The U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan offers Kanaky–New Caledonia an opportunity to assess its football standards and give young players valuable international experience, said Yzabel Bearune, vice-president of the Loyalty Islands Sports Commission in Kanaky.
Report informs that Bearune spoke to journalists during a rally supporting the Kanaky–New Caledonia and French Polynesia (Maʻohi Nui–Tahiti) teams.
He stressed the importance of young players competing on the world stage despite Kanaky–New Caledonia's small size.
"Our goal is to support our young people and instill values such as respect, humility, hard work and perseverance. International tournaments like this give a major boost to our footballers' development and future success," he said.
The U-15 World Cup and Festival began on October 24 and will continue at the Hovsan Sports Complex until October 30.
Teams representing FIFA member associations from 189 countries are participating, with nearly 1,000 matches scheduled.
Azerbaijan will face Andorra today at 12:45 and Australia at 19:30. Both matches will take place on pitch 10A at the Hovsan Sports Complex.
On October 26, Azerbaijan will play Israel at 11:30 and Haiti at 18:15 on the same pitch.
All times are GMT+4.