Head coach Wilson August has announced the 12 players he hopes will lead his side to glory and a ticket to Tahiti for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup which is being held in the Pacific for the first time in its history next month.
August is confident that he has selected a strong team to help break free of the runners-up curse that has plagued them in past tournaments, especially following their win over the Solomon Islands in a tournament held in Australia in 2012.
“After we won the Asia Pacific Cup last year in Gold Coast Australia, the players believe they can qualify for the World Cup in Tahiti if they play well,” August says.
Goalkeeper Chikau Mansale says the team has been working diligently towards their goal of victory at the OFC competition.
“We have been training really, really hard. A lot of sacrifices have been made, a lot of practice has gone in,” Mansale says.
“We are just training to have our best performance possible for the tournament. I am the goalkeeper, so my training is a bit different than my teammates.
“In beach soccer the goalkeeper is like a quarterback, if you do not have a good goalkeeper it’s almost impossible for the team to be great,” he says.
“You have to sacrifice your body a lot for the game. It’s a physically taxing game – running, jumping, bicycling, kicking, heading and tackling – all in a short time span.”
Shepherds United midfielder Pascal Chabod says he is looking forward to the support from the Vanuatu people in Noumea when they play.
“You will be seeing a lot of movement up and down the field, so look forward to an exciting game. We are hoping our fans in New Caledonia will come out and support us.”
The OFC Beach Soccer Championship will take place in Noumea at the University of New Caledonia from 31 August to 2 September.
New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will all compete for the chance to join hosts and fellow Oceania team Tahiti at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in September.
Team List:
Chikau Mansale [GK], Altred Malas [GK], Nanua Natou, Daniel Natou, Pascal Chabod, Anto Malapa, Remy Kensi, Robert Thomas, Daniel Michel, Yvong August, Rodney Serveux and Don Mansale
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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