OFC News

HONIARA - Solomon Islands beach soccer bosses have opted for experience after naming seventeen players in its train-on squad for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Marseille 2008.

Samson Takayama, Gideon Omokirio, Fred Hale, Eddie Ngaitin, Joe Luwi, Gibson Hosea, John Morgan, Junior Eke, George Kwanai and James Naka form a solid core of players with previous FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup experience.

Naka, in particular, has established a reputation on the world stage as a deadly goalscorer and Bilikiki Boys success will depend largely on whether the diminiutive Kossa FC player can replicate the form he has shown of late in the DJ Graphics Beach Soccer "Road to France" Cup at DC Park on the outskirts of Honiara.

Naka is backed up by two defensive lynchpins in Gideon Omokirio and Samson Takayama both of whom play for the senior international team and Kossa FC in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) O-League.

Joe Luwi - Naka's amiable strike partner for club and country - is another player who has graced the sands of Rio de Janiero more than once and is likely to find himself a crucial source of goals.

Seven were picked from the recent DJ Graphics sponsored competition at the DC Park.

This will be the third time that Solomon Islands has played at a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup following on from appearances in Rio de Janeiro in 2006 and 2007.

Bilikiki team manager Reuben Oimae says training for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Marseille 2008 will take place on Monday evenings from 16H00hrs.

"It is very good that we have a better facility to train at with DC Park. Where we used to train (at AI Park) is not ideal for preparing to play in a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and the Bilikiki Boys owe a lot to the support of DJ Graphics.

DJ Graphics has helped establish a beach soccer venue and local competition that is fast developing in its popularity and this can only be good for this form of football in our country," a Bilikiki Boys team spokesman told www.oceaniafootball.com

DJ Graphics has established a four team local competition called DJ Graphics "Road to France" Cup with potential Bilikiki Boys squad members divided up into teams that play in a league format before finishing off with a play-off series.

 

BILIKIKI BOYS TRAIN-ON SQUAD:

Gideon Omokirio, James Naka, Fred Hale, Samson Takayama, Eddie Ngaitin, George Kwanai, Joe Luwi, Gibson Hosea, John Morgan and Junior Eke. The new players are; Nicholas Muri, Michael Taeman, Henry Padaverana, Hickley Rence, Franco Ne’e, Augustine Anisi, and Gabriel Ramo.

 

HONIARA - As the saying goes – “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” This was witnessed at DC Park on the third and final leg of the Bilikiki Road to France Cup League last Saturday as the Bilikiki Boys prepare for FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Marseille 2008.

The fans at DC Park unanimously agreed that the enthusiasm, skill and excitement amongst all the four teams that took part in the Bilikiki league bodes well for Solomon Islands third trip to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. In one way it was a three against one battle as the reigning champion team for the last two weeks – “The Blues” was collectively bombarded to ensure it will not repeat its weekly triumph. And it did.

The impressive Temotuan Joe Luwi with his raw energy helped his Green team to make a perfect start by beating the Blues in the Pool games and returned for the kill in the final. 

Luwi, a regular Bilikiki international was always confident on the ball and his strong and blistering pace to go beyond defenders never winched as they pressurised Naka’s side for a 4 goals to 3 win.

He also helped set up their winning goal which came from the leg of former Western Turtles striker, Hickley Rence who is now plying his trade alongside the experienced Beach Soccer players in the Bilikiki.

Henry Padaverana, the unknown find in goal keeping from Weather coast assisted Luwi’s onslaught against the Blues by stopping the illusive Naka from getting in more goals.

Padaverana was later awarded the Player of the Day prize; much to the amazement but great delight of Guadalcanal Premier Joash Salani who popped in to join other spectators sample the impressive performances and the beach environment of DC Park.

Naka was tested throughout the pool games and on a few instances was obviously frustrated by the tossing and pulling of his man-markers.

However, they were not enough to deny him the moments of chance. He bagged in 11 goals, two above his own tally last week, to maintain his goal-scoring feat and earn himself another Golden Leg Prize.

Another team, the Greys led by experienced Gideon Omokirio made a bouncing start combining well with another provincial find Nicholas Muri and two experienced nationals in the 11’s code, Batram Suri and George Lui but the short duration of the Beach Soccer game made it awkward for their late strikes.

Batram who came to watch the young boys in Beach decided to try out his skills and experience and looked certain to be hooked into Beach Soccer.

He made some spectacular goals. It was just unfortunate for Grey but they were looking more determined than the rest. They are a team to watch next Saturday.

