By HENRY MORABANG
THE champion club in the 2007 National Soccer League competition will qualify for the O-League preliminary tournament next year.
Under the strict direction from the Papua New Guinea Football Association, the NSL chairman John Kapi Natto said this week that the winner of the competition will advance to O-League.
The winner will be determined among the final four teans.
He said the final top four teams will have the chance to qualify and not necessarily the league champions.
Natto said that the PNGFA would like to see some intensity in the finals four – meaning that all four teams can qualify. In the final four, the top team will play the third placegetter while second placed team take on fourth placed team.
The two winners will qualify for the final while the losers battle it out for the third and the fourth spot placings.
He said also that under the National Soccer League by-laws, the winner must make available its best players to play a charity match against the visiting teams from Far North Queensland, that is, Cairns or Townsville Football Association, or from neighbouring Solomon Islands.
The chairman said the minor premiers will be rewarded with a hefty cash payment as well as their minor premiership trophy.
Natto said NSL will have to look for money to duly compensate the minor premies for their consistency throughout the season to claim the minor title.
Meanwhile, PNGFA and NSL should seriously consider upgrading the refereeing in the country to control high-profile competition such as NSL.
Natto said he wants to see young and former players to take up the whistle.
NSL is prepared to conduct a technical workshop on refereeing in the country.
He said only FIFA badged or PNGFA sanctioned referees are allowed to control the NSL soccer fixtures.