The national Futsal team Kurukuru paraded the main roads of Honiara on Monday as part of their welcome home celebrations.

The team have not won any of their matches at the Futsal World Cup but they have certainly won many hearts on their trip to Brazil .

They have gained valuable knowledge of the game at a professional level.

The team management said their participation in the recent World Cup has given much needed experience and confidence.

Head of delegation of the Kurukuru, Nathaniel Seru, revealed this yesterday at a press conference at the SIFF academy.

“The experience the boys have will surely prepare them for the future and gained confidence to go with their natural skills. Now the boys will have confidence, which is a much needed ingredient when playing professional sides like Brazil ,” he said.

Coach Victor Wa’ii said his boys were playing against very high standard professional players with good facilities and professional training.

So it was hard for his young inexperienced boys to cope with their game.

But he said it was good experience and next time round they will see a very different Solomon Islands team in the next four years.

“The boys will stay together and start their training next month. They will have the rest of the month to rest and start training next month,” he said.

The Kurukuru coach said the players have four tears to prepare for the next one.

“We need to expose our coaches to learn overseas for a month or two and come back and feed our players of the knowledge for the next four years,” he said.

He also revealed at the press conference that the President of Futsal in Brazil has pledged his support to help in the technical areas of the game.

This is part of their development plans.

Kurukuru captain, Elliot Ragomo, said it’s a big achievement and a building block for them despite the results. “It’s time to think ahead and prepare while the experience is still fresh in our minds,” he said.

He also predicts that the next time they will be a very different powerful team.

Meanwhile Kurukuru were described as playing a unique game in the world stage because of the joy and peace shown throughout the tournament.

Source : Solomon Star News
By : Philip Lilomo
Published : 14/10/2008

A parade was held for the Solomon Islands national futsal team, the Kurukuru, at 10am this morning.

It started from the Solomon Islands Football Federation Academy and ended at the Multipurpose Hall. On Friday there will be a thanksgiving service at Lawson Tama.

These are organised in appreciation of the Kurukuru effort at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil . The team arrived at Honiara International Airport on Sunday on the Solomon Airlines flight from Brisbane .

They were welcomed through the VIP lounge and greeted by a bamboo band, light refreshments and families and supporters.

Those welcoming the team included Minister of Home Affairs James Tora and Solomon Islands Football Federation president Martin Alufurai.

Coach Victor Waiía said their winless first appearance in the World Cup game them things to think about, especially building a proper size futsal court here.

“The sooner the better,” he said.

Source : Solomon Star
By : Charles Kadamana
Published : 13/10/2008

We’ve been giving Futsal a bit of attention lately here at The World Game and it seems we’re not the only ones. The FIFA Futsal World Cup currently taking place in Brazil has attracted the interest of some big name sponsors like Adidas and Nike with aim of taking Futsal all the way to the 2016 Olympic Games. According to promoter Hideraldo Martins, an investment somewhere in the vicinity of $A100.1 million is currently being undertaken to help give Futsal the attention it rightly deserves on the world stage.

Source : The World Game Website  – SBS
By : Mariana Rudan
Published : 12/10/2008
Thanks : Anthony Grima for the link

Solomon Kurukuru might not have won any games at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, but off the field they have been big winners as ambassadors for their nation.

If first impressions really are everything, then all of Solomon Islands have benefitted from the six weeks that the fourteen young men have been away.

Most people the team encountered had never met a someone from the Happy Isles before, however if you asked them now to describe a typical Solomon Islander then they would enthusiastically paint a picture of a friendly, respectful, and above all, joyous person.

The scene of Kurukuru leaving the Brasilia Palace Hotel was telling of the relationship that the team built with everyone around them during the tournament. Hotel managers, cleaners, security gaurds, police and various World Cup staff all turned out to say goodbye and wish them well. ‘I’ve been working in the hotel industry for seven years,’ said Team Liason Officer Manager Eduardo, ‘ and I’ve never met a sports group like this before. We love you – thank you.’

On returning from their opening World Cup game against Cuba the boys found a small cake on each of their beds, attached was a note that read ‘Your singing gives our hotel energy, have a nice Championship’. The gesture referred to the team’s morning devotion that begins with two or three songs of praise. What Kurukuru did not know was that their songs carried throughout the hotel and had given staff an uplifting start to the day.

