If you have heard of the Northern Mariana Islands before – a tiny US territory in the Pacific with an estimated population of just under 60,000 – it’s probably for one of two reasons.
Firstly, that is where Julian Assange’s court hearing was held before his return to Australia two years ago.
And secondly, that is also where Roy Keane had his infamous bust-up with then-Ireland coach Mick McCarthy in a training camp before the FIFA World Cup in 2002, in what is widely known as the ‘Saipan incident’ (that’s the name of the capital city), which has now been turned into a feature film entitled Saipan starring Steve Coogan.
Here is a third reason.
Six months ago, the Junior Matildas recorded one of their biggest victories with a 22-0 win over the Northern Mariana Islands – a fairly routine mismatch for both nations, and the sort of unavoidable blowout that happens at international level.
But on Wednesday, that heavy defeat became arguably one of the biggest triumphs in the Northern Mariana Islands’ football history when it emerged that the result had been overturned by the Asian Football Confederation.
The reason? The Junior Matildas – Australia’s under-17s women’s national team – fielded an ineligible player. The history books will now show that the Northern Mariana Islands prevailed in a 3-0 forfeit, with the stroke of a pen delivering them a 25-goal turnaround and their first victory against Australia at any level.
This masthead has chosen not to identify the player involved due to sensitivities around her age, but a source with knowledge of what took place and why she was deemed ineligible, who was not authorised to speak publicly, has shed light on the situation.
After the 22-0 win in Australia’s opening match of the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, held in China, the player in question was taken to hospital due to dehydration – and it was there that a team official learned through a casual conversation with the player’s mother that she had represented another country in the preceding year.
That fact, which is not exactly a secret within the Australian game, had somehow evaded Football Australia. To be fair to them, the player was born in Australia, has lived in Australia her entire life, and holds an Australian passport; there is a suspicion that improper paperwork filed by the other country was the reason why it didn’t pop up during their usual processes, which presented no red flags.
Regardless, the revelation meant that she was not officially cleared to represent Australia, and so she was withdrawn for the remainder of the tournament – and, afterwards, out of an abundance of caution, Football Australia self-reported the error to the AFC.
Because they threw themselves at the AFC’s mercy, the punishment handed down was fairly light: the change in the result did not affect the Junior Matildas’ qualification for the U-17 Asian Cup, which will be held next month, while the fine imposed of US$1000 was effectively a slap on the wrist.
But that shouldn’t stop the party in the Northern Mariana Islands, which is not yet a member of FIFA, and has only been part of the AFC since December 2020. For Football Australia, it’s a timely reminder of how complex dealing with dual-national players can be.
