FIJI – THE FOOTBALL YEAR IN REVIEW

SUVA – The Fiji Football Association (FFA) celebrated it’s 70th Anniversary last year. As a new dawn breaks on 2009, Fiji Live reporter Reginald Chandar takes a moment to look back on the highlights of a momentous milestone in the history of football in Fiji. Unlike previous years, Ba failed to completely dominate the local…

NOUMEA – Two goals from set-plays were enough to hand defending champions AS Magenta an important 2-0 victory over Thio Sport in the Federation Caledonienne de Football (FCF) Super Ligue title chase. The win cuts AS Mont Dore’s lead at the top of the table to a slender three points. However AS Magenta coach Alain…

AUCKLAND – Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has named Marama Vahirua, Ryan Nelsen and Shane Smeltz as winners of the OFC Player of the Year Awards for 2005-2007. The OFC Player of the Year award has been in hiatus since 2004 when Everton and Australia international player Tim Cahill won recognition. “The decision to make these…

PORT MORESBY – Defending PNGFA National Soccer League (NSL) Telikom Cup champions Hekari Souths United washed away memories of last week’s 2009 O-League defeat against Fiji’s Ba with a 6-2 thrashing of MACL Nabasa United. Nabasa shocked Hekari Souths with two quick goals in the opening minutes of the match. It was a precious lead…

TAHITI – AS Excelsior showed last week’s upset 2-1 triumph over Championnat D1 contenders AS Pirae was no fluke after they secured a precious 2-0 victory over AS Vaiete. The win lifts Excelsior four points clear of bottom placed JT and will have rival clubs looking nervously over their shoulders as coach Forrest Flore’s team…

TAHITI  – Reigning champions AS Manu Ura cruised to an easy 5-0 win over TAC in the latest round of Championnat D1 in Tahiti at the weekend. TAC dominated the opening ten minutes but fell behind to a swift counter attack inspired by Jean-François Kabeu. Célestin Taupua’s header on 12 minutes deflated TAC morale and…

AUCKLAND – Waikato FC top the festive football table after a solid 2-0 New Zealand Football Championship win over Team Wellington in Ngaruawahia on Sunday. After a drama-field pre-season where lack of funds saw the club edge perilously close to extinction, Waikato’s fourth win on the bounce moves them top of the pile with 12…

Ten-man Manchester United have won the FIFA Club World Cup, thanks to Wayne Rooney’s 73rd minute goal over Liga de Quito in Yokohama. However that fails to tell the story of an entertaining final, which saw Nemanja Vidic dismissed four minutes after the interval for an elbow on Claudio Bieler. United were given a wake-up…

A 29th minute goal from Masato Yamaguchi gave Gamba Osaka third place at the FIFA Club World Cup at the expense of CONCACAF champions Pachuca. Rather than the match for third place being a game that both sides wanted to win, the early stages set the tone for a match which neither team wanted to…

New Zealand Football sadly mourns the passing of football stalwart and Team Wellington General Manager David Farrington. Farrington died on Wednesday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 60. He is survived by wife Jann, sons Mathew and Jamie and daughter Katie. New Zealand Football Chairman Frank van Hattum said the game had…