Time constraints force PNGFA to cancel Turkey friendly

THE Papua New Guinea Football Association has decided against sending the national women’s football team to play Turkey in a friendly match this month.
According to general secretary Pius Letenge, the decision was made after considering the limited time frame for preparations as well as the Covid-19 protocols.
The association has been in discussion with Fifa since December to have the team compete in the friendly as part of their preparations to qualify for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“If we prepare the women now, we should be travelling this week,” Letenge said.
“But because of Covid-19 restrictions and protocols for testing and isolation, we looked at the time frame and it’s very short to prepare for an international match.”
Letenge said the decision to decline the invite from Fifa had nothing to do with finances but rather the time factor for preparations, especially with the Women’s National League picking up momentum after its revival.
“The competition (WNSL) has not reached the height that we expected but that should not stop us from going, it’s because of short preparations,” he said.
Letenge said it would have been a good opportunity for the team in their preparations for World Cup qualification.
“The Fifa-window tournaments are good because when the windows opens and you take part, the points you score counts to your ranking,” he said. “When another Fifa-window tournament opens (later this year), that’s when we can compete and earn points for the country’s ranking.”
The team are ranked 46 in the Fifa world standings which is their highest ranking in history.
He said there was another window tournament towards the end of the year and he was hopeful for that one.