Naea Tommy Irving Bennett[1] (born 8 July 1977) is a French Polynesian footballer, politician, and former Cabinet Minister. He plays as a striker for AS Pirae and also represents the Tahiti national beach soccer team. He is son of Erroll Bennett, a former Tahitian footballer who was runner-up at 1973 and 1980 OFC Nations Cup.[2]
Naea Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Youth, Crime Prevention and Sports | |
| In office 21 February 2022 – 15 May 2023 | |
| President | Édouard Fritch |
| Preceded by | Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu |
| Succeeded by | Nahema Temarii |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1977 Tahiti |
| Political party | Tapura Huiraatira |
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AS Pirae | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2002 | AS Vénus | ||
| 2002–2014 | AS Pirae | (60) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1996–2010 | Tahiti | 16 | (12) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2019 | Tahiti | ||
| 2020– | AS Pirae | ||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 March 2012 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 March 2012 | |||
Football career edit
In 2002, Naea Bennett took part in 4 qualifying matches for the World Cup with the Tahiti team. While playing for AS Pirae, Bennett joined the Tahiti beach soccer team, and competed in both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. In all he took part in 8 matches for as many wins as losses and 5 goals scored. In October 2013 he was appointed a knight of the Order of Tahiti Nui.[3][4]
Bennett is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and refuses to play football on Sundays.[5] In 2015, he refused to play in the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final due to his religious beliefs.[6]
In 2018 he was appointed interim head coach of the Tahiti national football team.[7][8]
Political career edit
In February 2022 he was appointed to the cabinet of Édouard Fritch as Minister of Youth, Crime Prevention and Sports.[9][10]
International goals edit
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2001 | North Harbour Stadium, Albany |  Vanuatu |
2-0 | 6–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 2 | 3-0 | |||||
| 3 | 5-1 | |||||
| 4 | 11 June 2001 |  Cook Islands |
4-0 | 6–0 | ||
| 5 | 30 June 2003 | National Stadium, Suva |  Micronesia |
8-0 | 17–0 | 2003 South Pacific Games |
| 6 | 11-0 | |||||
| 7 | 14-0 | |||||
| 8 | 17-0 | |||||
| 9 | 3 July 2003 |  Papua New Guinea |
1-0 | 3–0 | ||
| 10 | 3-0 | |||||
| 11 | 7 July 2003 | Churchill Park, Lautoka |  Tonga |
3-0 | 4–0 | |
| 12 | 4-0 |
References edit
- ^ "FTF – TIKI TOA : la liste des joueurs révélée sur FIFA.com". Fédération Tahitienne de Football.
- ^ "Football – Focus : La légende Errol Bennett" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "LISTE DES TITULAIRES". 21 July 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "L'Ordre de Tahiti Nui pour les Tiki Toa" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Janet Thomas (September 2014). "In His Father's Steps". churchofjesuschrist.org.
- ^ "Tiki Toa: la polémique qui gâche la fête" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Naea Bennet becomes Tahiti's eleven-a-side National coach". 17 March 2018.
- ^ "Football - Tahiti vs Calédonie : Naea Bennett devient coach de la sélection" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "La composition du nouveau gouvernement Fritch" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Virginie Bruant et Naea Bennett entrent au gouvernement" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
External links edit
- Naea Bennett at National-Football-Teams.com
- Naea Bennett – FIFA competition record (archived)
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