John Kapi Natto (front, third from left) still has a lot of work to do as President of the PNGFA. Photo: PNGFA
It could be argued that football in Papua New Guinea has already seen its greatest era: the magical season in 2010 when Hekari United became the first non-Australian or Kiwi side to land the OFC Champions League title and represent Oceania at the Club World Cup was nothing short of remarkable. From then until 2018, under the reign of now-disgraced David Chung, things at best stagnated and at worst were irreparably damaged. We are only now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and there’s still a very long way to go.
Previous PNGFA President David Chung, who was born in Malaysia before becoming a naturalised citizen of PNG, became President back in 2004, and during his time in office, he also became OFC President in 2010 and, latterly, Senior Vice President of FIFA in 2017. After corruption allegations put an abrupt end to all three of these highly-regarded positions in April 2018, Chung was banned from football for six-and-a-half years.
However, despite a 2019 National Soccer League season which, at first glance, seemed to have been the most successful yet, the remnants of Chung’s previous regime still linger under the surface.
Let’s give credit where credit’s due: the organisation and execution of a complex, 27-team, conference-based league season is no mean feat, and it’s credit to Kapi Natto and certain members of the NSL board for having had the vision and the expertise to successfully see the season through to the end, where we saw eight-time champions Hekari United defeated on penalties by Toti City FC, who picked up their fifth straight title.
However, since the end of the season, several pieces of information have come to light which suggest that there is still plenty of work to be done.
In May, competition manager Leslie Babaga revealed that the NSL hadn’t taken out comprehensive medical insurance for the players involved in the competition. This followed the death of Laiwaden FC goalkeeper Mikes Gewa, who was kicked in the ribs during a game against Morobe Wawens in the Northern Conference. Babaga claimed it was the club managers’ faults, because they didn’t send the full squad lists in time for the insurance to be taken out, which resulted in a delayed start to the season and an inability to ensure the players were covered before the season kicked-off. There has thus far been no suggestion that this issue will be resolved before the start of the 2019-20 season, which has been hit by another delay and will now start on December 7th.
PNGFA Vice-President John Wesley Gonjuan was suspended by FIFA for two years in October 2019. Photo: PNGFA
Finally, if reports from local Facebook groups are to be believed, the four semi-finalists from the 2019 season are still yet to receive their prize money, because some clubs are yet to pay their full affiliation fees. Question marks remain over whether the NSL should allow clubs who haven’t paid their dues to continue in the competition; however, a case could be made that disqualifying teams who hadn’t paid may have caused too much disruption to the format of last season’s competition
With all that in mind, how can the PNGFA and the NSL organisers ensure that 2020 is a newer, fresher start than 2019 was?
The key is to get the right people in the right positions. I have had contact with several of the people currently involved with the PNGFA and other local organisations, and the signs are good: Yala Khanna, Member Associations Development Manager at the PNGFA since June 2019, has been an key influence on the success of this year’s Besta FA Cup and continues to work hard to maintain transparency within the organisation via the use of social media; Kamo Kini is a key Competition Manager in the Southern Region, having organised the Southern Leg of this year’s National Club Championship, and he has made a hugely positive impact both in terms of organisation and communication in 2019; while Paul Karambi is the new General Secretary of the Port Moresby Soccer Association since 2017, and his tireless hard work with the organisation and score-keeping for the past two seasons of the PMSA competitions has been excellent.
What connects all these people is their praise for Kapi Natto, whom they believe is having a positive effect on football in Papua New Guinea, and will continue to root out those not pulling their weight as long as he is afforded enough time.
Another big step that happened in October was the handing over of the lease of the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby to the PNGFA. Now fully in the hands of the football governing body for 99 years, there are high hopes that Kapi Natto and his team will be able to develop the ground to serve the national team in a more productive way.
These are small victories in a much larger fight to bring PNG back to a level where they might enjoy some more success at a continental and international level. With arguably the two biggest clubs PNG has ever seen – Lae City and Hekari United – heading to the 2020 OFC Champions League earlier next year, representation of PNG at this level has never been stronger. However, there is still a lot of work to be done for the national team, which is still suffering from a dearth of friendly matches and has a long way to go if they’re to meet Kapi Natto’s initial target of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The signs of improvement are there, there is no doubt about that. But more needs to be done, and harder lines needs to be taken with officials and clubs that are not pulling their weight.