As for the Yellows, it seems that the Organisers have left it all to goalkeeper Fred Hale to do magic. Filled with young futsal players, who tend to dribble along the surface, they usually lost ball possession well before they had any opportunity to shoot.

Their size and height was a problem against the opposing defenders, and were not able to get up and flick the ball on.

But these young lads look set to develop into remarkable beach soccer players. The Yellows will certainly need one or two experienced players on their side next Saturday.

Bilikiki Road to France Cup and $1,000 cash was proudly sponsored by DJ Graphics Ltd. DC Park which is owned by DJ Graphics Ltd as well is free to the Bilikiki National team’s preparation for the Beach Soccer World Cup in France July this year.

Spectators are welcome to support the Bilikiki League by going up to DC Park each Saturday afternoon. There is a food and drink stall operated by the DC Park Staff with the proceeds getting ploughed back into the administration of the league.

Story courtesy SIFF Media Officer Francis Pituvaka 

HONIARA - The DJ Graphics-sponsored Beach Soccer competition began last Saturday at the newly constructed David Chow Park in Henderson.

Members of the current Solomon Island beach soccer training squad were divided into four teams who competed against each other for the DJ Beach Soccer Challenge Trophy.

The Blue team emerged as champions of the tournament which was watched by a sizeable crowd.

Instrumental in their win was Samson Takayama who led by example in his sides round-robin match’s with a clinical display or classy finishing.

SIFF General Secretary Eddie Ngava says the beach soccer competition at the DC Park is an important step forward for the Bilikiki beach soccer team’s World Cup preparation.

He also thanked DJ Graphics for initiating and sponsoring the competition which will run over the next couple of weeks.

The four teams will be competing again this weekend, and the competition will take a month to complete and will form part of the selection process to identify a trial squad which will travel around the regions.

HONIARA: Preparation for the Solomon Island’s Beach Soccer team – commonly known as “The Bilikiki Boys” has been given a new boost this week by a sponsorship package from popular sports-friendly local company – DJ Graphics Ltd.

Impact Sports Project Manager Nelson Boso who oversees the company’s involvement with football said DJ Graphics is proud to support the Bilikiki Boys.

“We have an indispensable obligation that the late David Chow created and that is to take care of the Bilikikis and to support wherever possible the healthy growth and all round development of the game in the country,” said Boso.

DJ Graphics Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Inca Chow, confirmed her company’s commitment saying they want to make sure Bilikiki compete well in France later this year.

“This means that the team has to be encouraged and supported here at home. DJ Graphics Ltd has been one of the strongest supporters of the Bilikiki right from its humble beginnings to date”, she said. 

The Bilikiki team will undergo an intense internal competition starting this Saturday at DC Park in Henderson. The competition which will last for a month will form part of the selection process to identify a trial squad.

DJ Graphics Ltd amongst other things has agreed to sponsor the trophy and prize money for the internal competition.

Bilikiki team Manager, Mr. Reuben Oimae, expressed his profound gratitude on behalf of SIFF to DJ Graphics Ltd for unselfishly coming forward and assisting in the preparations.

“We have our fundraising plans but we are also open to interested corporate sponsors or individual supporters,” Oimae said. “Therefore we are grateful indeed that DJ Graphics Ltd has made our road to France easier now.”

In appreciating the support of DJ Graphics Ltd, Mr. Boso adds that the development of Beach Soccer has become a global issue with the deepening of football mania claiming more and more attention from the international community.

He says that Solomon Islands should be proud and happy that the Bilikiki team has put the country in the world map.
 
“There could be millions of people who have watched the Solomon Islanders through television in the past two Beach Soccer World Cups. At least many people will now know our small country and also know that we are a football country.”
 
“Indeed it could be said that the common wish of people all over the country is for our national team to do well in the World Cup, but at times our players can be at the mercy of our complacency and there are still many problems and challenges regarding the successful preparation of the national team.”

“This is why we must not just talk about our support in the media but actually do more by digging deeper into our pockets. Bilikiki supporters can watch the teams compete this Saturday at the Henderson DC Park.

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) General Secretary Tai Nicholas has confirmed that the Solomon Islands will represent OFC at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Marseille 2008.

“The change in timing of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup from November to July created significant challenges for OFC which prevented a qualifying event being made possible,” said Nicholas.

“Financial constraints of both OFC and participating Member Associations and other factors outside of OFC’s control created uncertainty over a host venue and the availability of participating teams.

