On 23 October 2021, the national football teams of West Papua and Katanga will meet each other on the football field to test their skills, endurance and team spirit in an international match. The match will be played on the main field of Quick in The Hague, the Netherlands on Saturday 23 October 2021 at 14.00. Prior to the match there will be a conference on the topic of football diplomacy. The numerous speakers will debate their experiences with sports events for minorities and underrepresented nations and States. The conference will be held at the Thomas Schwenckestraat 28 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The program of the conference will be published soon.
West Papua is a nation in the Asia-Pacific region while Katanga is a Central-African nation.
West Papua forms the western part of the island of New Guinea. It has an area of 420-thousand km2 and a population of close to four million people. The abundant natural resources make it a hotspot for economic activity and even greater potential. The territory is home to the Papuans who have lived on their ancestral lands for millennia and who strive for greater self-determination and recognition of their human rights. The national football team was established in 2017 and became of member of CONIFA in 2019. It has played numerous international matches against nations like East Turkestan, Tamil Eelam, Southern Cameroons and Kurdistan.
Katanga is a territory in Central-Africa which was a fully independent state from 1960 until 1963. It is a region with a volatile, yet proud history and home to more than six million people. It plays a vital role in the global economy due to the extensive mining of rare-earth metals which are used for electronics. The people of Katanga are proud of their history and see it as the foundations for their future. The national football association of Katanga recently joined CONIFA, the international family of national football associations who are not a member of FIFA.
For inquiries about the match contact Jeroen Zandberg at: footballwestpapua@gmail.com or jeroenzandberg@underrepresentedstates.org
