Mateinaqara helps Baby Bula Boys

FORMER national team and Lautoka stopper Beniamino Mateinaqara has been assisting the Baby Bula Boys side in preparation for the Oceania Football Confederation Under-17 Championship which starts in Suva next Wednesday.

Mateinaqaqa is the goalkeeper coach for the side and has been in camp with the team for more than two months.

The lanky and experienced stopper was suspended by Fiji FA in February last year for indiscipline but forced his way back into the Lautoka squad before the Courts Inter District Championship in October last year after his suspension was lifted.

He said he had been given a task with the under-17 side and he had been working towards that.

“It has been going good so far. We have a good team that has boned well so training them isn’t that difficult. The players in the squad are all educated and have good knowledge of football,” the 35-year-old said.

Mateinaqara made his debut for the national side in 2007 and has played 23 matches since.

He said these youngsters had a good chance of making it to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru in November.

“I always wanted to play at a world cup but unfortunately couldn’t make it. Now I see these boys have a chance to fulfil a dream I couldn’t achieve so I am really excited myself.”

Mateinaqara also featured for Nadi, Navua, Suva and Hekari United.

The Baby Bula Boys have been drawn in Group A with Tonga and Samoa.

They start their campaign against Samoa on January 12 at 7pm at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

Their final group match is against Tonga on January 18 at 7pm.

The top two teams from all three pools qualify to the quarter-finals with the best two third-placed teams.

Quarter-finals will be played on January 21-22, semi-finals on January 25 while the final is scheduled for 7pm on January 28.

Pools

Group A: Fiji, Samoa, Tonga Group B: New Zealand, New Caledonia, American Samoa

Group C: Tahiti, Vanuatu, Cook Islands

Fixtures

Wednesday, January 11

3pm New Zealand v New Caledonia (FFA Academy, Ba)

7pm Tahiti v Vanuatu (HFC Bank Stadium)

Thursday, January 12

4pm Fiji v Samoa (HFC Bank Stadium)

Saturday, January 14

3pm New Zealand v American Samoa (FFA Academy, Ba)

Tuesday, January 17

3pm New Caledonia v American Samoa (FFA Academy, Ba)

7pm Vanuatu v Cook Islands (HFC Bank Stadium)

Wednesday, January 18

7pm Tonga v Fiji (HFC Bank Stadium)