PNGFA's VISA BLUNDER CONTINUES - Under 17 National Team still in Lae

On Sunday 24th January 2016, the Papua New Guinea National Womens Soccer Team were left with tears strolling down their face as they were stranded with no visa to travel to New Zealand. After losing the opening leg in Lae the day before (Saturday), PNG were forced to pull out of the return match in Auckland because the squad didn't have the required visas for New Zealand.

Papua New Guinea could have face sanctions from FIFA after withdrawing from the Oceania Olympic Women's Football second leg against New Zealand. However, New Zealand went on to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

The likely penalties FIFA would have imposed on the PNGFA could have been PNG’s participation in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments such as the Nations Cup, O-League and the 2016 FIFA U20 World Cup which was hosted in Port Moresby last November.

FIFA vice-president David Chung, the head of PNGFA and the Oceania confederation as usual apologised to the nation and players for the situation which was beyond his control. 

"I have ordered an investigation to this incident and if our officials are at fault, proper disciplinary action will be taken. Until such time, the FIFA disciplinary (committee) is looking into our problems to see if further sanctions will be imposed apart from a fine."

This was not the first time, PNG was banned for a year in 2000 when it pulled out of a FIFA Under-23 qualifier.

The immigration office in New Zealand confirmed receiving visitor visa application for the players and officials, unfortunately teh applictions were not lodged as a group but as individual applications.

Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko called for the resignation of whoever that was responsible for the visa blunder. that was when PNG was also preparing to host the FIFA U20 Womens World Cup in Port Moresby. To my knowledge, no one was sacked and this issue of visa continues into 2017.

Today (Thursday 19th January 2017) the PNG Under 17 National Mens Team should have been in New Zealand getting ready for the Oceania U17 Mens Championship which starts in early February 2017. However delays in getting their visas sorted out as again forced the team to postpone their trip.

The PNG U17 Mens are expected to play a friendly trial game with the New Zealand National Team tomorrow (Friday 20th January) in Auckland. However, with the delay today, they are uncertain whether they will be enough time left to rescheduling the international friendly with New Zealand.

An official from the U17 camp says they will be travelling out to Auckland next week Monday, before their second international friendly match against the Fijian National Team on Tuesday.

It is understood that such delays cannot be a demeaning factor for PNG's National Teams when the country and the people are expecting them to prepare well and perform to the best of their abilities.

As a concerned soccer supporter and follower in PNG, I believe PNGFA will should have learnt from what that happened to the PNG National Womens team and improve on that, other than bringing the greatest game of all into disrepute in PNG.

The Minister for Sports and the PNGFA President should look into the sorting this out t avoid being embarrassed in the region before FIFA steps in to allow disciplinary actions to be taken against soccer in PNG.