(Photo Credit:Dean Mouhtaropoulos – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Having played in seven FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups including two finals with the Tiki Toa, the Tahiti captain is one of the most acclaimed athletes in any footballing code in Oceania.
His journey which started back in 2006 with the birth of Beach Soccer in Tahiti, is a tale of resilience, passion and the pursuit of greatness.
Li Fung Kuee’s foray into beach soccer was unexpected. Growing up in Tahiti, like boys on the island, he played football. In 2006 Tahiti played host to the inaugural OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup, on the island of Moorea, a 30-minute ferry ride from Papeete.
“The old coach, Sebastien Labayen, asked me if I was interested in practicing beach soccer. It was new for me, playing football on the sand, so I said okay, why not? Try a new sport.” Li Fung Kuee recalls.
(Photo Credit OFC Media via Ivan Photography |Raimana Li Fung Kuee OFC Beach Soccer Nations Cup 2024)
The early days were tough. Tahiti wasn’t a powerhouse in beach soccer, and the team struggled in their first tournament, finishing third behind the Solomon Islands. The next year the tournament was held in New Zealand and the Tahiti side finished fourth, a tournament again won by the Solomon Islands who made it three wins in a row the following year in Tahiti with Li Fung Kuee’s side finishing third.
Still, the thrill of this new sport and the allure of playing on an international stage was too exciting to pass up. Little did he know that this would lead him to beach soccer’s biggest stages.
The turning point for Tahiti’s beach soccer came in 2011, when Angelo Schirinzi, a Swiss beach soccer guru, took over as coach. Schirinzi brought with him a tactical discipline and a warrior mindset that transformed the team. They claimed their first OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup that year with a 4-3 win over Solomon Islands.
“Schirinzi made us wake up the warriors inside of us,” Raimana said, reflecting on their first trip to Switzerland where they trained rigorously before the 2013 World Cup in Tahiti.
‘Those two or three months in Switzerland allowed us to get to the level that everyone knows now. That’s where the history of Tiki Toa started for me.” Li Fung Kuee added.
That year, the tiny Eastern Pacific nation hosted the prestigious FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup on the Papeete waterfront.
Tahiti stunned the world by reaching the semi-finals, after stunning defending champions Argentina 6-1 in the quarters and sending the nation into a frenzy.
Eventual champions Russia proved a step too far in the semi-finals however with Tahiti losing 5-3 in a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ classic. Despite the defeat, a medal remained possible, Tiki Toa took Brazil to extra time after an incredible 7-all draw, but it was the South Americans that prevailed on penalties. Li Fung Kuee missed his penalty kick in the shootout and it was that moment which would play a part in the best moment of his illustrious career, two years later.
Finishing fourth on the sport’s biggest stage propelled the Tiki Toa into the world spotlight, Tahiti an amateur team with no professional players, was now competing on equal footing with the giants of the sport.
If 2013 was a breakthrough moment, 2015 can be considered the finest moment in Tahiti’s Beach Soccer history when they reached the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final for the first time, in Portugal.
In what Raimana describes as “an unforgettable experience,” Tahiti took down major beach soccer powers, including Russia and Italy, enroute to the final against Portugal. Despite a valiant effort, they lost 5-3.
“It was huge for us, coming from a small island, to play in a FIFA World Cup final against Portugal. It was really exceptional. We lost, with some regrets. I think we could have won that final. But that’s how it is. It’s part of the sport.”
Li Fung Kuee’s favourite memory, however, wasn’t just the games but the warmth of the Portuguese people. “It felt like we were at home,” he said, recalling how the locals, including the Portuguese Football Association President’s son embraced the Tiki Toa with open arms.
That tournament not only solidified Raimana’s legacy but also established Tahiti as a global beach soccer powerhouse.
