiaren fit and healthy for our next game, and claim a win against current bottom team Xanneria, we can safely begin looking to things beyond the group stage (Though a draw, combined with our current goal difference, would also put us in a strong position.)

That, and I don't like the idea of facing fellow qualification hopefuls TJUN-ia needing points very much at all.

[Tumbra]

The Kingsbury Tribune is often considered the most conservative of Tumbra's six major newspapers.

President-elect Andrews to embark on "listening tour" of Tumbra after inauguration; pledges to be "unifying President"

KINGSBURY — As the dust from Tumbra's super-election night settles, with Labour having held on to the Presidency and to their plurality in the Senate, president-elect Bertram Andrews has taken the perhaps unusual step of promising he will dedicate the first 100 days of his Presidency to "a listening tour of the country." The move comes amidst analysis of the election result which saw Andrews winning the Presidency in a single round, which revealed that the former Prime Minister's 4.2 million vote margin over People's Party candidate Melanie Coburn could be attributed almost entirely to Andrews' landslide victory in the north-east of the country. If, the analysis has revealed, the north-east is not counted, then Andrews would have been forced to enter a second round run-off against Coburn, with the margin between the two being reduced to just 20,066 votes.

Perhaps recognising that Labour's popularity in the north-east was what propelled him to victory in a race where polls largely remained stagnant from the beginning, Andrews has announced that his listening tour will begin "the day after [his] inauguration, in the state of Gamaliel, and proceed across the country." The President-elect's choice of the northwestern state is not a coincidence; in the presidential election, he carried the state by just 0.37% of the vote. While carrying individual states has no bearing on the overall result — the president is rightly elected via popular vote rather than any other system which would diminish the validity of their election — the choice of the state with the narrowest margin in the country feels like a pointed move by the president-elect.

Citing his wish to become a "unifying President for all Tumbrans," the President-elect has notably scaled back on his previously fiery rhetoric that he employed in his political office, instead seeking to "build bridges" in his new office. While the role of President is almost entirely ceremonial in nature, the former Prime Minister has already said that he will look to spend his term "advocating for causes involving those of us who do not have a voice in society — the disadvantaged, the disabled, and the disenfranchised."

Proposed merger of Straton Times and Serrapince Post into one publishing group opens up opportunity for new newspaper to join News Alliance[/align]

KINGSBURY — As negotiations between the Straton Times and Serrapince Post to merge and consolidate operations continue, the influential Maynard family — who owns the Post — could instead try to elevate one of their other publications to the Post's soon-to-be vacant position on the six-member News Alliance. The Alliance, which comprises Tumbra's six biggest national newspapers, acts as a basic news agency for Tumbran newspapers — ensuring that the basics of developing news stories are covered in an impartial, informational manner. News stories covered by the Alliance are often also covered by its member newspapers with additional reporting.

The potential Times and Post merger — which would see the Post essentially merge into the Times, but retain its publication name and local Serrapince news desk in the Serrapince media area — is, according to analysts, a sign of increasing competition in the media industry, both at home and abroad. In a bid to retain their influence in the Tumbran media sphere, however, the Maynard family, which owns the Post, could attempt to elevate the Lakewood Gazette, the biggest regional newspaper in the south-east, to the status of a member, essentially by migrating most of the Post's senior journalists and staff to the Gazette. At press time, the Maynards had not commented on the veracity of the rumours, but a representative said that the family were "committed to maintaining a substantial and vital presence in Tumbra's flourishing and vibrant news and media industry, regardless of how the negotiations on the Times-Post merger continue.