The next morning they were requested to worship not in a small hotel room as usual, but in the lobby. A crowd of staff gathered and Head of Delegation, Pastor Seru lead the team and onlookers through a morning devotion that was memorable for all. ‘They liked our songs, but it’s not only entertainment,’ said Seru, ‘it’s worship. For everyone that’s met us we are not losers because we really represent our nation and Jesus well.’

The way the team played its futsal also won many admirers, including the Brazilian media and Futsal team. Although they were beaten in all their games, Kurukuru’s potential was recognised by people with knowledge of the game and encouraging words were never far away.

At Brasilia airport it was a photographer who worked at the World Cup that liked what he saw. When they got off the plane in Sao Paulo it was a young woman who came over and said that her mother saw them playing on television and was impressed with their spirit and skills. Certainly it is a rare team that loses a match 32-2 and can still inspire a rapturous response from the crowd as they leave the court.

Kurukuru is currently in Dubai, en-route to Singapore, then Brisbane and finally back to home on Sunday at 12:30pm. And friends, family or fans wanting to greet them at Henderson Airport are most welcome – they surely deserve it!

Source : Solomon Times via Press Release (James Ruhfus in Dubai)
Published : 10/10/2008

Solomon Islands National Futsal team the Kurukuru lost with big margins as they finished their FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil.

They lost to Cuba 10-2, succumbed to Brazil 21-0, defeated by Japan 7-2 and finally ended by Russia 31-2.

These results speak how our boys can reach in the World Cup level which its means a great experience for the boys.

Compared to Brazil, Cuba, Japan and Russia the Kurukuru are the youngest team and this could be one of the contributing factor.

Despite putting up some brave resistance in their games our boys are out of contention.

However the boys set a record and history scoring total goals of six.

Two goals came from Captain Elliot Ragomo against Cuba, Ron Ginio against Japan and own goal from Japan, Jack Whitney and Micah Leaálafa a piece each against Russia.

Solomon Islands coach Victor Wai’ia said his side would learn from their lesson against the best players in the world.

“It was great to have the chance to play against Brazil. Their technical ability is amazing.

“My team are very young and I believe this was a great learning experience for them. I hope we’ll take something away from this game” he said.

Solomon Island player James Egeta was also appreciative of the Brazilians talents.

“That was a difficult game. We were up against one of the futsal giants. Technicallly, they’re perfect.”

Solomon Islands midfielder Ron Ginio was delighted with his first goal of the tournament.

“I’m over the moon after scoring my first goal at the World Cup. We’ve played three matches, and we’re just thrilled to be here,” Ginio said.

Coach Victor Wai’ia summed up his sides tournament with emphasis on the valuable experience gained by playing against the worlds best.

“Just being part of this World Cup has been a fantastic experience, because we’ve played such strong opponents,” he said.

Source : Solomon Star News
By : Charles Kadamana
Published : 10/10/2008

Hey, there, soccer fans.

Don’t turn the pages of this newspaper past the Kurukuru reports. Don’t turn off the TV and miss the early morning broadcasts of games. Don’t give up on our young team in Brazil..

As predicted here on this page, the Kurukuru are suffering heavy losses in the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Anything else would have been a nice surprise, a big one.

We have the youngest, smallest and least experienced team in the tournament playing against the giants of futsal, or indoor soccer.

That the Kurukuru got there in the first place by winning the Oceania championship was a major achievement. The ease with which they beat bigger and older players in the Oceania tournament in Fiji testifies to their potential. But to expect them to go to Brazil and immediately win World Cup games was unrealistic.

Scoring the opening goal against Cuba was an achievement, despite the 2-10 final scoreline. Pulling back to 2-3 against Japan after being down 0-3 was an achievement, despite the 2-7 final scoreline. Stopping all-conquering Brazil beating their previous record win (29-2 over Guatemala) was an achievement despite the 0-21 loss.

These are the experiences from which this young team will grow. Consider this. We don’t even have a proper size futsal court in this country. Futsal, like so many of our sports, suffers from the severe lack of facilities.

