On Wednesday the 11th New Caledonia and New Zealand will kick off the OFC U-17 Championship. Nine teams (Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, American Samoa, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands) begin the race for two spots in this year’s U-17 World Cup to be held in Peru.
Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea will not participate in the tournament for different reasons. The Solomon Islands are serving a penalty for fielding an over-age player in the 2018 OFC U-16 championship, while Papua New Guinea had problems with their paperwork with the OFC.
New Zealand are the defending champions and favorites to win again – OFC Media
There are three groups with three teams, with the best two from each group plus the second best two teams advancing to the quarterfinals, meaning that only one team will be eliminated in the first round.
Group A is Fiji, and Samoa and Tonga.
Group B is New Zealand, New Caledonia, and American Samoa.
Group C is Tahiti, Vanuatu, and the Cook Islands.
You can check the match schedule released by the Oceania Football Confederation by clicking here.
The matches will take place from January 11 to 28 in the cities of Ba and Suva and will be broadcast by the streaming application Eleven.
The lads are getting ready for the big challenge ahead. Auckland City FC players started the training today at Nixon Park, Auckland, for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup competition in Morocco. It will be the 19th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament.
Less than a month before the kick off, this whole week preparation will happen in Auckland with an intersquad game at Kiwitea Street before the depart. Three friendly matches are yet to be confirmed before the first game.
Players and staff will be ready to depart New Zealand on 16th of January having two groups for a training camp at the Futbol Salou Sports Center near Barcelona, Spain.
Auckland City FC media
AUCKLAND CITY FC X AL AHLY
The Navy Blues will face the Egyptian club Al Ahly, currently runners-up of CAF Champions League, at the first match of the tournament on Wednesday, 1 February 2023. The Spanish boss and ex-Navy Blues player, Albert Riera, said that will be a tough game for the kiwi team as Al Ahly is on the top of Egyptian league and haven’t lost a game ’till now.
“I expect their fitness levels to be very sharp. But the beauty of football is that anything is possible. The beauty of football is that you always have a chance, it might be slim, it might not, we’ll see.“, commented Riera.
Auckland City FC was not so lucky last time the team played against Al Ahly. The Egyptians won 2-0 on 10 December 2006 in Toyota City, Japan.
ARGENTINIAN EMILIANO TADE, THE RECORD GOALSCORER
Argentinian Emiliano Tade, 35-year-old, is excited to play again in the Club World Cup for Auckland City. The South American is one of the most experienced players in the squad being part of four trophy haul this year and taking his personal goals count to 144 in 219 games. He will be definitely the hope for netting in the next game.
With good memories of the bronze medal obtained in 2014 after the game against a Mexican club, Cruz Azul. Navy Blues fans remembered well the 2014 games when Auckland City almost went to final against the powerful Real Madrid and made history in the Club World Cup 2014.
“The memories of the tournament in Morocco in 2014 is always going to be one of the highlights in my life, for the rest of my life, and I’ll always be able to look back and say ‘wow’. Now having the Club World Cup in Morocco just around the corner means we as players are all thinking about it because we know what to expect and we have been there many times and its time to try and prove ourselves again,” he said.
David Browne is one of the most successful players born in the Pacific Islands, he was the first Papua New Guinea-born ever to play professionally in Europe for a first division team. Since 2020 the 27-year-old has been playing for HJK Helsingin, Finland’s biggest football club.
During these three seasons at HJK, this one has surely been the most special for Browne even though the year did not start in the best way for him as he was unable to play the World Cup qualifiers with Papua New Guinea due to a problem with his passport.
David Browne celebrating his goal against Silkeborg IF – HJK Media
The season started with Browne switching roles in the team from winger to wing back – sometimes also playing on the left – in a three-back formation.
After scoring twice more in the National League, Browne made history, becoming the first Papua New Guinean-born player to score a goal in a UEFA competition, and the third Pacific Islander to score a goal in UEFA competitions after Pascal Vahirua and Marama Vahirua – Browne scored a beautiful goal against Maribor to help HJK advance. In the next round he scored again in HJK’s crucial win over Silkeborg IF, that helped HJK reach the group stage of the Europa League.
In the group stage Browne collected good performances against Roma, Betis and Ludogorets even scoring against Roma – a goal later overturned due to VAR interference and also almost scoring against Roma at Olympic Stadium.
David Browne playing against Roma at the Olympic Stadium – HJK Media
But the best was yet to come for David Browne, he achieved the peak of reaching 100 caps for HJK against FC Honka and two rounds later Browne scored the goal that gave HJK the 32nd Veikkausliiga title against FC Haka crowning a magnificent season for the Papua New Guinea star-player.
The start of 2023 has not been good news off the field for Oceania football, after the news of the death of the New Caledonian left back Ruben Kutran, one more tragic news come from Tahiti: the death of Tefana’s midfielder Kaena Onuu.
The news was reported by the local media; Keana Onuu was found dead near a motorcycle at midnight from January 1st to January 2nd.
Kaena Onuu playing for Tefana
Kaena Onuu had been playing for Tefana since 2015, the midfielder made his OFC Champions League debut at the age of just 16. With the Tahiti national team he played in the 2015 OFC U-17 Championship – where his country finished as runners-up – and also the 2016 OFC U-20 championship.
Teammates like Tehau Holozet, Moana Pito and Tahitian football legend Mickael Roche used their social media to say they were devastated by the news and pay their tributes to Onuu – as did the Facebook official page of the club he played for since the youth squads, AS Tefana.
The Oceania Football Center sends its deepest and most sincere condolences to his family, teammates and friends.
Very important news came from Port Villa this week: two of the most prominent players of Galaxy FC – one of the most important clubs of Vanuatu – will move to Australia to represent a club from Adelaide.
