Bayern Münich received Borussia Mönchengladbach at Allianz Arena in the 31st matchweek of Bundesliga – the top-tier of German football – and won by 2-1.
New Zealand youngster Sarpreet Singh remained on the bench once again and watched Mönchengladbach giving Bayern a difficult challenge. Joshua Zirkzee opened the scoreboard for Bayern in the 26th minute but Borussia tied the match eleven minutes later when Bayern’s right back Benjamin Pavard scored an own goal. The winning goal was scored by Leon Goretzka in the 86th minute after a Benjamin Pavard’s cross from the right wing.
Singh remained on the bench against Borussia Mönchengladbach
This win was crucial for Bayern as they are currently seven points ahead second placed Borussia Dortmund with three matches remaining which means that Bayern can be crowned Bundesliga champions for the eighth straight season if they beat Werder Bremen on Tuesday.
Solomon Islands international Atkin Kaua has recently been on trials with football clubs from Malta in Europe. After returning to Oceania, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder joined Nasinu from Fiji to play 2020 Vodafone Premier League, the top-tier of Fijian football.
Kaua (left) playing for Nasinu against Suva – Fiji FA Media
Nasinu played five matches in the league before COVID-19 forced the football activities to stop in Fiji. Currently in the sixth position with four points, the Giant Killers want something bigger – “We expect to have a good performance when the league resumes. We want to finish in a good position,” said Kaua.
Vodafone Premier League season is currently set to resume in July. However most teams have not resumed training yet – “We will start training soon,” revealed the Solomon Islands international.
That is Nasinu’s second straight season in Fijian top-tier league. Last season they finished in the sixth position with thirteen points – just one point ahead last placed Tavua that was relegated to 2020 Vodafone Senior League.
While football is slowly resuming in Oceanian countries, the situation of many continental tournaments is still unknown. It was already confirmed that 2020 OFC U-17 Women’s Championship was cancelled but there is no news regarding other tournaments.
However there is a light on the horizon as Oceania Football Confederation announced that a decision regarding the status of other tournaments this year, including the OFC Champions League and the Men’s OFC U-19 Championship is expected to be taken on approximately July 31.
Galaxy (red) and Eastern Suburbs (white) clashing at 2020 OFC Champions League. Source: OFC Media
The 2020 OFC Champions League stopped due to COVID-19 pandemics right after Group Stage’s end. The eight teams qualified to the knockout stage are already known but quarter-finals matches are still unknown as they were not drawn yet.
Current OFC Champions League winners Hienghène Sport is already out of the tournament as they finished the Group A in the last position. You can check all results, highlights and top scorers by clicking here.
Good news for those who love women’s football. New Zealand Women’s National Football Team head coach Tom Sermanni had his contract extended until August 2021 which means that he is going to lead the Football Ferns at 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Sermanni took the role in October 2018 and managed to qualify the Ferns to 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Sermanni will remain as Football Ferns head coach until August 2021
The 65-year-old head coach from Scotland has a long career in women’s football. He trained the National Teams from Australia and United States. He was also Canada’s assistant in 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Central United faced Metro FC on Saturday in a friendly match as part of their preparation for 2020 Lotto NRFL Men’s Premier League, the top-tier of winter football season in Auckland region.
Vanuatu international Brian Kaltak started the match on the bench and came into field in the second half. Despite playing only 45 minutes he had an important role in the 3-0 win. The 26-year-old defender scored Central’s opening goal in the 76th minute.
Kaltak scored the first goal of the match – Phototek NZ
The second goal was an own goal and the third one was netted by Dylan Manickum. Central United will debut in Lotto NRFL Men’s Premier League on next Saturday against Melville United at Gower Park.
Football has some high-profile cases of families committed to football around the world; one such case comes from Papua New Guinea, particularly Madang. Behind the recent success of Tusbab Stallions, Madang’s representative in the PNG National Soccer League, there is a lot of work to create the perfect environment for the practice of good football. Among the people who support Stallions, there is a special family: the Wadunah’s.
The Wadunah’s are an important part of the success of the Tusbab Stallions. In the role of Sports Director, we have Conrad Wadunah, one of the most influential members of the Board of Directors, who has worked hard to develop the team since its inception in 2019. Off the pitch, we also have Rachel Wadunah, the head coach of the Tusbab Stallions, the woman responsible for coaching the players and accompanying them in this very good campaign that the Madang team is having in Papua New Guinea this season. Rachel is one of the few women in the world to coach a men’s team competing at national level.
Coach Rachel Wadunah – OFC Media
Conrad and Rachel also have two very talented sons: Ricky Wadunah and Jason Wadunah. Ricky, a 19-year-old midfielder, is considered one of the most promising players in Papua New Guinea at the moment. His brother Jason, who also plays in midfield, is only 17-years old. Both players have already represented their country at international youth level.
Ricky and Jason have been playing for the Tusbab Stallions since 2019 in their first appearance in the PNG National Soccer League. Both are starters in the team, which is coached by their mother and directed by their father.
