OFC News

OFC: The Oceania Football Confederation announced today that it will combine the OFC Nations Cup with the 2006 OFC World Cup Qualifying preliminary competition starting in early 2004.

The acting OFC president, Tautulu Roebeck, explained that the OFC has been working together with FIFA for the past months in devising the new format which will reduce the financial burden for the participating countries with a busy competitions calendar anticipated next year.

Under the new format:

* The top ranking OFC countries, Australia and New Zealand, will receive a bye for the first stage with the remaining ten countries playing off in two group tournaments for four places to the second stage.

* The second stage will see Australia, New Zealand and the four qualifying teams involved in a round robin tournament played at a yet to be determined venue.

* The winner and runner up from the second stage will meet in the OFC Nations Cup final in late 2004. The winner of the OFC Nations Cup final will represent Oceania at both the FIFA Confederations Cup and AFC-OFC Challenge Cup in 2005.

* The winner and runner up from the second stage will meet again in late 2005 to decide the Oceania champion to playoff in the final stage of the 2006 World Cup qualifying process.

"The proposal to merge the two competitions was discussed at the last OFC executive committee meeting in Doha in October and we have since been working together with FIFA to fit this in with the coordinated international match calendar," said Mr Roebeck.

"The preliminary draw will be made in Frankfurt, Germany on 5 December and we hope to confirm dates at the next OFC executive committee meeting in Auckland in early January."

Mr Roebeck will be attending the World Cup preliminary draw in Frankfurt where a decision will also be made on the format of the final playoff involving the OFC champion and the qualifiers representing CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), AFC (Asia) and CONMEBOL (South America). The four confederations with half berths will vie for two full berths to the FIFA World Cup Germany in 2006.

Full details on the new format for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup and 2006 OFC World Cup preliminary qualifying will be released on approval of the dates and venues at the next OFC executive committee meeting in Auckland on 5/6 January 2004.

Latest FIFA ranking

Ranking as of 19 November 2003

Rank: Team: Pts Rank: Oct03 Change Oct03

78 Australia 510 74 -4

82 New Zealand 496 76 -6

132 Tahiti 354 127 -5

146 Fiji 291 144 -2

154 Solomon Islands 251 152 -2

157 Vanuatu 227 157 0

172 Papua New Guinea174 170 -2

176 Samoa 167 174 -2

182 Tonga 139 181 -1

190 Cook Islands 103 190 0

202 American Samoa 18 202 0

Women's Ranking as of 24 September 2003

Rank Team Points End of 2002 +/- last issue

16 Australia (AUS) 1810 15 -1

21 New Zealand (NZL1760 21 0

54 Tonga (TGA) 1461 - 0

59 PN Guinea(PNG) 1418 - 0

70 Fiji (FIJ) 1340 - 0

84 Vanuatu (VAN) 1208 - 0

95 Tahiti (TAH) 1155 - 0

96 Cook Is (COK) 1143 - 0

99 Samoa (SAM) 1122 - 0

APIA: Acting OFC President and President of Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation, Tautulu Roebeck, last week closed the inaugural FIFA GOAL Turf Maintenance Workshop held at the Insel Fehmarn Hotel and at the Toleafoa JS Blatter Football Fields in Apia.

OFC National Association ground maintenance officers assembled in Apia for three days for the first workshop of its kind to be held by FIFA in the Oceania region.

The three day seminar, which was headed by FIFA Development Officer, Glenn Turner, and Course Instructor, Laurie Stubbing, has focused on the ongoing maintenance of the FIFA GOAL Projects across Oceania.

Samoa, as a pilot GOAL Project for Oceania, has excellent facilities and was being used as the role model for GOAL Projects across the region. It was inaugurated in July 2001 and was the second GOAL Project to be opened after the renovations done to the Solomon Islands' Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.

Moshen Gilani, FIFA Goal Project Consultant, was also in attendance and was impressed with the seminar and the project in Samoa. Furthermore, he engaged in meetings with SFSF senior officials and National Technical Director David Brand to discuss further FIFA projects to hopefully be established in 2004 and beyond.

At the closing ceremony, Gilani stressed the importance of maximization of facilities, the role of the groundkeeper, ongoing training and maintenance. "The seminar has been a positive experience for all concerned and FIFA have been pleased for Samoa to host the world's first GOAL Turf Maintenance Workshop. There is now a need to maximise all facilities and realise that this is the first step but not the last in the ongoing development of the projects within Oceania." he commented.

FIFA GOAL Development Officer Glenn Turner stated "the seminar had achieved it objectives and developed friendships within the family of Football which will lead to a sharing of ideas and knowledge across Oceania." In closing his address, he thanked the Samoan Football Soccer Federation for their co-operation and hospitality.

