Oceania Football Center

Rewa beat Navua in two friendly matches as both teams prepare for national league resumption

Football teams from Fiji are preparing for the restart of the Vodafone Premier League; as the transfer window goes, teams are not only focusing on signing new players to their squads but also to arrange warm-up matches heading for the first official games after COVID-19. The current national league first-placed side Rewa took on Navua in two friendly matches last Saturday and Sunday (04th and 05th Jul).

Friendly match between Navua and Rewa played on Saturday

Both matches took place at Uprising Ground; the first match on Saturday saw Rewa end up with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a goal scored through penalty spot by the striker Misaele Draunibaka in the second half of the match. On Sunday the lack of goals of the previous match had an end, as Rewa could score four gooals to Navua: Patrick Joseph, Setareki Hughes and Misaele Draunibaka scored in the first half and Anish Khem completed the four goal lead for Rewa in the second half. The veteran Apisai Smith scored a brace to reduce the margin for Navua – Apisai recently signed for Navua.

Rewa will certainly battle for the first place in the season with a very strong squad – the club won four of their five matches so far in the competition. Navua has a long road to go as they sit in the bottom of the standings with only one point in the table. Watch a complete video recap about the Vodafone Premier League so far this season to be fully updated as the national league is close to restart!

Brian Kaltak: consistency leading Central United’s defense

Vanuatu National Team captain Brian Kaltak had one more very good match for Central United last weekend as he played the entire match helping his winter league’s club to beat Birkenhead United in a hard fought 1-0 victory away from Kiwitea Street.

The defender keeps his consistency in the first three matches of the season for Central United; Kaltak was influential in all matches so far, helping Central to beat all their opponents so far and keep at the top of the table.

Kaltak in a match against North Shore United – *Central United Media*

Kaltak led Central United defense to their first clean sheet of the season while the Argentinian star attacker Emiliano Tade scored the winning goal in the second half against Birkenhead. The Ni-Vanuatu central back, an Auckland City player, is playing alongside many of his teammates in Central United’s campaign at Lotto NRFL Premier League so far. Kaltak and players such as Cam Howieson and Emiliano Tade will return to Auckland City’s team when the OFC Champions League restart to help the Navy Blues to retain the regional glory – competition that is set to recommence this September.

Navneel Nand joins Nadi

Navneel Nand is the newest player of Nadi. The 22-year-old midfielder left Lautoka to join The Jetsetters in the current Fijian transfer window.

The young midfielder will add some talent and depth to Nadi’s midfield led by legendary Avinesh Suwamy. Nand was being an important player for Lautoka this season. He played six matches for the Baby Bluez this year and scored a goal in the 6-0 win against Nadi.

Nand (circled) with Lautoka’s squad – *Fiji FA*

Nadi’s next match will be against Labasa at Subrail Park on July 18. You can check the current league standings by clicking here.

Vanuatu: Invited players make PVFA Independence Cup more interesting

The 2020 PVFA Independence Cup kicked-off this weekend and Galaxy and Tafea won their matches. Besides the final scores, standings and goalscorers, there is one thing that must be highlighted: the amount of players that are not really part of the official squads.

Erakor Golden Star counted on Jason Thomas, Dondy Kileteir and Tasso Jeffery in their opening match against Ifira Black Bird. Kileteir and Jeffery are training with the team but they belong to Malampa Revivors while Jason Thomas is currently attached to Lautoka FC from Fiji. According to reliable sources, Thomas will not return to Lautoka but his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) is still with the Fijian club.

Two other clubs also counted on players that are currently attached to Fijian clubs: Tupuji Imere and Tafea. Tupuji counted on Lautoka’s forward Alex Saniel while Tafea counted on Ba’s midfielder Micah Tommy. Unlike Jason Thomas, Saniel and Tommy must return to Fiji soon to rejoin their respective clubs.

Micah Tommy playing for Tafea against Tupuji Imere.

Having these players help to increase the level of the tournament as the PVFA Independence Cup is a festive championship. While many countries still have their borders closed, it is very good to see football back in Vanuatu as players are recovering their fitness for 2019-20 Port Vila Premier League resumption.

