THERE is no doubt soccer fans in Fiji are being treated to some of the best action from the region in the Fiji Airways OFC Champions League being played at the ANZ Stadium in Suva and Govind Park in Ba.
After two rounds of competition, the road to the knockouts has become a bit clearer with only one Fiji team remaining in the race.
The Men in Black are the country’s only hope in the tournament after debutante Suva bombed out following two successive loses.
The Whites, however, should not be discouraged by the losses but be proud of their effort against two of the region’s best in the pool which they don’t deserve to be in.
Suva, which won the national league last year, is in the same pool as the OFC Champions League defending champs Auckland City (New Zealand) and runner-up Amicale FC (Vanuatu) following an error by Fiji Football in submitting the seeding of the Fijian clubs.
Ba is making good use of an easier pool and as true Fijian soccer fans, everyone should rally behind the side in the remaining rounds of the competition.
Oceania Football Confederation deserves acknowledgment for putting together a tournament of this calibre for the best clubs in the region to fight for a place in the coveted FIFA Club World Cup.
But then, is this enough to show the world our true potential?
Auckland City shocked the soccer fraternity after claiming a bronze medal in last year’s Club World Cup. There is no doubt of the mileage Oceania football must have received from this feat. But what about at the national level?
Is OFC doing enough? The FIFA ranking released on April 9 don’t really concur.
There are 11 nations that fall under OFC and all of them dropped in the latest ranking. New Caledonia, which is the second best ranked nation in Oceania on 143, is the worst mover having lost 23 places in the April ranking. Four Oceania nations are ranked outside 200. Not long ago, we were berating Fiji’s worst ranking of 192. We have now plunged a further four places to 196.
Its not that Oceania can’t become a powerhouse in international soccer as Australia which was one of our own not too long ago now ruling Asia and showing that it can be done. Perhaps it’s time for OFC to develop more competitions for national teams than just the quadrennial OFC Nations Cup.
It might help improve the image of soccer in the region.
