NationStates Jolt Archive

, [url=]Ariddia (]Rêvane[/url)

Evgheny Melenciuc (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Evgheny_Melenciuc) walked up onto the stadium in front of the gathered officials and members of the press. He spoke in French, naturally, but for those watching on PINA in anglophone countries, the English translation quickly kicked in.

“Mesdames, mesdemoiselles, messieurs, bonjour. Merci d’être là. Dans quelques instants aura lieu–”

“Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you for being here. In a few moments, we will have the draw for the Coupe de la Francophonie. Before that, I would like to start by wishing a very warm welcome in advance to the players, staff, officials and supporters of all seven visiting countries. I wish you all the very best, and I hope your stay in Ariddia will be a pleasant and memorable one. I’d also like to thank the football associations and authorities in all eight participating countries for making this Cup a reality.

You are all here for football, and football is of course what you will have. Here, on the lands where the World Cup was born so very long ago, we have a new opportunity for exciting matches and a fresh competition. But this is also an occasion for eight francophone nations to come together, and learn about one another, their respective cultures and ways of life. Supporters from a variety of francophone countries will be meeting Ariddians, and I know every Ariddian will do his or her utmost to make you all feel very welcome.

To reveal the draw, here is Pála Sigurdsdóttir, midfielder on Ariddia’s blind football team (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddia_blind_football_team). In this container are eight thick envelopes, each with a folded piece of paper inside. On each of those is the name of a country, written both in French Braille and in written French. Comrade Sigurdsdóttir, if you would, please?”

The beautiful Ariddian woman stepped forward, reaching out to locate the container, then slipped her hand inside and quickly drew out the first envelope. Opening it, she unfolded the paper and ran her fingers over it, then smiled and announced:

“La première équipe du Groupe sera… le Jéruselem!”

Next, completing Group A, came l’Oliverry, le Qazox and le Vuam et Isma. The host’s enveloppe still hadn’t come out.

Group B, obviously, was going to be composed of the four remaining teams, and they were drawn out in the following order: Kelssek, Ariddia, Liverpool England and Sel Appa.


GROUP A
Jeruselem
Oliverry
Qazox
Vuam and Isma

GROUP B
Kelssek
Ariddia
Liverpool England
Sel Appa


Matches & venues

Group A
Day 1
Jeruselem v. Oliverry (Stade National Rêvane-Sud)
Qazox v. Vuam & Isma (Wavecrest City Stadium)

Day 2
Qazox v. Jeruselem (Haven-Port-Nouveau Stadium)
Vuam & Isma v. Oliverry (Darras Olympic Stadium)

Day 3
Jeruselem v. Vuam & Isma (ubhashinim Ahwa'u Stadium)
Oliverry v. Qazox (Darras Olympic Stadium)

Group B
Day 1
Kelssek v. Ariddia (Haven-Port-Nouveau Stadium)
Liverpool England v. Sel Appa (Darras Olympic Stadium)

Day 2
Liverpool England v. Kelssek (Stade National Rêvane-Sud)
Sel Appa v. Ariddia (ubhashinim Ahwa'u Stadium)

Day 3
Kelssek v. Sel Appa (Wavecrest City Stadium)
Ariddia v. Liverpool England (Stade National Rêvane-Sud)

Semi-finals
Winner Group A v. runner-up Group B (Wavecrest City Stadium)
Winner Group B v. runner-up Group A (Darras Olympic Stadium)

Match for the 3rd place (Haven-Port-Nouveau Stadium)

Final (Stade National Rêvane-Sud)


= = = =
* roster thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=536208)
* results thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=536681)

The Jeruselem all-female team left the airport after checking out of customs and picking up their luggage to a warm welcome from the local welcoming party including media. It was not the full Jeruselem team as such but Jeruselem had sent the countries best junior female football players of French descent. All but one of the team had not played at international level, the exception was Kate Dallas - a member of the World Cup 36 team.

Everyone wanted to talk the 14 year old Kate Dallas who would be two years time - the potential Queen of Jeruselem as Princess of Jeruselem. As usual, like her mother she handled the press with ease while teammates had trouble coming to terms with the sudden fame.

OOC Pretend this is in French ...

Random Reporter: Kate, you're only 14. How can you captain a side at this international level?
Kate: You forget I live with Dazza Dallas and my aunt is Debbie Dallas. They've taught me about this pressure I will face.

Random Reporter: How does one become a Princess in Jeruselem. There's billions of girls a man could pick for his bride.
Kate: God was on my side, and a bit a forward planning too.

Random Reporter: This team is nowhere near a full Jeruselem World Cup side, Kate. Is this is an insult to this cup?
Kate: Well, once World Cup players finish with the cup - they go back home to their clubs who don't like releasing them. So it was best we sent a team of young people like these girls to learn about international football before a real World Cup. These girls are potential players for the future.

Random Reporter: Where are then male players?
Kate: Oh that, clubs don't like sending male players on cups like these. I don't know why. Us girlies don't mind.

Random Reporter: What do you think of your group with l’Oliverry, le Qazox and le Vuam et Isma.
Kate: We avoided Ariddia, that's all that matters. We want a Jeruselem vs Ariddia final.

Random Reporter: Is this place like home?
Kate: Oh yes, I could live here very easily but my home is Jeruselem. I will be an Imperialist Princess in two years time too (giggles). I don't think the title Princess will really have any real meaning here, even if I am quarter-Ariddian.

Random Reporter: Is your potential royal title going to change you?
Kate: No! I'll just be Kate Dallas - the new bike on the international football road.

Random Reporter: Who's the guy with dark glasses?
Kate: Oh, he's my friendly bodyguard. A Princess needs protection at all times.

Random Reporter: Is this team the underdog, not having any World Cup players except for yourself and the coach?
Kate: No way, these girls are here to kick ass as a man would say. We want more cups. And ... hey coach, give me that box.

<Monique drags a box full of magazines out and opens it>

Kate: Here in Ariddia! You will get the first copies of Vélo! magazine. Jeruselem's newest magazine for French speakers.

<Kate hands out magazines. Cover features Dazza Dallas and Kate Dallas in front a castle>

OOC Kate Dallas can also speak Russian like Dazza Dallas as well as English and French.

Vladek Schork sat down in the makeshift press room in the hotel lobby, his white hair fuzzing on his tanned head. On his right was Rémi Manichon, the team captain, and on his left was the Federation's vice-president, Guy Lemait.

Vladek begun the press conference. "Je content groupe choisir. Groupe plein équipe bonne. Jerusalem danger. Quazox, Oliverry, joue bien." His makeshift french was spoke though a thick accent, and even though he moved his hands from time to time, it was as though he was reciting a lesson he didn't understand. "Marceau Brothers sont but, Le Roy technique très. Penser un résultat être mais contre Jerusalem."

He sat back in his chair, satisfied with his efforts. Guy Lemait took over : "To be in a group with such teams as Oliverry, Jerusalem and Qazox is a big challenge for our side. We might be the Cendrillons of this coupe, but we will try as hard as we can to postpone midnight. We know that the verrou will be broken, but under Mr Schork's guidance, we are sure that every player will do his best to bring honourable results back from Arridia."

The last to speak was Manichon, and he continued in english, following the lead of the vice-president. "We've heard a lot about Jerusalem, Qazox and Oliverry. I'd love to emulate some of the stories about V&I's past, like when we were quarter-finalists in the CoH20, but the road is long and hard. But we'll still try to play our game, in our style, no matter who the opposition are. We play from the back, because as our manager often reminds us : if you don't concede any goals, you don't often lose."

Ariddia prepares for tourists

Tourism has long been a vital part of Ariddia's economy. Money spent by tourists is one of the few sources of income for the Treasury of a nation with an essentially moneyless economy. It is the money obtained from tourists which is redistributed by the State to Ariddians wishing to travel abroad, and thus making it possible for Ariddians to discover the outside world.

But the government also has another reason to encourage foreign tourists to visit: the promoting of the "Ariddian Way of Life". Ariddian cultural centres around the world already inform visitors about Ariddian culture, customs, traditions and lifestyle. With the Coupe de la Francophonie coming up, along with an expected increase in tourism, these cultural centres are now being asked to display this new tourism promotional poster (full size here (http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/629/imagesariddiajl4.jpg)):

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5287/imagesariddiasmbe2.jpg

"Here you can see some of our best -and most often photographed by tourists- sites and monuments," Secretary for Culture Serge Rivage explains. "Progress Tower (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Progress_Tower), the Ulju rocks (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ulju_rocks), our Museum of National Art (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Museum_of_National_Art), the National Library (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/National_Library_of_Ariddia), Harmonia (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Harmonia), that famous statue of Sylvia (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Sylvia), our beautiful parks, forests and nature reserves (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/National_parks_in_Ariddia)... There's so much to see and experience in Ariddia, and we're looking forward to welcoming a great many tourists."

Hotel Rêvane Central (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Hotel_R%C3%AAvane_Central) is certainly preparing -and hoping- for an influx of foreign visitors.

