Your weekly source of information and entertainment, Sports Journal #43 brought to you by our journalists, is here! 📖⚽

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ FOOTBALL QUIZ

2/ IS IT WORTH BEING A TROUBLEMAKER?

3/ BUILD A DECK, UPGRADE AND WIN - A GUIDE TO FOOTBALL TEAM CARDS

4/ ROYALTY HAS ARRIVED!

5/ FT'S TOP GOALKEEPERS IN THE SERVER CLASSIC

6/ MATCH REPORT POLISH DF – CLUB TIJUANA

7/ REFEREE CONTROVERSIES THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MANAGER #14

FOOTBALL QUIZ

👑 The winners of the last edition are: (Legacy)

100 Keys 🔑 Premium - SkibaK

10,000 ⚡ Energy - Bzykacz69 & Maestro

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. I'll be selecting the winners on Thursday at 8pm. Let's get started!

1/ Player name and surname:

Born on April 1, 1927 in Budapest, he is one of the greatest footballers 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 in the Hungarian national team, starting the era of dominance of Hungarian football.

The 1950s were a golden period 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 league titles and 3 European Cups. In 1961, he received Spanish citizenship and played 4 matches for the Spanish national team.

After retiring from football 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 17 November 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 is written in 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.

Author: Wylewinho

IS IT WORTH BEING A TROUBLEMAKER?

Dear readers!

Yes, it's me... This is your beloved Andrzejek and I would like to warmly welcome you after a short break in another edition of Sports Journal! Does my break from writing an article for you have anything to do with today's article? Indeed! Those who know me and follow my editorial career should already know very well that every piece of work prepared for you for Wednesday afternoon does not come from nowhere and practically always has a hidden meaning. Because where did it all start? I invite you to read!

Andrzejek the editor is usually a calm journalist of FootballTeam with a hint of controversy to arouse emotions related to the newspaper among players of the greatest browser game in the world. The articles are appropriately balanced so as not to violate the rules of acceptance of the material that I carefully prepare for you so that it sees the light of day. The limited number of characters, words and content of the topic combine into one whole and this "airtime" is not as large as on Discord. And here we move on smoothly.

As you well know or don't know, and you will certainly find out now because you are reading my articles, the FootballTeam game has its own server on the Discord platform, which is used for communication between players and moderators, moderators and administration or administration and players, it's simple. I have been competing with rivals on virtual pitches for a good few years now (I refer you to one of my last articles in which I presented the story of my player), while I joined the FootballTeam server on Discord sometime in September 2022.

Not knowing the community that prevails there, I was not entirely convinced whether it was a good move. Initially, I decided that I would gain the necessary XP in writing only for giveaways, where with your activity on the server in question, additional opportunities await you, such as participating in a draw for codes for energy, keys or credits (here I will just add for those unfamiliar with the subject that giving or writing is not required, you can use other options such as taking part in various Discord games or quizzes).

Returning to the topic, thanks to my dear friend Blomek, I found myself in discord and the machine started. Week by week I got more and more excited and to this day I really appreciate the contacts I managed to make thanks to the FT discord server - I met the guys from We Car It, Thunder, Dream State, Byk, Sebe and many others whom I could list for a good hour.

To the point... Discord Andrzejek felt so good about discord that for some his sense of humor became a problem - although he is like that every day! I was muted (mutated) many times, which caused many clashes, fortunately each of them was agreed and resolved. Joking, tweaking and such actions from my keyboard finally resulted in my account being banned.

Was it worth it? Yes and no. I am still myself all the time, no matter if it is real life or not, however, we have to remember that Discord FootballTeam is a server where we are not alone and we should consider whether our behavior is appropriate. My break was a time for reflection and drawing conclusions as to whether certain behaviors were appropriate to the situation. Do I 100% agree with the ban that I received? Of course not, because I wouldn't be myself, but I respect the opinion and decision of the administration.

Finishing my article today, I would like to summarize it in such a way that you remember that it's worth being yourself, but also remember that sometimes it's better to keep something to yourself than to write it and regret it later. We are not alone in discord, and if you are not there yet, dear player, I cordially invite you! Join, write, gain new acquaintances and experience so that you can discover more and more newly available giveaways!

With football greetings.

Andrzejek

Author: Andrzejek

BUILD A DECK, UPGRADE AND WIN - A GUIDE TO FOOTBALL TEAM CARDS

Where to get card packs and fame points?

