Oceania Football Center

Henderson Eels’ duo lead ‘Golden Boot’ race in Telekom S-League

Despite suffering an unexpected defeat in the last weekeed for Honiara City, Henderson Eels continue at the top of the table with 12 points after five matches played. The good campaign so far in the season proves Eels are coming once again to contest for the title, especially big wins such as the 7-0 over Laugu United and 10-0 against Southern United state the real expectations of the team coached by Eddie Marahare.

The attack force of the team is led by two players from different generations: the experienced international Joses Nawo and the wonderkid Raphael Lea’i. Combined the duo scored 15 goals for Henderson Eels in the season after just five matches – Nawo is the leader of the ‘Golden Boot’ race with eight goals scored so far, while the 17-year-old Lea’i scored seven. Raphael Lea’i finally received the 2019/20 Telekom S-League’s Golden Boot Award this week after scoring 24 goals in only seven matches played in the last season of the Solomon Islands’ national league.

The duo will have to be in their best if they want to win their next game in the Telekom S-League as Henderson Eels will take on the current national league champions Solomon Warriors that is still to record a defeat in the current season.

You can see the complete top-scorers list and current updated standings of the 2020 Telekom S-League by visiting our session of the competition.

Hekari United: Rodger Saking impresses in his season debut

Hekari United needed to battle hard to surpass Gulf Komara in the last weekend of football in Port Moresby – the Reds continue five points away Lae City at the top of the table, but their 2-0 win keep them alive in the contest for the minor premiership in PNG National Soccer League.

Eric Komeng decided to give the first start of the season for the defender Rodger Saking as the usual starter Carlos Onne was injured for the clash. Saking played as left-back and played an important role in the game. The 25-year-old player was solid in defense, not allowing space for Gulf Komara forwards in his corner of the pitch, and combined well upfront with the likes of Nigel Dabinyaba and Kolu Kepo.

The former Besta PNG man also fired some long-range shots that impressed the fans during the clash – a sign of confidence for a player that was usually sidelined by head coaches Jerry Allen and now Eric Komeng.

Hekari has been suffering with lack of options at the back; many members of Red Army fan club were wondering why players such as Saking were not receiving opportunities in the start eleven. Even the striker Vito Laloata was played as central defender in a crucial match against Lae City – something that proved to be a major mistake – putting under the spotlight the biggest problem of Hekari’s squad.

With the good debut of Saking against a team that is doing well in this part of the season proves the defender can add quality to Komeng’s team and also help in the process to resolve the issues at the back of the current third-placed side of the national league.

PVFA Premier League: Galaxy face Erakor GS as Ifira BB and Tafea want to stay on top

The tenth matchweek of 2019-20 PVFA Premier League kicks-off on this Friday at Port Vila Stadium. Four matches will be contested during this weekend to mark the league’s resumption after nine months.

Current league leaders Tafea will face bottom-placed Mauwia in the opening match. It is already known that Micah Tommy will not be available to play in the league because his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) is not with Tafea’s management. However the leaders still have some important players like defender Junior Felix, midfielder Bob Jeffery and forward Allista Kalip that will have the mission to guide the team in this contest.

Midfielder Eddison Stephens is also available to play for Tafea after representing Galaxy FC in OFC Champions League earlier this year. On the other hand, Mauwia need to win if the team really wants to avoid relegation. It is a very tough mission for them as the team did not show any improvement in the PVFA Independence Cup.

Kalip (left) and Felix (right) are key players for Tafea FC – *Vanuatu Sports NEws*

Another three matches will be contested on Saturday: Yatel vs Tupuji Imere, Sia-Raga vs Ifira Black Bird and Galaxy vs Erakor Golden Star.

Yatel and Tupuji Imere are surely two teams to watch in the league. Despite the bad campaigns in the league, both teams have tronger sides now to compete against the top teams. It is known that Frank Ruben, Lucien Hinge and Malakai Makito are cleared to play for Yatel in the league while Vanuatu international Raoul Coulon is back to Tupuji Imere after spending some months working abroad.

After losing PVFA Independence Cup’s final against Galaxy, Ifira Black Bird turn their attention to the league in order to keep fighting for the title as they have Loic Boulet back to the team after playing OFC Champions League’s group stage for Malampa Revivors. Beating Sia-Raga is what fans expect from Ifira on this weekend.

The most exciting match of this matchweek is surely the clash between Erakor Golden Star and Galaxy. Both teams clashed twice in the last PVFA Independence Cup and it must be a very tough contest. Currently in the third position with seventeen points, Galaxy FC can take the lead if Tafea and Ifira lose this weekend. On the other hand, fourth-placed Erakor want to grab three more points to get closer to the leaders.

You can check the current league standings, results and top scorers of 2019-20 PVFAPremier League by clicking here.

