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The CONIFA World Football Cup had all the trappings of a bona fide international soccer tournament: a brand-new stadium, exciting matchups, a worldwide live stream and even souvenirs. But the 12 teams that faced off from May 28 to June 5 amid the bullet-riddled buildings of Abkhazia, a disputed region between Russia and Georgia, were missing one key thing: international recognition.Not that it mattered much. While soccer teams from diplomatically challenged regions like Northern Cyprus, Kurdistan and Padania have long been shut out of FIFA, theyve settled into a home of their own: the Confederation of Independent Football Associations.Founded in 2013 and composed of some three dozen members from across the globe, CONIFA holds international competitions for de facto states, micro-nations and other ethnic groups that have few chances to play together. Born partly out of frustration with FIFAs membership requirements, the organization also serves a more humanitarian purpose: celebrating its underrepresented members and their fans. It held the first World Football Cup in June 2014 in Sweden, and the Abkhazia edition was the second global tournament.For Amarvir Sandhu, a 20-year-old player from Panjab, a geographic region shared by northern India and eastern Pakistan, the tournament was a rare platform to showcase his teams talent. Im sure that a lot of people probably havent heard of Panjab or dont know where it is and who probably -- definitely -- think we cant play football, Sandhu said.Sandhu and his teammates proved the skeptics wrong: Panjab made it to the finals and was defeated only after Abkhazia equalized in the 88th minute and won 6-5 on penalties. Heres a look at how the rest of the tournament played out. -- Dan PeleschukLyuba Agrba, 79, sells popcorn across from Dinamo Stadium before opening day of the CONIFA World Football Cup in Sukhumi.Dancers perform elaborate traditional Abkhaz dances during the opening ceremonies on May 27, which lasted several hours.This dilapidated pier served as a fan zone for people unable to secure tickets to the matches. The fan zone features a cafe and a projection TV where fans gathered nightly to watch the matches.A fan waves the Abkhazia flag during his sides opening match against Chagos Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean whose team finished last in the tournament. The Abkhazians won 9-0.(Left to right) Lee Seon Cheoi, Kaito Akimoto and Chison Ko carry laundry for their team, United Koreans in Japan, to a facility at their hotel. Koreans living in Japan constitute one of the largest groups of ethnic minorities in the country.Space was tight in Abdillahi Nurs hotel room. One of his Somaliland teammates moved in on account of another teammates snoring. Somaliland is a region of Somalia that declared its independence in 1991 but is nevertheless not recognized by any other country.Abkhazias George Djanaa performs a celebratory dance in the locker room after his teams 1-0 defeat of Western Armenia.Nur gives away his shin guards, jersey and shoes to Abkhaz children after a 5-0 loss to Panjab. I wish I had more stuff, but I dont, he says.While some games were sparsely attended, opportunities to see the Abkhaz team play were eagerly sought-after. Officials estimated that there were 7,000 people in the 4,300-capacity Dinamo Stadium for this match.United Koreans in Japan goalkeeper Jae Gun Ri dons an Abkhaz flag headband after a trip to a souvenir shop. In the background is his teammate Jang Hwi Jeong on a toy vehicle.Kurdistan, which was composed of Iraqi Kurds and which brought one of the largest delegations to the tournament, was one of the early favorites. However, the Kurds were eliminated by Padania, a region of Northern Italy, on penalties in the quarterfinals.Panjabs Terlochan Singh, right in yellow, collides with Western Armenias Raffi Kaya during a quarterfinal match. The hard-fought match ended in a scuffle that involved players, police and fans, many of whom were ethnic Armenians.Abkhaz fans exult as their team draws even 5-5 on penalties after falling into a 3-1 hole during the final against Panjab.Many of the teams -- including Székely Land, an ethnic region in todays Romania -- took advantage of off days to visit the historical and natural features of the separatist nation. The Anacopia Fortress, constructed between the second and fourth centuries, was once the capital of the Kingdom of Abkhazia.Before the final match between Abkhazia and Panjab, Kurdistans Karwan Mantk plays a traditional instrument called a shimshal.Abkhaz forward Ruslan Shoniya celebrates after scoring an 88th-minute goal against Panjab to even the score at 1-1 in the final. The game was decided by penalty kicks.Georgiy Zhanaa hoists the CONIFA trophy after Abkhazia defeated Panjab in the final. At left, several of Zhanaas teammates wear a South Ossetian flag in a show of solidarity with Georgias other separatist republic.Lyuba, 79, holds an Abkhazian flag and a portrait of the Abkhazias first president, Vladislav Ardzinba, after the team won the championship game.Panjabs Terlochan Singh, left, and Jaskaran Singh Basi dance at a celebratory banquet after the closing ceremonies on June 5.Mike Sakir, captain of the Chagos Islands team, checks out of his hotel room, his cleats left as a gift for the hotel staff.Additional reporting by Ilioné SchultzNew England Patriots Store . