FM21 | Tales from Bordavia | #7 The town of Zlanza

For my main series “Totalitarian football” I’m going to be managing the made up club CSKA Aransk in the made up post-Soviet totalitarian Communist nation of Bordavia. I have covered the creation process in a series called “Creating Club and Country”:

1. The birth of a nation
2. Location, location, location
3. The Club
4. Crest and Kit
5. Building Bordavia

The idea from the beginning was for CSKA Aransk to get invited into the Russian league system, where most of the adventure would take place. I was going to create a Bordavian league, but only the top tier, as a backdrop. However, after a literal hurricane of interest in getting involved in this adventure the idea took a turn into something completely different. Over 60 people have reached out and contributed with ideas for towns and clubs and stories. Bordavia has turned into a mystic but rather grim nation, full of quirks, stories and lore. I fell in love with both the commitment shown by you and the nation of Bordavia, which has lead to the creation process of an entire Bordavian database. This has been a real team effort, which I have enjoyed massively, but it has also meant that I haven’t had much time to write blog posts or record YT videos. Therefore I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone, by sharing stories from the nation of Bordavia up until the db release around Christmas.

If you want to read the other stories you can find them here.

Today’s story comes from Lumpjaw and tells the story of the Southern town of Zlanza!

Zlanza

Population: 90 000

Team: Avtomobilist Zlanza

Nickname: Avtomobilist

Arena: Zlanza Community Stadium (The Engine Room)

Colors: Red, black, grey

Manager: Konstantin Yegorovich. A 58 year old stubborn commie. Playing his classic 4-4-2, counter attacking after boring the opposition to death with a low line of engagement and low defensive line)

Here, there is the automobile factory Zlanzskij Avtomobilnij Zavod, and football. No more, no less. The factory and football team are the proudest things the Zlanskis have and they love it till death. Try to take any of them away, and there will be riots. The governing body have tried, all with the same result – riots and backlashes, and both the factory and team have since then been left untouched.

Not surprising almost everybody in Zlanza either works in the factory building cars. The brand Zlodz is the biggest in the budget prize class and you’ll do a good job of finding anything else than a Zlodz in Zlanza, or in the companies attached to the factory. Car sales locations, repair shops come dime a dozen in Zlanza.

There’s not a thing else on this world that the Zlanskis enjoy more than going to Zlanza Community Stadium, more known as The Engine Room, after work enjoying their beloved Avtomobilist donning the red and black. Having a stadium that could fit half the population of the city, the Zlanza Community Stadium is a big massive concrete bowl that have seen it’s better days. A big stadium, bad air condition due to the pollution from the factory and a not that good football team is not the best combination, but if Avtomobilist turns the wheel onto the right track – there is massive potential both for the team and the stadium.

Addition from Mikaelinho – Zlanza in the database

Avtomobilist Zlanza is the only top tier team from the town of Zlanza, but not the only team altogether. No, there are three teams for the Zlanskis to go watch. In the 2nd tier we have Dynamo Zlanza, donning the classic blue and white of Dynamo.

They have a huge 36000 capacity stadium and is one of the promotion favourites, so we could very soon have a Zlanza derby to look forward to!. The third team from Zlanza is a small one. Urozhai Zlanza are fairly small, even compared to other 3rd tier teams.

They are really from the countryside outside of Zlanza, with most supporters being local farmers. They play their games at their newly built but fairly small 3600 seater stadium in the outskirts of Zlanza.

This was the seventh “Tale from Bordavia” and I’d like to thank Lumpjaw for his great contribution. There will be a new one every day leading up to Christmas. I hope you’ll enjoy these little stories and that they will spark an interest large enough to follow my main series “Totalitarian Football” and maybe even try the database when it comes out!?

I stream my “Building Bordavia” creation process on Twitch on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Come hang out and say hi!

I also upload episodes about the creation process to my YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any content!