Vanuatu: PVFA Premier League resumes this weekend

After nine months the 2019/20 PVFA Premier League season is back in Vanautu as four matches are going to be contested at Port Vila Stadium this weekend to mark the league’s resumption in the country’s capital.

Three teams are starring the fight for the title: Galaxy, Ifira Black Bird and Tafea. On the other hand Mauwia, Sia-Raga and Tupuji Imere seem to be the three teams that are going to fight against relegation this season.

Ifira and Tafea are currently sharing the lead with eighteen points each while Galaxy is in third only one point behind the top two teams. It is important to remember that Galaxy advanced to 2020 OFC Champions League quarter-finals, but the 2020 OFC Champions League was cancelled. Galaxy will be missing the Solomon Islands international Gagame Feni that left the team to join Laugu United – the player would not be available to travel to Vanuatu due to border restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemics. Despite being still third in the rankings, Galaxy recently celebrated the win in two minor tournaments in Vanuatu: the Port Vila Independence Cup and the PVFA Mini Knock-Out Tournament.

Tafea (left) and Ifira (right) are sharing the 2019-20 PVFA Premier League’s lead with 18 points each – *Vanuatu Sports News*

Erakor Golden Star is currently in the fourth position in the table with a very young squad. The team coached by Kalo Noel Benjamin counted on Jacky Ruben, Jason Thomas and Tony Kaltack in the PVFA Independence Cup, but there is no confirmation if these three players will be available to play for Erakor in the league as the team needs to have the International Transfer Certificate (ITC) of these players.

The same situation is happening with two other players: Micah Tommy and Alex Saniel. They played the PVFA Independence Cup for Tafea and Tupuji Imere respectively but the ITC of these players are with Fijian clubs. Galaxy FC also expects to complete the transfer of Malampa Revivors’ Andre Batick, but there are also still negotiations and bureaucracy in the road.

Tafea will be counting on the good performers Jayson Timatua and Junior Felix that helped Shefa to win the VFF National League Championship recently. Both players were highly praised during the tournament, being Timatua chosen the best player of the tournament. Ifira BB will also happy to see Tonly Kalotang back after very good performances in the league, scoring a brace a in the final to seal the title for Shefa FA.

Currently in the fifth position, Yatel has shown some improvement during the last Independence Cup and PVFA Mini Knock-Out Tournament. The team coached by Kiki Hinge advanced to the semi-finals in both tournaments, giving a hard challenge to Ifira Black Bird in Independence Cup that only managed to book a spot in the final after winning by 15-14 in he penalties.

Sia-Raga and Mauwia are probably the two teams that have the worst squads. Anyway both teams have the competition of Tupuji Imere in the fight against relegation as Tupuji has been living a terrible season so far.

You can check 2019/20 PVFA Premier League’s full schedule and the current league standings by clicking here.

Tahitian 2020-21 season’s kick-off is postponed

The kick-off of 2020-21 Tahitian football season is postponed. It was reported by Tahitian Federation (FTF) that they have placed the health and protection of its members at the forefront.

According to FTF, all football leagues will not start until October 9, but it can be changed depending on the changes in health conditions. The tournaments were originally scheduled to kick-off later this month.

Football in Tahiti is currently scheduled to resume in October – *FTF Media*

AS Pirae are the current champions of Ligue 1 VINI – the major football league from Tahiti. You can check the last season’s standings by clicking here.

Vanuatu: Malampa Revivors’ Andre Batick to join Galaxy FC?

Important news to shake football scenario in Vanuatu as top-striker Andre Batick is set to join Port Vila-based Galaxy FC. The Ni-Vanuatu international is currently playing for Luganville’s top-team Malampa Revivors – Batick was key for the historical campaign of Revivors in the last edition of the OFC Champions League this year when for the first time ever the team qualified for the knock-out stage.

The transfer is not still complete, but details separate Batick to be the new reinforcement to the already very good squad of Galaxy FC. The team owned by Andrew Leong is interested in Batick’s services after his superb performance for Revivors’ in the OFC Champions League, where he turned into a local hero in Luganville as he scored a hattrick in a decisive match against Papua New Guinea’s champions Lae City. After the very good performances, Batick was even close to an international move to Hekari United in Papua New Guinea, transfer that proved to be only a rumour.

Andre Batick to join Galaxy? – *OFC Media*

The transfer is in process, the info is confirmed by Galaxy FC’s staff. Despite only details are between Batick and Galaxy, controversy appeared amid the negotiations as is uncertain whether a transfer window period will be granted for Vanuatu in order to complete the move.

Morobe United’s Valentine Nelson speaks about scandal match against Star Mountain

Papua New Guinean football community was heavily shaken last weekend with one of the worse episodes football had seen in the country. Everything was going right in match between Morobe United and Star Mountain at Sir Ignatius Stadium in Lae until the moment William Lahai scored the equalising goal of Star Mountain. Morobe United players claimed there were irregularities in the play, the goal should be disallowed – the referee listened to the protests and after around 15 minutes, the goal was disallowed and Star Mountain decided to walk off the pitch.

