The 2006 OFC Club Championship was the 5th edition of the top-level Oceanic club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the last tournament before it was rebranded as the OFC Champions League. The qualifying round was held at Govind Park in Ba, Fiji, from 6 February until 10 February 2006, with the main competition taking place at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany, New Zealand from 10 May until 21 May 2006.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 February – 21 May 2006 |
| Teams | 11 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Auckland City (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Pirae |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 22 |
| Goals scored | 96 (4.36 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Benjamin Totori 7 goals |
← 2005 2007 → | |
The tournament was the first of its kind to not have a representative from Australia competing, due to the nation's migration to the Asian Football Confederation, meaning the winners of the competition would for the first time be from a nation outside of Australia.
Australia's departure from the OFC meant that qualification for the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup was under question – in March 2006 it was reported that the Oceania champions would have to play a preliminary match against the J. League champions for a place in the main competition. However, later that month, it was announced that FIFA president Sepp Blatter had been unable to get the necessary support for the new format and as a result Oceania retained direct entry to 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. FIFA reviewed the format the following year.[1]
The winner of the tournament was Auckland City of New Zealand, who beat AS Pirae of Tahiti in the final.
Participants
edit
Automatic entrants
Preliminary round entrantsThe following teams entered the competition.
| Association | Team | Qualifying method |
|---|---|---|
| Teams entering the group stage | ||
 New Caledonia
|
AS Magenta | 2004–05 New Caledonia Super Ligue champion |
| New Zealand
|
Auckland City | 2005–06 New Zealand Football Championship grand final champion 2005–06 New Zealand Football Championship regular season premier |
| YoungHeart Manawatu | 2005–06 New Zealand Football Championship regular season runner-up | |
 Papua New Guinea
|
Sobou FC | 2005 Papua New Guinea National Club Championship champion |
| Solomon Islands
|
Makuru FC | 2006 Solomon Islands National Club Championship champion |
| Tahiti
|
AS Pirae | 2004–05 Tahiti Division Fédérale champion |
 Vanuatu
|
Tafea FC | 2005 Vanuatu National Super League champion |
| Teams entering the preliminary round | ||
 American Samoa
|
PanSa[a] | 2005 ASFA Soccer League champion |
 Cook Islands
|
Nikao Sokattak | 2005 Cook Islands Round Cup champion |
 Fiji
|
Nokia Eagles | 2006 Fiji Club Franchise League champion |
 Samoa
|
Tuanaimato Breeze | 2005 Samoa National League champion |
 Tonga
|
Lotoha'apai United | 2005 Tonga Major League champion |
- Notes
Preliminary round
editA preliminary round was held to determine the 8th and final participant in the final. The format was a group stage, with each team playing each other once. The winner of the group would qualify for the main draw.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nokia Eagles
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 7 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | Tuanaimato Breeze
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Lotohaʻapai
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Nikao Sokattak
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Group stage
editThe eight remaining teams were separated into two groups, each team playing the other teams once. The top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals. This First Round was held in Albany, New Zealand.
Group A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland City
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | AS Pirae
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2 | +15 | 6 | |
| 3 | Marist
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sobou
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 21 | −20 | 0 |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YoungHeart Manawatu
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Nokia Eagles
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 | |
| 3 | Tafea
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 | |
| 4 | AS Magenta
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 3 |
Knockout stage
editSemi finals
editThe top two teams from both groups progressed to the semifinals.
| Auckland City | 9–1 | Nokia Eagles |
|---|---|---|
Sykes  37'Seaman 52'Jordan 55'Young 61', 62'Hayne 68'Bunce 84'Little 89', 90'+ |
(Report) | Tiwa 17' |
Third Place Playoff
editFinal
editAuckland City are the 2006 Oceania Club Champions and qualify for the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Maddaford, Terry (31 March 2006). "Soccer: Oceania winner retains direct entry to club champs". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 September 2011.