Experienced defender Manasa Nawakula is confirmed back to Ba as the Men in Black head to a massive game this Saturday (15th Aug) against Rewa for 2020 edition of the Battle of Giants. The central defender did not feature in Ba’s group stage campaign where the team coached by Ronil Kumar ended up at the top of the club with one win, one defeat and one draw.
Nawakula is being an important man for Ba since the return of football in Fiji. The defender score three goals from the penalty spot in the Vodafone Premier League – and as the team lost a number of players in the recent transfer window, the player is one of the most experienced member of Ba’s defensive system alongside Ilimotama Jese.
Manasa Nawakula (4) – Fiji FA Media
The introduction of Nawakula back to the team was celebrated by Ba’s chairman Raynal Kumar in interview for Fiji FA Media: “We didn’t count on Manasa Nawakula in the group stage, we look forward to have him now,” said Ba’s president.
Ba will certainly have a hard challenge against the good side of Rewa, the current top-tabled side of Vodafone Premier League, this Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka. Both sides will be eager to take a spot in the final on Sunday against the winner of the match batween Nadi and Suva.
After eight months the 2019-20 PVFA Premier League will resume… or not. The tenth matchweek of the tournament was scheduled to kick-off today but the league’s resumption was postponed on Tuesday – and it was not reported by any source.
Anyway, four matches are going to be contested this weekend in Port Vila as part of a new tournament that was created from night to day. These four matches are exactly the same four matches that compose the tenth matchweek of PVFA Premier League which means that a league matchweek became the first matchweek of a new tournament.
The reason for the league’s postponement is the VFF National Championship’s kick-off on next weekend. However the biggest problem is that Port Vila Football Association (PVFA) claims that they did not know that this tournament would kick-off this month – that is why PVFA Premier League was scheduled to resume this weekend.
PVFA (left) and VFF (right) logos
According to reliable sources, PVFA did not send any representative to attend a VFF meeting held earlier this year. It was reported that VFF communicated PVFA about the National Championship but PVFA denies it – a problem that would be easily solved by sending an e-mail.
Vanuatu’s football suffers amid all this mess. The worst part of it is that the development of the sport slows down due to lack of communication.
One of the key matches to decide the location of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League Minor Premiership will take place this weekend in Port Moresby, with eight-time champions Hekari United playing host to five-time reigning champions Lae City.
With the news that Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba are free to play for Hekari United following a fortnight of uncertainty, it should be a mouth-watering clash between two sides at full strength which could go a long way to deciding which two teams will qualify for the 2021 OFC Champions League.
Raymond Gunemba (left) and Nigel Dabinyaba are back in Hekari colours and cleared for Saturday’s game against Lae City.
With the 2020 OFC Champions League yet to be completed, it remains to be seen how qualification for the 2021 edition shakes out, but if it corresponds to previous years, then the top two finishers in the regular season table will qualify for the Champions League, as OFC prioritises league table results ahead of end-of-season playoffs.
Despite such an upheaval during the transfer period and Peter Gunemba’s removal as manager, Lae City came out swinging with a 5-0 victory over Gulf Komara last weekend as the season resumed. With five different goalscorers finding the net, and a clean sheet for the new-look defence containing brothers Alwin and Felix Komolong, it was a dream restart for Bob Morris’ side, but Hekari United are a different beast entirely.
The Red Army has the best defence in the competition, having conceded just six goals in eleven matches so far, and having enjoyed six clean sheets. A back line that includes experience in Koriak Upaiga, Daniel Joe alongside youngblood Carlos Onne and Junior David is expected to be solid, but the loss of Brazilian Erick Joe could be crucial when up against the attacking prowess of Lae City. Can they keep the fluid Lae attack at bay?
Lae’s Jacob Sabua scored an astonishing long-range effort last weekend in Lae’s 5-0 win over Gulf Komara.
Up front, Hekari have ‘struggled’ – by their standards, at least. They have scored 13 fewer goals than Lae so far, and their real issue has been having someone to put the ball in the back of the net. The arrival of Gunemba and Dabinyaba should be the final piece of the puzzle: the pair have 11 goals between them so far this season, while aside from Kolu Kepo (with 6), no-one else at Hekari has more than 3 goals. With the pace of Kepo feeding the flair and skill of Gunemba and Dabinyaba, the Red Army may have just found a potent and lethal combination in front of goal.
