FMF IDC 2025 Fixtures
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Taveuni focus shifts to Vanua semis – FBC News
Source: Fiji Rugby / Facebook Taveuni Rugby are through to the semifinals of the Vodafone Vanua Trophy after a commanding 24-13 victory over Yasawa in Suva yesterday, and coach Josefa Satini says the focus now shifts to clearing the next hurdle. The garden island of Fiji team displayed composure and grit to see off a determined Yasawa outfit, tightening their defense when it mattered most and striking clinically when chances came their way. The result marked another step forward in their climb back up the Fijian rugby ladder, with Satini emphasizing that the work is far from over. Article continues after advertisement “Our aim is to go through the semifinals. I told the boys if you want to reach the semifinals, you have to go through the quarterfinals first. So we did it yesterday and now we look forward to the next challenge this week.” While the coach admitted there were errors to iron out from both halves, he praised his players for rising to the occasion and delivering when it counted. With momentum on their side and the semifinals looming, Taveuni will be aiming to sharpen their execution and keep their Vanua Trophy dream alive. In other results, Rewa edged Ovalau 34-31, Kadavu narrowly defeated Tavua 30-29 and Navosa claimed their semifinal spot winning 38-29 against Northland. Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
Football gossip: Guehi, Collins, Bentancur, Valverde, Hackney, Fernandez
Tottenham are interested in Marc Guehi and Nathan Collins while Manchester United target Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde Tottenham are among the leading contenders to sign 25-year-old Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi. (CaughtOffside), external Tottenham manager Thomas Frank wants to bring in Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins, 24, from Brentford. (TBR Football), external Tottenham and Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, 27, is close to agreeing a new contract with the London club. (Football.London), external Manchester United insiders fear Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim, 40, will resign before he is sacked. (iPaper), external Real Madrid‘s 27-year-old Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde has emerged as a target for Manchester United next year. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder Dro Fernandez, 17, has no intention of listening to offers from abroad, despite interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. (TBR Football), external Fulham are plotting a move for Middlesbrough’s English midfielder Hayden Hackney, 23. (Football League World), external
Chelsea and Enzo Maresca earn breathing room but Champions League glory looks a long way off
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Chelsea get what they need. Jose Mourinho gives just about enough of what was expected. The club’s greatest ever manager ended up offering most of the colour to an otherwise drab and predictable 1-0 win. Enzo Maresca can sit a little more comfortably ahead of the visit of erratic Liverpool this weekend, despite more awkward questions about yet another red card. This time it was a late one to substitute Joao Pedro, which Maresca played down. “We got what we needed,” the manager said. Mourinho exits stage left, now needing his Benfica to properly dig into the bottom reaches of the Champions League opening stage. That’s the thing about this modern version of the competition, too. Chelsea might have needed a win to quell some of the noise around Maresca but they didn’t truly need it in terms of getting through to the next round. There are too many safety nets for the superclubs, an awareness of which informs a lot of the strange half-games that take place around this stage of the season. The incentive is still mostly convenience, and avoiding complications with the calendar. Maresca’s pumped fist at the end at least showed it meant a bit more to him. He exchanged a huge hug with Mourinho at the end. The Portuguese of course offered a few moments of theatre, even if they eluded his team. He came out from the tunnel performatively late after the Champions League pageantry, although that only had the effect of ensuring he was denied an initial individual reception as the home crowd were already lost in their own songs. They admittedly rectified that within minutes, singing the old “Jose Mourinho” chant. The new Benfica manager was of course quick to give the humble wave of acknowledgment, and spoke warmly about it all later… if insisting he still only feeds himself with results. “I’m desperate to win the next match,” he said, after a brief appraisal of his own career. He was later on playing peacemaker, running well outside his technical area to implore the travelling Benfica fans not to throw things at former player Enzo Fernandez. You might call it the anti-Ange Postecoglou, given that the Australian had cupped an ear at his own fans on that very same patch of grass. The away support of course listened to their new manager, who offered another little