All the more reason to make sure we win the right to host the 2015 Pacific Games, with all the facilities this will bring to Honiara.

Consider this too. Australia represented Oceania in the previous five futsal World Cups. In all that time the Aussies, despite all the futsal they play and all the players they have, could win only two of 15 games. Both those were against lightweight teams.

Despite all their experience and playing strength Australia suffered numerous heavy defeats in their most recent Futsal World Cups. 0-10 against Brazil, 2-11 against Ukraine, 1-10 against Russia, 2-8 against Egypt and 0-7 against Spain are examples. That puts the Kurukuru performances in their first major international tournament into context.

The important thing now is to have faith in this promising young group. Give them the opportunity to develop through this experience.

Beating Brazil might be a distant dream. But given the opportunity the Kurukuru can certainly develop into more successful representatives of Oceania than the Aussies were.

Stay tuned to the TV at 2.30am tomorrow. Pick up your Star tomorrow morning. Look for the potential in our Kurukuru, not a win, as they face another massive challenge. Russia.

Source : Solomon Star Times – Editorial
Published : 6/10/2008

Records tumbled today at the Gimnasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. Russia’s 31-2 goal victory over the Solomon Islands is a new record for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, beating Brazil’s 29-2 goal thrashing of Guatemala eight years ago. In doing so, it was also the match which provided the most goals in the tournament’s history.

Pula, the Russian No7, who grabbed a hat-trick of hat-tricks during the match has also become the record goalscorer in one FIFA Futsal World Cup match. His record came in the 28th of the match to put his side 24-1 up.

Yet, despite all of the Russian goals, the loudest cheers were reserved for Jack Wetney and Micah Lea’alafa who grabbed the two consolation strikes for the Solomon Islands in the 23rd and 28th minutes respectively.

History was made ten minutes later when Nikolay Pereverzev slotted home to break the record. Ironically in a game which saw four players score four goals or more, it was his first and only goal of the match.

A total of 69 per cent of Russia’s shots on goal found their way past the Solomons’ unfortunate keeper Alick Lioka and they now return to Oceania with no points from their four games, having conceded 69 goals, an average of 17.25 per game.

Solomon Island coach Victor Wai’ia summed up his sides tournament with emphasis on the valuable experience gained by playing against the worlds best.

“Just being part of this World Cup has been a fantastic experience, because we’ve played such strong opponents. My team didn’t play well in the first half today, but we were better after the break,” Wai’ia said.

Match report and photos are available here.

Source : FIFA.com
Published : 6/102/008

The amount of Futsal courts that Solomon Islands and Brazil have could be described by the same word: ‘countless’.

It is a apt for Brazil because there would simply be too many to count, and just as apt for Solomon Islands because there is simply nothing to count (the Mulit-Purpose Hall where Solomon Kurukuru train and play is many metres smaller than a standard Futsal court). This fact should give an appreciation of the challenge that Kurukuru faced when they entered the Nilson Nelson Hall in Brasilia today.

Local newspapers contained previews of the match with headlines such as ‘David and Goliath’ and ‘In Search of a Miracle’. One unkindly featured a computer-generate image with fourty balls in the back of a Futsal goal – their prediction of the final score. The eventual tally, 0-21, was the second-largest defeat in the tournament’s history, but for Kurukuru it was probably the highlight of their short Futsal careers. Not many people get to play against their sporting heroes, but today the young Solomon Islanders did and experience should prove to be invaluable.

‘We lost today,’ said Kurukuru coach VIctor Wai’ia, ‘but the loss doesn’t mean anything. As long as we can see that the boys have committed to play and use the skills that they have, then we are happy.’

For their part, Brazil were genuinely awesome; their stars Falcao, Shumacher and Lenisio ran rampant and goals rained into Junior Kogua’s net. Kurukuru’s first choice ‘keeper, Junior Lioka, missed the game with a knee injury and might be considered lucky to avoid the barrage of shots that Kogua endured. Suggest that though, and his answer is an emphatic, ‘of course I would have loved to play!’

