23 Sep 2030
Monday
Process
216 Edition

The Ba Gazette

16 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Salesitino Caucau has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Epeli Kumar

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Lucas Abarca linked with a move away

The name of Lucas Abarca keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi 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.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro placed on the list

Ba have made Mitieli Naiviro available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

Back issues
215 Edition

The Ba Gazette

9 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tevita Koroi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tevita Koroi commits to Ba for another 2 years.

Boardroom

Ba are $8.3M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Squad

Heri Susanto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

International call for Tevita Koroi

Tevita Koroi joins up with his country. Ba lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Squad

International call for Rahul Naresh

Rahul Naresh joins up with his country. Ba lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

214 Edition

The Ba Gazette

2 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tevita Koroi stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Tevita Koroi and Ba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Boardroom

$116.2K of the owner's money at Ba

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 120 days

The medical room confirms 120 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri watching Amani Singh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Market

Nadi expected to open talks for Salesitino Caucau

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

213 Edition

The Ba Gazette

26 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kalaveti Sivoi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Nasinu are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Ba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

212 Edition

The Ba Gazette

19 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Suva come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Ba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lebogang Mabunda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Lucas Abarca linked with a move away

The name of Lucas Abarca keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Still no signature from Heri Susanto

2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Ba could get for him.

In brief

211 Edition

The Ba Gazette

12 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Nasinu come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Ba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ferdiansyah Surya

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

Ba are $8.2M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Market

Ba and Ferdiansyah Surya are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Ferdiansyah Surya runs his contract down

7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ba money.

In brief

210 Edition

The Ba Gazette

5 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 148 days

The medical room confirms 148 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

$106.7K of the owner's money at Ba

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Market

Nadroga watching Amani Singh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Boardroom

98% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya 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

209 Edition

The Ba Gazette

29 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Salesitino Caucau attracts admirers

The name of Salesitino Caucau has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Ardi Idrus gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Ba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Raj Pillay runs his contract down

1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ba money.

In brief

  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
  • Squad The manager comes out for Rendi Saepul
208 Edition

The Ba Gazette

22 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Salesitino Caucau: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Amani Singh hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Nadi expected to open talks for Salesitino Caucau

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

207 Edition

The Ba Gazette

15 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Heri Susanto asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Mitieli Naiviro: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Amani Singh attracts admirers

The name of Amani Singh has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Boardroom

Ba are $8.1M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Market

Ba and Ferdiansyah Surya are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

206 Edition

The Ba Gazette

8 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Market

Ba turn down Nadi for Salesitino Caucau

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Boardroom

$97.9K of the owner's money at Ba

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Boardroom

108% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Heri Susanto

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

$37.3K a year onto the Ba books

A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Mitieli Naiviro 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

205 Edition

The Ba Gazette

1 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

8 matches without a win for Ba

The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Ba are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Lebogang Mabunda says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Nasinu come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Ba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Ardi Idrus gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Ba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Tevita Koroi shuts the door again

6 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.

Match

Ba and Labasa cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Labasa came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Raj Pillay runs his contract down

1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ba money.

In brief

  • Squad Heri Susanto asks for a word with the manager
  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
204 Edition

The Ba Gazette

24 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Ba bow out of the cup

Nadi go through and Ba go home, 0-0 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi is the hero from the spot

A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Atunaisa Naucukidi: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.

Match

7 matches without a win for Ba

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Ba are no longer polite ones.

Market

Beniamino Jale hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Nadi expected to open talks for Salesitino Caucau

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Match

Ba and Lautoka take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

203 Edition

The Ba Gazette

17 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to Ba's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ba has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Ba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Leandro Ruiz

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Ba come up short against Nadi

Nadi left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

Ba are $8.0M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Boardroom

Inquest at Ba

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Leandro Ruiz

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

202 Edition

The Ba Gazette

10 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Market

Ba turn down Nadi for Salesitino Caucau

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

No end in sight to Ba's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ba has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

A bad afternoon for Ba against Navua

1-2 to Navua, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Boardroom

110% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Raj Pillay gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Kalaveti Sivoi will call it something else in private.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

201 Edition

The Ba Gazette

3 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ba are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 24 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Faazil Ali says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Boardroom

The owner puts $77.7K into Ba

This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.