scene from his return trip to Chelsea. All of this was classic Mourinho, if not classic Mourinho defensive. Garnacho was given yards of space at the back of the Benfica defence, from which Neto easily picked him out. When Richard Rios belatedly tried to close him down, he only succeeded in diverting the ball into his own goal. open image in gallery Mourinho was handed a yellow card as Benfica protested a second-half decision which went against them (Action Images via Reuters) Mourinho had already spoken before the game about how it’s early days with this team, which could at least explain such space. It’s something he’s going to have to drill. Garnacho couldn’t claim the goal but he could enjoy what felt like a first properly productive night for his new club, in what was just his second start. The Argentine constantly offered spark on the flank, and one velvet touch in the second half brought a murmur of appreciation from the crowd. The bigger test will be how often Maresca actually trusts him in the biggest games. One of many reasons for Chelsea’s recent dip is that they are going through a bit of an injury crisis, which saw Garnacho restored to the team. Maresca said it had been difficult to find rhythm. It also explains the flatter nature of this match, even if Maresca’s more passive football has been a source of supporter disgruntlement for some time. This never really developed into that public popularity contest with Mourinho that had been anticipated. That was largely because this was never really a contest at all. The score may have been a mere 1-0 but these days there is far too much of a gap in terms of revenue. open image in gallery Garnacho enjoys a productive evening, with his deflected strike the only goal (Chelsea FC via Getty Images) The modern Benfica, as Mourinho spoke at length about before the game, just can’t hope to properly compete with a 21st-century English superclub. He said similar afterwards, pointing to how Malo Gusto was struggling but Maresca could bring on “a better player” in Reece James. “That’s their strength”. Not even Vangelis Pavlidis, recently the tormentor of England with Greece, offered much. The most Benfica had was a shot against the post from Dodi Lukebakio just minutes into the match, and then a bit of a flurry after half-time. That was classic Mourinho, too. Test the opposition with early intensity, before withdrawing. Like so much with this entire occasion, though, it was a bit of faded facsimile of the originals. With this single win, Chelsea now don’t need to do much more to get through to
Injured Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson ‘will not play on Saturday’
Liverpool manager Arne Slot says goalkeeper Alisson will miss the game against Chelsea on Saturday after the Brazilian was injured against Galatasaray. The 32-year-old had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 56th minute of the 1-0 Champions League defeat in Istanbul. Alisson limped off after saving from goalscorer Victor Osimhen, while striker Hugo Ekitike then pulled up after stretching for the ball and also had to be replaced. Slot said the Brazil international had felt something when “sprinting back”. “If my player is on the floor, nine out of 10 times I fear the worst and with the worst I mean that he cannot continue,” Slot said. “It’s never positive if you go off like this. You can be sure he is not playing Saturday.” Mamardashvili is in line for a Premier League debut at Stamford Bridge. The Georgian was signed from Valencia in the summer for £29m. Alisson missed 10 Premier League games last season with a hamstring injury. There is also a doubt over Ekitike, who limped off during the second half. “I wasn’t really thinking that we had an injury, but Hugo felt something,” Slot added. “He said he couldn’t continue, so we had to take him off. Let’s see how he is for the weekend.”
Kumar takes over Lautoka for IDC – FBC News
Lautoka FC has secured the expertise of former Fiji Football Association technical director Ravinesh Kumar to lead the team as head coach for the upcoming IDC. Kumar, renowned for his monumental achievement of guiding the Fiji Under-20 team to the nation’s first-ever World Cup qualification, brings a wealth of tactical knowledge and experience to the Blues. He will be supported by assistant coaches Anginesh Prasad and Shivam Raj. Article continues after advertisement The seasoned campaigner was last recently seen in the domestic arena during the 2023 IDC, where he guided Suva FC. More recently, in 2024, Kumar was involved in international football as the manager of the Samoa national football team. His deep roots in district football are well known, having previously mentored both Lautoka and Ba during his coaching career. During his playing days, Kumar also featured for his home team, Ba, and Nasinu. The task ahead for Kumar and the Blues is massive as they compete in a tough Group A at the IDC, which features defending champions Labasa, Capital City side Suva, and the Nadi Jetsetters. The FMF IDC 2025 starts from next Tuesday in Ba. You can catch live commentary of all the matches on Radio Fiji Two. Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