Card packs can be obtained by exchanging collections, buying them from the market or store, we can get them by choosing them as the main prize in the calendar (if we want to get guaranteed gold cards but much less we can, we can also choose them) or by playing 250 duels during the season for which we will also get cards. It is similar with fame points, but we cannot get them from the market, duels, calendar or collection directly, but we can get them through the store or by selling cards that we have obtained from packs, we can sell, for example, only duplicates.

What do we get for exchanging collections?

By exchanging collections we gain various bonuses (such as 30% more euros for working for 12 hours), various assistants, golden balls, energy, crystals, drinks, keys, material fragments, packages and club points. In addition, we get the opportunity to unlock a slot, into which we can put any card, the statistics of which will be transferred to our player (this card can be changed as many times as we like).

How many collections do you need to exchange for a given slot?

1st slot - 10 collections

2nd slot - 28 collections

3rd slot - 54 collections

4th slot - 72 collections

5th slot - 82 collections

6th slot - 92 collections

7th slot - 100 collections

In the case when no collection has been exchanged yet. Slots can be upgraded, but to upgrade slot 2 the first one must be upgraded to level 15 and the same applies to the next ones.

How and what cards to upgrade?

To upgrade cards we need fame points. The best cards to upgrade are shown in the table below, which presents the maximum statistics of the best cards in the game.

How to compose a deck so that you leave nothing to luck?

During a duel, we can draw each of the 8 basic skills, and the duel itself has 11 rounds, so as we can conclude, skills can be repeated. So it is worth being prepared for each of these 8 skills and taking the best cards from these 8 skills to a deck that has 15 cards, and not focusing on, for example, only offensive and playmaking skills.

The biggest mistakes players make during duels:

10/ Taking the cards with the highest ratings in terms of overall rating, not skills. In duels, only individual skills count, the overall rating does not matter in this aspect of the game.

9/ Improving weak cards, i.e. improving cards that are far from the maximum skills they can have, for example Card XXX, which initially had 200 playability, improved to the maximum level only has 419 playability, where the maximum card has as much as 438, which makes a big difference.

8/ Not putting good cards into duels in slots that have more skills than cards that are not in improved slots.

7/ Panicking when we see that an opponent has a higher rank than us. They may have gotten it through various card events or by drawing worse opponents.

6/ There was panic, now on the other hand there is underestimation of the opponent, this is also a mistake for similar reasons as panic.

5/ Leaving in the middle of the game with an advantage of, for example 1000 points, when we do not roll and do not even look at the game, it is very easy to lose the win.

4/ Too much pressure to win by not analyzing the opponent's strong cards, for example if we see that the opponent played the most improved card during the Playmaking round, we know that he has highly developed cards.

3/ Throwing cards despite being aware that the opponent has a better card. When we both throw a card, the points from the losing card jump as a point gain to the winner's account.

2/ Not waiting until the last moment to throw a card. I know it sounds stupid, but then the opponent has to wonder whether you are throwing a card or not, which means they either have to take a risk or give up the points for free.

1/ Starting to play duels to earn rewards for 250 duels and quitting halfway through, even if you can't play the duels that day, they will carry over to the next day. This option is available until the limit of 50 duels carried over to the next day is reached.

So who do I see at the duels? Did anything come in handy for you? I hope so and have a nice day.

Author: Gruby Tymek

ROYALTY HAS ARRIVED!

Attention, subjects and commoners of the virtual world! Royalty has arrived, and not for afternoon tea. The new Royal server is in full swing, with kings and queens of the game in an uproar, pulling their uniforms from castle dungeons and polishing their cleats for battle on the virtual pitches. And, like any newborn, it comes with a charming limitation: for now, we only have the excitement of the top eight national divisions. Yes, my dears, it's the cream of European football in its purest essence!

The Journey Begins: Five Rounds of Pure Sweat and Tactics

With only five rounds played, the scenario is still unfolding, but we can already glimpse the first contenders for the crown. All eyes, of course, are on the top four teams in each league. After all, they'll secure their spot in the crème de la crème next season: the European Tournament, the Champions Tournament, and the glorious Superliga. Prepare for the plot twists!

Poland: Kaktusiarze and the Goal Duel

In the chilly Polish Ekstraklasa, the fight for the lead is breathtaking. Kaktusiarze Majsziego and FC DZBANY KAMILA have the same 15 points, but Kaktusiarze leads in "goals scored" and "goal difference." At the bottom, the wooden spoon is heavy for ZAMULENI, BlackAndYellow, Tapin2Glory e Los Wymówkas. Will spring bring these teams good fortune?

England: Black Stars Shine in the Land of the King!

