THE FANCA Federation has some explaining to do over the way it recognised one of Fiji football’s former stars during the 2026 FANCA Nations World Cup.
Ba’s Feroz Khan, one of the standout footballers for both Ba and Fiji from the mid-1970s through to the mid-1980s, was reportedly the only former footballer to receive a Medal of Honour during the tournament.
That immediately raises an important question.
What were the criteria for this recognition, and why was Khan the only former footballer singled out?
Khan’s contribution to football belongs to an era when the sport in Fiji had huge following and when representing Ba or the national side carried enormous significance.
His playing career spanned a substantial period, and his name remains familiar to followers of the game who remember Fiji football of that generation.
FANCA has always promoted itself as more than a football tournament.
Its stated purpose has been to bring generations of people together through sport and friendship.
The 2026 event was even more significant because it formed part of the celebrations marking 100 years of the Fiji Muslim League.
That makes recognition of former footballers particularly important.
If Khan was chosen because of his outstanding contribution to football, then FANCA should explain the basis of that decision and publicly acknowledge the achievements that made him deserving of the honour.
And if there were other former players who contributed significantly to Ba, Fiji football, other districts and the FANCA family over the decades, their absence from the recognition list also deserves an explanation.
This is not about taking anything away from Khan.
His recognition should be celebrated.
But the process behind that recognition should also be transparent.
FANCA has grown from its early beginnings into an international sporting tradition involving Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
It now has an opportunity and perhaps an obligation to preserve the history of the footballers who helped shape the game before the current generation took centre stage.
Khan deserves his honour.
But the football community also deserves the answer.
Why him? And what criteria did FANCA use to decide who deserved to be recognised?
Those are reasonable questions, particularly when one former footballer appears to have been singled out while many others from the same generation remain unrecognised.
