…. final 23-man squad to be named next week
Photo Caption: The Solomon Islands U16 team during the Oceania Qualifiers in April 2024. OFC Media
The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Technical Department has officially announced this week, the appointment of Eddie Rukumana as the head coach for the national men’s U16 team.
Rukumana will lead the squad in the upcoming OFC Men’s U16 Championship, scheduled to take place in Tahiti from July 28 to August 10.
An extended squad has been in training since May, following their successful campaign at the Qualifying tournament in Tonga in April, where the Solomon Islands emerged as winners.
They have been placed in Group B alongside New Caledonia, Samoa, and hosts Tahiti.
A final 23-man squad will be announced next week before the team travels.
“It’s an honor to take up this national responsibility to lead a developing team to the Championship again,” Rukumana told SIFF Media.
“We are finalizing a final 23-man squad next week to proceed with training as a unit before the team travels. At the moment, the squad is positively coming together in training – the team is set.”
In April, SIFF Technical Director Moses Toata led the team for the qualifiers, and while the core squad remains, Rukumana revealed that there will be only a few changes to the winning team ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, following U16 trials that included players scouted from the provinces.
“Not many changes will happen – after trials for U16, there were players selected to join training, and only a few will make the cut.”
The Oceania youth championship holds significant importance as it is the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025.
The teams finishing as the winner and runner-up in Tahiti will earn the honor of representing Oceania on the global stage at the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ in Qatar.
Rukumana brings a wealth of experience at the youth development level – also as a talent identification coach and his appointment is part of SIFF’s Technical Department’s broader strategy to strengthen the development of youth football and he will be assisted by Solomon Islands national player, Ian Lagwai Kalu.
“We are excited to have Eddie Rukumana lead our U16 team in this crucial tournament. The U19 team has already set a benchmark for us, and now we just have to focus and look ahead to the task.”
-SIFF Media
