The 30th OFC Ordinary Congress took place in Bangkok Thailand, on the eve of the 74th FIFA Congress.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the delegation saying the process of putting OFC on the global football map will continue with the OFC Professional League.
“This is the process to make Oceania Football a stronghold in the map of global football, that’s what we have to build together with the dream of the OFC Professional League.”
“Beside National team football we need club football, and you know my commitment and my determination to work hand in hand with you to make this OFC Professional League a reality”.
Infantino confirmed his endless support for the Oceania region.
“You can count on me, you can count on everyone at FIFA for whatever you need.”
OFC President Lambert Maltock made an impactful and strong statement around the OFC Professional league being a key high-performance pillar as part of the OFC Strategy.
“A key within the high-performance pillar is the OFC Professional League. This continued to be at the forefront in 2023 and will be the leader of change and inspire a new generation of professional footballers across Oceania”, Maltock said.
“Our beloved dream of professional football will soon become a reality when we launch in 2026”.
President Maltock also reiterated that the utmost importance for OFC, is to qualify two teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2027, and High Performance is not only about what happens on the field.
“I was re-elected OFC President in March last year, and while this is a great honour, there is still so much work to do as a Confederation. To keep fighting, to keep punching above our weight, to keep the fire lit so that we ultimately succeed on the world stage. But success and high performance also means high performance management off the pitch with our Member Associations”.
To continue to foster transparency and visibility under the good governance principle, the Auditors Report and Financial Statement for 2023 was approved by the Congress.
A further commitment to this principle led to the decision of the Congress to amend the OFC Statutes to reflect an expanded number of members and independent members of the OFC Judicial Bodies and Standing Committees.
Maltock closed the Congress with a reminder of OFC’s continued dedication and Commitment to three priorities: Education and Development, High Performance and Good Governance.