The Arne Slot gamble that backfired in Liverpool’s disjointed defeat to Galatasaray
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Liverpool will always have fond memories of Istanbul. Just not this particular trip to Istanbul. As they suffered back-to-back defeats for only the second time under Arne Slot, they felt battered as well as beaten by Galatasaray. In the most intimidating of environments, even Slot’s sure touch deserted him. There have been times when his decision-making has seemed impeccable but attempts to rest and rotate saw Liverpool looking disjointed and disorganised. He had a star-studded bench but, while Alexander Isak’s presence there was anticipated, the surprise gambit of omitting Mohamed Salah backfired. So, too, the choice of Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back. Tormented by Baris Yilmaz, he conceded the decisive penalty Victor Osimhen converted. Meanwhile, it felt a vote of no confidence in Jeremie Frimpong, an actual right-back, that he was Salah’s stand-in on the wing. The Dutchman almost set up a goal, but for Galatasaray. It summed up Liverpool’s error-strewn display. open image in gallery Victor Osimhen scored the winner (AP) And if Slot’s intent was to save Salah for Chelsea on Saturday, he instead lost Hugo Ekitike and Alisson to injury. The striker is a doubt, the goalkeeper out. “You can be sure he is not playing on Saturday,” Slot said. “When he sprinted back, he felt something. I fear the worst.” The Brazilian’s brilliance had kept the score down, averting the possibility of a rout, but this was a different sort of damage. As it was, Liverpool already know the league phase of this competition will not be the procession it was when they reeled off seven successive victories last year. Now they failed to score for the first time since a summer outlay that ended with £450m spent, two-thirds of it on players charged with bringing goals. While Liverpool benched their record signing, Isak, Galatasaray unleashed theirs. Osimhen was the superstar striker to start and score. The Nigerian could seem in exile in Turkey. This was a reminder he remains one of the outstanding strikers in the global game. The instigator of Napoli’s win over Liverpool three years ago showed he has lost none of his powers. He excelled when his Liverpool counterparts watched on. Slot summoned Salah and Isak after an hour; for the first time he had the quartet of Florian Wirtz, Ekitike, the Egyptian and the Swede on the pitch together, a possible fantasy front four. But not for long. A few minutes later, the Frenchman limped off. “Hopefully he is not in a bad way,” Slot said. “Let’s see on Saturday.” The closest they came to salvaging a point involved not the attacking reinforcements, but a centre-back. Ibrahima Konate was awarded a penalty when it seemed he was caught by Wilfried Singo. Upon reviewing the footage, referee Clement Turpin revoked his decision. It would have flattered Liverpool to take a point; this particular Turpin did not engage in that kind of robbery. open image in gallery A late penalty was overturned by the video assistant referee to deny Liverpool the chance of a draw (Getty Images) Slot thought the initial decision should have stood but it brought a frustrating end to a troubled trip. The previous night contained its difficulties. The Galatasaray players had let off fireworks outside Liverpool’s hotel. Their players set off a few more on the pitch. Their fans ignited the night air. There were deafening whistles whenever Liverpool had the ball. It was an assault on the eardrums. Isak and Salah may have needed noise-cancelling headphones on the bench. The Rams Park bounced and swayed and rocked. Liverpool appeared ragged and rattled. But for Alisson, it might have been worse. He made huge saves in the early minutes of each half, when first Yilmaz and then Osimhen was clean through on goal; the Brazilian can specialise in one-on-one situations. Yet his second save came at a cost, with Alisson hurt. open image in gallery Alisson departed with an injury (AFP via Getty Images) Liverpool lost because of a spectacular 30 seconds, with Ekitike brilliantly denied by Ugurcan Cakir and Cody Gakpo’s shot cleared off the line by Davinson Sanchez. Instead of trailing, Galatasaray soon led. It illustrated the dangers of using Szoboszlai as a makeshift right-back. Outpaced by Yilmaz in the second minute, he caught the Turkey winger with his arm after 15. “We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. Their player felt something and he made it feel as if it is an unbelievable hit. They make a 20 per cent penalty a 100 per cent penalty.” Aggrieved as Slot was, Osimhen was clinical. He had a penalty saved by Alisson in 2022. He won the rematch. Osimhen remained a threat, roaming with menace. But Galatasaray spent big at both ends of the pitch. Liverpool were not alone in having a high-class goalkeeper. Cakir reacted wonderfully to tip away Wirtz’s half-volley and deny the £100m man a first Liverpool goal. He reacted sharply, too, when Ekitike improvised a backheel. He was terrific. open image in gallery
Do NFL players watch the Super Bowl half-time show?