In 2017 Tahiti represented Oceania at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the Bahamas. No longer an underdog, and carrying added pressure, the Tiki Toa with superstars of the game like Li Fung Kuee, 2015 FIFA Golden Glove Jonathan Torohia and Heiarii Labaste, reached another World Cup final.
“This time we were expected to win,” Raimana said. Once again, they were bested by a stronger opponent, Brazil—but the journey to the final reaffirmed Tahiti’s place among the beach soccer elite
What makes Raimana’s story even more remarkable is the fact that he and his teammates remained amateurs throughout their careers. Unlike footballers who sign lucrative contracts, beach soccer players, especially those from smaller nations, receive little financial reward.
“We never made any money from our performances. We did everything with our hearts,” Raimana emphasised “Our success was driven by passion, not profits.”
2015 World Cup semi-final. “We had beaten defending champions Russia in Group play, it was crazy for us and topping the Group we avoided Brazil, and we beat Iran in the quarter finals. Then we played Italy in the semi-finals, and I scored the winning penalty in the shootout, it made up for my miss in 2013.”
As he nears 40, one would think the end of his playing days are in sight. But he has an eye on leading the Tiki Toa at next year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Seychelles, and one more World Cup after that.
He captained the team at the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup in the Solomon Islands and confirmed his value to the team, receiving the Golden Ball for Player of the tournament.
“My role as a senior player is different now, it’s more of a team role. I’m a bit there to manage, to guide the young ones a little bit.”
Raimana believes the future for the Tiki Toa is bright despite the playing careers of a generation of superstars starting to come to an end.
“It’s a bit like our baby, the Tiki Toa is a team that we built from our sweat, all together with the brothers. We hope, that the Tiki Toa will continue to shine, to continue to play in the World Cup.
Even for the future generations, it’s good that a team like New Zealand, the All Blacks, will continue to make Oceania shine, Tahiti in Beach Soccer is the same, it’s an opportunity for these young people to live a bit of everything we’ve experienced.
“It’s been 13 years now that we’ve played in the World Cup, that we’ve travelled, that we’ve seen a lot of countries, that we’ve met a lot of people, that we’ve become friends with.”
Li Fung Kuee says the game has changed dramatically since he first started playing Beach Soccer 18 years ago.
“It has become more tactical and while acrobatics and skill remain integral, tactical strategies now play a significant role.” Raimana reflected.
“Teams that are less physically dominant can still win by focusing on strategy, positioning, and game control, in contrast to the earlier style of play, which favoured speed and acrobatics, now it’s like a game of chess.”
“So, every movement, every move, every control, every pass, every acrobatic return and every shot is important. And even the goalkeeper, unlike in football, the goalkeeper has a particular role, because he brings the numerical superiority in the game. He participates in the game; he becomes the leader of the team’s game. So, I think it has evolved a lot.”
(Raimana Li Fung Kuee and Charlie Otaimao before the 2024 Beach Soccer OFC Men’s Nations Cup Final: Photo Credit OFC Media via Ivan Photography)
Li Fung Kuee has some advice to Tahiti’s Oceania rivals if they are to consistently challenge the Tiki Toa’s dominance of the sport in the region, and it involves a complete reset.
“Honestly, I think that if they want to progress, the advice I would give them is to work, to work again and again, to really look, to change their mentality.
‘That is to say, really start from scratch, forget everything they’ve learned, start from scratch and really understand the beach soccer, feel the beach soccer. It’s different from football, it’s different from futsal, even if there are some similarities, but to evolve in beach soccer, you have to play beach soccer. It’s really different, even if you may be a very good football player, it doesn’t mean that you’re a very good beach soccer player.
“Don’t stay in your comfort zone, go beyond your limits and make sacrifices, because we did it. That’s why we’ve reached this level today.
“As Angelo has always told us, you have to have fun. Because beach soccer is a pleasure, it’s a pleasure to play with your friends, it’s a pleasure to play beach soccer. These are the keys that will allow the different teams in Oceania to progress.”