Spreading the football gospel


Compassionate, humanitarian, visionary, football purist, driven. These are just some of the words used by others to describe Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and one of the most influential sports officials in the Pacific region.

Against the odds, he has turned an organisation once rife with internal politics—including a period of turmoil which saw three presidents in a two-year period—into one of respect in the world of football (or soccer as it is more widely known).

In just two years, Temarii has set many new precedents; both personally and in the administration of the game. He became the first Pacific Islander to be elected president in the confederation’s 40-year history in 2004, ending the iron-like grip of Australia and New Zealand.

He was re-elected OFC president in January in a unanimous sign of solidarity from the game’s regional bosses and was rewarded recently when the world body FIFA appointed him a vice-president, the first official from the Oceania region to reach that exclusive status in the executive committee of the world’s biggest sport.

MAN IN A HURRY But perhaps his greatest legacy to date has been how he has endeared himself to so many Pacific peoples outside the footballing fraternity. He is as familiar in Bougainville as he is on the other side of the Pacific in the Cook Islands. Temarii is a man in a hurry, working around the clock to ensure his vision for Oceania is implemented.

He has clocked up a lot of airpoints in his two years on the job criss-crossing the Pacific in an effort to monitor the progress of the island nations, but also using his travels to soak in local information, customs and each nation’s unique set of challenges.

Taking a leaf from FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, a man he has great admiration for and accredits for helping OFC get to the position it is in now, he has worked closely with Oceania’s 12-member nations at local government and non-government level which has helped raise the profile of the confederation and established many new fruitful partnerships.

And his political experience as Tahiti’s (French Polynesia) former Minister for Youth, Sport and Community Life also comes in handy.

His approach to spreading the football gospel has been to treat football as a unifying force, particularly in Melanesian hotspots such as the Solomon Islands where it is the national sport.

And by linking football development with programmes aimed at resolving the region’s myriad of social problems, particularly youth illiteracy, unemployment and public health, he has won many fans, particularly the top brass at FIFA, who have been impressed with the youthful management combination of Temarii, General-Secretary/CEO Tai Nicholas (Cook Islands descent) and deputy General-Secretary, Frederic Guillemont (French), all of whom are still in their thirties.

And let’s not forget, football is in Temarii’s blood. He is a former national player who represented Tahiti (French Polynesia) for over a decade culminating in a gold medal win at the 1995 South Pacific Games. He also spent some time in France playing in the country’s top professional league.

In an exclusive interview with Islands Business, the 39 year-old tells Peter Rees where he hopes to take the game.

Since you were first elected OFC president in 2004, what are some major achievements for the confederation during your two-year reign, on and off the pitch?

“Off the pitch, the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the United Nations and the European Union last November are strong tokens of recognition of the significant position of Oceania football in the national policies for youth, public health and education. Within the logical framework of its strategy of partnership, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) will also sign memorandums with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and UNESCO by the end of 2007.

“On the pitch, the results registered by the national selections of New Zealand (draw with Brazil 0-0) and Solomon Islands (victory against Cameroon 5-2) during the 2006 Women and Beach Soccer World Cups underline the potential of the countries of OFC and gave me confidence for the future. Auckland City, too, had good moments at the FIFA Club World Cup. They battled with bravery and courage and must be applauded for their efforts.

“The reformatted OFC Champions League competition—the O-League—has breathed a new life into the club game in the South Pacific. In the Group B fixture played between Marist FC of the Solomon Islands and Ba FC of Fiji, there were 18,000 fans at Lawson Tama Stadium. This is ten times the number of spectators that attended both the 2005 and 2006 OFC Club Championship in Tahiti and New Zealand combined. The passion and excitement for football exists in our confederation and I anticipate that as the O-League reaches its conclusion that we will continue to see similar sized crowd numbers for the final group fixtures.”

You were elected president during a period of discord but now there is a sense of unity and forward progress never before experienced. In a short timeframe, what has been the key to getting the national associations to tow the FIFA and OFC line and getting rid of the internal politics?

“Today, OFC enjoys a political stability that allows me to implement a reliable programme whose first objective is to enable football to flourish and all its stakeholders to become the driving forces in the sustainable development in our respective countries. This outcome is the fruit of numerous factors from which I will develop two for you:

“Firstly, the youthful and enthusiastic OFC staff which to me is an outstanding team led by General-Secretary Tai Nicholas who, like me, is highly motivated. I am proud of my young dynamic and hardworking team and what they’ve achieved so far. Secondly, the arrival of a new line of leaders in the OFC executive committee who share with me the same vision regarding the need to professionalise the management of our different national and regional structures and put our common future at the core of our different interests and actions. There is no room for individualism in our scheme.”