It will certainly be an interesting clash, but of course there’s other football to be played this weekend as well. While Hekari and Lae try to damage each other’s title hopes, Vitiaz United will be hoping to regain the lead in the title chase with their match against Morobe Wawens. Vitiaz have home games until the end of the season, so are in an excellent position to retain peak fitness without any long journeys, but Wawens looked good against Morobe United last weekend and can put up a fight on their day. The third game in Port Moresby is Star Mountain’s clash with FC Bougainville – a very intriguing game which will see Bougainville coach Percy Mataio return to his former club.
In Lae, Tusbab Stallions will be hoping to continue their playoff push against Morobe United, who look bang out of form and lacking in real talent. Stallions will retain the services of central midfielder Ricky Wadunah and attacker Papalau Awele, after both were absent last week, and they will be confident of securing victory against an ailing Morobe United side. Meanwhile, FC Kutubu will be looking to build on last week’s draw with Stallions against Gulf Komara, who will be looking to bounce back from their thrashing in Port Moresby last weekend.
The major football league from Samoa is ready to kick-off! Football Federation Samoa (FFS) announced that Men’s Premier League will kick-off on August 18. Twelve teams will fight for the title this year – the same clubs in comparison with the last season that was called-off due to a measles outbreak that affected the country.
The opening match will be contested by Vaivase-Tai and Vaitele-Uta at JS Blatter Football Complex in Apia – the capital of the country. Current league champions Lupe o le Soaga will debut on next Thursday against Moata’a while local powerhouse Kiwi FC is going to face Lepea on next Wednesday.
Current league champions Lupe o le Soaga playing in 2020 OFC Champions League – OFC Media
You can check the full schedule of the first matchweek of the tournament by clicking here. Oceania Football Center wishes good luck to all involved teams.
The soap opera is over! Nigel Dabinyaba and Raymond Gunemba are finally cleared to play for Hekari United after facing lots of trouble with their former club Lae City FC.
According to National Soccer League (NSL) Manager Dimirit Mileng, the league’s secretariat has ruled that the players are a liberty to transfer to their new club: “Players right and welfare is paramount for the two player’s transfer, provided there is no liability or encumbrances under any exiting contract,” he said.
Gunemba (left) and Dabinyaba (right) are finally cleared to play for Hekari United
Hekari United’s next clash in the 2019-20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League is against Lae City FC so Dabinyaba and Gunemba might debut for Hekari against their former team. This match is scheduled to take place on this Saturday at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
The biggest surprise of 2020 Battle of the Giants is surely Nadi. The Green Machine won all their three matches in the group stage to lead the Group B with nine points. Now the team coached by Kamal Swamy has a bigger challenge: a clash against Suva in the semi-finals.
Nadi scored eight goals in the group stage even without forwards Napolioni Qasevakatini and Rusiate Matarerega who got injured during the tournament. On the other hand, midfielder Avinesh Suwamy found the net four times in Battle of the Giants – including a hat-trick against Lautoka – which puts him as the current top scorer of the tournament. When asked about his recent goals, Suwamy kept his feet on the ground: “I would love to score again, but football is a team sport so winning is the most important goal,” he said.
Avinesh Suwamy playing for Nadi in Battle of the Giants – Fiji FA Media
Nadi’s captain understands the importance of this tournament for Green Machine’s fans as they last won this tournament in 1996: “Our preparation was quite good. We will do our best against Suva in order to reach the final,” he said.
The clash between Nadi and Suva is scheduled to kick-off at 4pm on Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka. You can check more information about the tournament by clicking here.
Rewa are living a wonderful season in Fiji. The Delta Tigers are currently leading the Vodafone Premier League and they are also qualified for Battle of the Giants’ semi-finals. The team coached by Marika Rodu finished the group stage in the second position and now they need to beat Ba if they want to reach the final match.
In an exclusive interview with Oceania Football Center, Rodu revealed that winning Batthe of the Giants is a secondary goal for Rewa. Anyway, the head coach understands the importance of this tournament for players due to cash incentives. While Rodu is trying to preserve the squad in order to avoid problems with injuries or suspensions, the players are ready for a huge battle this weekend: “I will play all-out. If we do our part, we can achieve good results,” said Rewa’s forward Gabriele Matanisiga.
Matanisiga playing for Rewa in 2020 Battle of the Giants – Fiji FA Media
The Delta Tigers are a very successful team when it comes to Battle of the Giants as they won five out of the last ten editions of the tournament. However Matanisiga knows that the number of titles will not mean anything throughout the 90 minutes: “We have been training and learning every single day to get better for this tournament,” he stated.
