Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF) has confirmed that the national side will be without their star striker Kency Tangis for the Intercontinental cup tournament in India next month.
VFF Technical Director and Team Manager Peter Takaro said Kency is unavailable due to work commitments.
“Kency Tangis told me that following his long hours of work, he did not think he would be able to join the team training schedules; Even when I told him that the training started at 6pm, Kency maintained he could not make it”, Takaro said.
National Coach Etienne Mermer said clubs have been informed to release players for national duties.
“I am ready to work with those players who show up on the field for training”, Mermer said.
“We are not just preparing for the India tournament; we have other international games ahead of us, including the Pacific Games in Honiara later on in the year”, he points out.
Meanwhile, Takaro said it is important for members of the football family to understand the main objective of developing and promoting football in the country.
“VFF aims to develop football at all levels in both men and women categories; and our objective is to develop, expose and market our young football players. International competitions organized by OFC and other international sporting meets such as the Pacific Games and international invitations like the intercontinental cup tournament in India, are platforms for exposure and marketing of our players.
“We encourage club management to help their players understand our (VFF) vision and to encourage them to be ready to respond to calls for national duty”, Takaro says.
The national senior men’s team is scheduled to depart for India on Sunday.
The four-nation Intercontinental Cup Tournament featuring hosts India, Lebanon, Mongolia and Vanuatu, will be played in Bhubaneswar, from 9 to 18 June.
Photo supplied Caption: Kency Tangis