- Wantok Cup
infobox football tournament
current =September 2008 Wantok Cup
founded = 2008
region = westernMelanesia
number of teams = 3
current champions =Solomon Islands
most successful team = Solomon Islands (one win)The Wantok Cup is an international football competition between the national teams of three
Melanesia n countries:Papua New Guinea ,Solomon Islands andVanuatu . The Cup has been confirmed as a thrice-a-year competition, to be held in July (twice) and September (once), as part of independence commemoration celebrations in the Solomons, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, respectively. [ [http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofcnewsdetails/wantok-cup-to-become-annual-event "Wantok Cup to become annual event"] , Oceania Football Confederation, July 10, 2008] The inaugural edition of the Cup was held during independence celebrations in the Solomon Islands, from July 3 to July 7, 2008 [ [http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200806/s2276907.htm?tab=sport "Wantok Cup celebrates independence"] , ABC Radio Australia, June 17, 2008] , and was won by the hosts.Eddie Ngava, General Secretary of the Solomon Islands Football Federation, had stated: "We hope this will be the inaugural start of the Wantok Cup when each of the three countries will be having a competition on each of their countries' independence days." [ [http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200806/s2277033.htm?tab=latest "Hopes for Wantok Cup to become regular competition"] , ABC Radio Australia, June 17, 2008]
From the start, the competition was plagued by financial difficulties. Papua New Guinea's team withdrew from the inaugural edition at the last moment, citing financial constraints, and Vanuatu announced that it would be unable to host the second edition of the Cup, for the same reason. Nonetheless, the Wantok Cup is expected to continue, Vanuatu having pledged to host it in July 2009. [ [http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2264&Itemid=26 "Vanuatu delay Wantok Cup"] , "Solomon Star", July 18, 2008]
The Cup has been described by the
Oceania Football Confederation as "a tournament reminiscent of the now defunct Melanesian Cup". [ [http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofcnewsdetails/wantok-cup-honiara-2008-solomon-islands-name-64-man-squad "Wantok Cup Honiara 2008 - Solomon Islands name 64-man squad"] , Oceania Football Confederation, June 19, 2008] Ngava, however, has stated that "these two competitions are not linked in any way". [ [http://www.solomontimes.com/news.aspx?nwID=2011 "Ngava on the New Wantok Cup Competition"] , "Solomon Times", June 27, 2008] [ [http://www.fijilive.com/sports/football/news/2008/07/03/3878.Fijilive "Fiji out of newly formed Wantok Cup"] , FijiLive, July 3, 2008]"Wantok" is a
Tok Pisin andPijin word which comes from the English "one talk", and means people who speak the same language, belong to the same culture, are friends and help one another out. [ [http://www.oceanie.org/graphes/wantok.html "Wantok"] , Jean-Marc Philibert,Musée de la civilisation , 2000] The name was chosen so as to emphasise the similarities of thepidgin language s spoken in the three countries - namely Tok Pisin, Pijin andBislama . [ [http://www.solomontimes.com/news.aspx?nwID=2011 "Ngava on the New Wantok Cup Competition"] , "Solomon Times", June 27, 2008]Results
Wins
ummaries
The second edition of the Cup, due to be hosted in Vanuatu in July 2008, was cancelled due to the host's financial difficulties. [ [http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2264&Itemid=26 "Vanuatu delay Wantok Cup"] , "Solomon Star", July 18, 2008]
ee also
*
Papua New Guinea national football team
*Solomon Islands national football team
*Vanuatu national football team
*Junior Wantok Cup Notes and references
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