Market

Amani Singh attracts admirers

The name of Amani Singh has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ferdiansyah Surya

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Another clean sheet for Tevita Koroi

6 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Tevita Koroi has given nobody the chance.

Market

Beniamino Jale told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Beniamino Jale has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Ba.

Match

Ba draw a blank against Nasinu

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Nasinu defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

200 Edition

The Ba Gazette

27 May 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Peceli Sukabula

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Ba and Suva cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Suva came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Squad

Another clean sheet for Tevita Koroi

5 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Tevita Koroi has given nobody the chance.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

199 Edition

The Ba Gazette

20 May 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Amani Singh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba come up short against Rewa

Rewa left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

Ba are $7.8M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Squad

Heri Susanto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Mitieli Naiviro knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

198 Edition

The Ba Gazette

13 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Ba see off Nadroga

Three points for Ba, 1-0 the final word against Nadroga in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Boardroom

Wages eat 87% of everything Ba earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ardi Idrus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Tevita Koroi shuts the door again

4 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.

In brief

197 Edition

The Ba Gazette

6 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Ba up to position 1

19 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Ba lose Ferdiansyah Surya

16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

The owner puts $55.4K into Ba

This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Leandro Ruiz

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Tailevu Naitasiri take the points off Ba

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Boardroom

Inquest at Ba

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

The month belongs to Leandro Ruiz

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Ba have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ardi Idrus handed the armband

The captaincy goes to Ardi Idrus. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.

In brief

  • Market Raj Pillay runs his contract down
  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
196 Edition

The Ba Gazette

29 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Leandro Ruiz takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba find a way past Labasa

Labasa made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya 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

195 Edition

The Ba Gazette

22 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Amani Singh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Lautoka take the points off Ba

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Boardroom

Ba are $7.5M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Squad

Heri Susanto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

194 Edition

The Ba Gazette

15 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Ba make it 5 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Ba have 5 straight wins of it.

Market

Ardi Idrus hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Ba see off Nadi

Three points for Ba, 2-1 the final word against Nadi in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mosese Nabose

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Lucas Abarca is off the mark for Ba

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Darold Kakasi wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Darold Kakasi has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Ba know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

193 Edition

The Ba Gazette

8 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Ba up to position 1

13 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

3 goals for Leandro Ruiz

The match ball belongs to Leandro Ruiz, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Match

Ba make it 4 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Ba have 4 straight wins of it.

Match

Ba get the job done against Navua

A 3-2 win over Navua, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Boardroom

The owner puts $39.7K into Ba

This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.

Squad

Ba lose Sumeet Goundar

19 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Peceli Sukabula gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ba and Ferdiansyah Surya are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

  • Squad Faazil Ali asks for a word with the manager
  • Market Still no signature from Raj Pillay
  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
192 Edition

The Ba Gazette

1 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Ba make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Ba have 3 straight wins of it.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba get the job done against Nasinu

A 1-0 win over Nasinu, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Boardroom

No signings allowed at Ba

The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ardi Idrus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

191 Edition

The Ba Gazette

25 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Sakaraia Singh hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Amani Singh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba find a way past Suva

Suva made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Boardroom

Ba are $7.2M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

Squad

Heri Susanto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Viliame Jale makes his debut at 16

At 16 years old, Viliame Jale became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.

