FFA board must be fired: Evans

Local Sports

Fijian soccer great Ivor Evans.Former Fiji and Vancouver Whitecaps soccer great Ivor Evans is afraid the standard of soccer in Fiji will never improve unless there're changes in the Football house.

Evans renewed the ‘change call' following U17s' embarrassing 0-6 loss to New Zealand in the opening match of the U17 Oceania World Cup qualifying and then playing to a stalemate against Papua New Guinea on Thursday.

"The entire FFA board top down must be fired", said Evans.

"They’re incompetent bunch that have no vision and will do nothing for the good of the game".

The Fijian prodigy says time is of an essence, and he is pleading with Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to step in and take charge of the worst run sporting entity in Fiji.

He says he wouldn't doubt the PMs, intellect and foresight, the testament of which is the sweeping changes he made since comming into power.

“Prime minister, Voreqe Bainimarama is soccer’s savoir. Trust me he (PM) needs to look into the affairs of the FFA and put the failures into place”, Evans told Sportsone.

Evans said Rajesh Patel may well be a good businessman, but he certainly lacks the leadership qualities needed to run the country's biggest sporting body.

"The president’s portfolio just doesn't fit his profile".

“Patel grew into the Ba Football greatness without having to kick a ball and just by being Ba's president doesn't necessarily mean he is best man to run FFA.

"There are capable people in the country, the know how's of soccer and who would turn  the sport in a heart beat but the constitution seems to be in the way. The change that comes every now and then is designed for the incumbents”, he said.

Evans says the understanding that the U20 team’s qualification to the U20 World Cup has FFA believe they’re doing a fine job with the development and the training program, than they must re-evaluate their position.

“Fiji made it to the Worlds because of the luck of the draw as there was no New Zealand".

Evans added that had New Zealand not been the host nation, then Fiji just as in the previous tournaments would have been beaten to a pulp and that would have been it for the success tune sung by the FFA hordes.

"Change has to happen soon otherwise a colossal disaster awaits the U20 side at the U20 World Cup and beyond".