Your weekly source of information and entertainment, Sports Journal #15 brought to you by our journalists, is here! 📖⚽

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ TRASH TALK AND ITS LIMITS IN FOOTBALL AND FOOTBALLTEAM

2/ NEW ITEMS

3/ FOOTBALL QUIZ

4/ “GOLDEN BALL”. WHAT WAS THAT?

5/ FOOTBALL IN THE ELITE 11TH ROUND

6/ PRESS RELEASE FROM КОТ БАЮН

7/ ABOUT EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. INTERVIEW

TRASH TALK AND ITS LIMITS IN FOOTBALL AND FOOTBALLTEAM

What is trash talk and what is its purpose?
Trash talk in football, as in other sports, is a form of psychological game between players aimed at unsettling the opponent, throwing them off balance, or creating doubt in their skills. This can take the form of verbal jabs, gestures, or insinuations during the game, as well as before or after it. In football, trash talk is an inseparable part of mental competition, though it often teeters on the line between healthy rivalry and disrespect. We must remember that it’s not only players or coaches who engage in this, but also fans, who use taunts, gestures, or chants to try to rattle the opposing team.

Examples in football

One of the most famous examples of trash talk in football is the incident involving Zinedine Zidane during the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy. In the 110th minute of extra time, with the score tied, there was the infamous confrontation between Zidane and Italy’s Marco Materazzi. Materazzi reportedly provoked Zidane by making offensive comments, which allegedly involved Zidane’s family. This led Zidane to react impulsively by headbutting Materazzi in the chest.

The headbutt resulted in a red card for Zidane, disqualifying him from the rest of the game and creating a dramatic moment that dominated the final. Did this incident affect Italy's victory? It’s quite possible, but it also shows that even the most seasoned players can lose their composure when certain boundaries are crossed. Attacking someone’s family is disgraceful, but some will go to such lengths to achieve their goals.

Another example is Vinícius Júnior, the Brazilian winger of Real Madrid, who has also been targeted by provocations and trash talk from rivals, which has become especially evident in recent years in La Liga. Vinícius, known for his fast and dynamic playing style, is frequently a target of aggressive fouls as well as psychological tactics aimed at throwing him off his game. Many of these incidents have taken the form of racist and offensive remarks, sparking widespread debate over the limits of behavior on the pitch.

Here, a significant paradox arises, which has been visible for years not only in football but in many aspects of life. Attacks on family members, innocent parties, or even death threats haven’t stirred as much public discussion as racist abuse but only in one direction. An example here is the incident involving Mbappe and Jordi Alba. In one exchange, Alba allegedly directed an offensive remark towards Mbappé, to which the Frenchman responded provocatively, saying, "On the street, you’d already be dead." If Alba had made a similar remark, he would probably have faced a financial penalty or suspension. However, Mbappé faced no consequences.

Trash talk in FootballTeam

The addition of match chats was one of the best updates, as it brought in the possibility of trash talk or just regular conversation for players competing against each other. I have used match chat many times myself, mainly for conversation but also to "heat things up," of course, within certain moral boundaries. Often, when an opponent engaged in chat, they forgot to make changes on time or failed to adjust their tactics. However, sometimes matches that were very intense led to storms on the match chat.

Usually, it went the same way: as long as the match was close or when the opponent was already losing, there was silence, but when the tide turned in favor of the rivals, they began a heated exchange. I still remember from the TA vs. DS games, where loko had the most to say, but only after the game ended, venting his frustration, probably hoping that no one would check the finished match and read his jabs, which often turned quite offensive. As I mentioned, I myself liked to provoke opponents on the chat, mainly because they would make mistakes, but also partly due to past times when we didn’t often have the chance to win, so certain situations that arose when someone crossed the line were also somewhat my responsibility.

Recently, though, I’ve been checking out the games of the "Russians" and Pe, and honestly, during the games I’ve been a part of, I’ve never seen such insults, insinuations, or sheer defamation. It usually looked the same: 5 or 6 Pe players tried their best against Matt Agustin, sometimes joined by one of the Russian players. I can’t show screenshots here as they would be too intense. In the last match between these two teams, a few people from Tsubasa even showed up, including moderator wylewinho, and I understand that match chats aren’t areas where he can act, but a moderator should set an example, not join in these actions.

