Kapi Natto makes call

PAPUA New Guinea Football Association president John Kapi Natto is encouraging urban centres to have just one football association each.
He said that during a two-day meeting with football administrators and stakeholders in Wewak, East Sepik, over the weekend.
Kapi Natto said for governance purposes as per Fifa and the Oceania Football Confederation, there must be one body to control football in a province.
“We must understand the reality, Wewak Football Association is not actively involved in running a competition,” he said
“That is when you see separate entities sprouting up to administer their own football activities.”
Kapi Natto said East Sepik Governor Allan Bird was backing football, but he couldn’t release funding support unless everyone worked as a united body and elect an entity to look after football in the province.
“ESP has huge potential as it has been shown in the past as Wewak United and Manigulai rocked the sporting fields during the Benson and Hedges national club soccer championship days,” he said.
The recent performances by Sepik, who finished the season as semifinalist in the revamped Women National Soccer League, was one such testimony of the potential East Sepik had.
Kapi Natto said Bird urged football administrators to work together so his government could inject funding to help develop football in the province.
Bird said: “I want to support one soccer body once you guys sort out your differences.
“There is a Chinese billionaire who is willing to support football in East Sepik, but football administrators need to get their act together to get the sports up and running.
“I am here willing to help but you guys need to get organised.
“Have one football body, not two or three or district football (bodies).”
He said his only concern was good governance.
“We, Sepik, have a bad track record especially dealing with money in sports and many other activities,” Bird said.
“You people sort it out and comeback to me for support.
“I have allocated K100,000 for soccer and if you guys improve in bringing in more revenue then we might increase the allocation.”
The governor said the onus was on the football administrators or whoever tasked to take control of football.