CIFA President Lee Harmon and board member Moeroa Tamangaro were in Johannesburg to attend the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Extraordinary Congress and the 60th FIFA Congress.
But they were also lucky enough to bump into England midfielder David Beckham, one of the faces of his country’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star missed out on a spot in coach Fabio Capello’s squad due to injury but travelled to South Africa as a mentor for the team and to garner support for England’s 2018 bid.
Harmon and Tamangaro were delighted to meet Beckham and he was only too happy to pose for a photo.
The former England captain, who holds his country’s record for the highest number of caps won by an outfield player, is one of the vice-presidents of England’s bid and is joined in that role by the likes of Capello, fellow former international John Barnes and England women’s manager Hope Powell.
There are nine bidders for the 2018 tournament and 11 for the 2022 event.
There is a chance the 2022 tournament will be held in the Pacific region.
Football Federation Australia, a founder OFC member that is now part of the Asian confederation, is one of the countries hoping to host it.
Unfortunately for Beckham, his World Cup adventure ended in disappointment when England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the second round on June 27.
Harmon and Tamangaro were joined in South Africa by CIFA vice-president Jake Numanga and board member John Paul Wilson.
For more on Cook Islands football go to www.cookislandsfootball.com