A Montnor ko te tino fakatau atu i te feitu fakaatamai o te kautau o Suriname

A Natio ka fakatau atu ki Bolivia i te 26 o Mati i te Tafaoiga o te FIFA Play-off

E fakamoe‵moe latou ke mafai o fakatau atu latou ki te World Cup

E seai eiloa se mea e ‵pau mo te gali o mea e ‵tunu ne te tamana o te mātua.

Apart from sharing the pitch with his international team-mates, it’s what Amsterdam-born Jaden Montnor most looks forward to when he returns to play for Suriname, his mother’s home country. Whether it was a squad full of grandmas cooking up the local specialty, roti, or simply being around family, Suriname were full of verve and vigour in their home Concacaf qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, going unbeaten in five matches and outscoring opponents 10-2.

Despite a disappointing defeat at Guatemala that snatched away their automatic qualification hopes, a second chance awaits in the FIFA Play-off Tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, where they will face Bolivia on 26 March, with the winner advancing to the final against Iraq on 31 March.

A te 23 tausaga o Aris Limassol ne fai ne ia te fakatokaga o te taka o Suriname i te taimi ne fakatoka ei latou mō te ‵tauga, kae ne fakamoe‵moe ke aofia a ia i te fakatokaga a te takitaki fakatau‵telega ko Henk ten Cate mō te ‵tauga i te masina tenei. Ne fai‵pati a Montnor ki te FIFA e uiga ki te ‵tauga a Suriname, te fiafia o te taka i te fakatau‵tega i te fakai, mo te fakamoemoega o A Natio ke fakatau‵te i te ‵tauga.

FIFA: I te taimi e ‵fuli ei koe ki te taimi ne fakatoka ei a Sulinama, ne a mea e mafau‵fau koe ki ei?

Jaden Montnor: Ne fakamata‵mata malosi a tino katoa me ko te taimi muamua eiloa i tala mua o te fenua ne fakataunu ei te mea tenei. Ne iloa ne matou me e mafai o fakamalosi atu a matou ki tino e tokouke māfai e fakataunu ne matou te mea tenei, kae ne fakamata‵mata malosi matou, me e seki mafaufau se tino me ka mafai o fakataunu ne matou te mea tenei, ke fakataunu foki ne matou te mea tenei ke fai mo fai te World Cup. Ne fai matou e pelā me ne tino e se iloa ne tino, kae e fakamalosi atu ki a au me ne mafai o fakamalosi atu matou ki te fenua.

Ne mafai pefea o manumalo a Suriname i koga e pelā mo Panama mo El Salvador kolā ne masani o faigata?

E mafau‵fau au me ko te ‵tou fakatasi. E ma‵losi ‵tou tino i te taimi e ‵kau fakatasi ei tatou. E ‵kau fakatasi a tino katoa. E ma‵nako a tino katoa o taua atu mō nisi tino. Kae e tali‵tonu tatou ki a tatou eiloa. E iloa ne tatou a uiga o tatou kae e iloa foki ne tatou a ‵tou malosi. A te ‵tou potukau mo te auala e ga‵lue ei tatou ko te mea e iloa ne tino katoa olotou galuega kae e taumafai a tino katoa o ga‵lue mō nisi tino.

E pefea te loto o te kautau i te taimi ne ta‵fao ei latou i mua o tino e tokouke i fakai fakata‵utau i Suriname?

Kafai e tu koe kae usu atu te pana o te fenua, se taimi fakamatamata ‵lei eiloa me e usu atu a tino katoa. Au ne fanau i Eulopa, kae kafai e fano au ki toku fenua, e fai ei ke manavase au. E foki atu au ki toku fale. E lagona ne koe a te alofa mai tino katoa. E ‵kese ‵ki eiloa. E fakaofoofogia a tino fakatau‵fai.

E mata, koi isi ne koe ne kāiga i Suriname?

Ao. A toku tupuna fafine e nofo i konā. E uke ‵ki oku ne nepe, e uke ‵ki oku taina mo fāfine, e uke ‵ki oku fakatamana mo oku fakatainā kolā e nofo i konā. E fiafia malosi au ke lavea atu latou me e ‵kau faeloa ki tafaoga.

Kafai e toe foki koe ki Suriname o fakatau‵fai, e mata, e mafai o fano koe ki te fale o tou tupuna fafine kae ke tami‵tami i ana meakai?

Ao [ko kai‵tia]. E tuku mai ne latou se taimi ke ‵nofo malie tatou i ei, kae i te taimi tenei e mafai o fai ne koutou so se mea e manako koutou ki ei, tela la, e olo atu a tāgata e tokouke ki olotou kāiga, me e se ma‵taku malosi tatou i a latou. Kafai e ‵nofo koutou i konā, e fai eiloa pelā me se mea gali ke toe ‵foki atu ki te fale. Ko te ‵toe mea ‵lei eiloa.

Ne fakaseai atu te potukau i te taimi ne fakatakavale ei latou i Guatemala. Ne a mea ne ‵fuli i te potukau i te taimi tenā?

E fai atu eiloa i a au e se iloa tonu ne au. Kāti ne uke ‵ki a fakamalosiga ne maua ne matou me e se ko te mea e se ma‵nako matou ke manumalo, kae e mafau‵fau au me e seki fai penā a mea kolā ne mafaufau matou me ka fai. Kae ne ta‵fao faka‵lei eiloa a Guatemala. E ‵tau o tuku atu ne au olotou pukena.

Ne a otou mafaufauga e uiga ki te fakatonutonu fou ko Henk ten Cate?

Ne seki kau atu au ki te kau fakatau‵telega i te taimi ne fai ei a ia mo fai se tino fesoasoani [i te 2023], tela la, e seai se mea e iloa ne au e uiga ki a ia, kae ko oko eiloa i toku fiafia. Ko oko eiloa i toku fiafia ke ga‵lue fakatasi mo ia. Ko oti ne lagona ne au a tala ‵gali e uke e uiga ki a ia. E kalaga atu a ia ki tino fakatau‵telega, fesili atu ki a latou me e pefea olotou lagonaga, tino fakatau‵telega, tino fakatau‵telega i te kogaloto mo tino fakatakato meatau, ko faipati atu ei tatou kae onoono atu me e mafai pefea o fai te galuega tenei.

Ne a mea e fakamoe‵moe koe ke maua i te fakatau‵telega o te fakatauetele o Bolivia?

E mautinoa eiloa me ka faigata te fakatau‵telega tenā, kae e 100 tasi te ‵tou tali‵tonu ki a tatou eiloa. Ka manumalo eiloa tatou. Ka manumalo eiloa a Suriname i te World Cup, e 100 tasi.

A Iakupi ko te ‵toe fenua. Kai fakaaoga ne koe se avanoaga ke onoono ki fenua e lua konei ko Polonia mo Iakupi?

Ao. Ne onoono atu au ki nai fakatau‵telega. E se ‵tau o fakamasei a tama‵liki i ei, kae e iloa ne tatou a ‵tou uiga mo mea e mafai o fai ne tatou e pelā me se tamā potukau, tela la, e mafau‵fau au me ka ‵lei eiloa a fakatau‵telega e lua konā.

Se a te aoga o te fakataunuga o Sulinama ke fakatau‵fai i te World Cup?

It would be the best moment in our football’s history. This is a small country with a population of less than 700,000 people. It's not every day that we qualify. It would be amazing.

How long would the celebrations last in the country?

Ka fai eiloa mo fai se aso malōlō o te fenua, ke oko ki te se-gata-mai. A te fenua kātoa ka fia‵fia malosi. E se mafai o faka‵tali au ke lavea ne au te mea tenā.

Se a te uiga o te tafaiga i te FIFA World Cup ki a koe?

E mafau‵fau au me i te mea tenei se vavega telā ne fakamoemoe ki ei se tamaliki tagata. Ne mafau‵fau faeloa au ki te tafao i te World Cup, ko te tafao i te ‵toe fakapotopotoga tafasili i te maluga. Kae nei la, ona ko Suriname, ko mafai ei ne matou o fakataunu a mea kolā ne seki mafau‵fau a tino me e mafai o fakataunu ne matou. E mafau‵fau au me ko fai ei ne matou ke gali atu ki a au me e se lauiloa matou e pelā me se fenua. E seki tafao matou i te World Cup i se sefulu taimi. Kafai ko tafao matou i te World Cup mō te taimi muamua, ko fai ei ke gali atu ki a matou ke tafao fakatasi mo te fenua tenei.

Photo courtesy of Concacaf