2018 OFC U-16 Championship

The 2018 OFC U-16 Championship was the 18th edition of the OFC U-16/U-17 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the men's under-16/under-17 national teams of Oceania. The qualifying stage was held in Tonga between 14–20 July 2018, and the final tournament was held in the Solomon Islands between 9–22 September 2018.[1]

2018 OFC U-16 Championship
Tournament details
Host countriesQualifying stage:
Tonga
Final tournament:
Solomon Islands
DatesQualifying stage:
14–20 July 2018
Final tournament:
9–22 September 2018
TeamsFinal tournament: 8
Total: 11 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions New Zealand (8th title)
Runners-up Solomon Islands
Third place Tahiti
Fourth place Fiji
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Goals scored100 (4.55 per match)
Attendance48,200 (2,191 per match)
Top scorer(s) Raphael Le'ai
(8 goals)
Best player(s) Raphael Le'ai
Best goalkeeper Alex Paulsen
Fair play award Solomon Islands

Before the last tournament the age limit was reduced by a year to 16 years of age. However the last tournament remained the name U-17 Championship. For this tournament, the name has changed to U-16 Championship. So players who want to participate in the tournament needed to be born on or after 1 January 2002. At an OFC Executive Committee meeting held at its Auckland headquarters in November 2013 the competition format was modified. The competition was brought forward a year and the age limit was lowered to 16 years of age. The changes were made in order to allow the winner of the competition plenty of time for preparation and player development for upcoming World Cups at Under 17 level.[2]

In March 2015, FIFA decided that the OFC gets two slots at every FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cup.[3] So the top two teams of the tournament qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil as the OFC representatives. New Zealand, the defending champions, won the title for the eighth time, and qualified together with runners-up Solomon Islands.

Format

The tournament structure is as follows:[3]

The draw for the tournament was held on 2 February 2018 at the OFC Headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.[4] In both the qualifying stage and the final tournament, the hosts (Tonga and Solomon Islands) were assigned to position A1 in the draw, while the remaining teams were drawn into the other positions without any seeding.[5]

Teams

All 11 FIFA-affiliated national teams from the OFC entered the tournament.

Note: All appearance statistics include those in the qualifying stage (since 2017).

Team Stage Appearance Previous best performance
 FijiFinal tournament
(Group stage)		17thRunners-up (1999)
 New Caledonia11thRunners-up (2003, 2013, 2017)
 New Zealand16thChampions (1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
 Papua New Guinea9thSemi-finals (2017), Fourth place (1986)
 Solomon Islands (hosts)9thRunners-up (1993)
 Tahiti13thRunners-up (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015)
 Vanuatu14thRunners-up (2005)
 American SamoaQualifying stage8thGroup stage (1999, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2015)
 Cook Islands9thGroup stage (1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2015)
 Samoa8thGroup stage (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2015, 2017)
 Tonga (hosts)9thGroup stage (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2015)

Venues

The hosts of the qualifying stage and final tournament were announced by OFC on 31 October 2017.[1]

Squads
Main article: 2018 OFC U-16 Championship squads

Players born on or after 1 January 2002 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team can name a maximum of 20 players.

Qualifying stage

The winner advance to the final tournament (group stage).

All times are local, TOT (UTC+13).[6]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Samoa 3 3 0 0 22 3 +19 9 Final tournament (Group stage)
2  American Samoa 3 1 1 1 8 13 −5 4
3  Tonga (H) 3 0 2 1 2 11 −9 2
4  Cook Islands 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: OFC
(H) Host.
Samoa 3–0 Cook Islands
 Report
Attendance: 200
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)
American Samoa 2–2 Tonga
 Report
  • Tuiono  58'
  • Muavesi  79' (pen.)
Attendance: 300
Referee: Joel Hopken (Vanuatu)
American Samoa 3–10 Samoa
  • Taumua  41' (pen.), 45'
  • Lauvao  70' (pen.)
 Report
  • Saofaiga  3', 8'
  • Tumua Leo  14', 74'
  • Nanumea  22', 44'
  • Mano  77' (pen.)
  • Belcher  90'
  • Filimalae  90', 90+6'
Attendance: 100
Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands)
Tonga 0–0 Cook Islands
Report
Attendance: 200
Referee: Joel Hopken (Vanuatu)
Cook Islands 1–3 American Samoa
  • Mateariki  50' (pen.)
 Report
  • Taumua  31' (pen.)
  • Lauvao  67' (pen.)
  • Leatualevao  86'
Attendance: 150
Referee: Ben Aukwai (Solomon Islands)
Tonga 0–9 Samoa
Report
  • Nanumea  8' (pen.), 30', 37', 45+1', 75'
  • Belcher  22'
  • Saofaiga  23'
  • Filimalae  39'
  • Mano  52'
Attendance: 200
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Waugh (New Zealand)

Group stage

The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals.

