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Defender Roland Bala, captain of the national U-23 team, has
stepped up to the senior squad. Photo: OFC via Phototek |
The Nations Cup will take place in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara from June 1 to 10 and acts as the second stage of Oceania qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. The winner will also go on to represent OFC in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The players selected by Farina have been brought together for a training camp at the Papua New Guinea Football Association academy in Lae this week and must do their best to impress as the former Australia coach can take only 23 to Honiara.
Papua New Guinea have been drawn in Group B and will do battle with Fiji, New Zealand and Solomon Islands while Group A consists of New Caledonia, Samoa, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
The teams will take part in a tournament based on a league system with semi-finals and a final.
The four highest-placed teams from the second stage will then contest stage three of World Cup qualifying - a round-robin, home-and-away play-off series. The matches are foreseen to take place between 7 September 2012 and 26 March 2013 in FIFA windows.
The winner of the third stage will advance to an inter-continental home-and-away play-off against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF – the confederation of North America, Central American and the Caribbean - for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
Papua New Guinea training squad for OFC Nations Cup
Godfrey BANIAU
Paul PETER
Leslie KALAI
Valentine NELSON
Kelly JAMPU
Andrew LEPANI
Koriak UPAIGA
Jeremy YASASA
Roland BALA
Daniel JOE
Cyril MUTA
Samuel KINI
Michael FOSTER
Wira WAMA
Rolland CONN
Erickson KOMENG
Niel HANS
Ian YANUM
Elliud FUGRE
Leana GENO
Reginald DAVANI
Kema JACK
Felix BONDALUK
Jamal SEETO
Tonga ESIRA
Kila POLENA
Nigel DABINYABA
Raymond GUNEMBA
Gerald LASHEL
Vanya MALAGIAN
For more on Papua New Guinea football go to www.pngfootball.com.pg
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