Rutter: Coaching programme will be a success

The scheme was introduced last year and numerous ‘D’ and ‘C’ Licence courses, the first steps on the pathway, have since been run across the Pacific. Under the guidance of technical director Patrick Jacquemet and Didier Chambaron, the head of OFC’s education and training programme, OFC is now looking to introduce the ‘B’ and ‘A’…

Tahiti were unlucky not to finish fifth following their 2-1 loss against Guyane, a team deemed more than beatable by assistant coach Ludovic Graugnard.“Without the public, without the ball boys, it was a little bit of a football parody and it’s difficult to play in this context,” he says.“We didn’t have the technical qualities necessary…

On the one hand you have the finest sandy shores lapped by aquamarine ocean waves, and on the other, grey asphalt overshadowed by austere buildings. “Everything’s fine, I’m acclimatising, I’m not too homesick,” revealed Georges Gope-Fenepej somewhat surprisingly after recently joining local side and Ligue 1 newcomers ESTAC. “The main difference is on the pitch….

The 20-year-old, who has played twice for the Championship side since arriving on loan from West Bromwich Albion, is keen to again be on the scoresheet when the Lions travel to Burnley on Saturday.“I’ve played at Turf Moor a couple of times before and I think I’ve drawn twice there previously,” he says.“It’s a nice…

Rarely has that been better illustrated than over the past month during Oceania’s third stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil qualifying.The Solomon Islands kick-started their quest for a ticket to Brazil 2014 with a highly-credible 2-0 home victory over newly-crowned continental champions Tahiti. It was an impressive win for the Bonitos who, three months…