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SoccerWay - The AFC-OFC Challenge Cup
2003 between Iran and New Zealand has been confirmed for Sunday, 12th
October 2003 at the magnificent 100,000 plus capacity Azadi Stadium in
Tehran, kick-off at 1535hrs, local time.
The match was to have been played on a home and away basis back in March
and April, but was postponed due to the conflict in the Middle East
earlier this year. Next month's game will be played on a one-off basis
in Tehran, as was the case in 2001 when the first Cup match was played
between Japan and Australia.
The AFC-OFC Challenge Cup sees the winners of the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup or Asian Games; meet the Oceania Football
Confederation (OFC) Nations Cup champions on a biennial basis.
Iran won the Asian Games in 2002, beating Korea Republic in last year's
event in Busan. New Zealand gained the right to represent the OFC after
beating Australia 1-0 in the final of the OFC Nations Cup in Auckland in
July 2002.
Iran and New Zealand have met just twice in the past. The first was in
1973 when the match ended in a 0-0 draw in Auckland, while the second
was five years later in the Korea Republic, with Iran winning the 1978
President’s Cup match 2-1.
AFC General Secretary Dato’ Peter Velappan, speaking yesterday from
Kuala Lumpur, said that a match of high quality was in store for the
Iranian fans.
“Iran, with its passionate supporters, is in for a treat as
Oceania’s football is on the rise, and New Zealand has some very good
players. We are confident that our team (Iran) will rise to the
challenge and provide an excellent stage for sportsmanship between AFC
and OFC,” he said.
OFC Acting President, Tautulu Roebeck, said today he looked forward to
the match and working more closely with the AFC in the near future.
“The AFC-OFC Challenge Cup provides an excellent opportunity for
exposure to quality international competition which our teams lack and
we hope to expand on this in the coming years,” he said.
The AFC-OFC Challenge Cup was launched in 2001, with an inaugural event
that cemented the strong friendship between the AFC and the OFC. Japan
played host to OFC Nations Cup winners, Australia, at the beautiful
Shizuoka Stadium. Approximately 46,000 home fans were there to see the
Japan national team win 3-0 over a top class Australian side. Fostering
closer relations and providing teams with valuable international
experience, this second edition of the event promises to be as exciting
as the inaugural match. |
