2012 Coupe de l'Outre Mer photo gallery

 New Caledonia in training at Clairefontaine, where the Pacific islanders stayed during the latest Coupe de l’Outre Mer along with three other squads: Tahiti, Mayotte and Martinique.

Mayotte and Tahiti players board the bus to Issy-les-Moulineaux on ther outskirts of southern Paris, where the two teams will face each other in the opening round of the 2012 Coupe de l’Outre Mer.

Mayotte and Tahiti players walk out at FC Issy.

The half-time entertainment during the opening round of matches at the home of FC Issy. 

Mayotte’s explosive striker Chamsidine Attoumani from the ESP d’Iloni club leaves the field after his hat-trick destroyed 2012 Oceania Cup winners Tahiti, 3-1.

2010 winners Martinique, who would go on to make the latest final only to lose to Reunion. The same two sides have contested every final of Le Coupe de l’Outre Mer since the biennial tournament was first staged in 2008. 

 Former Real Madrid star and 1998 World Cup Christian Karembeu arrives with lady-friends to watch his native New Caledonia take on holders Martinique. 

An exhausted St Pierre et Miquelon defender with a TV presenter after his team’s 10-0 thumping from Reunion.

 The virtually empty main stand at Red Star’s Stade Baeur in Saint Ouen shortly before Reunion take on St Pierre et Miquelon, a tiny French territory off eastern Canada.

Steve Marlet talks to the media before kick-off at Stade Bauer, where the Former Fulham and France player is now on the coaching staff. Marlet is eligible to play for Martinque, but he turned down an opportunity to come out of retirement and play again.

In the stands at Stade Baeur, the French Guiana squad look on unimpressed as St Pierre et Miquelon struggle to cope with eventual winners Reunion.

A French Guiana player prefers to reads up on his team’s next opponents Guadeloupe rather than watch the preceeding game.

Guadeloupe’s side before their 4-2 win over French Guiana.

Jocelyn Angloma interview on Guadeloupe

In a long career that took in spells at Paris St Germain, Marseille, Torino and Inter Milan, Jocelyn Angloma travelled a long way from his native Abymes in Guadeloupe but never forgot his Caribbean home.

Five years after winning the last of 37 caps for France, he turned his back on Les Bleus and belatedly went on to make another 14 international appearances for Guadeloupe. Despite regularly qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in recent years - and reaching the semi-finals in 2007 - Guadeloupe cannot join FIFA and try to qualify for the World Cup finals due to the island's political status as a French department.

And that should not change according to Angloma, who is now assistant manager to Guadeloupe and recently travelled with a team of locally-based players to the latest edition of the 2012 Coupe de l'Outre Mer in Paris. To hear an interview with Jocelyn Angloma, pictured above at the Guadeloupe squad's hotel at Lisses north of Paris, click here.

French Guiana interview

The latest edition of Le Coupe de l'Outre Mer in Paris was not a huge success for French Guiana (pictured).

The French territory located on the tip of North America had a difficult opening game against Reunion, the Indiean Ocean island that won the inaugaral tournament in 2008. Reunion beat French Guiana 2-0 in Versailles and would go on to win the latest edition of the biannual competition for French colonies.

A member of the Caribbean Football Union but prevented from joining FIFA due to being a department of France, French Guiana had an equally difficult second match against a strong Guadeloupe XI at the Stade Bauer in Saint Ouen.

French Guiana were easily beaten 4-2 by Guadeloupe, before going on to finish their group fixtures with a 11-1 win over the tiny French territory of St Pierre et Miquelon at the Parc des Sports, also in Saint-Ouen.

The tournament did end on a bright note after a 2-1 win over Oceania champions Tahiti in a play-off for fifth place in Clairefontaine, but a campaign that was always going to be difficult for French Guiana was made even more so by their own federation.

French Guiana's manager was forced to watch his side's matches in Paris from the stands after being served with a four match ban by his own federation before flying out of Cayenne to Paris. The ban came after a dispute with another official in a car park after a game back home in Cayenne. 

To hear details of this dispute plus more on football in French Guiana, listen to an interview with the team's manager here.

Kosovo - FIFA 1 UEFA 0

FIFA's decision to impliment goal-line technology despite lack of enthusiasm from UEFA is not the only area where Sepp Blatter has chosen to simply ignore Michel Platini.

On July 4, a delegation of the Football Federation of Kosovo was received at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich by Blatter to discuss how to impliment a decision taken by the world body's executive committee in Budapest to allow Kosovo's national team and clubs to play against existing members of the world body.

The FFK delegation was led by President Fadil Vokrri and composed by 1^st Vice-president Predrag Jovic and General Secretary Eroll Salihu. (see photo: l-r Vokrri, Blatter, Jovic, Salihu)

Platini had insisted that Kosovo would not be allowed to do this until recognised by the United Nations. Since declaring independence in 2008, 91 out of 193 UN members have done so, which was enough for Blatter who this week insisted that the decision taken on May 22 by his ExCo was “irreversible” decision.