Kogua was swamped after the game by Brazilian media asking what it was like to have so many goals scores against him. To in his credit, he took it in his stride, laughing later that it was a bit tedious, but, ‘it was still good. Today helped be in becoming a better player. I know what the best is now and what I need to do to improve.’

While the defeat was worse on the scoreboard than the opening game against Cuba, Kurukuru were a markedly improved outfit. The defensive structure missing against Cuba appeared and it was simply a case of Brazil being too strong, fast and technically proficient in their attack.

The previous day the team watched Guatemala narrowly defeat Egypt 1-0 in a high-quality game and then reviewed their match against Cuba on DVD. Technical Advisor Scott Gilligan highlighted areas of improvement and told the boys to note Guatemala’s structure against Egypt.

“I think in the Cuba game they were a little bit nervous because obviously this is big occasion, but they got the nerves out after that. The second half against Cuba they started to play the way that they can play, and today they started from the word go. Defence I thought was good and we kept possession quite well, although it’s very hard to keep possession against Brazil,” said Gilligan.

In attack, once again captain Elliot Ragomo was strong, but today he was joined by Jack Wetney, who impressed the crowd with his ability to beat Brazillian players with some fancy footwork. He got close – on one occasion agonisingly so – to scoring three goals in a performance that turned some heads.

“It was a great game to play; it was the best experience I’ve had and such an honour,” said Wetney, who shares the same shirt number as Brazil’s, and the world’s, best player Falcao. “Since I was small I looked at him play – he was so great – and that’s why I chose no.12. It was amazing for me to play on the same court him.”

At full-time after the teams had shook each-other’s hands, Falcao approached the young Kurukuru and they embraced one another, an acknowledgment of sorts from their hero that this was just the beginning for them.

It might also be prudent for all fans of Kurukuru to take note of the team that suffered the worst-ever defeat in the World Cup – again it was against Brazil, in the year 2000, the score 29-2. Who were they? Guatemala; the same team that now displays such a strong defensive aptitude.

A rest day is scheduled for Kurukuru tomorrow before what will be another big challenge when they meet Japan on Saturday. They will go into the match with the same ‘no regrets’ positivity that this tournament demands of them. Junior Lioka should be fit to play and there are no injury concerns. The team has greatly appreciated all messages received at the kurukuru@mail.org email address and anyone with time to write is encouraged to do so.

Source : Solomon Times Online
By : James Ruhfus
Published : 6/10/2008

Solomon Kurukuru’s 2-7 loss to Japan was one of mixed emotions. The unquestionable high was the half-time score of 2-3 against a quality opponent at the highest level; the young side, battered by Brazil only two days earlier played as well as they ever have.

The lows included a serious ankle injury to Captain Elliot Ragomo and not being able to sustain their ‘A’ game over the full contest. Still, as numerous commentators in Brazil have noted, this is a team with talent that plays the game in the right spirit. It is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ their full potential is reached and they start to challenge quality opponents.

Japan started the game on the front foot and soon found themselves three goals ahead after goals to Kanayama, Kogure and Komiyaya. The Solomon team though soon found its stride and began to play some expansive counter-attacking Futsal. Ragomo, along with Jack Wetney, led from the front and brought the crowd to their feet on a number occasions with foot-skills that their heroes from Brazil would be pleased to possess. After many close chances, Ragomo baffled the Japanese defenders close to their goal, which led to Maeda hurried attempt to clear the ball end up in his won goal.

A minute later Ron Ginio finished off some Wetney magic, knocking the ball in at the back post after the Kurukuru finessed the ball past two Japanese defenders got a clear shot. It was off-target, but Ginio was in the right place at the right time and got what he had been hoping for since arriving in Brazil.
‘It was like unbelievable; a dream come true,’ said Ginio, ‘I didn’t score a goal in OFC World Cup qualifying tournament and my aim was to at least score a goal in the World Cup, so it’s just amazing.’

It was an upbeat Kurukuru dressing room at half-time as the boys took advice from coach Victor Wai’ia and Technical Advisor Scott Gilligan. Their two late goals had given them the ascendancy and there was a feeling that if Solomon Islands could keep it up a major upset loomed.