I believe that the matches between these two teams should be monitored and action taken against those who clearly cross any moral and social norms. I also mean the xenophobic attacks targeting Russian players and others, with false information being spread to fuel hatred against them. Many vile accusations and attacks on Poles are claimed, but when I tried to find out more, everyone only heard it from someone else, and no one has screenshots except for gifs with the USSR flag or Stalin.

Author:  Bestia

NEW ITEMS

Last Monday, another new item appeared that can enrich our account with additional PTS. I won't hide the fact that I was surprised by the underwear in this version. Obviously, every footballer probably has this type of wardrobe under his shorts, but the item itself and the way it is presented amused me a bit. In fact, the same situation applies to undershirts, which have also been available for some time now, and whose form resembles typical basketball shirts more than football shirts.

In my opinion, it would be much more accurate if these items were presented in the form of simply thermal/compression clothing, which footballers often wear, especially in the autumn and winter. I believe that this type of graphic presentation of Items would be more appropriate for the football theme. However, this is just my observation, it is not intended to be any kind of criticism.

In today's article, I would like to think about what other possibilities football items have left and what they could look like, what effects they could give. 

I must admit that there are few options left for clothing, or maybe there are none at all. Therefore, in my opinion, what could still be an addition to our player, are actually two items that appear during a traditional football match. The first and probably most obvious item is the captain's armband. I believe that this type of item could be a really interesting addition to the game, but on slightly different terms. Namely, it would not be an item that we gain in training, in packs or create individually for the player's account. The armband would be available to each club at no additional cost. 

And what would it give? In my opinion, a player in the team who would receive this item in a given match would simply have a double meaning, he would gain, for example, doubled PTS  or selected ones, e.g. 2-3 PTS. Someone will say that then the club will always choose the strongest, which is why there should be a limit, for example, each player can wear the captain's armband in a maximum of 5 matches in a season. Considering the number of matches, each owner would have to plan its use well, so that they would not run out of this option for the season-ending final.

In addition, the armband would not only bring benefits, but also threats. Each player who played in a match with the armband would be twice as likely to be fouled in the match, the possibility of being sent off due to injuries, or a red card. After all, it is not only about gaining and ensuring an even greater advantage over the opponent, but also being able to potentially lose it by taking such a risk.

The armband itself could be available at, for example, platinum level and have upgrade options from resources available in the club's warehouse. The item would be the first team item that would not be permanently assigned to only one player, which would certainly be beneficial for the team spirit. In my opinion, you cannot always rely on individual items, after all, this is still a game in which the main assumption is football, and as we know, we either play as a team or not at all.

Another item that appears on real pitches is the goalie helmet, which has now even become a requirement for the youth teams of the Belgian club Genk. In this case, obviously it would only be available to goalkeepers in the game, but it could also be a club item that any team could obtain. Thanks to it, the goalie would gain more skills and become a more important element of the game on the pitch, allowing, for example, to avoid multiple hockey scores, which are very common these days.

In my opinion, team items should be the next step in the development of the game, if there are any more items in the administration's plans. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Author: Carlos Moura

FOOTBALL QUIZ

👑 The winners of the last edition are:

100 Keys 🔑 Premium - PanEgo

10,000 ⚡ Energy - Rob727 1208 & Kloz

Hello! I'm here with another part of the football quiz series. Of course, there are prizes in the form of 100 Keys 🔑 Premium for the first person to answer correctly and 10,000 ⚡ Energy for two random people with the correct answer. Let's start!

1/ Name and surname of the player: 

Born on April 1, 1927 in Budapest, he is one of the greatest football players in history. His career was full of successes, and his name became synonymous with the beautiful game. He began his football adventure in Kispest Budapest in 1942. Even at a young age, he distinguished himself with extraordinary talent and quickly became the star of the team. In 1945, he made his debut for the Hungarian national team, starting an era of dominance in Hungarian football.