All times are local, SBT (UTC+11).[7]

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Solomon Islands (H) 3 3 0 0 15 0 +15 9 Knockout stage
2  New Zealand 3 2 0 1 12 8 +4 6
3  Papua New Guinea 3 1 0 2 8 9 −1 3
4  Vanuatu 3 0 0 3 0 18 −18 0
Source: OFC
(H) Host.
Vanuatu 0–8 New Zealand
Report
  • Verney  9', 24'
  • Wilson  25'
  • Hamilton  37', 45+1'
  • Van Hattum  55' (pen.), 76'
  • Lee  90+3'
Attendance: 700
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)
Papua New Guinea 0–5 Solomon Islands
Report
  • Le'ai  12', 30' (pen.), 41', 90+2'
  • Satu  70'
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Salesh Chand (Fiji)
Papua New Guinea 5–0 Vanuatu
  • Beschel  7', 79'
  • Ila  19'
  • Devi  56'
  • Wadunah  70'
 Report
Attendance: 200
Referee: Sione Mau (American Samoa)
Solomon Islands 5–0 New Zealand
  • Wae  18'
  • Le'ai  41', 85'
  • Kofana  55'
  • Keana  87'
 Report
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)
New Zealand 4–3 Papua New Guinea
  • Hamilton  47', 55'
  • Wilson  48'
  • Old  83'
 Report
  • Beschel  37', 75', 90'
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Salesh Chand (Fiji)
Solomon Islands 5–0 Vanuatu
  • Wae  4'
  • H. Pao  20'
  • Le'ai  47'
  • Mani  53', 64'
 Report
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Sione Lelenga (Tonga)

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tahiti 3 3 0 0 10 2 +8 9 Knockout stage
2  Fiji 3 2 0 1 4 5 −1 6
3  New Caledonia 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
4  Samoa 3 0 1 2 4 9 −5 1
Source: OFC
Samoa 2–3 Fiji
  • Mano  7', 18'
 Report
  • Kumar  45+2'
  • Sela  63', 79' (pen.)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Hamilton Siau (Solomon Islands)
New Caledonia 1–2 Tahiti
  • Matha  76'
 Report
  • Sangue  10'
  • Kaiha  52'
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Cory Mills (New Zealand)
Fiji 0–3 Tahiti
Report
  • Kaiha  36', 56'
  • Gitton  47'
Attendance: 200
Referee: George Time (Solomon Islands)
Samoa 1–1 New Caledonia
 Report
  • Kutran  23'
Attendance: 250
Referee: Joel Hopken (Vanuatu)
Fiji 1–0 New Caledonia
  • Kumar  45'
 Report
Referee: David Yareboinen (Papua New Guinea)
Tahiti 5–1 Samoa
  • Hanere  11'
  • Labaste  45+4' (pen.), 50'
  • Gitton  45+6', 55'
 Report
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Joel Hopken (Vanuatu)

Knockout stage

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
19 September – Honiara
 
 
 Solomon Islands3
 
22 September – Honiara
 
 Fiji1
 
 Solomon Islands0 (4)
 
19 September – Honiara
 
 New Zealand (p)0 (5)
 
 Tahiti1
 
 
 New Zealand4
 
Third place
 
 
22 September – Honiara
 
 
 Fiji1
 
 
 Tahiti2

Semi-finals

Winners qualify for 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Solomon Islands 3–1 Fiji
  • Mani  1', 29'
  • Le'ai  90+1'
 Report
  • Pillay  45+3'
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: David Yareboinen (Papua New Guinea)
Tahiti 1–4 New Zealand
  • Sangue  79'
 Report
  • Van Hattum  2'
  • Hamilton  13', 24'
  • Garbett  82' (pen.)
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: George Time (Solomon Islands)

Third place match
Fiji 1–2 Tahiti
  • Naresh  89'
 Report
  • Gitton  28'
  • Holozet  78'
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Sione Lelenga (Tonga)

Final
Solomon Islands 0–0 New Zealand
Report
Penalties
  • Satu
  • Keana
  • Taebo
  • Mani
  • Le'ai
4–5
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

Winners
 2018 OFC U-16 Championship 

New Zealand
Eighth title

Goalscorers

In the qualifying stage, there were 33 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 5.5 goals per match. In the final tournament, there were 67 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 4.19 goals per match. In total, there were 100 goals scored in 22 matches, for an average of 4.55 goals per match.

