oceaniafootball.com sat down with the 21-year-old on the eve of his departure to get his thoughts on facing some world-class players in the Swiss league and the preparations of the Tiki Toa for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013.
How do you feel about going to play in Switzerland?
I am very happy to go to a country like Switzerland because I will be playing in a highly-rated league with some of the best beach soccer players in the world.
The Swiss league features reknowned stars such as Bruno Xavier (Brazil), Ramiro Figueiras Amarelle (Spain) and Madjer (Portugal). What will it be like playing alongside them?
It is very exciting and will be a great challenge. I feel confident in my own ability and know I will be able to compete with them. I want to show that we, Tahitians, know how to play beach soccer.
Tahiti will become the first Pacific Islands nation to host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2013. How do you feel about the prospect of playing on home sands?
To host such an important tournament will be great for the country. We will have the chance to play at home in front of our family, friends and supporters. It will provide us with a real source of motivation to realise our objective, which is qualification for the quarter-finals. It would be the first time a team from Tahiti or any of the Pacific Islands has reached that level.
You were part of the Tahiti squad at last year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Italy. How has the team evolved since that tournament, the country’s first ever appearance on beach soccer’s biggest stage?
Participating in an international competition of such a high standard showed us the gap between ourselves and the best beach soccer nations. But our win against Venezuela was a great and important success because it demonstrated that we are able to have a good tournament next year in Tahiti. I think the team has improved a lot since the World Cup in Italy. We now understand and manage the technical requirements of the beach soccer discipline better and work better as a team. I think the players are more confident in their ability.
You have played under player-coach Teva Zaveroni during your time in the Tiki Toa and he will have the assistance of Swiss national team coach Angelo Schirinzi for part of the World Cup build-up. How do you feel about working with Schirinzi and the coaching situation in general?
I have never been coached by Angelo Schirinzi before so that will be interesting. I think Teva Zaveroni is a good coach and he is a real leader on the field. Thanks to Teva and Naea Bennett we have improved a lot. They are our leaders and I am really thankful towards them.
You are also a football player, how do you manage the challenges of taking part in both beach soccer and football?
At the moment I am focusing solely on the beach soccer discipline. I prefer not to think about football too much as I miss it sometimes. So I play FIFA 12 on Playstation to keep in touch with football.
For more on Tahiti football go to www.ftf.pf

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