Oceania Football Center

Laveni Vaka: Tongan talent in the United States

Tonga is a small country in Oceania with approximately 108,000 inhabitants. The most popular sport in the country is rugby; its national team took part in several Rugby World Cups already. Unfortunately, football is in a different situation: although it has developed in the recent years, it is still not one of the most famous sports in the country. Even so, Tonga has a professional player playing in Asia: AJ Inia.

One person who can change that in the coming years is Laveni Vaka, a Tongan player who represented Tonga in the 2018 OFC Women’s Nations Cup. She is currently playing college football in the United States and together with her sister may become the first two Tongan women to play football professionally.

Oceania Football Center had the pleasure to interview of one of the most prominent sportswoman of Tonga:

Inevitably we cannot begin with another question, how did you receive the news of the volcano disaster in Tonga?

I was super heart broken for the people of Tonga. I live in the states and so connection with family was cut off for awhile. During that time it was a bunch of unknowns if our family and friends were safe.

After the disaster in Tonga, how do you feel football will develop? How hard it will be to put up together a team to play the next international tournaments?

I think that players in Tonga will feel obligated to almost stay home and help their family during this time instead of going to these international tournaments. However, I know they do have plans to go to tournaments and to keep developing as far as a team.

Do you intend to pursue a professional career in football after graduation in college?

Yes I do. I’m hoping to go international, but if plans don’t workout I will play here in America.

Does your relationship with football come from an early age? How is the influence of having a twin sister playing with you?

My sister and I have been playing since We were 6 years old. We’ve influenced each other to grow and become better football players. It was never competitive with each other, just wanting to be the best we could be.

Laveni and her sister Daviana Vaka competed in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in 2018

Do you think Tongan football association is doing enough for the development of football in the country?

I think they are doing the best they can with what they have. The Tongan football association has done a great job of making the people of Tonga more aware of football. In a couple of years I can see the Tongan football association become a power house if they continue to develop, grow, and have the right resources.

Declaring for NSWL draft is a possibility for your future?

Yes it is!

The goal you had scored against Cook Islands is the most important moment for you as a player for the Tongan national team?

Yes it was the most important and memorable moment for me. I was only 16 at the time and it was a huge moment for me and my family.

Did the Tonga federation ever contact you and your sister to participate in the training camp in Australia?

Not for camp, but for the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, yes.

That’s good. So we can confirm that you will be playing the World Cup Qualifiers?

I can’t confirm that right now until the time comes closer. I would love to play in the World Cup qualifiers but I have to see what my duties here are for university before committing to play and also what the covid protocols will be.

One last question, not about football – do you speak the native language of Tonga?

I don’t speak Tongan but I can understand the language. Learning how to speak Tongan fluently is something I want to accomplish in the future.

The Oceania Football Center thanks Laveni Vaka for her time to answer and hopes for the best for her football carrer!

Nikao Sokattak is qualified for 2022 OFC Champions League final round

Nikao Sokattak FC has been selected for the final round of the OFC Champions League 2022 after once again an OFC tournament cancels the preliminary round because of flight restrictions. The announcement was made by the Oceania Football Confederation on its website. The criteria used to give the classification to Nikao Sokattak FC was the sports performance in the 2016 and 2020 Champions League.

Nikao Sokattak FC who are the defending champions of the Cook Islands league will join Auckland City – nominated by New Zealand Football, and Hienghène who beat SC Ne Drehu and wait the definition of the other five clashes as the qualifiers for the final round of the OFC Champions League will take place in New Zealand between August 6th and 19th.

New Zealand loses to Peru in a friendly match in preparation for the Intercontinental Playoff

Peru and New Zealand took to the field in Barcelona for a friendly match last Sunday – 5th June – to prepare for the intercontinental playoff. The Peru awaits the winner of Australia and United Arab Emirates and the All Whites will face Costa Rica.

