Since Australia joined the AFC after leaving Oceania In 2006, Oceania has become the domain of a new Zealand team. But there is such a team that broke New Zealand's monopoly on Oceania's hegemony and participated in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil. This team is Tahiti.
When Chinese fans talk about Tahiti, the first thing that comes to mind is Gong Lei, the king of Tahiti. Gong Lei played for Seven Seasons for Tahiti's side Pillay from 1990 to 1997. In his seven seasons with Tahiti, Gong Lei has been nominated for the best several times. Therefore, Gong Lei is also known as the King of Tacitus.
In fact, Tahiti is not a country, but an overseas territory of France. In football, we walked into Tahiti and learned about the relationship between Tasita and France.
Tahiti: Once a subjugated country became an overseas territory of France
Tahiti, translated as Tahiti in Hong Kong and Taiwan, is part of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France.
The French Polynesian archipelago consists of more than 100 islands in 6 groups of archipelagos. The combined area of the 6 groups of archipelagos and more than 100 islands is about 4,000 square kilometers, and the population is 270,000.
Of these, 69 per cent of the population lives on the island of Tahiti, which covers 1/4 of the french Polynesian archipelago. The capital of the region, Papeete, is also located on The Island of Tahiti.
The original inhabitants of the Tahiti region were Polynesians, who were first to arrive here in 2000 BC for a long time, and the inhabitants of this area have long been isolated from Eurasia and the United States. The Tahitians have a habit, similar to the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival custom – dragon boat racing. According to legend, they came here to commemorate the migration from the South Island region.
It was not until the time of Magellan's voyage around the world that the connection between the island of Polynesia and Europe officially began. Europeans first arrived in Tahiti in the 18th century. In 1767, the British navigator Hughes arrived on The Island of Tahiti, and Hughes was captivated by the beautiful scenery of Tahiti. In the logbook, Hughes describes Tahiti as the closest place to heaven.
From the 18th to the 19th century, the island of Polynesia, including Tahiti, became a hunting ground for European colonists. However, neither Britain nor France had the strength to monopolize the island. The Tahitians converted to Christianity in contact with European navigators such as Britain.
In 1788, with the help of Christians and The English, Pomalay I, a Tahitian, established the first state in Tahiti history, the Kingdom of Tahiti.
This kingdom has not existed for more than a hundred years. In 1844, France, with great power, overthrew the king and became the de facto controller of Tahiti. In 1880, France simply deposed King Pomaret V and the Kingdom of Tahiti was destroyed. Tahiti became part of the French colony of French Polynesia.
After World War II, Polynesians were granted French citizenship. Later, as the anti-colonialization movement unfolded, France had to consider giving more autonomy to French Polynesia, including Tahiti. Today, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (near Newfoundland, Canada) in French Polynesia in Central and North America, as well as Mayotte in Africa, Wallis and Futuna in the Asia-Pacific region are listed as France's five overseas groups.
Tahiti is blessed with its natural beauty and is known as the closest place to paradise. As a result, tourism has become an important industry for Tahiti's development. It is also a favorite place for literary enthusiasts, and the famous novel "The Moon and Sixpence" takes place in Tahiti.
The current state of tahiti football
The representative of French Polynesian football is Tahiti. Nicknamed Toa Aito and Marines, Tahiti are the only two of France's overseas territories to join FIFA (the other being New Caledonia, both of which are affiliated with the Oceania Federation).
In 1973, Tahiti joined the Oceania Football Federation and participated in the Oceania Cup, the Oceania Nations Cup. Since the official establishment of the Confederations Cup in 1997, champions from every continent have qualified to participate in the Confederations Cup. The Oceania Nations Cup is almost monopolized by Australia and New Zealand. After Australia withdrew from Oceania and joined Asia, Oceania was almost new Zealand's domain.
The only one who broke the monopoly in Australia and New Zealand was Tahiti. In the semi-finals of the 2012 Oceania Nations Cup, New Zealand lost to New Caledonia. Tahiti competed in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil after beating New Caledonia in the final to become Australia and New Zealand.
In the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, Tahiti was in the same group as the African Eagles Nigeria, the Matadors Spain and the South American champion Uruguay. Tahiti takes on Nigeria on 17 June 2013 at the Mineiro Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In the 54th minute of the second half, Tahiti once broke through the gate of the African Eagles, but could not escape the 1-6 defeat. This goal is enough to make them remember.
Since then, Tahiti has suffered disastrous defeats (0-10 Spain, 0-8 Uruguay) against European champions Spain and South American champions Uruguay. The Confederations Cup ended with a trio, but they scored at least one goal, and for Tahiti, the result was also acceptable.
FIFA's football program is not only 11-a-side football, but also futsal and beach football. In 11-a-side football, Tahiti is a fish-belly team. Currently, they are ranked 157th by FIFA.
Tahiti, which has a relatively weak 11-a-side football, has achieved good results in beach football. With the advantage of the beach, Tahiti has developed beach football in accordance with local conditions.
In 2013, Tahiti hosted the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, becoming the first Pacific island nation to host a FIFA Tournament. Tahiti Beach Soccer team then reached the final in two consecutive Sand World Cups in 2015 and 2017, but unfortunately they were both runners-up. For this small island with a population of only 200,000, the achievements in the field of beach football are enough to make them proud. Pride.