Fiji Football Association (FFA) board announced that four players are back from suspension due to drug use. One of these players is Osea Vakatalesau who debuted with a goal for Nadroga in a 4-0 win against Rakiraki on this Sunday.
The other three players who are back from suspension are Amani Makoe, Kini Madigi and Valerio Nawatu. According to reliable sources, all these players mentioned will also be tested regularly now after serving more than 70% of their suspensions.
Fiji FA logo
Makoe is a well-known defender from Rewa who played ten matches for Fiji National Team from 2015 to 2017 while Madigi is a young midfielder who last player for Ba. 37-year-old forward Nawatu is the oldest player of this list and he last played for Lautoka.
Currently stuck in Fiji due to border restrictions, Malakai Rakula spent some time training with Lautoka while the management of the Bluez tried to sign him. However it was reported by reliable sources that Lautoka gave up on trying to sign with Rakula.
The 28-year-old midfielder left Ba to join Manukau United from New Zealand earlier this year but he is not able to leave Fiji to rejoin Manukau so he started to train with Lautoka. However, his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) remains with the football club from New Zealand.
Rakula (left) celebrating a goal with other Manukau United players
It was previously repoted that Rakula could be available to play for Lautoka in the 2020 Battle of the Giants that kicks-off on Friday but he is not going to join the Bluez anymore. Another player that is facing lots of trouble to join Lautoka is attacking midfielder Sitiveni Cavuilagi who last played for Ba.
Lautoka is drawn in Battle of the Giants’ Group B alongside Nadi, Navua and Rewa. You can check the full schedule of the tournament by clicking here.
After two years away from football, legendary forward Osea Vakatalesau is officially back! The 34-year-old striker made his official debut for Nadroga in the 4-0 win against Rakiraki this Sunday in the Vodafone Senior League – the second tier of Fijian football.
Vakatalesau showed that he is still on fire as he opened the scoreboard for Nadroga after a confusion in the box. You can watch his goal by clicking here.
Vakatalesau is back with a goal for Nadroga
Nadroga is currently leading the Viti Levu Zone – one of the two groups of Vodafone Senior League – with seven points in four matches. You can check the current standings by clicking here.
Central United remains in the second position in 2020 Lotto NRFL Premier Men’s League after beating Hamilton Wanderers by 4-0 at Kiwitea Street on last Saturday. Despite the huge win, Central’s staff and management had to deal with bad news as Logan Rogerson suffered a serious injury in the first half of the contest.
Rogerson was replaced by Wade Molony in the 11th minute after suffering from a fractured fibula when Central was winning by 1-0.
Rogerson being carried off the field after suffering an injury – Phototek NZ
Rogerson is expected to miss a few months due to this injury. He scored one goal in three matches in the current Lotto NRFL Premier Men’s season. Oceania Football Center wishes him a fast recovery.
Gimale Essacu is a very talented player from Papua New Guinea who is currently living in the United States of America after spending two years playing for Western Illinois Leathernecks in the NCAA Division I men’s soccer – the major football league from USA at universitary level.
His experience abroad called the attention of Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) and the 23-year-old midfielder was called-up to represent his country in the OFC Olympic Qualifiers held in Fiji last year and it was an unique experience for him – “I was told to play as a center back. A position I have never played. When I was first told this I was obviously a little shocked, nervous and confused because I normally play as an attacking player or an attacking right back… but when your country asks you to do something, you shut up, put the jersey on and do it,” he explained.
Papua New Guinea had a tough debut in the tournament as they lost to Vanuatu by 3-1 with two goals scored by Azariah Soromon – “I remember feeling so nervous and struggling for most of the first game of the tournament against Vanuatu. Mainly because I was in a situation where I had to learn a whole new position while adapting to the heat in Fiji. It was not another football match. I was representing my country,” said Essacu.
Essacu playing for PNG U-23 squad against Vanuatu – OFC Media
“As the tournament got further I started to understand a little more of the role and by the end of the Olympic Qualifiers I was having a better performance and enjoyed it,” he pointed. Papua New Guinea’s second clash was against Fiji and they lost by 3-1 once again. The first and only win in the tournament was in the final round of the group stage against Tonga. You can check Essacu’s highlights in the 2019 OFC Olympic Qualifiers by clicking here.
Unfortunately Papua New Guinea was not able to advance to the semi-finals as Essacu’s side finished the group stage in the third position with three points in three matches. Despite the bad results, the midfielder recognizes the importance of playing this tournament – “Reflecting back now I realized how this tournament helped me deal with so many new situations in my life. I think learning to adapt to new surroundings is so important and overcoming them builds character,” he explained.
Royals Academy is a football academy managed by former Solomon Islands National Football Team player Joel Konofilia that took many young players from his homeland to train and study in England in the last year.
Royals set a partnership Stars Academy from England and dozens of players flew to Europe to have the opportunity to train there. The delegation also had Alick Collin that was part of the project and went to England alongside the whole Oceanian delegation.
Collin felt the environment of an European football academy and he also had the opportunity of his life: coach a football team in Europe. He was the Stars Academy’s head coach in the Sussex FA Youth League and in a regional College League where he had the experience of leading these young players from Solomon Islands in local tournaments – “Competing against professional coaches in London was a great experience,” he revealed to Oceania Football Center.
