Coach Wilson August has announced a 15-man pre-squad for the OFC Beach Soccer Championship to be held next year, most of whom were in the side which defeated the Bilikiki, the Solomon Islands national team, to win the inaugural Asia-Pacific Beach Soccer Championship in April.
Victory in the tournament, which took place at Coolangatta Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast, was a satisfying moment for Vanuatu who had put together a strong squad for the last OFC championship but were denied the chance to take part when Cyclone Atu closed the country’s international airport leaving them stranded.
August was understandably pleased to bounce back from that disappointment and get one over the rivals who have denied his charges from winning titles on more than one occasion.
“We have played Solomon Islands in the final of three OFC tournaments and lost all three but our boys played their hearts out,” he says of the Asia-Pacific triumph.
August and his men are now looking to build on this success and have spent the past few weeks training hard in an attempt to become the first Vanuatu team to participate in a World Cup of any kind.
“It’s a great responsibility on all of us and we are working hard to ensure that we come out with good results,” August says.
“The idea is to have some small training cycles in preparation for the full training session so we can make progress, keep the pace of the group and continue the process. We have to be ready to play other top teams in Oceania.”
With Tahiti already qualified for the World Cup as tournament hosts, Vanuatu can expect to face Fiji, New Caledonia and Solomon Islands in their bid to qualify for Tahiti 2013.
Vanuatu training squad for OFC Beach Soccer Championship
Chikau Mansale (GK)
Alfred Malas (GK)
Ham Isaia (GK)
Francois Sakama
Nanua Natou
Daniel Natou
Anto Malapa
Remy Kensi
Robert Thomas
Pascal Chabod
Yvon August
Noal Morris
Don Mansale
Danny Michel
Don Jack
Coach: Wilson August
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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