The second matchday of OFC Champions League group D will have a new venue – the expected venue before the start of the tournament. Stade de Mahina is cleared for the rest of the competition after heavy rains made the pitch unplayable for the first two matches of the pool.
The both 6-0 matches were played at Stade Pater, Pirae – something about 10km away from Mahina, where AS Vénus home stadium is placed. This means Auckland City will have one more hurdle to overcome as they will face the current Tahitian champions in front of their home crowd.
Stade de Mahina – AS Vénus media
The remaining two sides of the group will also play in Mahina; Ba and Lupe o le Soaga are set to play for their lives in the regional competition before the big match of the day that will see Vénus challenge the powerhouse from New Zealand.
One of the most promising players from Fiji in the 2000s, Alvin Singh had a meteoric rise on his career as he debuted for Fiji National Football Team when he was just 20 years old. Playing in Australia since 2017, the 31-year-old defender keeps playing football and looking for another opportunity in the National Team.
Alvin Singh had many memorable moments for clubs and national team throughout his football career. Born in 1988, the Fijian defender had an outstanding performance in the 2007 OFC U19 Championship when his country finished the tournament in the second position. It was just the beginning of his success: playing for Ba, Alvin felt the taste of the glory many times by winning local tournaments but it was not enough – he wanted the world.
His great appearences for Ba took him to another level as he signed with Hekari United from Papua New Guinea in 2010. He was part of the squad that played FIFA Club World Cup that year and he was in the starting eleven that faced Al-Wahda from United Arab Emirates – “We lost by 3-0 but we had our moments in the match. We had a great experience,” said Alvin.
Alvin Singh (number 25) with Hekari United’s starting eleven in 2010 FIFA Club World Cup
Before moving overseas he was already a highlighted player in his homeland. He made his official debut for Fiji National Football Team at senior level in 2008 when he came from the bench to replace Pita Bolatoga in a 2-0 win against Vanuatu in the OFC Nations Cup. His first ever appearence in Fiji’s starting eleven was in one of the most important moments of Fijian football’s history – the 2-0 win against New Zealand.
However his time was yet to come. Alvin was named to represent Fiji in 2016 Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was Fiji’s first big exposure to international football as they have never played in such level before – “We had the time of our lives playing against South Korea, Germany and defending champions Mexico […] We were an amateur team playing against professionals,” he pointed. They did not win any match but they managed to score one goal against 2012 Olympics champions Mexico and it is going to be remembered forever.
Singh (left) against Mexico in 2016 Olympics
Singh has never played for the Bula Boys again. His last match was the 10-0 loss against Germany in the Olympics. He was called to represent his country in the upcoming years but he was not able to play due to club commitments and an ACL injury that he suffered in 2018.
Currently playing for Mount Druitt Town Rangers, a football team from Sydney that plays the Premier League New South Wales – one of the football leagues that compose Australian National Premier Leagues system, he has recovered his level after coming back from an ACL injury that he suffered in 2018. He spent some time with Rangers’ U20 to get back to fitness but he has already managed to return to the first squad to help his team – “It was a tough time but I did my best,” he pointed.
Recovered from injury, the defender expresses his desire to represent the Bula Boys again – “If called then I would love to,” he explained. Singh could be a good addition for Fiji in 2020 OFC Nations Cup that will be held in New Zealand in June.
It could be a good opportunity for Singh to play alongside with his best friend Roy Krishna for one more time. Singh recently travelled to India just to watch his best friend playing in the 2019-20 Indian Super League. Alvin and Roy are close friends and played together for a long time – “We are very close […] We started playing together since the U20 qualifiers in New Zealand (2007)” – Fiji finished the tournament in the second position and Krishna won the Golden Boot Award by scoring eight goals.
Singh (right) and Krishna (left) in 2019
Despite being 31, Fiji’s head coach Flemming Serritslev should take Alvin into consideration for OFC Nations Cup. His quality and experience can be essential for Bula Boys.
The Papua New Guinea Football Association will attempt to relaunch the unsuccessful Conference Competition in September this year, according to a new plan put forward by NSL Competition Manager Dimirit Mileng. The plan also suggests that the 2020 Women’s National Soccer League will be starting imminently, while local competitions will take place from March to September.