The 1950s were a golden age for Hungarian football, and the player was its undisputed leader. Together with his teammates, he formed a team called the "Golden Eleven", which won the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games and reached the final of the 1954 World Cup. The player was a true "national hero" and scored 84 goals in 85 matches for the Hungarian national team.

After the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, he emigrated to Spain and joined Real Madrid. There he continued his impressive career, winning 5 Spanish championship titles and 3 European Cups. In 1961, he received Spanish citizenship and played 4 matches for the Spanish national team.

After ending his football career in 1966, he began working as a coach. He coached many clubs, including Alaves, Panathinaikos and Colo-Colo. His experience and knowledge were valued in the world of football.

He died on November 17, 2006 in Budapest. His death was a great loss to the world of football. However, his memory will live on in the hearts of fans all over the world.

He was not only an outstanding footballer, but also a true ambassador of football. His style of play, full of elegance and finesse, inspired generations of footballers. He is a football legend whose name has been written into the pages of history. His career was full of successes, and his talent and skills were undeniable. His memory will live on in the hearts of fans all over the world.

2/ Manager name:

Born in 1974, he is an Austrian coach who left his mark on the European football scene. His coaching career began in 2012 as an assistant to Roger Schmidt at RB Salzburg. After several years as an assistant, in 2015 he took over as head coach of LASK Linz, where he quickly built a strong team that won the Austrian Second League championship in 2017 and 2nd place in the 1st League in 2019. This was a turning point in his career that attracted the attention of bigger clubs.

In 2019 he moved to VfL Wolfsburg, where his success continued. In 2021 he led the team to the German Cup final and also to the qualification for the Champions League.

In 2021 he became the coach of Eintracht Frankfurt. In 2022 he achieved the greatest success of his career, leading the team to triumph in the Europa League. Eintracht defeated Rangers in the final on penalties.

In 2024 he became the coach of Crystal Palace. This is a new challenge for the Austrian coach, who hopes to repeat the successes of his previous clubs.

He is a coach who has built a strong reputation in Europe. His successes at LASK Linz, VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt are testament to his skills and talent. He is known for his attacking style of play and effective team management.

Author: Wylewinho

“GOLDEN BALL”. WHAT WAS THAT?

On October 28, the annual gala ceremony for soccer's most important individual awards took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

source: yandex pictures

This event, the highlight of the year for millions of soccer fans, is held under the scrutiny of the whole world. Preparations for the ceremony are a complex and multi-stage process that takes many months. The French magazine France Football, the traditional organizer of the event, worked closely with FIFA and UEFA this year - a partnership that began this year and has significantly expanded the geographical reach and prestige of the ceremony. As early as September 4, 2024, the world learned the names of the nominees for the nine prestigious awards. 

After the lists are made public, the second, no less important stage begins: the voting. It involves head coaches and captains of national soccer teams from all over the world, as well as sports journalists with in-depth knowledge of soccer. Voting is anonymous in order to eliminate the influence of external factors and ensure maximum objectivity.

A few days have passed and, following the established tradition, the media published information about the Ballon d'Or winner. This deliberately organized “leak” of data happens every year and usually turns out to be correct.

As a result of this controlled leak, it was revealed that in 2024, the top prize in the world of soccer for the past season will go to Vinicius Júnior, a player of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team.

The soccer community, accustomed to such events, reservedly awaited the award ceremony. Vinicius himself not only waited for this moment, but also actively preparing for it. According to a number of sources, the day before he bought an expensive tuxedo and booked a table in an elite restaurant for 20 people. 

In the recent El Clasico loss, Vinicius told Gavi that “we lost 0-4 but I will go for the Ballon d'Or on Monday”.

Real Madrid were also preparing. The club believed that they could take away a number of other awards, such as “Coach of the Year” and “Best Men's Club of the Year.” Therefore, a lot of special events were planned.

