Courtesy: oceaniafootball.com

Official Draw sets the tone

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2016 OFC Futsal Championship Draw

The Official Draw for the 2016 OFC Futsal Championship, held at the OFC Academy in Auckland, New Zealand, has revealed five match days of exciting action awaits fans in Fiji.

The 2016 OFC Futsal Championship will be held at Vodafone Arena in Suva, Fiji from 8-13 February with the hosts joined by Tahiti, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand.

Given the round robin format of the tournament every match day will be crucial to each team as they hope to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

With little room for error, team preparation will be crucial and for New Zealand coach Scott Gilligan the draw reveal plays a key part in the next two months of the campaign.

“It’s exciting to have the draw here at OFC, it’s always a pleasure to come here.

“But to see now who we’re actually playing makes it all a bit more real and gives us much more focus of what we’re about to achieve,” he says.

New Zealand’s Futsal Whites will open their campaign for Colombia 2017 against Vanuatu, a team they beat 10-4 during the inaugural Commonwealth Cup in July, giving Gilligan confidence his side will make a strong start.

“Vanuatu will have a lot more preparation time next time and they’ve also got Dickson Kadau from the Solomon Islands helping them out as well.

“And they’ll have learnt a lot from the lesson of playing not just against us but against Malaysia and Australia as well. They’ll be much better come the tournament but I don’t expect that they’ll have improved that much that they’ll give us too many problems.

Looking more specifically at his side, Gilligan believes the lengthy build-up which began after the 2011 qualifier will set his side apart.

“As far as the team goes we’re in a much better place than ever before. The players we have in the squad right now, it’s going to be difficult for me to actually leave any of them out and that’s a comforting thought.

“The ball is now in their court, if the players perform to their best potential I’ll be honest with you – no-one can stop us.”

The confidence emanating from the Futsal Whites coach has filtered down to the team with captain Marvin Eakins equally enthusiastic about what awaits in Fiji.

“It’s cool to finally have the draw set out in stone and we can start to build towards that first game as it’s the one you think about the most.

“This tournament is what you look forward to as a futsal player. Anytime you get to put on the jersey for your country is great but this is the next step, this is a chance to go to a world cup and I don’t think it gets any better than that.”

Like his teammates Eakins has been putting in the hard yards over the past four years and is itching to get out on the court and prove that work has paid off.

“This is the best preparation we’ve ever had going into a world cup qualifier so I think now there’s definitely no excuses and it’s certainly up to us as players to put together complete performances and show that we can win this.”

Fiji, in Auckland for a series of friendly matches, will be heading into the tournament on the back of one of their best preparation campaigns yet and coach Intiaz Khan doesn’t believe their four year absence from the international stage will be an issue.

“Last time we played was 2011 and it’s exciting to be part of the draw, especially as hosts,” he says.

“Confidently I would say yes we will be ready. Not comparing too much with previous years and what other teams have done, we’ve seen teams put together in two weeks.

“So I think we’re in a good place and have enough time to prepare well from here for the tournament.”

Fiji captain Mira Sahib loved witnessing the draw and considers it a key step in preparing for February.

“For us, being the host of the tournament, we’re looking for a strong start. New Caledonia has been improving a lot over the past four years and are a good side but we need to do well against them in our first match.”

Having witnessed first-hand the development of the futsal discipline throughout the Oceania region, OFC Futsal and Beach Soccer Development Officer Paul Toohey says he expects next year’s event to be the closest yet.

“The last four years for many of the teams has been about developing, improving and being able to go to the world cup and represent OFC well.

“Previously we’ve had Solomon Islands there and they’ve always really dominated the scene but it’s not like that anymore, I think any one of the teams can stand up and beat the other teams on the day,” Toohey says.

“New Zealand have worked so hard over the past four years, they’ve been an inspiration to everyone I think not just with the national team but with the development work that’s gone on right through the country.

“Fiji, it’s so good to have them back, it’s been four years but I think it’s also not just about the national team.

“The development is a key focus for them so the next four to eight years for Fiji is a priority.

“It will also be great to see Solomon Islands back after a long period of inactivity.”

The 2016 OFC Futsal Championship will be held in Fiji from 8-13 February at Vodafone Arena in Suva. The kick-off times and match order are yet to be determined.

The winner will qualify as the OFC representative at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

The full match schedule is available here: www.oceaniafootball.com




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