BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
SOLOMON Islands national beach soccer team, Bilikiki recently started a five-day theory and practical training at the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sports in Honiara over the weekend for this year’s Oceania FIFA beach soccer World Cup 2023 qualifiers.
The Bilikiki beach soccer team is expected to participate in the Oceania Football Confederation Beach Soccer Nation’s Cup scheduled to be held from 20 – 25 June 2023 in Tahiti to earn a spot at the 12th edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ set from 9 and 19 November 2023 in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The national beach soccer team is yet to announce the final squad for the upcoming tournament in Tahiti. However, a training squad consisting of key potential players kicked off their early preparations at the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sports (SINIS) beach soccer pitch on February 19, 2023.
In a short visit to the country, the former Switzerland Beach soccer coach and FIFA Beach Soccer Expert, and OFC Beach Soccer Trainer, Angelo Schirinzi who supervised the training described to RAW SPORT that he is fascinated to observe a good number of potential beach soccer players in the country.
“I see that the Bilikiki boys are learning fast.
“I was here fifteen years ago with the FIFA course and now I am really surprised by how many good players you have here, they have the technical skills.
“But I also think you need more discipline and training; you need discipline and organized tournaments for them so they can play if they don’t play they cannot improve,’’ he told RAWSPORT.
Angelo Schirinzi said that his mission is organized and supported by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to visit the national football federations in Oceania especially to train national beach soccer teams in preparation for the upcoming beach soccer world cup qualifiers in June this year.
“The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has asked me to visit countries in the Oceania region before the commencement of the Oceania FIFA beach soccer World Cup 2023 qualifiers tournament in June.
“The objective is to visit and support the respective national beach soccer teams in the Oceania region especially to help them prepare, giving them some technical ideas, and so on, so that is my mission.
“I am not only visiting the Solomon Islands; next week I will be in Fiji, then in Tahiti, Tonga, and then I go back to Switzerland,’’ Angelo Schirinzi said.
Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands Futsal & Beach Soccer Development Officer, Dickson Kadau confirmed to RAW SPORTS that after Schirinzi visited the country, they planned to host a beach soccer championship to select a final squad for the upcoming Oceania FIFA beach soccer World Cup 2023 qualifiers tournament in June.
“However, we would depend much on the Solomon Islands Football Federation’s (SIFF) Competition Department to identify the coordinators of beach soccer in the country, then we will host a beach soccer championship.
“The beach soccer championship is expected to kick off as early as possible because of the Oceania FIFA beach soccer World Cup 2023 qualifiers tournament in June.
“We have to quickly organize a championship to select potential players to undergo a trial to prepare a national squad tournament for the upcoming Oceania FIFA beach soccer World Cup 2023 qualifiers tournament in June,’’ Kadau said.
Bilikiki has participated in four FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup competitions since it debuted in 2006. They qualified for the country’s first-ever world cup berth in the FIFA 2006 Beach Soccer World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