Team confirm they'll all take part

Although a number of Rouge-et-Noirs had intended to retire at the end of World Cup 36, team captain Myo They Myint has confirmed that the twenty-three players have unanimously decided to stay on for the Coupe de la Francophonie.

"It might have been nice to retire after playing in the World Cup final against Errinundera," team goalkeeper Cassie Lee says, "but it's important to support the idea of a francophone get-together. We're happy to take part."

Le Papier du Monde de Qazox

L'équipe de Qazox fera face à Jeruselem, Oliverry et Vuam et Isma à l'étape initiale de groupe de le Coupe de la Francophonie.

Les matchs sont comme suit:
Qazox v. Vuam et Isma (Stade de Ville de Wavecrest)
Qazox v. Jeruselem (Stade d'Asile-Port-Nouveau)
Oliverry v. Qazox (Stade Olympique de Darras)

On ne s'attend pas à ce que l'équipe, comprenant les quelques haut-parleurs français dans Qazox, fasse bien, mais les espoirs sont hauts que l'équipe gagnera au moins un match.

La volonté internationale de QSPN portent chacun des trois matchs de phase, et QSPN2 aura un rejouer à minuit. Allez à www.QSPN.com/Football/French pour plus d'information.

(OOC: I actually used a translator for this, so if it's a bit off blame them.)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/Oli55/teleoliunlogo.png

TéléOli annonce un partenariat avec PINA

TéléOli has been one of the leaders in sports broadcast in recent years. For example, it secured the broadcasting rights for two games per week of the Première Ligue and the exclusive French rights for the international games of the Oliverrian national Men's Soccer Team.

In recent years, it has faced opposition from PINA, as they were presenting some games of the Oliverrian team as well. And when the Coupe de la Francophonie was announced, PINA, as the host broadcasting corporation, would be the official broadcaster of the tournament. That was problematic TéléOli as, even though PINA reaches Oliverry, not everyone has it, as not everyone has access to cable. So, TéléOli, as the official broadcaster of l'Association Oliverrienne de Soccer, had to find a way to broadcast the games, else, it would have been a breach of contract.

So TéléOli, realising it had nothing to lose by trying, decided to file a request to PINA for rights to broadcast the games from the tournament, a granted request of course. But TéléOli worked an agreement on the basis that, as every game will be broadcasted on PINA, TéléOli would only broadcast the games in which Oliverry plays, plus the Semi-Finals and the Final.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/Oli55/teleoligraphic.png

OOC: Some info when RPing before me:

All my players, despite being Francophone (or in the case of Joel and Michael Deville, part-Francophone), speak English as their first language as a result of having grown up in mainland Liverpool England. However, they all speak French fluently. Therefore on the pitch they are more likely to communicate in English before in French.

They will not give interviews to media that are not accredited for the tournament, neither will they give interviews in any language but English and French.

Most of the squad also understands some Ad'ihan creole (mix of English and French) and might be caught speaking it occasionally, especially when they have something they want no one else to understand.

IC:
As the French PINA broadcast filtered through on SportsTV2 on board the chartered flight to Rêvane from Ad'ihan International, Michael Deville grew frustrated. "We're put in a group with the hosts? We've been out of international football for god knows how long now." Turning to his younger brother Joel, who was beside him, Michael made some comment in creole, to which Joel responded, "C'est la vie, non? We don't have a choice since the FALE accepted the invitation, not the AFF. Anyway, had the AFF been the one, who's to say we'd even be here? They'd probably have their regular players on this very flight right now, not us."

Joel switched the monitor on the seat in front of him to the English broadcast on SportsTVHeartland, which had local Ad'ihan analyst Mikael Devouard on. "There is no doubt Liverpool England will struggle. They've been out of football for a long time now, and this team hasn't - to my knowledge - played together before. It will be very interesting to see how they gel, and given that the World Cup is coming to Ad'ihan - some of these players will no doubt be looking to make an impression on the coach."

Joel turned it off. "You know what, Michael, that guy's right. We're in a group with the hosts. So what? We're here to show that we can pull the upset off. Imagine it - representing Ad'ihan at the World Cup? We'd be eligible..."

"This is your captain speaking. We are shortly preparing for landing in Rêvane. Please turn off all television monitors and put your seatbelts on. Thank you and I hope you've had a pleasant flight."

Michael looked at Joel. "Well... here goes nothing, I guess."

(ooc: once again blame the translator for any weirdness)
Le Papier du Monde de Qazox

L'équipe est arrivée dans Ariddia, maison des champions de la tasse 36 du monde, désireuse de jouer le premier match du tournement. L'équipe de Vuam & Isma est le premier adversaire, une équipe un-rangée, qui a eu un certain succès dans le passé. Le deuxième match est contre le 12ème Jeruselem rangé, une équipe que le le Pheonix ont battre encore. L'adversaire final est le 19ème Oliverry rangé, une puissance du football.

La force principale de cette équipe est la zone centrale, fil par Antoninette Humbol, qui joue pour Reál Qazox dans le QFL. Les menaces de marquage principales sont les frères Marceau. La défense est un peu précaire, bien que Jacques Gidreau ait été le dernier joueur coupé de l'équipe nationale il y a huit ans. Goaltending de Mattais Thérriault est également un suspect de peu, mais les 18 ans - vieux a le talent à être un bon joueur à l'avenir.

De façon générale l'équipe gagnera le premier jeu et serait chanceuse pour obtenir une aspiration dans les deux autres matchs.

After a hard day's training, Kate Dallas is reading some local magazines she bought from the local stores

Scarlet: What you reading there, Kate?
Kate: Local stuff, have a read it's really interesting.
Scarlet: OK!

<Girls reading>

Monique: It's the Princess and her cohort!
Kate: Hey, I'm up to nothing. Honest!
Scarlet: We're just behaving ourselves.

Monique: You two behaving? It's like Dazza being a Nun. Anyway, we hired some men to help in training tomorrow for getting the girls used to playing a physicial opponent. The guys are going be really physical and test the girls if they can handle big knocks and bumps from regular play.
Kate: I have no problem, what about you Scarlet?
Scarlet: No problem coach, we're Catholic schoolgirls!

Monique: Ah yes, Catholic schoolgirls or bikes. Always getting touched up in some way. I was one. Anyway, tomorrow isn't going be picnic. Anyone who can't stand up to getting knocked around is not going to start. I think you know might enjoy the attention.
Kate: Don't worry I'm ready
Scarlet: I'm used to get knocked down

Monique: Yes, or knocked up. What am I saying - I'm a ex-porn star. Damn it.
Kate: You just want to be young again coach.
Monique: Yeah, you are right. You are the new generation. The time of me and Dazza has long passed but I'm training the future here. You know, me and Dazza used to sit down together just like you two and well do what we do together. I think it's good this still happens.
Scarlet: Don't worry about us, we'll do the job. When the men see bunch of little girls running out, we're not scared of getting hurt.

Monique: Good to see someone looking forward to this, the others are little scared of our first game. Probably because they've never played in the spotlight before.
Scarlet: Give us the spotlight! We love it.
Kate: I think those internationals will get a shock when a bunch of girls beat them.

Monique: OK, remember the curfew. See you two bikes tomorrow.
Kate: We'll be peddling

<Monique disappear>

Scarlet: Hey, I like this dress in this magazine.
Kate: I dunno, looks more a fancy green bag to me ...

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r56/kelchek/media/le-etoile-banner.gif


http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r56/kelchek/francophonie1.jpg


FOOTBALL TEAM HEADS TO ARIDDIA FOR COUPE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE

It's as stiff a test as could have been devised ahead of World Cup 37 for Kelssek's national team, which departed for Ariddia yesterday to take part in the Coupe de la Francophonie, an international football tournament featuring French-speaking nations.

Obliging the spirit of the tournament, Football Kelssek named a squad of Beaulacers and Beaulacois, but the exceptions to that rule to include the backbone of the national team's midfield show what they're up to: it's a warm-up for the highly anticipated second run at the World Cup when its 37th edition begins.

If so, some warm-up. Aside from the illustrious hosts, fresh off victory in World Cup 36, the tournament features powerhouses like Jeruselem, Sel Appa, and Oliverry. Liverpool England might have declined since that nation's glory days but they are still a formidable test for a Kelssekian football team which are barely more than newbies on the international stage.

And although even progressing past the group stage would probably be a delusional expectation, since Kelssek have been drawn to face Ariddia, Liverpool England and Sel Appa, team manager Gregory Babchuck hopes the team will nevertheless gain something positive from the tournament.

"The chance to play top-level opposition is something that doesn't come around all the time. I hope the players will make the most of it and we'll come out with more experience and better preparedness," he said.

"I hope we'll also be able to build on the support we got at the last World Cup," he added.

In Kelssek, the matches can be seen on PINA and TéléOli.