What’s OFC’s primary focus for 2007, and long-term till the next World Cup in 2010?

“The OFC congress adopted in Marrakech a 12-year plan (2007-2018) called “OFC Vision” which identifies football as a driving force in youth education, economic development, capacity building and promotion of women, public health issues, national identity and international recognition, and community development.

“This strategic plan delineates three (3) phases of four-year programmes with the first one entitled “Win in Oceania with Oceania” starting on July 2007. This first four-year programme comes in 15 areas of interest—all of them of equal importance. Let me just expand here on two areas: The first one is entitled Football for Youth, aimed at children and youth from 6-20 years old as 60% of the population in Oceania are under the age of 20. This demographic is important. Moreover, illiteracy among our children aged 6-16 years is soaring and every one of us should contribute towards fighting against this education disaster. Football is an activity enjoyed by millions of children and we need to use it as a tool to unite and motivate them and, as a necessity, educate them with qualified leaders and educators.

“My second point will be Football for the Elite and from this year we must prove to the world that OFC without Australia has the potential to compete in the long run with the 196 nations of the member associations of FIFA. We have shown that the South Pacific can produce exceptional football talent. Look at what Christian Karembeu, Marama Vahirua, Tim Cahill and Ryan Nelsen have accomplished in world football, each of them with strong roots in this part of the world. The list of South Pacific footballers who have played professionally is extensive, but it is what we do as a collective at the final stages of the major FIFA tournaments that will win us favour. In this regard, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, and Fiji need our support to help them prepare their national selections for their participation in FIFA finals.”

The departure of Australia to the AFC could have meant OFC losing its confederation status or direct entry into FIFA tournaments. Why do you think FIFA has kept faith in the OFC, even granting a position of FIFA vice-presidency, an unprecedented move?

“From the outset, I have supported Frank Lowy and Football Federation Australia in his project to leave OFC and join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The prospects of football development for New Zealand and the islands countries of the Pacific were low considering Australia’s dominance. I believe Australia’s position in OFC was not working for them and gave no real advantage for them. The OFC could provide no real challenge or prepare them for the high standards found in international competitions. Strong of my convictions and supported by President Joseph Sepp Blatter, I obtained an approval from the FIFA Executive Committee for the departure of Australia from OFC and the maintenance of all OFC acquired rights. Being named as FIFA vice-president, it is clear that the quality of work achieved by the OFC executive committee and the OFC staff laid the platform which enabled me to become the first islander to ever hold this position. It is a great honour for me and makes me more motivated to achieve our long-term goals. However, being FIFA vice-president on its own will not be enough to effect change. The key for me is raising the awareness amongst our leaders and educators of the stakes and challenges awaiting us that will not only help drive the confederation forward but the Pacific people. We must work with professionalism and commitment towards these goals but without forgetting the human dimension.”

You have proved popular in promoting social awareness on issues such as education, poverty, health, alongside revamped football development programmes. Why the shift in focus?

“The experience I acquired as Minister for Youth, Sports and Community Life from 1998-2004 in French Polynesia, gives me a keen awareness of the social issues affecting the people of the South Pacific. Moreover, by travelling to countries of the Pacific, I discovered the scope of the difficulties governments and their populations are facing in their every day life in terms of health issues, school dropout rates, drug and alcohol addiction, and unemployment. Since viewing this reality, I have been trying to contribute in a modest manner, personally and on behalf of OFC, to eradicate some of these plights. Football is a universal language which enables the gathering of people through the game. The pleasure they can experience through it should be used to integrate social awareness in all areas, be it through formal or informal discussions and interactions.”

Which of the national associations have you been most impressed in terms of developmental progress?

“I have been particularly pleased by the Solomon Islands with the performance of its national teams and the management of its football federation. Likewise, I was moved during my last journey to PNG when I visited Bougainville and Kimbe and realised how important the work of volunteers is and how, without a vast reserve of money at their disposal, the various leaders have dedicated their life to educate and facilitate growth for our children. It has been a turning point in my personal life. Football is very popular in Bougainville and has been a crucial factor in the reconciliation process. Where football exists, the possibility for peace and hope exists, and Bougainville is a moving of example of how the game of football can make the South Pacific a better place. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the leaders and educators from the 2900 football clubs of OFC who ceaselessly work on a daily basis with our youth. Their commitment is a great example of inter-generational solidarity.”

