Campionato Esportiva 24
| Campionato Esportiva - Velestria 0322 | |
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| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Velestria |
| Dates | 1 June – 13 June |
| Teams | 24 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Kita-Hinode (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Dreamplanet |
| Third place |  Mattijana |
| Fourth place |  Damukuni |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 52 |
| Goals scored | 184 (3.54 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Luis Silva (9 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Iori Saitou |
| Best young player | Miguel Benedito |
The 24th Campionato Esportiva, commonly referred to as Campionato Esportiva XXIV or simply CE 24, was the 24th Campionato Esportiva, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Esportiva. It was held in Velestria from 10 June to 13 June 2019. Mattijana were the defending champions, having won the CE 23 tournaments, but were eliminated in the semi-final by Dreamplanet. Kita-Hinode won the tournament for the second time, following a 4–1 victory over underdogs Dreamplanet, in the final played at the Kylde Stadium.
The tournament was rich in surprises and upsets: San José Guayabal and Polkopia were eliminated in the group stage, Apox, South Covello and Mattijana had to resort to advancing as one of the best third placed teams, while Mattijana, the defending champions, were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Dreamplanet. The Kita-Hinode team went on a flawless victory streak to reach the final, eliminating Apox and Brenecia along the way. Dreamplanet were defeated by Kita-Hinode with goals from Iori Saitou, Cherry Whitecastle and Kalamani Kanani. Dreamplanet's run was unexpected, considering that they had only debuted in the previous edition of the Campionato Esportiva and failed to win a game.
The Campionato Esportiva tournament was contested by 24 teams, Under this format, the finalists contested a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout phase including three rounds and the final.
Velestria was chosen as the host nation on 25 May 2019, after a bidding process in which they were uncontested for the right to host the 24th edition. The matches were played in eight stadiums in eight cities: Dragonpoolborough, Reading-upon-Wychester, Fullham, Applegate City, Southampshire, Green Landing, Agraria and Old Birmingham. It was the first time that Velestria hosted the finals.
Bid process
Only one bid came before the deadline on 19 May 2019. Velestria being the only single bid.
The host was selected on 25 May 2019.
| Country | Round | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (votes) | ||
 Velestria
|
2 | |
| Re-open bidding | 1 | |
| Abstain | 0 | |
 ROBOSTANIA |
Withdrew | |
| Total | 3 | |
Qualified teams
Nineteen of the thirty-two teams (including hosts Velestria) that entered for CE 23 entered again for the 2016 final tournament. Among them were defending European champions Mattijana, and last edition's runners-up Brenecia.
Western Carolina Union, Ceyne Isles and Ancherion all had their debut after missing out on the 23th edition. Returning to the final tournament after long absences were Polkopia for the first time since CE 17, and San Jose Guayabal for the first time since their last appeareance at CE 20.
Three teams secured their first-ever qualification to a Campionato Esportiva tournament: Western Carolina Union, Ceyne Isles and Ancherion all having their debut after missing out on the 23th edition, neither had ever participated in a major tournament.
Gergary and Vangaziland originally had planned to enter but later withdraw due to unspecified reasons.
Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
| Team | Entered on | Best finish in tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Damukuni |
4 May 2019 | Round of 16 (CE 15) |
 San José Guayabal |
4 May 2019 | Runners-Up (CE 15, CE 18) |
 Fhulghamous Peninsula |
4 May 2019 | Third Place (CE 23) |
 Copper Cuprum |
4 May 2019 | Round of 16 (CE 21, CE 22) |
 Brenecia |
4 May 2019 | Champions (CE 14, CE 17, CE 19, CE 22) |
 Ceyne Isles |
4 May 2019 | Group Stage (CE 19) |
| Mattijana |
4 May 2015 | Champions (CE 23) |
 Ancherion |
4 May 2019 | Debut |
| ROBOSTANIA |
4 May 2019 | Debut |
| Velestria (H) |
4 May 2019 | Group Stage (CE 23) |
 Apox |
4 May 2019 | Champions (CE 4, CE 5, CE 16) |
 Filindostan |
4 May 2019 | Third Place (CE 23) |
 Bongo Johnson |
4 May 2019 | Round of 16 (CE 4) |
| Dreamplanet |
4 May 2019 | Group Stage (CE 23) |
 Xanneria |
4 May 2019 | Group Stage (CE 23) |
 The Golden Lotus |
5 May 2019 | Round of 16 (CE 23) |
| Kita-Hinode |
5 May 2019 | Champions (CE 21) |
 Racing |
5 May 2019 | Quarter-Final (CE 22) |
 Cyborg Cocoabo Islands |
7 May 2019 | Group Stage (CE 23) |
 Polkopia |
7 May 2019 | Quarter-Final (CE 17) |
 Western Carolina Union |
9 May 2019 | Debut |
 South Covello |
16 May 2019 | Quarter-Final (CE 23) |
 Natanians and Nosts |
17 May 2019 | Quarter-Final (CE 23) |
 Newmanistan |
19 May 2019 | Round of 16 (CE 21, CE 22, CE 23) |
Final draw
The draw for the finals took place in Southampshire, Velestria on 25 May 2019 at 1:57 PM. The 24 qualified teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, with the hosts Velestria being automatically placed in position A1. The remaining teams were seeded into four pots of five (Pot 1) or six teams (Pots 2, 3 and 4). As the title holders, Mattijana were seeded in Pot 1, while the other 22 teams were seeded according to the CE Rankings updated after the completion of the 23rd Campionato Esportiva.