8 goals

7 goals

6 goals

  • Henry Hamilton

5 goals

  • Siegfried Beschel

4 goals

  • Gabriel Taumua (in qualifying)
  • Lotial Mano (2 in qualifying)
  • Charles Mani
  • Tehotu Gitton

3 goals

  • Oskar Van Hattum
  • Fetuao Belcher (in qualifying)
  • Kawasaki Saofaiga (in qualifying)
  • Denji Kaiha

2 goals

  • Peter Lauvao (in qualifying)
  • Josaia Sela
  • Ryan Verney
  • Bradley Wilson
  • John Tumua Leo (in qualifying)
  • Javin Wae
  • Ariiura Labaste
  • Tekaki Sangue

1 goal

  • Xavior Leatualevao (in qualifying)
  • Milo Tiatia (in qualifying)
  • Toru Mateariki (in qualifying)
  • Eshan Kumar
  • Nikhi Pillay
  • Rahul Naresh
  • Ruben Kutran
  • Andre Matha
  • Matt Garbett
  • Joseph Lee
  • Benjamin Old
  • Morris Devi
  • Renagi Ila
  • Akaya Wadunah
  • Maxwell Keana
  • Leon Kofana
  • Hamilton Pao
  • Chris Satu
  • Heihau Hanere
  • Tehauarii Holozet
  • Joseph Muavesi (in qualifying)
  • Henry Tuiono (in qualifying)

Awards

The Golden Ball Award is awarded to the most outstanding player of the tournament. The Golden Glove Award is awarded to the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The Golden Boot Award is awarded to the top scorer of the tournament. The Fair Play Award is awarded to the team with the best disciplinary record at the tournament.

Award Recipient
Golden Ball Raphael Le'ai
Golden Glove Alex Paulsen
Golden Boot Raphael Le'ai (8 goals)
Fair Play Award  Solomon Islands

Qualified teams for FIFA U-17 World Cup

The following two teams from OFC qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA U-17 World Cup1
 Solomon Islands19 September 2018[9]0 (debut)
 New Zealand19 September 2018[9]8 (1997, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Age fraud controversy

The Solomon Islands, which originally finished second, were found by the OFC to have deliberately fielded overage player Chris Satu during the tournament and would forfeit all results and their place in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[10] The decision was reviewed under appeal from the Solomon Islands Football Federation.[11] The OFC Executive Committee announced on 3 May 2019 that Solomon Islands would keep their spot for the FIFA U-17 World Cup on the grounds that the federation had not knowingly broken the rules as Satu had a government issued passport showing his eligibility.[12][13]

On 11 December 2019, it was found that Solomon Islands' player Maxwell Keana played in five games with a "false birth certificate and passport to improperly seek eligibility" for the competition. As a result, the Solomon Islands Football Federation was sanctioned and the Oceania Football Confederation banned the Solomon Islands from entering a team in the 2020 OFC U-16 Championship.[14]

Notes
  1. Kick-off of the match between American Samoa and Tonga was delayed from 14:00 to 14:15 due to "unforeseen circumstances".
  2. Kick-off of the match between Samoa and Fiji was delayed from 10:00 to 12:00 due to Samoa's disrupted flight schedule.[8]

References
  1. "OFC Competition calendar set for 2018". Oceania Football Confederation. 31 October 2017.
  2. "OFC Executive meeting outcomes announced". Oceania Football Confederation. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  3. "Competition calendar outlined". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. "Paths laid for OFC youth tournaments". Oceania Football Confederation. 2 February 2018.
  5. "OFC U-19 & U-16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 OFFICIAL DRAW". YouTube. 2 February 2018.
  6. "OFC U-16 CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER 2018 TONGA" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation.
  7. "OFC U-16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 SOLOMON ISLANDS" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation.
  8. "Change to Group B kick-off time". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 September 2018.
  9. "History for Solomons, New Zealand continue run". FIFA.com. 19 September 2018.
  10. "OFC Disciplinary Committee releases decision on eligibilty". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 February 2019.
  11. "OFC Appeal Committee to reconvene". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 April 2019.
  12. "Solomon Islands appeal upheld – They are going to the World Cup". 3 May 2019.
  13. "Solomon Islands player eligibility appeal upheld". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 May 2019.
  14. "Solomon Islands Football Federation and player sanctioned". Oceania Football Confederation. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
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