In brief

190 Edition

The Ba Gazette

18 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Ba find a way past Rewa

Rewa made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ba and Peceli Sukabula are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz is off the mark for Ba

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

Heri Susanto knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

189 Edition

The Ba Gazette

11 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Match

4 matches without a win for Ba

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Ba are no longer polite ones.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ferdiansyah Surya

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Ba lose Sumeet Goundar

47 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Ba and Ferdiansyah Surya are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Match

Ba draw a blank against Nadroga

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Nadroga defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Raj Pillay runs his contract down

5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ba money.

Squad

Somebody is after Suliano Tawanakoro’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Suliano Tawanakoro suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

In brief

  • Squad Anare Tuyaga knocks on the manager's door
  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
188 Edition

The Ba Gazette

4 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

The ground has had enough

“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 34 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.

Squad

Epeli Kumar: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Taniela Tiko is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Viliame Waqa comes home

The shirt still fits. Viliame Waqa is back at Ba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Alipate Goundar is a Ba player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Viliame Jale is a Ba player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Boardroom

$34.8K of the owner's money at Ba

The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Ba come up short against Tailevu Naitasiri

Tailevu Naitasiri left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

  • Boardroom No signings allowed at Ba
  • Boardroom Nobody left the Ba dressing room in a hurry
  • Squad Heri Susanto is not saying it is over
187 Edition

The Ba Gazette

25 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Amani Singh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau out for 20 days

The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Salesitino Caucau, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

Ba are $7.0M in the red

The borrowing is past what the bank agreed, which is the line where a debt stops being how football is financed and starts being a problem. Every phone-in in this town will quote the figure for the next five years.

In brief

186 Edition

The Ba Gazette

18 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Ba

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Ardi Idrus hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Ryan Naresh has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

In brief

185 Edition

The Ba Gazette

11 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Sumeet Goundar out for 75 days

The medical room confirms 75 days on the sidelines for Sumeet Goundar, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Amani Singh signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Amani Singh commits to Ba for another 3 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ardi Idrus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Leandro Ruiz linked with a move away

The name of Leandro Ruiz keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Amani Singh knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

184 Edition

The Ba Gazette

4 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Ba put Aporosa Nabenia on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Squad

Tevita Koroi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tevita Koroi commits to Ba for another 2 years.

Boardroom

The owner puts $16.5K into Ba

This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.

Boardroom

Ba cannot sign anybody

The embargo bars a fee being paid for a player, whatever the manager thinks the squad needs. Every rumour printed about this club between now and its lifting is a rumour about a deal that cannot happen.

Market

Navua expected to open talks for Ryan Naresh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Lebogang Mabunda gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ardi Idrus loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Ardi Idrus. Ba will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Ardi Idrus 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

183 Edition

The Ba Gazette

28 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Market

Taniela Tiko’s move to Lautoka falls through

The deal that would have taken Taniela Tiko to Lautoka has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Ba with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri watching Amani Singh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Ba lose Salesitino Caucau

48 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

The Ba debt reaches $6.8M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

In brief

182 Edition

The Ba Gazette

21 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Ba

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Ba lose Heri Susanto

35 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Ba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Amani Singh gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

181 Edition

The Ba Gazette

14 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Sumeet Goundar out for 103 days

The medical room confirms 103 days on the sidelines for Sumeet Goundar, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri expected to open talks for Beniamino Goundar

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

180 Edition

The Ba Gazette

7 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Ba put Aporosa Nabenia on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Navua expected to open talks for Ryan Naresh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Epeli Kumar gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Suliano Tawanakoro placed on the list

Ba have made Suliano Tawanakoro available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Market

Raj Pillay runs his contract down

7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Ba money.