Hosts Velestria (coefficient 3.06; rank 21st) were automatically assigned to position A1 and reigning champions Mattijana.
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Teams were drawn consecutively into Group A to F. First, the Pot 1 teams were assigned to the first positions of their groups, while next the positions of all other teams were drawn separately from Pot 4 to 2 (for the purposes of determining the match schedules in each group).
The draw resulted in the following groups:
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Venues
Eight stadiums were used for the competition, chosen on 30 May 2019.
The choices were Dragonpoolborough, Reading-upon-Wychester, Fullham, Applegate City, Southampshire, Green Landing, Agraria and Old Birmingham, each city had a stadium and infamously Agaria had a stadium built just for the purpose of hosting the Campionato Esportiva.
Finals format
To accommodate the expansion from a 16-team finals tournament to 24 teams, the format was changed from that used in 2012 with the addition of two extra groups in the group stage, and an extra round in the knockout phases. The six groups (A to F) still contained four teams each, with the top two from each group still going through to the knockout phase. In the new format, however, the four best third-ranked sides also progress, leaving 16 teams going into the new round-of-16 knockout phases, ahead of the usual quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, and only 8 teams going out at the group stage. The format is exactly the one that was applied to the previous edition, this format generates a total of 52 matches.
Group stage
Velestria announced the tournament schedule on 25 May 2019. Group winners, runners-up, and the best four third-placed teams advanced to the Round of 16.
Tiebreakers
If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following tie-breaking criteria would be applied:
- Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
- Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question;
- Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
- If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3, teams still had an equal ranking (e.g. if criteria 1 to 3 were applied to three teams that were level on points initially and these criteria separated one team from the other two who still have an equal ranking), criteria 1 to 3 would be reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who were still level to determine their final rankings. If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 9 would apply;
- Superior goal difference in all group matches;
- Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
- If only two teams had the same number of points, and they were tied according to criteria 1–6 after having met in the last round of the group stage, their ranking would be determined by a penalty shoot-out. (This criterion would not be used if more than two teams had the same number of points.);
- A coin flip would be held to break the tie.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filindostan
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 7 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Velestria
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | |
| 3 | ROBOSTANIA
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bongo Johnson
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damukuni
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Copper Cuprum
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | South Covello
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Western Carolina Union
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xanneria
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Newmanistan
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3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Mattijana
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3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Polkopia
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3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 |
| Newmanistan | 1–0 | Xanneria |
|---|---|---|
Chase Lassiter  62' |
| Xanneria | 3–2 | Mattijana |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hailey ?' Richard Presentino ?'Devon'elle Leymore 82' |
?' Sofiane Bisrali 70' Kara Lorenzič |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dreamplanet
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Fhulghamous Peninsula
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3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 | |
| 3 | Apox
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 3 | |
| 4 | San José Guayabal
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3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | -9 | 0 |
| Apox | 1–4 | Dreamplanet |
|---|---|---|
| Marcy Blake-Tatum 58' |
13', 17', 80' Luis Silva 51' Paulo Figueiredo |
| Dreamplanet | 3–1 | San José Guayabal |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Silva 38' Aaron Hungar 46'Miguel Benedito 89' |
7' Marco Palacios |
| Fhulghamous Peninsula | 1–1 | Dreamplanet |
|---|---|---|
| Salvatore Pelucci 27' |
63' Antonio Luis |
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kita-Hinode
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Racing
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3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Ceyne Isles
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | |
| 4 | The Golden Lotus
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3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brenecia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 9 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | Natanians and Nosts
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3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Cyborg Cocoabo Islands
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Ancherion
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3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 0 |
| Brenecia | 6–2 | Ancherion |
|---|---|---|
| Elysse Matheson 28' Kara Ciogach 33', 80'Lauren Cheney 41'Cathal Keynes 58'Niall Bremner 88' |
??', ??' |
| Brenecia | 2–0 | Natanians and Nosts |
|---|---|---|
| Kara Ciogach 17' Corby Wheeler 48' |
| Cyborg Cocoabo Islands | 0–1 | Brenecia |