Anyway, the day before the Ballon d'Or award ceremony, the Western media leaked the news that the prize would not go to Vinicius, but to Manchester City's Rodri. 

It is clear that on the eve of the event, everyone is busy organizing: the script, seating, and so on. Therefore, this information was taken as truth. Real Madrid also realized this and canceled a charter flight for their delegation an hour before departure to Paris. According to insider Fabrizio Romano, Madrid thus expressed their dissatisfaction with the vote results and ignored the ceremony.

“Rodri won the Ballon d'Or-2024. Vinicius Junior was second and another Real Madrid player, midfielder Jude Bellingham, rounded out the top three.

All signs suggest that someone changed the voting results at the very last moment and put the Spaniard in place of the Brazilian. But why? Soccer fans are divided in their opinions.  In my opinion, of all the versions, the most interesting are two: one is self-serving and the other is noble.

The self-serving idea is to “punish” Real Madrid. After all, Florentino Perez is in conflict with UEFA. Perez wants to create a new tournament, the Super League, which would be an alternative to the Champions League. Since now FIFA and UEFA squeeze “all the juices” out of the top teams. Naturally, the world and European soccer associations are against such an initiative.

The noble version is to return the award to its former soccer prestige. In recent years, it has become more a prize for media personalities than for the best on the field. Recognition has often outweighed performance, favoring familiar names like Messi and Ronaldo. While prolific strikers inevitably grab attention, they aren't the only ones contributing to their teams' success or deserving of the highest accolades. This time, forward Vinicius Junior appeared as the more media-friendly figure compared to his main competitor, Rodri. I hope that after this ceremony, fans will once again find the Ballon d'Or worth watching. What do you think?

Author: Zidane

FOOTBALL IN THE ELITE 11TH ROUND

Hello Football Team community.

The top flight of football is the pinnacle of the world's most popular sport. It is where the best players, coaches and teams face off in search of glory and the most coveted titles. The intensity of the matches, the rivalry between the clubs and the passion of the fans make each game a unique spectacle. 

The Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France) stand out worldwide.

The Polish league, or Ekstraklasa, is led by Lech Poznań with 31 points in the 2024/2025 season, followed by Jagiellonia Białystok with 28 and Raków Częstochowa with 27 in third place.

The Poles have no representatives in the Champions League or Europa League 2024/2025.

In Football Team, the current Polish League leader during the 11th round is Новиград with 11 wins and 33 points, Mazovia Mady in second with 28 points and Wings third with 26 points.

The statistics are as follows

Top scorer  Плохиш with 30 goals

Assists Llorando with 19

Interceptions Paweł Wienconek

Goalkeeper MAD воротила

The English League, or Premier League 2024/2025, promises to be another season full of excitement. In the 9th round, Manchester City is the leader with 23 points, Liverpool is second with 22 points, and Arsenal is third with 18 points.

English teams in the Champions League

🔹Manchester City

🔹Arsenal

🔹Liverpool

🔹Aston Villa

Europa League

🔹Tottenham

🔹Manchester United

In the Football Team, the English League is in the 11th round, Polish DF

the leader with 33 points, Salford City in second place we also have 27 points (losing in goal difference), and ФК Спартак М in third with 26 points.

The statistics are as follows:

Top scorer Ronaldo Nazario with 40 goals

Assist bardep with 20

Interceptions Fibonacci

Goalkeeper Jose Kubinho

In Serie A 2024/2025, the main football league in Italy, in the 10th round Napoli leads with 25 points, the second place is occupied by Internazionale with 21 points and in third place we have Atalanta with 19 points.

Italian teams in the Champions League

🔹Inter Milan

🔹Milan

🔹Juventus

🔹Bologna

🔹Atalanta

Europa League

🔹Lazio

🔹Roma

In Football Team, the Italian League is in the 11th round. The team which leads is BAVOVNA with 33 points, FC BARS is second with 31 points (losing on goal difference) and La Familia is third with 28 points.

