It was released by Fiji FA Media a list of 30 players called up for a training camp. The new national team head Flemming Serritslev will evaluate his option in a period of training that is set to key for the final selection of the national team that is set to battle for a spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The period of training will be of one week, finishing on 28th August.
“It’s a part of our preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. Since we do not know when the qualifiers will be, we need to be ready as soon as we get the message when those qualifiers will be played. “We cannot wait to prepare until it is only one month away from the qualifiers,” Serritslev said to Fiji FA Media.
Coach Serritslev (right) alongside star player Roy Krishna – Fiji FA Media
Lots of young players were called up for the training period: “This time we have some young players in the squad. It’s not because they are present national team players but we want to see them among the experienced national team players how they are doing. “Mostly likely next time we will try some other very young players in the camp. If they (young players) are good enough then they are also old enough,” said the Danish coach.
Important overseas-based players such as Kishan Sami and Nicho Prasad are not inlcuded in the list as they are not currently based in Fiji. The only player listed that is currently playing his club football aborad is the star Roy Krishna that is on vacation in his country as the Indian Super League is on a break.
Solomon Islands international Tigi Molea was suspendend by SIFF (Solomon Islands Football Federation) for the first six matches of the 2020 Telekom S-League as outcome of the accusation of assault in a Telekom S-League match in the last season. The Solomon Warriors’ player will also be fined for $1000 for his conduct.
“SIFF Secretariat has already communicated the decision to the player and Solomon Warriors. Upon hearing and reading the materials presented before the DC, it found the player guilty of physical assault contrary to article 48 (1) of the SIFF Disciplinary Code (“the Code’’) for which a four (4) matches suspension has been imposed on the player. A fine of $1000 is imposed on the player pursuant of article 48(3) of the Code. Furthermore, DC has found the player guilty of offensive behaviour contrary to article 55(1) of the Code for which two (2) matches suspension has been imposed“, said SIFF Media in a press release.
Tigi Molea (red) – OFC Media
Molea assaulted Henderson Eels player Derrick Taebo after a match between Taebo’s side and Molea’s Solomon Warriors last season. Lots of questions emerged during the period – as why SIFF took too long to evaluate the case and give a final outcome – but it is understood the OFC Champions League preparations and then the COVID-19 pandemics were sensible barries for the resolution of the case.
However, SIFF also stated both Molea and Warriors can appeal against the final decision of the board – what is expected as the player is an important member of the Warriors squad. The current Telekom S-League champions counted the midfielder in the OFC Champions League campaign this year that qualified the team for the knock-out stage. Warriors is set to make their debut in the league season this Wednesday (19th Aug) at Lawson Tama Stadium against Marist FC.
The twelfth matchweek of 2019-20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League was played on last Saturday as two matches were contested in Lae and three other matches were contested in Port Moresby – the capital of the country.
After a bad campaign in the first half of the season, Star Mountain show that they are a better team now. The team coached by Selan Elizah drew with Vitiaz United in the previous round and beat FC Bouganville 2-1 last Saturday. This match also reserved a beautiful moment during the celebration of one of the goals.
Attacking midfielder Tau Winnie scored Star Mountain’s second goal in the match and his celebration was very special: the 34-year-old player wore a facemask to show his respect to all people that lost their lives due to COVID-19 pandemics.
Tau Winnie celebrating his goal against FC Bougainville – PNGFA Media
Star Mountain are currently in the sixth position with twelve points in twelve matches. They are six points behind fourth-placed team Tusbab Stallions which means that Winnie and his teammates still have the chance to advance to National Soccer League’s semi-finals. You can check the current league standings by clicking here.
The second matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League reaches its end on Wednesday when current league champions Solomon Warriors will face Marist FC at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of Solomon Islands.
It is going to be Warriors’ first match in the season as they had a bye week in the opening round which means that they had one more week to get ready for the season: “We worked hard over the past weeks to recover our fitness level. We are ready to play this week,” said midfielder John Alick.
Alick is a key player for Solomon Warriors. The 29-year-old player from Vanuatu was named the best player of 2019-20 Telekom S-League and he knows that fans will expect more from him this season: “Receiving this award was an honour for me. Now I also have a big responsibility on guiding the team this season,” he stated.
John Alick playing in 2020 OFC Champions League – OFC Media
This Telekom S-League has eleven teams fighting for the title – two more teams in comparison with last season. After finishing the 2019-20 season in the second position, Henderson Eels had a powerful start this season by winning two matches (5-1 and 7-0). Alick knows that they are going to have tough rivals in the title race: “We will do our best to defend our national title,” he pointed.
The clash between Warriors and Marist FC will be broadcasted by Telekom S-League on their Facebook page. You can check the current league standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
A new tournament kicked-off in Vanuatu on last weekend. The PVFA Knock-Out Tournament started with four matches being contested at Port Vila Stadium: one on Friday and three on Saturday. This championship was created due to the postponement of 2019-20 PVFA Premier League’s resumption.
