The Fijian football myth
Before reporting on the 2018 Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup, my experience of Fijian football was limited to a chance viewing of Sout Korea thumping the Pacific Islanders 8–0 at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
This, combined with Australia smashing teams by sixes and sevens when they were a part of Oceania led me to believe the sport would be flailing in Fiji.
I expected no one to care about the game and if they did, they would only have a semblance of knowing what they were talking about.
But I was (arrogantly and ignorantly) wrong.
I produced a daily podcasts where I interviewed a number of the movers and shakers of Fijian football, striving to improve the nation’s standing within Oceania and reach the holy grail of World Cup qualification.
Fiji Football CEO, Mohammed Yusuf put the prospect of World Cup qualification on the table in an interview on day one of the tournament.
“2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, we want to qualify,” Yusef said.
“We have an under 16 [years-old] tournament in our local leagues run by clubs, where this is a written mission [to qualify] for 2026.
“These are the players that over the next eight years we think will take Fiji to the World Cup.”
Bold, I like it.
This interview made me recognise how the expansion of the World Cup wasn’t all doom and gloom like so many in the West make it out to be. A more attainable carrot for nations like Fiji promotes improvement which should only be encouraged.
The next day I spoke with head coach of the Fijian men’s national team, Christophe Gamel, what a fascinating character he is. The Frenchman has coached across Europe, in the Middle East and over the last two years, he has tasked himself with inverting Fijian football’s insular nature.
Gamel is trying to push Fijian footballers abroad to diversify their game, which has reflected in the nations international schedule where they have played the likes of Indonesia, the Philippines and Estonia in recent times.
The 46-year-old is trying to innovate. His contract runs until 2022 and whether he is there beyond that point or not, I get the sense he is capable of leaving a lasting impact.
I also had the opportunity to speak with the coaches of two Fiji West sides in Timodi Seru (Boys Senior) and Sunil Kumar (Girls Senior). They preached the pathway for the future of Fijian football. Their teams were good, in fact, they won their respective competitions, however, they know this was only a small step in a long-term journey for their players.
On the final two days of the tournament, I spoke with FIFA accredited match official, Avinesh Narayan and member of the Fijian National Sports Commission, Charlene Lockington. Both outlined tangible pathways for improvement for Fijian football.
Narayan, one of the leading referees in Oceania, is driven to officiate at a FIFA World Cup. His goals and involvement in a newly-established Fiji referee development committee can only help inspire and educate the next generation of match officials on the island. Perhaps he will be officiating at the 2026 World Cup.
Lockington, a former Fiji women’s national team player and coach, has an infectious passion for the football. She outlined the progress of the women’s game in Fiji, noting there was still a long way to go. A decade ago, the average age of the women’s national team was in the mid-30s, now it is in the early-20s, combine this with the side making the final of the 2018 Oceania Nations Cup and the future is bright.
Lockington, a footballing icon in the town of Ba also gave me podcasting gold when she said, “If you are born in Ba, you’re born with a football,” brilliant — similar to babies in the backstreets of Rio no doubt.
Look, don’t get me wrong, rugby union, especially sevens, is the number one game in Fiji. However, it was wrong of me to think it was the only serious sport in the country. There is a clear love for the world game on the island and only time will tell if this can be translated on to the pitch as they strive to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
