The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has recently completed its first ever Referee Assistance Program in Fiji aimed at increasing the quality, consistency and uniformity of Referees throughout the confederation.

The five day Refereeing and Refereeing Instructor Course was led by FIFA/OFC Referee Development Officer Massimo Raveino and FIFA Instructor Neil Poloso at the Dr. Sahu Kahn Football Academy in Ba at the beginning of June.

The course participants included eight instructors and 20 Referee’s who are considered the elite officials in Fiji.

Poloso said the participants responded very well to the course and worked hard to achieve the course objectives.

“We wanted to increase the quality of referee instructors and to improve the performance, consistency and uniformity of elite referees and assistant referees in this member association.”

“We are also trying to establish and fortify referee development programs in member associations and this course went a long way to achieve that.”

The five days of intense work would begin with a theoretical session in the morning from 8am-12.30pm followed by a practical three hour session after lunch.

Poloso and Raveino plan to implement similar courses of this nature in each member association once every year to improve the overall quality of referees in Oceania.

Group Photo opening ceremony – sitting from left: 3rd: Chandra Segran (FFA RDO), 4th. Massimo Raveino (FIFA/OFC RDO), 5th: Ba City Mayor, 6th. FFA Vice President Vinod Patel and 7th. Neil N Poloso (FIFA Instructor))

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) would like to advise the funeral details of former OFC President Charles J. Dempsey who passed away earlier this week.

Funeral date:  Wednesday 2 July, 2008

Time:               12.30pm

Venue:            St Columba Presbyterian Church
                       480 Ti Rakau Drive
                       Botany Downs
                       Auckland

A book of condolences will be made available to sign at each of the following locations:

Oceania Football Confederation – Reception
Mt Smart Stadium, 12 Maurice Road, Penrose, Auckland

New Zealand Football – Reception
Lion Foundation House, North Harbour Stadium, Oteha Valley Rd, Albany, Auckland

Auckland Football Federation – Reception
Mt Smart Stadium, Penrose, Auckland

Remuera Golf Club – Reception
120 Abbotts Way, Remuera, Auckland

Any media planning on attending the funeral service please contact Steve Holloway on 021 884018 or at Steve@oceaniafootball.com

For more information please contact:
Tai Nicholas
OFC General Secretary                  Tel: +649-5258161
                                                      Fax: +649-5258164
                                                      Mob: +6421331164

                                                      tai@oceaniafootball.com

When Australia, Oceania's powerhouse for so long, left for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006, New Zealand were widely expected to become the leading nation in the region.

The Oceania qualifying series for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ has done nothing to alter that assessment. New Zealand have gained three wins from their opening three matches in the four-team qualifying group, and look set for a showdown with the fifth-placed Asian team in late 2009.

The campaign has not been without its hiccups, however. Perhaps unsettled by the postponement of their opening home game against Fiji, New Zealand looked less than convincing in a 2-0 win away to the Fijians in Lautoka in October 2007.

In their next game, away to Vanuatu, the All Whites had a real scare. Jean Naprapol put the home side ahead in the first half, and although Wellington Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz levelled the scored early in the second half, it took the Kiwis until the third minute of second-half stoppage time to secure the three points which had seemed a formality. It was substitute David Mulligan's header which saved the favourites' blushes.

"We really struggled to get going in the first forty-five," admitted New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert afterwards. "We got a little bit lucky at the end." He added that the Oceania qualifying group was not going to be the walk-over that some New Zealand pundits had expected. "We certainly won't be taking anybody lightly. We intend to be very respectful."

Buoyed by his late winner in Port Vila, Mulligan went on to score twice more in the return fixture against Vanuatu, which New Zealand won comfortably, 4-1.

Stern next test

The All Whites' next assignment is away to rapidly improving New Caledonia on 6 September. Didier Chambaron's Caledonians have been the surprise team of the campaign, thumping Fiji 4-0 at home, but a frustrating 1-1 draw against Vanuatu in Port Vila on Saturday has made the clash against the Kiwis in Noumea a must-win for them. New Zealand will know that they are not to be underestimated.

