Courtesy: Solomon Star News


Kurukuru face tough competition from Fiji

by Philip Lilomo

Thursday, 25 June 2009

KURUKURU are expected to face strong opposition against Fiji in the Oceania Futsal Championship after the hosts named a powerful 12-member squad for the championship, which kicks off 7th July.

Height and aggressiveness are the main component in the Fiji team which Kurukuru will encounter in their quest to defend their title at the Vodafone Arena in Suva from 6-11 July.

Fiji Futsal team had included their national goal keeper Simione Tamanisau, national player and Ba striker Osea Vakatalesau and 2008 OFC Futsal Championship golden boot winner Kamal Hassan.

As expected by the Kurukuru side, Vanuatu will also be a treat as they were the only team that managed to beat Solomon Islands in the Oceania Futsal World Cup qualifiers in Fiji last year.

Kurukuru are currently in the right track with their preparation and form after beating a strong Honiara select side 5-2 and 7-2 in their two friendly matches this week.

They will have their last match this Saturday before heading to Fiji for the Oceania Championship.

Kurukuru will leave 3rd July.

The OFC FUTSAL Championship Fiji 2009 marks the sixth time Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) staged the event.

Since its inception in 1992, the championships were held every four years as part of the qualification process for the FIFA FUTSAL World Cup tournaments.

Fiji 2009 marks the first year of the new annual format for the championship which shows OFC’s commitment to developing FUTSAL by providing regular competition for Oceania’s top teams.

The popularity of FUTSAL – an indoor form of football played with five players per side and a weighted ball – continues to grow throughout the region as a number of OFC’s eleven member associations start to develop domestic competitions to support the game.

The OFC Futsal Championship will include Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

New Zealand and Tahiti, who both went down to Kurukuru last year have withdrawn their participation.


The competition will be played in a round robin format.








Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com