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The Tehau family is one of the best known families when it comes to football in Oceania. Lorenzo Tehau, Alvin Tehau, Jonathan Tehau and Teaonui Tehau experienced one of the most important moments in their football history at the 2013 Confederations Cup – where Tahiti faced Nigeria, Spain and Uruguay after winning the OFC Nations Cup in 2012.
Roonui Tehau is a new rising star not only in Tahitian football but also in Oceania as a whole. Roonui has played for one of the biggest clubs of his country in the OFC Champions League and he was one of the key players of Tahiti U-20 National Team that played the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year. The young Tehau guided his teammates on a courageous mission: represent Tahiti and Oceania in Poland – where the competition was being held. Defeats to Senegal, Poland and Colombia did not outshine the good generation from the French territory.
Oceania Football Center recently talked to the AS Dragon midfielder, who is currently in training with Tahiti National Team as they are preparing 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Tehau is a well-known Tahitian football family name, isn’t it? It seems that every Tehau is a good footballer. Are you related to the people who took Tahiti to the Confederations Cup in 2013?
Yes, Tehau is a well-known name in Tahitian football thanks to my brother Teaonui Tehau, the top scorer in the league, and those who qualified Tahiti in 2013 are my cousins Alvin Tehau, Lorenzo Tehau and Jonathan Tehau, who scored a goal against Nigeria in 2013.
You played in the OFC Champions League, Tahiti’s youth teams and the Ligue 1 Vini. Tell us a little about your club career.
So I’ve been training with AS Vénus since I was a kid and I won many championships in the youth categories and then at the age of 15 I played my first match in Ligue 1. In 2017 we played in the OFC Champions League and I scored my first goal in the tournament against Lautoka. In 2018 I left AS Vénus due to professional reasons and to give myself a challenge and since then I am playing for AS Dragon. I also played the French Cup for AS Dragon in 2018.
Oh yes, you have to divide your career between work and football, don’t you?
Yes, because we are only amateurs. As soon as AS Dragon offered me a job I didn’t hesitate.
How did you qualify for the U-20 World Cup? What was it like to play and be the captain of your nation in this tournament?
During the qualification campaign we had a very tight group and playing at home gave us an extra boost. Also during the tournament we were isolated far from the city for this concentration. As captain it was very important to me to qualify Tahiti for the World Cup, it was a great responsibility and I thank the coaches for having trusted me. In addition, there were some very good teams like New Zealand, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia…
How was the experience in Poland?
It was like a dream come true for all of us to take part in a World Cup, but we soon came down to Earth because we knew what was waiting for us on the pitch. Despite the defeats, we still came out with our heads held high because we had gained experience and seen what it was like to play at a high level. It was a good experience that we’ll never forget.
How do you rate Tahiti’s participation in the U-20 World Cup? Do you see any development or areas for improvement?
I think we could have done better than that during this World Cup, because the Federation has put a lot of resources into our preparation, and I think that the more we participate in this kind of competition, the more we progress, so for us, as a small country, it improves the level of play in local tournaments thanks to these competitions. And we should play more often against teams of international level to improve our level of play.
Many good players like you, Terai Bremond, Moana Pito and Kavai’ei Morgant can be the future of the Tahitian football team. Do you see better days for the country’s football with your generation?
Of course we proved with our qualification that we have a future in Tahitian football and I hope we can serve as an example for future generations. We have a lot of good players who play at a good level and this can only be beneficial for the National Team. And with our generation and the old ones I think we can achieve some goals.
Did any foreign club had interest on your football? Do you see this as a real possibility in the future?
No, but I would love to and I hope one day I will have the chance.
How do you analyse the development of Tahitian football today? Are the federation and the clubs on the right track?
I think the clubs and the federation are doing everything they can to ensure that football in Tahiti develops, we have good leagues in all categories. As I was saying before, in order for it to develop even more, we have to play competitions outside Tahiti or friendly matches against outside teams, but the problem is the distance with other countries and the fact that it takes a lot of money to do all that.
Does the Federation work to promote local players in professional clubs outside Tahiti?
No, it is rather the clubs themselves who work to promote young players, such as AS Vénus, which has a partnership with Toulouse, and AS Tefana, which has a partnership with Saint-Etienne in France. For example there is Terai Bremond from AS Venus or Morgant from AS Tefana, so the Federation is more concerned with the development of football here in Tahiti.
Do you see an increase in the number of people interested in football in Tahiti?
Yes there are a lot of young people interested in football in Tahiti and even women since the creation of the women’s league.
We thank Roonui Tehau for his answers and encourage him and his team to make great progress in Haitian football in the years to come.
Oceania Football Center 