Clubs asked to respect OFC requirements for O-League

The National Sports

PAPUA New Guinea Football Association president John Kapi Natto has called on National Soccer League club owners to respect the association as a member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
Kapi Natto made the comments after Lae City franchise owner Ian Chow expressed his disappointment regarding the OFC Champions League national playoff format. Kapi Natto said the OFC executive committee made a decision in September to change the competition format and allow only one team from member associations to participate in the tournament, due to the increased number of national leagues in the confederation and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Regardless of our competition format, whether it’s the league or conference format, the top two teams qualify for the national playoff to battle out who takes the berth to join other countries’ representatives to compete in the tournament,” Kapi Natto told The National last night.
“PNGFA does not have any control or say over this, we are doing our best to comply with the directives from OFC.
“Those claiming that we staged this playoff because Hekari United lost the (NSL) grand final is just immature.
“The circular clearly stated that the top two teams will enter the playoff. In our case it’s Lae City the NSL winner and Hekari who were runners-up.
“This is a call from OFC through my office for club managements to respect directives from the region’s football mother body,” said Kapi Natto. The OFC executive committee approved the following dates for each stage of champions league competition to be held in respective countries:

  • QUALIFYING stage: To be played between Feb 1-28;
  • NATIONAL playoff: To be played between Feb 1-28; and,
  • GROUP stage – semifinal and final: To be played between March 15-28.