In the land of the King, the Premier League is boiling with Black Stars at the top, also with 15 points, closely followed by Unicorn Team and BOSMAN FC. In fourth place, Fortaleza Vinchies is an outside shot with 12 points. In the basement of the table, the situation is dramatic for Bella Ciao (only 3 points), Duck Army, Champions and Zimbru Chișinău II, who have yet to taste victory. May luck be with them!

Italy: Three Musketeers at the Top of Serie A

In the boot-shaped country, Serie A is a tangle of three teams with 15 points. Menelus.takes the lead on goal difference, closely followed by 1234 Academy and Bomba Wisła. FC Barselona is in fourth with 12 points. In the purgatory of the table,  BlauGrana, Czarna Kompania, ZurnaDöner SPOR FC and Bianconeri are desperately seeking a miracle to escape the relegation zone.

Spain: Castles and Draws in La Liga

In the sunny lands of Castile and Aragon, La Liga presents us with another triple tie in points. Cosa Nostra, Shadow FC, La Granja CF all have 15 points, while Zespół R follows them with 13. Heading towards the abyss, we have SOM GORSI FC, Elite Bets, RTS WIDZEW ŁÓDŹ and NightWolves trying not to plummet to the second division.

Germany: Black Forest Ablaze in the Bundesliga

Among the Germans, directly from the Black Forest, three teams are separated by fine margins in goals scored.  Life Hackers leads, followed by Drużyna Bez Dopingu and Harmandalı. In fourth place, with 10 points, is the intrepid Звери Лунного Клыка. In the limbo of the championship, KOSA FC, WKS Albatros, VfB Stuttgart and Rise await a miracle.

France: The Hollywood Touch in Ligue 1

The French Ligue 1 brings a leader with Hollywood accreditation: Los Angeles Clickers, with the same points as the second-placed STARA GWARDIA. In third, Blazeborn United, and in fourth, Ziemnieks Łódź. Lost in the swamp, fighting for survival, are SOM JESZCZE GORSI, Valencia CF, Detalles TM21 and LZS Chrząstawa.

Turkey: Summer Rain in the Süper Lig Sky

On the Turkish plains, flying high in the lead is Летний Дождик with 15 points, closely followed by 1234 and Łosie w Kosmosie, both with 13 points. The fourth-placed team, NasDogoniat, has 12. In the quicksand of relegation, we see  Barca, Radioactive Squad, Atlético Yacaré and Banda Mutantów trying to save themselves.

Russia: Freezing Duel in the Kremlin of the Russian Premier League

From the Kremlin, we have information that two teams are fighting a glacial battle for the lead, both with 15 points: NasNieDogoniat and Papryczki Chili. Close behind are Young boys and ФК Динамо Москва. Freezing in the Siberian cold, trying to escape the hole, are Czyzyk Squad,  La Laguna Tenerife SAD, Club Cerro Porteño and Kurnik.

And you, noble player, what is your team and league? What are your expectations for this first season? Tell us in the comments!

See you next week, with more excitement from the virtual pitches!

Author: Fábio Muri

FT'S TOP GOALKEEPERS IN THE SERVER CLASSIC

Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of the FT newspaper. Today, on the CLASSIC server, we're talking about the best GOALKEEPERS. As usual in football, we have to start building teams from the beginning, with the goalkeeper. Making a list of FT's TOP goalkeepers is quite difficult; we can argue endlessly about who is the best in the game. We've compiled the best "gloves" of the moment, as they are key to any team, but we left some good players out of the top 3 because they don't all fit.

1. Łokitoki Goryloki , the Black Stars FC goalkeeper

Simply brilliant, with his signature white jersey with blue trim, he is one of the symbols of Black Stars. A goalkeeper who has always been talked about for his great saves, ranking 29th in the rankings. After debuting in 1 DIV ENGLAND on 10/08/2024, where he won one medal as best goalkeeper and was crowned champion in his first season. A goalkeeper with feline reflexes and a collection of great saves, he is considered the best goalkeeper in FT for his 13,667 OVR.

2. Boixoholik, the beast of Fc Krematorium

Boixoholik debuted on 10/07/2024 in Inet Squad and his popularity rose when he became famous for saving penalties in the 1 DIVISION of Spain. Winner of two medals for his second place as best goalkeeper and one SL Best Goalkeeper medal. His 13,142 OVR 356 are a talking point, placing him 31st in the FT rankings.

