Omerica national football team

The Omerica national football team (Équipe d’Omerique de football) is the representative team of the United Republics of Omerica in international. It is currently organised by the United Republican Soccer Federation, the current governing body for football in Omerica, and formerly organised by the Omerican Football Federation from the team’s establishment until the OFF’s judicially-ordered dissolution.

The team primarily contest the World Cup (plus the associated Cup of Harmony) and Independent Associations Championship. Omerica are considered to be historic underachievers, having appeared in just three major tournament semifinals and qualified for the World Cup finals just once in fourteen attempts. Omerica have won one major trophy, having defeated Drawkland in the IAC 7 final, while their best performance at a World Cup Committee-sanctioned tournament was a semifinal finish at Cup of Harmony 75.

History
The Omerica national team was one of fifty-six to début in the 56th Baptism of Fire in Schiavonia and San José Guayabal, with Omerica advancing to the knockout stage undefeated before bowing out to Lons after extra time in the last 32. The national team subsequently floundered for several cycles, finishing below expectations in tournament after tournament until Campionato Esportiva XIV in the Sarian, where Omerica unexpectedly won their group and made the quarterfinals after defeating Yttribia. Despite falling to eventual runners-up Nephara in a close match, the tournament marked a significant turn in fortunes for the national team; following the team’s Campionato exit, Omerica would finish in a bitter third-place in World Cup 73 qualification before achieving two consecutive knockout stage qualifications and an upset qualification for World Cup 74, narrowly beating out eventual world champions Nephara in their qualifying group.

At the finals, Omerica scalped Flardania and nearly advanced to the knockout phase, only being eliminated on the final day of the group stage by Barunia. After boycotting Campionato Esportiva XVI in Falatulu, the Omerican Football Federation found itself mired in a corruption and betting scandal. Combined with a riotous fanbase which had caused numerous bouts of destruction, the scandal dogged the team’s World Cup 75 qualifying campaign and ultimately brought the OFF to an untimely end, with the Sessions Court of Mespalia ordering the federation’s dissolution under federal anti-corruption legislation and its liquidation to cover the fines issued to OFF executives. In the aftermath of the scandal, the republican football associations, which had predated and existed parallel to the OFF, formed the United Republican Soccer Federation to take over the OFF’s functions and opted to indefinitely pull Omerica from international competition.

Omerica would return to international football after a seven-year hiatus with its entry into the third Independent Associations Championship. With the team unable to escape their group in either of their first two IAC appearances, the national team would record its two worst World Cup qualification campaigns in its history—finishing seventh and ninth out of ten in World Cup 79 and 80 qualification respectively—leading to the retirement of Ryan Pritchard and sacking of Christine Salmond. Former Club de 28 Mars manager Anne-Sophie Groothuis took over for Cup of Harmony 72; despite failing to get Omerica out of the group stage at that tournament, Groothuis’s Omerica would record its first knockout stage appearance at the Independent Associations Championship in the fifth edition and would have its best qualification campaign in twelve years during the World Cup 81 cycle, finish fourth in the group and securing a winning record for the first time since the Omerican Football Federation’s dissolution. Nonetheless, this luck would not carry over to the subsequent Cup of Harmony, where Omerica were draw into a “group of death” against Abanhfleft, Geisenfried and Darkmania, bowing out in the final matchday of the group stage.

Nickname
Despite the United Republican Soccer Federation’s early insistence on referring to the national team as “the Gryphons”, a national symbol of Omerica and the generic nickname for Omerica national teams, the team have been traditionally referred to as “the Incorrigibles”. The nickname was first coined in La Romainbourgeoise after a controversial match between Osarius and Omerica, with the name echoing the then-recent controversy surrounding “Saintland Is Stupid FC” of the Gregoryisgodistan. The nickname became official ahead of qualification for the 80th World Cup, when the Federation signed a kit deal with No Nonsense Sportswear.

Kits
Though taking many different forms over the years, the home kit of the senior side has always been based on royal blue, customarily considered the primary national colour of Omerica, which has been used in conjunction with red, white and gold. The away kit has mostly commonly been green or white, while the goalkeeper has traditionally worn sky blue; currently, Omerica use a grey “trash can” kit when required to change. Invariably, the Omerica shirt is embroidered with a crest based upon the nation’s original coat of arms, featuring the design of the Sublime Union surrounded by oak and laurel branches and a, distinct from the official seal of the United Republican Soccer Federation.

