FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and his delegation arrived at Port Moresby International Airport, Papua New Guinea, this afternoon to a warm and colourful welcome led by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) President Reynald Temarii and Papua New Guinea Minister of Community Development Dame Carol Kidu. Also present were OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas and Papua New Guinea Events Commission Director General Allan Oaisa.
The FIFA and OFC delegations paid a visit to the Papua New Guinea National Parliament House to meet Grand Chief the Right Honourable Sir Michael Somare where FIFA President Blatter and the Prime Minister shared their love of soccer and the role it has to play in Papua New Guinea society and the wider world.
Later, Dame Carol Kidu was rich in her praise for the work of “Chief Reynald Temarii” in his efforts in recognising the role football can play in providing a future for the youth of Papua New Guinea by implementing development programmes on the ground such as the mini-pitch initiative at Kila Kila Secondary school.
OFC President Temarii said that since the election of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter in 1998 that the direction of football had focussed on using the game to “make the world a better place” and that the OFC had observed this ideal closely in creating OFC’s football development plans for the region.
“OFC and football can be used to combat disease and social problems throughout our region. In Papua New Guinea it is HIV and AIDS, in the Solomon Islands it is Malaria; but it also includes key social issues such as literacy. In Oceania nearly 60% of our population is under the age of 12 and many of them do not achieve a secondary education. Football and OFC has a part to play in fighting these problems”, Temarii said.
FIFA President Blatter said football’s capacity to make a difference in society was epitomised by the work of OFC President Reynald Temarii and Dame Carol Kidu – recently appointed to the newly formed FIFA Fairplay and Social Responsibility Committee – and he looked forward to meeting Dame Carol in her new FIFA role in the near future and supporting OFC President Temarii in his efforts.
“Football is not just about the results on the pitch, or the players’ wages, or large transfer fees, or the penalty kicks at the end of the game. It is about more than that; it teaches people about life; football teaches people how to win and how to lose fairly and within boundaries. Football has a responsibility to give back and to teach people and to make the world a better place”.
FIFA President Blatter will witness the OFC Ordinary Congress at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday 18th January, 2007, and then embark on a series of visits throughout Port Moresby including the opening of the OFC funded mini-pitch at Kila Kila Secondary school, the Learning and Development Centre at Koki Market and Port Moresby General Hospital HIV/AIDS ward and contact centre.
The FIFA delegation is comprised of Andrea Sadecky from the Executive Office of the President in Media Affairs, David Borja FIFA Development Manager Asia and Oceania and Guy-Phillipe Mathieu Assistant to the FIFA President.