Hekari in doubt

Sports

HEKARI United’s participation in the Champions League 2017 is in limbo as they await technical clearance from competition manager Chris Kemp and the Oceania Football Confederation.
If Hekari cannot take part because of their status (as per their association’s suspension), they face paying a K56,000 fine.
After his association’s suspension by the Papua New Guinea Football Association last November, Hekari franchise owner John Kapi Natto announced that his club would pull out of the region’s premier club challenge.
Kapi Natto said he was concerned that other clubs would challenge the legality of Hekari United and Lae City Dwellers’ participation in the competition’s technical meeting before the tournament next month. Both Hekari and Dwellers are from the suspended associations — Hekari Soccer Association and Lae Football Association.
He said he had received a letter from OFC secretary-general Tai Nicholas on the possibility of facing a fine of NZ$25,000 (K56,707) for non-attendance in this year’s tournament.
In reply, Kapi Natto sought clarification from Nicholas on the grounds for the fine imposed on his club.
“We need clarification from OFC and Nicholas,” Kapi Natto said.
“If they say that our qualification is from the 2016 tournament, then we will attend because we have been in training for the last two months,” he said.
Kapi Natto said he was awaiting the reply from Nicholas before deciding on the next course of action.
OFC competition manager Kemp referred The National to OFC head of media and communications Jacqueline Tran Van to respond on Hekari United’s status.
“OFC has not received any formal notification that Hekari United has withdrawn from the OFC Champions League and therefore we cannot make any further comment,” Tran Van said.
Hekari is in group A with other teams which include host and the 2016 OFC Champions League semi-finalists AS Magenta, AS Central (Tahiti) and a third qualifier.
Kemp announced the match schedule for the group stage of the competition ahead of the Champions League qualifiers which starts in 11 days.
“The majority of the sides taking part in this year’s competition have been identified,” Kemp explained.
“We are now just counting down to the qualifiers, which are taking place at the end of this month in Tonga, to identify our final two competing clubs.”
The winner of the qualifier, which sets the club champions from Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa and Samoa will see the winner head to New Caledonia’s northern city of Konè, where Group B will be staged.
The group includes host club Hienghène Sport, 2016 finalists Team Wellington and Ba FC.
Group C, in Auckland, New Zealand, pits defending champions Auckland City FC against Lae City, Vanuatu debutants Malampa Revivors and Solomon Islands runners-up Western United.
The fourth and final group will be hosted by AS Tefana in Tahiti with Erakor Golden Star, another Vanuatu club set to make their debut alongside Marist FC and Rewa FC.