Foreign teams arriving in Ariddia

Teams participating in the Coupe de la Francophonie have begun arriving in Ariddia, where they are receiving warm welcomes from local people. Ariddia’s recent win in World Cup 36 has generated increased interest in the new Coupe within the host nation.

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3444/francophoniell6.jpg
Ariddians dress up to express their support for the francophone Cup

The latest World rankings have now been released and published, giving supporters at least some idea of what to expect.

KPB rankings & points
Rank Team Points
1 Ariddia 57.71
11 Jeruselem 33.37
19 Oliverry 29.54
21 Sel Appa 28.43
23 Qazox 23.84
150 Liverpool England 0.00
150 Kelssek 0.00
150 Vuam and Isma 0.00

While the Rouge-et-Noirs are theoretically favourites, most people agree that in football absolutely anything can happen, especially with access to the semi-finals being decided on just three matches per teams.


OOC: IMPORTANT! We’ll probably be starting tomorrow, or, if I haven’t got time, the day after. Since I haven’t got OpenOffice, I’m relying on the rankings as calculated by Vephrall here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12995737&postcount=155). If you spot any errors, do let me know.
The one unresolved issue is the scorinating of Ariddia’s matches. I’m perfectly willing to do it myself (I happen to know I’m scrupulously honest), but if anyone has a problem with this, just contact me (or post here) and volunteer to scorinate my matches. With Ariddia being statistically the clear favourites, I wouldn’t want there to be any suspicion.

http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/kelssek.png Kelssek 2-2 Ariddia http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/ariddia.png

Schock starter leaves Ariddian fans stunned

Fresh from their victory in the World Cup, crowned best team in the world by a significant margin, the Rouge-et-Noirs looked ready to take on any team and triumph. The Coupe de la Francophonie was never expected to be an insurmountable challenge, and the opening match, many no doubt believed, would ease the Ariddians in comfortably before they faced more dangerous opponents.

What actually happened was something few could have expected.

Overconfident, perhaps, coach Jane Sanderson had rested seven of her usual starting eleven, including top players Cassie Lee, Myo Thet Myint, Richard James and Thomas Dargeau. The idea was to enable benchers to gain valuable experience against an unranked –and theoretically not too threatening– side. With the world’s highest ranked team facing a team of débutants, the outcome should have been obvious.

Spectators in Haven-Port-Nouveau Stadium cheered after the Rouge-et-Noirs had performed the much-beloved and expected ulek. The Ariddians began at a fairly slow pace, probing their opponents, whom they were meeting for the first time. Faced with an opportunity to shoot on goal in the eleventh minute, Wol Asu delayed a second too long, giving Kelssek goalkeeper Claude Chamonix time to save her shot. It was, she probably thought, little more than a missed opportunity. That missed opportunity, however, would soon return to haunt her team.

The Kelssekians were playing well, giving their very best against the World Champions, and the Rouge-et-Noirs were not always quick to react to their tactics. Henri Cournoyer almost got a shot on goal in the twentieth minute before Mary E’it deflected his aim.

A slightly clumsy save by Tu Wesh of a good shot from Laurent Pontoise in the twenty-seventh minute led to a corner kick. A well-placed pass from Rory Smith, and Jean Despatie nudged the ball into Wesh’s goalcage with his head, outjumping defender Lucia Nelson. Silence descended upon the crowd – with the exception of the exstatic Kelssekian supporters. The visitors had scored the opening goal.

It was still 1-0 by half-time, a stunning scoreline, which Iol Et hastily rectified just twenty-three seconds into the second half, with a heartening equaliser. Surely now all was as it should be, and the Rouge-et-Noirs would go on to win the match with a large margin.

In the sixty-ninth minute, a foul by Simon Avant in the penalty area gave the Ariddians an unexpected penalty kick. It was taken by Et. . . and duly saved by Chamonix. Kelssekian supporters were getting increasingly excited now.

In the seventy-fourth minute, Myo Thet Myint – recently brought into the match – finally gave his country the lead, and Ariddians heaved a collective sigh of relief. A win against Kelssek was a necessity, if only for the sake of self-confidence, before the match against Sel Appa.

The Rouge-et-Noirs were looking uncommonly cautious from then on, attacking perhaps less than they should, and enabling their opponents to regain the initiative. In the eightieth minute, a bad error in communication between Riverain, Wesh and E’it gave Cournoyer all the opportunity he needed. Again the ball sailed into Tu Wesh’ goalcage. Applause rang out from the guest team’s supporters.

Myo Thet Myint was calling out urgent instructions to his team mates in the closing minutes, but still an error by Mary E’it, tackling Cournoyer too hard in the eighty-eighth minute, gave Kelssek a penalty kick in turn. Many eyes turned to the coach, Sanderson. Would she substitute in Cassie Lee –reputedly the world’s best football player (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12995356&postcount=657 )– for the far less experienced Tu Wesh? Sanderson said nothing. Wesh stayed on.

Tu Wesh looked focused as he faced Cournoyer, in the crucial moment that could put Kelssek in the lead and create the enormous surprise of the Cup. Spectators were literally biting their nails. Cournoyer shot… the ball hurtled towards the goalcage, and Tu Wesh was in its path. A perfect save.

Moments later the whistle was blown, leaving Kelssek supporters to celebrate a well-earned and hard-fought draw… and Ariddians to ponder what on Earth had gone wrong. There was no denying that the Kelssek team had played superbly, but the Rouge-et-Noirs had clearly made mistakes – mistakes no-one had expected them to make.

“It’s the curse of the early stages,” one supporter said, trying to look confident. “Remember the last World Cup’s qualifiers? They always struggle a bit at first. They’ll still win the Cup.”

Meanwhile, Kelssek have one point. A win over Liverpool England and a draw against Sel Appa might even be enough –if they can pull it off– to make it to the next round.

“This Cup has just become a lot more interesting,” one Ariddian said. “And for us, a lot more stressful.”


[edit:] Yes, matchday 1 scores are up (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=536681). I should specify, by the way, that I'm not factoring any home advantage into the scorinator. Given that Ariddia is the only team playing at home, it would have given me an unwarranted bonus.

The inexperienced Jeruselem team which were really just the U21 girls team were getting hammered by the team from Oliverry. Kate Dallas was getting all worked up with frustration with her team as they didn't seem in the zone as they were 0-2 down. In Dazza Dallas style, she got quite agitated and told the team get their knickers out of the knot they were in. It was like Dazza Dallas was running the team as the coach Monique Alexander let Kate Dallas release her frustation.

In the second half, the girls picked up the pace and looked a different team. They were pushing the Oliverrian defenses with slick passing but the keeper was proving hard to beat. As the Oliverians got more tired, Scarlet Ferris struck a goal in the 75 minute to make the score 1-2 and the Jeruselem team were fighting back.

The Oliverians stone-walled the Jeruselem team hoping the girls would burn out as time ticked over. The last cross of the game, as Kate Dallas pumped in a high cross and Kara Kool sent herself into bicycle kick. The ball klonked the keeper into the face deflecing sideways into the net. Jeruselem had equalised 2 ALL with Oliverry.

...

Monique: Well done girls, that's what we call football.
Kate: Yeah, that's what I want I see next game. That's what crowds are here to see.
Monique: I don't want a repeat of the first half again.
Kate: Us little schoolgirls don't have strength or brawn but we have the skills. We don't need to be six foot tall or ten foot wide to play like winners.

<Team chant the team song>

Monique: OK, hit the showers girls. That's all for today. I want 90 minutes of pure football next game. Not just 45 like today.

<Team wander off leaving the two bikes>

Monique: Gee, you sure woke them up.
Kate: No slack assing around then I'm in charge out there.
Monique: You sure get all worked up when you're annoyed, like that mother of yours.
Kate: We're passionate about football. You have to play 150% if you're a Dallas girl.

Monique: Looks are you are born leader.
Kate: Well, when Katey girl is Queen ... she's going be heard. I'm not going be muted.
Monique: That's going be interesting.
Kate: Things are going to change. The women of Jeruselem will have a real voice.

Monique: I hate to be on wrong side of you, from that tirade you just did.
Kate: You can blame Mum for that.
Monique: Yes, I wonder if you're cloned from her.
Kate: Me? What makes you say that!

Scarlet: Hey bikies!
Monique: Great goal Scarlet. Where'd you learn that one from?
Scarlet: It was just there, I just whacked it hard.
Kate: We want to shopping after this, is that alright coach?

Monique: Be back before the curfew, and no night clubbing. Both of you aren't adults yet.
Kate: We'll behave
Scarlet: Yeah, we will
Monique: I don't trust you two but I don't have a choice.

(Marc DuPont 34', Johnnes Marceau 76') http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/qazox.png 2 - 2 http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/vuam_and_isma.png (Alexandre Torreu 63', William Aauri 72')

Vladek Schork is on the bench, watching his players warm up. From time to time he leans towards they physio or his assistant and mumbles a few words, points at a player or nods his head. His assistant is sitting next to him, on his right, and is carefully noting everything Vladek says. When he finishes writing, he puts down his pen and clipboard, stands up, goes to the edge of the technical box and shouts at the players and the two coaches that are helping them warm up. He then puts his hands on his hips, checks his pockets, and turns towards his bench, pauses for a moments, and then returns to his seat. Vladek's main physio is on his left, and is rocking back and forth on his seat, and every few minutes checks the contents of the small bag at his side, as though he is trying to remember something he forgot to put in it.

