Ifira Black Bird’s arrival delayed in Tahiti for OFC Champions League; schedule changed once again

Ifira Black Bird FC’s journey to the OFC Men’s Champions League 2024 in Tahiti has been significantly disrupted, leading to a new reshuffle of the tournament schedule. The team from Port Vila, Vanuatu, faced multiple travel hurdles that have delayed their arrival and forced the tournament organizers to adjust match dates accordingly.

The initial delay arose from the collapse of Air Vanuatu last week, which left Ifira Black Bird FC stranded. The situation worsened when their connecting Air Calin flight from Nadi, Fiji, was cancelled due to blockades at Noumea Airport in New Caledonia, leading to its closure and grounding all flights. Situation in Noumea got politicaly serious, the capital of New Caledonia where Ifira players would need to land before travelling to Tahiti is facing a number of violent demostrations after the local government is considerting to change its migration policies.

With these travel disruptions, some matches of the tournament had to be postponed by 24 hours. The new schedule adjustments are as follows:

• Match Day 2:
  • AS Magenta vs. Vaivase-Tai FC will remain on Wednesday, 15 May 2024.
  • AS Pirae vs. Ifira Black Bird FC has been rescheduled to Thursday, 16 May 2024.
• Match Day 3:
  • All matches will now be played on Saturday, 18 May 2024.
• Match Day 1 Rescheduled Match:
  • Ifira Black Bird FC vs. AS Magenta will be moved to Monday, 20 May 2024.

The semi-finals and final will proceed as originally scheduled on May 22 and May 24, respectively.

Harry Atisson, president of the Port Vila Football Association, expressed frustration over the travel setbacks but confirmed that OFC has arranged new flights and updated the schedule to ensure Ifira Black Bird FC’s participation in the tournament,he told Oceania Football Center. Despite the challenges, the team remains determined to compete, hoping to replicate and surpass their performance from the last edition, where they reached the semi-finals but were narrowly defeated by Auckland City in a penalty shootout.

As the tournament progresses, fans and organizers alike will be keeping a close eye on Ifira Black Bird FC, anticipating their arrival and looking forward to their contribution to the competition.