The Football Federation of Samoa (FFS) released today a statement advising clubs and managers that all FFS football activities are postponed until further notice. You can check the full statement below:
FFS Statement. Source: FFS
It is being widely reported that Oceania is facing a measles outbreak. Samoa is one of the most affected countries. They are in state of emergency and schools and commerce are closed there.
It may cause some changes in 2019-20 OFC Champions League because 2019 Samoa Premier Men’s champion is supposed to play the preliminary round of the continental club championship that is scheduled to be played in December.
Enfin la Coupe du Monde c’est arrivée (https://fr.fifa.com/beachsoccerworldcup/). Le 21 novembre va commencer la 10ème édition de la Coupe du Monde de Beach Soccer. L’événement officiel de la FIFA se déroulera en amerique du sud et en particulier a Asunciòn, la capitale du Paraguay. Les 16 équipes participantes sont divisées en 4 groupes. Dans le groupe A, nous retrouvons l’équipe hôte, le Paraguay, avec le Japon, la Suisse et les États-Unis; dans le groupe B il y a l’Italie, le Mexique, l’Uruguay et le vice-champion sortant, Tahiti; dans le groupe C il ya la Russie, les Émirats Arabes Unis, la Biélorussie et le Sénégal; enfin dans le groupe D il ya le Brésil, champion en titre et vainqueur à cinq reprises du championnat du monde qui est un tournoi officiel de la FIFA depuis 2005 (sinon, le Brésil aurait son nome ecrit pour un total de 14 victoires), Portugal, Oman et Nigerie. En plus de l’équipe vert et or, ils ont remporté le laurier mondial une fois la France, dans la première édition officielle, deux fois la Russie et une fois le Portugal (deux avec les non officielles).
Tous les ragroupements
[directement de la FIFA] Quel sont le meilleurs jouers et equipe? En va le voir rapidement. Dans la liste du Brésil, tenant du trophée, on retrouve le gardien Mao (Gant d’Or adidas en 2009), le défenseur Bruno Xavier (Ballon d’Or adidas en 2013) et le pivot Rodrigo. Les spectateurs pourront également voir une nouvelle fois en action, sous les couleur du Portugal, le légendaire Madjer, qui a récolté 11 récompenses individuelles en huit éditions. Les filets devraient trembler souvent grâce notamment au talent de Gabrielle Gori, du Paraguayen Pedro Morán et du Russe Dimitrii Shishin, Souliers d’Or adidas des trois dernières éditions de la Coupe du Monde. Le Japonais Ozu, les Suisses Dejan Stankovic et Noel Ott, le Nigérian Abu Azeez et l’Émirati Walid Mohammad pourront eux aussi faire étalage de leur talent sur le sable paraguayen. Parmi ceux qui vont faire leur retour sur le sable après des absences prolongées en sélection, il faut mentionner l’Américain Nicolas Perera et l’Uruguayen Matías Cabrera.
de la OFC
Les TIKI TOA
Le beach soccer à Tahiti c’est une activité en plein expansion qui pourrait remplacè le football à 11 en tant que première activité sportife dans les prochaines annèe. Il est toujours intéressant de noter que la Polynésie française compte un environ de 200 000 habitants et que la plupart des jouers de l’equipe national viennent de l’île de Tahiti. En bref, nous vivons une dichotomie remarquable entre ce qui pourrait être et ce qui ne l’est pas encore. Mais si nous pensons à Tahiti, il n’est pas difficile d’imaginer à quel point les merveilleuses longues plages de sable blanc qui entourent les côtes de l’archipel constituent le scénario idéal pour voir des centaines de Tahitiens jouer à la plage dès que ce possible. En cela, les résultats obtenus par les Tiki Toa, surnom avec lequel les joueurs nationaux sont appelés et qui signifie Dieux Guerriers, sont là pour aider l’escalade vertigineuse que cette discipline a connue chez eux et qui les a conduit à obtenir des résultats impensables jusqu’à il y a quelque temps. Vous trouverez ci-dessous le tableau des participations et des placements signalés à ce jour par l’équipe nationale tahitienne à la Coupe du Monde de beach soccer:
Le déclic qui a changé l’histoire de la nation polynésienne a été l’édition 2013 organisée chez soi, à Papeete. Ici dessous le hymne de la manifestation.
