Hekari, Strikers to play for spot in Champions League

THE Oceania Football Confederation is still using the same format from 2022 following the Coronavirus pandemic for the men’s Champions League which has seen Hekari United and Port Moresby Strikers qualify for the two-leg playoff, an official says.
PNG Football Association general secretary Gordon Manub said the format will see the top two teams after the normal rounds to meet in a two-match national playoff with PNG’s representative to be determined by goal aggregate.
Despite Lae City Dwellers finishing as runners-up in the 2023 Premier Soccer League season, they are not qualified for the O-League as per OFC’s format for the tournament, Hekari and Strikers qualify having finished first and second on the ladder after the PSL round stage ended.
“This might be the last year OFC uses this format before reverting back to the original format next year where the grand final winner for the national league automatically qualifies for the Champions League,” said Manub.
“That’s one thing that people have haven’t really fully understood is that this format was introduced because of Covid-19.
“So this year, is the last season for the Covid-19 format, where you have the two first and second placed team have a playoff.”
In 2022, the then National Soccer League season didn’t end with the playoff which saw Lae City and Hekari United qualify for the playoff having topped their respective Northern and Southern Conference ladders. City won the playoff and went on to the tournament in Auckland.
Last year, Hekari having defeated City in the playoff in February, qualified for the centralised tournament.
Manub explained that with Hekari and Strikers finishing 1st and 2nd in the 2023 PSL season after completion of the normal rounds, the two teams qualified to meet in the playoff to determine which club represents PNG.
“But this year will be the final one (where this format is used) and whoever wins the PSL season this year should be the one that represents PNG in the next O-League.”