Duo from New Zealand help FC Helsingør to clinch title in Denmark

Dalton Wilkins and Elijah Just won their first professional tournament in Europe. The duo from New Zealand helped FC Helsingør to clinch the 2.Division title in Denmark.

Both players helped the team to win the third-tier of Danish football as they were in FC Helsingør’s starting eleven in the last round of the league against Jammerbugt FC. Just was one of the best players in the pitch before being replaced by Anosike Ementa in the 94th minute.

Wilkins (left) and Just (right) helped FC Helsingør to win the third tier of Danish football

Both players joiend FC Helsingør in the last year after helping Eastern Suburbs AFC to win 2018-19 ISPS Handa Premiership. Oceania Football Center congratulates Dalton and Elijah for this accomplishment.

New Caledonia: Super Ligue Futsal kicks-off

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The 2020 Super Ligue Futsal kicked-off in New Caledonia. Five matches were contested during the last weekend to open the national futsal league in the French territory.

This year’s league is contested by ten teams. Six of these ten teams have already debuted in the tournament: Olympique, Zeolil, ASPTT, AS Wetr, SC Ne Drehu and Kartier Nord.

Olympique is the current league leaders with one win and one draw in two matches. Their opening match was against SC Drehu and finished 3-3 and their second clash was held on Sunday and they have beaten Zeolil by 7-5.

New Caledonia’s futsal is developing very fast as a very good job is being done there since Juliano Schmeling became the head coach of New Caledonia National Futsal Team. You can check the current standings by clicking here.

Chris Wood returns from injury in Burnley’s draw against Sheffield United

Burnley received Sheffield United at Turf Moore in the 33rd matchweek of 2019-20 English Premier League – the top-tier league from England.

James Tarkowski opened the scoreboard or Burnley in the first half while John Egan scored for Sheffield United in the second half. The 1-1 draw was pretty bad for The Clarets as they lost the opportunity to reach the eighth position in the league.

The good news is that New Zealand international Chris Wood is back from injury. The 28-year-old striker came from the bench in the 69th minute to replace Matej Vydra. It was Wood’s first game since football resumed in England after COVID-19 pandemics.

Wood missed three matches in June due to an Achilles problem. He is Burnley’s top scorer in the current Premier League season with eleven goals in 27 matches.

Navua reinforces squad for national league resumption

Navua is going to need battle hard if they want to improve in the standings of Vodafone Premier League. To ensure this, Navua’s management signed two well-known and experienced players to reinforce their squad ahead for the return of the national league after the forced break due COVID-19 pandemic.

According to reliable sources, Navua signed with former Ba and Nasinu goalkeeper Josaia Ratu. Ratu moved to Tavua this January and now makes his return to top-tier of football in Fiji. The 36-year-old Apisai Smith is back to Fiji football after a stint in New Zealand’s Geraldine FC in South Canterbury Men’s Division 1 League. Smith already played for Navua in the past and already represented Fiji National Team once – now the former Rewa and Lautoka player is going to be feature in Navua’s squad.

Apisai and Josaia and will team up with players like Taniela Rakariva in order to improve the campaign of Navua in the national league. The team that just got promoted from the second tier is currently at the bottom of Vodafone Premier League. Navua is going to open the resumption of the national league in a hard clash against current champions Ba next weekend (11th Jul) at Fiji FA Academy Grounds.

Fiji FA set to spend millions to build football academy in Labasa

There is something very important to come in Labasa’s region in Fiji: according to Fijivillage the Fijian Football Association is set to build a football academy worth $5.5 in Korowiri, Labasa. It is know the Fijian football star Roy Krishna had an important role in the process. “Fiji FA CEO Mohammed Yusuf says all elite athletes will be brought in to undergo specialised training as Fiji FA believes the Northern Division has the potential to produce many more Roy Krishna’s,” it is mentioned in local media report.

Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel (left) in Labasa – *Fijivillage*

“He [Yusuf] adds they [Fiji FA] hope to fully complete construction by March 2021 but as they are ahead of schedule, the academy will most probably officially open in January next year. Yusuf says the academy will have two grounds, a futsal court, accommodation, offices, a big hall as well as a fully fledged program like the ones in Suva and Ba. The CEO says FIFA has invested $4.6 million in the project while FIJI FA will be funding the rest,” as said in Fijivillage report.