Since John Kapi Natto’s election to President of the PNGFA in October 2018, he has overseen a season and a half of domestic football. While the cancellation of the Conference Competition at the end of last year was a disappointment, it is credit to Kapi Natto and his team that they are willing to try again to put a second-tier of football in place underneath the current top division. Expansion and stability of the domestic league in Papua New Guinea is something we have been pushing for here at OFCe for a while.
The current NSL season will run until May. In May, Expressions of Interest (EOIs) will be required from clubs wishing to compete in the Conference Competition, while June will be the deadline for NSL clubs wishing to partake. The Conference Competition will begin in September, with the NSL following swiftly in October. It is expected to be a semi-professional league.
OFCe graphic.
In the women’s game, the 2020 season of the women’s NSL is due to start imminently. According to the official document circulated, the competition should have kicked off in February; it’s likely the beginning of the inaugural women’s semi-professional domestic division in the country is imminent. For the 2020/21 season, the women’s season is expected to follow the same timeline as the men’s NSL, with EOIs due in June and the league kicking off in October.
On the amateur side of things, local association competitions will start this month and continue until September, while the National Club Championship, which was won last year by Mungkas, will have regional qualifiers in June and the finals in September. There is also a National Youth Tournament scheduled for July, which should be an excellent opportunity for some young talent to impress the big clubs watching on.
The window for players to move clubs in this season’s Papua New Guinea National Soccer League will open after the final match of the first round of fixtures on Saturday, before slamming shut just five days later before the second round kicks-off.
During this time, any players who have already arrived at their clubs on free transfers can also be registered for the second half of the season.
Felix Komolong playing for North Kentucky Norse in the States. Photo: NKU
It’s unclear what moves will be made by other clubs. Hekari United may be looking to strengthen up front, while if Alwin Komolong doesn’t return to the club after his exploits, Lae may be looking to strengthen their backline. The likes of Vitiaz United and Tusbab Stallions will want to find ways to close the gap between themselves and the top two, while the remainder of the league may wish to bring in players who aren’t currently active in order to flesh out their squads a little.
The window will open on Sunday 8th March and close on Friday 13th March. Any information about player movements we will strive to bring you as soon as we can.
A new football technical center is going to be opened at Makave, Vava’u. FIFA have already sent some representants to take part of the opening cerimony. One of the representants is Nigerian legend Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
Tonga FA staff and FIFA representants. Source: Tonga FA Media
Yakubu is a former forward that played 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He arrived in Tonga today and he was received by Tonga FA President, Lord Ve’ehala and members of the Executive Board were at the Fua’amotu International Airport.
Tonga FA staff and FIFA representants must travel to Vava’u soon.
According to local media, Fiji is set to organize another Tri-Nations tournament – as they did in 2019 – against Tahiti and Solomon Islands. The schedule is according to FIFA international dates – March 23th and 29th.
Fiji nationa team – FFA Media
The Fijian side is set for a camp to start this Sunday (07th March) with the new head coach Flemming Serritslev. The Danish will not count with Ba players that are currently representing the Men in Black in Tahiti at OFC Champions League.
Solomon Islands is also in a camp and already selected a provisional squad of 31 players for the OFC Nations Cup. The Tri-Nations friendlies will serve as preparation for the three teams for the most important football tournament of Oceania that is set to be held in New Zealand in June.
The current edition of the PNG National Soccer League is not only having the spotlights under the giant-duo Lae City and Hekari United. The Port Moresby-based side Vitiaz United is impressing – challenging the two-best teams of Papua New Guinea and standing close to them in the standings of the league so far. Alongisde Vitiaz, the only Madang-based club in this year PNG NSL is also proving there is a lot of talent unexplored in one of the most important cities of the nation.
Tusbab Stallions imposed heavy defeats to Kutubu and Star Mountain already in the season as they forced Lae City and Hekari United to fight until the last minute to grab a winning goal in the both matches the teams met. The Wadunah brothers, Jason and Ricky, are impressing, alongisde the top-scorer of the league so far Stahl Gubag – the 20-year-old already scored eight in the process. The team work, the good management and the individual skills of the players all together are putting Stallions in the 4th place in the league at the moment; but a team can not work so well without a leader in the pitch, and he is Nigel Malagian.
