Courtesy: Fiji Times


Pressure's off: Coach

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Fiji's Futsal coach Imtiaz Khan believes the pressure is off his side going into the OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2009 that got under way at Vodafone Arena in Suva tomorrow evening.

By Khan's own admission, the Fiji squad is very young and arguably less experienced than their more fancied opposition -- New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu -- and they had a disappointing 2008 campaign, finishing fifth out of seven Oceania nations.

The hosts will go into this year's championship with the underdog tag but Khan believes that could work in their favour.

"2009 is the start of a four-year cycle for us as we work towards qualifying for the FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2012," said Khan.

"For this week's championship, we've picked a group of young players who have a lot of potential but not as much experience as the likes of Solomon Islands who have already been to a FIFA Futsal World Cup.

"That means my boys can play without the weight of expectation hanging over them and hopefully cause some upsets in the process."

Fiji striker Kamal Hassan, who won the Golden Boot Award at the OFC Futsal Championship in 2008, is expected to star for the hosts.

Fiji Football Association president Mohammed Shams-ud Dean Sahu Khan said they expected large crowds at Vodafone Arena.

Fiji last night opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over Vanuatu.

Sandeep Nair and Shivam Nathan scored for the hosts, with Pira Ala pulling one back for the visitors.






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