BY MATT BROWN
THE prestigious OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup kicks off in Honiara this week with four teams vying to represent Oceania at next year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the Seychelles.
It’s a terrific achievement by the Solomon Islands Football Federation to develop a world class Beach Soccer pitch at the SIFF Academy in Honiara.
OFC’s head of Football Development Paul Toohey is thrilled with what he has seen.
“The fact is a team like the Solomon Islands ‘Bilikiki ‘who have been a fixture in the OFC Beach Soccer scene, finally have a world class facility with which to host a tournament.” Toohey beamed.
“The facility was part of the Pacific Games infrastructure, but this year SIFF have put the finishing touches on it to get it ready for the competition with the ball stop nets, the goals, scoreboard, which will make it a really good international level venue.” Toohey added.
The host nation have six players returning from the side which finished runners-up in last year’s Championship and is coached by James Naka. A core of experienced players like James Do’oro and Max Fa’ari, Allen Farobo, with Albert Bobby also part of a strong squad that will have the support of a passionate football nation behind them, and a vocal home crowd.
The Solomon Islands are joined by the most successful OFC nation at FIFA World Cups in any form of football, defending champions Tahiti who finished runners up at both the 2015 and 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups.
There are three survivors from the 2017 tournament held in the Bahamas and seven players are included from the squad who represented Oceania at this year’s World Cup in Dubai, where Teva Zavarone’s side made the quarter-finals.
The likes of captain Raimana Lu Fung Kuee, Patrick Tepa, Heirauarii Salem, Tamatoa Tetauira, and Gervais Chan Kat have plenty of experience, and the side has some new talent emerging with youngsters 22-year-old Heimaru Terorotua and 21-year-old Flavien Otcenasek in the squad for the first time.
“We are at the dawn of a new era for Tahiti, and it is exciting” Toohey said.
Fiji under the tutelage of Solomon Islander Jerry Sam, a legend on the Futsal court for the ‘Kurukuru’, impressed in their return after a lengthy absence, in finishing third at last year’s OFC Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti where they played a superb semi-final against Tahiti.
The Fijians have a new look side however, although are led by the experienced Tevita Waranaivalu, an international in both Football and Futsal with the likes of Rajneel Singh and Ronish Singh returning.
Completing the quartet of teams are debutants Papua New Guinea who have developed a Beach Soccer facility on Fisherman Island which lies off the coast of Port Moresby.
They will be coached Babob Labong.
The action kicks off on Tuesday with each team playing each other once before the top two teams meet in Saturday’s final and the third and fourth placed teams playing off for third.
