Caf Beach Soccer Championship 2015 - Seychelles lose heavily on day one against heavyweights Nigeria |15 April 2015

Two-time champions Nigeria proved too strong for minnows Seychelles in their opening group A match of the 2015 Confédération Africaine de Football (Caf) Beach Soccer Championships.

Despite the support of the Seychellois public, the country’s team were yesterday hammered 10-1 by heavyweights Nigeria at the National Beach Soccer Stadium.
Seychelles play Ivory Coast today in their second match.

Seychelles’ other two opponents in group A -- Ivory Coast and Egypt -- played out a 3-3 draw after normal time but the Ivorians won 3-1 on penalties for a 6-4 victory.

Ivory Coast have twice finished as runners-up in the African tournament, the last of which came in the 2013 tournament and Egypt have twice finished the competition in third place.

In group B, defending champions and record holders Senegal thrashed Morocco 7-3 and Madagascar, who only last weekend became the champions of the inaugural Cosafa (Council of Southern African Football Associations) beach soccer tournament played here, earned a 9-4 victory against Ghana.

The Caf Beach Soccer Championship is the main championship for beach soccer in Africa with the winners qualifying for the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup to be played in Portugal later this year.

In attendance at yesterday’s matches were the Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Vincent Meriton; Cosafa president and Caf first vice-president, Seychellois Suketu Patel; Seychelles Football Federation chairman Elvis Chetty; Caf second vice-president Molefi Oliphant; Fédération Internationale de Football Association beach soccer committee member and executive vice-president of beach soccer worldwide Joan Cusco.

The championship’s opening ceremony took place at the end of the day’s fourth match.