New Zealand, who have only qualified for the FIFA World Cup once, in 1982, were surprisingly eliminated from the Germany 2006 reckoning when they could only finish third in the Oceania qualifying tournament in Adelaide, losing sensationally to bottom-of-the-table Vanuatu along the way. In the three FIFA World Cup cycles prior to that, they had always found "big brother" Australia their nemesis.

Ironically, given that the Oceania group winner faces a play-off with the fifth-best nation in Asia, Ricki Herbert's men may just find themselves facing Australia again. Not that they would be thinking of revenge, of course...

Story courtesy of www.fifa.com

New Vodafone Labasa signing Joseph Nimariau played an important role in getting his side maximum points in two matches in the New World National Football Super Six competition.

The former Suva marksmen was in top form as he netted on his debut against Viva Rewa on Friday night which saw the Babasiga Lions win 3-2 at Ratu Cakobau Park.

On Sunday the Ni-Vanuatu striker who made his move to the North only last week proved to be the nemesis for Suva as he netted the lone goal in the 1-0 win.

In the match against Rewa, Nimariau along with Apisalome Turuva and Henry Dyer scored for Labasa.

Rewa’s goals were scored through Fiji karate rep Marika Rodu and former Suva man Alvin Prakash.

The two wins sees Labasa sit on top of the table with six points.

Vodafone Ba which didn’t field any of its new signings came away with a 2-0 win over Lautoka at Churchill Park.

Veteran striker Josaia Bukalidi and Avinesh Swamy got the goals.

Nadi was on bye while the Bottom Four will start this weekend.

Scorers:

2-Joseph Nimariau (Labasa); 1-Henry Dyer (Labasa), Apisalome Turuva (Labasa); Alvin Prakash (Rewa), Marika Rodu (Rewa), Josaia Bukalidi (Ba), Avinesh Swamy (Ba).

 New World National League Super Six Competition

NOUMEA - New Caledonia beat Vanuatu 3-0 at Stade Numa Daly over the weekend as both nations sought to bolster their respective 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™/OFC Nations Cup 2008 campaigns.

The win preserves New Caledonia's unbeaten record and means they must win their  two remaining matches against New Zealand to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

New Zealand has three wins from three matches and one more victory will be enough to propel Ricki Herbert's charges into a two-legged play-off with the fifth placed team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and FIFA Confederations Cup - South Africa 2009 as winners of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Nations Cup 2008.

Vanuatu remain winless after four matches with only the solitary point gained from their earlier draw with New Caledonia.

www.oceaniafootball.com is pleased to bring you the best of the action courtesy of photographer Alain Vartane - email: vte92@hotmail.com

 New Caledonian goal scorer Michel Hmae chases down a ball

The New Caledonian starting eleven prior to kick off

New Caledonia's Wilson Forrest fights off a Vanuatu challenge near his teams bench.

Francois Sakama from Vanuatu puts a ball into the box

New Caledonia goal scorer Pierre Wajoka takes on a Vanuatu defender.

The New Caledonia wall tenses as they try to protect their lead

Pierre Wajoka scored the opening goal for New Caledonia

Michel Hmae makes it two for New Caledonia after sixty minutes

Jean Patrick Wakanumune from New Caledonia gets tangled up with his own team mate

It's all over at Stade Numa Daly - New Caledonia 3 - Vanuatu 0

New Caledonia kept their hopes of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ alive with a 3-0 win over Vanuatu in Noumea on Saturday.

The home side's task was made easier by the dismissal of Vanuatan defender Ken Masauvakalo in only the 12th minute of the game.

The Caledonians' midfield maestro Pierre Wajoka was the first to score after 36 minutes, and Michel Hmae added a second goal on the hour mark. Patrick Diaike completed the misery for Vanuatu in the 87th minute.

While Vanuatu are now definitely out of the running, New Caledonia have moved to within a point of group leaders New Zealand, who have a game in hand over the islanders. The home-and-away contest between these top two countries in September will decide the fate of the Oceania group.

 OFC Nations cup table