Fiji’s Under-16 football coach Sunil Kumar recognizes the challenges ahead as his team prepares to take on New Zealand in the OFC U16 Championship final this Sunday in Pape’ete, Tahiti. While Kumar acknowledges that New Zealand will be the favorite, he remains hopeful that his team can pull off an upset.
“We came into this tournament with the intention of making history,” Kumar stated. “Fiji has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup until now, and we’ve achieved that. However, our goal is to win the championship as well.”
Kumar emphasized the importance of the upcoming match, expressing, “We have a dream ahead of us. I believe in going into the match with a clear mind. We want to give it our all because there is no greater opportunity than this for both the boys and the team.”
New Zealand, coached by Martin Bullock, is seen as the strong favorite, having previously defeated Fiji 7-1 in the group stage. The New Zealand team has scored 28 goals while allowing just one in their four matches.
“We’ve already played against Fiji and won that game, which puts us in a favorable position. Our performance has been excellent so far,” Bullock remarked. “We learned from our previous match against Fiji, and we anticipate their strategy as well. Both teams will adapt and identify how to exploit each other’s weaknesses.”
Bullock concluded, “In a final, regardless of the competition—be it club or international football—if you’ve reached this stage, the aim is to win. We are eager for the upcoming game.”