OFC Champions League: Ba aim for quarters

Youth league kicks off this weekend

THE Southern zone Vodafone Under-16 Youth League kick starts this weekend. In matches at the Fiji FA Academy Grounds, Nasinu plays Rewa at 10am, Northland Tailevu plays Tailevu Naitasiri at 12pm while Suva battles Navua at 2pm. In the western division, Rakiraki plays Tavua at 12pm at the FSC Ground in Rakiraki, Nadi battles Nadroga...

Vodafone Premier League: Three matches this weekend

THE Rewa football side has a mammoth task on hand when they face Lautoka in the Vodafone Premier League this Sunday. After getting thumped 6-1 by Nadi last week, Rewa sits at the bottom of the points table. Lautoka hosts Rewa at 3pm at Churchill Park on Sunday while at the same time, Tavua will...

Vodafone Premier League: Nadi moves to second position

THE Nadi football side has moved into second position on the points table after the 6-1 win over Rewa in the Vodafone Premier League yesterday. Rusiate Matererega scored four times in the impressive win. Nadi, Suva and Tavua have six points each but the Jetsetters have a better goal difference. Ba still leads with seven...

Soccer – Argentines pay tribute to Sala at special memorial

PROGRESO, Argentina (Reuters) – Grieving Argentines paid tribute to footballer Emiliano Sala on Saturday at a special memorial in his home region of Santa Fe. The body of the 28-year old Sala, who died in a plane crash last month, was laid out in a gymnasium in the town where he grew up so friends...

Ferguson set for Man United return in charity match

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will return to the dugout for a charity match to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the team’s treble-winning season, the Premier League club said on Saturday. The 77-year-old Scot will take charge of a legends side against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on May 26....

Premier league: Dave scores winning goal for Suva

SAHIL Dave of Suva scored the winning goal for the capital side to topple the underdogs Nasinu side in the Vodafone Premier League competition that was held at the ANZ Stadium in Suva this afternoon. Suva’s imported striker Gagame Feni scored the first goal of the match in the 11th minute of play. However, Nasinu...

Premier league: Nadi thumps Rewa

NADI thumped Rewa 6-1 in their Vodafone Premier League encounter at Prince Charles Park this afternoon. The jetsetters dominated possession and territory to secure a huge win. Former national rep Rusiate Mateirerega was in top form for Nadi scoring four goals. He scored two in the first and another two in the second spell while...

Premier league: Suva leads Nasinu at half time

THE Suva football side is leading Nasinu 2-1 at half time in the Vodafone Premier League at the ANZ Stadium in Suva. Goals from Solomon Island import Gagame Feni and Ratu Anare sees the capital city side leading at the break. In another match, Nadi is leading Rewa 4-nil at half time at Prince Charles...

Krishna back to goal scoring form

ROY Krishna was back to goal scoring form in his Wellington Phoenix’s 1-all draw against Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League on Friday night. Krishna blasted in from straight in front of goal to put Phoenix ahead but the opponents equalised eight minutes later from the penalty spot. This was Krishna’s 12th goal of the...

Small clubs missing out around $300 million for nurturing young players – FIFA

ZURICH (Reuters) – FIFA says that soccer clubs around the world, many of them small ones in Latin America and Africa, are missing out on so-called transfer compensation of around $300 million (233 million pounds) for raising young players who go on to enjoy successful careers in Europe. Under FIFA rules, the club where a...

Infantino defends FIFA from criticism over Bahraini footballer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday defended world soccer’s governing body over its perceived lack of action in the case of refugee Bahraini footballer Hakeem Al Araibi, saying it had been working behind the scenes in the affair. Araibi was held in a Thai prison for more than two months at the...

Sala’s body arrives in Argentina for weekend funeral

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – The body of footballer Emiliano Sala arrived in Argentina on Friday, ahead of this weekend’s wake and burial in his home town. TV pictures showed a van carrying the body being slowly escorted out of the Buenos Aires airport by police vehicles. The body is being driven to Progreso, around 538km...

Messi backing Pique in new Davis Cup venture

(Reuters) – Lionel Messi is one of the investors in the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid later this year, according to Barcelona team mate Gerard Pique whose Kosmos company has been instrumental in a revamp for the historic tennis competition. Pique’s investment firm Kosmos has backed the new format to the tune of $3 billion...

UEFA satisfied with VAR debut in Champions League knockouts

(Reuters) – Video Assistant Referee (VAR) “worked perfectly” at all stadiums that hosted the first leg of the last-16 Champions League ties this week, according to UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. VAR was implemented for the first time in Europe’s premier club competition and was called into action in games when tight offside and...

OFC: Lautoka’s dream to win dashed

LAUTOKA’S dream of winning the OFC Champions League was dashed after its 2-all draw against AS Central Sports at Lautoka’s Churchill Park this afternoon. The Blues needed a clear three goals win but the three red cards – one each to Bong Kalo, Dave Radregai and Afraz Ali – made things difficult for them. Lautoka...