UEFA's decision to back Serbia, who oppose Kosovan independence, looks more ridiculous by the week as German DFB has just finished three-week course for coaches in Kosovo, while the Swedish SvFF plans to donate the old stands from Stockholm's Rasunda Stadium, which will close after an August 15 friendly between Sweden and Brazil.

The European Union has also agreed to finance construction of six artificial pitches in Kosovo to be laid next year. Platini and UEFA look increasingly out-of-step and isolated on both this issue and others and their reaction when the FFK announces the first official opponents for Kosovo will be interesting. That decision is expected in September.

The Darfur Debut

This story also appears at InBedWithMaradona.com

The Darfur region is better known for poverty and the murderous Janjeweed militia, who terrorised and drove out many of the indigenous population in in western Sudan in a conflict that began over grazing rights.

What Darfur is not known for is football but that could be about to change. On Monday, a team of Darfur refugees will make the ‘international’ debut in the bi-annual Viva World Cup, which is being staged this year in Kurdistan.

With no games played, how Darfur fares in its first fixture against the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is hard to gauge. Particularly as the TRNC has an established and competitive league whereas the side that American manager Mark Hodson has whittled down from a shortlist of over 60 taken from refugee camps has yet to play a game.

That Darfur United – as the team are known – is even here is an amazing story as the idea for team came from the West Coast of America and i-ACT, a non-profit based in the Los Angeles area.

“We have been traveling to the refugee camps in Eastern Chad since 2005, each time connecting with the refugees through various projects, including soccer,” explains organiser Katie-Jay Scott

“Soccer is one of the few outlets that the Darfuri children and young adults have. Since 2010 we've been bringing sports equipment donated by soccer and volleyball clubs in America to the schools in the refugee camps. Last year we had the opportunity to ask Christian Michelis from the [VWC organisers the] N.F. Board if they would accept a team from Darfur. And, he said yes. That is where Darfur United and its journey began.

“Now we have several soccer clubs, organizations, schools, and individuals involved. Aid Still Required (ASR), also based in the Los Angeles area, has come on board as a partner to help make the trip to VWC, and the long term programs, a reality.”

Although the Kurdish organisers are covering accommodation for 25 members of each of the eight visiting teams to Kurdistan, teams that enter have had to cover their airfare. This has deterred some potential entrants, notably Greenland.

As the Darfur United party prepared to leave Chad, Katie-Jay Scott admits: “We continue our outreach on this front. It's been an amazing feat to raise what has been needed and we still have a little ways to go.”

She continues: “i-ACT and ASR have been fundraising since November 2011 to make this project a reality. It's required 3 trips to the refugee camps: introduction of the idea and establishing a project plan, tryouts, and now finally to pick up the team and take them to Iraqi Kurdistan. We've collected quite a few donations, including our uniforms and cleats [boots] which were all donated by Tracy McGrady, an NBA player. Xara Soccer has also been incredible in providing balls, cones, goalie gear, and training uniforms for the team.

“The project has been fully funded by generations individuals, schools/school clubs, local LA-area businesses, and soccer teams. We've sold Darfur United gear and hosted a large fundraiser here in Manhattan Beach.”

What happens next for Darfur United is the main issue. The TRNC are favourites to qualify form a group that includes a team drawn from the French region of Provence that is coached by former Valenciennes defender Philippe Burgio. Even if Darfur United do not qualify, the team will go on.

Katie-Jay Scott says: “Darfur United will surely continue after VWC. We plan to create an academy-like program that trains these initial players to return home and teach soccer to the kids and young adults in their own camp. There are 12 camps in Eastern Chad and all camps are represented in those attending the VWC plus a few others who were on the roster but unable to travel.

“These young men will continue to be trained by coaches who travel to the refugee camps and in turn share their soccer knowledge with their peers. We also hope to begin a soccer program for young girls, which wil be the first of its kind in the camps. All of this will likely start with a pilot program in Fall 2012 or Spring 2013.

“We also want the team Darfur United, also known as Darfur F.A., to continue to be able to play together and against other teams. Most likely, the next match would be in Chad, against Chad itself, or perhaps against an organized UN Refugee Agency team; not sure of the details or timing of this but we will work to keep the team playing together. 

“Darfur United is really more than just a team. It will not only be turned into a documentary about the team and their individual stories from Darfur to the refugee camps, but it will serve to continue to unite the Darfuris in a time when they are physically and spiritually disconnected because of violence.”

Donate to the Darfur United campaign here.

Kosovo: at last....

After years of obstruction from UEFA and its president Michel Platini, FIFA have over-ruled the European body and approved Kosovo's long-running attempt to play international friendlies. At the bottom of a news release on today's FIFA executive committee meeting a brief statement simply reads: "the Executive Committee has given its approval for FIFA member associations to play friendly matches with the Football Federation of Kosovo in accordance with art. 79 of the FIFA Statutes." 

Although FIFA tentatively allowed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to play a handful of friendlies in the 1970s after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the setting up of the breakaway TRNC, which remains largely unrecognised, the decision to allow Kosovo to play friendlies is of far greater importance.

The TRNC only played a handful of low-key friendlies that did not continue after a declaration of independence, whereas Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 92 other nations including many in western Europe, and FIFA's decision now opens the way for the Kosovars to play matches against the 208 full members of the world body.

