“We have a very difficult group stage but we will do our best”

Tahitian captain, Naea Bennett, speaks about the injection of young talent and the challenges his team will face in Dubai

The Tahiti national beach soccer team have been out of action at the highest level for almost two years. Team captain, Naea Bennett, was very honest in how he felt this might affect his team’s performance.  

“As you know we haven’t played any official games for two years now”, he reflected. “It’s very difficult for us to be on top form without playing any games in two years.”

The last time that Tahiti participated  in the Intercontinental Cup was in 2016, when they finished in fourth position after being knocked out by Iran in the semi-finals, and then narrowly missing out on third place in a 4-3 defeat to Russia.

However, the year before they made it all the way to the final…

“We’ll see if we can make it to the final again this year. We have a very difficult group stage but we will do our best to be qualify for the semis and then we will see what happens.”

Bennett also had news concerning the fresh faces in the squad.

“We have added new young players in the team this year. We are looking forward to seeing how they react in a real competition.”

Dubai may be a difficult place to take your first steps on the professional beach soccer stage, due to the inevitably high level of the opposition. However, the city is a special place for many beach soccer players who compete at the highest level and the Tahitian players are no exception. 

This year will be the fifth edition of the Intercontinental Cup that they have participated in, since the competition’s conception in 2011.

“We are very happy to be in Dubai this year” commented the skipper. “It is the best tournament after the World Cup, and for us it is a great opportunity to play against the best teams of the world.”

The captain is under no illusions that his team could be better prepared for such a elite and intense beach soccer contest. But, with an injection of young players, combined with the expertise of the seasoned veterans, who knows how this year will end for a national team with such impressive beach soccer history.

Remember that you can watch all of Tahiti’s games live and free on the Beach Soccer Worldwide website – so don’t miss a kick!