THE Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel, seems to create ambiguity about eligibility for the Fiji FA Legends induction.
While speaking in Vancouver, he said that anybody who played for the country up until the 1980s is automatically eligible to join the club.
However, he made another statement which contradicted his earlier statement.
Patel said those representing the country after 1980 would require winning a medal to gain a place in the legends club.
There are many issues related to the inconsistency in his approach.
If one follows the 1980s criterion, then it implies that great footballers such as Manu Pokar, Marika Ravula of Nadi, Lautoka’s Jeremaia Ladawa, Kelemedi Vosuga Cheetah of Lautoka, and George Samisoni of Suva can be considered legends ‘automatically’.
And there are several other great footballers of Fiji who could be considered legends but did not have any medals with them because of playing a team sport.
The approach by Patel seems to be vague and inconsistent at the same time.
The inconsistency raises questions on the validity of inductees in the Fiji FA Legends Club.