Malagian (right) against Bougainville – PNGFA Media
The still 24-year-old central defender is having a top-class season for Tusbab Stallions: Malagian is receiving a lot of praise from local fans, media and football experts around the country and his performances are certaintly putting as a potential Kapuls member for the upcoming international duties of the Papua New Guinea national team.
The defender already played one edition of the OFC Champions League when he represented Madang FC – proving he has the necessary experience to display a very good role at Papua New Guinea national team. He is the leader and captain of Tusbab Stallions, responsible for organizing the defensive system of Stallions and start the offensive plays of his side.
Very calm with the ball, the player is also an accomplished defender, with very good tackles and excellent when covering his teammates in defense. Nigel Malagian has a very good passing skill – he knows what to do with the ball and also when not having the ball – and his intelligence in the game proves the high level he is in the national competition – a player that can offer more than the usual PNG defenders.
The defender is one of the responsibles for the fantastic season the Madang side is doing so far. His quality deserves national recognition – Papua New Guinean football is much more than only Hekari and Lae City.
The most important football tournament of the region is not far; the OFC Nations Cup is set to start in June and the addition of Gepp would be surely instrumental for the aspirations of the Kapuls in the tournament.
There are good news for the PNG fans: the 26-year-old attacker was contacted by the PNGFA staff to inform about the proceedings to get all proper documents in order to confirm the availability of Gepp to represent Papua New Guinea.
Harley Gepp – 80kms
The player was born in Papua New Guinea and has strong roots in the country, but he is still in the process to acquire the PNG citizenship. Gepp made his entire career in Australia and surely could be a very good addition to the Kapuls.
Our media group will be watching closely the process in order to inform the proceedings regarding the possibility of Harley Gepp to play internationally for Papua New Guinea.
Fijian people are used to say Batoro as a depreciative adjective for foreign people in football. It can also be used to depreciate someone that is from another district. Lautoka had a shameful performance on Champions League and lots of people put the blame on the foreign players and the same thing is already happening to Ba after being beaten by 6-0 in their first international match in the year.
Ba signed with Ricki Herbert to coach the team in the tournament. He was New Zealand’s head coach in 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa and he surely knows more about football than anyone in Fiji due to his expertise in the sport.
Ricki Herbert coached New Zealand in 2010 FIFA World Cup
Bringing a foreign coach is something amazing but you need to provide him good conditions if you want to succeed. If you look at Ba’s squad you will find lots of mistakes and they are not Herbert’s fault.
The Men in Black started the match against Auckland City with six players that are used to play as forwards and it reflects a bigger problem: poor management.
Ba took seventeen players to Tahiti to play the Champions League including four foreigners: Micah Tommy (Vanuatu), Alwin Komolong (Papua New Guinea), Benjamin Totori and Darold Kakasi (both from Solomon Islands). If you check the squad minutely you will find lots of problems: no full backs and lack of quality in the midfield.
Ba faced Auckland City in their OFC Champions League opening match. Source: Christophe Fotozz
Herbert placed a very “strange” team in the pitch to face Auckland but he did not have many options. That is why some players played outside their main positions like Darold Kakasi who played as a right back or Micah Tommy that played as a central midfielder. Despite the 6-0 loss, Ba managed to hold the New Zealanders for thirty minutes even with a very different line-up
You can not bring a top head coach and expect everything from him if he does not have enough sources to do a good job. Before blaming foreigners with xenophobic expressions it is necessary to take a look at Fijian football structure to detect and correct all mistakes that prevent Fijians to reach the top of Oceanian football.
Henderson Eels youngsters Raphael Le’ai and Leon Kofana arrived in Australia. Both players will be on trials with Melbourne Victory U23 squad for a week.
Le’ai (left) and Kofana (right)
Both players performed well in the group stage of 2020 OFC Champions League and now they are having a huge opportunity to show their talent. It is going to be their second experience with A-League clubs as they spent one year at Scots College in New Zealand as part of Wellington Phoenix Academy.
It is important to remember that both players are under 18 and they can not sign any professional contract.