“Currently, there is no international standard beach soccer pitch in the region and domestic competition is marginal across Member Associations.”

As a result the OFC Executive Committee agreed to nominate the Solomon Islands as the OFC representatives for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Marseille 2008.

The Solomon Islands were nominated on the back of two years of strong performances in Beach Soccer.

They were crowned OFC Beach Soccer champions in 2006 and 2007 and have performed creditably at both the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup’s in Rio de Janeiro those same years.

FIFA accepted OFC’s nomination on 7 December 2007, and OFC is now committed to assisting the Solomon Islands with preparing a detailed programme in the build up for the tournament.

It is anticipated an OFC qualification event is planned to determine Oceania’s representatives at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2009.  

Solomon Islands record at finals of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP - RIO DE JANEIRO 2007

First Stage

Match   Date      Time                                                             Results
2       02 Nov – 11:00                       Brazil                     11 : 2             Solomon Islands
11      04 Nov – 12.30                       Solomon Islands        2 : 5             Russia
20      06 Nov – 14.00                       Solomon Islands        3 : 6             Mexico

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP - RIO DE JANEIRO 2006

First Stage

Match   Date                                                                            Results
4       02 Nov                               Solomon Islands            5 : 2            Cameroon
9       07 Nov                               Uruguay                      2 : 5            Solomon Islands
20      06 Nov                               Solomon Islands           2 : 14          Portugal

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIER – NEW ZEALAND -2007

            Date                                                                           Results
07 July                                    Vanuatu                         2-3               Solomon Islands
07 July                                  Solomon Islands                 5-3              Tahiti
08 July                                     Solomon Islands              4-3              New Zealand
 
Final
08 July                                     Solomon Islands              5-3              Vanuatu

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIER – TAHITI - 2006

            Date                                                                     Results
31 August                     Vanuatu                              9-4                     Solomon Islands
01 September              Solomon Islands                      2-1                     Tahiti
02 September              Solomon Islands                     13-0                    Cook Islands
 
Final
03 September              Solomon Islands                        6-2                   Vanuatu

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil have claimed the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Rio de Janeiro 2007 after an 8-2 win over tournament debutants Mexico at the Rio de Janeiro Beach Soccer Arena earlier this week.

The victory placed the performance of Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Beach Soccer champions Solomon Islands into perspective after Brazil and Mexico both qualified for the knock-out stages after sharing a group alongside Russia and the Bilikiki Boys.

Last year Solomon Islands shared a group alongside Portugal, Uruguay and Cameroon with Portugal and Uruguay making it to the last four.

But it was Brazil who were the big winners at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio 2007. The hosts and title holders swept all before them, not only winning the tournament at a canter but also coming away with all of the other trophies on offer. As a result, the award ceremony after the Final turned into a veritable procession of smiling Auriverde.

If the entire Brazilian squad dazzled, one star shone even brighter than the others. Buru was on top form from beginning to end and took home the awards for best player and top scorer. He even had the pleasure of beating the winner of those two accolades last time around - Portugal's Madjer - in the quarter-finals.

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Ball
adidas Golden Ball : Buru (BRA)
adidas Silver Ball : Madjer (POR)
adidas Bronze Ball : Morgan Plata (MEX)

The adidas Golden Ball, chosen by the media and awarded to the tournament's star player, was awarded to Buru of Brazil. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by incredible players, Buru stood out as the new king of the beach. "I am surprised I've won this title," he said. "When you play alongside the likes of Benjamin, Junior Negao, Sidney and Bruno, you expect them to get the award. I'm really touched by this, but the most important thing is the medal that I've got round my neck. We won this as a team."

Portugal's Madjer, the winner of the adidas Golden Ball at the past two FIFA World Cups, finished second in the voting. Even when his team were knocked out by Brazil in the quarter-finals, Madjer was the star of the show, scoring five of Portugal's seven goals. Madjer is capable of coming out with every trick in the book. He can dribble, shoot and has perfected the bicycle kick, but was slightly out of sorts during the group stages.

Morgan Plata, who was third in the voting, was one of the main reasons behind Mexico's excellent showing at the tournament. He came alive in the semi-final, scoring four of his team's five goals to help them into the Final.