Will NFL players playing in the Super Bowl get the opportunity to watch Bad Bunny at this season’s half-time show? Our expert Phoebe Schecter has the answer.
Jose Mourinho suffers defeat on Chelsea homecoming
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Jose Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge homecoming ended in defeat as Chelsea got their Champions League season going at the second attempt with a 1-0 win over Benfica. It was the seventh time since his sacking in 2015 that the three-time Premier League winner had returned to sit in the away dugout but there was to be no fairytale for his underdogs, an own goal from midfielder Richard Rios after 18 minutes the difference. Enzo Maresca’s side had been been outclassed despite a brave, ambitious showing in losing to Bayern Munich in their opening game but Mourinho’s visitors posed a different challenge, sitting deep and challenging the home side to pick through them. They managed it just once but decisively, Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho the goal’s twin architects – one with a cross, the other with a brilliant sliding reach, and the unfortunate Rios did the rest. It took less than two minutes for the first round of “Jose Mourinho” chants to fill the air, a reminder to Maresca if one was needed of the challenge that lies ahead if he wishes fully to win a place in supporters’ affections. Three defeats in four had exposed some of the glitches in the circuitry of his young side, chiefly a questionable discipline and a tendency to lose concentration at key moments, but there was enough here to reaffirm that Chelsea remain broadly on track despite their stumble. Issues with discipline still need to be addressed. Joao Pedro, a second-half substitute, was dismissed in the final minute of added time, a second yellow card for a high boot bringing Chelsea’s tally of reds to three in four matches. By then, though, victory had been assured. Enzo Fernandez blasted low and wide early on against his former club, then Belgium international Dodi Lukebakio tried to sneak one between Robert Sanchez and his near post, the goalkeeper turning his driven effort onto the woodwork. Neto warmed up his left foot with a wicked drive that flashed inches wide after darting in off the flank. It was from the same boot that Chelsea’s opening goal was worked minutes later, the Portugal international sending over a lovely, sweeping cross for Garnacho to slide onto determinedly and turn it back into the six-yard box where it bounced in off Rios. Lukebakio was a ready danger on the right side with Marc Cucurella struggling to contain the winger, who was Benfica’s most dangerous player in the first half. A last-ditch challenge from Trevoh Chalobah prevented his cut-back from reaching striker Vangelis Pavlidis as the visitors threatened a quick response. The game was briefly paused when missiles rained down on Fernandez from the away end as he prepared to take a corner, the Chelsea captain still a figure of derision in Lisbon after defecting to west London in 2023. Exciting teenage winger Estevao Willian was sent on in the second half at the head of a trio of attacking changes as Maresca sought to kill off the game. After substitutions during Saturday’s defeat to Brighton that were deemed negative, the spirit of adventure drew a wave of appreciation from supporters near the dugout. He remains short of the love showered over his opposite number, but this win was a start.
IDC premier division forced into round-robin format – FBC News
The fight for the Premier Division title at the FMF Inter District Championship 2025 has been dramatically restructured, moving to an unusual round-robin format after two clubs were suspended for breaching Fiji Football Association regulations. Traditionally, the division operates using group stages before knockout matches, but the omission of two teams for non-compliance has reduced the field and necessitated the change to ensure the competition remains competitive and fair. The two suspended clubs, Bua FC and Northland Tailevu, were penalised for failing to meet a key requirement under the Fiji FA’s competition guidelines: the organisation of their respective Regional Club Leagues. Article continues after advertisement Their removal reduces the division to just four powerful contenders. The new lineup for the Premier Division title now features the ninth-placed Extra Premier League outfit Nasinu FC and bottom-finishing Tavua FC, who are joined by the Extra Senior League champions Tailevu Naitasiri and runners-up Seaqaqa FC. These four sides will now face each other once in the round-robin stage. The top two teams at the end of the competition will bypass the semi-finals and advance directly to the grand final on Sunday, where the Premier Division champion will be crowned. The FMF IDC 2025 starts from next Tuesday in Ba. You can catch live commentary of all the matches on Radio Fiji Two. Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.