Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek
There was a poignant atmosphere today at the pre-tournament press conference for the OFC Men’s Futsal Champions League in New Caledonia.
One year ago today, Marcel Hnepeune, captain of AS PTT, the host country’s team, tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a local club match.
Coach Michel Wassin says that after a difficult year, his team has everything to play for.
“I wanted the captain to answer it, but I’m going to do it anyway. Today, this event which brings the team together again is for us a way of coming back, of getting back on our feet in the face of a very, very difficult year. I wanted to thank all the families who were with us during this difficult time, all the players who are still here, who are still trying. I believe that because they are here today, they are together again. I believe they have already won against this difficulty, and that is already a good thing for me,” Wassin said.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek (AS PTT Head Coach Michael Wassin)
And what about the pressure of playing at home?
“I think it’s a great source of motivation to play at home. Of course, some boys in the team may feel pressure, but overall I think it’s a great pleasure to play in front of an audience that we know, an audience that is our people. The goal right now is to take it game by game, see how things go, see how things evolve and hopefully we put on a good show for everyone,” Wassin said.
AS PTT is joined by clubs from Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who will compete for the prestigious title in the second edition of the tournament, which will be played at the South Arena in Paita near Noumea.
The five teams are peppered with an array of national team players from their respective countries who competed at the OFC Men’s Futsal Nations Cup in Auckland last October.
The Solomon Islands are a traditional futsal powerhouse in Oceania and their representative, Mataks FC, is brimming with talent. The trio of Mana brothers, Benjamin, Junior and captain Ellis, were part of the Kooline team that won the inaugural OFC Men’s Futsal Champions League in 2019, beating AS PTT 7-5 in the final.
“The boys are ready to compete and it’s a beautiful place and we are going to enjoy our time here,” said coach Francis Lafai.
“When you talk about futsal, it’s something very big in the Solomon Islands. It’s a challenge for the team, but the boys are ready to compete,” added Lafai.
Vanuatu is represented by VNU FC. The university club coached by Cédric Quari also represented Vanuatu in the first edition of the tournament five years ago.
“The boys are ready to compete and it’s a beautiful place (Nouméa) and we’re going to enjoy our time here. It’s going to be hard. We have four or five players from the national team and that’s a plus for the mentality of the players,” Quari said.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek (UNV FC head coach Cedric Quari)
Fiji’s Suva Futsal Club is also full of national team talent. Captain Rajneel Singh and national team captain Felipe Baravilala will look to continue their form from the OFC Men’s Futsal Nations Cup in this competition.
“Luckily for us, we have five teammates who were there in 2019. Just like the other teams, we have experience, but we are quite realistic. We know it is going to be very tough and we are going to take every match as it is and we are going to feel the pressure till the end,” coach Vivek Nadan said.
Tongan side Veitongo FC are a football powerhouse in the Kingdom, but player-manager Hemaloto Polovili admits he is an underdog for this tournament, having brought a young team to New Caledonia.
“I think it’s new for our players because we play football and then we move on to futsal. We are not specialized in futsal. So it’s difficult for us, but our boys will do their best in this competition, especially for the younger ones,” Polovili said.
There are four days of round-robin play before the semifinals on Saturday and the playoffs and final for third and fourth place on Sunday.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek
There was a poignant atmosphere today at the pre-tournament press conference for the OFC Men’s Futsal Champions League in New Caledonia.
One year ago today, Marcel Hnepeune, captain of AS PTT, the host country’s team, tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a local club match.
Coach Michel Wassin says that after a difficult year, his team has everything to play for.
“I wanted the captain to answer it, but I’m going to do it anyway. Today, this event which brings the team together again is for us a way of coming back, of getting back on our feet in the face of a very, very difficult year. I wanted to thank all the families who were with us during this difficult time, all the players who are still here, who are still trying. I believe that because they are here today, they are together again. I believe they have already won against this difficulty, and that is already a good thing for me,” Wassin said.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek (AS PTT Head Coach Michael Wassin)
And what about the pressure of playing at home?
“I think it’s a great source of motivation to play at home. Of course, some boys in the team may feel pressure, but overall I think it’s a great pleasure to play in front of an audience that we know, an audience that is our people. The goal right now is to take it game by game, see how things go, see how things evolve and hopefully we put on a good show for everyone,” Wassin said.
AS PTT is joined by clubs from Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who will compete for the prestigious title in the second edition of the tournament, which will be played at the South Arena in Paita near Noumea.
The five teams are peppered with an array of national team players from their respective countries who competed at the OFC Men’s Futsal Nations Cup in Auckland last October.
The Solomon Islands are a traditional futsal powerhouse in Oceania and their representative, Mataks FC, is brimming with talent. The trio of Mana brothers, Benjamin, Junior and captain Ellis, were part of the Kooline team that won the inaugural OFC Men’s Futsal Champions League in 2019, beating AS PTT 7-5 in the final.
“The boys are ready to compete and it’s a beautiful place and we are going to enjoy our time here,” said coach Francis Lafai.
“When you talk about futsal, it’s something very big in the Solomon Islands. It’s a challenge for the team, but the boys are ready to compete,” added Lafai.
Vanuatu is represented by VNU FC. The university club coached by Cédric Quari also represented Vanuatu in the first edition of the tournament five years ago.
“The boys are ready to compete and it’s a beautiful place (Nouméa) and we’re going to enjoy our time here. It’s going to be hard. We have four or five players from the national team and that’s a plus for the mentality of the players,” Quari said.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek (UNV FC head coach Cedric Quari)
Fiji’s Suva Futsal Club is also full of national team talent. Captain Rajneel Singh and national team captain Felipe Baravilala will look to continue their form from the OFC Men’s Futsal Nations Cup in this competition.
“Luckily for us, we have five teammates who were there in 2019. Just like the other teams, we have experience, but we are quite realistic. We know it is going to be very tough and we are going to take every match as it is and we are going to feel the pressure till the end,” coach Vivek Nadan said.
Tongan side Veitongo FC are a football powerhouse in the Kingdom, but player-manager Hemaloto Polovili admits he is an underdog for this tournament, having brought a young team to New Caledonia.
“I think it’s new for our players because we play football and then we move on to futsal. We are not specialized in futsal. So it’s difficult for us, but our boys will do their best in this competition, especially for the younger ones,” Polovili said.
There are four days of round-robin play before the semifinals on Saturday and the playoffs and final for third and fourth place on Sunday.