From the beginning of the match Peru showed superiority over New Zealand keeping possession and controlling the actions of the match. Peru’s first opportunity came when Marcos Lopez’s cross was cleared off the line by Oli Sail. In the corner kick the New Zealand defense moved away, but on the left Yotun hit a shot against the crossbar causing danger once again.

The first shot and chance for All Whites came in the 43rd minute when Matt Garbett stole the ball from Aldo Corzo and passed to Liberato Cacace who drove, passed to Chris Wood who played the role of pivot and played to Alex Greive forcing Pedro Gallese to make a good save.

The second half started as it was in the first forty-five minutes – Peru had control of the match but with New Zealand playing hard. In the 69th minute Tim Payne passed it back to Oli Sail, who failed to control the ball and gave it away theto Gianluca Lapadula, who stole the ball and calmly made it 1-0 to the joy of the thousands of Peruvians present at the RCDE Stadium.

Two minutes later Peru almost increased the advantage with Christofer Gonzáles kicking the ball to the post after a beautiful exchange of passes with Marcos Lopez and Gianluca Lapadula. Within ten minutes to go New Zealand scored with Ben Waine after a beautiful cross from Liberato Cacace, but the referee had already declared the Wellington Phoenix striker was offsided.

The New Zealand’s side could not find en equalizer and the match ended up with a 1-0 win of the South Americans. Now the All Whites will face the national team of Oman in a closed doors’ friendly match as a last test before the decisive match against Costa Rica.

Hienghène beats Ne Drehu and will represent New Caledonia at OFC Champions League final round

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Hienghène and SC Ne Drehu kicked off the OFC Champions League 2022 at Stade Yoshida last Saturday – 4th June – for the first OFC Champions League national qualifier. The winner of the two-legged clash is going to represent New Caledonia in the final round of the 2022 OFC Champions League.

The first scoring opportunity came from Jordan Wetria, who after Mone Wamowe’s cross got ahead of Rocky Nyikeine and headed the ball over the goal. In the 22nd minute Jordan Wetria was brought down by Jean-Luc Decoire in the penalty box and the referee awarded a penalty kick to Ne Drehu. Mone Wamowe hit it firmly in the middle of the goal and opened the scoring line.

Hienghène started chasing SC Ne Drehu’s advantage but without getting any great chances in the first half except for a shot from Joseph Athale that goalkeeper Nicodem Hmaen hit back and in the rebound striker Antone Roine sent it over the bar.

In the second half both SC Ne Drehu and Hienghène looked for the goal with both teams having good opportunities. In the 71st minute, a perfect free-kick from Mone Wamowe was headed in by Emile Hace, who scored SC Ne Drehu’s second goal with 20 minutes remaining.

SC Ne Drehu’s players celebrating the second goal – *Alain Vartane*

With 20 minutes left in the match Hienghène were in a dramatic situation taking a two-goal deficit into the second leg. But a late reaction began in the 86th minute when Miguel Kayara advanced down the right wing and was fouled near the penalty area. Brice Dahite’s cross was met by Emile Béaruné, who scored for Hienghène with 3 minutes remaining.

Hienghène continued to press SC Ne Drehu for the equalizer in the final minutes, again in a move by Miguel Kayara on the right wing he crossed and the ball fell to Brice Dahite who suffered a foul inside the box almost in the last play of the game – Joseph Athale from the penalty spot scored the goal to make the match tied for the second leg.

Hienghène, who had already got a great result, started pressing SC Ne Drehu at the Stade Numa-Daly and opened the scoring through New Caledonian football legend Bertrand Kaï in the 22nd minute after he received the ball in the box following a header from Brice Dahite – he received it, turned it around, and hit a low shot into the goalkeeper’s left corner without any chance of defense for Nicodem Hmaen.

SC Ne Drehu’s responded rapidly; in the 25th minute Nathanael Hmaen scored a beautiful goal from a free kick to tie the match. Both teams created chances to score a second goal, but the match finished tied at the halftime.