The statistics are as follows:

Top scorer PanEgo with 26 goals

Assist Großvater with 19

Interceptions Bartas

Goalkeeper Журавлев Максим

La Liga, also known as Primera División, is the top division of Spanish professional football. After 11 rounds, Barcelona leads with 30 points in first place in the 2024/2025 season, Real Madrid with 24 points in second place, and Villarreal with 21 points in third place.

Spanish teams in the Champions League

🔹Real Madrid

🔹Barcelona

🔹Girona

🔹Atlético de Madrid

Europa League 

🔹Athletic Bilbao

🔹Real Sociedad

In the Spanish Football Team League, we are in the 11th round. The leader is FC ParaBellum with 33 points, Matata holds the second place with 33 points (goal difference), and the third place is occupied by  FC HIENAS with 27 points.

The statistics are as follows:

Top scorer Pi100let with 47 goals

Assists Slon with 17

Disputes Dizzy Reed

Goalkeeper BETON

The seasons are still in their early stages, many things still to happen. But we expect great games, and many goals.

And you, player, can you point out your favorites in the European leagues and in the Football Team in the comments?

Big hug and see you next time.

Author:Fábio Muri

PRESS RELEASE FROM КОТ БАЮН

A blog by a Кот Баюн. We discuss rumors, go over all the updates, and ponder over the weekly recap.

" Questions and Answers ” - “ Q&A "

Today we are moving away from the usual update review. To the Q&A we will give a Q&A that will ask questions that we will not find answers to. I approach relationships monotonously and straightforwardly. 

In the context of our game, I would like to sing: "I notice more and more", but I see the same questions about the leagues. Of course, already in clubs at the 300-point level in the rating, you can see signs of a decline. To put it simply, these are places where you can "poke with a stick" and check if there are still signs of life. In dead clubs and even more deadly leagues, the same questions are still asked: "When will the change happen?" The changes that have been requested for a long time include the creation of one first league, two second leagues and four third leagues. This seems logical - it could increase competitiveness. For a moment. Because in three months on the servers, competition has already disappeared in two of the first four leagues, and will soon disappear in the third.

Everyone wants rewards, but the situation is that well-trained clubs in the Super League have a +50% bonus, and in the first league there is no bonus. There are even votes to remove the first 3 leagues and reduce the number of rewards for winning in NK and the league by four times. Logic has left the chat.

If anyone else from the first leagues or SL really wanted to play. Five players with an OVR of 5000+ do not play in either SL or the first league. Or an example from this season - LIONHEART did everything to get into SL, probably for the 50% bonus in the top of the week, and FC HIENAS who despite seventh place in the ranking still play in the 1st league and that was the plan and it was carried out.

The twelfth team in SL and the seventh in the first league. Why is no one asking when there will be a clear division? When will the corresponding decision be made? Can we fix this? Why do we need this division at all? Last season, the SL team completely fell apart and another team was nominated in his place. Every season has some problems. It would be nice to finally make a decision on this issue. 

In general, this is not so important. The more important question is the map module. And there is only one question left: when will this module become convenient? The first thing that immediately comes to mind and what is still missing is the marking of maps. It seems that players have been asking for this for half a year. The game "fights" with the use of external resources, proving the viability of the system. At the same time, I can't check which collections the card goes to. 

Sorting cards in the album still doesn't work correctly. I can't check where I can get a 10% discount on training. I can't figure out the maximum level of a card. You'll have to count everything, check it in Excel and graphs, or ask more experienced players. The interface is not intuitive. Although I often say that the card module itself is great and has given the game a new life and development, there are interesting new cards and a good direction for changes. 

But we would like simplicity and comfort, like the warmth of a woman's hand. What we don't want is cheaper training. The proposal to reduce the discount on electricity is redundant. In the game, the difference in OVR between the 1st and 30th player is x3, and between the 30th and 100th - x2.5. We need to reduce the differences between players, not increase them. 

Why don't you introduce "game experience"? We have chemistry, so maybe we should add some experience? For example, the more you play against stronger opponents, the stronger your character becomes and the more bonuses it gets. The bigger the difference in OVR between clubs, the bigger the bonus or penalty for players in subsequent matches. When we often play against weaker teams, we can relax. 

