Since FIFA began publishing their rankings of now 208 nations in 1993, the All Whites have achieved the feat just three times, although the fact that one of those occurred at Mt Smart Stadium is a good omen for the home side against Jamaica, who rose to 50 overnight.The pick of these wins was a…
Zambia, the newly-crowned African champions, secured their first ever title and have thus climbed to 43rd position. This is the first time since February 2001 that the team, coached by Hervé Renard, have made it into the top 50. Despite their extremely narrow defeat in the final, Côte d’Ivoire (15th, up 3) remain Africa’s highest-ranked…
The competition returned after a mid-season break with a catch up match between Auckland City and Amicale on January 18 – won 3-2 in dramatic fashion by Auckland – but this week marks the first time all eight sides will take to the field once again. Reigning champions Auckland and fellow Kiwis Waitakere United lead…
It is the second extension since the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Herbert, head coach of the national team since 2005.The first extension, signed in September 2010, was intended to see the team through to the end of the Oceania stage of World Cup qualifying in mid-2012, although those qualifiers have now been rescheduled and…
Sam, a former striker for New Caledonia side AS Mont-Dore, has been working with 22 players for the past few weeks and has now reduced that figure to 19 for the Oceania qualifying tournament, set to take place in Tonga from March 1 to 9.Vanuatu women’s Olympic squadGoalkeepersOlivia DAVIDJane KASUDefendersInneth POIDAAudrey GEORGELeisale SOLOMONFiona NATOUJeamine ALATOARutho…
The Oly Whites, who can qualify for London by winning the Oceania qualification tournament held in Taupo between March 16 and 25, play the Frank Rijkaard-coached team at Lakeside Stadium on February 20, then again three days later as a New Zealand ‘A’ side bolstered by four members of Ricki Herbert’s extended All Whites squad.Saudi…
Seven members of Jeffrey Allen’s squad are part of the Solomon Islands U-23 set up and are trying to impress enough in the coming weeks to be included in the line-up for the Oceania qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics.Allen is bringing six of those players – goalkeeper Shadrack Ramoni, defensive trio Isreal Koti Fanai,…
Old has been training with the club for a couple of months and is now reported to have signed on, just days before he is set to blow out the candles on his 26th birthday cake.The 1.91m centre back becomes the second Kiwi to have been on the books of Basingstoke – striker and former…
Both matches were played at the Vanuatu Football Federation’s Teouma Academy and resulted in 2-2 scorelines.The Olympic squad was stung by one of its own in the first outing as Octav Meltecoin, who is a member of the U-23 training group but lined up for his club side Spirit on this occasion, scored a pair…
The Butterfly Trust is run by the husband-and-wife team of David and Lynn Colbert with the aim of helping communities in developing countries around the world. “Football is extremely popular throughout Vanuatu and the people go to great lengths to kick a ball on surfaces riddled with crab holes,” David Colbert says.“So aligning ourselves with…