Tahitian football team to receive ecstatic welcome

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Tahitian football team to receive ecstatic welcome

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The victory guarantees the Tahitian amateurs a spot at next year's Confederations Cup.

13 June,2012 09:42 am

Tahitis football team is set to receive an ecstatic welcome home this week after the Pacific territorys greatest sporting triumph, a shock win in the Oceania Nations Cup.The victory guarantees the Tahitian amateurs a spot at next years Confederations Cup alongside footballing superpowers such as host nation Brazil, world champions Spain and South American title-holders Uruguay.Tahitis Toa Aito, or Iron Warriors, went into the Oceania Nations Cup as underdogs ranked 179th in the world, but cut a swathe through the opposition to become the first Pacific island team to lift the trophy.Were super-proud, we could perhaps play Spain or Brazil, its too good, said young fan Vetea, who plans to greet the players when they land in Tahitis main town of Papeete on Wednesday.The Oceania Nations Cup has long been dominated by New Zealand and Australia -- the latter switched to the Asian confederation in 2006 -- and Tahitian football officials are hoping to use the win as a springboard.The surprise victory in the Solomon Islands also keeps alive Tahitis dream of qualifying for footballs biggest stage, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.Small wonder then that the Tahitian players performed a Polynesian victory dance on Sunday when they downed New Caledonia -- who had stunned New Zealand in the semis -- 1-0 after reaching the final as the only undefeated team.While a handful of players from French Polynesia have played at large clubs before, mainly in France, geographical isolation has all too often been a stumbling block for promising talent in the territory of about 270,000 people.But participating in the Confederations Cup guarantees the Tahiti Football Federation a windfall of more than $1.0 million, and deputy technical director Patrice Flaccadori said it could help put the game on a professional footing.At the Confederations Cup there wont be any other small teams, he told AFP. The paradox of French Polynesia is that were amateurs but we can take part in competitions with the best teams in the world.Flaccadori said he wanted to open a youth academy to help Tahiti, in French Polynesia, achieve such results on a regular basis.Coach Eddy Etaeta believes many of his players would have captured the attention of professional clubs in the likes of Australia and the United States during the tournament, raising their chances of valuable overseas contracts.Etaeta, who admitted he was lost for words after the win, said the Oceania success was the result of a rebuilding plan stretching back over a decade.That included an appearance at the 2009 under-20s World Cup in Egypt. Tahiti failed to win a game, but their young players learned from the experience and went on to form the spine of the senior side that won on Sunday.Our greatest strength here has been our strong mentality, Etaeta said after claiming the title.This victory is for all the people of Tahiti (and) also all the coaches working hard in our country to raise the level.