Oceania Football Center talked to one of the figures involved in the game, the experienced Morobe United’s defender Valentine Nelson about the incident. “The referee was going to caution our right back for delaying the play. Just as the ref was calling him over to talk to him, one the Star Mountain Fc player made a throw in and resume play,” said Nelson – “he was supposed to stop the play at that instant but he did not and that resulted in a goal scored against us. The ref allowed it but we protested and that’s when he realized and overruled his decision and asked them to take a throw in again“, completed the former Lae City man.

Morobe United squad; Valentine Nelson (N.3) – *PNGFA Media*

“Our team blame the ref, because as he was calling our player over to caution him he was supposed to stop the play at moment“, said Nelson. As explained by the defender, the problem for Morobe United was the interruption in the play – as many fans were asking themselves why the goal should had been overturned.

“I do not take it on the players, it is their coaching staff and management that made them to walk off”, said Nelson regarding the situation on Star Mountain’s decision to leave the game before the final whistle – “I can’t say much now, it is up to the NSL board to make the decision basing on the referee’s report,” added the player.

The situation is still to be resolved – until the present moment this article is being written PNGFA or NSL Board are still to issue any statement about the match. It is known Star Mountain lodged a formal complain to the governing body regarding the scandal, but the situation continues unresolved. Recently, Oceania Football Center raised the concern regarding a possible attempt of external interference from PNGFA Media on the outcome of referee’s judgment in the match – something that is not acceptable by FIFA rules unless the league accepts the usaged of Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Labasa: Ronil Lal gives voice to his frustration about his players

Labasa is really not having the season they expected; the club is currently tied in points with Navua at the bottom of the table of 2020 edition of Fiji’s top-tier Vodafone Premier League. The Babasiga Lions were unable to beat Navua in the latest clash and ended up with a heartbreaking defeat that put their team with clear chances to be relegated to the second-tier Vodafone Senior League.

After a terrible result for Labasa, the head coach Ronil Lal said something unexpected: “my players are not listening up“, in an interview to a local TV station – click here to see the interview. The coach also stated after the defeat to Navua to FBC that “Individual errors cost us, the second goal against us was just an individual error. I think so players will need to step up, it is not just about playing on the field but the discipline off the field too. Players need to get serious on how their conduct is on the field and off the field and it is very disheartening to see such a good team doing so poorly.” Lal was highly praised last year after guiding his team to Battle of Giants and Inter-District Championship titles.

Oceania Football Center talked to some important players of Labasa’s squad about the statement from Lal; the general outcome from the conversations was denying that players were not listening to the coach’s game instructions – opting to defend players’ side in the situation.

This weekend, Labasa is going to have another do or die match as they face the 6th placed-side Nasinu in the process. The Giant Killers are just one point above Labasa in the rankings – a win can give a relief for Labasa and its supporters while another defeat might the continuation of their nightmare.

There was certainly something wrong happening to Labasa, it seems like now there are some disagreements between players and staff. While the confusion is not solved, Labasa may continue in this unexpected situation: fighting against relegation.

Lae City’s Alwin Komolong receives controversial red card

Lae City continues at the top of the PNG National Soccer League as they won their latest match against Morobe Wawens at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium by 2-0. A number of referee mistakes happened in this match, being probrably one of them a red card given to Lae City’s top-player Alwin Komolong.

The PNG Kapuls member was sent-off by the match referee in the middle of the second half of the match putting his team into pressure as they were forced to play with only 10-men. It is still a mystery the reason for the red card; the only possiblity is that Komolong sweared at the referee – as rumours recently arosed in the football community in the country – as the player was not involved in any play in the moment.

Despite the rumours, the player denied he sweared at the referee making the situation even more misterious. Alwin claimed he had never done something such as he was rummoured to in his football career.

It is expected Lae City and Komolong lodge a complain against the call to the NSL board and PNGFA. In the current scenario, the defender is suspended for the next two matches – against Morobe United and Star Mountain – of his team in the national league.

Telekom S-League: Laugu United and Central Coast unable to score in mid-week clash

Despite having the likes of Mathias Iani and Gagame Feni in attack, Laugu United was unable to find the nets in their mid-week clash against Central Coast for Telekom S-League. If Laugu could not score, the same happened to the team captained by Javin Wae – the debutants in the season Central Coast stopped their winning run as they played a 0-0 draw against the good team of Laugu United.

The point earned by Central Coast put them now in the 4th place of the Telekom S-League. Laugu continues at the 6th placed needing to still prove theirselves in the league – it was expected the traditional team had better results so far due the plenty of quality the team has in their squad.

Laugu United and Central Coast – *TSL Media*

This was only the second match of the Telekom S-League season so far to end up in a 0-0 draw – the first one was a between Real Kakamora and Honiara City. You can see the updated table and results of the season by clicking here.