Coach of the Tahiti national football team Eddy Etaeta has described Wednesday’s 7-0 defeat at the hands of Chile's under-20 national side as a "spanking" and hopes it will serve as an impetus to his team's FIFA Confederations Cup campaign.
On a day Nigeria’s Super Eagles were busy handing out a 1-0 defeat to Kenya’s Harambee Stars in Nairobi, the Pacific ocean island nation were on the receiving end of a massive drubbing in their final warm-up match before arriving for the eight-team tournament in Brazil with Manchester United teenage striker Angelo Henriquez grabbing a hat-trick for the Chilean side also preparing for their campaign at this month’s FIFA U-20 World Cup coming up in Turkey.
It was not the most confidence inspiring of results for the Tahitians but their coach is hoping his lads can get some sort of motivation from it as they get set for the greater task ahead.
"They are the South American champions at under-20 level and, in my opinion, will make a strong impression at the under-20 World Cup," Etaeta said, making an excuse for his team consisting mostly of part-time footballers, before adding: "I really hope this defeat will act as a trigger for us and that we will react to this spanking."
Currently ranked 135 by world football's governing body FIFA, Tahiti qualified for the Confederations Cup by virtue of a 1-0 win over New Caledonia in the 2012 Oceania Nations Cup final.
Meanwhile, the Tahitians have become the first team to arrive in Brazil for the FIFA Confederations Cup, which starts on Saturday 15 June. Wearing striking red and white floral shirts, the Tahitians stepped off their plane at the city’s international airport in the early hours of Friday morning.
Coach Etaeta said he was delighted to have arrived in Brazil for what is the biggest tournament in Tahiti’s history, and revealed his ambition to win the hearts of local fans.
“We are very pleased to be here in Brazil for the FIFA Confederations Cup, which is a massive event for Tahitian football,” said Etaeta. “We hope to get a warm welcome, win the hearts of the people of Brazil and get their support.”
Drawn in Group B at the Festival of Champions, Tahiti play African champions Nigeria in their opening match at the Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, on 17 June. Three days later, they take on reigning world and European champions Spain at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
In their final group game on 23 June, the champions of Oceania take on 2011 Copa America winners Uruguay at Recife’s Arena Pernambuco.
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