Henderson Eels defeats Morobe Wawens

HENDERSON Eels of the Solomon Islands has defeated Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Wawens 7-nil in a Group B match. Both teams were locked nil-all at the break. Henderson Eels have secured a spot in the quarter-finals with six points and will be accompanied by either Lautoka or AS Central Sports. This means Lautoka has to...

OFC: Lautoka holds AS Central at bay

THE nine-men Lautoka side bravely held AS Central Sport 2-1 in their OFC Champions League at Lautoka’s Churchill Park this afternoon. Red cards to Bong Kalo and Dave Radregai proved costly for the Blues but they played their hearts out to deny the host from scoring more goals. The visitors scored the first goal early...

OFC: Lautoka to field star-studded team against AS Central Sport

LAUTOKA will field a star studded team in its final Oceania Football Confederation Champions League Group B match against AS Central Sport this afternoon. Experienced goalkeeper Beniamino Mateinaqara will lead the team combining with Osea Vakatalesau, Zibraaz Sahib, Dave Radregai, Kavaia Rawaqa, Benjamin Totori, Samuela Drudru and Kolinio Sivoki. The side needed a win to...

OFC league: AS Central takes on Lautoka today

OFC Champions League Group B goes down to the wire as leaders AS Central Sport taking on hosts Lautoka FC when they play at Churchill Park in Lautoka today. AS Central Sport are heading into the final match day with a foot already in the knockout stage after two wins in the group with a...

Lautoka in ‘do or die’ situation

THE Lautoka football side will be in a do or die situation when they take on Tahiti’s AS Central Sports in the last match of the pool stages in the OFC Champions League tomorrow. The shock 6-5 loss to Henderson Eels last Wednesday has put the Lautoka side in a must win situation. After two...

Vodafone Premier League: Nasinu aware of expectations from fans

THE Nasinu football side will be high in confidence when they go into the match against Suva in the Vodafone Premier League this Sunday. Coach Shivam Nathan said that he is aware of the expectations from fans after the 2-nil win over Labasa last weekend. “I know the expectations will increase. Our aim in the...

Lautoka defeated in OFC Champions League

THE Lautoka football side were beaten 6-5 by Solomon Islands club Henderson Eels in the OFC Champions League Group match at Churchill Park yesterday. OFC reports that Henderson Eels started the Melanesian derby on the front foot with intentions to play on the counter. The Solomon Islanders persistent paid off in the 5th minute as...

Gokals futsal team early favorites

THE Gokals Futsal team has stamped its mark as early favorites in the Ovaltine Suva Business House Soccer League which got underway earlier this week. The side laced with district reps, beat defending champions Fiji Sun 3-nil in their first match on Tuesday. Evergreen and action Fiji are other teams in the group. The next...

FIFA legend to join FFA awards night

FIJI Football Association (Fiji FA) is proud to announce Mikaël Silvestre as the chief guest for the Vodafone/Fiji FA Awards Night 2018. This was confirmed by Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel. Patel confirmed the awards night has been confirmed to be held on Saturday, March 2, at the Sofitel Resort in Nadi. He said this...

England’s World Cup-winning keeper Banks dead at 81

STOKE-ON-TRENT, England (Reuters) – Gordon Banks, the goalkeeper in England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team, has died at the age of 81, his former club Stoke City said on Tuesday. Banks won 73 caps for England between 1963 and 1972 and made nearly 200 appearances for Stoke before his playing career was brought to an end...

Levaci commends team for win

IT was a proud but emotional day for Nasinu football captain Manasa Levaci when his team beat Labasa 2-nil in the Vodafone Premier League yesterday. Levaci, who is originally from Labasa, scored the opening goal from the penalty spot in the win. With tears in his eyes, his said it will be a day he...

Ramsey leaves Arsenal after 11 years to join Juventus

MILAN (Reuters) – Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is leaving the club after 11 seasons to join Juventus, the Serie A club said on Monday as it confirmed the Welshman had signed a four-year contract. The 28-year-old will join the Turin side in July and become the third Welshman to play for them after John Charles,...

Families begin to bury Flamengo fire victims

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The funerals of the teenagers who died in the fire that swept through Flamengo’s training ground in Rio have started to take place on Sunday, while the club defended itself over the cause of the blaze in the unauthorised lodgings. “How can a club as important as Flamengo allow for...

‘He is a free man’: refugee Bahraini footballer heads home to Australia

BANGKOK (Reuters) – A refugee Bahraini footballer with residency status in Australia boarded a flight for Melbourne early on Tuesday after Bahrain dropped its bid to have him extradited from Thailand, bringing to an end a case that had drawn international criticism. Hakeem Al Araibi, 25, who fled Bahrain in 2014 and received refugee status...

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