THE Fijian Soccer League of Greater Vancouver finds itself in gravest crisis of its history.
First, there is no premier league in the 15-year running of the league and secondly, the Masters Division that keeps FSLGV alive has become a web for problems.
Since the start of the 2018 league season in late April, there hasn’t been a Sunday fixture that goes without a problem.
From fights to assaulting match officials, manhandling, threatening players on social media, Facebook and more.
And while indiscipline has become the bane for the league, the league has also been blamed among other things, using unrated match officials, their reports as the blue print for unwarranted suspensions and not doing enough to rejuvenate the sport.
The consensus, the failure to revamp the sport over many years have the league lose its core status and should they continue to operate the way they have, it is only a matter of time the FSLGV would become a defunct body.
The disgruntled many, players and fans continue to expose the league on the many pressing issues by voicing their opinion on the FSLGV administered social page and instead of hearing out the concerns of the sporting public, the league gets all worked-up and acts fledgling.
Zarim Khan, an outspoken football executive has taken a swipe at the administration that governs the sport.
On FSLGV Facebook, he is calling for a complete overhaul of the football hierarchy.
He cites incompetence on the part of the very people who are FSLGV.
“There are some concerns with the officiating of the Fijian soccer league but how about fixing the problems and changing the league around and making it more successful, seems like it very year goes by it is going lower and lower and lower”, he said.
“Time for many in the league to take the backseat and give the future and opportunity to running the league you might see the league run better and more efficient.
“Let me make it very clear to you and your administration, for so many years this core administrators have been in office.
“Thanks for the service. But it’s time to let the future take office.
“From once a upon a time Fiji community had 23 teams and today, not healthy at all. Sad”.
The FSLGV responded by saying they welcome under 40-year-old sports enthusiasts to the board as volunteers.
It further said the candidates need to file in their nominations with the league in the election year, which is every two years.
Manoj Kumar refutes the whole nomination claim made by the league on social media, adds, nominations have been filed in the past but were either declared invalid by FSLGV on grounds that the applicants failed to pay the required $10 membership and or hadn’t served on a club for a mandatory period required under the constitution to qualify to contest the elections.
“These set of officials have a firm footing on the governance and it highly unlikely they will ever leave their positions”, said the former footballer who follows the league very closely after having retired from the game some 10 years on.
He said the current officials seem to think they’re bigger than the organization and it is this power phenomenon that has disabled the progress of the sport.
Kumar said he couldn’t agree more with Khan, who made a bold statement on the entire board to take a back seat and allow fresh faces to run the otherwise struggling league.
“If what the league claims is right that volunteers are needed than they should scrap the new age bracket, 40 years or under rule and allow for open nomination and conduct a free and fair election.
“The age limitations is another way to thwart interests from 40-plus to run as candidates. They need to be inclusive, age shouldn’t be a factor, it’s about the desire, more so the league needs to get rid of some of its tailor-made rules.
“Masters team’s need to vote out the the current board”, said Kumar.