Currently, Omerica kits are supplied by Starblaydi sportswear company ediraf; from the World Cup 80 to World Cup 82 qualification, kits were supplied by Filindostani company No Nonsense Sportswear, while prior to that, kits were supplied by various domestic manufacturers.

As of the ninth Independent Associations Championship, Omerica display one bronze star on the back collar to symbolise their triumph at IAC 7; any theoretical future World Cup or Cup of Harmony titles would likewise be worn on the back collar “to ward off complacency” and avoid defining the team by past laurels. These practices differ from customary international practice, which uses bronze stars to represent Baptism of Fire titles and places championship stars above or around the crest.

Rivalries
Currently, Omerican supporters consider Drawkland to be the national team’s primary rivals, dating back to the consecutive grand finals played between the two sides at the Independent Associations Championship in the sixth and seventh editions. The former grand final was the first IAC title game to enter extra time and the only to date to be decided by penalty shootout, won convincingly by Drawkland; the latter was the first (and to date only) rematch of a previous grand final in IAC history, with Omerica upsetting hosts Drawkland to win their first piece of silverware. Outside of IAC grand finals, the Kick Corps have a perfect record against Omerica: a win in the IAC 4 group stage and a double during World Cup 81 qualifying.

Omerica supporters generally consider Abanhfleft to be secondary rivals, having faced the Revolutionaries more than any other nation and beaten them out to qualify for Omerica’s first World Cup finals. The two nations faced off against each other at three consecutive Cups of Harmony from the 73rd to 75th editions: the two teams drew their group stage meeting in CoH 73 before Omerica recorded back-to-back eighth-final wins in CoH 74 and 75. Outside the Cup of Harmony, Abanhfleft are the stronger side, having won twice, drawn once and lost once.

A number of other rivalries have been floated, but have failed to become long-term rivalries. Nephara, San José Guayabal and Kavagrad have all been floated as possible rivals at different times for various reasons, but are considered by Omericans to be anywhere from less significant in the case of Nephara to completely unimportant in the case of Kavagrad.

Curse of Kilkenny
The most famous superstition surrounding the Omerica national team is the Curse of Kilkenny, named after the Bridget Kilkenny Stadium in Teach Iarann, Stvoto Latoli. The Curse dates back to the 65th Cup of Harmony, where Omerica withdrew before their scheduled eighth-final against Acronius due to unfounded grievances over refereeing during a crucial World Cup qualifying match against Osarius. According to the loosest version of the Curse, Omerica cannot advance past the first knockout round of major international tournaments as retribution for the forfeit, with the national team only able to overcome the Curse at two Independent Associations Championships (out of eight) and three Cups of Harmony (out of ten). As part of the superstition, Omerican supporters traditionally organise “sacrifices” of rubber chickens to Bridget Kilkenny before all knockout stage games.

Home stadium
In keeping with national tradition as a federal state, Omerica have traditionally rotated venues throughout the country, though RS Amphitheatre, the Arena la Rouge, Stade Just-Cartier and Stade de la République have hosted two-thirds of Omerican home internationals between them. Other notable venues to have hosted Omerican internationals include the Azure Stadium, Stadium of the Occident, Revolution Park and Seafoam Athletic Park.

Media coverage
Omerican international matches are one of the events on the Main List of Designated Television Events, a list maintained by the Federal Secretariat for Communications and Postal Services which requires live coverage on free-to-air television in Omerica. Since World Cup 81 qualification, all Omerica matches—with the exception of World Cup finals matches, which are exclusively televised in Omerica by Television Seven—are broadcast on television and radio with full commentary by the Système fédérale de radiodiffusion; prior to that, matches outside the World Cup finals were broadcast by Radiotélévision nationale. Network Nine are the only other broadcaster certified as eligible to broadcast Omerican fixtures by the Communications Secretariat, but have yet to do so.

Major honours

 * Independent Associations Championship
 * Champions (1): Independent Associations Championship 7
 * Runners-up (1): Independent Associations Championship 6

Minor honours

 * Cup of Champions
 * Runners-up (1): Cup of Champions 7