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Shoe
adidas Golden Shoe: Buru (BRA)
adidas Silver Shoe: Morgan Plata (MEX)
adidas Bronze Shoe: Bruno (BRA)

Not content with winning the Golden Ball, Buru added the adidas Golden Shoe to his trophy cabinet after finishing the tournament as top scorer. The Brazilian notched a grand total of ten goals, including a hat-trick, three braces and a goal in the Final. Mexico's Plata finished with a runners-up medal and another two awards to take home as a souvenir of his time in Rio. Along with the Bronze Ball, El Tri's leading scorer won the Silver Shoe for his nine goals in the tournament.

The third top scorer was also involved in the Final, with Brazil's Bruno finishing on eight goals and adding the Bronze Shoe to his winners' medal. His brace in the Final drew him level with Madjer, but the Brazilian edged ahead thanks to his two assists.

Some people are never satisfied. Brazil may have won the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the adidas Golden Ball and the adidas Golden Shoe but they still wanted more! So to add to an already bulging trophy cabinet, the defending champions also won the FIFA Fair Play award. Proving that you can play beautiful football and still respect the laws of the game, Alexandre Soares' men were models of fair play through the tournament and follow on from France, who won the award in 2006, and Japan in 2005.

Story courtesy FIFA.com

RIO DE JANEIRO - The day began with Mexico extending their surprise run in Rio with a 5-4 win over Spain.

The Iberians had their noses in front for most of the game, but El Tri kept their composure and turned the match on its head in the final 12 minutes, indebted in the main to Miguel Estrada's unruffled keeping and Ricardo Villalobos' opportunism in front of goal.

Although they are heading home earlier than expected, the youthful Spanish have every reason to be optimistic about the future.

The battle royale between Brazil and Portugal did not disappoint, the two big guns serving up a sizzling 17-goal thriller that kept the packed house on the edge of their seats right through to the closing minutes.

The hosts needed a brilliant Buru hat trick, braces from Andre, Sidney and Daniel and a feline showing from Mao to stave off a Madjer-inspired Portugal side and edge home 10-7.

After an indifferent group phase, Jose Mateus' team will be feeling a little better about themselves as they return home.

Act three of the day saw France, who at one stage of the tournament were just a penalty kick away from going out, eclipse surprise packages Senegal 6-3.

Teamwork was the key to French success, with Stephane Francois scoring two killer goals and Jean-Marie Aubry defiant between the sticks.

Severely hampered by the absence of striker-in-chief Pape Koukpaki, the Senegalese finally bowed out after a marvellous tournament and will surely be back in the future.

It was left to Uruguay and Nigeria to bring the afternoon's action to a close, the South Americans drawing on their wealth of know-how to edge home 3-1 in a tight affair.

The Celeste stayed loyal to their principles by defending compactly, keeping errors to a minimum and pouncing on their opponent's mistakes.

And when the Nigerians did get a sight of goal they found Diego in spellbinding form.

The African challenge may have fizzled out, but like Senegal the Beach Eagles look well capable of becoming tournament regulars.

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP - QUARTER FINAL RESULTS

Spain vs. Mexico 4-5

Brazil vs. Portgual 10-7

Senegal vs. France 3-6

Nigeria vs. Uruguay 1-3

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP - SEMI-FINAL DRAW

November 10, 2007

Mexico vs. Uruguay - kick-off 0930hrs

Brazil vs. France - kick-off 1100hrs

 

 

RIO DE JANEIRO - Suffering was the name of the game as Uruguay eked out a precious 3-2 victory against Japan to earn a place in quarter-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio de Janeiro 2007. Waiting for them there are Nigeria.

Seven seconds were all it took for the South Americans to grab the all-important opening goal courtesy of Parrillo. Not that the early strike settled their nerves, Shusei Yamauchi heightening the Uruguayans' edginess when he levelled the scores.

The first interval came as some relief for Venancio Ramos' side, but when Takashi Arakaki gave the men from the Far East the lead with a somewhat fortuitous finish, the pressure was well and truly on. Captain and goalkeeper Diego kept them in the frame with two magnificent stops, while at the other end Shingo Terukina proved his equal with a brace of fine saves.

The final period saw Uruguay lay siege to the Japanese goal and after two gilt-edged chances went begging, Ricar's subtle finish and a Pampero tap-in gave them the three points they had been so desperately looking for.

The match between Uruguay and Japan would have been academic if Italy had won earlier in the day. Senegal's Modou Thioume scored the equaliser against the Azzurri 90 seconds before the final hooter however, before Pape Koukpaki scored his seventh goal of the tournament in extra time to give Uruguay hope.

France and Argentina knew that their match was winner-takes-all and in the end, it took penalties to separate them. Jean-Marie Aubry was the man of the moment, saving Gustavo Casado's spot-kick.