In brief

  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
  • Squad Etonia Dogalau keeps his manager's vote
179 Edition

The Ba Gazette

31 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Ba lose Salesitino Caucau

76 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

The Ba debt reaches $6.5M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

In brief

178 Edition

The Ba Gazette

24 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Ba boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Squad

Ba lose Heri Susanto

63 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

177 Edition

The Ba Gazette

17 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ardi Idrus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Leandro Ruiz linked with a move away

The name of Leandro Ruiz keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

176 Edition

The Ba Gazette

10 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ferdiansyah Surya

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Salesitino Caucau and Ba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

175 Edition

The Ba Gazette

3 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Aporosa Nabenia has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Ba can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Ba lose Salesitino Caucau

104 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Pratama Hardiyanto out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Pratama Hardiyanto, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Mitieli Naiviro signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mitieli Naiviro commits to Ba for another 2 years.

Boardroom

The Ba debt reaches $6.5M

Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.

In brief

174 Edition

The Ba Gazette

26 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Ba

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Ba lose Heri Susanto

91 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

173 Edition

The Ba Gazette

19 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Market

Leandro Ruiz linked with a move away

The name of Leandro Ruiz keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Peceli Sukabula called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Ba that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

In brief

172 Edition

The Ba Gazette

12 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 49 days

The medical room confirms 49 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

France Catarogo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

17 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Boardroom

The Ba production line keeps running

17 graduates out of an academy now rated 7 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.

In brief

171 Edition

The Ba Gazette

5 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Heri Susanto hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz out for 18 days

The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Leandro Ruiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Heri Susanto signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Heri Susanto commits to Ba for another 1 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Lebogang Mabunda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Lucas Abarca linked with a move away

The name of Lucas Abarca keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

170 Edition

The Ba Gazette

29 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Ba boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Ardi Idrus asks to leave Ba

“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.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Ba lose Heri Susanto

119 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kalaveti Sivoi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

169 Edition

The Ba Gazette

22 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Leandro Ruiz linked with a move away

The name of Leandro Ruiz keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi 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

168 Edition

The Ba Gazette

15 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 77 days

The medical room confirms 77 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Epeli Kumar gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

17 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

167 Edition

The Ba Gazette

8 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz out for 46 days

The medical room confirms 46 days on the sidelines for Leandro Ruiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Misiwani Nairube signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Misiwani Nairube commits to Ba for another 1 years.

In brief

166 Edition

The Ba Gazette

1 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Ba boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mitieli Naiviro

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Ardi Idrus loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Ardi Idrus. Ba will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

165 Edition

The Ba Gazette

24 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ardi Idrus hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Epeli Kumar signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Epeli Kumar commits to Ba for another 3 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ardi Idrus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

164 Edition

The Ba Gazette

17 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ardi Idrus says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 105 days

The medical room confirms 105 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

France Catarogo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

17 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

  • Squad Epeli Kumar asks for a word with the manager
  • Boardroom The Ba production line keeps running
163 Edition

The Ba Gazette

10 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Epeli Kumar is the real thing at 18

A season average of 6.45 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Ba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz out for 74 days

The medical room confirms 74 days on the sidelines for Leandro Ruiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri watching Ryan Naresh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

162 Edition

The Ba Gazette

3 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Lebogang Mabunda says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Heri Susanto stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Heri Susanto and Ba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Ryan Naresh gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ba bring in an old head

Heri Susanto is 35 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

161 Edition

The Ba Gazette

27 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ba turn down Tailevu Naitasiri for Ryan Naresh

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Boardroom

Wages eat 95% of everything Ba earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Leandro Ruiz linked with a move away

The name of Leandro Ruiz keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

160 Edition

The Ba Gazette

20 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Mitieli Naiviro: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

France Catarogo asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi out for 133 days

The medical room confirms 133 days on the sidelines for Atunaisa Naucukidi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

17 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Sumeet Goundar placed on the list

Ba have made Sumeet Goundar available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

159 Edition

The Ba Gazette

13 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz out for 102 days

The medical room confirms 102 days on the sidelines for Leandro Ruiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 1 appearances in 30 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri watching Ryan Naresh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

In brief

158 Edition

The Ba Gazette

6 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Ardi Idrus stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ardi Idrus and Ba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Peceli Sukabula 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