The eight teams from PVFA Premier League were split in two groups of four teams each. Tafea have beaten Mauwia by 5-0 in the opening match with a hat-trick scored by John Thomas while Galaxy FC smashed Erakor Golden Star by 3-0 with two goals scored by striker Kensi Tangis and one netted by Brazilian player Roberson. You can check all results of the opening round by clicking here.
Tangis (left) and Roberson (right) scored for Galaxy against Erakor Golden Star – Galaxy FC Media
Current PVFA Premier League was scheduled to resume on August 15. However it was postponed because of VFF National League that is going to kick-off on this weekend. So the Knock-Out Tournament is an alternative tournament created to help players from top clubs from PVFA to stay fit.
Eighteen players from PVFA Premier League were picked to represent the member association in the National League so these players are not available to play for their local clubs which would upset the clubs.
The major women’s football league from Solomon Islands kicked-off on last Saturday at DC Park as four matches were contested by eight teams. This is the first edition of the tournament which is a huge step for the sport in the country.
After winning Women’s Preseason Tournament in the last month, Koloale FC showed that they are really a very strong side. The team led by Ilene Pegi and Cristal Annie Bakolo has beaten Frigates United by 2-0: “The first game is always the toughest because you’ll never know how the other teams play, so I think that it is very important that we stick to our game plan instead of playing according to theirs,” said Bakolo to Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Media.
Koloale FC (in green) have beaten Frigates United by 2-0 – SIFF Media
Three other matches were contested in the opening matchweek of the tournament including Naha’s 3-0 win over Solrite FC. You can check all results from Solrais Women’s Premier League by clicking here.
In one of the most important football matches of the year so far in Oceania football, Lae City FC beat powerhouse Hekari United in Port Moresby. The team – now coached by Bob Morris – was able to overcome their difficulties – travelling with only 14 players for the game – to beat Hekari in the debut of the star duo Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba, both of them former Lae City players now part of the Red Army.
Jerry Allen is temporarily unavailable for Hekari due to border restrictions; the Solomon Islands coach is back in his country, and he is on the staff of Honiara City’s newly-formed team in the Telekom S-League as he cannot currently return to Papua New Guinea. The coach and his assistant Jerry Sam will return to Papua New Guinea as soon as possible to train the Reds. While Allen is unavailable, Eric Komeng is responsible for leading Hekari from the sidelines.
In such an important match – with the addition of the Gunmeba-Dabinyaba recent transfer situation issues adding to the already fierce rivalry – both sides were not allowed to gamble: Lae City used a strong back line formed by Emmanuel Airem, Alwin Komolong, Philip Steven and Thomas Yagum – with the well-known goalkeeper Ronald Warisan completing the defensive system – having Felix Komolong, Jacob Sabua and Emmanuel Simon in the midfield. On one flank, the PNG National Soccer League top-scorer Stahl Gubag was placed alongside the EcuadorianAbdias Aguirre as a central striker, while Obert Bika floated from one flank to another during the game, completing the offensive trio. Despite playing Felix Komolong in an unusual defensive midfielder position, Morris knew the capabilities of the star player to cover the back line and provide even more defensive power to cover the box attacks from Michael Foster and Kolu Kepo. The most unusual choice of Lae City’s head coach was to place Abdias Aguirre as a forward – the young South American player is a natural central midfielder, but his choice is understandable due the lack of quality options the coach currently has up front; and we can say Aguirre performed well in his new position.
Lae City FC – PNGFA Media
Hekari started the match with the experienced goalkeeper Ishmael Pole and with a very different back four: Junior David, Carlos Onne, Vito Laloata and Daniel Joe. The fans might be very used to David, Onne and Joe in the back, but the Samoan Gem Vito Laloata was something very new – and wrong. The Samoan international is a central striker, tall, and he can provide strong presence in the box when necessary for Hekari United. Laloata already scored once for Hekari during the season and has also provided assists in both OFC Champions League and PNG National Soccer League – he is a useful player for the squad that can provide good options for Hekari’s coaching staff in certain areas of the game.
When a Lupe o le Soaga player in Samoa, Laloata played in more defensive roles – but never as a central defender. The 23-year-old player was sacrificed when played in a position he is not used to. In his former club in Samoa, Laloata started as full-back, then moved to the attacking wings and started to be more effective for the team in this position – his strong long-range finishes and tall stature started to work for Lupe and then he was placed as a central striker, his stand-out performances as a striker were the main reason that Laloata was called up for Samoan national team and scored three goals – including one against New Zealand – in the 2019 Pacific Games, when he caught attention of Hekari United and was signed for the 2019/20 season.