Japan though held strong and unanswered goals to Fujii and Osodo effectively put he game out of Kurukuru’s reach. Any chance of a comeback was further hampered by Ragomo’s injury. In what was his best match of the tournament, the sight of him being carried off the court on a stretcher was a sad sight for the Kurukuru faithful. He was taken to a nearby hospital for a precautionary X-Ray, but is confident of playing on Monday against Russia.

“Today’s game was a tough one for the boys,” said coach Wai’ia, “but they proved today that they can play. They have confidence and they have learnt a lot of things form this game too. We should have ulitised all of our chances, but so far they play to their best and that’s the wonerful thing about it. And they had a lot of fun too. Now I think we’ll keep things going, we have one game left, we’ll keep continuing to work on our defence and our finishing.”

The already-daunting prospect of facing Russia will be made all the more difficult for Kurukuru with Ragomo not 100% fit, first-choice goalkeeper Junior Lioka on the injured list and James Egeta, who conceded a second yellow card for the tournament, suspended. The three are usually starters for Kurukuru, but Moffat Sikwa’ae, who captained Solomon Islands in Ragomo’s absence, believes that the team will respond to the challenge “if we work to together as a team we will be able to do it. I look forward to the next game, we must try to win it; anything is possible,” he said.

Source : Solomon Times Online
By : James Rhufus
Published : 6/10/2008

A minute into Solomon Kurukuru’s 10-2 loss to Cuba, it looked like an unlikely victory could be in the making.

Captain Elliot Ragomo sliced through two Cuban defenders and then passed to Jack Wetney, who returned the ball to Ragomo at the far post to complete Solomon Islands’ first goal at World Cup level. The crowd quickly took a shine to the young side in front of them and spontaneous chants of ‘Solomon! Solomon!’ echoed throughout Nilson Nelson Hall.

But today there would be no fairy-tale start for the Kurukuru, just another opportunity to learn and improve and behave in a way that earns them new fans everyday in Brazil, win, lose or draw. Cuba soon gained control of the game, forced errors from the Solomon players, and then – importantly – capitalised on them to go into half-time with a comfortable 5-1 lead.

The beginning of the second half saw a more resolved Kurukuru take the field and it is something that that coach Victor Wai’ia would like to see replicated in Thursday game against the giants of Futsal, Brazil.

“We need to be more patient and wait for clear opportunities, we will work on this in training tomorrow,” he said, “however, I was happy with the way that Moffat Sika’ae, Ragomo and Wetney played in counter-attack, and Ron Ginio was very good in defence when he came on.”

While Kurukuru improved on the field, Cuba was still able to increase their lead freely, the score at one stage ballooning out to 10-1. So, a big loss, but not one that can take the smiles of the faces of the team, “I just feel happy to play here,” said Philip Houtarau, “the World Cup is such a high standard. I’m not disappointed about the game because this is our first time at the World Cup and we’re learning so many new things every day.”

As the game ended, Ragomo’s dream start was complemented with close to a dream finish. His second goal, in part created by some good work off the ball by Wetney, who drew a defender away for the captain’s to get a clean shot, was soon followed by a penalty shot. Unfortunately it was batted away by the Cuban goalkeeper, denying a hat-trick.

Dreams almost turned to nightmares for Ragomo mid-way through the half when his troublesome ankle was aggravated in a tackle and he was forced form the field in agony. Thankfully for his team, he soon returned. “It was amazing to score in the World Cup,” he said, “I’m happy, but it was because of good team work that it happened. The ankle is a bit painful, but it wasn’t going to stop me from playing today and it won’t stop me against Brazil.”

It was an unusually quiet bus trip back to the hotel for the Kurukuru boys as they reflected on all the hard work and preparation that they put into this big game and the hollow feeling that defeat can bring. They might be young, but they have a dedication to Futsal that will see them grow more confident with every game played in this tournament; they are in the real world now and will respond to the challenge.

“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying,” said philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The good news is – as displayed daily by various impromptu routines performed around the hotel to the sounds of their MP3 music players – they can already dance, so it must only be a matter of time before the Kurukuru take to sky.

Source : Solomon Times Online
By : James Ruhfus
Published : 2/10/2008