157 Edition

The Ba Gazette

30 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mosese Nabose

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

102% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri expected to open talks for Ryan Naresh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

156 Edition

The Ba Gazette

23 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

17 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Mosese Nabose 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

155 Edition

The Ba Gazette

16 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz out for 130 days

The medical room confirms 130 days on the sidelines for Leandro Ruiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Ryan Naresh: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 1 appearances in 26 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

Lucas Abarca linked with a move away

The name of Lucas Abarca keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi 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

154 Edition

The Ba Gazette

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tevita Koroi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tevita Koroi commits to Ba for another 2 years.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

153 Edition

The Ba Gazette

2 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Squad

Tevita Koroi stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Tevita Koroi and Ba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

A bad afternoon for Ba against Labasa

0-1 to Labasa, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Ba dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Boardroom

98% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

In brief

152 Edition

The Ba Gazette

25 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ryan Naresh attracts admirers

The name of Ryan Naresh has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Peceli Sukabula gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Honours even between Ba and Lautoka

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Loan watch

6 goals on loan for Salesitino Caucau

16 appearances at Lautoka and the goals keep coming. Ba are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Market

Rahul Naresh linked with a move away

The name of Rahul Naresh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Leandro Ruiz keeps the shirt for now, at Ba's convenience rather than his own.

In brief

151 Edition

The Ba Gazette

18 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The cup run ends for Ba

0-1 against Nadroga, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Boardroom

The numbers do not look good at Ba

Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.

Squad

Atunaisa Naucukidi says Ba went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Ba find a way past Nadi

Nadi made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Fernando Rosales out for 19 days

The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Fernando Rosales, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Ba dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko wants to come home

“I did not go to Lautoka to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 22 matches say the rest.

Squad

Fernando Rosales makes his debut at 21

At 21 years old, Fernando Rosales became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.

In brief

150 Edition

The Ba Gazette

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Still nobody has beaten Ba

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

No end in sight to Ba's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ba has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Suva expected to open talks for Ryan Naresh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mitieli Naiviro

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

No goals between Ba and Navua

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Navua will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Ardi Idrus 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.

Market

The Etonia Dogalau talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

14 appearances away from home and 5 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

149 Edition

The Ba Gazette

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Raj Pillay asks to leave Ba

“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.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Ba

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Ba lose Etonia Dogalau

33 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

No end in sight to Ba's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ba has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Ryan Naresh attracts admirers

The name of Ryan Naresh has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Raj Pillay gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

88% of the income goes out in wages at Ba

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Match

Ba and Nasinu take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Kalaveti Sivoi will call it something else in private.

In brief

148 Edition

The Ba Gazette

28 May 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

7 unbeaten for Ba

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Ba did not have in the autumn.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Peceli Sukabula

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Ba share the spoils with Suva

A 1-1 draw with Suva leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi 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.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

12 appearances away from home and 4 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

147 Edition

The Ba Gazette

21 May 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

6 unbeaten for Ba

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Ba did not have in the autumn.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Leandro Ruiz

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 0 appearances in 18 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

Ba and Rewa cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Rewa came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

146 Edition

The Ba Gazette

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tevita Koroi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Ba and Nadroga

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

3 goals on loan for Salesitino Caucau

10 appearances at Lautoka and the goals keep coming. Ba are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

Pratama Hardiyanto 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

145 Edition

The Ba Gazette

7 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Raj Pillay hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau out for 61 days

The medical room confirms 61 days on the sidelines for Etonia Dogalau, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

Ba find a way past Tailevu Naitasiri

Tailevu Naitasiri made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

France Catarogo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

144 Edition

The Ba Gazette

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Peceli Sukabula

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Ba share the spoils with Labasa

A 1-1 draw with Labasa leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

143 Edition

The Ba Gazette

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Tevita Koroi

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba find a way past Lautoka

Lautoka made Ba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Ardi Idrus gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 0 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

