OFC News

Overnight (Saturday), the battle for the a place at the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 will finally get underway on the football pitch, when Australia face Uruguay at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

Full story courtesy FFA Media, Australia v Uruguay - 1st Leg Preview

The Solomon Islands Football Federation recently completed their Strategic Planning Seminar as the organisation maps out its direction over the next four years.

SIFF Media Officer Francis Pituvaka outlines some of the decisions here,

Seminar highlights areas that need to be addressed

SIFF amalgamates its youth program with futsal

Seminar highlights women's football

After a seven-month wait, new PNGFA technical director Marcos Gusmao finally arrived and promised to make his players dance to the samba.

Full story by Henry Morabang from The National, Let's samba, PNG

Premier and Senior divisional players will make up the Fiji soccer side in a two-week tour to Samoa and Tonga at the end of the month.

National coach Lee Sterrey initially planned to select only the senior players for the tour but he wants to maintain the combination of the national side which dumped the India side in two friendly encounters earlier this year.

Sterrey said the tour was a good opportunity to exploit the combination once again.

He said players like Navua's Pita Bolatoga and Lautoka's Osea Vakatalesau formed a lethal striking combination and he wanted to make sure it was maintained.

Sterrey said the inclusion of these premier division players will also bring along confidence amongst the senior players who are going on their first international tour.

The tour would help Samoa and Tonga improved its FIFA rankings because they will play against a full-strength national side.

Fiji will play two senior and premier division clubs teams each in Samoa and Tonga.

Players like Ovini Duguca of Nadroga, Lorima Dau from Navua, Thomas Vulivuli, Labasa's Shamal Kumar and Rewa's Apenisa Turuva, Kamal Hassan and Marika Rodu are some of the premier division players identified for the tour.

Senior division champion Tailevu/Naitasiri added another title to their name after being crowned the winner of the Fiji FA 5-a-side IDC championship. The Inter District Champion senior division champion won 5-2 over premier division Nasinu in the final at the National Gymnasium in Suva yesterday (November 6).

After a scoreless first half, Tailevu came back firing, scoring five in the second spell. Tailevu Skipper Daniel Pal, scored a hat trick, with two more goals from Bitesh Prasad and Kavitesh Pal, while Ashish Sharma and Ronald Rama scored a goal each for Nasinu.

Nasinu defeated Lami 4-1 in the semifinal, while defending champion Suva went down to Tailevu/Naitasiri 2-0.

Story courtesy Fiji FA website (www.fijifootball.com)

Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink has named a 23-man squad ahead of November's 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers where Australia's destiny will be decided on November 16.

Check out the full story, Socceroos squad named for World Cup Qualifiers