Spirited Fijians go down to PNG

By Janene Mar – Papua New Guinea emerged 2-0 victors in this yesterday’s opening match of the 2004 OFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament against hosts Fiji at Govind Park in Ba. However, the experienced Papua New Guinea team were fortunate to take the three points, outplayed on the day by an impressive Fiji outfit. The…

SUVA: The young Lautoka Blue Bulls are the surprise early leaders of the Fiji national league after beating Nadroga 2-0 in round three action last weekend. The win means Lautoka has won three games in a row and are undefeated. In other results, Ba shutout Nadi 2-0 at Churchill Park for their first win of…

PAPEETE: Tefana caused a sensation last weekend when they beat league champion AS Pirae in the Tahiti Cup final at Pater Stadium. The game was locked at 1-1 after regulation and extra-time but Tefana goalkeeper Xavier Samin proved to be the hero, saving a vital shot to give his side a slim 5-4 win on…

APIA: The Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation has announced its season will officially open this coming weekend with the annual GM Bakery Cup kicking off the year. SFSF technical director/national coach David Brand previews the GM Bakery Cup and how the teams stack up. Cup holders Sogi will no doubt want to retain the prize possession…

NOUMEA: The New Caledonia division d’honneur final rounds have taken a turn for the better for third placed AS Poum after they extended their slim lead over fourth placed JS Baco to a five point gap. This came about after Poum beat ACB Poya 3-2 while JS Baco was beaten by second place Mont Dore…

FIFA, London – At its 118th Annual General Meeting in London today (28 February 2004), the International Football Association Board (IFAB), chaired by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, approved a number of amendments to the Laws of the Game. Key decisions reached included the following: – Law 1 – The Field of Play: If permitted…

FIFA, London: Chaired by President Joseph S. Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee unanimously ratified the format for the 2005 Club World Championship at its meeting in London today – Sunday, 29 February – following the recommendation made by the relevant organising committee in Zurich on 19 February 2004. This competition will therefore be held with…

Auckland, 27 February 2004: The Oceania Football Confederation would like to announce that it has selected Fiji to represent Oceania at the 2004 Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland from 18-24 July. The Milk Cup is one of the premier youth soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere and has helped launch the careers of such…

NOUMEA: There is as much interest surrounding the neck and neck race for the third position between AS Poum and JS Baco as there is for New Caledonia division d`honneur national league leaders AS Magenta and Mont Dore. This is because Magenta and Mont Dore are safely into the playoffs which start in March. The…

HONIARA: The Solomon Islands is deep into its preparations for the upcoming OFC Nations Cup/World Cup Qualifiers which it is hosting from 10-19 May 2004. A 27-strong national training squad was named on 19 February after two weeks of fierce trials were held and a foreign coach is also set to be announced to lead…