Vanuatu Football Federation President Lambert Maltock still has some unfinished business to attend to after 12 years in the role.
The 63-year-old from Malekula was first elected in 2007 and earlier this week was re-elected to a fourth term that will end in 2024.
Lambert Maltock Photo: OFC via Phototek
A long-standing member of the Oceania Football Confederation's (OFC) Executive Committee, Maltock was elected as OFC President in January this year, following the resignation of David Chung.
He said it made sense for him to also continue his role in Vanuatu.
"The Congress in my team thought it was good for me to continue with the advantage of OFC so that I can continue with the program that is already in place with the addition of the OFC," Maltock said.
In addition to plans for a professional domestic league in Oceania from 2021, Maltock said he was also keen to ensure that Vanuatu qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when Oceania will have direct entry for the first time.
"We planned to qualify for the World Cup. It was seven years later, we qualified for the World Cup for the first time (in the men's Under 20 World Cup in 2017). I suppose those are the achievements that we planned for and wanted to achieve without having any programme so this is why it was something concrete that they had given trust for me to continue."
Vanuatu players thank the crowd during the FIFA Under 20 Men's World Cup in 2017. Photo: Twitter / FIFA
Maltock, who was also a FIFA's Vice-President and member of FIFA's Development Committee, said he was satisfied with what had been achieved in the past 12 years, but he was looking forward to more opportunities being available to the Vanuatu football community in the future.
"There are new programmes coming up like the youth championships, champions league in Vanuatu they have just created. Everything has to get off the ground before I leave."