Fijian star player Roy Krishna used his social media account to show his satisfaction with the news: “So glad that Fiji Football is setting up an academy in my hometown Labasa which is due to open in December. So happy to get a quick brief about their future plans and current initiatives. We definitely have a promising future ahead of us. I’m sure more young talents will be nurtured and groomed through this initiative and can expect to see more Fijians making a name in the world of football. Here’s to good leadership and foresight“.

Undoubtely, the action of Fijian FA is a good call for support in the development of football in the country; despite the news, much football fans raised their concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and pointing Fiji FA input should be turned to support players that are suffering due the forced break in football activities instead to promote the building of the football academy at the moment. According to local sources, it is know Fiji FA promised help for Fijian players that were hit by TC Harold.

Galaxy and Tafea win as PVFA Independence Cup starts in Port Vila

The traditional Independence Cup had kicked-off in Vanuatu’s capital with important matches in the starting matchweek of the competition. Four matches were going to take place in Port Vila Municipal Stadium, but the contest between Mauwia and Yatel were postponed to a date that is still to be determinated. In the Friday, the powerhouse Galaxy FC kicked-off the tournament with an emphatic win over the good side of Sia-Raga. Octav Meltecoin opened the scoreline for Galaxy in the 5th minute of play and the Brazilian midfielder Roberson Felipe doubled the margin in the 20th minute. Still in the first half, Yvong Wilson added another for the team coached by Moise Poida. Sia-Raga still managed to pull one goal back after a penalty-kick – the goalkeeper Seiloni Iaruel defended the shot but in the rebound Iaruel had no chance to stop the finish from Juju Ala. The first 45 minutes of the match had all goals of the clash – Galaxy starts with a strong performance in their first official match after COVID-19 break.

Galaxy was captained by Nelson Sale in this clash – *Vanuatu Sport*

Erakor Golden Star had a very hard clash against Ifira Black Bird. The team counted with the punctual addition of the star defender Jason Thomas in the match, as well the Malampa Revivors’ players Dondy Kileteir and Tasso Jeffery. Jean Kaltack returned to EGS and opened the score for his team, but it did not take long as Tonly Kalotang equalised for Ifira BB. Erakor took the lead once again through the effort of Junior Daniel, but in the second half Jean-Marie Manuriki created a great chance for Sam Kalter that leveled the game once again. The 2-2 result reflected the good quality of both sides in the pitch. The Ifira Black Bird star player Jonathan Spokeyjack expressed his feelings after match: “It was very challeging; a tough match. Many fans came to support and enjoy the game this Saturday,” stated the winger.

Erakor and Ifira played an entertaining match in Port Vila – *Vanuatu Sport*

The final match of the day saw Tafea fight hard against a revamped side of Tupuji Imere. Alex Saniel added firepower to his former club Tupuji Imere; the same happened to Tafea that counted with the quality of Ba’s Micah Tommy in the clash. Both players are expected to return Fiji to represent Lautoka and Ba respectively as the Vodafone Premier League is set to restart in the next week.

Tupuji managed to take the lead in the first half through Mackenzie Malapa, but could not defend their goal in the second half: Evaristo Kapulu scored for Tafea in the first minutes of the second part of the match and the young Waiwo Kalmet scored the winning goal from the penalty spot for his team in the final stages of the clash, giving Tafea a hard fought victory in the final match of the day.

Micah Tommy (red) was an important addition for Tafea squad – *Vanuatu Sport*

As the various Independence Cups that are played in Vanuatu traditionally in the month of July – 30th July, the day of Vanuatu’s independence is when normally the competitions have their final matches – are not recognised as official tournaments, clubs can add players to their squads for the competition as it happened to Tafea, Erakor and Tupuji. Galaxy took the first place of Group A as Erakor Golden Star and Ifira Black Bird only draw in the first matchweek – Tafea is the first placed side of the Group B after beating Tupuji Imere while the match of Yatel against Mauwia is still to be played.

See updated results and standings before the initial matches of the competition.