Charles Teamboueon scores for France in the Olympic quarter-final against Japan on October 20, 1968 in Mexico City. Photo: AFP
Long before Christian Karembeu lifted the football World Cup, two fellow New Caledonians were performing on the world stage with France.
Sadly, neither Charles Teamboueon nor Marc-Kanyan Case won medals of any colour at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico but both made their mark in big ways.
Teamboueon, who was 28, scored three times, while Case - generally known as Kanya - bagged two himself. Both played in all four of France's games.
Striker Teamboueon emerged as a striking force in helping Frégate de Saint-Louis win the New Caledonia Super Ligue in 1965 and 1966.
In December 1966, he was enticed over to France and joined Gazélec Ajaccio, on the island of Corsica, uniting with fellow New Caledonians Moïse Gorendiawé and Case.
The club won the Championnat de France amateur in 1968 and were promoted to the second professional division.
While he had been selected several times to play international games for New Caledonia - including in the final of the 1966 South Pacific Games - because of the dual nationality rule there was no issue in him also representing France.
Case meanwhile began his football career with Olympic of Noumea and played twice for New Caledonia.
The striker/winger made an almost instant impression in Corsica, and was named French amateur player of the year.
The selectors of the Olympic side, which at that time was restricted to amateur players, clearly had an eye on the island as they picked the two New Caledonians for their team.
Mexico 1968
Teamboueon and Case were both chosen to start France's opening game on October 13 at Cuauhtemoc Stadium, Puebla, against little-regarded Guinea, a former French colony.
Despite being held 0-0 at half-time, France ran out 3-1 winners to get their campaign on the right track.
Two days later France shocked the host nation, winning 4-1 in front of 100,000 fanatical supporters at the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The win was largely down to the New Caledonian influence: Case scored the opening goal, Teamboueon notched the second, and Case rounded off the scoring in the 69th minute.
France had one foot in the knockout stage and just needed to avoid a heavy defeat against Colombia, which had lost both games and were already eliminated. France lost 2-1 with Teamboueon scoring in the second half to give France a chance of a result. But they were into the quarter-finals.
That's where they met Japan which were the shock team of the Games so far with a win over Nigeria and draws against Brazil and Spain easing them into the next stage, at the expense of the talented Brazilians.
Marc-Kanyan Case in action against Japan in the 1968 Olympic Games. Photo: Supplied
Alas, it was not France's evening on October 20 at the Azteca, as Japan upset them 3-1. Teamboueon put France on level terms after 32 minutes but it proved fruitless as Japan scored twice in the second half. The Japanese would lose in the semi-finals to eventual gold medallists Hungary.
Case later described his pride at playing at the Games and representing France. He met some of the American athletes such as 200 metres world record beater John Carlos who raised the famous black power fist on the podium alongside Tommie Smith in what became a famous and iconic photograph.
After the Olympics he turned professional and reached the 1972 Coupe de France final with another Corsican side, Bastia.
Tamboueon returned to represent New Caledonia at the 1969 South Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea. This time New Caledonia got the better of Tahiti in the final to win the gold medal, with Teambouean scoring the equaliser.
He finished his career in 1972 after suffering several injuries and operations to the knee.
The striker died in February 2013 aged 73 after a battle with cancer. Case died in January of this year, aged 80.