A few minutes later, Schork and the whole bench are standing up. Qazox's national anthem is played, and as the music ends, a few moos are heard around the stadium. Several Qazox players clap their hands above their heads, others look at the origin of the moos with smiles on their faces. Vuam and Isma's anthem starts. A few players in the Vuam and Isma squad sing, but most remain silent, fist clenched over their heart. Schork is standing up, arms resting at his side, looking straight in front of him. His assistant and physio rest their arms on the shoulders of the other members of the bench, except for Schork. The anthem finishes, a mild applause rises from the crowd, and the Qazox players follow their captain's lead and shake hands with the officials and then with Vuam and Isma's players. Vladek Schork briskly walks towards the fourth referee, shakes his hand, and then goes to the Qazox bench, shaking the Qazox manager's hand, before returning to his seat, donned in his suit and tie.

Just over half an hour has been played, and Qazox have taken the lead through DuPont. Bonnefond picks the ball out of his net and kicks it angrily towards the half-way line. DuPont has run towards the by-line, and celebrated his goal with Marceau and Defarge. His fists point to the sky as he runs towards the supporters, Marceau and Defarge are at his side, Marceau patting him on the back, Defarge has his arm around DePont's neck. Schork is leaning towards his assistant and points at the front of the penalty area, whilst the physio kicks a bottle of water to vent his anger.

The second half is starting, Vuam and Isma are kicking off as Strach plays the ball back to Druot. Manichon is pulling at a crease in his sock, and Bonnefond is clapping his hands, as if to warm them. Vuam and Isma's bench is calm. Two warm-up jerseys have fallen from the top of a pile nest to the last seat, and three players are warming-up, each one with the fluorescent yellow polyester jersey over his shirt. The physio has his bag on his knees, and is holding a can in his right hand, as though he knows an injury is about to happen. Schork's assistant has put down his clip-board, and is chewing the end of his pen as he stands at one side on the technical area, looking at Qazox's bench. Schork is sitting on the bench, arms crossed, and every few minutes looks around him, says a few words, and then resumes watching the match, passing a hand in his hair before placing it on the head-rest.

A little over an hour of football has been played, and Torreu is lying on the grass next to the corner flag. Thérriault, Gidreau and Cirron are shouting at each other, as the ball rests in the back of the net. Estevès, Druot and Toudik are running towards Torreu, and Aauri is on his knees in front of Torreu. The referee is walking towards the center spot where Defarge has his hands on his hips. Schork is jumping from his seat, his left hand high in the air. All the other members of the bench are at the edge of the technical area, hugging each other and shouting.

Ten minutes later, Schork is standing up in his technical area, a large smile on his face. Aauri is stading next to Qazox's goal with his arms spread, one slightly in front of Toudik's face, the other is being pushed forwards by Guillemard's torso. Schork's assistant is picking up his clipboard whilst his hand fumbles in his pockets for his chewed pen. The main physio and the other members of the bench are celebrating Aauri's goal, and Strach is the center of his attentions, just at the edge of the pitch, he clinches his fist towards the bench.

Schork's face has grown long as he watches the Qazox bench erupt from the corner of his eye. He pulls at his tie and mumbles a few words at his assistant, who is writing down what he says with a new pen. Vuam and Isma players hold their heads in their hands and kick at the grass whilst Marceau runs towards the center of the pitch with the ball. Boots are lying on the ground by the Vuam and Isma bench, and Schork's physio throws a water bottle by them, then stands up and shouts at his side, looking from time to time at Schork, who says a few words and nods. The subs have taken out their shin-guards, and two players are standing up, just in front of their seat, and are looking at each other in disbelief. The assistant referee runs past the Vuam and Isma bench, and as he comes close, Qazox's bench and Vuam and Isma's bench both return to their seats.





OOC : Feel free to get Schork, his assistant, V&I's physio, or any V&I player to give interviews, comments, in-game shouts, etc. Schork will only give interviews in his very poor french, but his assistant will translate, others will talk in english or french upon your whim.

Think of Schork as a strict manager, who doesn't show emotion, but who insists on a lot of "small" things : shaking hands, speaking french in the "Coupe de la Francophonie", etc. However, he's a bit cold with interviewers and journalists overall.

Day 2 results are up (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13003211&postcount=2).

Jeruselem Government News

Crusading girlies unable slay Pheonix

It's the Coupe de la Francophonie! Last game, our Under 21 female team had a thrilling 2 ALL draw with Oliverry. Today, they played the impressive Qazox Pheonix and really should won. The girls only managed a ONE ALL draw.

It was one of those games where despite the best efforts of both teams, no one could gain the advantage. The inexperienced Jeruselem team's efforts were nullified by the solid Pheonix while the plunky females frustrated the potent Pheonix attack all game. The small size of our females players proved to be problematic on the physical contests, they weren't bowled over by the larger and more experienced male opposition.

Qazox seems to get upper hand when Jeruselem keeper Kylie La Brai failed to handle a hot one and spilled allowing the Pheonix to score an easy goal. This just spurred on the girls who had trouble breaking down a honed defense as both sides attempted to take control of the game. Many times both sides failed to score due to desperate defending or lack of execution at a critical moment.

Finally, Jeruselem scored when young Fiskin Dallas got a arm in her face by accident in the penalty area which sometmes happened small females play against larger male opponents. The penalty was given to Jeruselem and Fiskin's relative Kate Dallas took up the challenge of taking the penalty kick.

Kate coolly eyed the keeper and slotted home the penalty. After that, both teams played out a stalemate as the defenses refused to yield anymore errors.

A tired Kate Dallas talked to JGN after the game
"That was a tough game. Playing a World class team like them fire birdies is never easy and well, both teams could have won easily but we were unable to get the finishing right. Saying that, this team is doing well considering none of girls here except me have played at this level before. What we don't have in experience is made for by our youthful vigour. It's a lot hard for us, since we don't have size or strength on the field. Our ball control is still sadly lacking but we're not making major blunders so it's encouraging. we have knuckle down and win our last game. Our group was the hard one with Pheonix and Oliverry, so we're going have to play really well in case Oliverry lose to Qazox. Qazox have had two draws like us but we're luck we weren't beaten by Oliverry in the first game. Oh Fiskin is alright, just a bit of brain damage!"

(OOC: Some French bits are translated through Google and some aren't (manually from my French notes), so it might be grammatically incorrect)

Liverpool England knocked out early
Poor performances mean team will likely go home without points

Two losses in two games for the hastily-put-together Liverpool England side means that the team now have the daunting task of having to face hosts and world champions Ariddia to battle for pride. Already eliminated from the tournament, the team are staring right at the wooden spoon for the Coupe de la Francophonie, with no chance of qualification at all.

Eric Adamo, team manager of Liverpool England for the cup, was visibly unhappy at the post match conference. "Aujourd'hui, nous n'avons pas bien fait... c'est décevant," he said. "Nous sommes ici pour gagner, ne pas perdre. J'ai la confiance dans les garçons. We will go out there and show Ariddia what we're made of. We will put up a fight to them, we will not roll over to the defending world champions, we are determined to come away with this with at least a point."

None of the other squad members wanted to speak, although Michael Deville did respond to an email. "The boys are all very disappointed, obviously. We came here to show that we could perform at the top level but we've lost both our games. Our biggest test is yet to come. If we can hold Ariddia to a draw a lot of us will be very satisfied with our overall performance here."

The competition organisers were not reachable to be asked about the Wooden Spoon or whether there would be placement playoffs between the four losing teams from the two groups.

(ooc: once again blame the translator for any weirdness)
Le Papier du Monde de Qazox

Après deux matchs chez Coupe de la Francophonie , la trouvaille de Pheonix eux-mêmes avec un disque du drawsin deux deux matchs, avec seulement le match contre les centres serveurs restants.

Le premier match Marc Dupont contre de Vuam et d'Isma scie obtiennent à un but dans la trente-quatrième minute à l'élasticité Qazox une avance d'un-zéro, bien que deux buts par V&I par Alexandre Torreu dans le soixante-troisième et par William Aauri dans le soixante-douzième leur a donné le fil. Mais quatre minutes plus tard, Johnnes Marceau a attaché le match à deux tous, et c'est comment il a fini.

Le deuxième match contre Jeruselem, marc Dupont de scie obtiennent son deuxième but pour le tourney dans la quarantième minute, mais Kate Dallas marqué, un coup-de-pied de pénalité, dans la soixante-septième minute qui a dessiné ce match aussi bien, cette fois au l'un-tout.