142 Edition

The Ba Gazette

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

No goals between Ba and Nadi

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Nadi will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi 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.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau keeps scoring at Lautoka

7 appearances away from home and 3 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

141 Edition

The Ba Gazette

9 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau out for 89 days

The medical room confirms 89 days on the sidelines for Etonia Dogalau, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Etonia Dogalau and Ba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Navua take the points off Ba

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Tevita Koroi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Inquest at Ba

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

In brief

140 Edition

The Ba Gazette

2 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Etonia Dogalau signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Etonia Dogalau commits to Ba for another 4 years.

Match

Ba get the job done against Nasinu

A 3-2 win over Nasinu, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Kalaveti Sivoi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Nabil Begg is off the mark for Ba

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

The armband comes off Ardi Idrus

Ba will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

  • Boardroom Ba keep producing them
  • The terraces The press have found their man in Leandro Ruiz
  • The terraces The stand has a song for Nabil Begg
139 Edition

The Ba Gazette

26 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba see off Suva

Three points for Ba, 2-1 the final word against Suva in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Ardi Idrus gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 0 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

138 Edition

The Ba Gazette

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

5 matches without a win for Ba

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ba are no longer polite ones.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Ba come up short against Rewa

Rewa left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Raj Pillay gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Ba dressing room in a hurry

The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 3 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Suliano Tawanakoro knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Mosese Nabose wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Mosese Nabose has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Ba know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

137 Edition

The Ba Gazette

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Raj Pillay hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ba can pretend not to have heard.

The terraces

The ground has had enough

“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 28 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau out for 117 days

The medical room confirms 117 days on the sidelines for Etonia Dogalau, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

4 matches without a win for Ba

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Ba are no longer polite ones.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Leandro Ruiz

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Ba come up short against Nadroga

Nadroga left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

136 Edition

The Ba Gazette

5 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

15 unbeaten for Ba

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 15 matches without defeat is a foundation Ba did not have in the autumn.

Market

Sitiveni Tuyaga comes home

The shirt still fits. Sitiveni Tuyaga is back at Ba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Beniamino Goundar comes home

The shirt still fits. Beniamino Goundar is back at Ba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Amani Begg is a Ba player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Misaele Drudru comes home

The shirt still fits. Misaele Drudru is back at Ba, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Squad

Darold Kakasi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Darold Kakasi commits to Ba for another 3 years.

Boardroom

A promise the Ba board did not keep

There was a commitment, there was a date, and the date went past. Trust at a football club takes years to build and one afternoon to spend.

Match

Ba share the spoils with Tailevu Naitasiri

A 1-1 draw with Tailevu Naitasiri leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Faazil Ali

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

135 Edition

The Ba Gazette

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

Ryan Naresh is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Loan watch

Taniela Tiko has seen enough of Lautoka

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Ba, and 0 appearances in 6 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

134 Edition

The Ba Gazette

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Loan watch

Salesitino Caucau wants to come home

“I did not go to Lautoka to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ba and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

133 Edition

The Ba Gazette

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ba up to position 1

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Ryan Naresh attracts admirers

The name of Ryan Naresh has come up in conversations Ba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Ardi Idrus stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ardi Idrus and Ba agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Experience through the door at Ba

Ardi Idrus arrives at 36 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Ryan Naresh placed on the list

Ba have made Ryan Naresh available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

132 Edition

The Ba Gazette

5 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

France Catarogo stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” France Catarogo and Ba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

A long bet from Ba on Lebogang Mabunda

He is 18, and nobody at Ba signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Somebody is after Lucas Abarca’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Lucas Abarca suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Nobody at Ba has picked up the phone to France Catarogo

24 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Market

Mitieli Naiviro placed on the list

Ba have made Mitieli Naiviro available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

In brief

131 Edition

The Ba Gazette

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Ba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Fernando Rosales stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Fernando Rosales and Ba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Ba put Ferdiansyah Surya up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Ferdiansyah Surya may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Squad

