Football: 2014 Fifa World Cup preliminaries-Seychelles get ready for the Harambee Stars |08 November 2011

The team held their first training session yesterday afternoon at the Astroturf pitch and under the watchful eyes of coach Ralph Jean-Louis who guided them to winning Seychelles’ first football gold medal at the Indian Ocean Island Games held here in August.

Friday’s match will start at 5pm and tickets cost R25 and R35.

The return leg encounter will be played in Kenya on Tuesday November 15 and the winners of the two-legged tie will proceed to the group stage and play in group F alongside Nigeria, Malawi and the winners between Djibouti and Namibia.

The 21 players called to the squad for Friday’s game are:

Goalkeepers – Nelson Sopha (St Michel), Vincent Euphrasie (La Passe), Ricky Rose (Anse Reunion)
Defenders – Jonathan Bibi, Damien Maria (St Louis Suns), Nigel Freminot, Allen Larue (St Michel), Ronny Marengo (Northern Dynamo), Jones Joubert (The Lions)

Midfielders – Achille Henriette (La Passe), Karl Hall, Alex Nibourette, Nelson Laurence, Henny Dufresne, Don Anacoura, Gervais Waye-Hive (St Michel), and Brian Dorby (St Louis Suns)

Strikers – Wilnes Brutus, Leeroy Corallie (St Michel), Ryan Antat (St Louis Suns), Kevin Betsy (Wycombe Wanderers in the English league division one).

Spearheaded by professional striker Dennis Oliech who plays for AJ Auxerre in the French Ligue 1, Kenya are ranked 43 places better than Seychelles in the latest Fifa world ranking – 135th with 205 points compared to Seychelles who is in 178th position with 82 points.

G. G.