|---|---|---|
| 63' Ceridwen Fletcher |
Ranking of third-placed teams
Mattijana was the top third-placed team with South Covello in second best and Apox was the third best as a result of having more goals than the Ceyne Isles who finished ahead of the Cyborg Cocoabo Islands due to a coinflip.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Mattijana
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3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Knockout phase |
| 2 | B | South Covello
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3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | D | Apox
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 3 | |
| 4 | E | Ceyne Isles
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | |
| 5 | F | Cyborg Cocoabo Islands
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | |
| 6 | A | ROBOSTANIA
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
Knockout phase
In the knockout phase, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.
The top two placed teams from each of the six groups, plus the four best-placed third teams, qualified for the knockout stage, the following teams qualified for the round of 16:
| Group | Winners | Runners-up | Third-placed teams (Best four qualify) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Filindostan
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Velestria
|
N/A |
| B | Damukuni
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Copper Cuprum
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South Covello
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| C | Xanneria
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Newmanistan
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Mattijana
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| D | Dreamplanet
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Fhulghamous Peninsula
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Apox
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| E | Kita-Hinode
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Racing
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Ceyne Isles
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| F | Brenecia
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Natanians and Nosts
|
N/A |
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 7 June – The Moor | ||||||||||||||
| Velestria (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 9 June – The Moor | ||||||||||||||
| Newmanistan | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| Velestria | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – Riverwood Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Dreamplanet | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Dreamplanet | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 11 June – Klyde Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| South Covello | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Dreamplanet (p) | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – The Moor | ||||||||||||||
| Mattijana | 2 (1) | |||||||||||||
| Filindostan | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 9 June – Hartford Park | ||||||||||||||
| Mattijana | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Mattijana | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – Saints Park | ||||||||||||||
| Brenecia | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Copper Cuprum | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 13 June – Klyde Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Brenecia | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Dreamplanet | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – Stadium of Vonna | ||||||||||||||
| Kita-Hinode | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Xanneria | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 9 June – Riverwood Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Apox | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Apox | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – Riverwood Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Kita-Hinode (p) | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Kita-Hinode | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 11 June – Klyde Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Fhulghamous Peninsula | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Kita-Hinode (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 7 June – Blue Sky Sports Complex | ||||||||||||||
| Damukuni | 1 | Third place play-off | ||||||||||||
| Damukuni | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 9 June – Birmingham-Park | 12 June – Klyde Stadium | |||||||||||||
| Ceyne Isles | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Damukuni | 1 | Mattijana | 3 | |||||||||||
| 7 June – Hartford Park | ||||||||||||||
| Natanians and Nosts | 0 | Damukuni | 0 | |||||||||||
| Natanians and Nosts | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Racing | 3 | |||||||||||||
Round of 16
| Velestria | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Newmanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 4–2 | ||
| Dreamplanet | 3–2 | South Covello |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Silva 43', 67' Aaron Hungar 90+3' |
23' Coconut Charles 31' Henry Ocho |
| Copper Cuprum | 0–2 | Brenecia |
|---|---|---|
| 71' Kara Ciogach 80' Falcon Case |
Quarter-finals
| Velestria | 1–2 | Dreamplanet |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta Clark 67' |
51' Luis Silva 79' Jorge Cardozo |
| Apox | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Kita-Hinode |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–4 | ||
Semi-finals
| Dreamplanet | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Mattijana |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Silva 37', 81' |
57', 90+1' Kara Lorenzič |
|
| Penalties | ||
Luis Silva  Aaron Hungar Antonio Luis Miguel Benedito |
4–1 | Kara Lorenzič Mattias Hoffman Katarina Jakupovic |
Third place play-off
Final
| Dreamplanet | 1–4 | Kita-Hinode |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio Luis 10' |
37' (pen.) Iori Saitou 56' Cherry Whitecastle 81', 88' Kamalani Kanani |
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 184 goals scored in 52 matches, for an average of 3.54 goals per match.
