Confederations Cup Preview: Tahiti

The Confederations Cup is an almost unique competition in many ways. It is bigger than a continental competition, yet smaller than the World Cup. It represents teams from around the world. The Oceania region earlier was under the duopoly of Australia and new Zealand. But Australia decided to join the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and the Oceania Nations Cup opened up for other countries.

Every tournament has an underdog, and every underdog has a story. The underdogs this year are Tahiti. Tahiti were the latest winners of the competition. They defeated New Caledonia in the Oceania Cup final and are undoubtedly being viewed as one of the punching bags of the tournament. They have only one player, Marama Vahirua, who is playing at any level of professional football outside Tahiti. Vahirua appeared for the French under-21’s and has spent his time in clubs like Nantes and Panathanaikos.

Tahiti, like all underdogs, are full of spirit. They were the first to arrive in Brazil and are practicing with all the spirit they have. The warm up match they played with America Miniero reserves ended in a 1-0 defeat. Nevertheless, the team are in Brazil to more than just make up the numbers. This is the opportunity for many of them to show the world what they are capable of. Their coach, Eddy Etata, although ready for defeat, is nevertheless upbeat. Etata was apart of the 1994 qualifying process and knows the rigors football at the highest level demands. Most of their attacking prowess comes from the three Te Hau brothers and their cousin. An island with only 11000 registered footballers has the time of their lives ahead of them. More than anything, this competition will bring Tahiti on the footballing map.

But then one must never count out the unpredictable. I do not expect them to make it past the group stage, but they are a well-bonded unit who have no pressure. They have Uruguay, Nigeria and Spain in their group. I would expect them to play with caution, and as no one has any expectations of them. They will have lots of fun. Their squad has played at the international level and has been exposed to a higher level of football.

One thing is for sure. Tahiti will not be pushovers at the Confederations Cup. They have simply too much pride to just roll over. They would probably lose and they may lose very heavily, but then the experience they would gain is invaluable. Let us not forget that unlike the ‘big boys’, they are living their dream, and isn’t football all about dreams?