Buts marqués contre V&I: Marc Dupont 34', Johnnes Marceau 76'
But marqué contre Jeruselem : Marc Dupont 40'

http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/sel_appa.png Sel Appa 0-5 Ariddia http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/ariddia.png

Ariddians regain form

After their stunning draw against Kelssek, the Rouge-et-Noirs were visibly rearing to amend for their mistakes, and show themselves at their best once more against Sel Appa. With qualification being played over only three matches, a second poor performance would have been disastrous.

The normal starting eleven began the game this time, and spectators in ubhashinim Ahwa'u Stadium waited anxiously for the opening goal. It came in the twenty-ninth minute, when Iol Et defeated Sel Appan goalkeeper Dominique Pidon with a skillful shot.

A one-goal lead was all the Rouge-et-Noirs had by half-time – not nearly enough to reassure their many fans chanting their support in the smallish stadium. The Tortues were looking to consolidate their lead over Group B. A win would give them an automatic qualifier, whereas the Ariddians were in the uncommon position of having to save their hopes of remaining in the competition.

Sa Ley increased the hosts’ lead at last in the fifty-sixth minute, followed by two goals from Thomas Dargeau, which seemed to ensure a definite victory for the Rouge-et-Noirs. Nonetheless, les Tortues were not going to concede defeat until the very last second, and Ariddian goalkeeper Cassie Lee had to put all her talent into blocking a shot from Alan Dubrov –well served on a corner kick from Colin Patette– in the seventy-eighth minute. Reminding viewers why she had been named the world’s best football players, Lee defended the Ariddian goalcage flawlessly throughout the match. A final goal by Ann Cove completed a comfortable victory for the Ariddians, pushing them up into first place in their group.

“Now the crucial match will be against Liverpool England,” team captain Myo Thet Myint said. “We’d be foolish to underestimate them.” Liverpool England are already eliminated, after an unfortunate one-goal-margin loss to Kelssek in their second match. They will be striving for at least a draw against the Rouge-et-Noirs.

Sel Appa, meanwhile, are certain to qualify if they obtain a draw against Kelssek.

Placement playoffs deemed "a good idea"

The question raised in the Liverpool England media regarding the possibility of placement play-offs between the four non-qualified teams has met with a favourable response from the Ariddian Football Association.

"It would mean more matches, more of a competition, and a chance for teams eliminated after just three games to stay on and try to do better," AFA President Evgheny Melenciuc said. "If participants agree, we're all for it."

Day 3 results are up (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13005580&postcount=3).

http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/ariddia.png Ariddia 8-1 Liverpool England http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/liverpool_england.png

Ariddians deliver goal-fest

After a convincing 5-0 over Sel Appa, the Rouge-et-Noirs needed only a draw against unranked Liverpool England, who are making their return to the world stage with a still inexperienced team. The new World Champions facing a team of players who had never before competed at such a stage suggested a match between David and Goliath. Spectators were keen to see whether the determined Davids could pull off a miracle.

Instead, the Rouge-et-Noirs provided a reminder of why they had won the World Cup.

Clearly setting out to score as often as possible, they attacked from the word go, taking risks in an attempt to force the Liverpool Englanders into near-constant defensive playing.

A long pass from Sa Ley enabled Thomas Dargeau to slam the ball into the net in the fourteenth minute, giving the hosts a fairly early lead. Any risk of over-confidence, however, was soon quelled when Liverpool England refused to be forced into playing the Ariddians’ rules, and struck back. Jean-Louis Desbois adriotly tackled the ball off Iol Et, and passed to Fabien Daguerre, who took it quickly up into the Ariddians’ side. The Rouge-et-Noirs’ midfielders, who had been assisting in attack, were beaten, and combined playing from René Chabert and Valentin Dufour outsmarted the Ariddian defenders. Even Cassie Lee was beaten on a superb shot by Chabert. The message was clear: Liverpool England was not going to roll over and give Ariddia an easy win. It was one-all after twenty-three minutes.

Undeterred, the Rouge-et-Noirs pressed on with their original strategy. Lucas Arbustier had regained the lead by the thirtieth minute, and increased it in the thirty-sixth. Exploiting the smallest mistakes, the Ariddians hounded their opponents’ defence. Iol Et slipped the ball deftly into the net in the fortieth minute, followed by Arbustier –again– six minutes later. The Liverpool Englanders struggled to pull together, left with the devastating situation of being 1-5 down at half-time.

The visiting team played a far better structured game in the second half, but their lack of experience showed as every mistake was ruthlessly pounced upon by the Rouge-et-Noirs. The goal difference was almost impossible to compensate for – a disheartening situation for any team. Sébastien-Joseph Poirier came close to scoring in the sixty-second minute, but the ever-vigilant Cassie Lee was not going to be making any further slip-ups. Whenever Liverpool England succeeded in breaching the Ariddian defences, Lee looked invincible.

Ariddia’s players did not seem to tire, as midfielders continued to supply fresh attackers with scoring opportunities. Elmi Hamzah Guirreh scored in the sixty-seventh minute, to constant cheering from an excited home crowd. Jamilah Shahrour made it a rare 7-1 in the seventy-sixth minute.

Three minutes later, Myo Thet Myint looked poised to score, when he was tackled by Augustin Avenier just outside Liverpool England’s goalcage. Ariddian supporters were heard shouting for a free kick, but the referee ruled that there had been no foul – a decision confirmed by replay. The Ariddian captain nodded his approval of the decision, after being helped to his feet by Avenier.

Guirreh slammed a final ball into the net in the eighty-fifth minute, completing a near-record victory for the Rouge-et-Noirs; their current record is an 8-0 victory over Florida Oranges back in World Cup 32.

Myo Thet Myint swapped his shirt with the Liverpool England captain at the end of the match, shook his hand, and the two men exchanged a few words. Later, the Ariddian captain said:

“The Liverpool England team put up a valiant fight, and caused us difficulties on several occasions. They played well, considering they have so much less experience than we have. We’ve just won a World Cup, and many players on our team are at the very end of our career. Our opponents, by contrast, are just starting their career. I hope they’re not discouraged. I predict they’ll soon become a formidable opponent in the World Cup once more.”

Ariddia will now face Jeruselem in the semi-finals. The two countries have a lot of recent shared history in football, making the encounter all the more interesting. Meanwhile, Liverpool England will go on to play Vuam and Isma, in an attempt to rise above their current spot at the bottom of the competition.

There have been no surprises in qualifying. The four highest-ranked teams of the Cup have all made it to the semis, while the lower four will now play for positions.

Jeruselem Government News

Ariddian showdown looming!

Coupe de la Francophonie! Our plucky group of hormonal females in Ariddia have made the semi-finals.

Lead by soon-to-be-Crown Princess Katherine Alexandra Dallas, they overcame lowly ranked Vuam & Isma TWO ONE. Oliverry helped out Jeruslem by holding the Pheonix to a TWO ALL draw, condemning the Qazox team to not playing in the semi-finals.

Rachael Troi scored the opener for Jeruselem with crisp low shot which evaded the grasp of the V&I keeper on the 30th minute but V&I struck back very soon when a bad-tempered Jollie Jollie was yellow carded for a challenge and V&I scored from the free kick in the 40th minute.

In the second half, the girls battled hard for the winner but V&I stood firm despite the best efforts of Kate and the girls. Time was ticking and still the score was ONE ALL. The coach removed "Sheepy" who was having a sheepy game and not doing a lot. Kate Dallas was getting annoyed with Sheepy not doing her part, so the coach put on the player called Effie Something who spends a lot of time on the bench looking at magazines of hot guys. Effie ran out on the pitch and made an immediate impact. The fresh legs enabled Kate to get troops forward faster and Effie had a breaking run down the left flank, then throwing in looping cross. Kara Kool threw herself at the ball, connecting to head the ball into net but poor old Kara ended up covered in grass and soil in the end. She played the rest of the game looking a shade of green.

In the other game, Qazox needed to win but the Oliverry team denied them the goodies with a draw. In the end, Oliverry and Jeruselem had 1-2-0 records and poor Qazox with it's 0-3-0 were out of the semis while V&I had the worst record with 0-0-3. A very tight group.

Jeruselem face a rampaging Ariddia, who have scored something like 13 goals in two games. On paper, the number 1 ranked team in World Cup vs 11 is close but we didn't field the world cup team here. However, this team aren't a Jeru FC so and from current results should not be trashed like Liverpool England did.

Later in the day, Dazzi the Anime Girl made an appearance in town for a comic signing. She was promoting the upcoming series Dazzi takes on the mutant Haddock where an evil sorcerer creates Haddock-human mutants to take over a small nation. Dazzi stands in the way and gets herself in trouble as usual.

Jeruselem immigration officials are puzzled how Dazzi got into Ariddia.

