The Fiji Football Association has issued a strong warning to district teams regarding potential penalties for not following the participation rules in various competitions.
This warning comes after a recent Digicel Women’s Senior League match between Navua and Lami was abandoned when Lami was unable to field the minimum required seven players. Navua began the match with a full squad of 11, while Lami only had seven available players. The referee called off the match towards the end of the first half after one Lami player was injured and could not continue.
FIFA rules stipulate that a team must have at least seven players on the field for a match to occur. At the time the game was abandoned, Navua was ahead 1-0. Fiji FA CEO Mohammed Yusuf stated that they would wait for the referee’s report before taking any further action.
Yusuf emphasized that the regulations are clear and that all districts have signed off on these rules. He noted that districts could face fines and be summoned before the competitions committee to explain their failure to field an adequate number of players and alternatives.
This situation is concerning for women’s football in Fiji, especially following the recent participation of the Junior Kulas at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia earlier this month. The Fiji women’s team currently holds a world ranking of 72 and is third in Oceania, following New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.