3. Toshivers Wpuszczalski, the 7more7 legend.

Toshivers Wpuszczalski's extensive career in major FT teams includes TAPIN2GLORY, BROSKI WOLFPACK FC, and currently with 7more7. He was born on 11/06/2024. He has won one league cup (one in England) and one national cup (in Italy), as well as several second-place SL cups. Thanks to his performance, he has achieved significant results, the most notable being the 3rd-place SL medal in season 5 and the Best SL Goalkeeper medal in season 7. Toshivers Wpuszczalski is considered by many to be one of the best FT goalkeepers, ranking 35th in the rankings with his 11,432 OVR.

However, there are also other goalkeepers contributing greatly between the posts, many of whom are currently without a club and/or inactive. This is the top 3 purebred archers... Choose yours.

Author: BÚFALO FUNES (ID 1183)

MATCH REPORT POLISH DF – CLUB TIJUANA

While browsing through the individual leagues and matches that have been played in recent days, I came across an interesting clash. Namely, the Russian league served us a clash between the vice-leader Polish DF and the fourth team in the league – Club Tijuana. The hosts could theoretically be certain of taking second place at the end of the season and although they had a difficult match ahead of them, as a team playing the match at their own stadium they had a slight handicap.

The guests could have gained much more from this match. A place in the cups was secured, but if you can jump to a place rewarded with a medal, why not try? However, not everything depends on Club Tijuana – not only do they have to win everything to the end, but also RedBull Fighters, currently in third place, would have to drop points.

And it turns out that the first condition is very difficult to meet. The competition with Polish DF is not a walk on a spring afternoon, it should rather be compared to a training ground. Especially since the hosts did not intend to make things easy for their rivals - all the players logged into the game and "fired up", which shows that they take this match seriously.

The first whistle will sound at 6 p.m. and the hosts will kick the ball. At first, the Polish DF players tried to break through the middle of the pitch, but they were knocked out of rhythm by their vice versa. Finally, after a few minutes of hard fighting in the middle of the pitch, the hosts' midfielder bardep took the shot, but Paulina Stormborn caught the shot.

The guests wanted to get back at them for this embarrassment allowing their rivals to shoot. The problem was that the middle of the pitch was concreted. There were either inaccuracies or successful clearances, and if neither of them were enough, the hosts simply resorted to a foul. And it must be said that once the defenders of Polish DF allowed themselves to be pushed into their penalty area, where they made a mistake, because after a foul Manek MT fell to the ground and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Piszczu z Tijuany approached the ball placed at the 11th meter... he could not withstand the pressure, Jose Kubinho defended his shot!

However, this event did not have a demotivating effect on Club Tijuana, quite the opposite. They pressed the favorites of this match, pushed them to the defense and in one action Blomek at the last moment kicked the ball out from under kieras7 feet. His teammates were giving him high fives for this intervention and did not expect that in a moment they would have to start the action from the center of the pitch! After this kick, the ball went out for a corner kick. kieras7  crossed from the corner, the ball went to the head of Krzyżu, who beat the helpless goalkeeper of Polish DF. Surprise, 0:1!

The hosts wanted to quickly make up for the loss. They woke up after this period of stagnation and started moving forward. The problem was that Club Tijuana closed all the paths leading to their own penalty area. In a few minutes they made several interventions, and Piszczu z Tijuany was the leader in this, but Ayalanin CZ was not much worse. The guests' defenders completely took away the will to play from their opponents, who did not have another shot on the guests' goal until the end of the first half. From the beginning of the second half, Polish DF looked as if they were more interested in winning. The problem was that their attacks were either stopped by a foul, which knocked the hosts' players out of rhythm, or read by the Club Tijuana players, which led to counterattacks. One of them looked like a textbook. Piszczu z Tijuany received the ball, passed it to Manek MT, who dribbled past the defender and passed it to kieras7. The midfielder spotted Krzyżu, who gave the goalkeeper no chance with a long corner and scored his second goal of the match. 0:2!

The hosts were very surprised and could not cope with the pressure of their rivals, and they did not intend to give up. Saegheh prevented another goal from being lost, then Blomek also recorded a catch. The attempts of the Polish DF players were thwarted primarily by Piszczu z Tijuany, who put up a real impenetrable wall. The sensation became a fact, Club Tijuana won the match with  Polish DF 2:0!

Star of the match: Piszczu z Tijuany

A natural candidate for this title would be Krzyżu - the scorer of two goals. Nevertheless, I would appreciate the painstaking work and strong character of the leader of the midfield. Piszczu did not start the match in the best way, because with the score 0:0 he wasted a penalty. However, he quickly forgot about this incident, becoming a player who breaks up the attacks of the rivals, receives the ball and distributes the action of his team. Amazing player.