9 goals
7 goals
- Iori Saitou
6 goals
- Kara Ciogach
4 goals
- Kara Lorenzič
3 goals
2 goals
- Antonio Luis
- Kamalani Kanani
- Marko Hojbjerg
1 goal
- Marcy Blake-Tatum
- Cathal Keynes
- Ceridwen Fletcher
- Corby Wheeler
- Elysse Matheson
- Falcon Case
- Lauren Cheney
- Niall Bremner
- Jorge Cardozo
- Miguel Benedito
- Paulo Figueiredo
- Salvatore Pelucci
- Cherry Whitecastle
- Mattias Hoffman
- Sofiane Bisrali
- Robert Webster
- Marco Palacios
- Coconut Charles
- Henry Ocho
- Agusta Clark
- Devon'elle Leymore
- Glenn Hailey
- Richard Presentino
Assists
8 assists
- Cherry Whitecastle
4 assists
- Miguel Benedito
3 assists
2 assists
- Jessika Struna
1 assist
- Cathal Keynes
- Luis da Costa
- Luis Silva
- Han Ji-hun
- Iori Saitou
- Raiden Kojima
- Chase Lassiter
- Katarina Jakupovic
- Sophia Velezia
- Chris Banker
- Jamar Lyman
Clean sheets
- 4 clean sheets
- Joni Toklu
- 3 clean sheets
- Rostyn Calhoun
- 2 clean sheets
- Han Ji-Hun
- Lucija Handanovic
- 1 clean sheet
- Tregatta Spitfire
- Anna St. Preux
- Bradini Vazconcelos Redentor
- Gerry Nafari Nasution
- João Foster
- Sergio Lopez
- James Vasser
- Matthew Tyler
Discipline
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:
| Player | Offence(s) | Suspension(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Cal Yachtwood
|
 in Round of 16 vs Dreamplanet (7 June 2019)
|
Quarter-Final (9 June 2019) |
| Jorge Cardozo
|
  in Quarter-Final vs Velestria (9 June 2019)
|
Semi-Final vs Mattijana (9 June 2019) |
Issues & Controversies
Velish protests
Despite a promising and hopeful bidding campaign, the Velish natives were not happy with the outcome that bidding for the Campionato Esportiva had been, most highlighted the promise of changing the life of the locals for the better which was aggravated by the N$700 refurbishment fee, however protests were had on the opening days with the chants of "CE go home" around Reading-upon-Wychester despite the warm welcome from the foreign fans as the political climate in Velestria was one of suspected corruption, an economical crisis looming and social services crumbling, fans were also aggrevated by the N$960 price for the opening game of the tournament and the poor state of Hartford Park called into question. The High Primo of the Eden Church of The Ja’barilands sent a message wishing Velestria “the 7 Sons’ blessings” and called for football to be used as a tool of peace to unite the peoples of the Crown Federation and heal broken ties throughout the nation, but in Old Birmingham tear gas had been used on 400 protesters by military police and riot enforcement personnel due to the protesters disrupting the entrance to the stadium, raising security concerns and Statminister Winfrey Godsend questioned whether the Velish police could repell the so-called "attacks on democracy" throughout the tournament.
Despite this, the tournament has been considered a success by both the foreign delegations and the Velish government with a good atmosphere reported as many of the Velish fans had been calmed down by the good run of the hosts which lasted until the quarterfinal, commendations for the opening and closing ceremonies and it has become a tournament that the fans look back well on as a result of the many surprises of the tournament.
Referee competence and bias
In the South Covello vs Dreamplanet match in the Round of 16, Aaron Hungar had headed in a late corner in the 93rd minute, usually referees allow a few minutes if not seconds of play to see if the conceding team could salvage anything if possible, however the referee blew straight for full time during the celebrations, the South Covello players surrounded and inquired to the referee who refused any protest, the South Covellan press acused the referee of being purposely chosen to keep Dreamplanet in the tournament so that a Dreamplanet vs Velestria matchup could happen as Dreamplanet had some players playing in the Velish league.