I am not against top players and do not want to make their life difficult. On the contrary, I support them - they are the ones who support our game. But I would like the competition to be not only between two teams. I would like teams to approach matches wisely. This requires more tools for conducting matches. And as long as everything is primitive and banal, we will continue to be as if “on a fork” and “at the mercy of fate.”

Author:  Кот Баюн

ABOUT EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. INTERVIEW

Hello everyone, this is Nika! Today I will not write about the Super League or the cups (although who knows), because a lot of time has passed since those events, and the newspaper now has new deadlines, and these events may already be forgotten. However, it is a great opportunity to go back to that day and reminisce a little.

Today I decided to interview a person who is a friend of mine, with whom I shared a long and fascinating journey through the world of FootballTeam. How long I tried to convince him to join our team, what "promises" we made to each other and planned to move mountains! He transferred to Green Street Hooligans, but then he came back and stayed with us permanently. In the end, we became very good friends, built a good team and achieved really good results, which our teammates can probably confirm.

I think you already know who I am talking about - Nikita, of course, known as VeNoM.

Interviewer: Hello, friend. I admit that I didn't expect you to leave the game before me. I even had the title of my farewell article ready, but you got ahead of me. 😁 Tell me how it all started and how did you end up in FootballTeam? What was your first team?

Nikita: Hi, Nika! What can you do, that's how things turned out. 😢 I got into this great game through YouTube - the football bloggers I watched were advertising it, so I decided to give it a try. It was May, 11th grade, and I was supposed to be preparing for exams... The first team was Magnitius City, a clan of Templars. I think everyone knew them, there were a lot of jokes about them.

Journalist: Haha, yes, bloggers used to advertise the game well. I also remember the Templars. Tell me when the game really got you hooked, what was the breakthrough moment and how did you end up in Hooligans?

Nikita: Together with the great Mikhail Udarov, who wrote that attackers need to improve their anticipation, we decided that this format did not suit us and left the "clan", creating our own team.

Journalist: Oh, I remember Mikhail and his most controversial article from that issue. He was the one who motivated me to write a correction. 😂 The editors removed some of the text, so the article ended up being calmer, but I was writing it the whole week! You can "thank him" for discovering my writing talent.

Back to you - I remember how long I was trying to convince you to join Hooligans (yes, the club had a pretty bad reputation when I took it over). Eventually, you ended up in our family. How was it? Remember how I always said that Hooligans and Hulo are almost family? It's a real sign, as in HuloGans 😂

Nikita: At that time, I didn't know much about clubs, especially their reputation. You were trying to convince me for a long time, mainly because Hooligans were just getting back on their feet and the activity was increasing. Finally, I decided to try and join a new team, which I don't regret. I got to know the world of FT and many players, I made a lot of friends then. The best time was playing mafia and crocodile in Telegram chats. Later, it drew me in so much that I became the owner of Hulo and led the team until the merger with the Poles. 🤭

Journalist: I remember someone came back to us and reached the leader position. Thanks for that - those were great days in the game, full of emotional matches and long-awaited cups. Do you regret ending the game? Do you not feel like going back?

Nikita: I don't feel like coming back for now. Now I have a very busy period in life and no free time to login to this best game. I'm not sure if I'll come back - I don't like starting everything from scratch, because I'm too far behind in terms of OVR and I would have to start building my position again. Maybe I'll drop by from time to time and see how the game, the RU server teams and our players from the previous server are developing.

Journalist: Thank you for your time! Always happy to chat with you.

I won't bother Nikita any longer, but I am grateful that he finally responded to my invitation, that he was a huge support in the development of the club, there was colossal support both from him and from all our players, we all really united. And also for the growth of my character, whose form reached its peak, thanks to him.

Although he left the game, he still stayed with us in the chats and supports us.

In conclusion, a player can leave FootballTeam, but FootballTeam will never leave the player's memory, because this world of the game has brought us new acquaintances, friends, various emotions - from joy to anger and storms in the chats.

Author: NIKNEST