Les joueurs ont réussi à rejoindre la quatrieme place et cela les a projetés parmi les stars de l’archipel qui est encore aujourd’hui un territoire d’outre-mer français. À partir de ce moment, la conscience de pouvoir jouer au pair contre toutes les grandes puissances du beach soccer a permis le saut qualitatif qui encore n’est pas arrivé dans le football plus traditionnel à onze. L’équipe nationale tahitienne de Beach Soccer c’est la première qui est arrivé au Paraguay. Ce choix est dû au désir de se préparer à 100% pour le Coupe du Monde. En fait, de nombreux matches amicaux en Paraguay sont programmés car au cours de la dernière année l’équipe nationale d’outre-mer n’en a joué que 6 et contre des adversaires de bas niveau. Par conséquance, après deux secondes places consécutives, notre Tiki Toa vont a etre plus agressif, parce que ils vont tenté de remporter la victoire. Au cours des semaines précédant les championnats du monde, nous avons pu contacter trois d’entre eux et leur poser des questions. Nous sommes très heureux d’être le seul réseau non tahitien à avoir la chance de pouvoir raconter trois grands champions du monde de Beach Soccer qui sont les derniers vétérans de la formation qui a participé à la Coupe du Monde de 2013. Le gardien de but de l’équipe, Jonathan Torohia, qui a remporté le Golden Glove en tant que meilleur gardien de l’événement en 2015, a été le premier à nous raconter l’évolution de cette expérience.
Jonathan Torohia de gettyimages
Q: Jonathan vous etes la premiere equipe qui est arrivee en Paraguay. Comment ça va la preparation?
J: Notre préparation se passe très bien. On est arrivé ici il y a une semaine. Pour nous c’était important de vite arriver ici pour notre préparation car on a pas beaucoup joué de matchs de beachsoccer cette année donc on a voulu être ici pour déjà prendre nos repères sur ce sable qu’il y a ici au Paraguay et faires des matchs amicaux.
Q: Quelles sont vos attentes? Vous voulez finalment emporter ce titre?
J: On est venu ici pour faire mieux que la précédente édition, mais on sait également que le beachsoccer a évolue d’année en année. Sortir des poules c’est notre premier objectif après, tout sera jouable. Deux fois vice-champion du monde consécutif, cette année on veux vraiment la gagner.
Q: Qu’il sont votre principaux adversaires pour la victoire finale?
J: Le Brésil qui domine la discipline. Mais il y a aussi le Portugal et la Russie qui peuvent aussi prétendre de gagner le titre
Q: J’ai vu que vous faite l’haka, comme l’equipe de rugby Nouvelle-Zelande. Elle a quelque significations particulier?
J: Bien sur. Nous sommes le Tiki Toa, les Dieux Guerriers de Tahiti e l’haka c’est une danse de guerrier avant d’aller au la guerre.
Q: Quel est la situation du foot and du beach a Tahiti? Tu reussi a travailler avec le beach?
J: Le football se porte bien à Tahiti, le beachsoccer est en développement avec un petit championnat local que l’on met en place pendant la trêve de juillet pendant 2 mois. On est tous des joueurs amateur à Tahiti. Chacun de nous a un autre métier. On ne vie pas du beachsoccer. Moi, par example, je suis Sapeur-pompier dans la commune de Paea depuis 7ans.
Q: C’est un domage. Tu joue aussi a 11?
J: Oui je joue au foot à 11 dans le club de l’AS MANU-URA de Paea dans la commune où je travaille depuis plus de 10 ans où j’ai remporté des titres. Un grand club de foot à Tahiti.
Q: Tu joue aussi avec le Toa Aito?
J: Oui je suis aussi dans les Toa Aito. En peut jouer dans le deux sélections, celle de Beach e celle de Foot . Mais lorsque l’on a des échéances au même moment, on fait un choix, et mon choix est vite fait. Je joue a Beach.
Apres de Jonathan Torohia en va lire le mots de Heimanu Taiarui, vainqueur du Ballon de Or dans la Coupe du Monde du 2015. Heimanu c’est un de meilleur jouer de l’histoire du Beach Soccer mondial. Il a jouè aussi en Italie, en Terracine e Pise, ou il a remportè de titre du championnat.
Heimanu Taiarui
Q: Comment ça va la preparation? Vous etes prets pour le premier match?
H: Pour l’instant nous sommes en plein adaptation a cause du climat et du decalage horaire, on sent un peu de fatigue dans le jambes mais nous somme au top de notre forme.
Q: Quel sont vos aspectatives? Vous allez de repetir la derniere Coupe du Monde?
