Three referees from Indonesia joined the OFC Futsal Men’s Champions League 2025 in Suva, Fiji, strengthening the ongoing match official relationship between Oceania Football Confederation and Asian Football Confederation.
Wahyu Wickasono, Fitra Fauzi Rahmat and Rita Rosita were part of the referee team throughout the tournament and officiated on the final match day. Wickasono said the trio enjoyed their experience officiaiting on the court.
“We are here on behalf of the Indonesia Football Federation for the OFC Futsal Men’s Champions League. We are happy to be involved, it has been a good tournament for us as match officials.
“We have had strong support and the matches have been good. The games were tough, but the experience has helped us grow.”
Wickasono noted the differences between matches in Suva and their domestic competitions.
“Sometimes the pace is faster than our Indonesian league, but there is also more respect between players and it has been positive for us.
“We hope to take what we have learned back home and apply it in Indonesia.”
Australian officials Dion Bradley (referee) and Adrian Tamplin (instructor) were also part of the delegation, adding to the depth of experience amongst the group.
FIFA Futsal Technical Instructor Neil Poloso said including referees from outside the region adds value to OFC’s match official pathway.
“We have an ongoing relationship with other confederations and we are privileged to have referees from Australia and Indonesia join us. We still need more futsal referees in Oceania, so these exchanges help us grow.”
Poloso said the focus remains on developing new referees and giving them chances to learn at higher levels.
“For our member association referees, we have seen real progress. We ran several activities with them before the tournament, including online preparation sessions.
“We now have a group of upcoming referees and want to prepare them to become the next elite officials in the region.”
Head of Refereeing Kevin Stoltenkamp said learning from AFC officials plays an important role in OFC’s development plan.
“It is important for us to continue our relationship with AFC. Our referees benefit from seeing how officials from other federations prepare and carry themselves.”
He said the improvement in officiating shown between the two OFC Futsal tournaments this year highlights the value of the programmes.
“At the tournament earlier this year, we had several development referees. Neil Poloso and Antony Riley gave them areas to work on, and when they returned for this tournament, you could see the change in their attitude and decision making on the court.
“There is a step up when moving from domestic competitions to OFC tournaments as they are international matches.”
Stoltenkamp also praised the leadership behind the programme.
“Having people like Neil Poloso and Antony Riley ensures our match officials and instructors are prepared properly. The futsal community is open and supportive, and look forward to future tournaments and hope to reciprocate support to AFC when needed.”
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