Vanuatu men’s head coach Richard Iwai has received his OFC C Licence as he prepares to lead the defending champions at this year’s MSG Prime Ministers Cup in Suva, Fiji.

Iwai received the qualification ahead of the regional tournament and says he is pleased to have completed the coaching requirement.

Iwai Welcomes C Licence

Iwai says the C Licence is an important achievement for him as a coach, noting that FIFA and OFC coaching requirements require coaches to hold the appropriate qualification to work on the sideline.

“This year I am really happy to receive my C Licence. The C Licence came directly from OFC and, as a coach, I am really happy to receive my licence.”

Three Weeks of Training

Iwai says the men’s team has completed three weeks of preparation ahead of the MSG Prime Ministers Cup.

He says the players have been attending training consistently, with no player missing training because of injury.

The coach says the selected players have continued to train with their respective clubs and have been playing in local knockout competitions, which has helped him assess their readiness for the tournament.

Several Players Unavailable

Some members of the squad that won the previous MSG Prime Ministers Cup will not be available for this year’s tournament.

Iwai says Alex Saniel will be travelling to Australia to join his club, while Michel Coulon is unavailable because of a family health situation.

Jason Thomas is also unable to join the squad because of a family wedding.

Iwai says he respects each player’s decision and has selected other players to fill the available places.

He says the players brought into the squad have earned their selection based on their performances in recent knockout competitions.

Vanuatu Set to Defend MSG Title

40 footballers were commissioned this morning to represent Vanuatu at the MSG Prime Ministers Cup.

Prime Minister Jotham Napat officiated the commissioning of both the Vanuatu men’s and women’s teams at VFF Freshwater Stadium.

The men’s team are the current MSG Prime Ministers Cup champions, while the women’s team finished third in last year’s tournament.

Napat encouraged both teams to play with pride and represent Vanuatu well at the regional competition.

This year’s MSG Prime Ministers Cup will be held in Suva, Fiji, from 17 September to 3 October.

Iwai says the team is now focused on continuing its preparation and going into the tournament ready to defend the title.