OFC Champions League

 “Despite the fact that we have been stricken by two category 4 cyclones two months ago, you have turned what available resources we have in Luganville, to hosting yet another successful OFC programme”, said Maltock, who is also President of VFF.

He acknowledged the hard work of all members of the Local Organising Committee, as well as other stakeholders, including government and the local business community.

Vanuatu successfully hosted the 2023 OFC Champions League from 14 to 27 May.

Maxwell Thaggard’s side have attended several off-field events in the area over the past few days and were hosted by the Solway Community group just outside Luganville on Thursday.

The entire squad met with families and enjoyed local cuisine before playing football with the children.

Community leader Chief Tasso Morsen welcomed the Suva delegation while Luganville’s Mayor Peter Patty urged the team to become a sister side of the town’s local side Malampa which plays in the Vanuatu league.

Over the past few weeks, the club was trained and coached by Head Coach Robert Yelou and three additional coaches from different nationalities, who came to assist the team with the preparation in Australia.

Head Coach Yelou thanked the coaches for their support and hoped that one day they will meet again in Vanuatu.

“Two weeks was all that we had to prepare in Australia for the most competitive tournament, the OFC Champions League.

Top champion club teams from eight OFC member countries will all be competing in Vanuatu during the last two weeks of May.

The teams have been drawn into two groups, with Group A including top teams like Auckland City of New Zealand Football, Suva FC of Fiji Football, Solomon Warriors of Solomon Islands Football and Lope FC of Samoa Football.

All Group A matches will be played at the Soccer City Stadium in Luganville Santo, starting on 14 May.

The revised competition format, which was adapted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce travel requirements on teams, is split into two phases.

Stage one will determine which clubs contest stage two, which will be an eight-team centralised finals tournament scheduled for August this year.

Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will stage home and away playoffs – involving the champion and runner up from their respective national league – through June, from which each winner will secure qualification to the finals tournament.

The competition reached the quarter-final stage after pool play in February and March before the pandemic took hold.

The OFC Champions League playoff matches were due to be played in April and May but were delayed multiple times.

Clubs from New Zealand, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia had advanced to the knockout stages.

The winner of this year's OFC Champions League was set to attend the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar in December.

The pressure was on Malampa as they needed a win to advance in the second match of the day after the Henderson Eels had come from behind to edge Lautoka 3-2 in the earlier fixture during a thrilling final day of group play.

Henderson Eels 3-2 Lautoka FC 

The Henderson Eels were about nine minutes away from elimination before late goals to Raphael Le’ai and Joses Nawo helped them beat Fiji’s Lautoka 3-2.

PNGFA President John Kapi Natto said this will be the first time for Papua New Guinea to host a group match of the region’s premier international club competition.

“We are excited and looking forward to host an international tournament,” Kapi Natto said.

“It will be a good change for Papua New Guinea football fans to witness Hekari United in action on home soil against top clubs from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Vanuatu in February next year. The event will take place from Feb 16-22.”

Upon arrival yesterday at the Jackson’s International Airport, coach Peter Gunemba said making it to the quarter finals is a success story for the team.

Toti City Dwellers FC, formerly known as the Lae City Dwellers, were undefeated in their Group A matches, registering one win and two draws at Stade Yoshida in New Caledonia. 

They finished two points behind group leaders and hosts, Hienghene.

Toti City coach Peter Gunemba said the toughest teams were pooled in Group A, and the high competition pushed his boys beyond their limits.

Team Wellington are also keen to secure a win and keep the dream alive, after dropping their first ever Group Stage points in the draw with Marist, when they face Samoa club champions Lupe Ole Soaga in the opening match at Lawson Tama Tuesday.

In the three previous OFC Champions League editions they’ve featured in, Team Wellington had never lost or drawn a match which makes the 1-1 draw against the favourites from New Zealand a feat for Marist.