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Fake Patriots Jerseys . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. New England Patriots Gear . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Patriots Jerseys 2020 . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said.BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana finally took advantage of its opportunities Saturday night and delivered a signature Big Ten win for coach Kevin Wilson.Richard Lagow caught one touchdown pass and threw for two more. The Hoosiers forced Michael Geiger to try a 49-yard field goal after back-to-back sacks. And after Griffin Oakes missed his third field goal of the game, a leaping call against No. 17 Michigan State gave him a second chance and he made a 20-yarder two plays later to complete an improbable come-from-behind 24-21 upset over the Spartans.The exuberant Hoosiers ran down the field to get their hands on the Old Brass Spittoon, the series trophy that they hadnt won since 2006.Theyre excited about winning, Wilson said. I think they knew if we played hard and got into the fourth quarter that wed have a chance and we did.Indiana (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) won its s first overtime game in six years and got its second win in 26 tries over a ranked foe, but it wasnt easy.The Hoosiers nearly won it in regulation with a goal-line stand, after a replay review overturned a tying TD run by the Spartans. Instead, Michigan State quarterback Tyler OConnor found a wide open Josiah Price for a 2-yard TD pass with 11 seconds to go to tie the score.In overtime, after Geiger pushed his kick to the left, Oakes also missed his to the left before the leaping call on Drake Martinez.Michigan State (2-2, 0-2) has lost back-to-back games for the first time since November 2012 despite holding the usually prolific Hoosiers scoreless until the final minute of the third quarter.Great drive at the end of the game to tie it up, but not very good in overtime -- thats for sure, coach Mark Dantonio said. We were sacked twice, we jump over the pile. Very disappointed. Now we have to claw our way back into things.THE TAKEAWAYMichigan State: The Spartans knew they faced a big challenge after Connor Cook & Co. graduated. But nobody in East Lansing could have expected a 0-2 start in conference play. Now the defending Big Ten champs no longger control their own destiny, either, falling two games behind No.dddddddddddd 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan and unbeaten Maryland in the East Division.Indiana: The Hoosiers turnaround continues. After making the postseason for the first time since 2007 last year, they now have two trophies -- the Old Oaken Bucket and spittoon -- on campus for the first time since 2001.POLL IMPLICATIONSMichigan State: The Spartans will likely slide out of the rankings this week and will find it tough to make it back in without an upset of the Wolverines or Buckeyes -- or both -- later this season.Indiana: The Hoosiers victory may garner some votes but probably not enough to move into the rankings.BIG PLAY SPARTANSOConnors 86-yard TD pass to R.J. Shelton was the longest by an opponent in Memorial Stadium, breaking the previous mark of 82 yards set by the Spartans in 2008. It also was the fourth-longest pass play against the Hoosiers, matching the length of a TD pass Kirk Gibson caught in 1978.INJURY REPORTThe most significant injury was to Michigan State cornerback Darian Hicks, who left with what appeared to be a hip or waist injury. Dantonio did not provide an update after the game. The Spartans had several players leave during the game but the others to be serious. Michigan State played without linebacker Riley Bullough for the second straight week. Indiana didnt appear to sustain any additional injuries but played again without right tackle Dimitric Camiel (back) or right guard Dan Feeney (concussion).UP NEXTMichigan State: Next weekend, the Spartans host BYU but they cant afford another slip up. They need to start building momentum for the Big Ten race.Indiana: The Hoosiers visit No. 2 Ohio State next weekend, a team theyve challenged in recent years but still havent beaten since 1990 -- or in Columbus since 1987.---Online:AP college football coverage at www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '