Football: Clean slate for PNG with Rufer By Michael Burgess, NZ Herald, Sun Dec 21, 2014 Wynton Rufer has taken on one of the biggest challenges in Oceania, and possibly world, football. The former All Whites and Bundesliga star has taken charge of a PNG national team notorious for decades of underachievement. He was promoted to the senior side after working with the under-20s. Its a huge challenge. The national team had not played for more than two years when he came on board and PNG will host the Pacific Games next year for the first time since 1969. The potential there is phenomenal, says Rufer. Theyve got fantastic athletes with real ability. And PNG has almost eight million people - a lot more than any other Oceania nation. But its pretty raw talent and what they lack is professional structures and experience. The biggest challenge is converting that potential into performance. Rufer faced his first litmus test in September when the Kapuls faced Singapore, their first competitive match since 2012. A lot was on the line, Rufer says. We needed to show people we could compete, and also give the federation confidence to back us. PNG were one of the Oceania Confederations founding members in 1966, alongside New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, but have struggled to make any impact. While Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomons, New Caledonia and Tahiti have had their moments, PNG have barely figured, beset by organisational and administrative problems and the national team didnt play a competitive match during 2007-11. They have a history of overseas coaching assistance with former Waitakere City coach Steve Cain (2002), Frank Farina (2011-13) and American Mike Keeney (2013) but still languish 199th out of 209 on the Fifa rankings. There is a hope, however, that things are improving. Oceania president David Chung, who is also PNG Football Association president, has overseen the construction of a new multi-million dollar playing and training facility and the semi-professional Papua New Guinea National Soccer League was established in 2006. However, as Rufer admits, there are always plenty of challenges and dramas. PNG has tremendous mineral wealth and other natural resources, but most of the population live in rural villages and have little exposure to the outside world. When I took the under-19 team to New Zealand, half of them got a passport for the first time and about three-quarters were going overseas for the first time, Rufer says. It was a huge culture shock. When we were in Singapore, we went up some of the big skyscrapers and their faces looked like they were going inside a spaceship. Its great to be involved with a national team. Its quite ironic - Ive applied for jobs with the under-17s, under-20s and All Whites in New Zealand and not even got an interview but thats the way it goes. A national team job is a dream job. See full story: nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11377446
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 07:32:03 +0000
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