GROUP A
Jeruselem 2-1 Vuam & Isma (ubhashinim Ahwa'u Stadium)
Oliverry 2-2 Qazox (Darras Olympic Stadium)

(ooc: once again blame the translator for any weirdness)

Le Papier du Monde de Qazox


Le troisième match chez Coupe de la Francophonie était contre Oliverry, et après 90 minutes de jeu, Qazox fini avec lui est troisièmement l'aspiration droite 2-2. Helene Defarge a marqué dans le temps de dommages de finir la première moitié et un but en retard par Nathan Parisi a donné le qazox comme fil 2-1 après le but d'Oliverry dans la soixantième minute. Mais un but dans la quatre-vingt-dix-septième minute a attaché le match à deux de chaque.

En dépit de ne pas perdre un match dans la phase initiale de groupe, Qazox n'avancera pas aux demi-finales, comme la victoire de Jeruselem les a envoyées à travers à la place. Qazox jouera dans les finales de consolation, qui détermineront les cinquièmes huitième endroits.

Le programme de la parenthèse de consolation est comme suit : Match 4 : Liverpool England à la Rêvane-Lessive de national de Stade; Match 5 : Kelssek au stade olympique de Darras; et un re-match avec Vuam & Isma pour le match 6. L'équipe est favorisée pour finir bien dans cette parenthèse de consolation.

Buts marqués contre Oliverry : Helene Defarge 45+', Nathan Parisi 75'

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r56/kelchek/media/chronicleandherald.gif

SPORT/FOOTBALL
"We might as well have won"

Greg Babcock is a very happy man and nothing can dampen his mood as the group stage of the Coupe de la Francophonie concludes in Ariddia.

If the astounding draw against the defending World Cup champions wasn't enough there was a solid victory over Liverpool England and a commendable performance against Sel Appa to be content with. And Babcock sees much to cheer about in the performance Kelssek's footballers put up.

"As far as my feelings about what we've done, we might as well have won the whole thing. It's amazing how far we've come." Babcock said. Qualification from the group had even seemed possible at half time against Sel Appa with the match scoreless, but Kelssek eventually succumbed to the better conditioning and skill of the Tortoises.

The tournament isn't over yet, however, as the teams which did not proceed to the semi-finals will instead contest in a series of play-offs. Kelssek will play against Vuam & Isma next, before meeting Qazox and finishing the tourney with a rematch against Liverpool England.

OOC: Qazox, "Liverpool England" is untranslatable, and remains as such in French (la Grande Fédération du Liverpool England). Just FYI for your next RP.

Liverpool England trounced 8-1, coach sacked
The Coupe de la Francophonie has not gone down as planned. The chance to show that Liverpool England was still a world footballing power? Down the drain with three poor performances, including an embarrassing 8-1 trouncing at the hands of reigning world champions Ariddia.

Eric Adamo, the team's coach for the tournament, has been removed by Football Association chairman Thomas Lunson to return to his job as recruitment officer in the Outer Islands of Liverpool England, where he previously recruited up-and-coming coaches to join an FALE program. Replacing him for the position playoff stage is the person who last held the job of Liverpool England national coach, Fmjphoenician Jorge Mendel.

At the press conference in Rêvane, Adamo was visibly disappointed. "Je suis désolé. Monsieur Mendel est très capable, je ne peux pas lui être comparé. I am so, so sorry. I've let this team down. I wish Mr. Mendel the best, he is much more capable than I am."

Mendel, who was the team manager at the team's last-ever World Cup, is a former Fmjphoenix international. In an email response to this newspaper, he confirmed that he was looking forward to the cup. "I'd like to see what I have to work with, as we slowly build up to an eventual World Cup comeback. With Ad'ihan hosting the next World Cup, sooner or later Liverpool England will return to the world stage."

OOC: You could try "Piscine du foie Angleterre" :)

OOC: Qazox, "Liverpool England" is untranslatable, and remains as such in French (la Grande Fédération du Liverpool England).

(ooc: I forgot not to include the name in the translation program..sorry)

OOC: This is an IC reply to the scores mistake. No grudge against you, but I'd like my place in the final of the Coupe please :p

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/Oli55/teleoliunlogo.png

Le Gouvernement d'Oliverry bannit le communisme!!

Oliverry was very affected after their Coupe de la Francophonie match against Sel Appa, which they won 2-1 in Extra-time. The win is not the problem, but actually, the fact that Sel Appa qualified for the final nonetheless leaves everyone with a grudge against Ariddia and Sel Appa. Yesterday, after the table of the final was officially published on TéléOliUn, many people came down the streets to protest about the decision. Minutes later, President Roger Charles told the National Defence minister, Jacques Laurier, to do nothing about it, as the people's anger was understandable. Actually, even storekeepers joined the people in that protest.

President Charles then called a press conference at for 22:00 at Place de la République. On that press conference, he told everyone he was not happy neither that a win was not granting an official berth to the final. "Qu-est-ce qu'on doit faire pour que le peuple oliverrien puisse avoir droit à son dû, qui est d'avoir le droit à une équipe de soccer qui se rend en finale après avoir battu une autre équipe dans son match de demi-finale? Ce n'est pas parce que le match s'est terminé en prolongation que l'équipe ne doit pas être qualifiée..." Then, he criticized the Arridians: "Ces Ariddiens auraient au moins pu commenter la nouvelle lorsqu'ils ont étés appelés par TéléOli. Mais non... aucun commentaire. Et pourtant, il s'agit bien d'une situation anormale, qui renforce la réputation d'Ariddie comme un pays du tiers-monde, qui ne peut organiser quoi que ce soit sans que ça tourne au vinaigre." Finally, he called for a ban of communism in Oliverry until the organisers finally resolve the problem and let Oliverry play Ariddia in the final. "Nous devons blâmer les Ariddiens, mais aussi les Communistes. Ils sont dans le coup, j'en suis sûr!! Ces communistes sont connus pour être corrompus, et en voici la preuve! Ils sont payés par des Sel Appien pour modifier la rencontre à leur avantage, après, ils payent les arbitres pour faire la sale job, et puis, finalement, après que les arbitres n'aient pu éviter la défaite de Sel Appa, ils décident, unilatéralement, de démettre notre équipe nationale de sa place en finale."

This situation will be closely looked at by TON (TéléOli Nouvelles) on a hour by hour basis until it finally get solved.

Jeruselem Government News

Ariddia fight off Katie's girls, just

In one of the best semi-finals of the Coupe de la Francophonie, Ariddia beat Jeruselem FOUR TTHREE. The team full of World Cup champions had to really play well just to defeat Kate Dallas and her girls. Unlike the last two teams which Ariddia played, Jeruselem took up the fight. They were really going for the win knowing anyone who can beat Ariddia, was probably going to win the final.

Early on Ariddia put down the challenge to lead Jeruselem TWO NIL early in the first half. It seemed the locals had all answers to everything Jeruselem threw at them but Kate Dallas rallied her troops for a fightback. Kate Dallas started by pouncing on a mistake by the Ariddian defense slamming home a goal past a surprised Cassie Lee who wasn't too happy about the defense giving the ball to someone like Kate Dallas who is very dangerous.

TWO ONE at half-time to Ariddia. Ariddia scored another goal after Jollie Jollie got sent off saying something rude in French to someone, although Jollie Jollie doesn't speak much French at all. Fellow redhead Scarlet Ferris teamed up with Kate Dallas to harass the Ariddian defense, who failed to clear up the ball and Effie Something slammed in a screamer to make it THREE TWO.

Kara Kool equalised for Jeruselem after going for a flying header which is remarkable for someone her size, beat Cassie Lee. With Jollie Jollie missing, Ariddia took advantage of the weakened defense and scored their fourth goal to regain the advantage. Kate Dallas nearly equalised again, with a low shot which was just cleared off the line by Cassie Lee.

Yes, Ariddia may have won but the group of girls from Jeruselem give them a big scare.

One local commentator said "I think Kate Dallas did fantastic job with her team, and she's only 14 years old. I think we could find a place for Kate Dallas in a new Ariddian team if we wanted to."

Jeruselem play Sel Appa next game and we fully expect Kate and her girls to step up and put on a show like today.

Kate Dallas said "Ariddia are the best team in the world but we showed them they aren't Gods. If a team of bimbos like us can push them to the limit, Oliverry can too. Saying that, I'm an Ariddian at heart so I think Ariddia will win the final and we'll beat the turtles. Dazza Dallas may have retired but watch out world - here comes Princess Katherine Alexandra Dallas! I'm no shadow of my mother, I'm going be a better version."

Crown Prince of Jeruselem later said on TV "I'm proud of our team in Ariddia, they've done well despite only having one player who's played in the World Cup proper. Almost beating the current World Champs, and at their home is a fantastic effort. You see, that's why I'm going my Katey girl. She maybe small, a bit of bike and a big mouth but she's someone who will give 150% to a cause. And she's got nice boobies ..."

http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/ariddia.png Ariddia 4-3 Jeruselem http://spaam.mrdrake.net/flags/jeruselem.png

Ariddians battle through to final

Past encounters with Jeruselem had rarely been easy, and the semi-final of the Coupe de la Francophonie was no exception. It may well be a friendly competition, but both teams were set on winning.