H: Nous somme là pour etre champion du monde! (il rit) Notre adversaire principal sera le Bresil.
Q: Jonathan m’a dit que vous etes des amateurs n’est pas? Comme c’est possibile de reussir a jouer e a travailler au meme temp?
H: Oui on est tous des amateurs. Nous avons notre travail a coté. On essaye d’avoir de congés sans solde pour pouvoir faire la coupe du monde et les préparations. Il faut avoir de bon patron ce qui n’est pas toujours le cas pour d’autre joueurs. Nous venons tous du foot a 11 car à a Tahiti nous n’avions pas de championnat de Beachsoccer hélas.
Q: Je peut dire que ça c’est un domage. En quel equip a 11 tu a joué? Et tu joue aussi dans l’equipe nationale de foot a 11?
H: Depuis 1 an maintenant je joue en France avec le FC Muespach-Folgensbourg en D3 , et je peux malheureusement pas jouer comme je voudrais dans l’equipe National à cause du travail. J’habite en France à Muespach et je travail en Suisse. C’est presqu’impossible d’aller a Tahiti souvent. De Tahiti nous sommes 4 qui jouons à Muespach, il fait très froid . Beaucoup de froid.
C’est ici le FC Muespach-Folgensbourg
Depuis de ces mots Hemanu m’a dit qu’il parlait italien parce que il a joué ici, dans mon pays. Il m’a raconter des choses qui on va mettre dans un autre article. Mais nous sommes arrives a le dernier jouer, le capitain de Tiki Toa, Raimana Li Fueng Kuee, qui a été ballon de bronze dans la Coupe du Monde du 2013. (Cette interviste a été fait par mon collègue Rafael Sartori).
Raimana Li Fueng Kuee
Q: Salut Raimana, comment se passe la préparation pour la Coupe du Monde?
R: Notre préparation se passe bien. Nous sommes au Paraguay actuellement afin de nous acclimater au pays et aussi faire des matchs amicaux. Nous n’avons pas l’occasion de pouvoir affronter autant d’équipes chez nous à Tahiti donc c’est une opportunité pour nous ainsi qu’un bon moyen d’avoir des matchs dans les jambes.
Q: L’OFC est une petite confédération et les Tiki Toa sont la meilleure opportunité pour obtenir de bons résultats dans les tournois internationaux. Tahiti peut-il être champion cette année?
R: Je ne sais pas, le niveau progresse énormément chaque année mais en tant que compétiteurs, bien sûr qu’on souhaite remporter ce tournoi et nous ferons tout pour y arriver
Q: Que pouvons-nous attendre de Tahiti dans ce tournoi?
R: Je suppose que tout le monde attend à ce que nous gagnions cette Coupe du Monde mais comme je t’ai dit le niveau est énorme… Et nous sommes que des amateurs, il ne faut pas l’oublier, contrairement aux joueurs contre qui nous jouerons.
Q: Tahiti a été finaliste à deux reprises dans la Coupe du Monde. Tiki Toa, ne sont-ils pas les meilleurs amateurs du monde?Et comment était le sentiment d’atteindre deux finales et de ne pas remporter la Coupe du Monde?
R: (il rit) Oui si on veut !!! Franchement, c’est affreux ! Passer à deux doigts du trophée, je t’assure que c’est terrible surtout au Portugal (2015) où nous aurions pu la remporter, à mon avis, peut-être le stress ou le manque d’expérience… Mais, avec le recul, on se dit que ce n’est pas si mal que ça par rapport à tous nos efforts fournis et nos sacrifices…
Q: Décidément, les Tiki Toa sont une grande fierté pour l’Océanie! Comme il est important pour vous d’être le capitaine de l’équipe?
R: C’est juste pour gagner le toast !! (il rit de nouveau) Non sérieusement, c’est une fierté comme de pouvoir représenter son pays dans les plus grandes compétitions.
Q: Comment se porte la Tahiti Beach Soccer Ligue? Certains joueurs jouent-ils également dans des équipes de football à onze joueurs?
R: Le football reste le sport N°1 à Tahiti, par rapport au Beach Soccer. On joue tous au football à Tahiti à la base mais dans différents clubs.
Q: Les athlètes Tiki Toa sont les meilleurs au monde. Pouvez-vous prendre le niveau Toa Aito en jouant à onze joueurs?
