All White legend takes on PNG challenge

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The National, Monday December 29th, 2014

 Wynton Rufer has taken on one of the biggest challenges in Oceania and possibly world football.

The former All Whites and Bundesliga star has taken charge of a Papua New Guinea national team notorious for decades of underachievement. He was promoted to the senior side after working with the Under-20s.

It’s a huge challenge. The national team had not played for more than two years when he came on board and PNG will host the Pacific Games next year for the third time.

“The potential there is phenomenal,” Rufer said. 

“They’ve got fantastic athletes with real ability. And PNG has almost eight million people – a lot more than any other Oceania nation. 

“But it’s pretty raw talent and what they lack is professional structures and experience. 

“The biggest challenge is converting that potential into performance.”

Rufer faced his first lithmus test in September when the Kapuls faced Singapore, their first competitive match since 2012.

“A lot was on the line. We needed to show people we could compete, and give the federation confidence to back us.”

PNG were down 2-0 after 23 minutes – “I was a bit worried” – but ended with a creditable 2-1 defeat to a team ranked almost 50 places above them. 

Rufer helped arrange their next match against the Philippines, as their coach Thomas Dooley had played in the Bundesliga alongside him.

It was a bigger challenge and they went down 5-0.

“I started with seven new caps which was probably a mistake, but you have to blood players,” Rufer said. 

“We were down 5-0 at halftime. I put on my more experienced players and it was much better in the second half.”

PNG were one of the Oceania Confederation’s founding members in 1966, alongside New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, but have struggled to make any impact while Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomons, New Caledonia and Tahiti have had their moments, PNG have barely figured, beset by organisational and administrative problems and the national team didn’t play a competitive match from 2007-11.

They have a history of overseas coaching assistance with former Waitakere City coach Steve Cain (2002), Frank Farina (2011-13) and American Mike Keeney (2013) but still languish 199th out of 209 on the Fifa rankings.

There is a hope, however, that things are improving. Oceania president David Chung, who is PNG Football Association president, has overseen the construction of a new multi-million dollar playing and training facility and the semi-professional National Soccer League was established in 2006 and has produced Oceania champions Hekari United. – NZ Herald