This month’s OFC Champions League National Playoffs present a welcome return to action for not just the region’s leading clubs and players, but also match officials from across the confederation.
Forty match officials from the six Oceania nations taking part in the playoffs – which will decide the remaining teams who will contest the finals stage of the tournament later this year – will be involved in the matches happening in their respective nations.
Included in the selections were New Caledonia’s Johnny Reboul and Mederic Lacour, who refereed a leg each of the New Caledonia playoffs earlier this month, while Teremoana Roihau will take charge of Tahiti’s playoff between AS Vénus and AS Pirae on June 15.
Fijians Neeshil Varman and Kavitesh Behari will lead upcoming matches in Fiji, while Vanuatu’s Arnold Tari and Jarethy George are named for their two-leg playoffs.
Experienced official David Yareboinen, fresh off officiating at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – Oceania Qualifiers, will take charge of the upcoming Lae City FC v Hekari United clash on June 25 at PNG Football Stadium. Assistants Colin Lowong, Nicky Kawambara and fourth referee David Charles are also set to see action.
Yareboinen was one of three match officials to attend the FIFA Referees Workshop in November last year and as part of the OFC MA Exchange Programme recently travelled to referee Fiji’s FACT competition, alongside Solomon Islands assistant referee Bernard Mutukera.
Also on June 25, Solomon Islands referee Ben Aukwai will take charge of the Central Coast FC v Solomon Warriors match at Lawson Tama Stadium, joined by assistants Mutukera, Charles Sau and fourth referee Shama Maemae.
Aukwai was awarded a FIFA badge by the FIFA Referee Committee earlier this year after his performances in the 2021 and 2020 Telekom S-League seasons.