R: Il faudrait déjà qu’on soit sélectionné. Ce qui n’est pas le cas…On nous a toujours demandé de choisir une des deux sélections, que l’on ne pouvait pas faire les deux, le choix a été rapide.
Q: J’ai tellement encouragé l’équipe qui est venue ici en Bresil dans la Confederation Cup 2013. Pouvez-vous jouer à nouveau aujourd’hui? Teaonui joue sur le terrain, sur le sable et sur le court. Heimanu Taiarui – FIFA Best WC Il pourrait être très bon sur le terrain?
R: Oui cette année-là j’étais le capitaine de cette équipe, mais le coach m’a demandé de faire un choix (ce que je ne comprends toujours pas) mais certains joueurs de l’équipe n’acceptaient pas que je joue dans les 2 sélections. J’ai fait mon choix et aujourd’hui je ne le regrette pas. Non aujourd’hui je suis trop vieux pour le foot à 11. Avec le deux on a joué ensemble à Pirae et nous avions battu Auckland City à Tahiti. Mais c’est toujours très bon à Pirae.
Les Tiki Toa
La Coupe du Monde pour le Tiki Toa va commençer jeudi prochain avec le premier match face a l’Italie, qui va a etre la principal rival dans le group. En espere que notre Dieux Guerriers peuvent allez le plus loin possible dans la Coupe du Monde.
Oceania Football Center recently reported that Tupuji Imere has signed two players from Vaum FC. But according to local sources these transfers are controversial and should not be allowed by Vanuatu Football Federation.
According to local reliable sources, the football transfer window is closed in Port Vila since 28 August and these players should never had their transfers approved by VFF. On the other hand there are some exceptions that could allow players to be transfered outside the transfer window in Vanuatu.
Normally exceptions are only made for special situations like if a student has to change school, or when some worker is transferred to work in another island. Getting the transfer approved by VFF should not be so easy like it seems because players and team need to provide evidences that they are really being transferred to work. So they could only request transfer outside window if they were working in Luganville and then being transferred to work in Port Vila and it did not happen.
Mahit Ollie and Welwel Dick are new Tupuji Imere players
Tupuji Imere used this exception rule but both players received a job from Classic Printers Vanuatu, a company that is Tupuji Imere’s sponsor. So they only got a job because they were already committed to play for Tupuji. What was done with these transfers can open doors to any transfers anytime because every team would be able to break the transfer rules at these conditions.
That is not the only problem that falls over VFF and PVFA. Lack of organization and transparency are huge problems when it comes to Ni-Van football associations. In last December it was announced that Vanuatu would join COMET system, a football management system, designed to centralize all records related to football clubs, matches and competitions and automate key business processes. Vanuatu really joined COMET but they do not use it properly. According to an organization that has full access to COMET, Vanuatu does not put these information in the system so there is a big lack of information even for OFC people that should know everything about football in the country. Managers and local football administrators do not provide information while Vanautu’s football remains obscure and unknown to international eyes. Maybe they have something to hide about the organizational problems and their incompetence.
Information about championships and results should be available to people. There is no official source bringing information about VFF National Super League or Port Vila Premier League. All information are provided by local people in Facebook groups. For example, it is possible to get reliable information about regional leagues in Australia or South Korean third division, but it is very difficult to find information about Port Vila First Division (second tier). It is not about the league division. It is all about informaton, a basic thing that does not happen there in Vanuatu and it is not only in football or other sports.
Recently Dan McGary had his work permit renewal denied. McGary is the Daily Post media director, the main online media source of Vanuatu supposedly because of some critics he made to local government. Freedom of the press is something basic and it looks like it is not being respected there.
Recently VFF announced a new coaching philosophy that can help the development of football in the country but there are some important things that must be done now. Oceania Football Center reported that Port Vila Stadium pitch was in terrible conditions. After one month the situation is worse, making it impossible to play in a decent level. “They do not care about the field” said a player. “PVFA is not a trustworthy association at the moment, Port Vila Premier Leauge is the biggest league in Vanuatu and they do not provide enough resources that are required during a league game […] The condition of the field is very bad because not only Premier Division teams are using Port Vila Stadium. Other Divisions also use that same stadium throughout the week so it is hard to maintain and repair the grass.” said another person involved with football in Port Vila.
Port Vila stadium grass is in terrible conditions
While players and coaching staff struggles with a terrible field to play, Korman Stadium has a perfect grass and it is only being used by Women’s League. Having a good field really could help to increase the level of football playing there in Vanuatu because the level of the players is not among the biggest issues.