UEFA and FIFA have previously agreed that Kosovan players who have switched nationality in order to play at international level, such as Fiorentina's Valon Behrami, who plays for Switzerland, and Lorik Cana of Lazio and Albania, can turn out for a recognised Kosovan team.

Switzerland, in particular, could suffer as Frederic Veseli - signed at the start of 2012 by Manchester United - and Bayern Munich's new signing, Xherdan Shaqiri, are among a number of Swiss players that could switch to Kosovo.

The idea of giving up the chance of reaching a World Cup finals or European championship in order to simply play international friendlies may not initially appeal, but having made this one step, more are likely to follow.

Although FIFA hardly trumpeted the decision, it is a clear snub to both Platini and UEFA, which is also struggling with a controversial attempt to join the international game by a would-be member.

Earlier this year, UEFA was forced to give ground to Gibraltar's long-running attempt to join UEFA - an attempt that has been repeatedly upheld by the game's highest legal body, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UEFA has agreed to put Gibraltar's application to a vote and allow the British colony to stage an international youth tournament. Perhaps the Gibraltarians should invite Kosovo?

Who needs to be in FIFA?

Does the world need FIFA? That’s a question often asked, particularly in recent years, and results from some parts of the globe neglected by FIFA suggest perhaps not always.

At the 2011 Pacific Games, Tuvalu beat one FIFA member in American Samoa and drew with another, the Cook Islands, despite being shunned by the world body, but recent results from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are even better.

When United States attorney Peter Coleman arrived in CNMI - a United States-controlled territory in the North Pacific – a few years ago on work, he tried to find a game for his soccer-made son but there was none to be found. Coleman organised some and ended up founding a national team, which played its first game in 2007 but remains on the outskirts of the international game.

Coleman has since moved on. But the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NIMFA) goes from strength to strength as results from last week’s East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) Under-14s championships in Beijing demonstrate.

A 15-0 thrashing from regional powerhouse Japan and a 9-0 pasting from 2010 World Cup finalists North Korea are not results to dwell on, but others, including a draw with the hosts, were far more impressive.

China - less a regional force on the field but a major commercial one off it and still a one-time World Cup finalist – has a population of 1.3 billion. The population of the 14 islands in the CNMI is officially 44,000. In Beijing, NIMFA’s Under-14s forced an incredible 1-1 draw with the Chinese.

That result was no fluke. Ranked 177 by FIFA, Mongolia could only draw 2-2 draw with the Northern Mariana team, whose nickname is the Blue Ayuyu, the word used in the local Chamarro dialect to describe the Coconut Crab, a local delicacy.

The Blue Ayuyu boys brought two sides to Beijing. The second string lost twice to neighbours Guam – 2-0 and 4-0 – but the first XI went on to record twin wins. Chinese Taipei (Taiwan to most of us) have a FIFA ranking of 169, but were beaten 2-0, while Macau – FIFA ranking 198 – were beaten 1-0.

“I am very pleasantly surprised about the performance and result of our U14 Boys team in Beijing last week,” said NIMFA president Jerry Tan told local newspaperthe Saipan Tribune with some understatement. “Being the newest and smallest FA (football association) of AFC (Asian Football Confederation), two wins and two draws is an amazing result,”

Tan credited twice-yearly youth leagues ran by NIMFA as key to achieving two wins and two draws against FIFA members, all of whom have a considerably larger playing pool and FIFA funding beyond the dreams of anyone in Northern Mariana.

All FIFA members get a minimum of U$D 250,000 per year from the world body’s financial assistance programme. In 2010, FIFA was awash with so much cash that all members got one-off bonus of U$D 300,000. Except it wasn’t a one-off. In 2011, FIFA gave all 208 members another ‘one-off’ bonus of an extra U$D 250,000.

And then there is FIFA’s GOAL programme. Grants go towards projects such as pitches or training centres and are typically U$D 400,000 a go. Guam – a FIFA member since 1996 but also a non-independent country administered by the US – has secured three tranches of GOAL funding worth a total of U$D1.2 million over the past decade.

Helped by neighbours Guam, Northern Mariana joined the East Asian Football Federation, which is a subsidiary of the Asian Football Confederation. NIMFA is also an associate member of the AFC but further progress looks difficult.

In 2010, FIFA set up a Small Nations Working Group and visited some aspiring members, such as Tuvalu and Jersey. Northern Mariana were shunned. A subsequent report ranked potential members in three categories. Independent states were the priority. Places like Northern Mariana were ranked second. The group has since dissolved and its leader, Urs Kluser, left FIFA. His chief cohort, England’s Geoff Thompson, is no longer a FIFA vice president, leaving Northern Mariana only local avenues to explore.

In July, the Northern Mariana senior side will take part in the preliminaries for the 2013 EAFF championship. Their debut in 2008 produced three losses in three games but Guam only edged home 2-0. Tan is hoping for a win to boost his islands credibility at the AFC. As Northern Mariana’s schoolboys showed in Beijing, the size of the playing pool or even recognition by FIFA is no barrier to success.