Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) made the announcement today after reports out of American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga – three of OFC’s 11 member associations – painted a devastating picture with an estimated death toll of over 100.
American Samoa and Tonga had been scheduled to take part in the championship along with the Cook Islands and New Zealand from 5-9 October at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium to determine Oceania’s representative at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany next July. But the OFC Emergency Committee and OFC President Reynald Temarii concluded there was no other option but to postpone the event.
“As a sign of solidarity and respect for the tragic loss of life in American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga, OFC has decided to postpone the OFC U-20 Women’s Championship. It will now take place at the end of January giving all participating member associations an extended period of preparation,” President Temarii.
“Our sole focus now is on the devastating events that took place yesterday and the affects they’ve had on our Pacific family. We sincerely hope that all those affected by the disaster can find some amount of peace and solace in this distressing time.”
Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) headquarters was in the direct path of the tsunami that hit at dawn on Tuesday local time. Fortunately no staff were at Pago park when the massive wave swept through and only the groundsman was reported to be injured. However the FIFA-funded complex was left in ruins with the maintenance building swept away and FFAS offices badly damaged.
All passports and travel documents for the American Samoa U-20 women’s team that were being held at the offices in preparation for the team’s departure on Thursday were swept away.
Yesterday’s disaster began with a series of earthquakes that struck between American Samoa and Samoa, the largest a magnitude 8.3, setting off several tsunamis up to six metres high. Reports out of Samoa said the waves travelled as far as 1.6 kilometres inland leaving a path of destruction and sweeping its victims back out to sea.
New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said last night that 62 people were confirmed dead in Samoa and 142 injured. At least 30 were dead in American Samoa with up to 10 deaths in Tonga.
The Red Cross have said there is an urgent humanitarian crisis in the making with dozens of villages destroyed and thousands of people left homeless.