The Navua Chronicle
Match15 Jan 2029
Every point is an argument now for Navua
Position 8 and 17 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market15 Jan 2029
Voniani Smith asks to leave Navua
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Ali Mekawir faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Navua expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Ali Mekawir.
Squad15 Jan 2029
A falling-out at Navua
Ali Mekawir and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Voniani Smith falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Peni Verevou signs a new deal
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Peni Verevou commits to Navua for another 3 years.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Vinal Prasad gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Vinal Prasad is on it.
Market15 Jan 2029
The Ali Mekawir story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ali Mekawir signs something — a contract at Navua or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Reeshab Permal asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
In brief
- Market Navua put Senirusi Bokini up for sale
- Squad Questions about Beniamino Lebatavatava on the training pitch