The striker Andre Batick and the defender Tasso Jeffrey will join State League 2 side Gawler Eagles FC. The team is two division behind the National Premier League in Australia – the most important semi-pro football league in the country, that is not linked to the professional A-League where the Ni-Vanuatu international Brian Kaltak plays.
Batick and Jeffrey – PVFA Media
Both players have also experience playing for Vanuatu National Team and in the OFC Champions League.
The moves were possible thanks to the action of Galaxy FC boss Mr. Andrew Leong and the assistance of the former Vanuatu national Team staff member Joshua James from Australia.
Ben Waine, 21-year-old, is ready to set his feet at Home Park, known as the Theatre of Greens, stadium of Plymouth Argyle, top team of English Football League One (3rd-tier of England) in season 2022/23. The young All White and previous Wellington Phoenix striker is already in Plymouth, Devon, England and joined the team officially on 1st of January 2023.
Waine made a deal with The Pilgrims until the end of the 2024/25 season, however the transfer fee keeps unrevealed by both parties. “It was a though competition to have him on board as Argyle have fought off strong interest from a number of clubs, including Championship sides,” said Argyle boss Steven Schumacher.
The young footballer calls the transfer as a “dream coming through” in his career. “I’ve always had this desire and kind of addiction of wanting to move over to the UK and play over here”, stated in a video he recorded for Phoenix fans.
It is expected to see his debut in the next Argyle’s away game which is on Saturday (7th of January – England time) against Bolton Wanderers.
Photo / Photosport
A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR WAINE
The young player had a brilliant career so far performing for Wellington Phoenix and the New Zealand national team (including the Olympic games in Tokyo 2020). The expectation is to see him shining as his All Whites colleague Chris Wood who is playing for Newcastle United in the Premier League.
“We will miss a great component of our team, but he’s got a great attitude. He wants to become better and hopefully we’ve helped him to get where he wants to be“, said Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay.
Another curiosity is Waine will not be the first kiwi to play for Plymouth Argyle. Also, former All Whites striker and Phoenix Academy coach Rory Fallon played for the Pilgrims in 149 appearances between 2007 and 2011, netting 22 goals for the greens. Defender English Scott Wootton currently playing for Wellington Phoenix also played for Plymouth Argyle.
Ruben Kutran was one of New Caledonia’s top prospects, born in Lifou the youngster soon moved to France to play for Girondins Bordeaux where he stayed from 2017 to 2022 going through all the French club’s youth divisions even playing National 3 for Bordeuax’s B team. Since August 2022 he was a free agent when he left the team seeking for more playing time, since then we have had no news of the whereabouts of the 20-year-old left-back.
For his country’s colours Ruben Kutran played in the 2018 OFC U-16 championship, taking part in three matches and scoring a goal against Samoa.
Ruben Kutran – Girondins de Bordeaux Media
This Saturday (31st Dec) tragic news came from France on the death of Kutran from Bordeuax’s official profile. Kutran was only 20 years-old and would have celebrated his 21st birthday on January 10th. The cause of death was not revealed yet.
Oceania Football Center mourns the loss of the talented player and sends our deepest condolences to his family.
The Ni-Vanuatu star defender Brian Kaltak displayed another great performance in the latest match of his club in Australia, the Central Coast Mariners. The former Auckland City man already was an standout in the match against Newcastle Jets as Oceania Football Center highlighted.
Kaltak (left) celebrates alongside Jason Cummings – CCM Media
Central Coast Mariners pulled upfront in the first half, but still in the first 45 minutes the Victory managed to find an equaliser.
In the second half, Kaltak took his chance and headed it back to the area finding exactly where Cummings were to put the ball in the back of the nets the score the second got Mariners and also the winner of the game.
Kaltak is proving to be a danger for the opponents in the set pieces; he already assisted this season after a corner and is being a constant threat in the aeriel duels in Mariners offensive system.
Kaltak and his team next challenge will be this Saturday (7th Jan) against Adelaide United.
Recently, Oceania Football Center reported that New Caledonian top-strikerLues Waya is set to join a 4th-tier French side as reported by local media Foot-NC. The plan for the 21-year-old striker seems to have changed – and for better. Before joining Voltigeurs de Chateaubriant, the striker will trial for the prestigious FC Nantes, a team member of the French Ligue 1, the most important football league of France – the same the stars Lionel Messi, Kyllian Mbappé and Neymar play, but, of course, for the powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain.
Lues Waya (center) playing for AS Tiga Sport – Alain Vartane
The info was confirmed by New Caledonia Football Federation: “Lues Waya accepted the invitation of FC Nantes, the trial will take place from January 2nd to 15th January. This trial is part of the ELITE EXCELLENCE PROJECT set up by the Caledonian Football Federation and the links forged with the professional club FC Nantes“, stated the FCF in its website.
Waya, a 21-year-old striker of Tiga Sport, already has international experience playing for his country and finished the last two seasons as the top-scorer of the Super Ligue in New Caledonia.
Last week the Ni-Vanuatu football star Brian Kaltak displayed a great performance in his team win over Newcastle Jets. Kaltak helped the Mariners to grab all points from the clash winning by 3-0 – goals scored by the Brazilian Marco Túlio, the Australian international Jason Cummings and the French Beni N’Kololo from the penalty spot.
Brian Kaltak is enjoying a very consistent season in Australia – A-League Media
In the match, the former Auckland City man cleared off the line with his head a shot that should have hitted the nets. The defender was highly praised due his bravery to defend Mariners’ goal. The Ni-Vanuatu international still had time to participe in Jason Cummings’ goal as he started the play that ended up in one more goal for his side. Both actions you can watch below:
Oceania Football Center 