Soccer players to fight for spots

ELITE players will have to perform to earn their spots in the PNG men’s soccer squad for the 2011 Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia.
The PNG Football Association (PNGFA) executive committee members in their meeting recently rejected the proposal for home-and-away selection trials between PNG Black and PNG Gold and opted to stick to one train-on squad.
PNGFA vice-president John Kapi-Natto who pushed for proposed home-and-away selection trials, said the players would have to maintain their fitness level and form to make the final side.
Though disappointed for not mastering the numbers from his fellow committee members, he had proposed the trials to give the opportunity for players to go players to go into camp before making the final team.
“We have a lot of good players and by staging only one training squad would be unfair to other players.
“However, it is now a majority decision and I will only support for the best interest of soccer,” Kapi-Natto said.
He added that the PNGFA five-man selection panel would be announced after Round One of the Telikom National Soccer League (NSL) matches was completed.
The selection panel would include the newly-appointed men’s coach of CMSS Tigers Joo-wan Jung.
“We have to appoint other selectors to assist Joo-wan as he will have difficulties knowing players,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kapi-Natto apologised to the football family of NSL for some misunderstanding of the mid-week clash.
However, he said both matches were confirmed for next Wednesday in the respective venues of Lae and Madang.