Iol Et scored twice in the tenth and eighteenth minutes, seeming to give Ariddia a fairly decisive lead, as well as a psychological edge. But les Croisé(e)s responded by hitting back harder, giving spectators an impressive display of football as they fought to overcome the early goal difference.

Kate Dallas proved her worth by outplaying Cassie Lee with a good shot, after a mistake from the Ariddian defence. Nonetheless, the Rouge-et-Noirs remained in the lead by half-time. Spectators, most of them Ariddian, applauded as the players filed back onto the field for another forty-five minutes. It was a good match, close enough to make everyone anxious and to ensure they paid attention to every passing minute.

A goal from Richard James meant that Ariddia remained in the lead until Kara Kool finally equalised for the visiting side in the sixty-fourth minute. But the Croisées were playing one woman down, and when facing Ariddia that was bound to cause them trouble. Wol Asu grinned as she slammed the winning goal into the net, propelling her country into the final.

In response to a comment from the Jeruselem media, suggesting that Kate Dallas would be skilled enough to play for the Rouge-et-Noirs, a junior AFA official replied: “Absolutely. We’ll be renewing the team for World Cup 37, with several of our players retiring, and someone like Kate Dallas would be an asset. And she has Ariddian nationality by descent (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Citizenship_and_immigration_in_Ariddia#Acquisition_of_citizenship).”

The Ariddian Football Association has also attempted to soothe ruffled feelings in Oliverry after a compluter glitch apparently robbed the latter team of their place in the final.

“It was merely an error on the initial screen, not in the official announcement of the finalists,” a spokesman said. “And I understand it was corrected after about thirty seconds. Of course Oliverry are in the final.”

Jeruselem Government News

Conversatives worried about a "Queen Bike"

A spokesman for the "Jeruselem Morality Guardians" said the current girlfriend of the future King is unsuitable as Queen material.

"We can't have a Princess running around in shorts and a T-shirt on the football fields of the world like we have now. Sure, she's fit and health as a football player should but she should be at home being a Princess not running around like she does at the moment. And have a look at her mother, the biggest whore in the history of Jeruselem apart from maybe Mary Magalene. She should be a humble quiet homely quiet woman, not the publicity seeking attention whore she is. And a real Princess should not have an opinion on things, she should be right behind her man not put her opinion in public. The worst thing is she comes from leftie commie country like Ariddia. We can't have a granddaughter of whore running our nation! We've watched the games in Ariddia and Kate is far too much of a leader. The woman should not lead, she should follow orders and do what she is told - not tell others what to do. The language she uses sometimes is not lady like, and far too unpleasant."

The current Queen of Jeruselem said
"My son is bit lazy sometimes. I think someone like Kate Dallas is perfect because she'll keep him awake and focussed on the job on hand. He really needs someone to stop him slacking around. The scary thing is Kate Dallas speaks better French than we do."

(ooc: once again blame the translator for any weirdness)

Le Papier du Monde de Qazox

Dans la première consolation le match contre Liverpool England,Qazox s'est finalement cassé exempt de son habitude de dessine et a gagné d'une façon convaincante cinq à rien.

Mené par les frères Marceau, que chacun a marqué deux buts, la tête de Pheonix dans l'allumette avec Kelssek dans la bonne position. L'allumette avec Kelssek est presque une cinquième allumette d'endroit, car le gagnant ne pourrait pas presque être attrapé par l'un Liverpool England ou l'autre Vuam & Isma.

Johnnes Marceau a marqué tous les deux ses buts dans la première moitié aux 20èmes et trente-sixième marques de minute, alors que son frère, Robert marqué dans les quarante-neuvième et cinquante-huitième minutes. Henri Villenuve a fini outre de l'allumette dans la quatre-vingt-deuxième minute avec un but de ses propres.

Buts marqués contre Liverpool England : Johnnes Marceau 20',36'; Robert Marceau 49', 58'; Henri Villenuve 82'

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ARSENAULT RUNS RIOT OVER VUAM & ISMA

Vincent Arsenault stole the show, as he is apt to do, with a brilliant dose of midfield creativity to help Kelssek to a 2-0 win against Vuam & Isma at the Coupe de la Francophonie.

Cheered on by two seperate groups of Kelssekian supporters who yelled at each other, "Qu'est-ce que vous chantez?" and replied with "Nous chantons les bleus allez!", it was a strong performance for the football team, of which many more will be needed if we are to see any building upon the work at the previous tilt at the World Cup.

Arsenault's incivise passing opened up the opposing defence and when he squared the ball across the six-yard box in the 34th minute, Henri Cournoyer had the goal at his mercy and gave none.

He continued to threaten throughout and often had the defence scrambling to catch up, forcing Vuam & Isma goalkeeper Yves Bonnefond to stand on his head to keep the score 1-0, and even though they weren't able to finish very well, credit should be given to the awareness shown by Cournoyer and Douglas Crawford to stay on side several times.

Arsenault then put the result beyond doubt on 77 minutes with a curling free kick which went like a bullet to the top corner past the flailing arms of Bonnefond.

This stellar performance, for which he was named man-of-the-match, comes amid rumours that he is on the verge of movnig to his hometown club Langlois Océanic following a $4 million offer the team reportedly made to his current employers, the Ulyanov Wolves.

Neither Arsenault or his agent would comment on the rumours.

Day 5 results are up (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13016412&postcount=7).

Jeruselem Government News

Crusader rout Turtles for 3rd spot in Coupe de la Francophonie

The future looks bright for the Crusaders with the girls lead by a future Princess routing the Turtles from Sel Appa. Many said the winner of the semi-final between Jeruselem and Ariddia would yield the winner of cup. The loser of that semi, Jeruselem destroyed loser of the other semi-final.

All game Jeruselem looked like the better team. On paper, Sel Appa had a World Cup team against a team of amateur girls but it was the girls who showed how football was played. With Kate Dallas and her friend Scarlet Ferris terrorising the Turtles defense, things went from bad to worse as the other Jeruselem players found more freedom to play flowing football.

In the attempt to shutdown Kate Dallas, the Turtles failed to handle the other girls. Jeruselem slammed in four goals until Sel Appa finally scored a goal to make the scoreline look respectable. Jeruselem had benched the slow players and put on fast women. They set the pace of the game which didn't suit Sel Appa at all.

We don't know if it was the fact Sel Appa played 11 good looking young females from Jeruselem including daughter of Jeruselem's favourite pinup girl Dazza Dallas or the desire of Crusading girlies to win at all costs just overwhelmed Sel Appa. It looked like it was Jeruselem who wanted the win more, and "Katey girl" made sure her girls didn't slack off. An irony is, Kate Dallas is going home soon to join her family for a holiday in Sel Appa.

Kate Dallas said later
"This doesn't hide the disappointment we didn't make the final. I think Ariddia will win this final. Yes Oliverry can win but the World Champs are the best for a real reason,, they win the big games. Still, I'm happy. Those out there who think Katey girl can't lead a team should put bananas up where the sun don't shine because I wasn't here to have a holiday."

For the final, Kate Dallas aka designated Crown Princess Katherine Alexandra Dallas will be joining other high ranking Ariddian officials to watch the game as a Jeruselem government official. It will look weird with a small girl in a short skirt sitting with a group of well-dressed men and women.

Day 6 results (final results) are up (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13018916&postcount=8).

Thank you all for taking part, and I hope you enjoyed the Coupe de la Francophonie.

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SPORT
ARIDDIA WINS COUPE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE

Ariddia has won the Coupe de la Francophonie after 2-1 win over Oliverry. The victory of the hosts and World Cup defending champions Ariddia came as no surprise to most football fans. Kelssek placed sixth in the competition after a goalless draw with Liverpool England in the playoff stage for teams which did not qualify for the semi-finals.

Team Kelssek manager Greg Babcock said that he was happy with the results of the competition and added that the performance gives him hope that some progress will be made when Kelssek plays in the upcoming World Cup 37. Kelssek competed with a team primarily composed of Francophone footballers and managed a 2-2 draw with Ariddia in the opening game.

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L’Ariddia remporte la Coupe de la Francophonie

L’Association Ariddienne de Football a félicité les Rouge-et-Noirs, qui viennent de remporter la Coupe de la Francophonie à Rêvane, battant l’Oliverrie par deux buts (Arbustier 28’, James 55’) à un (Le Roy 62’). Evgheny Melenciuc, président de l’AFA, a en outre remercié toutes les nations participantes, et a souhaité que cette rencontre présage un resserrement des liens culturels et diplomatiques entre les pays de langue et de culture francophones.