The match between Erakor Golden Star and Galaxy FC was livestreamed by Galaxy organization and it was possible to see how bad the pitch was. The terrain was so bad that players could not predict ball’s trajectory and it caused some “funny” scenes like a ball bouncing mysteriously on the field and hitting a player’s face.
Other problems like the league schedule also annoy team managers. They only received the official and corrected Port Vila Premier League schedule after the beginning of the league. It is unnaceptable.
It is very nice seeing VFF and PVFA trying to develop local football specially at youth level. But it is necessary to leave old habits and old minded people behind if they really want to progress. Vanuatu has a lot of talented players and they need to have the necessary structure to develop. There are many things that can be changed to improve local football immediately.
Tonga National Futsal Team lost two matches by Walk Over in 2019 OFC Futsal Nations Cup in the 5-8th place play-off matches against Vanuatu and American Samoa. It was originally reported that Tonga had many players injured so they could not play. But the truth behind Tonga’s walkover defeats in OFC Futsal Nations Cup is that many players were diagnosed with measles.
Oceania is facing a measles epidemic that was also the reson of OFC U16 Women’s Championship postponement. Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the measles virus.Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and it may last 7–10 days.Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40°C (10 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes.
According to sources, measles occurred in a touring Tongan Futsal team which travelled to New Zealand on 14th October. One member of Tongan delegation got sick on 19th October and was subsequently diagnosed with the disease. The squad went to New Caledonia prior to their infectious period. Public health in New Caledonia administered post exposure vaccination to four members of the squad who did not report a history of two doses of MCV (Meningococcal Vaccine).
Tonga National Futsal squad for 2019 OFC Futsal Nations Cup
On 1st November, six people from Tongan delegation became unwell with measles – that’s why they did not play against Vanuatu on 1st November neither against American Samoa on 2nd November – “The doctor said we were not going to finish the tournament” said Tongan player Timote Fakasiieiki. They have remained in New Caledonia until the infectious period has passed while the remainder of the squad returned on 4th and 5th November.
It also affected other Futsal National Teams like Fiji’s. They arrived home today – 15 days after the end of the tournament – because they were stopped by Ministry of Health from coming back home because they were exposed to measles virus after playing against Tonga. Despite the exposure, no one from Fiji Futsal delegation got sick. “We were quarantined in the hotel and our movements were restricted for a week while at the same time we were vaccinated” said Fiji National Futsal Team head coach Mira Sahib.
The measles outbreak is a big problem currently in Oceania. They started in New Zealand earlier this year and spreaded for whole Oceania. Samoa already declared state of emergency and closed all schools because of deaths caused by the virus. Tonga started to be affected by the disease after rugby players come back sick to Tonga after staying in New Zealand for a while.
The Tupuji Imere 2-0 loss against Galaxy in the sixth gameweek of Port Vila Premier League marked the return of Azariah Soromon to the club. He took part of the starting eleven but did not manage to score against strong Galaxy FC.
Soromon arrived to Tupuji Imere earlier this year but he could not play the beginning of this season because he was committed with Vanuatu National Futsal Team that played OFC Futsal Nations Cup in New Caledonia.
Azariah Soromon (number 9) with Tupuji Imere squad against Galaxy FC
The 20 years old forward is the main hope of Tupuji Imere to score in the league. His team is currently in the 7th position with just four points in six matches. Last season he played for Southern United from New Zealand in the ISPS Handa Premiership scoring two goals in six games, helping Southern to have their best campaign ever in the league.
He also took part of the historical ni-Van squad that played the U20 World Cup for Vanuatu National Team in 2017.
Te Runga is the Kiribati National Sports Championship and it is a time for all sports persons to congregate for two weeks of intense sporting competition. This competition includes sports like volleyball, football and basketball. The games were conducted between 4th and 15th november in Tarawa, Kiribati’s capital.
The men’s tournament counted on 23 teams split in four groups while the women’s tournament had 7 teams. The matches were held in a sand field because there is no grass pitch in Kiribati.
Makin and BTC players in men’s semifinal. Source: Jeff Brock
The top four teams of each group qualified for the Round of 16 in the men’s tournament. BTC was the champion after beating TUC by 3-2 in the final match while Abaiang won BTC by 4-0 in the women’s final.
