The ultimate away day – Easter Island and CF Rapa Nui

Words Sam Goffin

Planet Earth’s most remote civilisation, and thus the world’s most isolated football team, are hunting for fixtures.

Despite housing a population so small it could fit in Kenilworth Road, with seats to spare, Easter Island and its national team CF Rapa Nui are fiercely proud of their footballing heritage and yearning to expand their horizons within the beautiful game.  

Situated 2,200 miles west of Chile - its territorial home - and 1,200 miles east of Polynesian neighbours Pitcain Island, Easter Island is a far-flung frontier of an increasingly overcrowded world. It stands as an enigmatic destination for travellers, anthropologists, historians and hopefully in the future, with a bit of luck, football fans.

The festive nature of the name ‘Easter’ Island (Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua) was coined by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, the first European visitor to set foot on the Island, on Easter Sunday in 1722. Roggeveen and his crew of Dutch sailors, comprising 223 men across three ships, were awestruck by the “remarkable, tall, stone figures”, now known to be the monolithic Moai statues – colloquially referred to as the ‘Easter Island Heads’.

Devastatingly, the visit of the Dutch ended in a firefight between sailors and natives, with the altercation arising from a tragic misunderstanding between the two groups. The Dutch left soon after, and the ensuing years saw Spanish, British and French explorers undertake the death-defying oceanic odyssey and successfully navigate to this distant nook of the world throughout the late 1700s.

Since then, the inhabitants have faced persecution from Peruvian slavers, uncontrollable fluctuations in population, savage outbreaks of disease and environmental destruction. Following its eventual annexation to Chile in 1888, Indigenous rights groups strive to protect the rights and equality of the people of Rapa Nui and ensure their culture is both respected and nurtured in equal measure.

The arrival of Roggeveen may have ended in disaster, but fast forward to 1980 and the appearance of the BAE Guayas, an Ecuadorian ship, created a different opportunity. Instead of ending in bloodshed, this visit ended in a football match – one in which Rapa Nui won 4-1. Later that year, Rapa Nui crossed the white line again, this time against the crew of Gloria, a Colombian vessel. The winning streak against their seafaring opposition continued, with Rapa Nui claiming a 3-1 victory.

Sadly, the unbeaten run was ended by the crew of the Buque Esculea Esmerelda, a Spanish-built training ship of the Chilean navy, who inflicted six consecutive defeats on the Islanders. However, the results were largely superfluous to the people of Rapa Nui since the true victory was being able to compete in these ‘international’ fixtures.

Only football fans with hearts of stone can fail to see the romantic side to a team so remote, and so eager to take to the field, that their only viable competitors are that of weary sailors, fatigued by weeks traversing the vast and unforgiving Pacific Ocean.

Given its lonesome location, CF Rapa Nui’s fixtures remained few and far between from 1989 to 2000, with their footballing activity being restricted to competing in the National Amateur Championships in Linares in ‘89 and defeating the Juan Fernadez Islands 5-3 and 16-0, in ‘96 and 2000 respectively.

It’s likely that the fixtures against the Juan Fernadez Islands represent the ‘international’ clash in which the two sides have the smallest ever pool of players to pick from – the Juan Fernandez Islands housed less than 1,000 inhabitants at the time, in contrast to Easter Island’s comparatively enormous 6,000.

Discovered in 1574 by the Spanish explorer of the same name, The Archipiélago Juan Fernández are a slightly less remote Chilean territory than Easter Island, located 362 nautical miles east of Chile. Most notable of the three volcanic islands which comprise the municipality is Robinson Crusoe Island, with the name based on the famous novel by Daniel Defoe.

The tale is thought to be inspired by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a maverick Scottish sailor who spent over four years marooned on the Island after declaring the Cinque Ports ship as ‘leaky’ and voluntarily disembarking, armed with a few essential tools and a giant chip on his shoulder.

The Juan Fernandez Islands intriguingly have no further, easily accessible records of fixtures and appear to have not competed since the year 2000. Perhaps the stewardship of a stubborn and steadfast Scot is exactly what they need to steer their footballing ship nowadays.

Anyway, back to Easter Island. Notwithstanding the lack of available fixtures, the spirit forged from living so far off the beaten track means quitting is not an option for the remarkable folk of Rapa Nui, be it in terms of football, fishing, fighting for independence or any other tenet they hold dear.

 Investment in youth academies and attempts to promote the game finally came to fruition in 2009, when the Island hosted professional outfit Colo Colo, dubbed the ‘Manchester United of Chile’ in the first round of the Chilean Cup - their first ever official ‘competitive’ fixture.

The match attracted global interest, with FIFA heralding the event as the ‘match of the century’. A carnival atmosphere enveloped the occasion, which was preceded by a Haka-esque Polynesian war dance and played on a bumpy, uneven pitch in full face of the blustery winds, ripping off the Pacific Ocean and whistling around the 3,000 fans crammed into the 1,000 capacity Estadio de Hanga Roa.