In the 48th minute Antone Roine was yellow-carded after the referee alleged simulation in the penalty box. In the 54th minute he saw red after a foul on Renzo Wejieme letting his side with only 10-men.

With an extra player SC Ne Drehu began to have more space and create more chances in the match, Nathanael Hmaen came face to face with Jacques Nyikeine but he was stopped by the Hienghène goalkeeper.

Already at the stoppage time, when the match seemed to be going into extra time, Miguel Kayara made a beautiful cross for Bertrand Kaï to head it home and score Hienghène’s winning goal.

Bertrand Kaï and his teammates celebrating the qualifying goal – *OFC Media*

The defending champions Hienghène now join Auckland City of New Zealand and Nikao Sokattak FC of the Cook Islands in the final round of the OFC Champions League 2022. The remaining spots for the final round of the regional competition are still to be determined.

Hienghène and Ne Drehu kicks-off the 2022 OFC Champions League

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Today – 4th June – the start of the 2022 OFC Champions League will be set. The most important competition in the South Pacific returns after two seasons of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020 edition the tournament was cancelled just after the completion of the group stage.

As explained earlier the competition will have two stages: first the national champions and runners-up of the countries – except New Zealand who nominated Auckland City for the competition – competing for a spot in the final phase. The four developing nations – Tonga, Cook Islands, Samoa, and American Samoa – will compete against each other for a place in the quarterfinals.

The first clash will be between New Caledonia champions Hienghène Sport and current OFC Champions League title holders against New Caledonia league runners-up SC Ne Drehu.

Hienghène and Ne Drehu playing in the New Caledonia championship final – *FCF Media*

Currently Hienghène Sport is ranked second in the New Caledonia Super League while SC Ne Drehu is at third place – Tiga Sports is currently the top-placed side at New Caledonia’s premier league.

There will be two duels, the first takes place at Stade Yoshida with SC Ne Drehu being the home team, and the return match at Stade Numa-Daly on July 6th, both matches at 3pm Nouméa time. The winner advances to the final round that will include other teams from different Oceania countries.

David Browne scores for the first time this season as HJK beats FC Haka

Last Sunday – May 22nd – HJK and FC Haka took to the field in the eighth round of the Veikkausliiga – the Finnish national football league. The match was special due the presence of three players from Oceania: HJK’s Papua New Guinea striker David Browne and New Zealand’s Oliver Whyte and Logan Rogerson.

In the fifth minute Logan Rogerson, making his ninth appearance in the Veikkausliiga, received the ball on the right wing and found Lee Erwin free in the box to open the score for the visitors. It was the New Zealander’s first assist in the Finnish league.

Still in the first half Miro Tenho equalized for HJK with a header. In the second half HJK began to pressure FC Haka in search of the second goal that came in the 50th minute with the Brazilian Murilo crossing the ball and finding David Browne in the area, the Kapuls striker dominated and hit with his left foot with no chance for the FC Haka goalkeeper.

David Browne vs FC Haka – *FC Haka Media*

It was David Browne’s first goal in his seventh game – his second time in the starting lineup in the 2022 season for HJK. Oliver Whyte came on the field in the 81st minute in place of his compatriot Logan Rogerson to make his sixth appearance in the Finnish league – by that time the score was already 3-1 to HJK who won the match 4-1.

HJK is ranked second in the Veikkausliiga with the same 25 points as leaders KuPS, but with still a game to be played. FC Haka is seventh with 10 points.

OFC Champions League is Back!

After three years of inactivity, the largest club competition in the South Pacific is back. The OFC Champions League will begin in June with a new format with fewer matches and less travel because of flight restrictions imposed after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The champions and runners-up of the major national leagues – except New Zealand Football who have named Auckland City as their representative in the final round – from Oceania will confront each other in the first round to compete for a spot in the final round.