Many people in Fiji were affected by COVID-19 crisis, specially football players which means that winning this tournament can bring a financial boost for players in order to help their families after tough months: “Winning this tournament will be an honor for us and our families. We will bring honor to Rewa after this crisis,” pointed Matanisiga.
The clash between Rewa and Ba is scheduled to kick-off at 2pm on Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka. You can check full information about the tournament by clicking here.
Ifira Black Bird are living a marvelous season in Vanuatu: they won the Opening Cup and reached PVFA Independence Cup‘s final where they lost to Galaxy FC. Also, Ifira are currently sharing the PVFA Premier League’s lead with Tafea as both teams are tied in the first position with eighteen points in nine matches.
This wonderful season is something very exciting for players and fans as the team is fighting for the league title, but players need to keep their feet on the ground: “We can stay on top if we remain focused on winning the league,” said Ifira’s forward Lee Taiwia.
Lee Taiwia
Taiwia and his teammates will face Sia-Raga – a team that they have beaten by 11-0 in the Independende Cup – when league resumes. However Lee knows that they can not underestimate any team: “We are working hard for all remaining matches. Our team work is very strong and we are focused on winning,” he stated – “Winning PVFA Premier League is our goal, and I believe we can make it,” he added.
Ifira have four matches to keep their moment to win Premier League. You can check the current league standings and the full schedule of the tournament by clicking here.
Former Ba attacker Micah Tommy will not feature for Tafea in the remaining matches of the 2019/20 season of Port Vila top-tier league. The information was confirmed by Tafea’s manager and former Vanuatu national team head coach Robert Calvo. The Ni-Vanuatu forward, that recently departed from Ba to return to his former club, will not be available for Tafea at PVFA Premier League: “According to Batick Bong Shem of Vanuatu Football Federation, transfer window is not open yet, therefore he will not played for the remaining games of the premier league, only next season,” explained Calvo.
Tommy, that recently stated his reasons for leaving Ba, played for Tafea in the 2020 Port Vila Independence Cup, but in an official tournament as PVFA Premier League, the player will need to wait until next season’s transfer window to receive Ba’s clearance in order to rejoin officialy Tafea.
Micah Tommy – MG Tafea FC Media
“He [Batick Bong Shem] said TMS [Transfer Matching System] does not allow to proceed to his transfer at the moment – now only in new transfer window in September,” added Robert Calvo.
Micah Tommy’s absence will be a huge blow for Tafea in their fight for the top spot in 2019/20 PVFA Premier League. The regional league in Vanuatu’s capital city will restart next month.
Wellington Phoenix could not capitalise their chances against a well-organised Newcastle Jets side in the team final match for the regular season of the Hyundai A-League. Despite not counting on top-striker Gary Hooper, the team coached by Ufuk Talay expected a win from this clash in order to secure their third place in the the league’s ladder.
The Nix pressed high the Jets in the first part of the game – despite being a constant danger for the opposition back line, Phoenix could not connect properly in order to score first in the match. After around 20 minute of pressure, Jets enjoyed more ball possession and started to be push up their lines and create some danger to the Steven Taylor’s defensive system. Unfortunately for New Zealand-based side, Jets found the nets just before half time as Nicholas Fitzgerald counted on a deflection from Luke DeVere to put the ball in the nets for his side.
Jets celebrate one of their goals – Newcastle Jets Media
In the second half, Phoenix introduced Alex Rufer in place of Matti Steinmann in order to reinforce their creativity upfront. Phoenix continued on top pursuing an equaliser and almost got when Liberato Cacacewith an solo effort play almost forced Jets to an own goal, but it was brilliantly saved by young goalkeeper Noah James.
Birnie Ibini, in one of his first touches in the game, scored a fantastic goal to double the lead for Newcastle Jets – an unstoppable finish for Stefan Marinovic. Three minutes, a lapse of concentration allowed Jason Hoffman to receive the ball in the box to add another for his team; 3-0 for Jets.
Phoenix had at least two occasions in the match of a possible penalty denied by the referee – that according to senior NZF referees, they should had been given. Despite all efforts of Phoenix, the team is now heading to the finals in a bad record: in the last four matches, two defeats and two draws.
Wellington will wait the outcome of the final matches of Western United – the only team that can take their current 3rd place in the standings – to get to know their opponent in the first challenge at A-League finals. This will be second season in a row the club from Wellington heads to the league finals.
