Vanuatu football clubs Amicale and Tafea FC say the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam has given them added motivation to do well in the upcoming Oceania Champions League.
Tafea's training programmes were interrupted for two weeks while the team had to cancel four warm-up matches in Port Vila and New Caledonia.
Amicale FC have also faced disruptions to their preparations and President Andrew Leong says they hope to put a smile back on the faces of Vanuatu football fans.
"And we're not playing only for Amicale, but they will play for everyone who got affected by Cyclone Pam in the last few weeks. Obviously we were affected mentally, firstly to train and to have our training games with the championship to finish it off and still claim the championship. Amicale has got its own soccer field to train so after four days we were back to normal and now we are just trying to get ready to go on that plane next week to Fiji, Suva".
Amicale will resume their rivalry with defending O-League champions Auckland City in the pool stages while Tafea have been drawn alongside former winners Hekari United from Papua New Guinea.
Sanni Issa playing for Amicale FC against Auckland City during the 2014 Oceania Champions League final. Issa joined Auckland in the off-season. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