The champions of the four developing nations (Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and American Samoa) fought each other to determine who advanced to the final. The matches have not yet been scheduled to take place.

OFC Champions League Trophy – *Phototek*

Match Schedule:

4th June | Sc Ne Drehu vs Hienghène Sport – Stade Yoshida, Kone

6th June | Hienghène Sport vs Sc Ne Drehu – Stade Numa Daly, Noumea

6th June | Solomon Warriors FC vs Central Coast FC – TBC

10th June | Central Coast FC vs Solomon Warriors FC – TBC

14th June | AS Pirae vs AS Venus – Stade Pater, Papeete

17th June | Rewa FC vs Lautoka FC – Churchill Park, Lautoka

18th June | RueRue FC vs Galaxy FC – Luganville Soccer City Stadium, Luganville

19th June | Lautoka FC vs Rewa FC – Ratu Cakobau Park, Suva

25th June | Galaxy FC vs RueRue FC – Korman Stadium, Port Vila

25th June | Lae City FC vs Hekari United FC – PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby

All the information was released by the Oceania Football Confederation on their website. The OFC Champions League champion will represent Oceania at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup.

OFC Women’s Nations Cup groups decided

The OFC Women’s Nations Cup is Oceania’s most important tournament for women. Today – May 10th – the draw was made to determine the groups for the 2022 tournament that will give a chance for an Oceania team other than New Zealand to contest the intercontinental playoff for the first time.

There will be 3 groups with 3 teams, with the top two teams and the top two third-placed teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The FIFA ranking was the criteria used for which team would be in each pot for the draw.

OFC Women’s Nations Cup Group Stage – *OFC Media*

The Papua New Guinea women’s national team, five-time winners of the Pacific Games, and the Fiji women’s team, current runners-up in the Nations Cup, are the two favorites to fight for the competition title and consequently travel to Australia to fight for a spot in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The tournament will have an unprecedented winner as New Zealand which is co-host of the 2023 Women’s World Cup will not participate in the competition. The other two teams that have already won the tournament – Taiwan and Australia – are no longer playing in the Oceania Football Confederation.

The tournament takes place from July 13th to July 30th in Fiji.

Tonga women’s national team loses again to Philippines in friendly match in Australia

The Tonga women’s national team is on a training camp tour in Australia in preparation for the OFC Women’s Nations Cup. During this period two friendly matches against the Philippines Women’s National Team took place.

The first match was played on April 22nd with a painful 16-0 loss – the second match took place on April 30th also in Sydney. Unlike the first game Tonga had a better defensive record, which made it more difficult for the Philippines – that was playing a very different setup. In the end Tonga lost 5-0, but the result marks good evolution from the first to the second game.

Philippines vs Tonga – *Philippines WNT*

The Tonga women’s national team will finish their training camp in Australia before returning home with two months to go until the start of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup.

OFC Women’s Nations Cup to be held in Fiji in July

The OFC Women’s Nations Cup is the most important tournament in the South Pacific for women- the tournament also serves as a qualifier for the World Cup. The 2022 edition has a different situation: New Zealand, which dominates the competition historicaly, will not participate in the tournament because it is one of the hosts of the 2023 Women’s World Cup alongside Australia – so this year’s tournament will also not as qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as in the previous editions.

Fiji’s Trina Davis celebrating her goal in the semifinal against Papua New Guinea at the 2018 OFC Women’s Nations Cup – *OFC Media*

Nine national teams will fight for a place in the intercontinental playoff – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Cook Islands. American Samoa has withdrawn from the tournament because of COVID-19 problems.

The format of the tournament will consist in three groups with three teams each – the top two from each group advance and the best two third-placed teams to the quarterfinals – the draw for the groups takes place on May 10th.

The winners will go to Australia to play in an intercontinental playoff that will feature teams from around the globe. The OFC Women’s Nations Cup takes place from July 13 to 30 in Fiji.