Solomon Islands national Futsal coach, Dickson Kadau, has named his final squad for the Alfateh Futsal Continental Cup 2009 championship in Libya next month.

With only a couple of weeks of training left, Kadau has decided to announce his finalised squad so his players can fully focus on their final preparations.

Sammy Osifelo is the only player from the training squad who did not make it to the final selection. He was injured during a training session and isn’t expected to be fit in time for the championship. OFC Futsal Championship 2009 Golden Ball winner Jack Wetney is expected to fly from Fiji to join the squad this week.

For Matthias Saru and Alfred Poamoana this Alfateh Cup will be their first experience of competition at a world class international tournament.

According to Kadau, the experience gained at the Alfateh Cup will greatly help the team’s preparations for the 2011 Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Qualifiers ahead of the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

"This will add to the playing experience of the players and the management, therefore, this is an important opportunity for this Kurukuru team," Kadau said.

Kadau took over the head coach role from Victor Waiia who led the team to Solomon Island’s first World Cup appearance in the indoor code last year.

The tournament is from 5 – 11 October, 2009 and will be held in Tripoli the capital of Lybia. The Alfateh Continental Futsal World Cup was initiated by the Lybian Football Federation as a means for further developing the profile of the game throughout the world. As well as Libya, competing against the Kurukuru will be; Iran, Spain, Uruguay and Guatemala.

The team aims to leave for the Libya in the final week of this September. The Alfateh Cup will be the first time a Solomon Islands team has taken part in a tournament in the Middle East

The Bilikiki, the Solomon Islands Beach Soccer team, will also travel to the region later this year for the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Kurukuru Official Team List:

1. Alick Lioka

2. Philip Houtarau

3. Elliot Ragomo

4. Jenan Kapu

5. Mathias Saru

6. Moffat Sikwa’ae

7. James Egeta

8. Francis Lafai

9. Micah Lea’alafa

10. Alfred Paomoana

11. Ron Ginio

12. Jack Whetney

13. Stanley Puairana

14. Paul Huia

Team Officials:

1. Jeremy Bartlett – Head of Delegation

2. Samson Faisi – Solomon Islands Football Federation Representative

3. Scott Gilligan – Oceania Football Confederation Representative

4. Kadau Dickson – Head Coach

5. Sam Jerry – Assistant Coach

6. Gauba Charles – Physio

Courtesy of SIFF Media