Ricky and Jason Wadunah in international duties
Ricky and Jason are being crucial for Stallions in the current season in Papua New Guinea alongside players such as Stahl Gubag, the top goalscorer of the season so far. The young brothers are impressing the Papua New Guinean community with their performances – helping the Madang based-side to enjoy a superb season so far.
A family united by football works hard to promote the development of the game in their country and province. Rachel, Conrad, Jason and Ricky – along with all the board members, staff and players of the Tusbab Stallions – certainly make Madang proud of their efforts and enjoy very good performances at the Lawaiden Oval.
After the forced break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stallions are already back in training and expect to continue their adventure in good form when they resume their campaign in the PNG National Soccer League in August – when the national league is set to restart.
Sport has its icons, the important figures that inspire the younger generations to pursue the dream of being a successful sportsman. All sporting modalities have their idols; all countries have an athlete who can serve as a role model.
In Solomon Islands, we can remember many important names, especially from football, which is the most attractive sport to Solomon Islanders. Personalities such as Commins Menapi, Batram Suri and Benjamin Totori, to name a few, are of massive importance in the Solomon Islands’ sporting scenario. Henry Fa’arodo, another player of enormous importance in Solomon Islands, can certainly be seen as a role model that the youth should follow – alongside other important sportsmen and women in the country.
The now 37-year-old midfielder began his career in the Nelson Suburbs in 2000 when he was awarded a scholarship in New Zealand. The talented player quickly caught the attention of Australian clubs and signed with Fawkner Blues at NPL Victoria. In 2004, Fa’arodo gained his first experience as a full professional player with the Melbourne Knights in the former National Soccer League, Australia’s highest division at the time.
The creation of the Hyundai A-League, the new premier league of Australian football, in 2005 gave Fa’arodo a chance in Perth Glory – making him the first Pacific Islander to play in the newly made league in Australia.
Fa’arodo playing for Perth Glory in 2005
The Solomon Islander’s workload in Glory was not for a long period, as he only played 11 games for the team. Fa’arodo then moved to some NPL clubs as Essendon Royals and Richmond before returning to New Zealand to play for clubs like Canterbury United and Auckland City.
One of the most important achievements of Henry Fa’arodo’s career was in 2010, when he helped Papua New Guinea side Hekari United win the OFC Champions League. The Solomon Islander was crucial to the success of the Port Moresby-based side in the regional tournament.
720Fa’arodo (left) playing for Hekari United – FIFA
Thanks to Hekari United’s fantastic performance, Fa’arodo and his team-mates had the amazing opportunity to represent the OFC at the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. They lost 3-0 to Al-Wahda of the host nation in the play-offs, but it is certainly a moment that neither Fa’arodo nor his Hekari teammates will forget.
After this great experience, Fa’arodo played a season in his country for Koloale, but it was not long before the now experienced player attracted the attention of New Zealand’s top-tier club Team Wellington. The Solomon Islander joined the Wellington-based club and made himself a legend of a club – Fa’arodo played more than 30 games for Wellington and scored a total of 15 goals during his time in New Zealand.
Fa’arodo in Team Wellington colours
In 2017, Fa’arodo, now 34-years old, joined the Solomon Islands’ Marist FC team. The midfielder helped the club to qualify for the 2018 OFC Champions League and played an important role for the Honiara-based club.
Alongside important players such as Michael Boso and Atkin Kaua, Fa’arodo was captain of a very good team of Marist, the went to the semi-finals of the competition, where they met the Fijian powerhouse Lautoka. The best efforts of Fa’arodo and his teammates were not enough to qualify Marist for the final as they were eliminated by Lautoka.
Henry Fa’arodo as player of Marist FC – OFC Media
After the good campaign Fa’arodo and Marist had in the 2018 OFC Champions League, the player moved back to New Zealand to defend Wellington Olympic’s colours in the Central League. In 2019 Fa’arodo, now 36, returned to his country, but this time as coach of the Solomon Warriors in the Telekom S-League. Fa’arodo’s first experience as head coach could not have been better, leading the Warriors to the league victory and qualification for the OFC Champions League.
It was expected that the legend would coach the Solomon Warriors at the regional tournament, but Fa’arodo decided to put his boots back on the line and accepted a contract in New Zealand to become a top-flight Hamilton Wanderers player – Selson Molea was the responsible coach for the Warriors in the 2020 OFC Champions League.
Fa’arodo in New Zealand playing for Hamilton Wanderers – NZF Media
Fa’arodo played only one game for the Wanderers in the ISPS Handa Premiership – the league had to be finished due to the COVID-19 pandemics. However, Fa’arodo remains as a player for the Hamilton Wanderers and has extended his contract as the team’s midfielder in the season of the Lotto NRFL Premier League in New Zealand. The 37-year-old player still has a lot to do for the Wanderers in this new season.