Acting OFC President Mr Tautulu Roebeck emphasised the need for National Associations to employ and educate groundskeepers with the dedication and passion to develop and maintain these world class facilities. He acknowledged all the participants and course co-ordinators and presenters and congratulated them for a team effort that has made this seminar such a huge success. "I now urge all of you for the need to continue learning, take home, utilise and pass on the knowledge and information gained during this seminar. Thank you to you all and God Bless," he said.

APIA: Acting OFC President and President of Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation, Tautulu Roebeck, today opened the inaugural FIFA GOAL Turf Maintenance Workshop at the Toleafoa JS Blatter Football Fields in Apia.

OFC National Association ground maintenance officers have assembled in Apia for the first workshop of its kind to be held by FIFA in the Oceania region.

The three day seminar, headed by FIFA Development Officer, Glenn Turner, and Course Instructor, Laurie Stubbing, will focus on the ongoing maintenance of the FIFA GOAL Projects across Oceania.

Samoa, as a pilot GOAL Project for Oceania, has excellent facilities and is being used as the role model for GOAL Projects across the region. It was inaugurated in July 2001 and was the second GOAL Project to be opened after the renovations done to the Solomon Islands' Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.

OFC Auckland, 14 Nov 2003: The Acting OFC president, Mr Tautulu Roebeck, and OFC honorary president and Oceania ambassador, Mr Charles Dempsey, returned from Europe today pleased at the outcome of meetings with FIFA president, Mr Joseph Blatter and UEFA (Europe) president, Lennart Johansson this week. The delegation also met with FIFA vice president and Chairman of the FIFA Committee for Legal Matters, Mr David Will.

According to Mr Roebeck, the trip had been worthwhile and invaluable in improving Oceania's position and international relations.

"The trip was a success and we were pleased to have the support of FIFA and UEFA on a number of OFC initiatives," said Mr Roebeck.

Discussions on the subject of 2006 World Cup qualification also proved promising after the non-acceptance of the initial proposal for a four-way playoff tournament between the confederations with half berths. Mr Roebeck explained that the four-way playoff was not possible because the proposed dates did not fit in with the FIFA Coordinated International Match Calendar. The difficulty in releasing players for this proposed tournament was also an issue.

However, Mr Roebeck was optimistic that Oceania would be granted a favourable route to the FIFA World Cup in 2006 when the official draw is announced in Frankfurt, Germany on 5 December 2003.

"We made mention for consideration of our 2006 World Cup qualifying proposal based on geographical position which would mean the Oceania champion playing the Asia qualifier and the CONCACAF (North, Central American & Caribbean) qualifier playing South American's qualifier."

"We would be hopeful this proposal will gain the necessary support for it to be approved in December and failing that, we are confident the alternative option the OFC will be pushing for would be to hold a random draw between the four confederations with half berths."

Mr Roebeck added the proposal based on geographical position represented a fairer pathway given the advantage the other confederations had in terms of qualification.

"Our proposal is in the interest of fair play and is the logical choice," he remarked.

"The other confederations already have a number of direct entries for their teams, for example both AFC (Asia) and CONMEBOL (South America) have four full berths each and CONCACAF (North, Central America & Caribbean) have three full berths, but Oceania remains without a single direct berth. Therefore our case for a fairer pathway should deserve recognition based on this anomaly and fair play."

Mr Dempsey joined the acting president in hailing the European visit as a success.

"Oceania is in a much better position on a number of fronts than we were in the last few weeks and I must thank Mr Blatter, Mr Johansson and Mr Will for their positive input during our meetings with them. It was a most successful trip and Oceania will benefit greatly from it," said Mr Dempsey.

COURTESY FIFA.com: The FIFA World Player Gala 2003, the traditional end-of-year gathering of planet football, will be held in Basel, Switzerland at 15.00h on Monday, 15 December.

After the award ceremony, the festivities will continue on the field of play with the "Match against Poverty", an initiative organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the support of FIFA, bringing together Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane et al in Basel's St. Jakob Park (20.00h).

Who will follow in the footsteps of Mia Hamm and Ronaldo, crowned last year as the World Players of the Year by coaches of national teams all around the world? All will be revealed on 15 December. Voting was officially opened three weeks ago and in a fortnight's time, FIFA will reveal in alphabetical order the names of the three players short listed for the men's and women's awards. Who will prevail?

At the moment, it is certainly anybody's guess! The gala occasion will also see the presentation of a number of other awards, most notably the FIFA Fair Play Award. Ten years after its launch in 1993, the FIFA Fair Play logo has undergone a makeover with a new slogan, "My Game is Fair Play", reaffirming its message. Apart from this new wording, the change also reflects FIFA's renewed commitment to fair play and the major social issues in the world today.

As in the past two years, Joseph S. Blatter will also be presenting the FIFA Presidential Award. In 2001, the inaugural award honoured Marvin Lee, who was paralysed during a match while captaining the Trinidad & Tobago U-20 team. He sadly passed away in March 2003.

