OFC

The pre-tournament favourites flexed their muscles and showed their credentials in a dominant display that ensured a 100% record in the group stages.

Four goals in the first-half by centre forward Angela Pivac set the tone for the ninety minutes, with captain Ela Jerez at the heart of her side’s attacking endeavours. Jerez herself grabbed two in the first 45 minutes to add to the score.

Fiji secured the spot after defeating Solomon Islands 3-1 in the second semi-final yesterday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

The Solomon Islanders struck first via a penalty early in the match with Eileen Pegi putting them in front 1-0.

But it did not take long for the hosts to get to the score board after Cema Nasau connected well with a cross from Trina Davis to head home the equalizer.

Backed by the home fans, Fiji slowly found their way into the game.

The regional championship was set to be held in Tahiti and serves as the Oceania qualifier for the Beach Soccer World Cup, but was rescheduled multiple times due to border closures throughout the Pacific.

OFC General Secretary Franck Castillo said the organisation exhausted all possible options to play the tournament before coming to this decision.

"The sad reality of the coronavirus pandemic is that we have a number of hurdles to overcome to operate our tournaments and we are still unable to do so given the border closures throughout the Pacific," he said.

However, the tournaments remain on track to take place this year.

The events were supposed to take place last year to stage as qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 and FIFA U-20 World Cups but were delayed due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Last month, FIFA cancelled the FIFA U-17 World Cup that was meant to be held in Peru in October and the FIFA U-20 World Cup that was set for Indonesia in May-June. 

The OFC’s Executive Committee has agreed to try and exhaust all possible options to play them in 2021. 

OFC's 11 Member Associations will receive $NZ700,000 across two years - an increase of $NZ150,000 each year - while associate members Tuvalu and Kiribati will each receive $NZ60,000.

Of the $NZ350,000 annual grant, $NZ100,000 will be dedicated to national team costs with at least 25 per cent to be invested into the women's squad.

A further $NZ100,000 will be assigned to governance and management with the remaining $NZ150,000 to be spent on football development, with at least 25 per cent allocated to women's football.

OFC announced this week it had postponed all tournaments and meetings until 6 May, following advice from health authorities and member nations.

The affected events include the Under 16 Women's Championship, due to take place next month in Tahiti, which had already been postponed from December following the regional measles outbreak.

The knockout rounds of the OFC Champions League club competition are also being delayed.

OFC General Secretary Franck Castillo said the decision was made to ensure the safety and well-being of all their members.

 Revivors forward Andre Batick was shown a red card in the 35th minute for a dangerous tackle, leaving Malampa with only 10 men.

 Playing short-handed didn’t dampen their endeavor though and for much of the contest they looked the more likely team to score a winner.

 They made countless breaks against the run of play as the match wore on – clearly adapting to the conditions better – but they were unable to break the deadlock.

Maltock said Sope will leave a large hole in the football landscape following years of tireless work in football development and with the OFC Just Play Programme.

“Emmie has always been incredibly passionate not just about progressing football, but in helping develop the people on the ground in our communities across the Pacific.

The executive, David Chung, was the president of the Oceania Football Confederation, whose 14 members wield little power competitively or politically in FIFA. But Chung, of Papua New Guinea, had outsize influence as the most senior of FIFA’s eight vice presidents.

Chung cited personal reasons for his decision, but the announcement came as he found himself under mounting pressure to step down after an audit into a multimillion-dollar project to build a new headquarters for the O.F.C.

Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, and Fiji have gone the extra mile to create opportunities in women’s football while using the worldwide celebration as a platform to promote the #ENDviolence campaign, a joint OFC and UNICEF initiative to raise awareness about violence against women and children in the Pacific.