What position would you like the OFC to be in before your reign ends?

“OFC is privileged to belong to the richest non-governmental international organisation of sport in the world and it has to be worthy of the honour. For this, I would like to make OFC a reliable partner for the governments and the other NGOs and to contribute to the future of our countries by developing numerous initiatives implemented by high quality people. It is my task to bring about these structures along with highly qualified men and women to guarantee to our private or public institutional stakeholders the sustainability of our actions especially in the areas of youth education, promotion of women, adult educational training, and health advocacy.”

Together with Tai Nicholas, FIFA has responded positively to the confederation’s first Pacific-led and a mostly youthful management combination. What qualities has Nicholas brought to the table in the Oceania football revolution?

“As I already mentioned, I am fortunate for the executive team working by my side, under the direction of my general secretary Tai Nicholas. Tai possesses great humanity as well as profound intellectual and professional qualities. Our collaboration is certainly one of the keys to our success. Tai’s commitment to Oceania and the people of the South Pacific is extraordinary and his capacity for listening to people, analyzing their recommendations and criticisms and summarising quickly to strike a conclusion is exceptional. Besides, he is excellently assisted by Frédéric Guillemont, the OFC deputy general secretary, who plays a key role, thanks to his highly valued professional rigour, along with Jim Selby, our technical director whose experience and skills combined with Tai and Frédéric gives a winning chemistry. Since 1999, FIFA has also established in Oceania a Development Office  managed by Glenn Turner, who plays a fundamental role. Glenn is the project manager of the construction of the 9 academies of football in the region. They provide 400 bedrooms to host the best of our 1.6 million players from the 11 members countries of OFC. A massive undertaking for anyone and he has done a great job.”

A lot of recent Oceania initiatives has focused on Melanesian countries where the game is already strong. How does OFC plan to do the same in Polynesian countries such as Tonga, American Samoa, Cook Islands and Samoa where rugby is king and their FIFA ranking continues to drop to new lows?

“If the cultural traditions in Oceania underline the importance of a separate Melanesian and Polynesian cultural identity in football, then since my election as the head of OFC in March 2004, I have banned these two words from our confederation. For me, it implies a kind of ethnic discrimination. Definitely, in this era of globalisation, I am totally convinced that the populations of Oceania must change their mentality and understand that we are one and only one people, the Pacific people. This global and regional approach is the one considered by the rest of the world and it is indeed the one that allows us to keep our status as a Confederation within FIFA. It is, after all, as one people that the Oceania Football Confederation will be judged on the field of play and we must keep this idea at the forefront of our thinking at all times. Regarding the budget allocated by OFC and FIFA to national associations, the financial grants/allocations, until today, were similar and do not vary according to the size and number of inhabitants in the country. For example, the Cook Islands Football Association with its 15,000 inhabitants received on average US$400,000 per year during the last four years—the same amount PNG gets with its 5.5 million inhabitants.

“This system of allocation will be maintained and will take into account the performances registered in both administration and technical areas. Besides, OFC will have at its disposal additional funds that will be used according to the priorities that favour regional interests above the national interests.”
Is the OFC in a much better financial position?

“OFC has a sound and healthy financial state and our budget should increase, comparatively to 2006, by more that 50% in the next four years. This significant increase in the budget will particularly come from “Win in Oceania with Oceania”, a global programme that will give better visibility to our OFC institutional partners like France and those from the private sector on the diversity of our actions and its pertinence and popular impact.

“The European Union should also join us and be part of our kids and youth programmes. The UEFA (Union Européenne de Football Association) chaired by Michel Platini, will become one of our major new partners from this year to the next four years. Finally, Oceania can count on its foremost friend, Joseph Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President.

“His humanist vision of the world and sensibility has led him to propose to the FIFA Executive Committee to dedicate more funds and assistance to Africa, some countries in Asia and Oceania.

“His proposal was unanimously approved in 2005. Considering what he is giving to the developing countries in the world and, in particular, the Pacific, Blatter deserves a specific distinction from the national and regional political class who represents our populations. Without his personal support, the OFC Executive Committee would not have obtained all the tools we are enjoying today.”