The winner of last year's award was Parminder Nagra, the star of the hit film "Bend It Like Beckham", which told the story of a young girl determined to play football against the wishes of her family. Finally, the national teams recognised as the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Top Team of the Year and Best Mover of the Year will also be rewarded for their efforts. No such prizes will be awarded for the FIFA Women's World Ranking, which was only launched in July 2003 and therefore too late for 2003 awards.

English FA to help kick-start OFC Indigenous coaching programme

OFC Auckland: The Acting OFC president, Tautulu Roebeck, announced today he will be travelling to Europe for a series of meetings with top football officials next week with the objective of improving relations between Oceania and the global football community. He will be accompanied by the OFC honorary president and international ambassador for the game in Oceania, Mr Charles Dempsey, CBE, who will be travelling in an advisory role.

A meeting has been organised in Zurich with UEFA (Europe) president, Lennart Johannson, as well as a follow up meeting with FIFA president, Joseph S. Blatter, where matters previously discussed at their initial meeting in Doha, Qatar last month, will be finalised. It will be Mr Roebeck's second meeting with Mr Blatter since assuming the acting presidency in September.

Mr Roebeck also announced that in an effort to bridge the existing gaps within the Oceania region, the OFC will commence its indigenous coaching programme in conjunction with the Football Association in England, with a workshop in Auckland from 2-12 December 2003. Two coaches from each of the nine member island nations have been invited to attend with the FA sending an expert coaching instructor to facilitate the workshop. The two best performed coaches will be sent to England to sit the UEFA B coaching license exam in 2004. All coaches attending the workshop will be followed through as part of the long-term assistance the FA will provide.

Furthermore, Mr Roebeck reiterated his pledge to focus on youth development by announcing that a goalkeeper's course would be held from 28-31 January 2004 in Auckland. OFC member countries have been invited to send their promising young goalkeepers, who will be eligible for the OFC U-20 Qualifiers in 2005.

According to Mr Roebeck, it was imperative to commence these projects as soon as possible if real progress was going to happen.

"There is much work to be done within a short timeframe and there are other projects planned also," he said.

He also highlighted the importance of the European visit as crucial to the interests of Oceania.

"I am pleased to be accompanied by Mr Dempsey and hope to draw on his vast experience and knowledge."

Mr Dempsey said the visit was vital for the interests of the confederation and also to gain support for its qualification path for the 2006 FIFA World Cup which is to be decided in December.

"We hope to gain support for our proposed pathway of the random draw between the four confederations with half berths, which we believe is the fairest option for all of the teams that will be involved and is in the spirit of fair play," he explained.

Mr Roebeck also added he would consult with the OFC Executive Committee on the possibility of forming a sub-committee to be responsible for international relations with the objective of improving the profile of OFC. This working group will carry out or act on whatever directives the OFC executive committee want to follow through.

The Organising Committee for the 2005 FIFA World Club Championship have proposed 17-31 July as the dates which are subject to ratification by the FIFA Executive Committee. The tournament will be hosted by one of the national associations in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

In anticipation, the Oceania Football Confederation is now working with its members to propose dates for the Oceania qualifiers. The club leagues in the member national associations run at various times of the year so the purpose is to avoid clashes with their seasons where possible.

The FIFA Organising Committee also confirmed the championship will be a biennial event and that Asia would host it in 2007. A 16-team format has been proposed with a qualification structure to be disclosed in the future.

The inaugural tournament was hosted by Brazil in 2000 with South Melbourne of Australia representing the OFC. The 2001 event was supposed to have seen the Wollongong Wolves of Australia representing OFC, but the tournament was called off.

According to a media statement from FIFA: "The FIFA Executive Committee's March 2002 decision to organise a world championship for clubs as from 2005 was unanimously confirmed by the FIFA family with the ratification of the revised FIFA Statutes at the Extraordinary Congress in Doha (Qatar) on 19 October 2003. Fulfilling FIFA's commitment to the football family, the FIFA Club World Championship will provide clubs from all confederations with the opportunity to become Club World Champion.

"It's a question of solidarity," said the FIFA President, who also attended the meeting. "The key is to have worldwide representation within a compelling format that is attractive not just to the clubs and fans, but to the entire football family. I am pleased to say that today's meeting set us on exactly the right course."

FIFA World Youth Championship

Venue: United Arab Emirates

Dates: 27 November - 19 December 2003

Notes: Australia is the OFC representative for this tournament after winning the OFC qualifying group last December.

OFC/FA Senior Coaching License Course - OFC "Indigenous" (Local) Talented Coaching Scheme

Venue: Charles J Dempsey Academy, OFC Headquarters, Auckland, New Zealand

Dates: 2-12 December 2003

FIFA Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) Workshop

Venue: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand

Date: 5 December 2003

FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 - preliminary draw

Venue: Frankfurt, Germany

Date: 5 December 2003