Collin (first from left to right) had the opportunity of training a team in England
Currently in Solomon Islands after his experience in England, Collin now wants to share what he learned in Europe – “I want to share my experience to help other coaches on developing new pathways for Solomon Islands football,” he said.
Coaching a youth football team in Europe is a big milestone for a Solomon Islander. Oceania Football Center congratulates Royals Academy and Alick Collin for this accomplishment.
After lots of speculation about the the next step of Micah Lea’alafa as a football player, it was confirmed by the player that he is not going to play the 2020 Telekom S-League season that kicks-off on the next weekend.
The 28-year-old forward was linked to many Telekom S-League clubs but he revealed to Oceania Football Center that he decided not to play the upcoming season of the major football league from Solomon Islands.
Micah Lea’alafa will not play 2020 Telekom S-League
Lea’alafa returned to Solomon Islands after being released by Maritzburg United from South Africa earlier this year. He is currently unable to leave the country to play abroad due to border restrictions which means that he is not going to play any football league for a while.
Bougainville and Star Mountain clashed in a friendly match at Bisini Park on this Saturday as both teams are close to finish their preparations for the 2019-20 PNG National Soccer League’s resumption in the next week.
This match marked the reunion of Percy Mataio with his former club Star Mountain and Mataio fared better as Bougainville won by 5-0: “The friendly was helpful for us in terms of how we are constructing our defensive and offensive structures […] The players are adapting to the new game plan I am introducing and I am pleased with the team progress as we had only two weeks of training so far,” he said.
Bougainville is going to have a tough clash next weekend against Hekari United in the 11th matchweek of 2019-20 PNG National Soccer League: “We won the friendly but there is a lot of work to be done […] Our game model is slowly taking shape and we are hopeful that we will be able to compete at the level we want to face Hekari United next week,” explained Mataio.
Bougainville and Star Mountain clashed at Bisini Park
On the other hand Star Mountain’s players and staff have to deal with this heavy loss in order to get ready for their upcoming clash against Vitiaz United at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby – “We have some players who just left the club during this transfer window: some of them due to school commitments and others due to family commitments. We have new players replacing them and it is good to have friendly match so we can see where we are,” said Star Mountain’s team manager Joseph Ame.
Both teams will have tough missions in the remaining matches of the season as Bougainville is currently in the sixth position with eleven points in ten matches and Star Mountain is in the eighth position with only eight points. You can check the current league standings by clicking here.
Allista Kalip is one of the most important players of Tafea FC. The 31-year-old forward is scoring a lot of goals this season and he is playing a major role to help his club to remain on top of 2019-20 PVFA Premier League with seven goals scored in nine matches.
He was also one of the best players of 2020 PVFA Independence Cup as he scored three goals in five matches to help Tafea to finish the tournament in the third position. Despite having a blessed season by scoring many goals, he knows that helping the team is the most important thing – “I can score as much as I can but the most important is winning matches,” he said.
Just like many other players from his country, Kalip works in the morning and train with his teammates in the afternoon. A tough reality for non-professional footballers that can not focus totally on the sport.
Kalip has a long history playing for Tafea. He joined the club in 2006 and spent a whole decade in the club before joining Easton in 2016. He returned to the club in 2018 and he has always been an important player in the squad – “I helped the team to qualify for two OFC Champions Leagues (2014 and 2015) but I did not have the opportunity to play these tournaments,” he explained.
Despite having helped Tafea a lot over the years, Kalip does not have a long career when it comes to OFC Champions League. He played only one match in the tournament, a 1-1 draw against Kossa in 2008 – “In 2014 I scored in the local final against Amicale and we qualified for the Champions League in the penalties. I went to Fiji with the team but I did not play,” he sadly remembers.
Kalip (left) celebrating a goal for Tafea in 2020 PVFA Independence Cup
The 2019-20 PVFA Premier League is set to resume in the next week and Kalip has clear goals in his mind: help Tafea win the league and qualify for 2021 OFC Champions League so he could finally have the opportunity to be in Tafea’s starting eleven in an international match.
Despite having good performances throughout his career, the 31-year-old forward has always been set aside by his coaches – “Maybe I am not good enough,” he stated – “But I always wanted to represent Vanuatu. I wish I can play for Vanuatu to show all my love for my beloved homeland,” he revealed.
Tafea next clash is not confirmed yet but, according to the initial schedule, it must be the same confrontations as the third matchweek which means that Tafea will probably face Mauwia. You can check the current league standings by clicking here.
There are very good news for Fijian football fans and specially for the Nadroga fans: former Ba and Fiji international Osea Vakatalesau is finally free to return to action after facing a two-year ban.
As recently mentioned by Oceania Football Center, Osea Vakatalesau was set to feature for Nadroga in Vodafone Senior League, but he was pending approval of his appeal to Fiji FA to lift ban sustained in 2018 – use of banned substance. The confirmation of that the suspension came to an end was confirmed by Nadroga’s official Nilesh Kumar.
Vakatalesau when player of Ba
Vakatalesau is a legend of Fijian football, playing in countries such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. The tall striker, now aged 34, will be ready to help Nadroga in their fight to return to national league. The player is set to feature in Nadroga next challenge against Rakirarki at Lawaqa Park this weekend.
Oceania Football Center 