Football at the 1983 South Pacific Games

Football at the 1983 South Pacific GamesTournament details

Host country| Western Samoa
Dates| 20–30 August
Teams| 11 (from 1 confederation)
Final positions
Champions|  Tahiti (4th title)
Runners-up|  Fiji
Third place|  New Caledonia

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1987 ->

International football competition

Football was contested as part of the programme for the 1983 South Pacific Games which was hosted in Apia, Western Samoa from 5 to 16 September 1983. It was the seventh edition of the men's football tournament at the multi-sport event organised by the Pacific Games Council.

The football tournament began with the first matches of the group stage on 20 August 1983 and ended with the gold medal match on 15 September 1983. The tournament marked the only appearance of the Niue national football team who were eliminated in the group stage after heavily losing both their matches.

The final, which was contested by 1979 finalists Fiji and two-time defending champions Tahiti, was marred by violence after the referee was injured and a Fijian player arrested. Tahiti defeated Fiji 1–0 to win the gold medal. In the bronze medal match, the New Caledonia defeated Papua New Guinea 2–1.

## Background

[edit]

Football had been part of the South Pacific Games programme following the debut of the men's competition at the inaugural 1963 South Pacific Games in Fiji.[1]

New Caledonia and Tahiti held the record for gold medals having won the football tournament three times. Tahiti were the two-time defending champions after defeating Fiji 3–0 in the gold medal match at the 1971 South Pacific Games in Tahiti and New Caledonia 2–1 after extra time in the gold medal match at the 1975 South Pacific Games in Guam.[1]

Niue had never before fielded a football team.[2]

## Format

[edit]

A total of 12 teams were due to take part in the competition. They were drawn into three single round robin groups of four teams. The group winners and runners-up would contest the quarter-finals The three winners of the quarter-finals along with the losing quarter-finalist with the best overall record would contest the semi-finals which would decide the teams contesting the gold and bronze medal matches. After the withdrawal of the Northern Mariana Islands, Group B was contested by just three teams but the rest of the format was unchanged.[3]

## Group stage

[edit]

### Group A

[edit]

Wallis and Futuna won the group to progress to the quarter-finals alongside Western Samoa.[3]

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | GF  | GA  | GD

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Wallis and Futuna | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1
Western Samoa | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1
Tonga | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | –2
American Samoa | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0

20 August 1983

Western Samoa | 3–1|  American Samoa

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

22 August 1983

Western Samoa | 3–3|  Tonga

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

22 August 1983

Wallis and Futuna | 0–3|  American Samoa

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

24 August 1983

Western Samoa | 1–2|  Wallis and Futuna

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

24 August 1983

Tonga | 3–2|  American Samoa

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

26 August 1983

Wallis and Futuna | 3–0|  Tonga

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

### Group B

[edit]

The Northern Mariana Islands withdrew before the start of the competition. Tahiti won the group to progress to the quarter-finals alongside Papua New Guinea.[3]

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | GF  | GA  | GD

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Tahiti | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | +15
Papua New Guinea | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 2 | +18
Niue | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | –33
Northern Mariana Islands | Withdrew

20 August 1983

Tahiti | 14–0|  Niue

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

Northern Mariana Islands | Cancelled|  Papua New Guinea

|
|

|  |

Western Samoa

* * *

22 August 1983

Papua New Guinea | 19–0|  Niue

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

Tahiti | Cancelled|  Northern Mariana Islands

|
|

|  |

Western Samoa

* * *

24 August 1983

Papua New Guinea | 1–2|  Tahiti

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

Niue | Cancelled|  Northern Mariana Islands

|
|

|  |

Western Samoa

### Group C

[edit]

Fiji won the group to progress to the quarter-finals alongside New Caledonia.[3]

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | GF  | GA  | GD

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Fiji | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | +20
New Caledonia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1
Solomon Islands | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | –11
Vanuatu | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | –10

24 August 1983

Fiji | 10–0|  Solomon Islands

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

August 1983

New Caledonia | 6–2|  Vanuatu

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

26 August 1983

Fiji | 6–0|  Vanuatu

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

August 1983

New Caledonia | 1–0|  Solomon Islands

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

August 1983

Fiji | 5–1|  New Caledonia

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

August 1983

Solomon Islands | def.|  Vanuatu

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

## Quarter-finals

[edit]

Tahiti defeated Western Samoa, New Caledonia defeated Wallis and Futuna and Fiji defeated Papua New Guinea in the quarter-finals. Papua New Guinea, as the losing semi-finalist with the best overall record, also advanced to the semi-finals.[3]

26 August 1983

Western Samoa | 0–2|  Tahiti

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

26 August 1983

New Caledonia | 4–0|  Wallis and Futuna

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

August 1983

Papua New Guinea | 0–2|  Fiji

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

## Semi-finals

[edit]

Tahiti defeated Papua New Guinea and Fiji defeated New Caledonia in the semi-finals.[3]

28 August 1983

Tahiti | 6–1|  Papua New Guinea

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

* * *

28 August 1983

Fiji | 3–2|  New Caledonia

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

## Bronze medal match

[edit]

New Caledonia defeated Papua New Guinea to win the bronze medal.[3]

30 August 1983

Papua New Guinea | 1–2|  New Caledonia

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

## Gold medal match

[edit]

The final of the competition, between Fiji and Tahiti, was disrupted by a fight between the players after Tahiti scored a goal in the closing minutes. A referee was injured and a Fijian player was arrested.[4][5] Tahiti defeated Fiji to win the gold medal.[3]

30 August 1983

Fiji | 0–1|  Tahiti

|
|

| [3] |

Western Samoa

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Di Maggio, Roberto; Garin, Erik; Morrison, Neil; Schöggl, Hans (7 December 2023). "(South) Pacific Games and Mini Games". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
2. ^ Courtney, Barrie (26 April 2002). "Niue - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Cruickshank, Mark; Morrison, Neil; Veroeveren, Pieter (17 October 2016). "South Pacific Games 1983 (Western Samoa)". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
4. ^ "Sports Briefs". UPI. 16 September 1983. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
5. ^ "FOOTBALL HISTORY: "1983 South Pacific Games, Henry Dyer remembers", 14 May 2014". Nade Legends Club. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2022.

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Football at the Pacific Games

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