Soccer carnival organisers set strict player accreditation process

ORGANISERS of this weekend’s Eastern Papua Carnival (EPC) have put in place a strict player accreditation process after a decision not to feature guest players.
Carnival general secretary George Bukoya said the introduction of guest players was used to allow players who did not fully meet accreditation requirements.
“There’s a lot grey areas in this accreditation process so during a meeting, we decided that we will not have guest players this year, unlike last year where we allowed it,” he said.
“Our rules state that you have to be from Milne Bay, be an in-law or be adopted to play in the carnival. We’re going through every player – about 1,800 of them.
“We started on Wednesday and we’re screening every one of them to make sure that they are eligible.
“Anyone who is not eligible, will be referred to their team managers to either be dropped from their team or replaced.”
Bukoya said it was common for teams in past tournaments to field players from neighbouring provinces. However, the increased competition over the years had seen the tournament come down hard on player eligibility.
Meanwhile, Bukoya has warned teams and their supporters to respect the decisions of the match officials.
“To keep our tournament transparent, we’re bringing in independent personnel to officiate our games,” he said.
“Any abusive language or actions towards referees will not be tolerated and we will take action against teams whose players or supporters are found threatening them.”