Ce match de finale fut le dernier pour bon nombre de joueurs ariddiens, qui comptent maintenant prendre une retraite bien méritée. Ainsi le capitaine des Rouge-et-Noirs, Myo Thet Myint, a-t-il enfilé le dossard numéro 3 pour la toute dernière fois. Cassie Lee, elle, n’a pas tout à fait achevé sa carrière internationale, puisqu’elle jouera avec les Îles de l’Arctique Ariddien lors de la Coupe Orientale. Les Champions de la trente-sixième Coupe du Monde se séparent, sans toutefois perdre contact les uns avec les autres. « Bien sûr qu’on continuera de se voir, » confie Thomas Dargeau, qui lui aussi termine sa carrière de footballeur.

D’autres prendront la relève. Et les jeunes talents déjà présents au sein de l’équipe bouillonnent d’impatience à l’idée de prendre d’assaut la planète pour défendre leur titre de champions. Elmi Hamzah Guirreh aura 29 ans lors des qualifications du prochain championnat mondial, tandis que Jamilah Shahrour (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Jamilah_Shahrour) –cette star montante qui fait parfois controverse– en aura 27. Tous deux seront sans doute les attaquants de pointe de la nouvelle génération, aux côtés peut-être d’un Iol Et impressionnant qui, à 33 ans, n’aura pas nécessairement envie de raccrocher si tôt son maillot.

En attendant, les vingt-trois joueurs vont profiter de leurs vacances, avant de se rejoindre leurs clubs (pour les uns) ou de songer à leur nouvelle carrière, loin du football (pour les autres). « Je pense passer les concours pour devenir instituteur, » explique Myo Thet Myint. Nul doute que ses futurs élèves écouteront avec grande attention les cours prodigués par le champion…

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Cassie Lee, elle, retournera auprès de sa famille en Errinunderre, où elle travaille déjà en tant que pompier. Pour l’heure, son mari et leur fille l’ont rejointe en vacances.

« Ne plus être une star du foot… Ca va me faire bizarre ! » admet la gardienne de but des Rouge-et-Noirs. « Là où je vis, à Combienbar (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Combienbar), tout est si tranquille, si paisible… Je vais me ressourcer, comme on dit. Et passer le plus de temps possible avec ma famille. »

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Jacques Labrie: Merci à Jean-Paul Denommé pour ces informations. Maintenant, nous avons reçu des informations à propos de la Coupe de la Francophonie, cette coupe de soccer regroupant des nations francophones. Nous vous rappelons qu'Oliverrie participait à la finale de cette dernière, face à l'Ariddie. Nous rejoignons Kevin Jean sur place.

*screen splits in two parts to show both Jacques and Kevin*

Jacques Labrie: Alors, que s'est-il passé aujourd'hui lors de cette finale?

Kevin Jean: Eh bien, Jacques, ce fut un grand match de soccer, réunissant les deux puissances francophones de la planète. Oliverrie, classée 19e au monde, contre l'Ariddie, qui vient de remporter la Coupe du Monde. Pour que l'Oliverrie se rende jusqu'en finale, il a fallu se faire justice, après qu'une victoire en prolongation contre Sel Appa, au compte de 2 à 1 ne soit suffisant. Vous vous rappelez les manifestations au centre-ville de Marshalliston après l'annonce officielle faite sur nos ondes que Sel Appa avançait en finale à la place d'Oliverrie. Eh bien, le tout fut réglé à peu près une heure après, alors que le président de la république, Roger Charles, eut appelé le président de l'Association Aridienne de Football pour lui demander de rectifier le tout.

*screen fades to pictures from the match*

Kevin Jean: Alors, le match débuta par l'entrée des joueurs, très chaleureuse des deux côtés alors que les fans ariddiens et oliverriens étaient en délire. Ensuite, bien sûr, ce fut les hymnes nationaux ariddiens et oliverriens, dans l'ordre et les joueurs durent serrer les mains des présidents des fédérations nationales ariddiennes et oliverriennes. Après les hymnes nationaux, les joueurs ariddiens ont performés l'ulek, qui est une danse de guerre traditionnelle ariddienne. Selon les commentateurs ariddiens auxquels j'ai pu parler, ce fut la meilleure de toute l'histoire. Ensuite, les deux capitaines se sont serrés la main et la partie débuta. La partie fut tout d'abord dominée par l'Ariddie, qui tenta par tous les moyens de prendre les devants tôt dans la partie. Ce fut Dominic Webb qui sauva l'équipe oliverrienne du désastre, en arrêtant un total de 12 tirs durant les 20 premières minutes du match. À la 22e minute, par contre, Webb ne put rien contre un déjou de la part de Dargeau. L'arbitre, par contre, a vu un hors-jeu, ce qui a permis à l'équipe Oliverrienne de se resaisir. Par contre, à la 28e, un tir de 30 mètres d'Arbustier porta la marque à 1-0. Ce but semble fouetter les oliverriens qui tentent, pour le reste de la demie, de tirer sur le filet adverse. Mais la balle refuse de pénêtrer et c'est 1-0 à la mi-temps.

Le spectacle de la mi-temps fut interprété par la chanteuse Ping, une Ariddienne de l'ouest fort populaire. Elle interpréta "Streets of Grey" et "Young and Hopeful". Alors que les applaudissements fusent de partout, certains critiquent son choix alors que ses chansons ne sont pas en français. Mais je vais laisser cette critique à Claudine, notre critique en arts.

Après ce spectacle, la partie continua. L'Ariddie provoqua un retour de situation alors qu'elle prit le controle de la partie. À la 55e minute, elle doubla son avance avec un but de James. À la 60e minute, sans avoir aucune raison, Thomas Dargeau poussa Anton Sanschagrin, ce qui causa son expulsion de la partie. Les Oliverriens capitalisèrent sur le coup franc et Paul Le Roy coupa de moitié l'avance des Ariddiens en portant la marque à 2-1. Finalement, les ariddiens ne seront plus jamais inquiétés et remportèrent la partie par cette marque.

Lorsque questionné sur cette victoire, voici ce que le président de l'AFA, Evgheny Melenciuc, avait à nous dire: "C'est une grande victoire pour nous tous! Nous venons de gagner la Coupe du Monde. Maintenant cela! C'est incroyable!! Comme j'ai dit aussi à votre collègue de PINA, ceci est une concrétisation de l'éveil de la francophonie dans le monde. J'espère pouvoir voir d'autres tournois comme celui-ci plus tard!"

Roger Parizeau, quant à lui, était déçu du résultat final, mais était fier de son équipe: "On a une équipe formidable! Vraiment, c'est incroyable ce que mes joueurs peuvent faire lorsqu'ils sont motivés. On les a vu faire tout ce qui était possible pour remporter les matchs qu'ils ont joués mais, que veux-tu, on a perdu, c'est la vie et il faut faire avec."

En terminant Jacques, l'AOS a annoncé un match amical contre l'équipe Limbrogidlienne, qui devra passer par une pre-qualification pour pouvoir se qualifier pour les qualifications pour la coupe du monde qui aura lieu à Ad'ihan, dépendance du Liverpool England et en Novapsolu.

Jacques Labrie: Je juge que ce match ne sera pas si amical que ça Kevin.

Kevin Jean: Non héhé, tu as tout compris Jacques.

Jacques Labrie: Héhé, c'est bon. On se reparle plus tard lorsque vous avez plus d'infos?

Kevin Jean: Oui. Au revoir.

Jacques Labrie: Au Revoir

Jeruselem Government News

Frenchies win their own cup

Ariddia have won the first Coupe de la Francophonie! They fought to beat Oliverry TWO ONE to take home, well keep, the cup. While the Jeruselem vs Ariddia final didn't take place, Frenchies in Jeruselem still took interest.

Oliverry was no match for the awesome Ariddia team who had to weather an epic semi-final against Jeruselem. The sad thing for Ariddia is many of the current world cup team are retiring and hoping a new generation take their place and have the same results.

Jeruselem will be happy with the 3rd place finish for it's young girls team which almost made the final, and showed football was far from boring. While the Jeruselem team were more like drama queens lead by the daughter of Jeruselem's best known drama Queen, it's clear the youth policy works.

The talent pool must have a spring. The flood of young women in Jeruselem football is good as they have kids which become football players and then the kids have families which produce more football players. A prime example is Dallas clan who have kids all over the place.

(ooc: once again blame the translator for any weirdness)

Le Papier du Monde de Qazox

Qazox prend le 5ème endroit de maison suivant une victoire 3-1 au-dessus de Vuam & Isma dans le match final du premier Coupe de la Francophonie. L'équipe a fondamentalement fait coudre le 5ème endroit vers le haut après que 6-2 une victoire Kelssek fini sur 5 matchday

Le tourney était un succès pour les centres serveurs, Ariddia car ils ont battu la nation française de camarade, Oliverry 2-1 dans la finale.

Qazox remercie les centres serveurs de la mise sur un tournement si merveilleux et remercie les personnes d'Ariddia d'être thoughout tellement amical et utile les semaines.

Buts marqués contre Kellsek : Johnnes Marceau 13', 30', 66'; Robert Marceau 19', 78'; Henri Villenuve 89'

Buts marqués contre Vuam & Isma : Johnnes Marceau 26'; Robert Marceau 39', 70'

Very good tourney