OFC
Women’s youth football took centre stage at Paita as the New Caledonian football association’s (FCF) FIFA Goal project was put through its paces by age-group teams from across New Caledonia. The project was opened in a blaze of celebrity as FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and OFC President Reynald Temarii joined FCF President Claude Fournier for the recent Karembeu Jubilee celebrations. FIFA and OFC Ambassador Christian Karembeu said the facility represented a major boost to football across the island territory- The FCF hosted a one-day football promotion at the facility on 23 August – as a precursor to hosting all domestic women’s football competitions at the centre this season. Two seven-a-side age-group tournaments took place: one for U-t 3s, the other for U-16s.
Papua New Guinean champions Hekari Souths United beat Wantok Cup champions Solympics 4-2 and former Solomon Islands 0-League representatives Marist FC 4-1 on their brief tour of the Solomon Islands. Seven out of Hekari’s eight goals were scored by Solomon Islanders now plying their trade with Hekari Souths Utd in Port Moresby.
New Zealand represented the OFC in
both the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments in Beijing and shared similar fortunes. The women earned a 2-2 draw with Japan, before losing 1-0 to Norway and 5-0 to the USA, while the men fought their way to a 1-1 draw in their opening match against hosts China, before falling 5-0 to Brazil and 1 -0 to Belgium. A trio of OFC referees officiated at the Olympic Football Tournaments, namely Mike Hester (New Zealand), Tevita Makasini (Tonga) and Michael Joseph (Vanuatu). The OFC team oversaw the group matches USA v. Netherlands and Korea Republic v. Honduras, with Hester refereeing the matches and Makasini and Joseph working as his assistants.

CONMEBOL
The President of the Bolivian football association, Carlos Chavez Landivar, has announced that the association’s Centre of Excellence will be inaugurated on 21 November in Cochabamba, which is known as “the city of eternal spring” because of its pleasant and temperate climate. The establishment of such a centre has long been a dream of the Bolivian football association and it is being constructed with funding from FIFA’s Goal development programme. Chavez has announced that FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. The new centre will provide training facilities for the various national teams, in particular the youth sides, as well as an ambitious plan to train young players. Cochabamba, home to the football association’s headquarters, is situated at an altitude of 2,570m, has almost 1.5 million inhabitants and, in sporting terms, is neutral territory between arch rivals Santa Cruz and La Paz. The long-standing first-division clubs Jorge Wiistermann and Aurora are both from Cochabamba.
The President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Nicofas Leoz, has announced that the South American Football Museum is to open on 30 January 2009. Joseph S. Blatter will again be in attendance, as will various guests of honour, including a number of footballing legends. The 61st CONMEBOL Ordinary Congress is also to be held on the same day. The museum is attached to a state-of-the-art convention centre. The building, to which finishing touches are currently being applied, is located opposite the CONMEBOL headquarters, on an 11-hectare site acquired by South American football’s governing body.
Edgardo Bauza, coach of Liga de Quito, recently crowned winners of the Copa Libertadores, gave a talk to students at the Ecuadorian football association’s (FEF) Technological Institute. Bauza shared his professional experiences as a player and technical director. The first group of football monitors to graduate from the Technological Institute were to be awarded certificates on completion of level one of their studies at the end of September.

CONCACAF
There were several historic firsts during the preliminary-round matches for the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League in late August. Edwin Aguilar of Panama scored the first goal of the inaugural Champions League in Tauro FC’s 2-0 win over Chivas USA in Panama City. Also on 26 August, Mauricio Castro of Honduras scored the first penalty kick for USA’s New England Revolution in their 2-1 loss to Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago in Macoya. Meanwhile, Javier Orozco of Mexico was credited with the first-ever hat trick in the CONCACAF Champions League as his local club CD SC Cruz Azul defeated Hankook Verdes of Belize 6-0. Other historic feats included the fastest goal ever in the tournament by Edgardo Aguilar of El Salvador, who scored for AD Isidro Metapan just 40 seconds into their 2-2 draw with CD Marathon of Honduras in San Salvador on 27 August. Later that day, goalkeeper William Guadette of USA made the first penalty kick save in history by stopping Costa Rican Windell Gabriel’s 12-yard shot late in the match to give the Puerto Rico Islanders a 1-1 draw against the hosts LD Alajuelense in Alajuela.
Panama travelled to Bolivia for a friendly but lost 1-0 to their hosts at the Estadio Ramon Taguichi in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on 20 August. After a goalless first half, Diego Aroldo Cabrera notched the winner for Bolivia with 12 minutes remaining. Panama are preparing to host the UNCAF Nations Cup, which serves as the Central American qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, early next year.