Surrey Stars players raise aloft the Jayden Memorial Cup, the team beat Rewa 3-0 in the final at the Bear Creek Park in Surrey
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Opinions / Analysis
ALL the more respect to Pele, a national and global icon who transcended the sport of football.
And while the winner of a record three FIFA World Cups, 1958, 1962 and 1970, deserves all the praise, naming the football academy after him disrespects Fijian footballing greats, who have served the country with distinction.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino officially opened the King Pele Fitness Centre in Vatuwaqa, Suva, the home of the Fiji Football Association.
Nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament, the Brazilian who was known for adroit skills, vision and leadership went on to win the 1962 and 1970 championships.
Pele died last year at the age of 82.
Infantino announced that he wanted every country in the world to have a stadium named after Pele, the finest in sport.
Brazil, Rwanda and Columbia already have named stadiums following Pele’s death in 2022.
Local deserve better
But for FFA, to trumpet Infantino’s call has left distaste for not recognizing the many local football greats who deserved a place with naming rights, and sadly Abdul Mannan, Jone Ratu Vatukatkata, Maritino Nemani and Satish Dutta were among the world football legends only to awe with smiles stretching ear to ear.
The quartet along with other standouts played the game with passion and represented the nation and the districts with pride during their career between 60s-80s.
And if not by consensus, as has been in the past, then Patel could have arbitrarily pushed for the academy to be named after a Ba footballer who was part of the unprecedented 6 consecutive Inter District championships, 1975-1980 team.
The names that roll off the tongue are, Josaia Tubuna, Bale Raniga, Jone Nakosia, Semi Tabaiwalu, Vimlesh Singh and Faruk Janeman to name just a few.
These players were among a group of high achievers that created history for holding on to the Lloyd Farebrother silverware for longest stretch, and ahead of Fiji Football Association’s 75th year anniversary, the trophy was permanently retired in Ba.
And should that not sit well, a member of the historic 1977 or the 1988 national team that beat Australia 1-0 on each occasion were just as deserving.
Academy, streets, gymnasium named after footballers
Every footballing nation in the world has an academy, a facility, gymnasium and streets named after its greatest athletes but Fiji.
For Fiji footballers it is more like thanks but no thanks for your contribution to sport in the country.
What would have even radiated the FIFA boss, was following the announcement of the state of the new stadium that would be built in Lomo Lomo plains, with FIFA funds, the Pelé name would’ve befitted the stadium and what an honour that would have been for the three time World Cup winner as that’s what Infantino had suggested to member nations.
Criticism on the face of Infantino welcome
Recently, Patel and the fraternity have been berated for the lack of football development in the country.
And it’s only fair they absorb the criticism as other sports, with a far and few to no fundings continue to break glass ceiling regionally and internationally.
The FIFA ratings have prompted Youth and Sports minister Jese Saukuru to call on the body to fix the problem by including ‘new blood’ to steer the organization in the right direction.
And what a rebuke as the Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad voiced similar concerns as Infantino was aware of situation during the welcome ceremony, DPM highlighted the fact that with the millions of FIFA funds the sport in the country hasn’t made much progress, upside was the U20 team qualified for the FIFA U23 World Cup in 2015 and 2023.
In 2015, Fiji got humiliated 8-1 by Germany, 3-0 Uzbekistan and won 3-0 to Honduras.
And 8-years on pitiful performance mirrored itself again, setting a new low of three losses, 4-0 against Slovakia, 3-0 to USA, an embarrassing 9-0 demolition to Ecuador.
Prasad said the football administrators and as a nation are not to keep shifting the goalposts but to set our sights firmly on taking football to greater heights.
He noted Fiji had twice beaten Australia, 1977 and 1988, when the sport hadn’t turned professional.
“It’s a professional sport now, where every player is on a contract and payroll.”
All time low FIFA ranking
The Fiji men's national team is ranked 169th in the world and is seventh out of the eight teams in the FIFA standings, behind New Zealand (103), Solomon Islands (133), Papua New Guinea (159), New Caledonia (161), Tahiti (162) and Vanuatu (165).