At international level, Fa’arodo is the player who defended Solomon Islands the most – played a total of 61 matches. Fa’arodo’s career as a representative of his country began in 2002 in a game for the OFC Nations Cup against Tahiti and ended in 2017 at the Mini Pacific Games in Vanuatu after a 3-2 defeat to the hosts in the gold medal game. Fa’arodo scored a total of 20 goals for Solomon Islands, being the first of them scored against New Zealand in 2002.
Fa’arodo playing for his national team
Henry Fa’arodo, considered one of the best footballers ever from Solomon Islands, is constantly being praised in his country and in Oceania for his hard work and the important milestones of his career. Fa’arodo is undoubtedly a role model for Pacific Islanders who dream of becoming a successful sportsman; following his dedication will certainly earn you a high rank.
Fijian football has produced many interesting players in Oceania over the past few decades – and its grassroots system continue to work to keep the game going in the country over the next years. Currently, many interesting players such as Kishan Sami, Rahul Naresh and Etonia Dogalau have moved to New Zealand to play in higher level competitions, but many interesting prospects continue to play in the country. One of these players to watch is the goalkeeper Mohammed Alam – that is also set to move to Manukau United in New Zealand to play in the Lotto NRFL Premier League.
The 20-year-old goalkeeper recently represented his country in the OFC Olympic qualifiers, where Fiji were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing to New Zealand. What the Fijian football fans may not know is that Alam is the youngest player ever to play in a Fijian national league. The remarkable moment came in 2013, when Alam was only 13 years old, when he played for Seaqaqa in the Premier Division.
Alam representing Fiji
“He made his debut for Seaqaqa last year at the age of 13 years and may go down in the history books of Fiji football as the youngest player to feature in the senioAli’s predictions were correct, as the goalkeeper represented the U20 and U23 teams of the national team. Mohammed Alzar Alam is currently considered one of the most promising goalkeepers in Fiji.r national competition”, said Fiji Times, “He was introduced to the sport by his father Mohammed Azaad Alam a former Seaqaqa rep himself and first represented the Seaqaqa U10 team when he was in Year 3“.
In that time, Fiji FA was already following closely the development of Alam, as said the Fiji Football Association development officer Saiyad Ali: “Alzar [Alam] is very young and can represent the nation at the U17 level for two years and the U20 for three years”. Ali’s predictions were correct, as the goalkeeper represented the U20 and U23 teams of the national team. Mohammed Alzar Alam is currently considered one of the most promising goalkeepers in Fiji.
Football teams in Port Vila – the capital of Vanuatu – are already back to training as football leagues are cleared to resume in July. Two friendly matches took place at Port Vila Stadium this Saturday as part of the preparation for 2019-20 Port Vila Premier League resumption.
In the first match, current Port Vila Premier League leaders Ifira Black Bird faced Mauwia and won by 2-1 in a tough match – “We started training on Monday and we are not fit enough yet,” said Ifira’s player Jonathan Spokeyjack. Loic Boulet and Loic Taiwia found the net for Ifira while Mauwia’s goal was an own goal scored by Loic Taiwia.
Ifira won by 2-1 – Vanuatu Sports News
In the second match Galaxy and Erakor Golden Star clashed in a very interesting match. Kensi Tangis found the net in the 12th to open the scoreboard in favour of Galaxy while Yvong Wilson extended the lead to 2-0 in the second half.
Galaxy and Erakor players greets before the kick-off – Galaxy FC Media
It is very nice to see football resuming in Vanuatu after COVID-19 and Tropical Cyclone Harold. Oceania Football Center congratulates all involved teams in today’s friendlies.
A new football league is born in New Caledonia. Fédération Calédonienne de Football (FCF) confirmed that eight teams will fight for the title in the brand new U-18 tournament called Championnat Fédéral du Football des Jeunes (Federal Youth Football Championship).
Eight teams will meet in a brand new formula with 14 championship matchdays will be held from 20 June to 5 December 2020. AS Magenta, Tiga Sport, Hienghène Sport, SC Ne Drehu, AS Mont-Dore, AS Lössi, Païta FC and Dumbéa FC are the confirmed teams in the tournament.
The first matchday is scheduled to take place on next Saturday – FCF Media
“It is a novelty for New Caledonian football. We will do our best to ensure that everything goes well and that this project has a long life. We will do our best to ensure that everything goes well and that the project has a long life, because the aim of all this is to get our youngsters playing more,” said Eric Chevalier, Regional Technical Advisor in charge of Development and Promotion of Practices at the FCF.
It is going to be the first official tournament since football activities were cleared to resume in the French territory. The Mobil Super Ligue – the top-tier of senior football in New Caledonia – is expected to resume in August but local clubs want senior football back in July.
AS Magenta and Païta FC clashed in U19 Cup Final last year – FTF Media
Oceania Football Center congratulates FCF for the initiative. You can check the Championnat Fédéral du Football des Jeunes full schedule by clicking here.
Oceania Football Center 