Oceania Football Center is trying to collect more information about the matches but you can see more by clicking here. Kiribati is not a FIFA member but they are affiliated to CONIFA just like Tuvalu. You can read more about the situation of Kiribati’s football by clicking here.
Henderson Eels won Marist by 3-0 last Sunday at Lawson Tama Stadium. This match marked the Leon Kofana’s debut for Henderson Eels and also marked the first goals of Raphael Lea’i in the club.
The young players played in a good level and pleased Eels’ head coach Eddie Marahare “I am happy with their performance. About Kofana, he played and combined well with rest of the team in defense. For Raphael, though he missed couple chances in the game, but he managed to score two goals at the end.” said Marahare.
According to local sources Kofana had a solid match playing alongside team captain Fred Kini in the middle of the defense. His quality with the ball and aerial reach can be a differential for Henderson Eels in the defensive ends.
Kofana playing in his debut for Henderson Eels. Source: S-League Media
Raphael Lea’i composed the team’s attack with Tutizama Tanito and Patrick Taroga once Joses Nawo and Kennedy Watemae were injured and could not play against Marist. Both are expected to be back to the team in the next match against Guadalcanal.
“Raphael played as an extra striker operating in the wings” stated Marahare. Lea’i had some opportunities throughout the match and he found the net twice at the end of the game to seal the 3-0 win against Marist.
Eels players celebrating a Raphael Lea’i (number 13) goal
Both played the whole match and having lots of minutes at senior level will surely help their development as footballers. Henderson Eels is in the second position with 25 points just three points behind Solomon Warriors.
The catch-up match between Trio Kedeigne and AS Mont-Dore was played this weekend at Stade Hnassé in Lifou. Trio Kedeigne was looking for a win or a draw to keep their chances to avoid relegation alive in the first tier of football in New Caledonia. AS Mont-Dore could still grab the thid place in the table despite not having a season their fans expected.
ES Wacaele awaited the match to know their fate and the outcome was the worst possible for them: they are relegated to the second-tier of football in New Caledonia, they will be back to the Championnat de Maré – the proccess of promotion to Mobil Super Lige, the top-tier, is divided into the regions in New Caledonia. Trio Kedeigne could avoid a direct relegation drawing in 1-1 against AS Mont-Dore at home – a result that was good for both sides, since Trio avoided the relegation and Mont-Dore finished third in the standings.
ES Wacaele could not avoid relegation this season – MSL Media
Despite the good news for Trio Kedeigne and their fans in Lifou, they still have a chance to be relegated if they can not win the playoff-relegation match against a club from the lower division that is yet to be known. You can see the final standings released by FCF clicking here.
Another round of Telekom S-League is over. Four matches were played at Lawson Tama Stadium. Scroll down and check Oceania Football Center’s review of the round.
LAUGU UNITED 1-1 KOSSA
Everything tied in a very tough match! Harrison Mala opened the scoreboard for Kossa but Darold Kakasi tied the match for Laugu. It was Kakasi’s first goal in this S-League season before. This result kept both teams at the same positions in table, Kossa in 4th and Laugu United in 5th.
Kakasi (in black) fights for the ball. Source: S-League Media
SOLOMON WARRIORS 4-0 MALAITA KINGS
Solomon Warriors won again to remain on top of the table with 28 points. Dennis Ifunaoa opened the scoreboard in the late first half while the three other goals were scored in the second half. Ni-Van players John Alick and Tony Kaltack had important roles in this match with both players scoring one goal each. Kaltack remains on top for Golden Boot Award with 15 goals scored in ten matches.
Tony Kaltack with the ball against Malaita Kings. Source: S-League Media
HENDERSON EELS 3-0 MARIST
Henderson Eels won Marist by 3-0 in Leon Kofana’s debut. Patrick Taroga opened the scoreboard for Eels. The other two goals were scored by Raphael Lea’i in stoppage time to seal the win. These were the first goals of Lea’i in S-League.
Raphael Lea’i (left), Alick Solo (middle) and Leon Kofana (right). Source: S-League Media
ISABEL UNITED 4-0 REAL KAKAMORA
Real Kakamora remains winless on bottom while Isabel moves up with three more points. Sam Vahia opened the scoreboard for Isabel in the first minute. The second goal was an own-goal scored by Kahu John. Alvin Ray and Tuita Maeobia also netted for Isabel United.
Jordan Lea’alafa playing for Isabel United. Source: S-League Media
Check the full standings and top scorers by clicking here.