The choice was wrong – and it did not take Eric Komeng long to realise this: the first and only goal of the match came from a defensive blunder from the entire defensive system of Hekari United. First, Ishmael Pole came out too early from his posts and was out-foxed by Lae City’s forward, then Onne recovered the ball from the opposition player and left it to Laloata; they took too long to clear it and Abdias Aguirre pressed them. The ball ended up at Jacob Sabua’s feet, and he found the empty net to finish and score the winner for Lae City – you can watch the entire sequence of play by clicking here. After watching the failure and seeing Hekari’s defence was exposed, Komeng decided to do the obvious: replace the forward in defense for a natural defender: Langarap Samol. Daniel Joe then moved to the central defense alongside Onne and Samol was placed in the right back. The Hekari defence now seemed much better – and this was not Laloata’s fault.
Hekari United – PNGFA Media
Lae City always seemed much more organised on the pitch rather Hekari United. In the midfield, both Gregory Togubai and star David Muta could not provide proper movement in the midfield and neither could protect their back four. Kolu Kepo, alongside Dabinyaba and Gunemba upfront, could not provide enough danger to the defensive system of Lae City. The match was stuck in the midfield – where Lae was much more present than Hekari, as Obert Bika and usually Gubag and Aguirre moved back to cover spaces.
And it was not a fantastic performance for Lae City – that needs to improve a lot if they want to be a real contender for OFC Champions League as they expect for the next season -, but the lack of efficiency and a gamble in the most important match of the season made Hekari pay a huge price in front of a better organised Lae City; it seems Hekari United’s coaching staff is still unable to take the best of their players. Hekari United is now placed 3rd in the PNG National Soccer League standings and will need some extra work to recover the top-two spot in the process.
Hekari United suffered a disappointing defeat against Lae City last Saturday (15th Aug) in Port Moresby thanks to a goal scored by Jacob Sabua; match where their first choice goalkeeper Ishmael Pole saw a red card in the late stages of the match.
The PNG Kapuls member was forced to leave his penalty box to tackle Lae City’s opponent, unfortunately he commited a foul and denied a clear goal possibility outside the box – what, according to the rules, is a red card offenese: “my apologies for the red card yesterday. It was my first ever red card in my career and I will be missing next two matches“, said Pole in his social media account.
Ishmael Pole – OFC Media
Hekari, that is not impressing recently in the PNG National Soccer League, dropped to the 3rd position in the table as they were defeated by Lae City and Vitiaz United won FC Morobe Wawens by 3-0. “Congratulations, Lae City FC and good game boys,” also said in social media account the star goalkeeper about the recent match of his side.
The 2020 edition of the Battle of Giants in Fiji came to and end; for the Rewa fans it was a remarkable tournament as the Delta Tigers lifted the trophy for their 9th in history. The team from Nausori counted on the quality of players such as Kavaia Rawaqa and Gabriele Matanisiga to clinch the title, but two identical brothers captured the spotlight in the finals to seal the gloryfor Rewa: Bruce and Setareki Hughes.
The 23-year-old central striker Bruce Hughes was the only goalscorer of the grand final match against Suva, while his older brother Seta Hughes scored three goals throught the tournament and ended up being awarded the ‘Best player of Tournament’ by Fiji FA.
Bruce and Setareki Hughes – FIji FA Media
While Setareki represented the Bula Boys 22 times – also including participations at FIFA U20 World Cup in 2015 and in the 2016 Rio Olympics men’s football tournament – his younger brother Bruce is still to be capped by the senior national team, but recently Bruce Hughes was part of the U23 OFC Olympics Qualifiers squad of Fiji in 2019. The two brothers also were part of the OFC Futsal Nations Cup squad of their country, competition where Fiji ended up in the 5th place being captained by Setareki.
The still 25-year-old Setareki Hughes, already team captain of Rewa, guided his side to an incredible Battle of Giants win. Setareki seems to be back at the peak of his form, deserving so a return call for the Fiji national team as the player was absent from the previous lists of the Bula Boys. Bruce has been providing his capabilities in the past seasons for the Delta Tigers and he is certainly under the radar of the new national team head coach Flemming Serritslev – the Danish coach watched the entire BOG tournament evulating Fijian players and might be impressed with both brothers performances.
The top-tier of football in New Caledonia had the completion of its 4th round of matches; the Mobil Super Ligue saw Horizon Patho play against SC Ne Drehu at Stade de la Roche in Maré and end up with a close 3-2 win.
Horizon Patho with the win surpassed Ne Drehu in the table and now sits 4th in the process while the team from Lifou is now placed at 5th. Patho won the match thanks to goals coming from Pierre Wawia Jean Paul Wamejo and Jean Claude Jewine.
Horizon Patho in a match against AS Mont-Dore – MSL Media
Ne Drehu cut the deficit thanks two a brace of the attacker Mone Wamoe, but not enough to grab anything from the match as they suffered a defeat away from home to waste the opportunity to get closer to current league leaders AS Magenta.
You can check the current Mobil Super Ligue standings by clicking here.
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