Pratama Hardiyanto knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

  • Squad The manager comes out for Tevita Koroi
  • Boardroom The Ba board put their names to it
  • Squad Faazil Ali back in training
130 Edition

The Ba Gazette

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Tailevu Naitasiri expected to open talks for Ryan Naresh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Fernando Rosales signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Fernando Rosales commits to Ba for another 3 years.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Somebody is after Leandro Ruiz’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Leandro Ruiz suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

Fernando Rosales joins Ba on a free

No fee and no drama: Fernando Rosales has signed at Ba, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.

In brief

129 Edition

The Ba Gazette

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ba up to position 1

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

A long bet from Ba on Pratama Hardiyanto

He is 18, and nobody at Ba signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.

Squad

Pratama Hardiyanto signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pratama Hardiyanto commits to Ba for another 3 years.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Leandro Ruiz has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Leandro Ruiz keeps the shirt for now, at Ba's convenience rather than his own.

Market

Jale Naranayanan leaves for nothing

Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Jale Naranayanan leaves Ba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.

In brief

128 Edition

The Ba Gazette

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Lucas Abarca out for 40 days

The medical room confirms 40 days on the sidelines for Lucas Abarca, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Nadi watching Ryan Naresh

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Market

Labasa expected to open talks for Salesitino Caucau

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Ba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

127 Edition

The Ba Gazette

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Ba put Ferdiansyah Surya up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Ferdiansyah Surya may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

  • Squad The manager comes out for Rahul Naresh
  • Boardroom The Ba board put their names to it
  • Squad Ruel Grayven is out on the grass again
126 Edition

The Ba Gazette

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

The Rahul Naresh talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Darold Kakasi keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Darold Kakasi plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

125 Edition

The Ba Gazette

18 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ba up to position 1

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sailasa Ratu

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

124 Edition

The Ba Gazette

11 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Lucas Abarca out for 68 days

The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Lucas Abarca, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau out for 38 days

The medical room confirms 38 days on the sidelines for Etonia Dogalau, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Ryan Naresh signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ryan Naresh commits to Ba for another 3 years.

In brief

123 Edition

The Ba Gazette

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Squad

Tevita Koroi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tevita Koroi commits to Ba for another 2 years.

Squad

Ba lose Jale Naranayanan

24 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Ferdiansyah Surya knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ba, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Lucas Abarca keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Lucas Abarca plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

122 Edition

The Ba Gazette

27 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Loan watch

Ryan Naresh wants to come home

“I did not go to Nadi to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ba and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 24 matches say the rest.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sumeet Goundar

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

121 Edition

The Ba Gazette

20 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Silverware for Ba

They will talk about this season in this town for a long time. The trophy comes home with the squad, and the route is already agreed.

Match

Ba up to position 1

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Salesitino Caucau and Ba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mitieli Naiviro

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Sumeet Goundar 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

120 Edition

The Ba Gazette

13 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Etonia Dogalau linked with a move away

The name of Etonia Dogalau keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ba say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Etonia Dogalau called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Ba that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

Squad

International call for Peceli Sukabula

Peceli Sukabula joins up with his country. Ba lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

119 Edition

The Ba Gazette

6 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Ba counting the cost

The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Ba now.

Squad

Salesitino Caucau gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Lucas Abarca talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

  • Squad Leandro Ruiz keeps his manager's vote
  • Boardroom The Ba board put their names to it
  • Squad Epeli Kumar back in training
118 Edition

The Ba Gazette

30 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mitieli Naiviro is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Sailasa Ratu gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Ryan Naresh wants to come home

“I did not go to Nadi to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ba and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 20 matches say the rest.

In brief

117 Edition

The Ba Gazette

23 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ba up to position 1

37 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Suliano Tawanakoro gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Leandro Ruiz talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief