The top eight teams in the Digicel Fiji Premier League have secured their places in next month’s Super Premier Division of the FMF Inter-District Championship, set to take place at Churchill Park in Lautoka. The confirmed teams are Rewa, Labasa, Lautoka, Ba, Nadi, Navua, Suva, and Nadroga.
Tailevu/Naitasiri and Nasinu have been relegated to the Premier Division, where they will be joined by Bua, Tavua, Lami, and Seaqaqa. The Senior Division will feature teams such as Savusavu, Taveuni, Nadogo, Dreketi, Rakiraki, and Northland Tailevu.
The pool draws for the 2024 FMF IDC will occur on Tuesday, October 1, at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva at 11 am. The championship is scheduled to be held from October 15 to 20.
In other news, three players have been added to the national men’s football squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers, as confirmed by national football head coach Rob Sherman. The new players include Leroy Jennings from Sydney United FC, Gabrieli Matanisiga of Wellington Olympic AFC, and Kavaia Rawaqa from Suva FC.
These additions bring the squad to 27 members ahead of the qualifiers, which commence on October 10 at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. National team manager Kartik Reddy noted that the new players are intended to strengthen the squad for a robust campaign, aiming to secure one of the 1.5 spots available for OFC qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The squad will start training on September 29 at the Fiji FA Academy in Ba, with the final 23-member squad announced on October 5. However, veteran defender Remueru Tekiata and Muni Shivam Naidu are out due to work commitments. Team captain Roy Krishna will join the squad on October 5 after fulfilling his club obligations with Odisha FC in the Indian Super League.
Fiji has been placed in Group A, competing against Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The national team will begin its campaign against the Solomon Islands on October 10 in Suva at 7 pm, followed by matches against Papua New Guinea on November 14 and New Caledonia on November 17, both at the PNG Football Stadium.