Papua New Guinea’s Hekari are the first Oceania club from outside Australia or New Zealand to qualify for the Club World Cup following their success in the O-League last season.
The tournament takes place in the United Arab Emirates during December and Hekari have come to Auckland to get some matches against a high standard of opposition under their belts.
They fought out a hard-earned 3-3 draw with the New Zealand U-20 side at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday night and will meet Auckland City at Auckland Grammar School on Saturday at 12pm.
Waitakere United, who Hekari pipped for a place at the FIFA Club World Cup, are also in action on the same day against Fiji’s Ba at Bill McKinlay Park at 2pm.
The two sides met in the 2007 O-League final with Waitakere winning on the away goals rule after the final aggregate was 2-2. Ba lost out to Lautoka for a spot in this season’s O-League but will nonetheless relish the opportunity to avenge their 2007 loss.
Hekari meanwhile wrap up their New Zealand tour with a clash against another ASB Premiership side, Waikato FC, on Monday at Bill McKinlay from 7pm.
Chairman and owner John Kapi Natto says the games will be a good test for his side.
“We are doing all we can to ensure Hekari United have the best preparation on and off the field so we are ready to do Oceania proud when we finish on the road to Abu Dhabi,” Kapi Natto says.
“We’ll enter this tournament as the ultimate underdogs, as Auckland did last year, but we hope to learn from their experiences and test ourselves against the best in the confederation before we depart for Abu Dhabi.”
The 30-strong squad for the upcoming O-League is due to be announced in early October and, with only 23 players able to be named for the FIFA Club World Cup trip, competition to make the final cut will be high.
“The majority of the players are training full-time in Port Moresby preparing for the upcoming season. But the transfer window for the National Soccer League doesn’t close until the end of October so we still have the option of strengthening the squad even after the O-League squad is confirmed.”
Preparations have also included a recent trip to FIFA Headquarters in Zurich by Kapi Natto and team administrator Seamus Marten.
“We discussed the logistics, as well as key topics such as the commercial aspects and what we can do with our partners,” says Kapi Natto.
“We’ve done the hard work on the field to qualify and now we have a better understanding of the hard work that is required off the field in the coming months.”
Saturday 18 September
Hekari United vs. Auckland City
Auckland Grammar School
Kick-off 12pm
Saturday 18 September
Waitakere United vs. Ba
Bill McKinlay Park
Kick-off 2pm
Monday 20 September
Hekari United vs. Waikato FC
Bill McKinlay Park
Kick-off 7pm