KEY POINTS:
Calls for Australian match officials to control the first leg of the Oceania Nations Cup in Fiji last Saturday fell on deaf ears.
But there is confidence Tahitian referee Averii Jacques and his assistants will be up to the required standard for Sunday's crucial second leg between Waitakere United and Ba FC at Mt Smart Stadium.
Oceania Football Confederation general secretary Tai Nicholas felt given the importance of the game at Govind Park, it would have been prudent to look to Australia as two of the top Oceania referees, Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) and Rakesh Varman (Fiji), could play no part.
But the Oceania referees committee headed by New Zealand's Ken Wallace rejected that request and appointed Papua New Guinean officials.
Though referee Job Ponis did well, there were real concerns about the standard of his assistants with their efforts coming under scrutiny after disallowing two Waitakere United goals. It was felt that they were not up with the pace.
"The problem is we do not have enough qualified officials of the standard we require," said Nicholas.
"The linesman concerned in that game was new to this level. But in making these appointments, we have to consider the need for neutrality."
O'Leary and Varman are attending a Fifa referees' workshop in Zurich.
In August O'Leary will be on the panel for the under-20 world championships in Canada.
Jacques will be assisted by Teariki Goodwin (Cook Islands) and Jeremie Hoata (Tahiti) with Lencie Fred (Vanuatu) as fourth official for Sunday's game which Waitakere must win to take the O-League and with it a place at Fifa's Club World Cup in Japan in December.
