Auckland, Sunday 9 April 2023 – OFC has provided assurance that the Vanuatu U15s team will still be able to participate in the OFC U15 Boys Youth Development Program, despite their delayed arrival. The program is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 11 April.
In an email sent to the participating OFC member countries, Chris Kemp, OFC Competitions Director, acknowledged the situation faced by Team Vanuatu and expressed gratitude to the other teams for their understanding. He emphasized that the circumstances were beyond the control of Vanuatu Football and OFC.
Mr. Kemp confirmed that while the exact arrival date of the Vanuatu team remained uncertain, match schedules would be adjusted accordingly upon their arrival.
The email from Chris Kemp reads as follows:
“To the Participating Associations,
We trust you have all settled into your accommodation and are looking forward to the official welcome tonight and the start of the tournament.
One of the participating teams, Vanuatu, has had their flight departure from Vanuatu cancelled due to mechanical problems with the airline involved. They have been unable to depart Vanuatu, and as of today, there is no certainty on when they will be able to arrive.
As a result, OFC will reorganize the teams into 2 groups of 3 teams each:
Group A:
Solomon Islands
Liechtenstein
Tahiti
Group B:
Tonga
Fiji
Cook Islands
This means there will be 1 match played between 2 of the teams in each group, with the remaining teams in each group playing a “crossover” match on match day.
The new Match Schedule and KO times will be explained during the Match Coordination Meeting this evening.
Should Vanuatu be able to travel later this week, we will adjust the match schedule accordingly.
We thank you for your understanding in this situation, which is beyond the control of Vanuatu Football and the OFC.”
Meanwhile, the national U15s team is being encouraged to remain focused and prepared for potential travel.
“Given the current situation, we may be asked to fly at any time, so please stay focused and be ready to travel,” Coach Emerson Alcantara advised his team.