The group's other match saw Nigeria, already assured of first place, play a UAE team with nothing but pride to play for. Again it took a shoot-out to decide the winner, with the Beach Eagles winning the test of nerves to secure their third victory in as many matches.

With the last eight of the 2007 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup known, the draw took place in Rio to decide the winner of which quarter-final matches will meet up in the semi-finals.

The winner of the last eight tussle between Brazil and Portugal will meet the winner of the Senegal-France quarter-final. The other semi-final will pit the winner of the Spain-Mexico meeting against the victorious side to emerge from the Nigeria-Uruguay contest.

FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP - RESULTS

Group C

Senegal vs. Italy 6-5 a.e.t

Japan vs. Uruguay 2-3

Group D

France vs. Argentina 2-2 a.e.t, 2-1 PSO*

United Arab Emirates vs. Nigeria 6-6 a.e.t, 0-1 PSO

*Penalty shoot out

Quarter-final schedule

Match 25: Spain-Mexico (09h30)
Match 26: Brazil-Portugal (11h00)
Match 27: Senegal-France (12h30)
Match 28: Nigeria-Uruguay (14h00)

Semi-final schedule

Winner 25-Winner 28 (09h30)
Winner 26-Winner 27 (11h00)

Story courtesy www.fifa.com

Images courtesy Foto-Net

Click here for all your FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup coverage

RIO DE JANEIRO - A super hat-trick from James Naka wasn't enough after the Bilikiki Boys lost their final match at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup by 6-3 to Mexico.

Naka opened the scoring after just four minutes for the Solomon Islands but a storming comeback by Mexico saw Gustavo Rosales draw the 'Aztecas' level.

Mexico's attacking efforts continued to reap rewards in the second period, with strikes from Morgan Plata and again Rosales, this time from a free kick, opening up a two-goal lead.

Mexico then had keeper Miguel Estrada to thank for maintaining their advantage on several occasions, but he could do little to prevent Naka from grabbing his second to set up a thrilling last third.

It was then that Mexico came into their own with further strikes from Ricardo Villalobos, Platas and Alejandro Pozos, putting the seal on a historic 6-3 win and quarter-final qualification.

Solomon Islands coach Terrance Van Dillen was proud of his team following the loss but pleaded for the opportunity for more matches ahead of FIFA events for his squad.

"This was a great tournament for us to be part of, and we've loved being here in Rio de Janeiro.

Nowadays in beach soccer, there is less of a gap between the teams, so to compete in a competition of this quality we have to play and test ourselves more against other national teams.

I say that because we're a long way from other countries, but we're looking for ways to achieve those goals," Van Dillen said.

Mexico coach Ramon Raya was emotional at the end of a pulsating encounter.

"I've been part of a lot of important games, but today was the first time I cried at the end of football match.

There are no words to describe how I felt. We knew it was going to be a tough group but we believed we could qualify from it.

Now we should to savour this victory and then turn our thoughts to Spain," Raya said.

Bilikiki Boys goalscoring hero James Naka was generous in his appraisal of Mexico's performance but said Solomon Islands defensive frailties were exposed once again.

"Today's game was very difficult. Mexico ran a lot and performed better physically, while we committed too many mistakes that gave them goal-scoring opportunities.

This is my second World Cup and I hope to continue playing for another six years or so," Naka said.

In the other Group A match Brazil and Russia served up a Beach Soccer classic with the game going to a penalty shoot-out after the scores were tied 2-2, the host nation triumphing 5-4 on spot kicks.

The results mean Brazil and Mexico progress to the quarter finals where Mexico will face Spain and Brazil clash with Portugal in what promises to be a mouth-watering fixture.

France and Argentina will square off on Wednesday for second place in Group D and a place in the quarter-finals.

In Group C, Italy and Uruguay will fight it out separately, the former playing Senegal who have already qualified and the latter facing Japan who have been knocked out.

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Rio de Janeiro 2007

Quarter-Final Draw

08.11.07 - Spain vs. Mexico

08.11.07 - Brazil vs. Portugal

08.11.07 - Winner of Group C vs. Runner-up Group D

08.11.07 - Winner of Group D vs. Runner-up Group C

Group A

Final Standings - 06.11.07

	MP	W	W+	L	GF.	GA.	PTS.
Brazil	3	2	1	0	19	8	8
Mexico	3	1	1	1	12	11	5
Russia	3	1	0	2	9	6	3
Solomon Islands	3	0	0	3	7	23	0