Author : PanEgo 

REFEREE CONTROVERSIES THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MANAGER #14

Hello, this is Kiero DS. Due to the numerous controversial situations involving football referees, I have decided to create a new series, where I will analyze these situations step by step. This series will appear relatively regularly, along with the emerging controversies.

VARth to draw conclusions - analysis of the situation from the match Wieczysta Kraków - Zagłębie Sosnowiec:

The situation that took place at the end of the match of the 34th round of the Betclic 2nd League between Wieczysta Kraków and Zagłębie Sosnowiec will remain in the memory of those following the games for a long time. The match ended in a 1:1 draw, although formally from the point of view of the result it seems fair, was clearly distorted on the pitch. In the 90th minute, the main referee Arkadiusz Nestorowicz first gave the signal to continue play after the fall of a Wieczysta Kraków player – Dijan Vukojević – only to surprise everyone a moment later to reverse his decision and indicate “the spot”.

From the perspective of a referee and coach, as well as someone who has been involved in football at many levels for years, it is impossible to remain indifferent to this situation. Its analysis requires not only an understanding of the applicable regulations, but also reflection on the condition of the entire refereeing system in Poland.

The situation on the pitch – what actually happened?:

In the ill-fated 90th minute of the match, Dijan Vukojević ran into the penalty area with the ball and fell in a way that for most viewers – both in the stadium and in front of the screens – looked like simulation. Video replays clearly showed that the player most likely caused his own fall – either by touching the turf or consciously trying to force a penalty kick. The referee initially correctly indicated that play should continue. It was the right decision – in line with the spirit of the game and the current state of knowledge.

A moment later, however, the referee changed his decision and awarded a penalty. There was no obvious signal on the pitch that could justify such a change – there was no delay in play, there was no communication with the VAR system (which does not function in the 2nd league), and there was no consultation with the players who could have "suggested" something.

Based on the regulations – was the penalty kick justified?:

According to the Laws of the Game (2023/24), a foul in the penalty area must involve illegal contact (e.g. kicking, pushing, stamping) or an attempt at such contact that affects the opponent. Simulation, a fall without contact or caused by the player's own movement, not only does not qualify as a foul – he should even be punished with a warning for trying to mislead the referee.

From this point of view, the decision to award a penalty kick was not only incorrect, but also dangerous to the integrity of the game. Ultimately, it led to Wieczysta scoring a goal, which significantly distorted the course of the match.

Pressure, cooperation of referees, lack of VAR – factors influencing the decision:

Many wonder why the referee changed his original, correct decision. It can be assumed that a hint from one of the assistants or the fourth referee could have had an influence. Contrary to appearances, this is a common practice in controversial situations. However, in the absence of the VAR system, we have no way to verify this information – which is a huge problem in itself.

If the VAR system or even its simplified version (VAR light) had been present in this match, the situation would have been verified and – with a very high probability – the decision to award a penalty would have been reversed. What is more, the existence of the "challenge" procedure, currently being tested by FIFA as an element of the Video Support system, could have given the Zagłębie coach a chance to challenge this decision. Such systems are not only possible today, but also necessary at the level of professional games – even the second league.

Why should the VAR system be in every professional league?:

This situation clearly shows that the lack of tools for verifying refereeing decisions distorts matches, affects promotions and relegations, and consequently – the fate of clubs, coaches and players. Professional footballers, professional coaches, as well as television broadcasts with many cameras – all this constitutes the foundation that should be supplemented by professional refereeing. And this means access to supporting systems such as VAR or Video Support. If the league is broadcast on television, if there are cameras there, if the match is watched by thousands of people – then there is no justification for refereeing decisions not to be supported by technology.

Time for change – now or never:

For the good of Polish football, it is time to end the resistance to technology. Just as opponents of VAR once feared for the authority of referees, today we know that VAR not only does not take away their authority, but actually supports it – it helps in making the right decisions, reduces pressure and eliminates the most glaring errors. If we are able to organize broadcasts of the second league matches, if we invest in the training of players and coaches,we also need to invest in tools that support referees. Otherwise, professional football in Poland will remain at a semi-professional level – with beautiful settings, but with mistakes that will destroy its credibility.

VARth to draw conclusions. Not only from the situation in Krakow, but from the entire process of implementing modern solutions in football. If we take these games seriously – it's time to act. And not tomorrow. Now.

Thank you for reading my article! If you like this type of content or have ideas for further topics that I should write about, leave your suggestions in the comments. Best regards!

Author: Kiero DS