NOUMEA – The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Extraordinary Congress has been set for Sunday June 1 2008 at the Hotel Meridien, Noumea, New Caledonia.
OFC President/FIFA Vice-President Reynald Temarii, Federation Caledonienne de Football (FCF) President Claude Fournier, New Caledonia President Harold Martin and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will address OFC delegates from throughout the Oceania region.
The OFC Extraordinary Congress takes place at one of the busiest times in the confederation’s recent history with the OFC Youth Festival scheduled for May 28-31 at Stade Pentecost and Stade Numa Daly, the Christian Karembeu XI vs. France ’98 XI also on Saturday May 31 on the same day the FCF FIFA Goal Project will be inaugurated at Paita.
The OFC Youth Festival will see 20 under 12 football teams from around the Oceania region take part in a football tournament that departs from the traditional format with cultural activities and education a key aspect of the event.
This will be the third edition of the tournament with previous events held in Fiji in 2006 and Papua New Guinea in 2007.
The Christian Karembeu XI vs. France ’98 XI has been sold out for months with news that Zinedine Zidane will make an appearance to help celebrate the career of New Caledonia and Oceania’s most famous football son.
The match takes place at Stade Numa Daly and will feature stars from the French team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil nearly ten years ago.
Karembeu has played a crucial role in the development of football in the Oceania region since he retired from playing in 2005 and has attended a host of FIFA Goal Project inaugurations and Oceania events including the 2007 OFC O-League Final between Ba and Waitakere United, the XIII South Pacific Games – Samoa 2007, the OFC U-12 Festival of Football – Port Moresby 2007 and the launch of the OFC O-League in Auckland back in November 2006.
Karembeu also attended the 2006 Pacific Youth Festival alongside the OFC President Reynald Temarii.
"Playing a match to celebrate my playing career is an honour – but it is even more proud to have this match in New Caledonia amongst so many friends and family.
It is my way of giving something back to New Caledonia and the Oceania region.
I am sure it will be a lot of fun to see my old team-mates again," Karembeu told www.oceaniafootball.com
The FIFA Goal Project Inauguration at Paita will see the realisation of a technical development centre located outside of the territory’s capital city Noumea with artificial playing turf and grandstand facilities.
FCF President Claude Fournier and FIFA Development Officer Patrick Jacquemet will oversee the Inauguration ceremony with giant screens feeding images of the event to thousands of spectators outside the facility.