By Romulus Huta
Persistent criticism from fans over the performance of the national senior men’s soccer team has forced Spaniard Felipe Vega-Arango Alonso to step down ahead of the OFC Nations Cup. The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) is now in the process of finding a new head coach to lead the team in the upcoming OFC Nations Cup, scheduled to take place in Vanuatu this June.
For the last three years, the team has been guided by Felipe Vega-Arango, a seasoned Spanish coach with a wealth of experience. Despite being offered a two-year contract extension, Vega-Arango has chosen to step down. His tenure was marked by a near triumph at the Pacific Games, where the team fought valiantly for the gold medal, only to lose the final to New Caledonia in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. So, what led to Vega-Arango’s exit? Was it the bitter taste of defeat?
Surprisingly, no. “Living here is tough, coaching here is tough. There’s constant drama, and I’m exhausted,” he revealed in an interview with the Pacific Beat. The unending challenges that coaches face in the Solomon Islands have worn him down. Despite consistently delivering positive results, Vega-Arango feels undervalued by the fans and the public. The burden of negativity has become unbearable. Before the Pacific Games kicked off in November, Vega-Arango urged fans to stop cyberbullying national soccer players on social media. He voiced his concern about the lack of support from some Solomon Islanders for their national sports teams.
Vega-Arango noted that it’s sometimes odd to see the lack of support the national team gets. He feels as if some Solomon Islanders actually want the national team to lose, which he finds both strange and “unbelievable”. Last year, the Solomon Islands played a total of 11 competitive matches, boasting an impressive record – eight wins, one draw (against Singapore), and two losses (against Malaysia and New Caledonia- this loss was the Pacific Games final, decided by a penalty kick).
Interestingly, the Solomon Islands did not record a loss against any Oceania team last year within the 90 minutes of full time. Vega-Arango hoped these results would please the fans, but they only fueled more disappointment. “It’s time to go. I miss my family back home in Spain, I want my child to grow up in Spain,” Vega-Arango shared in his interview with the Pacific Beat last week.
Vega-Arango’s final assignment with the Solomon Islands national soccer team will be this month’s international break fixture against Fiji in Honiara. The two-match international friendly series is scheduled for March 18 and March 21 at Lawson Tama Stadium. After these two matches, he’s done. But in honouring his contract with SIFF, which lasts until June 15, he will assist SIFF in any way possible during the transition to a new coach. A press conference announcing Vega-Arango’s departure is expected to take place soon before the matches against Fiji. END///