Miguel Ángel Gamboa, former Chilean striker who represented the nation at the 1982 World Cup, was charged with holistically preparing the Islanders for the task. His approach ranged from drilling the players in the basics of heading, tackling and shooting while also devising a formation capable of battling a well-drilled, professional unit in Colo Colo. Gamboa fired-up the Islanders by promising his players “wouldn’t give in without a fight”, and the fans responded accordingly with rousing support from the first whistle onwards.

Nevertheless, Colo Colo proved too strong for the hosts, who found themselves 2-0 down at half-time following a goalkeeping error and a strike from former Paraguayan international forward Cristian Bogado. Some second-half controversy ensued when CF Rapa Nui forward Jovino Tuki had a goal disallowed for handball, before Bogado bagged his brace and Phillip Aras netted to top of a 4-0 victory for Los Albos despite a spirited and full-blooded display from the hosts.

Irrespective of the result, this was a special, precious corner of time to be present in for all those involved, both playing and spectating.

Legends often fall in the making, and the combative performance galvanised those involved with football on the Island to continue championing the cause. This culminated in triumph at the inaugural National Soccer Championship of Native Peoples in Chile in 2012. This landmark tournament, organised by CSANF (the Regional Body for Non-FIFA Football in South America), comprised five teams, each representing a separate indigenous population within the region.

Both Rapa Nui and Mapuche (an area spanning south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina and housing mainly indigenous inhabitants) were undefeated throughout the tournament, with Mapuche recording three wins and Rapa Nui two wins and a draw. The pair still couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes in the decider, with Rapa Nui eventually winning the penalty shootout 4-2, following a 2-2 draw in normal time, and claiming a hard-fought victory in the watershed event.

In each of the ensuing tournaments Rapa Nui finished third; new addition Huilliche lifted the trophy in 2013 before Mapuche claimed a well-deserved victory in the third and final edition of the tournament in 2015.

Growing awareness and appreciation of football on the Island, and tournament success, led to National Sports Institute (IND) and the Glosa Insular of the Regional Government of Valparaiso investing a princely sum of around 600 million pesos into the Estadio de Hanga Roa in 2014. This unexpected development resulted in new changing rooms, seating, lighting, and an increased capacity of up to 3,000; with the crowning stroke being the attendance of Pelé as guest of honour at the opening ceremony.

Sadly, the third-place finish in the 2015 National Soccer Championship of Native Peoples represented the last truly competitive action of CF Rapa Nui. In recent times, the Islanders have attended more casual, invitational kickabouts such as playing at the Heiva festival of Polynesian culture in 2018 and 2019.

Mapuche have been comparatively active in recent years, with numerous friendlies against semi-professional Chilean outfits and a quasi-victory in the 2022 CONIFA South America Football Cup, following São Paulo FAD’s inability to physically reach the final due to icy roads. Unusually, an official winner of this inaugural event was never crowned, and the fixture never rearranged.

The reason for CF Rapa Nui not competing at this tournament - designed for ‘states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA’ – remains unclear. However, given their eagerness for fixtures, it would appear the invitation was not extended far enough across the Pacific.

In modern times, football on Easter Island amounts to three competitions: an ‘open’ category for players of all ages, a ‘senior’ league for players of 35 and over and a ‘super senior league’ for players aged 50 and over.

Local side Haro Repa FC have asserted dominance in recent times, following victory in the Torneo Apertura in July. However, the pendulum of power tips often, due to all seven teams being close in ability and, given the size of the population, acutely aware of each other’s tactics and playing styles.

Regardless of the inactivity of the national team, Carlos Diaz Inostroza, Soccer Coordinator of the Sport Corporation of Rapa Nui believes football unifies the Island, through promoting strong community values and generating positive mental and physical benefits to the inhabitants.

Advancement of the youth setup is of paramount importance. There are four workshops for children, each running multiple sessions per week and catering for those aged 6 to 15, with the most notable being run by Club Deportivo Universidad Católica; a Chilean professional team who are striving to establish a comprehensive, licensed academy involving the Island.

Easter Island is continuing its quest to rejoin Chile’s National Amateur Football Association (ANFA), with sights on reliving that beautiful day in 2009 via inclusion in the Chilean Cup for a second time. For now, CF Rapa Nui are in a state of semi-disbandment amid a lack of invitations. This seems plain wrong, especially given the level of connectivity in the modern world.

When asked who his ideal opponent would be, Carlos mentioned the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid. Can you truly call yourself a football fan if you can honestly say you wouldn’t wish to see the likes of Erling Haaland or Vinicius Junior playing beneath the shadows of the Moai statues? One thing is for certain – these teams wouldn’t be travelling by boat.

It’s a burdensome task, but Carlos and his team have the highest of footballing ambitions for Easter Island. CF Rapa Nui are ready to compete any time, any place, anywhere, and their steadfastness to survive and thrive in such a remote location means any opposition will be greeted both with open arms, followed by an uncompromising 90 minutes at the Estadio de Hanga Roa!

With special thanks to Carlos Diaz Inostroza and Daniela Fingerhuth, both of Rapa Nui’s municipal Sports Corporation. They have shown unbelievable generosity and willingness to donate priceless time to someone over 8,000 miles away and with nearly as many questions.