THERE have been two constants that put football on notice.
And both define the sport in Fiji.
First, the country’s national football team has been a sight to behold.
The 7-0 drubbing to New Zealand in the 2026 World Cup qualifier, and a string of substandard performances against the Island nations tell a story.
Second, the understanding that Rewa, with six national team players and considered as Fiji champions is bereft of football ideas.
While playing to a 1-1 draw in their uneventful game against Auckland City, who had already qualified for the semifinal and fielded 9 bench players, the Tigers proved the sport is as good as it gets in Fiji.
Double losses, 4-2 to Tiga Sports and 1-0 to AS Pirae put football on the backburner for a team that has dominated the sport in Fiji.
Now, given the huge harp about football development in the country? We ask, where does the country place itself in the sport and among the regional teams?
The sordid performance of the national teams and the districts is worrying-some.
Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel had recently given prominence to restructuring and development priorities before World Cup qualifications.
It is an alarming claim to the fact he always maintained that major development has been transformed under his leadership.
And now a decade into his tenure, there is a change in tide and all the more focus is again put on the development.
And it also raises serious questions on the notion the Bula Boys was underprepared for the all-important game against New Zealand.
Is the latest escapade a diversion or something to give hope a moment in time that the future of the sport lies in the state-of-the-art sports facility to be built in Lomo Lomo, Lautoka?
Football is not about the stadium but mastering the game, emphasizing that the true essence of football lies in the skill, strategy, and dedication required to play the game, rather than the grandeur of the venue.
In hindsight, without high end stadiums to development, the country produced great results to world class footballers who beat Australia, New Zealand and every regional team at their own game.
And now if that wasn’t development, good strategy and success what is?
That was between the 1980s-2000.
For now, let’s give hope a reason, for now the sport is where it needs to be.
