The top eight teams in the Digicel Fiji Premier League standings have secured their places in next month’s Super Premier Division of the FMF Inter-District Championship, which will 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 including Savusavu, Taveuni, Nadogo, Dreketi, Rakiraki, and Northland Tailevu.
The pool draws for the 2024 FMF IDC are scheduled for next Tuesday, October 1, at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva at 11 am. The tournament is set to take place from October 15 to 20.
In other news, three players have joined the national men’s football team preparing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers. This addition was confirmed by national football head coach Rob Sherman. The new players include Leroy Jennings, a midfielder from Sydney United FC; Gabrieli Matanisiga, a defender from Wellington Olympic AFC; and Kavaia Rawaqa, a defender from Suva FC.
These players are part of the 27-member squad ahead of the qualifiers, which are set to begin on October 10 at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. National team manager Kartik Reddy stated that these inclusions are aimed at strengthening the squad for a robust campaign in the qualifiers.
Reddy expressed the goal of securing the 1.5 spots available for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The squad is set to convene on September 29 at the Fiji FA Academy in Ba, with the final 23-member roster to be announced on October 5. Notably, veteran defender Remueru Tekiata and Muni Shivam Naidu have been ruled out due to work commitments. Captain Roy Krishna will join the team on October 5 following his club duties with Odisha FC in the Indian Super League.
Fiji is placed in Group A alongside the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. Their campaign will kick off 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 at the PNG Football Stadium.