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Christian Karembeu, the most successful footballer from Oceania, believes the new OFC Pro League will be the vital next step to close the gap with the rest of the world.
Karembeu says Auckland City’s extraordinary performance against Boca Juniors is the best he could expect from the region’s amateur clubs but that the introduction of professional football around Oceania will be a game changer.
“The new Pro League will be a revolution for our region,” says the New Caledonia-born midfielder who lifted the FIFA World Cup with France and the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid.
Karembeu attended the FIFA Club World Cup and was inspired by Auckland City’s sharp learning curve after two initial defeats.
“If you see how much Auckland City improved in three games, just imagine how much our players can improve in four years in a professional environment until the next Club World Cup,” says the current Technical Director for Greek champions Olympiacos Pireaus.
Karembeu says the Pacific is blessed with incredibly natural athletes and feels that the new Pro League, with professional coaches and managers could quickly develop Oceania’s amateur players into world-beaters.
“Just look at the All Blacks, who have given athletes from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji the chance to develop in their amazing environment and have reaped the benefits of turning that raw talent into rugby superstars.”
Karembeu points at his own success, as well as former Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, and more recently All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic, as players with Pacific Island heritage to perform well at the highest stage.
The former Real Madrid star says the Pacific players have always had the talent, but never the appropriate guidance to teach them what is expected from a professional player.
“They will be educated how to train, how to recover, how to eat, about intensity and quality, and when you can go out or need to stay at home. Players need to learn how to create a routine and clubs need experts to show them the way to be a professional.”
He adds that the new teams will need quality managers, coaches and experts in human resources, accommodation and transport and anything else required to run a professional sports organisation.
“When you are an amateur player, you can do whatever you want. But when you’re in a professional league and professional club, you have to behave like that. If you don’t want to make those sacrifices, you don’t belong, so it all comes down to discipline.”
Karembeu says that Pacific players have grown up to be respectful and humble, which will help them make the transition into the professional game.
“But they will also not be intimidated, because in the islands we are all warriors. They will just have to realise in the professional environment many players will be better than them, so they have to humble, observe and learn to become better players,” said the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner.
Karembeu says that coaches or clubs from with a European background, need to understand the cultural background of the players to get the best out of them, before they discard a player out of ignorance or misunderstanding.
He reflects on his own experience arriving at FC Nantes as a fresh-faced 17-year-old from New Caledonian club Gaitcha, following in the footsteps on legendary New Caledonian player and coach Antoine Kombouaré, who had seven seasons at FC Nantes in recent years coached the club to win the French Cup.
“The club knew about Antoine and our culture, so every time we had a meeting they were sure to get me there 30 minutes early so I would not be late,” laughs Karembeu.
He explains that island folks for hundreds of years have started the day, when the run rose, and go to sleep when the sun goes down, so living by a clock is a relatively foreign concept for many island players.
“I didn’t even have a watch when I came to Nantes, so I looked around to find a clock, but the people at the club knew this and helped me. And I made sure I was always early to get their respect.”
Karembeu adds that small gestures like picking up a player to make sure they get to training or a meeting in time during the initial stages, may feel unnecessary for European coaches, but will make a huge difference to teach them about routines and discipline.
“Otherwise, the player or the club could miss out on a great opportunity. Not because the players is not talented or committed enough, but because it is just the lack of routine or his culture getting in the way. It’s not wrong, just different, so you need to educate the players how to behave.”
Auckland City’s performance at the FIFA Club World Cup has drawn criticism and admiration, and Karembeu hopes the performances of the last amateur team to compete at the global tournament will be the stepping stone to take football in Oceania to higher levels and close the gap with the other confederations.
“It was an incredible moment for Auckland City and it will hopefully inspire the kids in the region,” says Karembeu, who adds that modern technology and social media has spread the Auckland City fairytale throughout the world.
“Everybody in the world now knows who they are. And I hope that’s what will happen with clubs and players in the new Pro League to gain visibility and fame, not just in Oceania, but also to show the wider world how good players in the Pacific can be.”
Cover image: Christian Karembeu, right, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Auckland City chairman Ivan Vukich ahead of Auckland City’s history draw with Boca Juniors in Nashville.