BA fan and football commentator Raymond Stoddart has called out Ba’s Chilean imports on Sunday.
And the early impressions of the signings were not kind.
Football fans know Raymond’s district loyalty which he hasn’t made any secret about.
During Sunday’s game, the self-acclaimed voice of soccer took a swipe at Lucas Abarca Reyas and Leandro Ruiz Varas, saying the duo are finding difficulty adapting to Ba’s football plans.
Defender Reyas brought down a skirting Iowane Matanisiga resulting in a penalty.
Seteriki Hughes tugged it past former Rewa goalkeeper Alzar Alam.
Raymond pinned Lucas for a pair of defensive gaffes, a goal each to Hughes and the go-ahead to John Orobulu.
While Raymond demanded high expectations, the top-down brass has been up against leadership, coaching and financial hardships.
The district has been stricken with an overweening power struggle for a decade, resulting in administrative reshuffles almost every few months.
And for some time, the once championship-synonymous district hasn’t had a levelheaded elected president since the departure of Rishi Kumar and an astute coach like Yogendra Dutt.
If anything a short but fruitful tenure under interim president Amjad Sunny Khan saw Ba win a major tournament, the 2023 Inter District Championship with a 2-1 win over Lautoka.
But Khan’s ailing health forced him to take a break from football, and Ba has been nothing but an ordinary football district since.
Lack of funds
Raymond is a Ba insider, if he hasn’t been made aware of the circumstances surrounding the administration and the financial stress, then he needs to ask rather than ride out and vent his frustration while calling out plays.
He must be made aware of the fact that the district lives on handouts, and remittances as the product in Fiji isn’t marketable.
The biggest donors are the NZ Ba Fan Club, who under vice president Zaim Ali, have been raising money to help alleviate the district’s financial distress.
It is clubs’ like NZ Ba FC, and the diehard who help the district fulfill its financial obligations, particularly with players’ payments, travel, housing during major tournaments and acquiring players during the transfer window is praiseworthy.
It is troubling to learn that besides, the Chileans and Alzar, Ba hasn’t been able to secure players they would have wanted to during the transfer window.
The reason being, marquee players come at a price, and it is likely not in Ba’s budget.
Sources close to Sportsone reveal that the Chileans are being taken care of by ardent Ba fans just to help the team maintain its premier status.
And so it is what it is Raymond, while he called it flat out, he admitted with a tongue-in-cheek expression that he was not criticizing the Chilean’s and Ba’s decision to acquire them.
Coach Rodrick is not cutting it
Ba coach Roderick Singh, who gained notoriety for being the man behind Rewa’s football rise got a rude awakening during his Ratu Cakabou Park debut in the Ba dugout.
Not the kind of reception he would have wanted.
He learned that coaches don’t win games, players do.
And while coaches provide guidance and strategy, it is the players who execute the game plan.
Rewa’s teamwork wins games
With Rewa, Roderick had the player around him, more than half the players on the team represent the Fijian Bula Boys.
Rewa’s talent, depth and experience are accentuated by the game.
Lessons learned, Roderick.
And Raymond, now you know.
